Next up in our Top 30 prospect countdown, this year's 7th round pick, Abel Baker.  Despite what the unceremonious divestment of Mike Napoli might suggest, the Angels seem to be going out of their way to stockpile slugging catchers in their farm system.  After a nice debut in Orem, it is safe to say that Abel Baker has the potential to some day get a chance to be bring his big bat to Anaheim only to have to spend his entire existence proving to Scioscia that he can field the position.  In other words, you've got company, Hank Conger!

Abel Baker
Position: Catcher  Level: Rookie (2011 7th round draft pick)
Bats: Left Throws: Right  Height: 6'1" Weight: 195 lbs.
Age: 21  Born: October 26, 1990

2011 Season Stats: 157 AB, .306 AVG, .406 OBP, .471 SLG, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 43 SO, 1 SB, 1 CS, .393 BABIP

Bat – B+. Decent hitter for average and has good pop for a catcher.  Advanced approach.

Speed – C. It’s decent for a catcher, but it will never be a strong suit.

Arm – A. Baker has an absolute cannon, already looks like one of the best in the system.

Performance – B.  Baker was one of the better hitters for Orem and a solid defensive catcher

Projection – An offensive minded everyday catcher.

Comp - Floor: Bobby Wilson.  Ceiling: Ramon Hernandez.

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: 2015-2016

The November 2nd, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Erick Aybar won a Gold Glove, DiPoto begins hiring his staff, Vernon Wells does NOT opt out of his contract and much more...

The Story: Erick Aybar won his first Gold Glove, but Peter Bourjos did not.

The Monkey Says: The Gold Gloves continue to be a joke.  Aybar is a good defensive shorstop, but neither UZR nor DSR graded him out as anything but average this season.  As for Bourjos, he got screwed.  Ellsbury beating him out is a classic case of the players and manager being unable to separate a player's offense from his defense.  It isn't that Ellsbury is a poor fielder, but both Bourjos and Austin Jackson graded out much better.

The Story: Jerry DiPoto hired Larry Corrigan as special assistant to the general manager.

The Monkey Says: Corrigan has a scouting and coaching background and has been in baseball for forever.  This seems like a strong hire, so DiPoto is off to a good start, but I'd still like to see him bring in someone a little more business savvy.

Up next in our prospect countdown is another promising young arm for this year's draft (maybe the Reagins regime wasn't all bad).  As a JUCO relief prospect with a big arm, Michael Clevinger adds to the Angels' growing collection of power bullpen prospects, assuming that he stays in the bullpen and learns to be more than just a flame-thrower.

Michael Clevinger
Position: Relief Pitcher Level: Rookie (2011 4th-round draft choice)
Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'4"  Weight: 202 lbs.
Age: 20  Born: December 21, 1990

2011 Season Stats: 0-0, 4.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 3 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, 2.20 FIP, .300 BABIP, 0.40 GO/AO

Fastball – A-. Sits at 95 mph with a deceptive ¾ delivery that could be effective against RHB.

Breaking Ball – B.  Has the necessary slider to put hitters away.

Change up – Not applicable.  He doesn’t use it as a RP, but should he ever start, he has one.

Performance – B+. Best K/9 ratio in competitive Florida JUCO scene.  Solid in Orem.

Projection – B.  Has the stuff to be closer/decent #3 SP, reports indicate he’ll remain in pen..

Comp – Floor: Ben Weber.  Ceiling: Octavio Dotel.

Video - Clevinger’s delivery in the Cape Cod League 

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: 2014

The Angels have a general manager now, but that doesn't mean we know a whole lot about their off-season plans just yet.  What we do know is that the Halos will be looking to upgrade at third base.  The only problem with that is the free agent and trade market at the hot corner is woefully thin.  Is there even one viable option for the Angels to pursue?

The third base market?  Your looking at it.

The November 1st, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including four Angels are Gold Glove finalists, Eppler was the runner-up for the Angels GM job, an Angels free agency primer and much more...

The Story: Dan Haren, Erick Aybar, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos are all finalists for Gold Glove awards this year.

The Monkey Says: The Gold Gloves are now being revamped for television, so there are finalists for the first time.  Typically, the Gold Gloves are also pretty terrible at selecting the right winners, but this list looks pretty good to me, although I would like to have seen Howie Kendrick get some love.  It is worth noting though that no Angel players won the sabermetric driven Fielding Bible awards.

The Story: Billy Eppler was reportedly the runner-up for the Angels general manager job.

The Monkey Says: That is no surprise since we already know that Eppler got a second interview just before they hired DiPoto.

Welcome to the Angels, Jerry DiPoto!  It is great to have you on board.  Go ahead and take a seat at your fancy new general manager desk and bask in the opportunity to finally get to sit in the big chair... OK, time is up!  Hope you enjoyed that brief moment in revelry because now it is time to get to work because, in case you didn't notice, there is actually a lot that needs to be done around here if the Los Angeles Angels are going to get back to being contenders.  Put on your hard hat, Jerry.

Yeah, I know it sucks.  Most of the time when you take a new job you get a few weeks to settle in, get some training, learn the lay of the land and so on.  Worst case scenario, you get a few months to get fully up to speed.  DiPoto though?  Well, he's got until 12:01 am EST this Thursday, and even then he might find himself behind the rest of the pack by then.  However, DiPoto does have a few days to play catch up on the off-season, but to do that, he must first check off a few tasks on his GM honey-do list first.

I've teased at it for weeks and now it is finally here, the Top 30 Angels Prospect Countdown.  We here at Monkey With a Halo have combined forces with Scott Allen from LA Angels Insider to provide you with all you ever needed to know about the best the Angels farm system currently has to offer.  This countdown starts today with this year's sixth-round draft choice fireballer Austin Wood and it will continue for the next several weeks as we take an in-depth look at one prospect each weekday until we get to number one (you'll never guess who it is... and by that I mean you will totally guess it).  We'll also be supplementing this coverage with some podcasts over at LAAI featuring Scotty and myself, so stay tuned for information on when those will be available for your listening pleasure.  Enough with the introductions, let's see if this Austin Wood kid was really worth all the hassle it took to sign him.

Austin Wood
Position: Starting Pitcher Level: Rookie
Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'4"  Weight: 225 lbs.
Age: 21  Born: July 11, 1990

2011 Season Stats (at USC): 5-7, 77.0 IP, 5.61 ERA, 90 H, 34 BB, 50 K

2011 Season Stats (Rookie): 0-0, 1.1 IP, 20.25 ERA, 90 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Fastball – A. Not much movement, but according to scouting reports it sits at 97+.

Breaking Ball – C. Slurve type curve, nothing to write home about yet.

Change up – B-. He has it, and uses it. Nothing in the way of commanding it, but it’s good.

Performance – N/A, just 1.1 innings of minor league play.

Projection – A. Cape Cod manager said he was capable of going top 5 or 10 in draft.

Comp – Floor: Erratic reliever that never lives up to promise. Ceiling: Josh Beckett.

Video - Wood pitching for USC

Estimated MLB Arrival Date: 2015.