San Diego Padres get excellent return from Angels for Huston Street
By Joel Burdeos
San Diego, CA- When you’re a team like the San Diego Padres and you’re closer to getting the #1 overall pick in next years draft, than reaching the playoffs, having an established closer is just a luxury you can’t afford.
The Angels desperately needed an established closer and so they were willing to overpay and give up three of their top ten prospects to acquire Huston Street from the San Diego Padres.
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The San Diego Padres acquired Angels top overall prospect second baseman Taylor Lindsey, shortstop Jose Rondon, reliever R.J. Alvarez and right-hander Elliot Morris.
Lindsey, 22, is having a decent season in Triple-A batting .247 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI’s. Lindsey had his best season in the minors last season, batting .274 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI’s in Double-A. Lindsey was the Angels 37th overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft and is considered a decent defender with an excellent bat and strong raw power. Baseball America ranked Lindsey 93rd in their top 100 prospects this season.
Taylor Lindsey Scouting Report by MinorLeagueBall.com:
"Lindsey is a 6-0, 195 pound left-handed hitter born December 2, 1991.He was rated as a pure hitter with moderate power when drafted despite unusual swing mechanics, but his pro performance has been inconsistent, with erratic power production and a rather disappointing batting average/OBP over the last two years. He’s shown better strike zone judgment this year although his PCL production overall hasn’t been as good as anticipated. On the other hand, his defense at second base has been better than expected and at age 22 there is still time for the bat to blossom. – John Sickels"
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Rondon, 20, was the Angels top shortstop prospect and has had excellent season batting .327 in his first season in High-A Inland Empire. Rondon is considered by scouts an above average fielder and a solid hitter with decent speed.
Jose Rondon Scouting Report by MinorLeagueBall.com:
"Rondon is a 6-0, 160 pound right-handed hitter, born March 3, 1994. He makes contact and does the little ball things like bunting very well for his age. He seldom strikes out and has performed well against older pitching this year, but he lacks strength and power and could also stand to add more patience at the plate. Although scouts rate his range and arm strength as only adequate for shortstop, he has great instincts and makes fewer errors than most infielders in his age group. He would be an excellent defender at second base and isn’t bad at shortstop, making him an ideal utility infielder candidate, though it is plausible that he can develop enough offensively to start at some point, given his youth. – John Sickels"
Morris, 22, was drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of last year’s draft and has had a solid season going (5-4) with a 3.27 ERA in 85.1 innings between low-A Burlington and high-A Inland Empire this season.
Elliot Morris Scouting Report by MinorLeagueBall.com:
"Morris is a 6-4, 210 pound right-hander born April 26, 1992. He had Tommy John surgery in college but has fully recovered, showing a 92-96 MPH fastball with good sinking action. He has a decent slider but his changeup needs work and his overall command needs sharpening. At higher levels he projects as a number four starter if his secondary pitches improve, or a middle relief option if they don’t. – John Sickels"
Alvarez could be the best piece in this trade. He was the Angels fourth best prospect and has been dominant this season with a 0.33 ERA in 27 innings out of the bullpen in Double-A. Alvarez posses a mid-90s fastball and has a very good slider. He projects as a late-inning reliever or closer at the major league level and could join the San Diego Padres at some point in the second half as their potential future closer.
R.J. Alvarez Scouting Report by MinorLeagueBall.com:
"Alvarez is a 6-1, 200 pound right-hander born June 8, 1991. He has overpowering stuff, featuring a 93-96 MPH fastball and a very good slider, reflected sabermetrically in outstanding K/IP ratios. Alvarez has two problems: erratic control, and high-effort mechanics that worry scouts. He has enough stuff to close if he can sharpen his command and should be at least an effective middle reliever if he avoids physical problems. – John Sickels"