By Matt Eddy
January 18, 2010

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects  (How to subscribe)
Angels Chat  Matt Eddy	Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team

TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Hank Conger, c 2. Peter Bourjos, of 3. Mike Trout, of 4. Trevor Reckling, lhp 5. Garrett Richards, rhp 6. Fabio Martinez, rhp 7. Randal Grichuk, of 8. Tyler Skaggs, lhp 9. Jordan Walden, rhp 10. Trevor Bell, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Hank Conger Best Power Hitter Mark Trumbo Best Strike-Zone Discipline Hank Conger Fastest Baserunner Peter Bourjos Best Athlete Mike Trout Best Fastball Garrett Richards Best Curveball Garrett Richards Best Slider Fabio Martinez Best Changeup Trevor Reckling Best Control Trevor Bell Best Defensive Catcher Bobby Wilson Best Defensive Infielder Andrew Romine Best Infield Arm Rolando Gomez Best Defensive Outfielder Peter Bourjos Best Outfield Arm Angel Castillo

PROJECTED 2013 LINEUP

Catcher Mike Napoli First Base Kendry Morales Second Base Howie Kendrick Third Base Brandon Wood Shortstop Erick Aybar Left Field Torii Hunter Center Field Peter Bourjos Right Field Mike Trout Designated Hitter Hank Conger No. 1 Starter Jered Weaver No. 2 Starter Scott Kazmir No. 3 Starter Joe Saunders No. 4 Starter Ervin Santana No. 5 Starter Trevor Reckling Closer Kevin Jepsen

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Ramon Ortiz, rhp Giants 2001 Joe Torres, lhp Dodgers 2002 Casey Kotchman, 1b Red Sox 2003 Francisco Rodriguez, rhp Mets 2004 Casey Kotchman, 1b Red Sox 2005 Casey Kotchman, 1b Red Sox 2006 Brandon Wood, ss Angels 2007 Brandon Wood, ss Angels 2008 Brandon Wood, ss Angels 2009 Nick Adenhart, rhp Deceased

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Joe Torres, lhp Dodgers 2001 Casey Kotchman, 1b Red Sox 2002 Joe Saunders, lhp Angels 2003 Brandon Wood, ss Angels 2004 Jered Weaver, rhp Angels 2005 Trevor Bell, rhp (1st supp.) Angels 2006 Hank Conger, c Angels 2007 Jon Bachanov, rhp (1st supp.) Angels 2008 Tyler Chatwood, rhp (2nd round) Angels 2009 Randal Grichuk, of Angels

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Jered Weaver, 2004 $4,000,000 Kendry Morales, 2004 $3,000,000 Troy Glaus, 1997 $2,250,000 Joe Torres, 2000 $2,080,000 Casey Kotchman, 2001 $2,075,000

ANGELS LINKS

Angels' Team Page Angels Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Angels Top 10 Prospects 2009 Draft: Angels (Basic Database) 2009 Draft: Angels  (Advanced Database) 2009 Draft Report Cards: Los Angeles Angels  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook

Tragedy descended on the Angels during the first week of the season, but they rebounded to win 97 games, third-most in franchise history.

Nick Adenhart, the organization's reigning No. 1 prospect, and two others died in a collision with a suspected drunken driver on April 8. The 22-year-old had just thrown six shutout innings against the Athletics in his first appearance of the season.

Los Angeles players wore a No. 34 patch on their jersey sleeves throughout the regular season and playoffs, displayed his uniform in their dugout wherever they played, and voted the Adenhart family a full $138,038 playoff share after the season.

Beyond that tragedy, injuries sabotaged the club early in the season. The Angels hovered near .500 until John Lackey's return in mid-May helped stabilize the rotation. Because of injuries to Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana, manager Mike Scioscia gave 36 starts to five righthanders—four of them rookies—who weren't expected to be major contributors. Trevor Bell, Anthony Ortega and Sean O'Sullivan came from within the organization, while 30-year-olds Shane Loux and Matt Palmer had signed as minor league free agents.

That quintet compiled an unsightly 5.45 ERA behind the homegrown trio of Lackey, Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders, so Los Angeles traded for Rays lefthander Scott Kazmir on Aug. 28 in advance of the playoffs. The acquisition cost them slugging Triple-A second baseman Sean Rodriguez, as well as a pair of promising high Class A talents in lefty Alex Torres and third baseman Matt Sweeney.

That the Angels cruised to their third straight American League West title—and their fifth in six years—in spite of all that adversity is yet another feather in Scioscia's cap. In a decade at the helm, he has guided the club to a 900-720 (.556) record, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship.

Los Angeles finally vanquished the Red Sox in the AL Division Series after Boston had won three previous matchups in 2004, 2007 and 2008. The run came to an end against the Yankees, who beat them in a six-game AL Championship Series.

Even after losing Mark Teixeira as a free agent to the Yankees, the Angels scored more runs than any AL team besides New York after finishing 10th in the league in 2008. Los Angeles reaped the benefits of sticking with young players who had experienced growing pains at the big league level.

Slick-fielding Erick Aybar hit .312 and posted the fourth-best OPS (.776) among AL shortstops, while Kendry Morales rocked 34 home runs and slugged .569, which ranked second only to AL MVP Joe Mauer.

Los Angeles also reversed its recent history of unsigned draft picks, investing $6.8 million in a crop that included five selections before the second round, all compensation choices for the loss of free agents Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez and Jon Garland. The early returns were positive, with high school outfielder Mike Trout (first round) leading the way by batting .352 in his pro debut.

The extra picks helped bolster a farm system on the mend, and the Angels could be in store for another draft bonanza in 2010. They received two compensation picks for the loss of Chone Figgins to the Mariners, and two more when John Lackey signed with the Red Sox. In addition to their own pick, that will give Los Angeles five of the first 39 selections.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects  (How to subscribe)

Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team