Drafted in the 4th round (132nd overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2006 (signed for $227,500).
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Clay Fuller got exposure when scouts came to see Kendall Volz, a fellow Baylor recruit, at Smithson Valley High. A quality athlete, Fuller has plus speed. His brother Cody played baseball and football at Texas Tech and signed with the Angels as a 48th-rounder last year.
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Fuller was a nominal switch-hitter when he signed four years ago for $227,500, though his high school coach never let him bat from the left side. It took him two years in Rookie ball to iron out his lefthanded swing. Fuller is yet another member of the organization with athletic bloodlines. His father and two brothers played football at Texas Tech, and brother Cody, an Angels 48th-round pick in 2005, retired prior to last season having topped out at Double-A. Clay demonstrates more bat control from the right side, but he has shown more power and better strike-zone judgment from the left. He refuses to give away at-bats, ranking fourth in the California League with 71 walks, and isn't afraid to work deep counts, as evidenced by his 127 strikeouts. Wiry strong with a bit of projection remaining, Fuller projects to have fringe-average power at best, looking more like a doubles hitter than a true home run threat. He doesn't make enough contact to hit for a high average. A plus runner, Fuller has swiped a combined 66 bases the past two seasons at a 79 percent success rate. He's a strong defender in center field with an average arm. Fuller's raw tools suggest he could take a leap forward, but he'll have to show offensive improvement with Arkansas in 2010 to do that.
After spending two years in the Arizona League, Fuller made the jump to low Class A last season and showed more upside than any position player at Cedar Rapids. Athleticism runs in his family, as his father and two brothers played football at Texas Tech. One of those siblings, Cody, is also an outfielder in the Angels system. As soon as Clay turned pro, Los Angeles turned him into a switch-hitter. He has had limited success learning to hit lefthanded so far, batting just .244 with 95 strikeouts in 315 at-bats from that side in 2008. He has better balance and more confidence batting from his natural right side. However, he has shown the ability to draw walks and hit for gap power against both lefties and righties. He's still growing into his 6-foot-2 frame, and with more strength and experience could develop into a 15-homer threat. Fuller has plus speed to go with his pop, which allowed him to rank fourth in the minors with 13 triples last season. He has shown aptitude for stealing bases, succeeding on 78 percent of his career attempts. He covers a lot of ground in center field and has an average arm. He'll move up to high Class A in 2009.
There were more than a half-dozen prospects off the Arizona League team who received consideration for this Top 30 list. Fuller earned notice as a toolsy outfielder with some projection, though he was repeating the league at age 20. He was also learning how to switch-hit. Fuller has table-setting ability and top-of-the- order tools. He led the league with 55 runs and did a much better job of making consistent hard contact his second time through the league. Power isn't a major part of his game, but he he's strong enough to project to hit 10-14 home runs annually in the big leagues. He's a natural righthander and understandably struggles with his swing at times from the left side. He's a plus runner with above-average range in center field, and has shown the early signs of feel for the position. He has an average arm. Fuller had a lower back injury that hampered him in 2007, but he was expected to be ready to move to Cedar Rapids with a strong showing in spring training.
Minor League Top Prospects
A year after signing as a fourth-rounder, Fuller repeated the league while he learned to switch-hit. He displayed top-of-the-order tools and led the league with 55 runs, and also showed how raw he remains. One of the Angels' fastest prospects, he's a 70 runner on the 20-80 scale, and has well above-average range in center field. Fuller, whose older brother Cody played in Double-A for the Angels this year, has surprising power, especially from his natural right side, where he hit three of his five homers in just 49 at-bats. He still has trouble making consistent contact as a lefty, but his speed and athletic ability give the move a good chance for success. He lacks the feel for hitting of nondrafted free agent Anthony Norman, his teammate who won the AZL batting title (.362), but Fuller has better pure tools and athleticism. While he still needs work on his routes to balls, he has an average arm and projects as an asset defensively.
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