Today: SF Prospect Angel Villalona
Angel Villalona is a teenaged San Francisco Giants prospect with monster power. He's one of the three best prospects on the Giants roster, and he's only eighteen years old today.
Drafted as a Latin American free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2006, Villalona's power was rated the best in the Giant system immediately upon signing for his $2.1 million bonus.
Villalona has a sweet swing that scouts and coaches drool. His swing looks long, but it's fast, and he's so disciplined with his bat that he can deposit balls into whichever bleacher seat he aims for. He's shown a propensity for over-swinging, whihc is probably understandable in such a young man whose received so much attention for his power, but now that he's landed a nice safe contract, the Giants are hoping he'll settle down and learn to work with what pitchers offer, rather than trying to force his will onto every pitch.
| Yr | Tm | Age | Lvl | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2007 | Ariz Giants | 17 | R | 52 | 200 | 40 | 57 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 42 | .285 | .344 | .450 | .794 |
| 2007 | Salem | 17 | A- | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 | .231 | .167 | .398 |
Villalona is a large boy, standing 6-4 at last measure and weighing in close to 230 pounds. His size might necessitate a move to first base, but his bat is so good that that isn't necessarily a bad thing. If he remains at third, he'll rely on a strong arm and average range. He's quite athletic and mobile for such a big kid, but he won't be winning any gold gloves unless he switches to first and puts in a lot of practice.
Villalona is well-liked in the Giant system for more than his talents. With a strong work ethic and willingness to learn from his mentors, Angel is the sort of player coaches love to have on their roster. As he matures and gets accustomed to professional baseball, he could become a pillar of the Giants future.
Update: Upgraded to A-level Augusta, despite a poor performance at low-A Salem last year, Villalona seems to have found the right level to challenge him. Through 93 games, he's hitting .248 with 12 home runs and 93 strikeouts. He'll repeat A-ball next season as he learns to work counts to his favor before loosing his home run cannon.
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