Carmen Angelini
| AB | 1232 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .233 |
| OBP | .288 |
| SLG | .317 |
| HR | 17 |
- Full name Carmen Angelini
- Born 09/22/1988 in Lake Charles, LA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Barbe
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Drafted in the 10th round (334th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2007 (signed for $1,000,000).
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Angelini played third base as a high school junior in deference to Josh Prince (now starting at the University of Texas), and he'll face tough competition with Texas high schooler Rick Hague for Rice's shortstop job next spring if he attends college. Scouts have no question that Angelini can handle the position, as he has a plus arm and solid range. He has no glaring weakness in his game. He's more ready than Hague to contribute offensively at the college level, with superior speed and raw power. As much as scouts like Angelini, some question whether he's going to be more than just a good college player--though that seems to be selling him short. He's not considered as tough to sign as Hague, but it will be difficult to lure Angelini away from the Owls.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Angelini was part of New York's $8 million draft class in 2007, as the Yankees signed him away from a Rice commitment with a $1 million bonus. It set a record for a 10th-round pick and raised expectations for a player who earned mixed reviews from area scouts in Louisiana, who liked his scrappiness and defensive abilities but had doubts about his bat. Those fears seemed more legitimate in 2008 as Angelini had a miserable offensive season in low Class A, getting off to a slow start and never quite heating up. Scouts like his swing path and he has good plate coverage. Angelini just lacks the strength to produce good bat speed and consistent hard contact at this stage. He has a strong arm and solid infield actions, though at times the speed of the game got the better of him. He should be able to stay at shortstop but also would make a fine second baseman. His speed is slightly above-average. Angelini learned what it takes to be a pro on and off the field and never quit despite the long season and his poor performance. Projecting him as a big leaguer takes a lot of faith in his bat, but the Yankees will be patient. He's expected to repeat low Class A in 2009. -
The Yankees are betting $1 million--the highest bonus ever for a 10th-round pick who wasn't a draftand- follow--that Angelini will wind up being the best Louisiana Mr. Baseball out of Barbe High (Lake Charles) in the last few years. The other winners are a Who's Who list of flameouts, including Joe Lawrence (a first-rounder who had 150 big league at-bats with the Blue Jays in 2002), Nick Bourgeois (an ex-Phillies minor leaguer whose career peaked at Tulane) and Austin Nagle (a former Athletics farmhand). The Yankees wooed Angelini away from his Rice commitment with the bonus and, more subtly, by bringing him to Yankee Stadium during the Subway Series with the Mets and working him out alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Angelini could be the homegrown shortstop to eventually replace Jeter, who will be 34 this season. Scouts like Angelini's range and arm for the position, and the Yankees love his hands, which they believe will work for him in the field and at the plate. At his best, he's a line-drive machine with gap power to all fields and good plate discipline, particularly for a player his age. He's also a plus runner, covering 60 yards in 6.7 seconds. Other teams who scouted Angelini as an amateur weren't as sold on his bat as New York is, liking Angelini more for his energy and athleticism and profiling him more as a utility player. He's polished enough to be able to earn a spot as a starting shortstop in low Class A this year.
