Angel Chavez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #24 prospect in 2004
  Chavez doesn't get anyone overly excited, but he showed steady progress while making the transition from third base to shortstop last year. He repeated high Class A and improved in nearly every statistical category. He has the physical ability to play shortstop, with good hands, solid range and a plus arm that ranks as his best tool. At times, Chavez lays back on balls and relies too much on his arm, but he started to correct that as the season wore on. The question will be his bat, as is the case with other Giants middle-infield prospects such as Jamie Athas, Cody Ransom, Tim Hutting and Jake Wald. Like Ransom, Chavez is a free swinger with some power. Nine of his 10 homers last year came away from San Jose's spacious Municipal Stadium. He might have shown even more power if not for a left thumb injury in June. Chavez reduced his strikeouts in 2003 but never will be a walk machine. The Giants will know more about Chavez' bat after he moves to Double-A this year.
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #25 prospect in 2003
  The Giants signed Chavez as a 17-year-old shorstop in 1998. He subsequently had knee surgery, so the Giants moved him to third base so he wouldn't have to move as much. He still has shortstop hands, though. Chavez is one of the best defensive infielders and has one of the best infield arms in the organization. He likes to show off his arm, too, waiting as long as possible before gunning throws across the diamond. He's good enough defensively that he still might move back to shortstop. At the plate, Chavez has some holes in his swing, though the ball jumps off his bat when he makes contact. He has a Gary Sheffield-like pump in his swing but lacks the bat speed to get away with it. His approach also needs some tinkering, as he rarely draws walks. A move to Double-A in 2003 will be a good test to see if Chavez can hit enough to reach the majors.