News
O's Angle makes most of his AFL stint
Prospect gains experience in short amount of time
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
11/22/09 3:35 PM EST
In a league that not only recycles its roster but switches affiliated teams every fall, the Phoenix Desert Dogs were five outs away from a sixth consecutive Arizona Fall League championship on Saturday.That is, until Orioles prospect Josh Perrault decided one of his rare blemishes in the past couple of months would be the turning point of the game.
Perrault, the 27-year-old right-hander who accrued a 3.38 ERA in 11 AFL relief appearances, came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and served up a one-out, two-run homer to White Sox prospect C.J. Retherford that gave the Peoria Javelinas a 5-4 win and the eventual title.
But Perrault, along with Eddie Gamboa and Brandon Erbe -- three of the Orioles' four pitching prospects in the AFL -- was sharp all fall, and in no way was that homer indicative of his experience.
"Him and Eddie and Erbe, all those guys were great out here," Orioles prospect Matt Angle said. "It's just one pitch, one inning, and sometimes that just happens in baseball.
"Josh will be all right."
He probably will be. Especially when you think that the AFL -- despite how nice, rare and odd a sixth straight title would've been for the Desert Dogs -- is about top-rated prospects honing their crafts while playing against some of the best the Minor Leagues have to offer in hopes of being ready to eventually take on the Majors.
That was the case for one of the Orioles' young outfielders.
Angle certainly did his best to give his team a fighting chance on Saturday, capping what was a pretty slow fall by going 2-for-4 with a triple in the championship game. The Orioles' seventh-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft had a solid year with high Class A Frederick, then earned a promotion to Double-A Bowie toward the end of the season and continued to rake.
And though Angle finished his regular-season AFL stint batting just .237 in 19 games, he wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
"It was great," Angle said. "Lot of good guys, lot of good coaches on our team. Overall, I felt like we had a good clubhouse, had a good group of guys and they really worked hard. I felt like I was able to gain some experience and pick up some things I can take into Spring Training.
"I'm really glad I was able to come over here."
Angle said he went into his AFL stint wanting to work on consistency in his approach at the plate, as well as bunting and defense. Now, the 24-year-old outfielder said he'll stay away from baseball activities for a while, but he'll start lifting in a few weeks in preparation for next season.
If only Angle didn't play the outfield.
The Orioles are fresh off a 98-loss season and weren't shy about digging into their farm system for some reinforcement in 2009. But they're pretty set in the outfield, where guys like Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold -- all young and with great upside -- lurk.
But Angle, who's done nothing but produce through two full seasons in the Orioles' farm system, doesn't find any sense in worrying about that right now.
"I try not to look that far ahead," he said. "There's nothing I can do about those guys. Those guys are all established big leaguers, All-Stars, and there's nothing I can do about that. I just try to work my best, get better every day, and if I get an opportunity, then great."
Angle, out of Ohio State University, batted .289 with 32 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 123 games for Class A Frederick this summer. Then at Double-A Bowie, he hit .357 (10-for-28) in eight games.
In his Minor League career, the lefty-hitting speedster has batted .292 with a .388 on-base percentage and 112 stolen bases.
What about next year -- one that likely won't see him play in the big leagues?
"Just try to stay consistent with what I've been doing," Angle said. "Hopefully, we'll win a championship next year. That'd be nice. I haven't gotten a ring in Minor League Baseball, so that'd be something that would be nice. But just from a personal standpoint, just trying to stay consistent with what I've been doing, offensively and defensively."
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
