Brandon Wood gets the call

Let’s take a look at his resume up to the age of 24:

- 4 straight 20+ home runs seasons.
- 2 30+ home run seasons.
- A 2005 season where he hit well over .300, with 43 homers, and a .667 SLG at the age of 20.

With all the Angels injuries this season (Kevin Jepsen and Vlad Guerero the latest) it was a little surprising that Wood wasn’t getting the call. He had a great spring, and through Monday, lead the PCL in SLG, ISO, OPS, and wOBA. 

Wood projected to be a monster power hitter, that’s the only sure thing though. His defense at shortstop is very, very suspect, and with that kind of power, the Angels moved him to thirdbase a few years. This hurts his fantasy value a little, but it was the right move. He was 31 runs below replacemnt at SS in 2007 (AAA), where as at third, he is around average, and improving as he adjusts to the position. He could end up being an above average defender, which would keep him at the position.

Speed wise this guy is somewhere around Ryan Braun. He stole a good number of bases at the low minors, but as he has moved up, he’s stolen a little less. Still, 10 steals last season and the Angels love to send runners. This will be an aset fantasy wise. 

His biggest problem is obvious. He has absolutley no ability to make contact on a consistent basis. But it’s getting better. 

CT%
2007 (AA) – 67.1%
2007 (AAA) – 72.5%
2007 (MLB) – 64.6% (small sample size)
2008 (AAA) – 73.7%
2008 (MLB) – 71.3%
2009 (Spring) – 79.7%
2009 (AAA) – 76.9%

So that contact rate is getting much, much better, and it’s translated well to the upper levels. He also has improved his walk rate, and after a promotion to the big leagues showed some uncharacteristic patience. If his CT% hits 80% (it could in a few years), he’d probably be a .280 hitter at the least. If it stays in the mid 70s for now (likely) he’s going to hit in the .260′s, but he also has ridiculous power and some speed. If you compare him to other up and coming thirdbasemen, he looks ok.

Evan Longoria had more patience, but his CT% at the high levels was in the mid-70s, and the low 70s last year as a rookie. And Wood has more raw power and speed. Ryan Braun had more of a high 70s CT rate in his 2006 breakout season, but his rookie year was in the mid 70s.

If Wood comes up, and makes contact at least 75% of the time, along with that power, and some speed, he’s going to hit in the .260-.280 range, with 25-30 homers, and double digit steals. Plus, with the Angels issues, he’s going to be hitting in the middle of that order along with Napoli, Hunter, Abreu, Juan Rivera, etc. etc. As long as the Angels are commited to getting him at bats (and he’s 24, they sort of have to be at some point) Brandon Wood could be a fantasy star. I have him on pretty much all of my teams, and when he hits bomb after bomb at the major league level, I’m going to enjoy it. Go pick him up. Make room for him. You wont regret it.