ON Top 50 Prospects - #25: Matt Angle

Published by Jordan Tuwiner on March 21, 2011

Despite being a polished college center fielder it appeared Matt Angle was going to have a very slow ascent through the minors. He spent full seasons at both Delmarva (2008) and Frederick (2009) before heading towards Bowie for 2010. His well rounded game was simply too good for the Eastern League and the Orioles bumped him up to Norfolk after just 14 games.

His batting average with the Tides wasn’t quite as high as had been throughout his career, but he continued to play fundamentally sound baseball, making the most out of his ability. He stole 24 bases in 28 tries (86%) and drew walks in 10.3% of his plate appearances.

Angle is what he is at this point: a speedy center fielder who’s going to play above-average defense, steal a ton of bases at a high rate and get on base.

He’s a patient hitter who puts the bat on the ball, uses the whole field and really knows how to drop down a bunt. His speed is well above-average but it’s his smarts and base running instincts that really allow him to become a threat on the base paths.

A reliable defender, Angle’s smarts and instincts on the base paths carry over to center field. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but good routes put him in good position to throw the ball which helps make up for his lack of arm strength.

Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold are currently ahead of Angle on Baltimore’s depth chart, but once room clears in the out field Angle will get a strong look from the O’s. His speed and defense alone should give him a long career as a backup outfielder, and strong offensive output, specifically OBP%, could make him a starter one day.

Career Statistics

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	21	Aberdeen	NYPL	A-	BAL	66	287	236	60	71	4	4	0	14	34	4	47	40	.301	.421	.352	.773
2008	22	Delmarva	SALL	A	BAL	126	566	478	82	137	22	5	4	35	37	11	71	86	.287	.385	.379	.763
2009	23	Frederick	CARL	A+	BAL	123	553	478	78	138	17	4	1	32	40	12	59	72	.289	.370	.347	.717
2009	23	Bowie	EL	AA	BAL	8	32	28	6	10	1	0	0	1	2	0	4	5	.357	.438	.393	.830
2010	24	Bowie	EL	AA	BAL	14	70	60	11	23	2	0	1	9	5	2	6	5	.383	.433	.467	.900
2010	24	Norfolk	IL	AAA	BAL	87	399	350	55	91	4	4	1	24	24	4	41	54	.260	.338	.303	.640
4 Seasons						424	1907	1630	292	470	50	17	7	115	142	33	228	262	.288	.379	.353	.731