No offseason for Angels prospects

11/18/2005
In golf, it's called the silly season, but in baseball it's serious business.
It's that period between one year and the next. For baseball, the end of the regular season and Spring Training marks a time when prospects try to improve their stock and veterans give back to their hometowns and native lands.
Whether it's played in Mexico, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, it all goes by the simple name of winter ball.
One Angels player who will not be appearing in any games this winter is Bartolo Colon. The 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner is rehabbing from a right shoulder strain and the club has blocked Colon from playing in the Dominican Republic, his home country.
But a number of Angels farmhands have already made an impact since the conclusion of the 2005 regular Major League season.
Infielders Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick, and right-hander Jered Weaver all played in the Arizona Fall League with varying degrees of success, and all three are currently members of Team USA in the CONCEBE Olympic qualifying tournament.
Wood followed up a big Minor League season with an equally impressive AFL campaign. The shortstop hit 14 home runs to break Tagg Bozied's record, while batting .307 with 32 RBIs, and continued to show, as he proved at Class A, that he is an offensive force.
The 20-year-old posted a 1.086 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) with the Surprise Scorpions, which closely approximated his 1.055 OPS at Rancho Cucamonga.
In 130 games with the Quakes, Wood hit .321 and led the California League with 43 home runs to earn MVP honors. He also had 51 doubles and was promoted at the end of the season to Triple-A to provide depth at Salt Lake.
With Team USA, Wood is 3-for-13 with a homer and four RBIs through three games.
Not to be outdone is Kendrick, his teammate and counterpart. Forming a dynamic double-play combo with Wood, the second baseman also has posted some gaudy numbers all year.
In the AFL, Kendrick hit .380 with five homers, 10 doubles and 17 RBIs while posting a .405 on-base percentage. Named the Angels' Co-Minor League Player of the Year along with Wood, Kendrick hit .384 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs in 63 games with the Quakes and an OPS of 1.059.
Making the jump to Double-A, Kendrick hit .342 with 20 doubles, seven homers and 42 RBIs in 46 games at Arkansas and is making an impression with the national team. In three games with Team USA, Kendrick is 5-for-12 with a double, triple and a stolen base.
The organization would like to keep the pair together, with decisions upcoming this spring as to where they will open the year.
Jeff Mathis did not play in the AFL this year, but is a member of the national team. The catcher, who may get his big-league shot depending on the status of free agent Bengie Molina, is 4-for-9 in two games with Team USA.
Weaver, at 1-3 and a 5.47 ERA, did not post a great record in his seven AFL starts, but he demonstrated a command of the strike zone. In 24 2/3 innings, Weaver struck out 35 batters and walked just five, which generally underscored his main quality as a starting pitcher and continued his success after signing a Minor League deal with the Angels in late May.
In seven starts at Class A this season, Weaver went 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA while striking out 49 and walking seven. He then went 3-3 with a 3.98 ERA in eight starts at Arkansas with 46 strikeouts and 19 walks.
Weaver has allowed two runs in four innings with Team USA while striking out six and walking two.
Alberto Callaspo has gone 10-for-29 with three homers in eight games for Caribe of the Venezuelan Winter League. Named to the Texas League All-Star Game and to the Texas League postseason All-Star team along with shortstop Erick Aybar, Callaspo had a good year, hitting .297 in 89 games at Arkansas and .316 in 50 games after getting promoted to Salt Lake.
Mike Napoli has a pair of homers for Aquilas of the Dominican Winter League.

Source: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/