The Los Angeles Angels don't have much depth at third base in their farm system, but Jake Munroe is changing that.
The Los Angeles Angels have plenty of power in their lineup, not to mention a lot of prospects who can mash, so Jake Munroe didn’t get a lot of attention when the Halos drafted him out of Louisville in the fourth round last year. Munroe has hit everywhere he’s been, though, and now he’s turning heads at High-A Tri-City, according to an article written by Taylor Ward of Baseball America.
His college stats were impressive. Munroe hit .346 with 13 home runs and a 1.044 OPS in 66 games at Louisville, according to Ward, but scouts weren’t all that excited because his power projections were modest. The third baseman struggled with his timing against velocity, and the leverage of his swing path wasn’t good enough to make him a top prospect.
But that’s changing fast. Munroe’s first stop as a pro was with Low-A Inland Empire, and he’s improved his slugging percentage from .333 to .519, plus he’s starting to make more contact on high-velocity fastballs.
“He’s been able to improve his movement efficiency and power output,” said Angels assistant GM Joey Prebynski. “He’s freed himself up athletically, and what you’ve seen has translated into more power and in-game production, which has helped him get off to a nice start.
“One of the big focus areas for Jake post-draft has been for him to prioritize his separation for timing versus the fastball. And when you look early on in the season, his production against fastballs has been better and has turned into more in-game production, which is certainly a testament to the work Jake has put in.”
That work has changed Munroe’s projections. He’s always been able to keep his strikeout rate down, but now he's starting to project more as a bat-first third baseman with the ability to hit for power.
“We look at (Jake) as a third baseman who provides run production with a combination of plate discipline and contact ability while increasing damage in the box through power,” Prebynski said.
“We look for him to continue the progression that he’s on and build on the momentum he’s created for himself early in his first full season of professional baseball.”
Munroe is still a long way from Anaheim, but it’s a good first step, especially after the production he showed in his college career. He could be moving up the ladder soon, and at the very least the Angels could use more depth at third base.
Yoan Moncada has been hitting well below .200 all season long, and the Halos are still sorting out second and third, with Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom engaged in a positional battle in which both are playing well. Munroe has put himself on the radar, and he could be in line for a promotion if his swing work continues to pay off.