Los Angeles Angels sign international prospect Kevin Maitan
By Esai Leanos
The Los Angeles Angels surprise many by landing international prospect Kevin Maitan.
The Los Angeles Angels have one of the worst farm systems in the majors. Los Angeles made a huge, unseen, addition to their farm system on Tuesday.
Coming off this weekend’s news of the Angels still being in contention for Ohtani, many thought that would be the main focus for Eppler and the Angels for the week, but this morning, Buster Olney tweeted out:
The Angels have agreed to terms with infielder Kevin Maitan, who was made a free agent after MLB ruled the Braves violated rules in signing him.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 5, 2017
For those unfamiliar with Kevin Maitan, he was considered by many as a top 100 prospect coming into this season, even though he is only 17. His first professional season left much to be desired, but he has incredible upside, which is exactly what the Angels need in their farm.
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In 42 games played of rookie ball, the 17-year-old hit .241 with two home runs and 18 RBIs. Maitan’s biggest weakness was his strikeout rate, striking out in 27.8% of his plate appearances.
Maitan was released by the Braves as a result of MLB’s investigation into their former GM John Coppolella and the entire organization about potential issues regarding their international signings. Maitan was one of a dozen prospects made free agents at the end of the investigation and is considered by many as the best prospect of the bunch.
Per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the two parties agreed to $2.2 million deal. The assumption is that the Angels used next year’s bonus pool to make the deal, meaning that the $1.2 million available for the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani will remain untouched and that the Angels still have a shot at landing the Japanese superstar.
Next: The Ohtani sweepstakes are heating up
Billy Eppler has made it a trait of making surprise moves, and in his tenure has added Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, and now Kevin Maitan. It is definitely an exciting time to be an Angels fan, and here’s hoping Eppler has more tricks up his sleeve and continues improving the team.