ALFREDO AMEZAGA

 

Shortstop
Anaheim Angels

 

Bats: Both Throws: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 165 lbs.
Born: January 16, 1978, Obregon, Sonora, Mexico.

 

MAJOR LEAGUE SEASON PITCHING STATISTICS:

 YEAR

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP
2002 13 3 7 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 .538 .538
 

PROFILE:
Alfredo Amezaga first came to the U.S. as a teenager because he wanted to learn the English language. However, shortly after arriving here, Amezaga started to play organized baseball and went on to attend St. Petersburg Junior College. While playing for St. Petersburg, he was noticed by an Angels’ scout, and was consequently drafted by the Angels in the 13th round of 1999 draft. Initially, the youngster impressed the organization’s brass with his tireless work ethic, enthusiasm for the game, good baseball instincts, and great defensive ability. Alfredo has always had good hands, footwork, and range; however, he originally possessed only an average arm, but through hard work, he has improved his arm strength tremendously. His hard work on his defense paid off for him when he was voted the Double-A Texas League’s best defensive shortstop in 2001. Amezaga can also play second base, where he seems to have no trouble turning the doubleplay. Offensively, Alfredo makes good contact and has good control of the strikezone; however, he needs to improve his batting average, which should come with more work on his switch-hitting ability. Alfredo also possesses tremendous speed, so with his patience at the plate and his speed, he has leadoff hitter written all over him. After he gets on base, Alfredo is one of the most exciting base runners in the minors (he stole 73 bases at Class-A Lake Elsinore in 2000); his instincts on the base paths are outstanding. During spring training of last season, veteran left-handed hitting Angel outfielder Orlando Palmeiro spent quite a bit of time helping the youngster with his batting technique. Alfredo took up switch-hitting about two year’s ago, and so far, he is a much better hitter from the right-side of the plate, than from the left-side.

FINAL ASSESSMENT:
Many scouts believe that unless Amezaga can improve his ability to hit for average, he will probably never be anything more than a utility player in the majors. However, because he is so enthusiastic and hardworking, and has such an infectious love and instinct for the game, we wouldn’t discount his ability to become a starting infielder in the big leagues. The more I discovered about his enthusiasm and work ethic, the more I liked him. He should go in one of the earlier rounds in the upcoming NABL draft. It is hard to judge though because of his lack of major league at-bats last season.