Brandon Wood

I wish this guy could have been better but he's just another failed Angels prospect - it looks like he has signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres, trying to extend his pro career and hopefully playing well enough that someone takes note.

Featured autograph - Brandon Wood

One of the things I do is try and keep up with the off-season Major League Baseball transactions so I can update the collection of cards I try and get autographed in-person - as well as build a 'small set' of about 100 cards reflecting various players moves up through the end of spring training.

After spending parts of last season in-between the minors, Anaheim and Pittsburgh - I guess Brandon Wood is going to spring training next year with the Colorado Rockies.

He's still relatively young and may turn it around in a place like Colorado - but as a professional baseball player, it looks like he's bound to take Mike Hessman detour or the Wily Mo Pena one.

Baseball busts and disappointments - No. 18 Brandon Wood

Brandon Wood may still carve out an decent Major League career at 26, but he's got a lot of work to do - I still kind of hope he finds success, even though he isn't an Angel anymore, just because it would really be a waste if his once prodigious potential translates into nothing but MLB futility.

BUST

Brandon Wood - an Angel never has been

It was bittersweet to read about the Angels designating Brandon Wood for assignment - particularly after a trio of young Angels [Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos and Hank Conger] had combined for nine hits in a 15-4 win against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

There are guys like Albert Pujols who seem to hit from their first day in the Major Leagues and there are guys who struggle before enjoying any sort of success - as much potential Wood showed through his minor league career, it is puzzling why it had taken him so long to do anything with the Angels.

Maybe he should have taken the slow and steady route, like Trumbo - who isn't that much younger than Wood.

It might have taken awhile for Trumbo to get to the Major Leagues - but the Angels nearly buried the guy until he was 24 and maybe it was the right thing to do.

Wood on the other hand, was the top prospect whom the Angels probably couldn't wait to push through the minors - because of his once tangible power potential.

As I look through my handful of random Wood cards and lament his failure as a Major Leaguer - it looks like without establishing himself in Anaheim, the book on his Angels' career is a waiver claim away from being closed for good.

Featured autographs - Brandon Wood and Alexi Amarista

The next players my friend and I probably stood in line for at Angels FanFest was Brandon Wood and Alexi Amarista - I must have gotten Wood later on because I've seen other Wood autographs posted from the FanFest that were letter-for-letter perfect.

I'm not going to lose sleep over how a player signs as long as the autograph is clean - but sometimes it is nice to get a version where the player has obviously taken more time writing out his autograph.

The handler who generally made sure the scheduled signers only signed one autograph per person seemed to be only focused on Wood - so I busted out two cards for Amarista to sign and also got help from my friend in getting one other card autographed.

Featured autograph - Brandon Wood / Angels 2010 recap and preview for 2011

The ways the Angels bumbled in 2010 wasn't solely Brandon Wood's fault - except he has not shown the ability to hit Major League pitching.

Wood is a relatively young kid at 26 and seems healthy - so 2011 is another year where Angels fans hope he can begin to establish himself as a competent Major League player. If he doesn't do it soon, Wood will be thrown among the set of Angels prospects who have failed to live up to expectations.

This is sort of a recap and a preview - after the Angels had enjoyed much success for much of the 2000s, the team stumbled in 2010.

1.) Hitting performances took a dip - Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, Erick Aybar. While Matsui and Rivera are gone, the Angels are hoping Vernon Wells can provide some stability in the lineup and guys like Abreu and Aybar bounce back.

2.) The team in 2010 never really gelled for a prolonged period of time with the injuries suffered by various players - Jeff Mathis got hurt, lost Kendrys Morales for the season, Joel Pineiro got hurt, Maicer Izturis couldn't play a full season due to nagging injuries.

3.) Scott Kazmir imploded - he's a guy who at 27 may need to learn how to pitch and make the transition from thrower to someone who has to rely on guile. The days were he can overpower hitters with sheer stuff seems to have passed him by.

Still the Angels' rotation have a good trio in Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Dan Haren - Pineiro comes up as the No. 4 starter and if Kazmir can do something to revive his career, then the Angels have a staff that is as good or better than the Oakland Athletics or the Texas Rangers.

4.) The Angels' bullpen wasn't good in 2010 and closer Brian Fuentes was dumped for a notable 7'1'' pitcher in Loek Van Mill - Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi look to improve the depth, even though Fernando Rodney can be a question mark at times.

In 2011, the Texas Rangers will likely take a step back because Cliff Lee went to Philadelphia and they chose to let Vladimir Guerrero leave - perhaps the Athletics may be a 'breakout' team if the 'complimentary' hitters [David DeJesus, Matsui and Josh Willingham] the team acquired in the off-season stay relatively healthy and be productive.

I cannot root against my Angels however and believe they will at least get back into the playoffs in 2011 - not that 2010 hasn't created some doubt about that reality happening, but there is a good team in place in Anaheim and despite not signing Carl Crawford and/or Adrian Beltre, they can go and win the American League West.