So I've done a review of the 1st round, plus supplemental round, of this seasons draft. I used a format that is like "Baseball America's Prospect Handbook" rather than write something up about each player. Some of the categories are pretty straight forward while others are not. The Best "Pitcher" Category doesn't necessarily he's the best pitcher, just that he knows how to "pitch" and not just be a "thrower." The Best Athlete category was tricky and I was originally going to give it to Joel Hynes before ultimately deciding. If anyone wants to come up with a set criteria for determining it then be my guest. Anyhow, here is the review.
Best Hitter for Average - Alex Zhou, Catcher, Iowa City Undertakers, 11th Overall
Best Power-Hitter - John Stanley, 2B, Helena Mountaineers, 21st Overall
Best Stirke-Zone Discipline - Paul Long, Catcher, Washington D.C. Revolution, 23rd Overall
Best Pure Hitter - Alex Zhou, Catcher, Iowa City Undertakers, 11th Overall
Fastest Baserunner - Jose Mercedes, 2B, Durham Disaster, 2nd Overall
Best Athlete - Gerry Wise, CF, Charleston Chiefs, 17th Overall
Best Fastball - Wayne Cormier, San Fransisco Values, 50th Overall
Best Curveball - Albert Granados, San Fransisco Values, 5th Overall
Best Slider - Cesar Ramirez, New Orleans Gushing Dikes, 49th Overall
Best Changeup - Ricardo Espinoza, Montgomery Marauders, 1st Overall
Best Control - Albert Granados, San Fransisco Values, 5th Overall and Malcom McCartin, Buffalo Wings, 3rd Overall
Highest Velocity- Albert Sojo, Charlotte Knights, 20th Overall
Best 'Pitcher' - Malcom McCartin, Buffalo Wings, 3rd Overall
Best Defensive Catcher - Paul Long, Catcher, Washington D.C. Revolution, 23rd Overall
Best Defensive Infielder - Anthony Zentmeyer, 2B, Minnesota Goats, 15th Overall
Best Infield Arm - Vladimir Chavez, SS, Louisville EliteDucks, 19th Overall
Best Defensive Outfielder - Craig Hardy, CF, Milwaukee Timber Rattlers, 31st Overall
Best Outfield Arm - Orel Lawrence, CF, Kansas City Monarchs, 14th Overall
Closest To The Majors - Malcom McCartin, Buffalo Wings, 3rd Overall
Best Late-Round Pick(Made After No.20) - Paul Long, Catcher, Washington D.C. Revolution, 23rd Overall
Most Intriguing Background -Ross Nixon and Charles Nixon are cousins who were both taken in the supplemental round of the draft.
Biggest Reach - Albert Hernandez, Atlanta Incorruptibles, 40th Overall
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Top 100: 61-80
61. Brandon Cone, CF, Boston Backbay Badboys (Traded from Philadelphia), -3
62. Everett Fischbach, RF, Washington D.C. Revolution, +7
63. Moises Colome, SP, Montgomery Marauders, +5
64. Hub Kennedy, SP, Helena Mountaineers, --
65. Roger Dye, RF, Minnesota Goats, -8
66. Tony Aramboles, 3B, Helena Mountaineers, +17
67. Billy Murray, SS, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, --
68. Ivan Romano, C, New Orleans Gushing Dikes, +10
69. Marino Cervantes, SP, Charlotte Knights, +2
70. Rudy Roth, SP, Kansas City Monarchs (Traded from New Orleans), +4
71. Braden Rolison, SP, Durham Disaster (Traded from Helena), +6
72. Jay Stern, SS, Iowa City Undertakers, +13
73. Gerald Kramer, RP, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, +14
74. Ben Logan, CF, New Britain Bees, +22
75. Miguel DeLeon, LF, Dover Dragaerans, -10
76. Alfonso Martinez, RP, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, --
77. Alex Cora, SP, Los Angeles Trolly Dodgers, +14
78. Francisco Martin, SP, Boston BackBay Badboys, +14
79. Wally Everhart, SP, Boston BackBay Badboys, +14
80. Vernon Wilson, SP, Cleveland Cuyahogas, --
Where are they now?
61. Brady Fiore, #49
63. Stubby Moore, Majors
64. Rod Austin, Sluggers List
67. Yamid Rodriguez, Majors
70. Pat Park, #85
72. Gene Hernandez, #81
73. Eddie Pierzynski, Majors
76. Benny Chavez, #60
79. Alex Alvarez, Majors
80. Raul Ortiz, #83
62. Everett Fischbach, RF, Washington D.C. Revolution, +7
63. Moises Colome, SP, Montgomery Marauders, +5
64. Hub Kennedy, SP, Helena Mountaineers, --
65. Roger Dye, RF, Minnesota Goats, -8
66. Tony Aramboles, 3B, Helena Mountaineers, +17
67. Billy Murray, SS, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, --
68. Ivan Romano, C, New Orleans Gushing Dikes, +10
69. Marino Cervantes, SP, Charlotte Knights, +2
70. Rudy Roth, SP, Kansas City Monarchs (Traded from New Orleans), +4
71. Braden Rolison, SP, Durham Disaster (Traded from Helena), +6
72. Jay Stern, SS, Iowa City Undertakers, +13
73. Gerald Kramer, RP, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, +14
74. Ben Logan, CF, New Britain Bees, +22
75. Miguel DeLeon, LF, Dover Dragaerans, -10
76. Alfonso Martinez, RP, Santa Cruz Screaming Eagles, --
77. Alex Cora, SP, Los Angeles Trolly Dodgers, +14
78. Francisco Martin, SP, Boston BackBay Badboys, +14
79. Wally Everhart, SP, Boston BackBay Badboys, +14
80. Vernon Wilson, SP, Cleveland Cuyahogas, --
Where are they now?
61. Brady Fiore, #49
63. Stubby Moore, Majors
64. Rod Austin, Sluggers List
67. Yamid Rodriguez, Majors
70. Pat Park, #85
72. Gene Hernandez, #81
73. Eddie Pierzynski, Majors
76. Benny Chavez, #60
79. Alex Alvarez, Majors
80. Raul Ortiz, #83
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Free Agent Review
There were an amazing 11 Type A Free Agents signed this past off-season. Boston, Huntington, and Richmond all signed two. There were also 6 Type B Free Agents signed as well. New Orleans leads the league in compensation picks for the 3 players they lost, while Boston and Las Vegas each have two picks.
Dario Yamaguchi, SP, Arizona High Heat 3yrs/$22.5mil
Dario has had a spectacular start to the year as he has gone 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 9 starts for Arizona so far. With a 3:1 K/BB ratio and a WHIP of 1.19. Its looking like Arizona's rotation is going to be great, and carry them far this year.
Timothy Stokes, LF, Boston BackBay Badboys, 2yrs/$10mil
Stokes has been a solid contributor to Boston so far this year. Coming over from Charlotte, he has posted a line of .361/.449/.810 so far this year. Not spectacular for a COF, but definitely not bad either.
Tony Hernandez, RF, Boston BackBay Badboys, 2yrs/$12mil
Tony has had an impressive start to the season. We are only 45 games into the season and he has 26 XBHs already. As good as his bat has been so far he has been somewhat dreadful in the field with 4 errors already, for a .902 fielding percentage in right field.
T.J. Hernandez, SP, Cleveland Cuyahogas, 3yrs/$70mil
The prize of this past seasons free agent class, T.J. has lived up to the billing. Some say mytitan overpaid, but its hard to argue with the results so far. 6-3 with a 4:1 k/bb ratio and a 1.08 whip, he has been dominant. In his 3 losses he has given up a total of 10 runs, so its not like he got blown out. The guy is a workhorse and its surprising to see mytitan have him pitch once every 5th day rather than as much as possible.
Vic Vazquez, 3B, Colorado Helmet Sundaes, 3yrs/$19.8mil
Vic was signed by the now defunct ucbulls33. Luckily he fits nicely in Colorado, but then again, what hitter doesn't? 14HRs already, to go with a .381OBP and .604SLG, he has been worth almost every penny of the contract.
Ralph Jefferies, RP, Colorado Helmet Sundaes, 1yr/$4.8mil
Another signing by ucbulls33 who has gone on to abandon the franchise. This one is a head scratcher, but at least he didn't give up a draft pick and only provided a compensation pick. Ralph already has pitched 34 2/3 innings and those innings have been downright ugly. A 1.93WHIP and a 9.09ERA is not what a major league pitcher should be putting up. He is an extreme ground ball pitcher, which is what you want in Colorado, but he has mid 50's control which is barely passable. Why would anyone pay a guy $4.8mil who has a career ERA of 4.61 prior to this season?
Matthew Riggs, SP, Huntington Blazers, 5yrs/$60mil
Riggs has been good so far this year, not great, but good. He is 4-3 so far with a 3.62ERA after moving away from the friendly confines of Detroit. I would imagine that both ERA and WHIP will slowly start creeping higher as his home ball park is definitely more suited for hitters.
Doug Buck, RF, Huntington Blazers, 5yr/$64mil
Huntington spent a lot this past off season to land some free agents, lets hope they pan out for him. Like Riggs, Doug has gotten off to a good start, but not a great one. He's putting up numbers that are pretty much more or less the same as his career averages. Is he worth $64mil? Not in my mind.
Giovanni Lemon, SP, Kansas City Monarchs, 4yrs/$27mil
This is not what Kansas City was thinking was going to happen when they signed Giovanni. He's 1-5 with an ERA over 6.00. Its not like he's keeping the ball in the park either as he's given up 12HRs and has a slugging against of over .600. I would imagine this is just bad luck on his part as his skills say he shouldn't be doing this.
Raul Brogna, DH, Las Vegas Highrollers, 3yr/$18mil
Raul has been mentioned as an early MVP candidate in the American League with his 1.043OPS, and surely will be in the top 5 if he keeps it up. He is currently on pace to set career marks for nearly every offensive statistic there is.
Manny Sherman, RP, Las Vegas Highrollers, 3yrs/$17.4mil
One would think that if you are going to sign a Type A relief pitcher that you would be in need of a reliever, but this is not the case in Las Vegas. They already have a couple of competent relieves in the pen, but yet they went out and gave Sherman a pretty nice sized contract AND gave up draft picks. So far this year Manny has only pitched in 3 games and has 2 2/3IP. The 3 games he has pitched though have been great as he's only given up a single hit.
Karl Bale, 1B, Los Angeles Trolly Dodgers, 2yrs/$9.5mil
It appears that Karl has been a pinch hit bat coming off the bench most of the time as he's only started 26 games so far this season. His OBP would be higher if he was able to hit the ball a little better, but he is drawing alot of walks in his limited time so far. There is a mutual option for next year but I wouldn't think Bale would exercise it as its hard to imagine a team willing to pay him more than the $5.5 that he is owed next season.
Don Embree, RP, Montgomery Mauraders, 3yrs/$11.7mil
There have been some high priced relievers that were signed this past season, ones that don't figure to have prominant roles in the pen either. Don Embree is another example of this. Costing Montgomery almost $6mil this season he has only pitched 20innings and is slotted in the Setup B role. He hasn't even pithced well in the 20 innings he has pitched with a WHIP over 2.00. His skills say that this is probably just a small sample size though and he should come back to earth shortly.
Morris Phillips, SP, Philadelphia Phightins, 2yrs/$5.4mil
Philadelphia is still a couple of seasons away from competing and it looks like the signing of Phillips is just a stop gap until some young arms can develop down on the farm. It looks like he will fill that role just fine as he has 3 seasons of over 180ip. If his control was a little bit better he'd be a #3-4 on a contender.
Micah Regan, CF, Richmond Storm, 2yrs/$15mil
Micah would be better suited at second, but is currently playing out in Center for Richond. The Storm were active this year in free agency and signed two type A's, but the money they shelled out hasn't resulted in more wins, yet. This could be because Micah is 40pts below his career OBP and 90pts below his career SLG. I've noticed that some players with Micah's skills, and robocoach mentioned this as well, seem to be in a funk lately. With Micah, and the other guys I've noticed, its all happened at about the same time which would lead me to believe it was a change to the engine. We'll see.
Bucky Truman, 1B, Richmond Storm, 3yrs/$25mil
Bucky was my "Top Hitter" in this years free agency period and was signed by Richmond, and has not disapointed. With an OBP over .400 he has remarkabley only scored 21runs while being on base over 91 times so far this season. This stat indicated that Richmond just doesn't have anyone else on the roster that is capable of brining in runs, which is a shame for Bucky.
Ismael Franco, RF, Tacoma Pilots, 5yrs/$40mil
So threester backloaded this contract, only paying $4mil this year and paying $9mil each of the last 4 years. Hopefully he's around for the duration, and I have no reason to believe he won't be. His move to an extreme pitchers park has not hurt his stats at all which must be a nice suprise for threester. He had an early stint on the DL with a Back Strain, which is nothing new as he has been on the DL four seperate time due to his back. He's healthy now and on his persuit of 110rbi+ for a 6th straight season.
Dario Yamaguchi, SP, Arizona High Heat 3yrs/$22.5mil
Dario has had a spectacular start to the year as he has gone 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 9 starts for Arizona so far. With a 3:1 K/BB ratio and a WHIP of 1.19. Its looking like Arizona's rotation is going to be great, and carry them far this year.
Timothy Stokes, LF, Boston BackBay Badboys, 2yrs/$10mil
Stokes has been a solid contributor to Boston so far this year. Coming over from Charlotte, he has posted a line of .361/.449/.810 so far this year. Not spectacular for a COF, but definitely not bad either.
Tony Hernandez, RF, Boston BackBay Badboys, 2yrs/$12mil
Tony has had an impressive start to the season. We are only 45 games into the season and he has 26 XBHs already. As good as his bat has been so far he has been somewhat dreadful in the field with 4 errors already, for a .902 fielding percentage in right field.
T.J. Hernandez, SP, Cleveland Cuyahogas, 3yrs/$70mil
The prize of this past seasons free agent class, T.J. has lived up to the billing. Some say mytitan overpaid, but its hard to argue with the results so far. 6-3 with a 4:1 k/bb ratio and a 1.08 whip, he has been dominant. In his 3 losses he has given up a total of 10 runs, so its not like he got blown out. The guy is a workhorse and its surprising to see mytitan have him pitch once every 5th day rather than as much as possible.
Vic Vazquez, 3B, Colorado Helmet Sundaes, 3yrs/$19.8mil
Vic was signed by the now defunct ucbulls33. Luckily he fits nicely in Colorado, but then again, what hitter doesn't? 14HRs already, to go with a .381OBP and .604SLG, he has been worth almost every penny of the contract.
Ralph Jefferies, RP, Colorado Helmet Sundaes, 1yr/$4.8mil
Another signing by ucbulls33 who has gone on to abandon the franchise. This one is a head scratcher, but at least he didn't give up a draft pick and only provided a compensation pick. Ralph already has pitched 34 2/3 innings and those innings have been downright ugly. A 1.93WHIP and a 9.09ERA is not what a major league pitcher should be putting up. He is an extreme ground ball pitcher, which is what you want in Colorado, but he has mid 50's control which is barely passable. Why would anyone pay a guy $4.8mil who has a career ERA of 4.61 prior to this season?
Matthew Riggs, SP, Huntington Blazers, 5yrs/$60mil
Riggs has been good so far this year, not great, but good. He is 4-3 so far with a 3.62ERA after moving away from the friendly confines of Detroit. I would imagine that both ERA and WHIP will slowly start creeping higher as his home ball park is definitely more suited for hitters.
Doug Buck, RF, Huntington Blazers, 5yr/$64mil
Huntington spent a lot this past off season to land some free agents, lets hope they pan out for him. Like Riggs, Doug has gotten off to a good start, but not a great one. He's putting up numbers that are pretty much more or less the same as his career averages. Is he worth $64mil? Not in my mind.
Giovanni Lemon, SP, Kansas City Monarchs, 4yrs/$27mil
This is not what Kansas City was thinking was going to happen when they signed Giovanni. He's 1-5 with an ERA over 6.00. Its not like he's keeping the ball in the park either as he's given up 12HRs and has a slugging against of over .600. I would imagine this is just bad luck on his part as his skills say he shouldn't be doing this.
Raul Brogna, DH, Las Vegas Highrollers, 3yr/$18mil
Raul has been mentioned as an early MVP candidate in the American League with his 1.043OPS, and surely will be in the top 5 if he keeps it up. He is currently on pace to set career marks for nearly every offensive statistic there is.
Manny Sherman, RP, Las Vegas Highrollers, 3yrs/$17.4mil
One would think that if you are going to sign a Type A relief pitcher that you would be in need of a reliever, but this is not the case in Las Vegas. They already have a couple of competent relieves in the pen, but yet they went out and gave Sherman a pretty nice sized contract AND gave up draft picks. So far this year Manny has only pitched in 3 games and has 2 2/3IP. The 3 games he has pitched though have been great as he's only given up a single hit.
Karl Bale, 1B, Los Angeles Trolly Dodgers, 2yrs/$9.5mil
It appears that Karl has been a pinch hit bat coming off the bench most of the time as he's only started 26 games so far this season. His OBP would be higher if he was able to hit the ball a little better, but he is drawing alot of walks in his limited time so far. There is a mutual option for next year but I wouldn't think Bale would exercise it as its hard to imagine a team willing to pay him more than the $5.5 that he is owed next season.
Don Embree, RP, Montgomery Mauraders, 3yrs/$11.7mil
There have been some high priced relievers that were signed this past season, ones that don't figure to have prominant roles in the pen either. Don Embree is another example of this. Costing Montgomery almost $6mil this season he has only pitched 20innings and is slotted in the Setup B role. He hasn't even pithced well in the 20 innings he has pitched with a WHIP over 2.00. His skills say that this is probably just a small sample size though and he should come back to earth shortly.
Morris Phillips, SP, Philadelphia Phightins, 2yrs/$5.4mil
Philadelphia is still a couple of seasons away from competing and it looks like the signing of Phillips is just a stop gap until some young arms can develop down on the farm. It looks like he will fill that role just fine as he has 3 seasons of over 180ip. If his control was a little bit better he'd be a #3-4 on a contender.
Micah Regan, CF, Richmond Storm, 2yrs/$15mil
Micah would be better suited at second, but is currently playing out in Center for Richond. The Storm were active this year in free agency and signed two type A's, but the money they shelled out hasn't resulted in more wins, yet. This could be because Micah is 40pts below his career OBP and 90pts below his career SLG. I've noticed that some players with Micah's skills, and robocoach mentioned this as well, seem to be in a funk lately. With Micah, and the other guys I've noticed, its all happened at about the same time which would lead me to believe it was a change to the engine. We'll see.
Bucky Truman, 1B, Richmond Storm, 3yrs/$25mil
Bucky was my "Top Hitter" in this years free agency period and was signed by Richmond, and has not disapointed. With an OBP over .400 he has remarkabley only scored 21runs while being on base over 91 times so far this season. This stat indicated that Richmond just doesn't have anyone else on the roster that is capable of brining in runs, which is a shame for Bucky.
Ismael Franco, RF, Tacoma Pilots, 5yrs/$40mil
So threester backloaded this contract, only paying $4mil this year and paying $9mil each of the last 4 years. Hopefully he's around for the duration, and I have no reason to believe he won't be. His move to an extreme pitchers park has not hurt his stats at all which must be a nice suprise for threester. He had an early stint on the DL with a Back Strain, which is nothing new as he has been on the DL four seperate time due to his back. He's healthy now and on his persuit of 110rbi+ for a 6th straight season.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Top 100: 41-60
So I thought I'd have more time for the blog than I actually do. So I don't think I will be able to write up a little brief review of each player. Anyhow, here's 41-60:
41. Hal Paquette, SP, Cleveland
42. Nate Harper, SP, Las Vegas
43. T.J. Davidson, SP, Richmond
44. John Byrne, 2B, Louisville (Traded from Arizona after list was compiled)
45. Dolf Spencer, CF, Montgomery
46. Damion Uchida, SP, Louisville
47. Sam Fletcher, 2B, Santa Cruz
48. Ernie Beverlin, RF, Dover
49. Brady Fiore, RP, Milwaukee
50. Fernando Manzanillo, 3B, Arizona (Traded from Helena after list was compiled)
51. Jack Truman, RF, Richmond
52. Hector Serra, RP, Durham
53. Pat Woo, SS, Scranton
54. Ernest Iorg, SP, Scranton
55. Charles Norton, RF, Atlanta
56. Alberto Sanchez, CF, Kansas City
57. Tony Simas, SP, Atlanta
58. Willy Rigdon, 2B, Iowa City
59.Benito Aparicio, SP, Richmond
60. Benny Chavez, RP, Las Vegas
Where are they now?
41. Donaldo Alicea - Sluggers List, DH - Minnesota
42. Alfonso Cruz - #97 (RP recalibration), RP - Chicago
44. Cody Relaford - 2B - Milwaukee - Majors
45. Stephen Taylor - SP - Montgomery - Majors
47. Charles Mann - SP - New Britain - Majors
48. Craig Clark - SP - Las Vegas - Majors
51. Sammy Jacquez - SS - Montgomery - Majors
56. Josh Holzemer - CF - Toledo - Majors
57. Roger Dye - #65 - 2B - Minnesota
58. Brandon Cone - #61 - 2B - Boston
41. Hal Paquette, SP, Cleveland
42. Nate Harper, SP, Las Vegas
43. T.J. Davidson, SP, Richmond
44. John Byrne, 2B, Louisville (Traded from Arizona after list was compiled)
45. Dolf Spencer, CF, Montgomery
46. Damion Uchida, SP, Louisville
47. Sam Fletcher, 2B, Santa Cruz
48. Ernie Beverlin, RF, Dover
49. Brady Fiore, RP, Milwaukee
50. Fernando Manzanillo, 3B, Arizona (Traded from Helena after list was compiled)
51. Jack Truman, RF, Richmond
52. Hector Serra, RP, Durham
53. Pat Woo, SS, Scranton
54. Ernest Iorg, SP, Scranton
55. Charles Norton, RF, Atlanta
56. Alberto Sanchez, CF, Kansas City
57. Tony Simas, SP, Atlanta
58. Willy Rigdon, 2B, Iowa City
59.Benito Aparicio, SP, Richmond
60. Benny Chavez, RP, Las Vegas
Where are they now?
41. Donaldo Alicea - Sluggers List, DH - Minnesota
42. Alfonso Cruz - #97 (RP recalibration), RP - Chicago
44. Cody Relaford - 2B - Milwaukee - Majors
45. Stephen Taylor - SP - Montgomery - Majors
47. Charles Mann - SP - New Britain - Majors
48. Craig Clark - SP - Las Vegas - Majors
51. Sammy Jacquez - SS - Montgomery - Majors
56. Josh Holzemer - CF - Toledo - Majors
57. Roger Dye - #65 - 2B - Minnesota
58. Brandon Cone - #61 - 2B - Boston
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Trade Review Week 2
There was a flurry of activity during week 2 here is a recap
Las Vegas dealt power hitting 3B Rigo Carrasco to Philly for 2 high stamina low split SP's in Al Martin and Trey Hubbell. This was a major heist by Philly. Carrasco should be a force for the Phightins while the 2 SP's will struggle to get anyone out at the big league level
The next deal saw Richmond send CF Dwight Terryto Durham for 3 pitchers, Yorvit Izturis , Omar Martinez , and Jose Maduro. Maduro looks to have the most upside, but Richmond was really just looking for some pitching depth. Durham's aquisition of Terry raises some questions about CFer of the future Ross Herges. Durham management confirms that after a year in AAA for both of them, it will be an open competion next season with the deserving player getting the job. Anytime you get a futre ML player for fringe MLers it is a good deal, ( but richmond did get plenty of depth).
Next up Las Vegas made a 2nd move by sending former silver slugger Daryle Patrick to Minnesota for a pair of prospects Alan Maxwell and speed demon D'Angelo Diaz. Diaz will be a productive ML OF, but once again this looks like a deal that isn't to favorable for Las Vegas, They are clearing alot of payroll though, so maybe they wil be players in the IFA market and make up for it, now and in the future.
Next up Toledo aquired slugging DH/1B Manny Tanaka from Durham for SP Patrick Monroe. In only 300 Ab's last season Tanaka smacked 19 HR's and drove in 51 runs, given a full alottment of AB's expect a very solid season from Tanaka. Monroe is a very solid #3-4 SP except for his low durability which might force him into a LR role or at least for this season, he will just need pushed back in the rotation every once in awhile. This deal looks like a solid deal for both franchises.
Durham was back at it again this time aquiring the 15th ovreall pick in the season 3 draft SP Braden Rolison from Montgomery for slick feilding ML SS Aaron Garciaparra, and2 prospects C Juan Nunez and OF Jim Oquist. Rollison currently slides into Durham's future #2 SP slot. At 1st glance this looks like a solid deal for both teams, but a few days after the deal was completed Montgomery inexplicably released Oquist. Montgomery mangement was unavailable for comment. Given that Montgomery released the best player they got in the deal, this one had some around the league scratching their heads.
Las Vegas dealt power hitting 3B Rigo Carrasco to Philly for 2 high stamina low split SP's in Al Martin and Trey Hubbell. This was a major heist by Philly. Carrasco should be a force for the Phightins while the 2 SP's will struggle to get anyone out at the big league level
The next deal saw Richmond send CF Dwight Terryto Durham for 3 pitchers, Yorvit Izturis , Omar Martinez , and Jose Maduro. Maduro looks to have the most upside, but Richmond was really just looking for some pitching depth. Durham's aquisition of Terry raises some questions about CFer of the future Ross Herges. Durham management confirms that after a year in AAA for both of them, it will be an open competion next season with the deserving player getting the job. Anytime you get a futre ML player for fringe MLers it is a good deal, ( but richmond did get plenty of depth).
Next up Las Vegas made a 2nd move by sending former silver slugger Daryle Patrick to Minnesota for a pair of prospects Alan Maxwell and speed demon D'Angelo Diaz. Diaz will be a productive ML OF, but once again this looks like a deal that isn't to favorable for Las Vegas, They are clearing alot of payroll though, so maybe they wil be players in the IFA market and make up for it, now and in the future.
Next up Toledo aquired slugging DH/1B Manny Tanaka from Durham for SP Patrick Monroe. In only 300 Ab's last season Tanaka smacked 19 HR's and drove in 51 runs, given a full alottment of AB's expect a very solid season from Tanaka. Monroe is a very solid #3-4 SP except for his low durability which might force him into a LR role or at least for this season, he will just need pushed back in the rotation every once in awhile. This deal looks like a solid deal for both franchises.
Durham was back at it again this time aquiring the 15th ovreall pick in the season 3 draft SP Braden Rolison from Montgomery for slick feilding ML SS Aaron Garciaparra, and2 prospects C Juan Nunez and OF Jim Oquist. Rollison currently slides into Durham's future #2 SP slot. At 1st glance this looks like a solid deal for both teams, but a few days after the deal was completed Montgomery inexplicably released Oquist. Montgomery mangement was unavailable for comment. Given that Montgomery released the best player they got in the deal, this one had some around the league scratching their heads.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Trade Review
The 1st trade that was completed in season 6 saw New Britain send backup Outfeilder Bob Collier to Colorado for Colorado's 2nd round pick from a season ago Pedro Ayala This looks like a solid deal for New Britain as Ayala should become a solid 4th OF ( at worst) in the bigs, while Collier is a AAAA type player at best. A comparable player could have been gotten as a cheap free agent.
New Orleans and Toledo came together on a deal that saw the Cow Tippers send DH/1B Adam Sellers to the Gushing Dikes in exchange for 3B Juan Seneca who is coming off a down season where he only saw 117 AB's and hit a meager .248 with 5 HR's and 17 RBI. The dikes had been unsucceful in aquiring Sellers last season from Durham, but were able to find a match with Toledo, after Toledo aquired Sellers during a season 5 trade with Durham. Sellers is a very good offensive player who hit .312 with an ops of .932 with 29 HR's and 87 RBI. Seneca's ability to at least not embarress himself in the feild makes deal fairly even. Slight edge to New Orleans.
New Orleans and Toledo came together on a deal that saw the Cow Tippers send DH/1B Adam Sellers to the Gushing Dikes in exchange for 3B Juan Seneca who is coming off a down season where he only saw 117 AB's and hit a meager .248 with 5 HR's and 17 RBI. The dikes had been unsucceful in aquiring Sellers last season from Durham, but were able to find a match with Toledo, after Toledo aquired Sellers during a season 5 trade with Durham. Sellers is a very good offensive player who hit .312 with an ops of .932 with 29 HR's and 87 RBI. Seneca's ability to at least not embarress himself in the feild makes deal fairly even. Slight edge to New Orleans.
Top 100: 21-40
21. Bernie Melendez, SP, Buffalo, --
Bernie is back at the same spot as last year. He will walk the occasional batter, but that hasn't stopped either Hugh Luebbers or Orber Gutierrez from posting good numbers. He was the first pick in Season 4's draft, and depending on how much his control improves this season he could be up in September.
22. Stewart Dixon, SP, Kansas City, --
The sixth newcomer to this year's list, Stewart was the twelfth player selected in the draft last year. Projects to have great command of a curve and slider. Look for him to spend the year playing low a ball for the Monarchs.
23. Danys Carrara, 3B, Kansas City, +10
Carrara is a walk machine as he as averaged over 100 walks a season in his 4 pro seasons. Hailing out of Brazil, be on the lookout for Carrara later this year.
24. Shane Aurilia, SS, Charlotte, -1
Shane drops a spot in the list this year, but he is ready to break into the show. Shane is one of the fastest players, possibly ever to play the game, though he is not known as a base stealer. He is capable of putting up 40HR and 402B's a season.
25. Joe Parkinson, SS, Toledo, +1
Another Toledo infielder. Could you imagine if they still had McFeeley? ;-) Parkinson is still probably a full year away from being ready. He should be able to challenge Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak as his health/durability, and makeup all project to be in the 90's.
26. Rudy Howard, SS, Charlotte, +4
The 7th pick in Season 3's draft, Rudy has done nothing to disappoint since being drafted. Posting a career .335/.411/.630 line in over 1000 AB's, he should be ready for the bigs by the end of the year.
27. Lorenzo Feliz, SP, Charlotte, --
Lorenzo is HBD's version of Derek Lowe and Brandon Webb in that he induces a slew of ground balls. He is a workhorse in the rotation as he's already pitched 200 innings in just his first full season. Could start the season at the major league level, but looks like he'll be down at AA.
28. Jared Lofton, 1B, Las Vegas, -3
The list's first 1B, but in all reality, he's not a 1B. At number 27 we had HBD's Brandon Webb, and now at number 28 we have HBD's version of Ryan Howard. Jared is 25yr's old and is still stuck in the minors. You would have to say he is ready for a shot to produce at the big league level, and in his prime he should be able to put up MVP type numbers.
29. Douglas Gonzales, 2B, Charlotte, --
Hailing out of Schenectady County Community College in New York, Douglas was the 22nd pick last year. He appears to be an average ML 2B and should put up great offensive numbers. About average base runner as well. He appears to be a full season away from being ready.
30. Mule Buckley, SP, Montgomery, +1
For some reason I had Mule listed as a catcher last year. Not entirely sure why that was the case, but anyhow Mule is a pitcher, and a pretty good left hander at that. Pretty much ready to play in the bigs.
31. Jimmy Collins, 2B, Richmond, -2
Another walk machine and a black hole at 2B, Collins looks like a solid player. He might not get to as many balls as an average 2B would, but the ones he does get to are going to be turned into outs. His work ethic is 2nd to none, and has consistently improved each year as a pro.
32.Angel Earley, SS, Montgomery, --
This pick I believe will draw alot of controversy. He's not overtly dominate on offense, but will be more than adequate on defense. He should make up for his smallish bat by lagging out a couple more doubles and stealing his way into scoring position.
33. Alex Slaughter, 3B, New Britain, -1
Slaughter will most likely spend the year in the minors, but an argument could be made for bringing him up now. His durability still needs to get up a little bit, as that has been holding him back from getting the PA's that his bat deserves.
34. Cory Lee, SP, Minnesota, --
Cory was the ace for the University of Arkansas as they made it to the Super Regional of the CWS last year. Unfortunately the rest of the rotation wasn't comprised of similar players as they lost to Oklahoma State in the Regional Final. He produces alot of ground ball outs with a curve, sinker, and change-up, and is very effective against right handed hitters.
35. Rey Garland, 3B, Iowa City, --
Rey is the little brother of Andy Garland, but unfortunatley their parents split up as the brothers were separated when very young. Growing up Rey was always a clumsy kid as he kept getting himself hurt, but that didn't stop him from becoming a good enough ball player to be drafted in the supplemental round last year. Look for him to dominate lefties, and draw a lot of walks if he can stay healthy enough.
36. Allie Fitzgerald, SP, New Orleans, +3
Allie is not your prototypical pitcher as he is fairly "short" at 5'10", but he can sure generate a lot of velocity on his pitches, and somehow is an extreme ground ball pitcher. Drafted out of the baseball player factory that is known as Colfax High School, Allie is still about a year away from terrorizing left handed batters.
37. O.T. Olsen, SS, Buffalo, +16
Olsen jumps up this years list, in part due to a lot of graduations to the bigs in front of him, and also due to the minor tweak in how the list was generated. With over 1200 minor league at-bats, he seems ready to break into the show and will likely see a call up later this year.
38. Emil Alvarez, C, Santa Cruz, --
The first catcher on this years list, Emil was taken with a sandwich pick last year that Santa Cruz got in return for Dover signing Joaquin Martinez. While he won't be a great defensive catcher, he should be better than most, and will make up for any defensive shortcomings while up at the plate. Already playing at AAA while only 20yrs old, he is already ahead of the curve.
39. Ted Ellenwood, 1B, Scranton, -4
Ted falls back a few spots in this years list, probably due to an increase in the weight applied to defensive abilities. He is destined to be a COF or a 1B, but that isn't what pops out at you when you watch him play. Its his ability to hit the ball frickin 500ft with ease. He received significant playing time after getting called up in August last year as he played in 58 games. In those games he amassed a ridiculous OPS of 1.016. If he had been playing the entire year he probably would have won ROY easily. If this stat doesn't blow your mind then stop being a fan of baseball. 1 HR per 10AB's last year.
40. Russ Cressend, C, Montgomery, -4
Russ is a professional hitter who just happens to play catcher, nothing else about it. Slated to start the season in the bigs, he shouldn't disappoint and should be in the running for AL ROY. Tacoma would have had been on the list if they wouldn't have traded him in season 4, but they did, so they aren't. If Russ is able to get enough plate apperances he could be in the running for the league lead in HR's.
Where are they now(Season 5 21-40)
21. Albert Vizquel, RP, Tacoma - AAA (Fell out of the top 100 due to a shift in the rankings of RP)
24. Ajax Radke, SP, Helena - Majors
34. Alfonso Martinez, RP, Santa Cruz - AAA(#76)
37. Brandon Mintz, RP, Helena - Majors
38. Pascual Urbina, RP, Milwaukee - Majors
40. Sam Fletcher, 2B, Santa Cruz - AAA (#47)
Bernie is back at the same spot as last year. He will walk the occasional batter, but that hasn't stopped either Hugh Luebbers or Orber Gutierrez from posting good numbers. He was the first pick in Season 4's draft, and depending on how much his control improves this season he could be up in September.
22. Stewart Dixon, SP, Kansas City, --
The sixth newcomer to this year's list, Stewart was the twelfth player selected in the draft last year. Projects to have great command of a curve and slider. Look for him to spend the year playing low a ball for the Monarchs.
23. Danys Carrara, 3B, Kansas City, +10
Carrara is a walk machine as he as averaged over 100 walks a season in his 4 pro seasons. Hailing out of Brazil, be on the lookout for Carrara later this year.
24. Shane Aurilia, SS, Charlotte, -1
Shane drops a spot in the list this year, but he is ready to break into the show. Shane is one of the fastest players, possibly ever to play the game, though he is not known as a base stealer. He is capable of putting up 40HR and 402B's a season.
25. Joe Parkinson, SS, Toledo, +1
Another Toledo infielder. Could you imagine if they still had McFeeley? ;-) Parkinson is still probably a full year away from being ready. He should be able to challenge Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak as his health/durability, and makeup all project to be in the 90's.
26. Rudy Howard, SS, Charlotte, +4
The 7th pick in Season 3's draft, Rudy has done nothing to disappoint since being drafted. Posting a career .335/.411/.630 line in over 1000 AB's, he should be ready for the bigs by the end of the year.
27. Lorenzo Feliz, SP, Charlotte, --
Lorenzo is HBD's version of Derek Lowe and Brandon Webb in that he induces a slew of ground balls. He is a workhorse in the rotation as he's already pitched 200 innings in just his first full season. Could start the season at the major league level, but looks like he'll be down at AA.
28. Jared Lofton, 1B, Las Vegas, -3
The list's first 1B, but in all reality, he's not a 1B. At number 27 we had HBD's Brandon Webb, and now at number 28 we have HBD's version of Ryan Howard. Jared is 25yr's old and is still stuck in the minors. You would have to say he is ready for a shot to produce at the big league level, and in his prime he should be able to put up MVP type numbers.
29. Douglas Gonzales, 2B, Charlotte, --
Hailing out of Schenectady County Community College in New York, Douglas was the 22nd pick last year. He appears to be an average ML 2B and should put up great offensive numbers. About average base runner as well. He appears to be a full season away from being ready.
30. Mule Buckley, SP, Montgomery, +1
For some reason I had Mule listed as a catcher last year. Not entirely sure why that was the case, but anyhow Mule is a pitcher, and a pretty good left hander at that. Pretty much ready to play in the bigs.
31. Jimmy Collins, 2B, Richmond, -2
Another walk machine and a black hole at 2B, Collins looks like a solid player. He might not get to as many balls as an average 2B would, but the ones he does get to are going to be turned into outs. His work ethic is 2nd to none, and has consistently improved each year as a pro.
32.Angel Earley, SS, Montgomery, --
This pick I believe will draw alot of controversy. He's not overtly dominate on offense, but will be more than adequate on defense. He should make up for his smallish bat by lagging out a couple more doubles and stealing his way into scoring position.
33. Alex Slaughter, 3B, New Britain, -1
Slaughter will most likely spend the year in the minors, but an argument could be made for bringing him up now. His durability still needs to get up a little bit, as that has been holding him back from getting the PA's that his bat deserves.
34. Cory Lee, SP, Minnesota, --
Cory was the ace for the University of Arkansas as they made it to the Super Regional of the CWS last year. Unfortunately the rest of the rotation wasn't comprised of similar players as they lost to Oklahoma State in the Regional Final. He produces alot of ground ball outs with a curve, sinker, and change-up, and is very effective against right handed hitters.
35. Rey Garland, 3B, Iowa City, --
Rey is the little brother of Andy Garland, but unfortunatley their parents split up as the brothers were separated when very young. Growing up Rey was always a clumsy kid as he kept getting himself hurt, but that didn't stop him from becoming a good enough ball player to be drafted in the supplemental round last year. Look for him to dominate lefties, and draw a lot of walks if he can stay healthy enough.
36. Allie Fitzgerald, SP, New Orleans, +3
Allie is not your prototypical pitcher as he is fairly "short" at 5'10", but he can sure generate a lot of velocity on his pitches, and somehow is an extreme ground ball pitcher. Drafted out of the baseball player factory that is known as Colfax High School, Allie is still about a year away from terrorizing left handed batters.
37. O.T. Olsen, SS, Buffalo, +16
Olsen jumps up this years list, in part due to a lot of graduations to the bigs in front of him, and also due to the minor tweak in how the list was generated. With over 1200 minor league at-bats, he seems ready to break into the show and will likely see a call up later this year.
38. Emil Alvarez, C, Santa Cruz, --
The first catcher on this years list, Emil was taken with a sandwich pick last year that Santa Cruz got in return for Dover signing Joaquin Martinez. While he won't be a great defensive catcher, he should be better than most, and will make up for any defensive shortcomings while up at the plate. Already playing at AAA while only 20yrs old, he is already ahead of the curve.
39. Ted Ellenwood, 1B, Scranton, -4
Ted falls back a few spots in this years list, probably due to an increase in the weight applied to defensive abilities. He is destined to be a COF or a 1B, but that isn't what pops out at you when you watch him play. Its his ability to hit the ball frickin 500ft with ease. He received significant playing time after getting called up in August last year as he played in 58 games. In those games he amassed a ridiculous OPS of 1.016. If he had been playing the entire year he probably would have won ROY easily. If this stat doesn't blow your mind then stop being a fan of baseball. 1 HR per 10AB's last year.
40. Russ Cressend, C, Montgomery, -4
Russ is a professional hitter who just happens to play catcher, nothing else about it. Slated to start the season in the bigs, he shouldn't disappoint and should be in the running for AL ROY. Tacoma would have had been on the list if they wouldn't have traded him in season 4, but they did, so they aren't. If Russ is able to get enough plate apperances he could be in the running for the league lead in HR's.
Where are they now(Season 5 21-40)
21. Albert Vizquel, RP, Tacoma - AAA (Fell out of the top 100 due to a shift in the rankings of RP)
24. Ajax Radke, SP, Helena - Majors
34. Alfonso Martinez, RP, Santa Cruz - AAA(#76)
37. Brandon Mintz, RP, Helena - Majors
38. Pascual Urbina, RP, Milwaukee - Majors
40. Sam Fletcher, 2B, Santa Cruz - AAA (#47)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Top 100: 1-20
Once again, I drastically lowered the weight towards relief pitching (I define a reliever as a guy with less than 60 in stamina). As I have stated before as well position players tend to be weighted towards guys who play positions that require defense rather than the guys like David Ortiz and Prince Fielder. Yes Threester, I realize that there are about 7-10 guys who are not on the list that probably should be. They are your prototypical 1B/DH guys. I'll include them in the last post as a list of "guys who can hit, but not much else" list. They will definitely contribute at the big league level, its just I haven't found a good "middle" ground between the offensive and defensive ratings yet.
Rank; Name; Position; Team; Change from last year's list.
1. Bruce Fowler, SP, Chicago, --
We have a new overall number one, and it's last year's number one draft pick. Bruce signed a $4 million contract coming out of Millenium High School in Goodyear, AZ. He went 11-1 between rookie league and low a ball. He will give up the occasional home run, but looks like he could be one of the league's best pitchers for years to come.
2. Luke McFeely, 3B, Durham, -1
Last season's number one prospect falls on the list to number two thanks to Bruce, but he still looks like a great ball player.
3. Cliff Morgan, SS, Kansas City, +1
Moving up one spot, Cliff looks to continue his dominance this year and projects to break into the bigs possibly next year if his defense improves. He spent last year at High A, where he won a sliver slugger and an an all-star invitation as he posted a .362/.452/.621 line.
4. Doug Stern, SP, Arizona, --
Another new addition to this year's list, Doug was chosen with the third overall pick last season. As if Arizona needs anymore pitching as a couple of their prospects graduated to the bigs last year. Stern went 10-3 in 16 starts at low a last year.
5. Randy Gordon, SS, Toledo, --
Toledo would have had an amazing left side of their infield if they would have kept number two prospect McFeeley and Gordon, but they felt they had other pressing needs and traded McFeeley to Durham. Gordon was the second pick last season. You'd be hard pressed to find a guy who can hit the ball harder against right handed pitchers than Randy can.
6. Terry Jacquez, SP, Montgomery, +2
Terry definitely benefits from the move out of Santa Fe, even though Montgomery is still a hitters park. Whoever says SWINGINGWOOD doesn't know how to spot good pitchers doesn't know what they are talking about as Jacquez was another find by him. Traded away in season 4, Terry is all but ready for the bigs, though his durability will limit his use during the season.
7. Vic Ramsey, RP, Buffalo, --
Buffalo was probably the luckiest team in the draft when Richmond passed on Ramsey and selected Alex Treadway instead. Treadway isn't even one of the top 100 pitching prospects, while Ramsey is in the top 10 overall.
8. Santiago Martinez, SP, Montgomery, +1
Martinez also looks to benefit from the transition out of Santa Fe to Montgomery. Probably the smartest decision that though he probably didn't know it at the time. Might not be as good as he could be as his pitches might hold him back a little. Looks like he'll start the year off in the bigs.
9. Ralph Karl, RP, Montgomery, - 4
Montgomery's third pitcher on the list, and another SWININGWOOD draftee. Ralph has extraordinary effectiveness against both sides of the plate, though doesn't have a "great" pitch in his arsenal.
10. Ismael Nieves, SS, Buffalo, +4
Ismael is arguably ready for the bigs right now. Depending on how much his glove improves during the season you should be on the lookout for a call up later down the road.
11. Bosco Cochrane, SP, Buffalo, +2
Cochrane won't be setting any IP records, but he will definitely be a perennial all-star during his career. He was used as a closer last year, and was very effective coming out of the pen. There will be debate among the league if that trend continues when he eventually makes it to the bigs.
12. Ed Hamilton, SS, Minnesota, +16
Hamilton is an anomaly of my rankings. His defense is excellent, but his offense is suspect, even though he possesses great contact and power attributes. Ed is ready for the major leagues right now.
13. Dennis Acquilino, SS, Buffalo, +4
Another Buffalo shortstop shows up in the top 20 of this years rankings. Dennis is a little bit better defensively than Ismael, while Ismael is a little bit better offensively
14.Kevin Lennon, SP, Charleston, +1
Lennon has been less than spectacular during his pro career if you base your decision off of W-L records. He is a combined 10-15 over two full seasons, but that only tells half the story. His whip is 1.27 in over 230IP, which is pretty darn good. His K/BB ratio is also over 2.4. This leads me to believe he just has been playing on a team that has trouble putting up runs. Most likely will be around the minors for at least another season and a half.
15. Matthew Nitkowski, SP, New Orleans, +1
Nitkowski is one of those marginal types that seem to dominate the rankings. They don't really have the stamina to start, but their durability is low enough that they wouldn't be really effective out of the pen, but their other ratings are really good. You want to get them as many innings as possible, but are unsure which route to take. Matthew has averaged only 3 2/3 innings a start during his two seasons, but has managed to strike out almost a batter per inning. He's really in that "gray area"
16. Gary Fletcher, RF, New Orleans, -6
Fletcher falls a few spots in this years list, but its no fault of his own. He still projects to have an absolute cannon in right, and will hold many runners in their places once they find this out. Could start for any team this year.
17. Otis Schneider, SS, Milwaukee, --
Schneider is another newcomer to the list this year and projects to be the best overall defender from the list. Offensively won't be overpowering, but looks like he'll draw a ton of walks.
18. Aaron Lemon, SP, Durham, 0
Aaron surprisingly has not moved a single spot this year. He improved a ton over the past year as he is up 11pts overall, and appears to be a year from making his ML debut if he can keep that pace up.
19. Oswaldo Flores, Dover, SP, 1
Oswaldo has been a starter all his life, but it appears that Dover's new ownership wants him in the pen closing games out. He has been nagged by some minor injuries, but it doesn't appear to have sidetracked his progression to much.
20. Jim James, SS, Milwaukee, --
James is the second Milwaukee shortstop on the list. He is offensively better than Schneider, but a little bit worse on defense. Most likely will make the transition to third base, much like Ryan Braun did coming out of college, but hopefully with better success.
Where are they now(Last Year's Top 20):
2. Arthur Daniels, Boston - Majors
3. Gus Carpenter - Arizona - Majors
6. Trent Gragg - Minnesota - Majors
7. Esteban Johnson - Arizona - Majors
11. Louie Cho - Louisville - Majors
12. Ray Slocumb - Arizona - Majors
Rank; Name; Position; Team; Change from last year's list.
1. Bruce Fowler, SP, Chicago, --
We have a new overall number one, and it's last year's number one draft pick. Bruce signed a $4 million contract coming out of Millenium High School in Goodyear, AZ. He went 11-1 between rookie league and low a ball. He will give up the occasional home run, but looks like he could be one of the league's best pitchers for years to come.
2. Luke McFeely, 3B, Durham, -1
Last season's number one prospect falls on the list to number two thanks to Bruce, but he still looks like a great ball player.
3. Cliff Morgan, SS, Kansas City, +1
Moving up one spot, Cliff looks to continue his dominance this year and projects to break into the bigs possibly next year if his defense improves. He spent last year at High A, where he won a sliver slugger and an an all-star invitation as he posted a .362/.452/.621 line.
4. Doug Stern, SP, Arizona, --
Another new addition to this year's list, Doug was chosen with the third overall pick last season. As if Arizona needs anymore pitching as a couple of their prospects graduated to the bigs last year. Stern went 10-3 in 16 starts at low a last year.
5. Randy Gordon, SS, Toledo, --
Toledo would have had an amazing left side of their infield if they would have kept number two prospect McFeeley and Gordon, but they felt they had other pressing needs and traded McFeeley to Durham. Gordon was the second pick last season. You'd be hard pressed to find a guy who can hit the ball harder against right handed pitchers than Randy can.
6. Terry Jacquez, SP, Montgomery, +2
Terry definitely benefits from the move out of Santa Fe, even though Montgomery is still a hitters park. Whoever says SWINGINGWOOD doesn't know how to spot good pitchers doesn't know what they are talking about as Jacquez was another find by him. Traded away in season 4, Terry is all but ready for the bigs, though his durability will limit his use during the season.
7. Vic Ramsey, RP, Buffalo, --
Buffalo was probably the luckiest team in the draft when Richmond passed on Ramsey and selected Alex Treadway instead. Treadway isn't even one of the top 100 pitching prospects, while Ramsey is in the top 10 overall.
8. Santiago Martinez, SP, Montgomery, +1
Martinez also looks to benefit from the transition out of Santa Fe to Montgomery. Probably the smartest decision that though he probably didn't know it at the time. Might not be as good as he could be as his pitches might hold him back a little. Looks like he'll start the year off in the bigs.
9. Ralph Karl, RP, Montgomery, - 4
Montgomery's third pitcher on the list, and another SWININGWOOD draftee. Ralph has extraordinary effectiveness against both sides of the plate, though doesn't have a "great" pitch in his arsenal.
10. Ismael Nieves, SS, Buffalo, +4
Ismael is arguably ready for the bigs right now. Depending on how much his glove improves during the season you should be on the lookout for a call up later down the road.
11. Bosco Cochrane, SP, Buffalo, +2
Cochrane won't be setting any IP records, but he will definitely be a perennial all-star during his career. He was used as a closer last year, and was very effective coming out of the pen. There will be debate among the league if that trend continues when he eventually makes it to the bigs.
12. Ed Hamilton, SS, Minnesota, +16
Hamilton is an anomaly of my rankings. His defense is excellent, but his offense is suspect, even though he possesses great contact and power attributes. Ed is ready for the major leagues right now.
13. Dennis Acquilino, SS, Buffalo, +4
Another Buffalo shortstop shows up in the top 20 of this years rankings. Dennis is a little bit better defensively than Ismael, while Ismael is a little bit better offensively
14.Kevin Lennon, SP, Charleston, +1
Lennon has been less than spectacular during his pro career if you base your decision off of W-L records. He is a combined 10-15 over two full seasons, but that only tells half the story. His whip is 1.27 in over 230IP, which is pretty darn good. His K/BB ratio is also over 2.4. This leads me to believe he just has been playing on a team that has trouble putting up runs. Most likely will be around the minors for at least another season and a half.
15. Matthew Nitkowski, SP, New Orleans, +1
Nitkowski is one of those marginal types that seem to dominate the rankings. They don't really have the stamina to start, but their durability is low enough that they wouldn't be really effective out of the pen, but their other ratings are really good. You want to get them as many innings as possible, but are unsure which route to take. Matthew has averaged only 3 2/3 innings a start during his two seasons, but has managed to strike out almost a batter per inning. He's really in that "gray area"
16. Gary Fletcher, RF, New Orleans, -6
Fletcher falls a few spots in this years list, but its no fault of his own. He still projects to have an absolute cannon in right, and will hold many runners in their places once they find this out. Could start for any team this year.
17. Otis Schneider, SS, Milwaukee, --
Schneider is another newcomer to the list this year and projects to be the best overall defender from the list. Offensively won't be overpowering, but looks like he'll draw a ton of walks.
18. Aaron Lemon, SP, Durham, 0
Aaron surprisingly has not moved a single spot this year. He improved a ton over the past year as he is up 11pts overall, and appears to be a year from making his ML debut if he can keep that pace up.
19. Oswaldo Flores, Dover, SP, 1
Oswaldo has been a starter all his life, but it appears that Dover's new ownership wants him in the pen closing games out. He has been nagged by some minor injuries, but it doesn't appear to have sidetracked his progression to much.
20. Jim James, SS, Milwaukee, --
James is the second Milwaukee shortstop on the list. He is offensively better than Schneider, but a little bit worse on defense. Most likely will make the transition to third base, much like Ryan Braun did coming out of college, but hopefully with better success.
Where are they now(Last Year's Top 20):
2. Arthur Daniels, Boston - Majors
3. Gus Carpenter - Arizona - Majors
6. Trent Gragg - Minnesota - Majors
7. Esteban Johnson - Arizona - Majors
11. Louie Cho - Louisville - Majors
12. Ray Slocumb - Arizona - Majors
Top Prospects of Season 6
So hopefully this run of the "Top Prospects" list goes smoothly and there are no technical errors. I changed the way the rankings are run just a slight bit, so players that are still eligible from last year might have moved around a little bit. Also I heavily decreased the weight of relief pitchers. So Albert Vizquel goes from being in the top 40 to not being in the list at all(he came in at #111). Not too sure how well that will work out, but for now that is how it's going to be.
The Montgomery Marauders(formerly Santa Fe) has a record ten players on this years list, followed by the Buffalo Wings with 6 players. Two teams don't have any players on the list, Tacoma and Colorado (formerly Honolulu, who also didn't have any players on the list last year).
Here's the overall ranking of each team's farm system:
Points are awarded in reverse order of where the player is on the list. For example the first overall player is awarded 100pts while the 3rd overall is awarded 98. Change is how many positions the team has changed in the rankings from last year.
The Montgomery Marauders(formerly Santa Fe) has a record ten players on this years list, followed by the Buffalo Wings with 6 players. Two teams don't have any players on the list, Tacoma and Colorado (formerly Honolulu, who also didn't have any players on the list last year).
Here's the overall ranking of each team's farm system:
| Team | Players | Points | Change |
| Montgomery | 10 | 611 | 0 |
| Buffallo | 6 | 507 | 0 |
| Charlotte | 5 | 330 | 2 |
| Kansas City | 4 | 300 | 6 |
| New Orleans | 5 | 300 | -1 |
| Durham | 6 | 264 | 5 |
| Santa Cruz | 7 | 259 | 19 |
| Richmond | 4 | 220 | -1 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 217 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 208 | -4 |
| Dover | 6 | 193 | -2 |
| Las Vegas | 3 | 173 | 5 |
| Toledo | 2 | 172 | 6 |
| Arizona | 2 | 154 | -11 |
| Iowa | 4 | 153 | 9 |
| Helena | 3 | 123 | -4 |
| New Britan | 3 | 115 | -1 |
| Scranton | 2 | 110 | -10 |
| Chicago | 2 | 104 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 3 | 97 | 1 |
| Charelston | 1 | 87 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 2 | 81 | 6 |
| Lousiville | 2 | 66 | -5 |
| Boston | 2 | 45 | -11 |
| Los Angeles | 2 | 41 | -11 |
| Phildadelphia | 1 | 40 | 5 |
| Washington | 1 | 39 | -2 |
| Huntington | 3 | 25 | -1 |
| San Fransisco | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| New York | 1 | 3 | -1 |
Points are awarded in reverse order of where the player is on the list. For example the first overall player is awarded 100pts while the 3rd overall is awarded 98. Change is how many positions the team has changed in the rankings from last year.
Top 20 Free Agents This Off-Season
Here is my personal list of the Top 20 Free Agents available this off-season. I use the same rankings that I use for the Top 100 Prospect list that will be coming out shortly. Starting pitchers have a stamina above 60, while relievers are below. Also position players who are better at defense, but might have an average bat, tend to be ranked higher than those who suck at defense but can absolutely rake. Also this list doesn't do a good job of predicting compensation as compensation tends to be weighted towards stamina/durability/health.
1. T.J. Hernandez, SP
2. Dario Yamaguchi, SP
3. Doug Buck, CF
4. Rafael Torres, SP
5. Reggie Alexander, 3B
6. David Murray, SP (though durability wise might be limited to long relief.)
7. Matthew Riggs, SP
8. Ismael Franco, RF
9. Ebenezer Lecroy, SP
10. Scott Black, SS
11. Jermaine Mitchell, SP
12. Lou Porter, SP
13. Brendan Smart, RP
14. Giovanni Lemon, SP
15. Wes Turner, SS
16. Vic Vazquez, 3B
17. Martin Lee, SP
18. Buddy Overbay, C
19. Geronimo Valdes, SP
20. Micah Regan, LF
Best Pure Hitter: Bucky Truman, 1B
1. T.J. Hernandez, SP
2. Dario Yamaguchi, SP
3. Doug Buck, CF
4. Rafael Torres, SP
5. Reggie Alexander, 3B
6. David Murray, SP (though durability wise might be limited to long relief.)
7. Matthew Riggs, SP
8. Ismael Franco, RF
9. Ebenezer Lecroy, SP
10. Scott Black, SS
11. Jermaine Mitchell, SP
12. Lou Porter, SP
13. Brendan Smart, RP
14. Giovanni Lemon, SP
15. Wes Turner, SS
16. Vic Vazquez, 3B
17. Martin Lee, SP
18. Buddy Overbay, C
19. Geronimo Valdes, SP
20. Micah Regan, LF
Best Pure Hitter: Bucky Truman, 1B
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