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.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
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)
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