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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
 
table of contents: february
this month was about prospect reports. we finished the american league lists, and started the national league. altogether, we did the following teams:

the royals
the twins
the angels
the a's
the mariners
the rangers
the braves
the marlins
the mets
 
top prospects: mets
baseball america's top ten mets prospects, with commentary:


1. Mike Pelfrey, rhp
2. Fernando Martinez, of
3. Carlos Gomez, of
4. Philip Humber, rhp
5. Deolis Guerra, rhp
6. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
7. Jon Niese, lhp
8. Mike Carp, 1b
9. Joe Smith, rhp
10. Alay Soler, rhp


there's some good stuff here. i'm not as high on the system as some other analysts are, though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mike Pelfrey:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Wichita St NCAA 19 NCA 104.2 80 9 15 98 .037 .751 .030 2.49
2004 Wichita St NCAA 20 NCA 115.1 86 2 24 125 .053 .711 .007 2.18
2005 Wichita St NCAA 21 NCA 139.2 96 4 30 143 .055 .722 .011 1.93
2006 St. Lucie FSL 22 Nym A+ 22.0 17 1 2 26 .024 .687 .018 1.64
2006 Binghamton East 22 Nym AA 66.1 60 2 26 77 .091 .703 .011 2.71
2006 Norfolk IL 22 Nym AAA 8.0 4 1 5 6 .152 .786 .045 2.25
2006 NY Mets MLB 22 Nym MLB 21.1 25 1 12 13 .119 .854 .013 5.48


wow. all the way to the majors in one year! mike pelfrey has very good control, and good contact percentages, and he really limits home runs. once he puts it all together, he's gonna be a good one.


Career Batting Statistics for Fernando Martinez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 GC Mets GCL 17 Nym Rk 4 0 1 0 0 .000 .750 .000 .250
2006 Hagerstown SAL 17 Nym A 193 18 36 5 16 .085 .813 .134 .333
2006 St. Lucie FSL 17 Nym A+ 120 10 24 5 6 .077 .800 .115 .193


ok. fernando martinez played in high-a at the age of 17 and held his own. i might have to go ahead and make this guy my number one prospect. he could use a little patience, but whatever. he hits the ball, and he hits it hard. he bats lefty. he plays center field. i was looking at willie mays' numbers today, and these numbers remind me of him. just the pure hitting talent. this kid can play.

2008 is not out of the question.


Career Batting Statistics for Carlos Gomez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Kingsport App 18 Nym Rk 151 11 29 1 14 .068 .808 .123 .287
2004 GC Mets GCL 18 Nym Rk 72 4 9 0 7 .053 .875 .111 .268
2005 Hagerstown SAL 19 Nym A 488 41 88 8 19 .078 .820 .068 .275
2006 Binghamton East 20 Nym AA 433 47 97 7 32 .098 .776 .116 .281


carlos gomez jumped to double-a at the age of 20 and he hit ok. this is another super-prospect. there's gonna be some good outfield in new york in a minute. it looks like it's gonna be milledge in left, martinez in right, gomez in center. what are they gonna do with beltran? i don't know.

let's talk about this guy for a second. he's fast. he stole 41 bases last year, 64 the year before. he makes contact. don't let that .776 fool you: he was young for his level and he completely skipped high-a. he could use a little patience, but he's improved on that too. he's developing power. he's a plus fielder with a plus arm. did i mention he's fast?

this offense is looking scary. there's pitching on the way too.


Career Pitching Statistics for Philip Humber:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 Rice NCAA 19 NCA 110.0 90 8 43 130 .093 .690 .028 2.78
2003 Rice NCAA 20 NCA 128.0 102 12 39 138 .074 .716 .034 3.30
2004 Rice NCAA 21 NCA 115.0 87 7 37 154 .079 .644 .025 2.27
2005 St. Lucie FSL 22 Nym A+ 70.1 74 6 18 65 .059 .772 .027 4.99
2005 Binghamton East 22 Nym AA 4.0 4 0 2 2 .111 .875 .000 6.75
2006 GC Mets GCL 23 Nym Rk 4.0 7 0 1 7 .050 .632 .000 6.75
2006 St. Lucie FSL 23 Nym A+ 38.0 24 4 9 36 .061 .739 .039 2.37
2006 Binghamton East 23 Nym AA 34.1 25 4 10 36 .072 .719 .043 2.88
2006 NY Mets MLB 23 Nym MLB 2.0 0 0 1 2 .143 .667 .000 0.00


philip humber had good control and good contact rates last year in high-a and double-a. curveball indicates potential for home run limitation. he threw too many innings in college.


Career Pitching Statistics for Deolis Guerra:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Hagerstown SAL 17 Nym A 81.2 59 3 37 64 .109 .789 .013 2.20
2006 St. Lucie FSL 17 Nym A+ 7.1 9 1 6 5 .162 .839 .038 6.14


another 17-year-old with lots of talent. he's 17. where do they put him? keep him home and teach him? no. rookie ball? no. they put him in full-season professional baseball, and he does well. he apparently throws a changeup, which you know i like. this kid is gonna be a good one.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kevin Mulvey:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 Villanova NCAA 19 NCA 80.0 82 2 45 61 .123 .811 .008 5.29
2005 Villanova NCAA 20 NCA 71.2 75 2 28 73 .088 .748 .009 4.65
2006 Villanova NCAA 21 NCA 92.1 91 4 23 88 .059 .761 .014 3.61
2006 GC Mets GCL 21 Nym Rk 2.0 1 0 0 1 .000 .857 .000 0.00
2006 Binghamton East 21 Nym AA 13.1 10 1 5 10 .091 .800 .025 1.35


kevin mulvey showed good control and very good home run rates in college. striking people out may be a problem. even if it is, there's a good chance he'll make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jon Niese:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 GC Mets GCL 18 Nym Rk 24.2 23 1 10 24 .093 .753 .014 3.65
2006 Hagerstown SAL 19 Nym A 123.2 121 7 62 132 .112 .732 .019 3.93
2006 St. Lucie FSL 19 Nym A+ 10.0 8 0 5 10 .116 .737 .000 4.50


jon niese showed good strikeout rates in the sally league, but needs to work on control. home run rates are good.


Career Batting Statistics for Mike Carp:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 GC Mets GCL 18 Nym Rk 191 27 51 4 12 .124 .733 .114 .267
2005 Hagerstown SAL 19 Nym A 318 56 96 19 13 .150 .698 .144 .249
2006 St. Lucie FSL 20 Nym A+ 497 76 107 17 28 .133 .785 .115 .287


mike carp is a lefty who is young for his level and really improved his contact last year. he already has patience and power, so that makes him a complete hitter.


Career Pitching Statistics for Joe Smith:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 Wright St NCAA 20 NCA 36.0 36 1 11 40 .071 .722 .010 2.75
2005 Wright St NCAA 21 NCA 32.2 18 1 12 42 .094 .638 .014 1.10
2006 Wright St NCAA 22 NCA 55.0 34 0 16 63 .074 .683 .000 0.98
2006 Binghamton East 22 Nym AA 12.2 12 1 11 12 .180 .760 .026 5.68


joe smith showed very good strikeout rates in college, and good control. he also limited home runs. he's a reliever. he's going to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Alay Soler:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Brooklyn NYPL 26 Nym A- 4.1 2 1 2 9 .118 .400 .167 6.23
2006 St. Lucie FSL 26 Nym A+ 30.0 13 0 9 33 .080 .680 .000 0.60
2006 Binghamton East 26 Nym AA 19.2 16 0 3 22 .038 .707 .000 2.75
2006 Norfolk IL 26 Nym AAA 10.0 13 0 4 12 .085 .721 .000 6.30
2006 NY Mets MLB 26 Nym MLB 45.0 50 7 21 23 .102 .876 .043 6.00


this is a weird one. alay soler came from cuba, so his first professional ball was at 26. he looked good though. i mean he pitched in the majors. his contact rates before that were very good, as was his control, as was his home run limitation. it looks like he's very good.

i want to amend what i said earlier about the mets system not being as good as people think it is. actually i want to completely take it back. this is a very strong list. led at the top by the two center fielders. then there's all the pitching, and that carp kid can hit. all they're missing is a second baseman. maybe they can trade for one. you might say they're lacking in upper-level talent, but their talent is so high they won't take long anyway. if minaya can just sit on what he's got, he's got a dynasty.

that may not be easy for him. we know he likes to trade.
 
top prospects: marlins
baseball america's top ten marlins prospects, with commentary:


1. Chris Volstad, rhp
2. Brett Sinkbeil, rhp
3. Gaby Hernandez, rhp
4. Sean West, lhp
5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b/c
6. Taylor Tankersley, lhp
7. Aaron Thompson, lhp
8. Ryan Tucker, rhp
9. Chris Coghlan, 3b/2b
10. Kris Harvey, of


lots of young talent here, but little major-league ready talent. taylor tankersley is ready, but he's already in the major leagues.


Career Pitching Statistics for Chris Volstad:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 GCL Marlns GCL 18 Fla Rk 27.0 25 1 4 26 .036 .755 .013 2.33
2005 Jamestown NYPL 18 Fla A- 38.0 43 0 11 29 .065 .815 .000 2.13
2006 Greensboro SAL 19 Fla A 152.0 161 12 36 99 .055 .840 .023 3.08


chris volstad has very good control, and he pitched in the sally league at the age of 19. but his strikeouts are not very good. still, as a sinkerballer, he is very likely to pitch in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brett Sinkbeil:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 SW Mo St NCAA 19 NCA 84.0 66 8 34 84 .097 .736 .034 3.11
2005 SW Mo St NCAA 20 NCA 87.1 95 9 29 97 .075 .728 .035 4.84
2006 SW Mo St NCAA 21 NCA 69.2 45 4 23 75 .083 .705 .022 2.45
2006 Jamestown NYPL 21 Fla A- 22.0 14 1 8 22 .091 .725 .017 1.23
2006 Greensboro SAL 21 Fla A 39.2 45 5 14 32 .079 .805 .038 4.99


brett sinkbeil, as his name suggests, also throws a sinker. his CON is a little better than volstad's. should also pitch in the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Gabriel Hernandez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 GC Mets GCL 18 Nym Rk 49.2 25 1 12 58 .065 .667 .009 1.09
2004 Brooklyn NYPL 18 Phi A- 3.0 2 0 0 6 .000 .455 .000 0.00
2005 Hagerstown SAL 19 Nym A 92.2 59 4 30 99 .082 .706 .017 2.43
2005 St. Lucie FSL 19 Nym A+ 42.1 48 1 10 32 .054 .817 .007 5.74
2006 Jupiter FSL 20 Fla A+ 120.0 120 7 35 115 .068 .760 .019 3.68


there are two baseball cube entries for gaby hernandez. gaby has good control and decent contact percentages. he's likely to pitch in the majors.

that's the third time i've said that.

he was traded for paul loduca along with a player to be named. the player to be named was dante brinkley.


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean West:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 GCL Marlns GCL 19 Fla Rk 38.1 33 2 7 40 .045 .730 .019 2.35
2005 Jamestown NYPL 19 Fla A- 11.0 17 1 5 14 .091 .720 .028 5.73
2006 Greensboro SAL 20 Fla A 120.1 115 13 40 102 .078 .786 .035 3.74


sean west is a young pitcher with good control and decent contact rates. according to kevin goldstein, he has a lot of potential.


Career Batting Statistics for Gaby Sanchez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Miami NCAA 19 NCA 245 31 35 7 22 .112 .857 .138 .328
2004 Miami NCAA 20 NCA 234 23 21 7 16 .089 .910 .108 .316
2005 Jamestown NYPL 21 Fla A- 237 20 24 5 16 .078 .899 .099 .355
2006 GCL Marlns GCL 22 Fla Rk 6 5 0 0 1 .455 1.00 .167 .333
2006 Greensboro SAL 22 Fla A 191 46 20 14 12 .194 .895 .152 .317
2006 Jupiter FSL 22 Fla A+ 56 12 12 1 4 .176 .786 .114 .182


whether he's a catcher, a first baseman, or a third baseman, gaby sanchez will be close to the ball. he'll also hit the ball. gaby sanchez has very good contact, and developing power. he also has excellent patience. he hasn't had much playing time, which we need to see, because he's getting old. but there's no doubt he's talented.

in the arizona fall league, he hit .279 with 9 extra-base hits, 19 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 111 at-bats.


Career Pitching Statistics for Taylor Tankersley:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 Alabama NCAA 19 NCA 68.0 55 4 20 65 .072 .749 .021 2.65
2003 Alabama NCAA 20 NCA 90.1 114 8 47 97 .109 .748 .028 5.88
2004 Alabama NCAA 21 NCA 67.2 50 3 26 70 .093 .723 .016 2.00
2004 Jamestown Nypl 21 Fla D 26.2 21 2 8 32 .073 .683 .029 3.37
2005 Greensboro SAL 22 Fla A 66.0 74 12 25 63 .084 .768 .057 5.18
2005 Jupiter FSL 22 Fla A+ 24.0 21 1 9 19 .088 .796 .014 3.38
2006 Carolina Sou 23 Fla AA 28.1 11 0 14 40 .127 .583 .000 0.95
2006 Florida MLB 23 Fla MLB 41.0 33 4 26 46 .143 .705 .036 2.85


taylor tankersley vastly improved last year and made it to the majors. he's a little wild, but his strikeout rates are excellent. he's a useful part of any bullpen.


Career Pitching Statistics for Aaron Thompson:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 GCL Marlns GCL 18 Fla Rk 32.0 42 1 10 41 .068 .703 .010 4.50
2005 Jamestown NYPL 18 Fla A- 20.1 25 1 10 17 .104 .802 .014 3.10
2006 Greensboro SAL 19 Fla A 134.0 139 12 35 114 .061 .789 .028 3.63


aaron thompson is a lefty changeup-slider guy with good control. he seems likely to make the majors.


Career Pitching Statistics for Ryan Tucker:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 GCL Marlns GCL 18 Fla Rk 31.2 35 0 16 23 .110 .823 .000 3.69
2005 Jamestown NYPL 18 Fla A- 14.0 21 3 8 18 .113 .714 .067 8.36
2006 Greensboro SAL 19 Fla A 131.1 123 14 67 133 .115 .743 .036 5.00


ryan tucker throws hard, but will have to improve his control to be effective in the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Coghlan:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Mississipp NCAA 19 NCA 201 26 23 2 13 .115 .886 .084 .302
2005 Mississipp NCAA 20 NCA 274 35 21 6 22 .113 .923 .111 .357
2006 Mississipp NCAA 21 NCA 266 43 20 5 25 .139 .925 .122 .350
2006 GCL Marlns GCL 21 Fla Rk 7 0 1 0 0 .000 .857 .000 .286
2006 Jamestown NYPL 21 Fla A- 97 13 9 0 6 .118 .907 .068 .298


chris coghlan was a good pickup. he has good patience, very good contact, and power potential. he's fast, bats left-handed, and has middle-infield possibilities. this is a good prospect.


Career Batting Statistics for Kris Harvey:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Clemson NCAA 19 NCA 31 2 4 2 1 .061 .871 .111 .276
2004 Clemson NCAA 20 NCA 210 16 31 8 16 .071 .852 .134 .335
2005 Clemson NCAA 21 NCA 247 20 44 24 11 .075 .822 .172 .339
2005 Jamestown NYPL 21 Fla A- 266 9 60 9 17 .033 .774 .126 .300
2006 Greensboro SAL 22 Fla A 370 25 82 15 20 .063 .778 .122 .245


kris harvey is in the category of "swings too much, hits it hard," which means he has talent, but not strategy. some players of this type have enough talent that they make it, but it would be a lot easier with a little plate discipline.

the florida marlins have a very healthy farm system. there are no standouts, but a lot of good talent. kevin goldstein left sanchez, tankersley, coghlan, and harvey off the list in favor of rick vanden hurk, tom hickman, henry owens, and jose garcia.


Career Pitching Statistics for Rick Vanden Hurk:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 GCL Marlns GCL 18 Fla Rk 38.2 49 2 20 30 .108 .818 .015 5.35
2004 Jupiter FSL 19 Fla A+ 58.0 54 2 31 43 .120 .811 .011 3.26
2005 Greensboro SAL 20 Fla A 22.0 17 1 11 26 .117 .687 .018 2.45
2005 Jupiter FSL 20 Fla A+ 6.2 7 0 0 6 .000 .778 .000 4.05
2006 GCL Marlns GCL 21 Fla Rk 15.0 4 0 8 26 .140 .469 .000 1.20
2006 Jupiter FSL 21 Fla A+ 10.0 5 1 6 15 .146 .571 .050 2.70


there are also two baseball cube pages for rick vanden hurk. and here's his minor-league baseball page. the minor-league baseball page is important because it has his hawaii league stats in it: 40 innings, 23 hits, 3 home runs, 17 walks, 63 strikeouts! it's the strikeouts that are impressive. challenges for him are to stay healthy and improve control.


Career Batting Statistics for Thomas Hickman:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 GCL Marlns GCL 18 Fla Rk 175 32 43 2 16 .155 .754 .136 .263


tom hickman showed good patience and good power in rookie ball. he's left-handed.


Career Pitching Statistics for Henry Owens:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2001 GCL Pirtes GCL 22 Pit Rk 7.0 5 0 2 8 .071 .692 .000 1.29
2002 Wllmsport NYPL 23 Pit A- 44.2 26 4 16 63 .091 .606 .041 2.62
2003 Hickory SAL 24 Pit A 34.0 21 1 17 52 .121 .577 .014 2.91
2003 Lynchburg Caro 24 Pit A+ 14.2 9 0 11 21 .172 .604 .000 2.45
2004 Lynchburg Caro 25 Pit A+ 54.2 46 4 26 49 .110 .767 .025 4.28
2005 St. Lucie FSL 26 Nym A+ 54.1 49 2 24 74 .102 .651 .014 3.15
2006 Binghamton East 27 Nym AA 40.0 19 1 10 74 .067 .468 .015 1.58
2006 NY Mets MLB 27 Nym MLB 4.0 4 0 4 2 .200 .875 .000 9.00


henry owens had a whole bunch of strikeouts in double-a for the mets last year. he also had good control. this is a good pickup for the marlins.

you don't really see a .468 contact percentage. ever.

he came along with matt lindstrom.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matthew Lindstrom:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 Kingsport App 22 Nym Rk 48.1 56 6 21 39 .095 .806 .037 4.84
2003 Brooklyn NYPL 23 Nym A- 65.1 61 2 27 52 .095 .798 .010 3.44
2003 Capitl Cty SAL 23 Nym A 56.2 46 2 33 50 .133 .769 .012 2.86
2004 Capitl Cty SAL 24 Nym A 56.0 47 3 10 64 .044 .702 .020 3.21
2004 St. Lucie FSL 24 Nym A+ 79.2 83 5 20 50 .058 .845 .018 3.73
2005 Binghamton East 25 Nym AA 73.1 90 11 55 58 .151 .813 .044 5.40
2006 St. Lucie FSL 26 Nym A+ 18.0 14 2 7 16 .093 .765 .038 2.50
2006 Binghamton East 26 Nym AA 40.2 42 2 14 54 .079 .671 .018 3.76


matt lindstrom is another good strikeout guy from binghamton. he really improved last year. an improvement in the "major-league ready" category, which the system needed.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jose Garcia:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 Az Brewers Ariz 20 Mil Rk 30.0 27 3 16 23 .120 .803 .032 6.00
2005 GCL Marlns GCL 20 Fla Rk 2.0 1 0 1 3 .125 .571 .000 0.00
2005 Greensboro SAL 20 Fla A 28.1 11 1 4 39 .040 .594 .018 1.27
2005 Jupiter FSL 20 Fla A+ 2.0 2 0 2 0 .200 1.00 .000 18.00
2006 Az Brewers Ariz 21 Mil Rk 20.1 23 0 8 22 .087 .738 .000 5.31
2006 Jupiter FSL 21 Fla A+ 77.0 60 3 16 69 .052 .763 .014 1.87
2006 Carolina Sou 21 Fla AA 84.2 78 10 25 87 .070 .738 .041 3.40
2006 Albuqurque PCL 21 Fla AAA 4.0 5 0 4 5 .190 .706 .000 11.25
2006 Florida MLB 21 Fla MLB 11.0 10 1 5 8 .104 .814 .029 4.91


jose garcia has good control and decent contact percentages. he has already pitched in the majors, and is likely to make it.

goldstein's sleeper is greg burns, who is also the system's "best athlete", according to baseball america.


Career Batting Statistics for Greg Burns:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 GCL Marlns GCL 17 Fla Rk 136 28 48 0 9 .171 .647 .102 .243
2005 Jamestown NYPL 18 Fla A- 242 42 84 1 7 .148 .653 .051 .257
2006 Greensboro SAL 19 Fla A 343 38 109 2 21 .100 .682 .098 .231


so far, he hasn't shown anything. according to goldstein, he changed his swing mid-season, and we do see improvements in WAL, CON, and POW (look at july and august). greg's a long way away, but he's worth keeping an eye on.

finally, we have brett carroll, who is the system's best outfield arm.


Career Batting Statistics for Brett Carroll:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 Mddle Tenn NCAA 19 NCA 149 11 44 6 13 .069 .705 .181 .257
2003 Mddle Tenn NCAA 20 NCA 224 29 53 19 18 .115 .763 .216 .330
2004 Mddle Tenn NCAA 21 NCA 254 28 58 14 21 .099 .772 .179 .302
2004 Jamestown NYPL 21 Fla A- 212 22 57 6 17 .094 .731 .148 .251
2005 Greensboro SAL 22 Fla A 414 32 108 18 29 .072 .739 .154 .243
2006 Jupiter FSL 23 Fla A+ 217 27 48 8 13 .111 .779 .124 .241
2006 Carolina Sou 23 Fla AA 251 26 62 9 18 .094 .753 .143 .231


carroll is another swings too much, hits it hard guy. you can see that his whole goal is to hit the ball hard, not to win games.

so that's the marlins' system. lots of good stuff, all over the place. they are well positioned for a dynastic run, assuming jeff loria doesn't run them into the ground.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
 
top prospects: braves
baseball america's top ten atlanta braves prospects:


1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
2. Elvis Andrus, ss
3. Matt Harrison, lhp
4. Brandon Jones, of
5. Van Pope, 3b
6. Eric Campbell, 3b
7. Scott Thorman, 1b/of
8. Jo-Jo Reyes, lhp
9. Joey Devine, rhp
10. Yunel Escobar, inf


this is a good list. all show major-league possibilities, with star potential for saltalamacchia, andrus, harrison, jones, and campbell. devine could also be very effective.


Career Batting Statistics for Jarrod Saltalamacchia:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 134 31 33 2 13 .188 .754 .149 .239
2004 Rome SAL 19 Atl A 326 39 83 10 21 .107 .745 .128 .272
2005 Myrtle Bch Caro 20 Atl A+ 464 64 99 19 36 .121 .787 .151 .314
2006 Mississipp Sou 21 Atl AA 316 61 71 9 19 .162 .775 .114 .230


jarrod saltalamacchia had a poor batting average in 2006. he therefore had a poor on-base percentage and slugging percentage. so those who look at those things will be unable to see that he's good:

he had a walk percentage of .162. he played through injuries. he's 21, and he played in double-a. his defense is good. he's a catcher.

to many people, jarrod saltalamacchia regressed as a prospect. to me, he improved.


Career Batting Statistics for Elvis Andrus:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2005 GCL Braves GCL 17 Atl Rk 168 23 28 3 7 .120 .833 .071 .295
2005 Danville App 17 Atl Rk 18 4 4 0 1 .182 .778 .071 .278
2006 Rome SAL 18 Atl A 438 38 91 3 29 .080 .792 .092 .265


do people not see that he's 18 in the sally league? elvis andrus is star. he's got patience, contact, and power. he's a plus-defense shortstop. what else do you want? speed. he's got that too.

he was 17 when the season started.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Harrison:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 GCL Braves GCL 17 Atl Rk 39.0 40 2 9 33 .054 .790 .016 3.69
2004 Danville App 18 Atl Rk 66.0 72 3 10 49 .036 .819 .014 4.09
2005 Rome SAL 19 Atl A 167.0 151 17 30 118 .044 .819 .032 3.23
2006 Myrtle Bch Caro 20 Atl A+ 81.1 77 6 16 60 .047 .813 .023 3.10
2006 Mississipp Sou 20 Atl AA 77.1 83 6 17 54 .051 .829 .023 3.61


matt harrison is a lefty with good control. think david wells.


Career Batting Statistics for Brandon Jones:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Danville App 20 Atl Rk 211 24 33 3 11 .102 .844 .079 .297
2005 GCL Braves GCL 21 Atl Rk 8 0 2 0 0 .000 .750 .000 .125
2005 Danville App 21 Atl Rk 7 1 0 0 0 .125 1.00 .000 .286
2005 Rome SAL 21 Atl A 157 32 29 8 15 .169 .815 .180 .308
2005 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 61 10 9 0 4 .141 .852 .077 .350
2006 Myrtle Bch Caro 22 Atl A+ 229 26 49 7 13 .102 .786 .111 .257
2006 Mississipp Sou 22 Atl AA 178 15 38 7 12 .078 .787 .136 .273


the reason i said brandon jones has star potential is when he hits the ball he can really hit it. think matt kemp, alfonso soriano. but that's just it: he swings too much. at least he did last year. he was great in 2005. this is a system-wide problem for the braves.


Career Batting Statistics for Van Pope:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Danville App 20 Atl Rk 237 24 44 5 20 .092 .814 .130 .270
2005 Rome SAL 21 Atl A 391 44 70 6 31 .101 .821 .115 .277
2005 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 85 10 21 1 1 .105 .753 .031 .167
2006 Myrtle Bch Caro 22 Atl A+ 475 69 92 15 32 .127 .806 .123 .263


van pope is a plus-defense third baseman on the threshold of breakout in patience, contact, and power. i should have included him in the "star potential" list.


Career Batting Statistics for Eric Campbell:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 GCL Braves GCL 19 Atl Rk 212 17 47 7 7 .074 .778 .085 .251
2004 Rome SAL 19 Atl A 22 3 7 0 0 .120 .682 .000 .136
2005 Danville App 20 Atl Rk 266 32 64 18 28 .107 .759 .228 .313
2006 Rome SAL 21 Atl A 452 28 68 22 30 .058 .850 .135 .296


the braves are ready when chipper's done. eric campbell takes a pitch and hits it a long way. he needs to develop a disdain for pitches that are not worthy of his swing.


Career Batting Statistics for Scott Thorman:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2000 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 99 16 23 1 8 .139 .768 .118 .227
2002 Macon SAL 20 Atl A 476 58 83 16 41 .109 .826 .145 .294
2003 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 449 46 79 12 28 .093 .824 .108 .243
2004 Myrtle Bch Caro 22 Atl A+ 159 17 19 4 12 .097 .881 .114 .299
2004 Greenville Sou 22 Atl AA 348 39 73 11 17 .101 .790 .102 .252
2005 Mississipp Sou 23 Atl AA 351 32 76 15 23 .084 .783 .138 .305
2005 Richmond IL 23 Atl AAA 212 12 42 6 13 .054 .802 .112 .276
2006 Richmond IL 24 Atl AAA 312 32 48 15 18 .093 .846 .125 .298
2006 Atlanta MLB 24 Atl MLB 128 5 21 5 11 .038 .836 .150 .234


scott thorman is not getting the respect he deserves. the kid can hit. this is the reason the adam laroche trade made so much sense.

his sally league campaign in 2002 was very nice, with a CON of .826 and a POW of .145. his triple-a performance last year was very good too (.846, .125). as the pitchers adjust to him, he needs to become more selective at the plate.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jo Jo Reyes:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 45.2 34 1 14 55 .076 .678 .009 2.56
2004 Rome SAL 19 Atl A 74.1 84 10 25 71 .075 .769 .042 5.33
2005 GCL Braves GCL 20 Atl Rk 5.1 6 0 1 6 .043 .727 .000 1.69
2005 Danville App 20 Atl Rk 43.1 37 3 6 27 .035 .838 .021 3.53
2006 Rome SAL 21 Atl A 75.1 62 5 25 84 .080 .708 .025 2.99
2006 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 65.2 52 0 36 58 .126 .767 .000 4.11


jo-jo reyes had a fine debut, then had tommy john surgery. his control hasn't come back, but he sure does limit home runs. it'll be interesting to see what he does this year.


Career Pitching Statistics for Joey Devine:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 NC State NCAA 19 NCA 65.2 49 4 16 78 .061 .683 .024 2.19
2004 NC State NCAA 20 NCA 36.0 31 5 18 56 .115 .597 .060 5.25
2005 NC State NCAA 21 NCA 48.2 37 1 10 72 .052 .607 .009 2.03
2005 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 5.0 0 0 3 7 .167 .533 .000 0.00
2005 Mississipp Sou 21 Atl AA 20.0 19 2 12 28 .132 .646 .039 2.70
2005 Richmond IL 21 Atl AAA 1.0 3 0 1 1 .143 .833 .000 18.00
2005 Atlanta MLB 21 Atl MLB 5.0 6 2 5 3 .192 .857 .111 12.60
2006 Myrtle Bch Caro 22 Atl A+ 18.1 13 1 11 28 .139 .588 .025 5.89
2006 Mississipp Sou 22 Atl AA 11.0 2 1 4 20 .103 .429 .067 0.82
2006 Richmond IL 22 Atl AAA 0.0 1 0 1 0 .500 1.00 .000 0.00
2006 Atlanta MLB 22 Atl MLB 6.1 8 1 9 10 .250 .630 .059 9.95


joey devine has an incredible slider and will be a force in the bullpen at any time.


Career Batting Statistics for Yunel Escobar:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2005 Danville App 22 Atl Rk 31 5 4 2 3 .139 .871 .185 .400
2005 Rome SAL 22 Atl A 198 14 30 4 16 .066 .848 .119 .313
2006 Mississipp Sou 23 Atl AA 432 67 77 2 25 .134 .822 .076 .264


yunel escobar was number 4 on the list last year, mostly because of his defense. he made the jump from middle-a to double-a and hit for contact, with much-improved plate discipline. lack of power gives him a reserve profile, but he will almost certainly make it.

there's more. kevin goldstein has neftali feliz, jeff locke, chase fontaine, and anthony lerew on his list, leaving off pope, thorman, reyes, and escobar. he does have reyes as a sleeper prospect.


Career Pitching Statistics for Neftali Feliz:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 GCL Braves GCL 0 Atl Rk 29.0 20 0 14 42 .116 .607 .000 4.03


that's a lot of strikeouts. he throws very hard.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jeffrey Locke:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 32.0 38 4 5 38 .036 .716 .042 4.22


jeff locke showed very good control in his rookie debut.


Career Batting Statistics for Chase Fontaine:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Danville App 20 Atl Rk 201 40 45 4 11 .166 .776 .096 .296


this is the kind of system you have to have to do what the braves do. you have to have talent coming in, talent developing, and talent coming up. chase fontaine is in the talent coming in category. i love that .166 WAL. it bodes well for his development. he's also a lefty-hitting middle-infielder.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Lerew:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2001 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 49.1 43 3 14 40 .068 .791 .020 2.92
2002 Danville App 19 Atl Rk 83.0 60 2 25 75 .075 .757 .009 1.73
2003 Rome SAL 20 Atl A 143.2 112 7 43 127 .073 .766 .017 2.38
2004 Myrtle Bch Caro 21 Atl A+ 144.0 145 12 46 125 .074 .783 .027 3.75
2005 Mississipp Sou 22 Atl AA 75.2 70 6 32 64 .097 .785 .026 3.93
2005 Richmond IL 22 Atl AAA 72.1 63 9 23 53 .076 .811 .040 3.48
2005 Atlanta MLB 22 Atl MLB 8.0 9 1 5 5 .132 .848 .036 5.63
2006 Mississipp Sou 23 Atl AA 48.2 43 1 13 37 .064 .804 .007 2.03
2006 Richmond IL 23 Atl AAA 71.0 92 12 36 69 .106 .774 .051 7.48
2006 Atlanta MLB 23 Atl MLB 2.0 5 0 3 1 .214 .909 .000 22.50


anthony lerew has the skills to pitch in the majors. he's in the "talent coming up" category.

finally, i wanna throw in a mention for this guy, because he had a very nice debut.


Career Pitching Statistics for Steven Evarts:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 GCL Braves GCL 18 Atl Rk 43.0 42 0 12 33 .066 .807 .000 2.93


he's a changeup guy, and he's a lefty. love those lefty changeup guys. very good control and good home run limitation.

this is one of the best systems i've seen yet. the only thing it lacks is the top, major-league-ready, impact player. but it makes up for it with talent and potential across the board. the jewels are saltalamacchia and andrus.
Friday, February 23, 2007
 
top prospects: american league
links to top ten prospect lists.

east:
orioles
red sox
yankees
devil rays
blue jays

central:
white sox
indians
tigers
royals
twins

west:
angels
athletics
mariners
rangers

next we have the national league, and after that, i'll do my top 50 list. then the season starts.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
 
top prospects: rangers
baseball america's top ten rangers prospects:


1. John Danks, lhp
2. Eric Hurley, rhp
3. Edinson Volquez, rhp
4. Thomas Diamond, rhp
5. John Mayberry Jr., of
6. Joaquin Arias, ss
7. Kasey Kiker, lhp
8. Nick Masset, rhp
9. Jason Botts, of/dh
10. Josh Rupe, rhp


danks has been traded to the white sox, but we'll talk about him here. there's not much going on here. the rangers are not a very good team. they should not have fired buck showalter.


Career Pitching Statistics for John Danks:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Az Rangers Ariz 18 Tex Rk 13.0 6 0 4 22 .082 .511 .000 0.69
2003 Spokane Nwes 18 Tex A- 12.2 12 0 7 13 .123 .740 .000 8.53
2004 Clinton Midw 19 Tex A 49.2 38 4 14 64 .070 .658 .033 2.17
2004 Stockton Cali 19 Tex A+ 55.0 62 5 26 48 .103 .789 .028 5.24
2005 Bkrsfld Cali 20 Tex A+ 57.2 50 5 16 53 .067 .762 .029 2.50
2005 Frisco Tex 20 Tex AA 98.1 117 12 34 85 .076 .794 .037 5.49
2006 Frisco Tex 21 Tex AA 69.1 74 11 22 82 .072 .709 .055 4.15
2006 Oklahoma PCL 21 Tex AAA 70.2 67 11 34 72 .109 .742 .053 4.33


john danks. i don't know; he's a lefty, which is nice. he's got decent strikeout numbers, and decent control. he hasn't limited home runs, which is weird. lefties usually limit home runs. as do curveballers. i don't know. there's just nothing spectacular here. i think he'll pitch in the majors. i can't see him being a difference maker, though.

the good thing is he's young.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eric Hurley:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 Az Rangers Ariz 18 Tex Rk 15.1 20 1 4 15 .057 .773 .020 2.35
2004 Spokane Nwes 18 Tex A- 28.1 31 6 6 21 .049 .819 .063 5.40
2005 Clinton Midw 19 Tex A 155.1 135 11 59 152 .089 .747 .024 3.77
2006 Bkrsfld Cali 20 Tex A+ 100.2 92 12 32 106 .075 .731 .042 4.11
2006 Frisco Tex 20 Tex AA 37.0 21 4 11 31 .077 .765 .040 1.95


eric hurley is also young. he had a strong run in bakersfield, then got hit lucky in frisco. but he's shown pretty good command and decent strikeout rates. similar to danks in outlook.


Career Pitching Statistics for Edinson Volquez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Az Rangers Ariz 20 Tex Rk 27.0 24 1 11 28 .095 .733 .013 4.00
2004 Clinton Midw 21 Tex A 87.2 82 8 27 74 .073 .786 .030 4.21
2004 Stockton Cali 21 Tex A+ 39.2 31 6 14 34 .085 .773 .052 2.95
2005 Az Rangers Ariz 22 Tex Rk 2.0 2 0 0 2 .000 .750 .000 0.00
2005 Bkrsfld Cali 22 Tex A+ 66.2 64 9 12 77 .043 .708 .048 4.18
2005 Frisco Tex 22 Tex AA 58.2 58 6 17 49 .068 .791 .032 4.14
2005 Texas MLB 22 Tex MLB 12.2 25 3 10 11 .137 .825 .058 14.21
2006 Oklahoma PCL 23 Tex AAA 120.2 86 9 72 130 .138 .710 .028 3.21
2006 Texas MLB 23 Tex MLB 33.1 52 7 17 15 .101 .901 .051 7.29


edinson volquez had good numbers in the pcl last year, then got hammered in the majors. happens. this whole "dvd" thing has been hyped for too long. these guys are not that good. actually, volquez's numbers were not good in the pcl last year, because he had way too many walks. it looks like he's caught a case of walk-itis. whatever. he's got enough talent to pitch in the bigs, but not enough to really be worth talking about.


Career Pitching Statistics for Thomas Diamond:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 NewOrleans NCAA 19 NCA 37.0 47 0 25 44 .137 .722 .000 5.84
2003 NewOrleans NCAA 20 NCA 69.0 50 3 42 96 .140 .626 .019 3.39
2004 NewOrleans NCAA 21 NCA 113.2 87 8 45 138 .095 .678 .028 2.38
2004 Spokane Nwes 21 Tex A- 15.1 13 0 5 26 .078 .559 .000 2.35
2004 Clinton Midw 21 Tex A 30.2 18 1 8 42 .068 .618 .015 2.05
2005 Bkrsfld Cali 22 Tex A+ 81.1 53 3 31 101 .095 .660 .015 1.99
2005 Frisco Tex 22 Tex AA 69.0 66 8 38 68 .122 .751 .039 5.35
2006 Frisco Tex 23 Tex AA 129.1 104 14 78 145 .137 .705 .040 4.24


let's get this last guy out of the way. thomas diamond has had some really good results, strikeout-wise, in the pros, but his walks are just not acceptable. why did people think these guys were good? where did this start? was it that newberg guy? he'll probably pitch in the majors, but yada yada yada.

prospect people tend to overrate the prospects. it's because they're excited.


Career Batting Statistics for John Mayberry:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Stanford NCAA 19 NCA 194 14 29 4 12 .067 .851 .097 .299
2004 Stanford NCAA 20 NCA 222 36 35 16 13 .140 .842 .155 .333
2005 Stanford NCAA 21 NCA 239 35 35 8 18 .128 .854 .127 .303
2005 Spokane Nwes 21 Tex A- 266 36 71 11 16 .119 .733 .138 .253
2006 Clinton Midw 22 Tex A 465 68 117 21 30 .128 .748 .147 .268


this guy is not good either. i don't know. i've seen a lotta big numbers come out of stanford and not do much in the pros. john mayberry could make it, but he's struggled with contact. that doesn't have to mean anything. he's shown good patience, and hit for power. but let's not get too excited about a corner outfielder.


Career Batting Statistics for Joaquin Arias:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 GCL Yanks GCL 17 Nyy Rk 204 12 16 0 13 .056 .922 .069 .300
2003 Battle Crk Midw 18 Nyy A 484 29 44 3 20 .057 .909 .052 .266
2004 Stockton Cali 19 Tex A+ 505 36 53 4 28 .067 .895 .071 .300
2005 Frisco Tex 20 Tex AA 505 18 46 5 31 .034 .909 .078 .315
2006 Oklahoma PCL 21 Tex AAA 500 23 64 4 24 .044 .872 .064 .268
2006 Texas MLB 21 Tex MLB 11 1 0 0 1 .083 1.00 .091 .545


joaquin arias has obvious talent. he can field, and he can hit the ball. but he shows no understanding of playing winning baseball. as long as he keeps swinging at everything, he's an easy out.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kasey Kiker:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Spokane Nwes 18 Tex A- 52.1 44 5 35 51 .148 .746 .033 4.13


kasey kiker skipped the rookie leagues and pitched in low-a ball. that says something.

what it says i don't know. we'll have to wait till next year.


Career Pitching Statistics for Nick Masset:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2001 GCL Rangrs GCL 19 Tex Rk 31.0 34 2 7 32 .052 .748 .021 4.35
2002 Savannah SAL 20 Tex A 120.1 129 11 47 93 .088 .810 .028 4.56
2003 Clinton Midw 21 Tex A 123.2 144 7 43 63 .077 .878 .015 4.08
2004 Stockton Cali 22 Tex A+ 77.0 71 6 19 43 .059 .858 .023 3.51
2004 Frisco Tex 22 Tex AA 10.0 8 0 4 8 .095 .789 .000 1.80
2005 Frisco Tex 23 Tex AA 157.1 197 19 61 105 .084 .843 .034 6.18
2006 Frisco Tex 24 Tex AA 48.0 38 0 20 40 .099 .780 .000 2.06
2006 Oklahoma PCL 24 Tex AAA 67.1 79 4 28 65 .091 .769 .019 4.81
2006 Texas MLB 24 Tex MLB 8.2 9 0 2 4 .054 .886 .000 4.15


nick masset is no good. his control is ordinary, his contact rates are ordinary. that was my first impression when i looked at these stats. but he did limit home runs last year. if that turns out to be a skill, he can be valuable.


Career Batting Statistics for Jason Botts:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2000 GCL Rangrs GCL 20 Tex Rk 164 36 29 6 12 .180 .823 .133 .319
2001 Savannah SAL 21 Tex A 393 73 88 9 26 .157 .776 .115 .309
2001 Charlotte FSL 21 Tex A+ 12 4 4 0 1 .250 .667 .125 .167
2002 Charlotte FSL 22 Tex A+ 404 89 99 9 27 .181 .755 .118 .254
2003 Stockton Cali 23 Tex A+ 284 46 59 9 16 .139 .792 .111 .314
2003 Frisco Tex 23 Tex AA 196 24 45 4 12 .109 .770 .106 .263
2004 Frisco Tex 24 Tex AA 485 87 126 24 28 .152 .740 .145 .293
2005 Oklahoma PCL 25 Tex AAA 514 75 152 25 38 .127 .704 .174 .286
2005 Texas MLB 25 Tex MLB 27 3 13 0 0 .100 .519 .000 .296
2006 Az Rangers Ariz 26 Tex Rk 12 2 1 0 2 .143 .917 .182 .250
2006 Frisco Tex 26 Tex AA 17 3 3 0 0 .150 .824 .000 .125
2006 Oklahoma PCL 26 Tex AAA 224 35 61 13 20 .135 .728 .202 .309
2006 Texas MLB 26 Tex MLB 52 8 18 1 4 .133 .654 .147 .220


why is this guy a prospect? because they got nobody else, that's why. jason botts is a power strikeout guy who's got power and strikeouts. good pitchers are not afraid of him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Rupe:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 Bristol App 20 Chw Rk 37.2 38 4 22 40 .127 .735 .036 5.26
2003 Kannapolis SAL 21 Chw A 65.2 50 0 36 69 .127 .721 .000 3.02
2003 Clinton Midw 21 Tex A 27.2 29 1 7 23 .059 .795 .011 3.90
2004 Spokane Nwes 22 Tex A- 18.0 14 1 3 19 .042 .721 .020 1.50
2004 Stockton Cali 22 Tex A+ 18.1 12 0 4 14 .056 .791 .000 0.98
2004 Frisco Tex 22 Tex AA 37.0 41 5 16 16 .095 .895 .037 4.38
2005 Frisco Tex 23 Tex AA 65.0 64 7 26 55 .091 .788 .034 3.74
2005 Oklahoma PCL 23 Tex AAA 93.2 116 12 38 62 .087 .844 .036 6.25
2005 Texas MLB 23 Tex MLB 9.2 7 0 4 6 .100 .833 .000 2.79
2006 Frisco Tex 24 Tex AA 6.0 7 2 4 3 .138 .880 .091 10.50
2006 Oklahoma PCL 24 Tex AAA 13.1 13 0 6 4 .102 .925 .000 3.38
2006 Texas MLB 24 Tex MLB 29.0 33 2 9 14 .070 .883 .019 3.41


josh rupe is a nobody. there's nothing to talk about. the rangers' system sucks.

kevin goldstein has marcus lemon, taylor teagarden, and chris davis instead of danks, masset, and rupe. danks would have been on his list if he hadn't been traded.


Career Batting Statistics for Marcus Lemon:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Az Rangers Ariz 18 Tex Rk 84 16 10 0 6 .160 .881 .081 .310


this kid i like a lot. marcus lemon is a shortstop who makes great contact, is patient, and bats left-handed. see where i'm going with this? he can slap the ball and run to first. when he's not working a walk, that is.


Career Batting Statistics for Taylor Teagarden:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Texas NCAA 19 NCA 213 29 43 5 16 .120 .798 .124 .315
2004 Texas NCAA 20 NCA 269 57 46 10 18 .175 .829 .126 .273
2005 Texas NCAA 21 NCA 226 46 41 7 23 .169 .819 .162 .333
2005 Spokane Nwes 21 Tex A- 97 25 32 7 9 .205 .670 .246 .281
2006 Az Rangers Ariz 22 Tex Rk 20 9 7 0 0 .310 .650 .000 .050


taylor teagarden has excellent patience and apparently strong defensive abilities. if he stays healthy, i think he can make it. possible strong contributor.


Career Batting Statistics for Chris Davis:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Spokane Nwes 0 Tex A- 254 26 65 15 19 .093 .744 .180 .277


chris davis has a lot of power but it doesn't look like he'll make enough contact to succeed in the bigs. he's got time to improve, though.

i just wanna take a minute to talk about freddy guzman.


Career Batting Statistics for Freddy Guzman:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2001 idaho flls Pio 20 Sd Rk 46 3 10 0 5 .061 .783 .139 .348
2002 Eugene Nwes 21 Sd A- 83 9 15 0 3 .098 .819 .044 .225
2002 Fort Wayne Midw 21 Sd A 190 18 37 0 12 .087 .805 .078 .279
2002 Lk Elsin Cali 21 Sd A+ 81 8 12 1 3 .090 .852 .058 .259
2003 Lk Elsin Cali 22 Sd A+ 283 42 60 2 15 .129 .788 .076 .285
2003 Mobile Sou 22 Sd AA 177 27 34 1 7 .132 .808 .056 .271
2003 Portland PCL 22 Sd AAA 10 0 1 0 0 .000 .900 .000 .300
2004 Mobile Sou 23 Sd AA 139 17 28 1 7 .109 .799 .072 .283
2004 Portland PCL 23 Sd AAA 265 31 46 1 16 .105 .826 .078 .292
2004 San Diego MLB 23 Sd MLB 76 4 13 0 3 .050 .829 .048 .211
2006 Sioux City amer 25 ind 3 0 1 0 0 .000 .667 .000 .333
2006 Oklahoma PCL 25 Tex AAA 253 38 36 1 11 .131 .858 .055 .282
2006 Portland PCL 25 Sd AAA 124 14 19 2 9 .101 .847 .105 .274
2006 Texas MLB 25 Tex MLB 7 2 1 0 0 .222 .857 .000 .286


this guy was hyped a bit and didn't make a splash and everyone forgot about him. but he can play some baseball. he's a switch-hitter, and he's fast, and he works the count. he can take a walk, and he can slap the ball and get on base. and he plays center field. this is a major league baseball player. possible strong contributor.

that's the rangers. they just suck. sucky team, sucky owner, sucky farm system. it sucks to be a rangers fan.
Friday, February 16, 2007
 
top prospects: mariners
howard lincoln is an idiot. you don't put people on a hot seat and expect to win. you can't just say "we need money. win." you have to build a winning team. and you have to do it better than all the other teams. as long as howard lincoln is in charge, winning is not likely in seattle.


1. Adam Jones, of
2. Jeff Clement, c
3. Brandon Morrow, rhp
4. Tony Butler, lhp
5. Ryan Feierabend, lhp
6. Wladimir Balentien, of
7. Mark Lowe, rhp
8. Chris Tillman, rhp
9. Yung-Chi Chen, 2b
10. Eric O'Flaherty, lhp


there's some good stuff here. overall, there's not enough to contend.


Career Batting Statistics for Adam Jones:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Az Marin Ariz 18 Sea Rk 110 15 19 0 6 .120 .827 .066 .284
2003 Everett Nwes 18 Sea A- 14 1 3 0 1 .067 .786 .091 .462
2004 Wisconsin Midw 19 Sea A 517 38 124 11 30 .068 .760 .104 .267
2005 Inl Empire Cali 20 Sea A+ 276 37 64 8 25 .118 .768 .156 .295
2005 SanAntonio Tex 20 Sea AA 230 25 48 7 13 .098 .791 .110 .298
2006 Tacoma PCL 21 Sea AAA 381 34 78 16 23 .082 .795 .129 .287
2006 Seattle MLB 21 Sea MLB 74 2 22 1 4 .026 .703 .096 .216


adam jones sure has some talent. he plays anywhere on the field; he hits for average and power. he's very young. he's gonna be a good one.


Career Batting Statistics for Jeff Clement:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 USC NCAA 20 NCA 209 37 43 21 9 .150 .794 .181 .298
2004 USC NCAA 21 NCA 200 43 39 10 13 .177 .805 .143 .293
2005 USC NCAA 22 NCA 233 57 43 15 17 .197 .815 .168 .348
2005 Everett Nwes 22 Sea A- 12 3 2 0 1 .200 .833 .100 .273
2005 Wisconsin Midw 22 Sea A 114 13 25 6 5 .102 .781 .124 .319
2006 SanAntonio Tex 23 Sea AA 60 10 8 2 7 .143 .867 .173 .288
2006 Tacoma PCL 23 Sea AAA 247 24 53 4 10 .089 .785 .072 .257


jeff clement was killing double-a when he went down with an injury. then he struggled in triple-a. he's got patience and power. the only thing we haven't seen yet is contact. that double-a sample is not big enough. based on what we know, he'll likely make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Brandon Morrow:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 California NCAA 20 NCA 29.2 35 3 19 18 .133 .855 .028 6.07
2005 California NCAA 21 NCA 25.0 32 3 20 25 .157 .766 .037 9.36
2006 California NCAA 22 NCA 96.2 72 5 39 97 .097 .732 .019 2.05
2006 Az Marin Ariz 22 Sea Rk 13.0 10 0 9 13 .155 .735 .000 2.77
2006 Inl Empire Cali 22 Sea A+ 3.0 0 0 0 4 .000 .556 .000 0.00


brandon morrow is highly touted, but we haven't seen it yet in his performance. his college numbers are not very dominant, and his control has never been good. relief may work out best for him.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Butler:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Az Marin Ariz 18 Sea Rk 14.0 5 0 9 25 .161 .468 .000 2.57
2006 Everett Nwes 18 Sea A- 42.1 23 2 25 52 .143 .653 .020 2.76


tony butler had a lot of strikeouts but poor control in his first professional season. if he can get it together, he can be something special.


Career Pitching Statistics for Ryan Feierabend:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Az Marin Ariz 18 Sea Rk 20.2 23 0 6 12 .066 .859 .000 2.61
2004 Wisconsin Midw 19 Sea A 161.0 158 17 44 106 .064 .835 .032 3.63
2005 Inl Empire Cali 20 Sea A+ 150.2 186 16 51 122 .074 .809 .031 3.88
2006 SanAntonio Tex 21 Sea AA 153.2 156 16 55 127 .082 .794 .033 4.28
2006 Seattle MLB 21 Sea MLB 17.0 15 3 7 11 .096 .833 .055 3.71


ryan feierabend hasn't been dominant, but he has pitched at advanced levels at a young age. he'll likely be a major league starter.


Career Batting Statistics for Wladimir Balentien:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Az Marin Ariz 19 Sea Rk 190 25 55 16 17 .116 .711 .244 .283
2004 Wisconsin Midw 20 Sea A 261 15 77 15 15 .054 .705 .163 .277
2004 Inl Empire Cali 20 Sea A+ 38 4 10 2 1 .095 .737 .107 .289
2005 Inl Empire Cali 21 Sea A+ 499 39 160 25 46 .072 .679 .209 .291
2006 SanAntonio Tex 22 Sea AA 448 74 140 22 24 .142 .688 .149 .230


wladimir balentien has a cool name but there are a lot of questions about contact. he might not make it, and if he does it'll take a while.


Career Pitching Statistics for Mark Lowe:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 utarlingt NCAA 19 NCA 17.0 29 1 8 8 .091 .900 .014 5.82
2004 utarlingt NCAA 21 NCA 53.0 54 2 19 48 .082 .775 .012 3.74
2004 Everett Nwes 21 Sea A- 38.1 42 4 14 38 .082 .758 .034 4.93
2005 Wisconsin Midw 22 Sea A 103.2 107 12 49 72 .105 .828 .035 5.47
2006 Inl Empire Cali 23 Sea A+ 29.1 14 0 11 46 .097 .549 .000 1.84
2006 SanAntonio Tex 23 Sea AA 16.2 14 1 3 14 .045 .781 .020 2.16
2006 Seattle MLB 23 Sea MLB 18.2 12 1 9 20 .117 .706 .021 1.93


mark lowe has been kind of all over the place in his professional career. at times he has been dominant; at times he has shown good control. he hasn't done both at the same time though. he did limit home runs last year. it seems likely he'll make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Christopher Tillman:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Az Marin Ariz 18 Sea Rk 11.0 9 0 5 16 .106 .619 .000 0.82
2006 Everett Nwes 18 Sea A- 19.2 25 4 15 29 .152 .655 .073 7.78


chris tillman had good strikeouts in his pro debut, but struggled with control. he's young.


Career Batting Statistics for Yung Chen:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Everett Nwes 21 Sea A- 203 18 36 3 14 .081 .823 .102 .300
2005 Wisconsin Midw 22 Sea A 509 39 76 7 34 .071 .851 .095 .292
2006 Az Marin Ariz 23 Sea Rk 11 2 0 0 2 .154 1.00 .182 .273
2006 Inl Empire Cali 23 Sea A+ 283 24 40 5 20 .078 .859 .103 .342
2006 SanAntonio Tex 23 Sea AA 152 18 23 3 11 .106 .849 .109 .295


yung-chi chen has shown decent contact rates so far, but little power. pitch selection improved last year. it needs to improve some more.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eric O'Flaherty:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Az Marin Ariz 18 Sea Rk 27.2 17 1 7 20 .065 .800 .013 1.95
2003 Everett Nwes 18 Sea A- 10.2 8 1 3 7 .070 .825 .030 3.37
2004 Wisconsin Midw 19 Sea A 57.1 83 3 23 38 .083 .851 .014 6.12
2005 Wisconsin Midw 20 Sea A 69.2 73 2 30 51 .096 .819 .009 3.75
2006 Inl Empire Cali 21 Sea A+ 28.2 31 1 6 33 .049 .718 .012 3.45
2006 SanAntonio Tex 21 Sea AA 39.1 45 0 15 36 .084 .779 .000 1.14
2006 Tacoma PCL 21 Sea AAA 3.2 3 0 1 4 .067 .714 .000 0.00
2006 Seattle MLB 21 Sea MLB 11.0 18 2 6 6 .105 .882 .044 4.09


eric o'flaherty is a lefty who pitched in the majors last year. control has been good. he won't be dominant, but he could be useful.

that's the end of the baseball america list. kevin goldstein has carlos truinfel, justin thomas, and juan carlos ramirez instead of lowe, chen, and o'flaherty. only justin thomas has played in their system.


Career Pitching Statistics for Justin Thomas:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 youngst st NCAA 20 NCA 93.1 98 9 43 82 .102 .783 .030 5.11
2005 youngst st NCAA 21 NCA 84.1 78 4 33 88 .091 .734 .016 3.42
2005 Everett Nwes 21 Sea A- 59.0 63 2 20 48 .077 .800 .010 3.81
2006 Wisconsin Midw 22 Sea A 61.0 69 4 17 51 .063 .798 .020 3.10
2006 Inl Empire Cali 22 Sea A+ 105.1 108 10 45 111 .096 .738 .032 4.10


justin thomas has good control and good home run limitation. natch, he's a lefty. this is the kind of guy that can pitch in the bigs.

so the mariners system isn't hopeless. adam jones is going to be really good, and jeff clement has a good shot. brandon morrow has a lot of hype, and a lot of other guys could contribute. but it doesn't knock your socks off. it's not enough to make this team a contender.
 
top prospects: a's
athletics. (angels)


1. Travis Buck, of
2. Daric Barton, 1b
3. Kurt Suzuki, c
4. Matt Sulentic, of
5. Jermaine Mitchell, of
6. Javier Herrera, of
7. Jason Windsor, rhp
8. Marcus McBeth, rhp
9. Justin Sellers, ss
10. Trevor Cahill, rhp


buck, barton, and suzuki looked good last year, when prospectors were not too high on their system.


Career Batting Statistics for Travis Buck:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Arizona St NCAA 19 NCA 241 46 28 4 16 .160 .884 .094 .326
2004 Arizona St NCAA 20 NCA 228 52 34 9 17 .186 .851 .134 .373
2005 Arizona St NCAA 21 NCA 289 34 35 6 27 .105 .879 .130 .382
2005 Vancouver Nwes 21 Oak A- 36 5 8 2 1 .122 .778 .107 .361
2005 Kane Cty Midw 21 Oak A 124 19 19 1 13 .133 .847 .133 .341
2006 Stockton Cali 22 Oak A+ 131 14 18 3 20 .097 .863 .204 .349
2006 Midland Tex 22 Oak AA 212 25 39 4 23 .105 .816 .156 .302


he still looks good this year. lots of power, lots of average. contact + power = average. actually it's more of a multiplicative thing, but you get the idea. patience is decent, too. it's time for this guy to start appearing on top 50 lists.


Career Batting Statistics for Daric Barton:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Johns City App 18 Stl Rk 173 39 48 4 10 .184 .723 .112 .294
2004 Peoria Midw 19 Stl A 316 77 44 13 23 .196 .861 .132 .313
2005 Stockton Cali 20 Oak A+ 296 65 49 8 18 .180 .834 .105 .318
2005 Midland Tex 20 Oak AA 214 35 30 5 21 .141 .860 .141 .316
2006 Az As Ariz 21 Oak Rk 5 0 0 0 1 .000 1.00 .200 .200
2006 Sacramento PCL 21 Oak AAA 148 32 26 2 10 .178 .824 .098 .259


daric barton had an injury last year, but he's still got it. patience is outstanding. contact is very good. power is very good. complete hitter. winning hitter.


Career Batting Statistics for Kurt Suzuki:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 CS Fullert NCAA 18 NCA 51 14 6 1 1 .215 .882 .044 .392
2003 CS Fullert NCAA 19 NCA 145 25 11 2 10 .147 .924 .090 .350
2004 CS Fullert NCAA 20 NCA 261 60 25 16 21 .187 .904 .157 .413
2004 Vancouver Nwes 20 Oak A- 178 30 26 3 13 .144 .854 .105 .297
2005 Stockton Cali 21 Oak A+ 446 75 61 12 31 .144 .863 .112 .277
2006 Midland Tex 22 Oak AA 377 67 50 7 27 .151 .867 .104 .285


kurt suzuki has incredible patience, incredible contact, and decent power. he's gonna be a major-league player.


Career Batting Statistics for Matthew Sulentic:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Vancouver Nwes 18 Oak A- 145 14 30 2 11 .088 .793 .113 .354
2006 Kane Cty Midw 18 Oak A 99 14 19 1 5 .124 .808 .075 .235


matthew sulentic played a-ball at age 18 and survived. he's gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Jermaine Mitchell:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 UNCGrnsbr NCAA 21 NCA 234 44 43 5 18 .158 .816 .120 .397
2006 Vancouver Nwes 21 Oak A- 138 25 27 3 9 .153 .804 .108 .362


jermaine mitchell has great patience, good speed, he's left-handed, and he plays centerfield. making contact and hitting for power will be the question, but the odds are good.


Career Batting Statistics for Javier Herrera:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Az As Ariz 18 Oak Rk 61 9 19 2 4 .129 .689 .143 .230
2004 Vancouver Nwes 19 Oak A- 265 28 59 12 19 .096 .777 .150 .331
2005 Kane Cty Midw 20 Oak A 363 59 110 13 20 .140 .697 .130 .275
2005 Sacramento PCL 20 Oak AAA 12 3 1 1 1 .200 .917 .182 .417


i disagree with most experts on javier herrera. i think making contact will be a challenge for him. i think he's got a lot of work to do.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jason Windsor:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
1998 CS Fullert NCAA 16 NCA 95.1 76 7 22 75 .057 .793 .024 1.98
2004 CS Fullert NCAA 22 NCA 162.2 100 7 24 148 .039 .748 .016 1.72
2004 Vancouver Nwes 22 Oak A- 5.0 4 0 0 5 .000 .737 .000 0.00
2004 Kane Cty Midw 22 Oak A 13.0 11 0 5 13 .091 .740 .000 2.77
2005 Stockton Cali 23 Oak A+ 55.1 52 5 8 64 .035 .706 .032 3.58
2005 Midland Tex 23 Oak AA 56.2 69 5 23 39 .088 .837 .025 5.72
2006 Midland Tex 24 Oak AA 33.1 27 2 10 35 .073 .724 .022 2.97
2006 Sacramento PCL 24 Oak AAA 118.0 128 7 32 123 .062 .745 .019 3.81
2006 Oakland MLB 24 Oak MLB 13.2 21 2 5 6 .075 .903 .036 6.59


jason windsor pitched in triple-a with good control and good strikeouts. he's got a major-league future.


Career Pitching Statistics for Marcus McBeth:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 Az As Ariz 25 Oak Rk 10.0 5 1 5 13 .125 .629 .045 0.90
2005 Kane Cty Midw 25 Oak A 19.2 20 2 13 21 .141 .734 .034 5.03
2005 Stockton Cali 25 Oak A+ 2.2 1 0 2 3 .182 .667 .000 0.00
2006 Stockton Cali 26 Oak A+ 8.2 1 0 2 14 .069 .481 .000 0.00
2006 Midland Tex 26 Oak AA 54.1 43 4 20 65 .088 .684 .028 2.48
2006 Sacramento PCL 26 Oak AAA 7.1 7 3 6 7 .171 .759 .136 11.05


this is cool. marcus mcbeth was an outfielder, and he sucked. now he's a pitcher, and he's good. he had a lot of strikeouts in double-a with not very much experience.


Career Batting Statistics for Justin Sellers:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2005 Vancouver Nwes 19 Oak A- 176 27 24 0 9 .133 .864 .059 .274
2006 Kane Cty Midw 20 Oak A 416 69 65 5 23 .142 .844 .080 .241


it seems clear that the a's are the team that most knows what they're doing. justin sellers has excellent strike-zone skills. what else is new for an a's prospect. he's gonna make it. possibly just as a backup, but i think there's more here.


Career Pitching Statistics for Trevor Cahill:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Az As Ariz 18 Oak Rk 9.0 2 0 7 11 .194 .621 .000 3.00


there's nothing to talk about here. wait till next year.

instead of the last two, kevin goldstein has kevin melillo and henry rodriguez. ever since i said i liked goldstein's lists better, i've been liking baseball america's lists better.


Career Batting Statistics for Kevin Melillo:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 S Carolina NCAA 20 NCA 157 27 20 3 12 .147 .873 .109 .280
2003 S Carolina NCAA 21 NCA 231 42 54 12 16 .154 .766 .158 .317
2004 S Carolina NCAA 22 NCA 180 15 38 9 8 .077 .789 .120 .307
2004 Vancouver Nwes 22 Oak A- 95 14 16 2 13 .128 .832 .190 .340
2005 Kane Cty Midw 23 Oak A 285 56 40 8 21 .164 .860 .118 .286
2005 Stockton Cali 23 Oak A+ 91 13 18 9 8 .125 .802 .233 .400
2005 Midland Tex 23 Oak AA 133 14 23 7 10 .095 .827 .155 .282
2006 Midland Tex 24 Oak AA 506 72 98 12 34 .125 .806 .113 .280


kevin melillo improved his patience last year, which i consider significant. defensive concerns make it hard to project him into a useful role.


Career Pitching Statistics for Henry Alberto Rodriguez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Az As Ariz 0 Oak Rk 43.2 46 1 50 59 .220 .667 .008 7.42


henry alberto rodriguez. jesus. that's a lot of strikeouts, but that's a lot of walks.

so you see here the thing is the a's are good. what was i saying earlier? i said the a's are the team that most knows what they're doing. i'll explain. maybe they don't have the best scouts. that's the twins or the dodgers or something. but they have good scouts. and they're incredible at finding value once everyone has passed on. and their instruction is the best. these kids learn to play baseball. no one else has the kind of patient, correct approach to the plate across the board. the strike-first, correct approach to hitters. you don't need a lot of money to succeed. you just need some money.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
 
top prospects: angels
moving on to the american league west, we have the angels. last time was the twins.


1. Brandon Wood, ss
2. Nick Adenhart, rhp
3. Erick Aybar, ss
4. Young-Il Jung, rhp
5. Stephen Marek, rhp
6. Hank Conger, c
7. Jeff Mathis, c
8. Sean Rodriguez, ss/2b
9. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp
10. Tommy Mendoza, rhp


pundits like this system, but i think it's weak. it was a lot better last year. there's a connection there.


Career Batting Statistics for Brandon Wood:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Az Angels Ariz 18 Ana Rk 80 6 15 0 10 .070 .813 .154 .308
2003 Provo Pio 18 Ana Rk 163 18 48 5 15 .099 .706 .174 .278
2004 Cedar Rpds Midw 19 Ana A 480 51 117 11 35 .096 .756 .127 .251
2005 Rancho Cuc Cali 20 Laa A+ 538 55 128 43 55 .093 .762 .239 .321
2005 Salt Lake PCL 20 Laa AAA 19 0 6 0 3 .000 .684 .231 .316
2006 Arkansas Tex 21 Laa AA 461 60 149 25 46 .115 .677 .228 .276


ok, brandon wood played in double-a and had a hell of a lot of strikeouts. eventually this is going to catch up to him. i like the fact that he drives the ball, but if he does not improve his contact, he's not going to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Nick Adenhart:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 Orem Pio 19 Laa Rk 6.0 3 0 0 7 .000 .667 .000 0.00
2005 Az Angels Ariz 19 Laa Rk 44.0 39 0 24 52 .123 .696 .000 3.68
2006 Cedar Rpds Midw 20 Laa A 106.0 84 2 26 99 .061 .754 .007 1.95
2006 Rancho Cuc Cali 20 Laa A+ 52.1 51 1 16 46 .071 .779 .006 3.78


nick adenhart doesn't have a lot of strikeouts, but his control is good and he really limits home runs. he's gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Erick Aybar:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 Provo Pio 18 Ana Rk 274 32 43 4 21 .105 .843 .108 .326
2003 Cedar Rpds Midw 19 Ana A 499 30 54 6 40 .057 .892 .103 .308
2004 Rancho Cuc Cali 20 Ana A+ 578 39 66 14 36 .063 .886 .098 .330
2005 Arkansas Tex 21 Laa AA 543 43 51 9 39 .073 .906 .098 .303
2006 Salt Lake PCL 22 Laa AAA 343 24 36 6 23 .065 .895 .094 .283
2006 LA Angels MLB 22 Laa MLB 40 0 8 0 2 .000 .800 .063 .250


erick aybar has a lot of talent, but he may never develop the patience to make the most of it. he's gotta ask himself if he wants to win or if he just wants to swing and run around.

young-il jung we don't have any data on.


Career Pitching Statistics for Stephen Marek:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 Orem Pio 21 Laa Rk 66.0 74 7 25 55 .084 .798 .032 4.50
2006 Cedar Rpds Midw 22 Laa A 119.1 95 8 24 100 .050 .779 .023 1.96
2006 Rancho Cuc Cali 22 Laa A+ 32.0 26 4 13 33 .096 .730 .045 3.94


stephen marek is getting a little old, and he hasn't really shown anything. goldstein thinks he can be a reliever.


Career Batting Statistics for Hyun Choi Conger:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Az Angels Ariz 18 Laa Rk 69 7 11 1 7 .092 .841 .138 .319


hank conger showed good strike-zone skills in a very small sample size in rookie ball.


Career Batting Statistics for Jeff Mathis:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2001 Az Angels Ariz 18 Ana Rk 24 2 4 0 1 .077 .833 .050 .304
2001 Provo Pio 18 Ana Rk 80 13 13 0 9 .140 .838 .134 .299
2002 Cedar Rpds Midw 19 Ana A 499 48 75 10 44 .088 .850 .127 .287
2003 Rancho Cuc Cali 20 Ana A+ 382 40 74 11 31 .095 .806 .136 .323
2003 Arkansas Tex 20 Ana AA 97 13 16 2 11 .118 .835 .160 .284
2004 Arkansas Tex 21 Ana AA 436 54 102 14 27 .110 .766 .123 .227
2005 Salt Lake PCL 22 Laa AAA 431 43 85 21 29 .091 .803 .145 .276
2005 LA Angels MLB 22 Laa MLB 3 0 1 0 0 .000 .667 .000 .333
2006 Salt Lake PCL 23 Laa AAA 389 28 75 5 36 .067 .807 .131 .289
2006 LA Angels MLB 23 Laa MLB 56 7 14 2 2 .111 .750 .095 .145


jeff mathis got sent down last year and went on tilt. he's still got talent though. he needs to let the game come to him. last year he was my number 14 prospect. i still believe in him.


Career Batting Statistics for Sean Rodriguez:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Az Angels Ariz 18 Ana Rk 217 21 37 2 13 .088 .829 .083 .269
2004 Provo Pio 19 Ana Rk 226 66 62 10 18 .226 .726 .171 .338
2004 Cedar Rpds Midw 19 Ana A 197 25 54 4 12 .113 .726 .112 .250
2005 Cedar Rpds Midw 20 Laa A 450 87 85 14 32 .162 .811 .126 .250
2006 Rancho Cuc Cali 21 Laa A+ 461 59 124 24 34 .113 .731 .172 .301
2006 Arkansas Tex 21 Laa AA 65 13 18 5 5 .167 .723 .213 .354
2006 Salt Lake PCL 21 Laa AAA 2 0 2 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000


i don't think sean rodriguez is much of a prospect. he strikes out a lot, and the angels' parks are hitters' parks. he's got the power, though.


Career Pitching Statistics for Sean O'Sullivan:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2006 Orem Pio 18 Laa Rk 71.1 65 2 7 55 .024 .803 .009 2.14


sean o'sullivan has good control, but may not have the stuff to make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for Tom Mendoza:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2005 Az Angels Ariz 18 Laa Rk 52.1 42 1 13 56 .061 .719 .007 1.55
2005 Rancho Cuc Cali 18 Laa A+ 10.0 4 0 0 12 .000 .647 .000 0.00
2006 Cedar Rpds Midw 19 Laa A 170.2 169 15 32 134 .045 .803 .027 4.17


tom mendoza pitched in a-ball at the age of 19. he showed good control, but didn't really get a lot of strikeouts.

kevin goldstein has terry evans, hainley statia, and jose arredondo instead of jung, o'sullivan, and mendoza.


Career Batting Statistics for Terry Evans:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2002 Johns City App 20 Stl Rk 232 29 67 7 24 .111 .711 .188 .287
2003 Peoria Midw 21 Stl A 384 22 86 10 29 .054 .776 .131 .246
2004 Peoria Midw 22 Stl A 366 42 105 13 22 .103 .713 .134 .222
2004 Palm Beach FSL 22 Stl A+ 59 5 16 2 4 .078 .729 .140 .224
2005 Palm Beach FSL 23 Stl A+ 388 36 110 8 17 .085 .716 .090 .221
2006 Palm Beach FSL 24 Stl A+ 239 24 50 15 11 .091 .791 .138 .311
2006 Springfiel Tex 24 Stl AA 76 8 21 7 4 .095 .724 .200 .307
2006 Arkansas Tex 24 Laa AA 189 24 56 11 11 .113 .704 .165 .309


terry evans is too old to be a prospect. his contact is not good enough to make the majors.


Career Batting Statistics for Hainley Statia:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2005 Orem Pio 19 Laa Rk 277 26 40 2 23 .086 .856 .105 .300
2005 Rancho Cuc Cali 19 Laa A+ 106 6 13 1 2 .054 .877 .032 .245
2006 Cedar Rpds Midw 20 Laa A 417 55 54 1 32 .117 .871 .091 .297
2006 Rancho Cuc Cali 20 Laa A+ 61 9 7 0 3 .129 .885 .056 .300


hainley statia has very good contact percentages. likely major-league bench player.


Career Pitching Statistics for Jose Arredondo:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 Az Angels Ariz 20 Ana Rk 12.1 14 1 4 14 .073 .725 .027 2.92
2005 Orem Pio 21 Laa Rk 68.2 76 4 20 60 .066 .787 .018 4.19
2005 Arkansas Tex 21 Laa AA 5.1 5 0 4 4 .160 .810 .000 3.38
2006 Rancho Cuc Cali 22 Laa A+ 90.0 62 4 35 115 .095 .654 .018 2.30
2006 Arkansas Tex 22 Laa AA 60.2 80 8 22 48 .077 .817 .037 6.53


jose arredondo had good strikeout rates in california. goldstein thinks he'll be a reliever.

there's a lot of good talent here, but i don't see any great talent. last year was good, but unlike many, i don't see a dynasty forming.
Friday, February 09, 2007
 
top prospects: twins
last time was the royals. this time is the twins.


1. Matt Garza, rhp
2. Glen Perkins, lhp
3. Kevin Slowey, rhp
4. Chris Parmelee, of
5. Anthony Swarzak, rhp
6. Pat Neshek, rhp
7. Alexi Casilla, ss/2b
8. Joe Benson, of
9. Paul Kelly, ss
10. J.D. Durbin, rhp


as usual, the twins have a lot of good stuff.


Career Pitching Statistics for Matt Garza:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Fresno St NCAA 19 NCA 43.1 63 8 31 21 .138 .891 .047 9.55
2004 Fresno St NCAA 20 NCA 90.0 103 12 34 77 .084 .794 .041 4.90
2005 Fresno St NCAA 21 NCA 108.1 110 5 37 120 .078 .724 .016 3.07
2005 Elizabetht App 21 Min Rk 19.2 14 3 6 25 .076 .658 .063 3.66
2005 Beloit Midw 21 Min A 56.0 53 5 15 64 .064 .710 .032 3.54
2006 Fort Myers FSL 22 Min A+ 44.1 27 3 11 53 .064 .669 .028 1.42
2006 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 57.1 40 2 14 68 .062 .679 .014 2.51
2006 Rochester IL 22 Min AAA 34.0 20 1 7 33 .054 .730 .011 1.85
2006 Minnesota MLB 22 Min MLB 50.0 62 6 23 38 .098 .821 .034 5.76


matt garza had a mediocre debut in the major leagues. but he started the year in a-ball. his control is very good; his strikeout rates are very good; and his home run prevention is very good. he's very good.


Career Pitching Statistics for Glen Perkins:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Minnesota NCAA 20 NCA 105.1 100 5 23 117 .052 .719 .017 2.91
2004 Minnesota NCAA 21 NCA 111.1 89 6 21 113 .047 .733 .019 2.83
2004 Elizabetht App 21 Min Rk 12.0 8 0 4 22 .083 .500 .000 2.25
2004 Quad Cties Midw 21 Min A 48.1 33 2 12 49 .063 .725 .016 1.30
2005 Fort Myers FSL 22 Min A+ 55.0 41 2 13 66 .059 .680 .014 2.13
2005 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 79.0 80 4 35 67 .099 .789 .016 4.90
2006 NewBritain East 23 Min AA 117.1 109 11 45 131 .089 .716 .033 3.91
2006 Rochester IL 23 Min AAA 4.1 6 0 5 3 .208 .842 .000 2.08
2006 Minnesota MLB 23 Min MLB 5.2 3 0 0 6 .000 .700 .000 1.59


glen perkins spent most of 2006 in double-a. he had a walk percentage of .089, which is good. he had a contact percentage of .716, which is good. he had a home run percentage of .033, which is decent, but he was much better in previous years, so he's good. he's a lefty. he's got that mojo.


Career Pitching Statistics for Kevin Slowey:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 Winthrop NCAA 19 NCA 86.0 86 10 18 90 .050 .738 .039 3.98
2004 Winthrop NCAA 20 NCA 119.2 120 8 10 104 .020 .783 .021 3.23
2005 Winthrop NCAA 21 NCA 136.1 91 8 13 134 .025 .732 .022 2.18
2005 Elizabetht App 21 Min Rk 7.2 2 1 0 15 .000 .400 .100 1.17
2005 Beloit Midw 21 Min A 64.1 42 4 8 69 .033 .706 .024 2.24
2006 Fort Myers FSL 22 Min A+ 89.1 52 2 9 99 .027 .691 .009 1.01
2006 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 59.1 50 6 13 52 .054 .772 .034 3.19


kevin slowey has excellent control and good contact rates (contact rates, strikeout rates, same thing. in this case, .772, .691, and .706 in his past three stints). he also limits home runs, which is typical of pitchers with good control. he is definitely gonna make it.


Career Batting Statistics for Christopher Parmelee:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 156 23 47 8 11 .128 .699 .174 .279
2006 Beloit Midw 18 Min A 22 5 9 0 1 .185 .591 .077 .227


chris parmelee is a young outfielder. so far he has shown good patience and extreme power, but not a lot of contact ability. since he's so young, i expect him to make it. he could be a good one.


Career Pitching Statistics for Anthony Swarzak:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 48.0 46 1 6 42 .031 .779 .007 2.63
2005 Beloit Midw 19 Min A 91.1 81 7 32 101 .083 .715 .028 4.04
2005 Fort Myers FSL 19 Min A+ 59.0 72 3 11 55 .042 .779 .015 3.66
2006 Fort Myers FSL 20 Min A+ 145.2 131 8 60 131 .096 .769 .018 3.27


anthony swarzak is a young, strong righthander, who so far has limited home runs, but hasn't shown the kind of control or strikeouts you'd like to see. he had a very good 2005, but his 2006 makes me wary. apparently he had a very strong finish. i'm reluctant to predict success, but it certainly could happen.

there's something weird about these numbers. i can't quite put my finger on it. it's like they're not that great, but they're all right there. maybe he's on the threshold of breakout. i've seen it in hitters, but never in pitchers.


Career Pitching Statistics for Pat Neshek:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2002 Butler NCAA 21 NCA 87.0 96 4 22 94 .058 .737 .015 3.10
2002 Elizabetht App 21 Min Rk 27.1 13 0 6 41 .059 .568 .000 0.99
2003 Quad City Midw 22 Min A 34.1 20 0 11 53 .082 .569 .000 0.52
2003 Fort Myers FSL 22 Min A+ 29.1 22 2 6 29 .052 .736 .025 2.15
2003 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 7.2 7 2 3 5 .091 .833 .080 5.87
2004 Fort Myers FSL 23 Min A+ 18.1 16 2 2 19 .027 .732 .038 2.95
2004 NewBritain East 23 Min AA 35.1 34 2 18 38 .114 .729 .020 3.82
2005 NewBritain East 24 Min AA 82.1 69 9 21 95 .062 .699 .041 2.19
2006 Rochester IL 25 Min AAA 60.0 41 7 14 87 .060 .606 .052 1.95
2006 Minnesota MLB 25 Min MLB 37.0 23 6 6 53 .043 .604 .074 2.19


it's a bit unfair to call pat neshek a rookie as he has already played in the major leagues and completely dominated. my first thought, on looking at these numbers, was "what took them so long?" to get him up there. but then you look at his story, and you find out he's a sidearmer. there's a prejudice against sidearmers. but they couldn't keep this kid down. after an insane .060 walk percentage and .606 contact percentage in 60 innings of triple-a, they called him up and he improved. 53 strikeouts and 6 walks in 37 innings is retarded.


Career Batting Statistics for Alexi Casilla:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Az Angels Ariz 20 Ana Rk 165 19 10 0 5 .103 .939 .032 .258
2004 Provo Pio 20 Ana Rk 12 5 0 0 2 .294 1.00 .167 .333
2004 Cedar Rpds Midw 20 Ana A 29 5 4 0 3 .147 .862 .120 .310
2005 Cedar Rpds Midw 21 Laa A 309 35 31 3 14 .102 .900 .061 .325
2005 Arkansas Tex 21 Laa AA 19 2 3 0 0 .095 .842 .000 .211
2005 Salt Lake PCL 21 Laa AAA 39 3 6 0 0 .071 .846 .000 .256
2006 Fort Myers FSL 22 Min A+ 324 32 36 0 18 .090 .889 .063 .331
2006 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 170 22 20 1 11 .115 .882 .080 .294
2006 Minnesota MLB 22 Min MLB 4 2 1 0 0 .333 .750 .000 .250


alexi casilla is a slap-and-run speedster with good defense who has all the skills necessary to succeed in the major leagues. what you don't see in these numbers is that he stole 50 bases last year. plate discipline will be important, but he's ready. put him in, coach.


Career Batting Statistics for Joe Benson:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 GCL Twins GCL 0 Min Rk 198 23 41 5 16 .104 .793 .134 .260
2006 Beloit Midw 0 Min A 19 0 6 0 0 .000 .684 .000 .263


joe benson is another high-school outfielder who showed good power in rookie ball. he also showed very good contact. it's a small sample size, but he looks good.


Career Batting Statistics for Paul Kelly:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2005 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 140 19 36 2 6 .119 .743 .077 .277
2005 Beloit Midw 18 Min A 17 2 3 1 2 .105 .824 .214 .313
2006 Beloit Midw 19 Min A 380 43 60 3 26 .102 .842 .091 .280


paul kelly is a young shortstop with a strong arm and balanced hitting skills. i think he's gonna make it.


Career Pitching Statistics for J.D. Durbin:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2000 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 2.0 2 0 0 4 .000 .500 .000 0.00
2001 Elizabetht App 19 Min Rk 33.2 23 2 17 39 .121 .685 .024 1.87
2002 Quad City Midw 20 Min A 161.0 144 14 51 163 .075 .740 .030 3.19
2003 Fort Myers FSL 21 Min A+ 87.1 73 3 22 69 .062 .794 .011 3.09
2003 NewBritain East 21 Min AA 94.2 102 10 29 70 .070 .819 .032 3.14
2004 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 64.1 62 4 22 53 .079 .792 .020 2.52
2004 Rochester IL 22 Min AAA 35.2 49 4 16 38 .093 .756 .034 4.54
2004 Minnesota MLB 22 Min MLB 7.1 12 0 6 6 .150 .824 .000 7.36
2005 Rochester IL 23 Min AAA 104.0 97 8 51 90 .111 .780 .025 4.33
2006 Rochester IL 24 Min AAA 89.0 67 3 50 81 .130 .757 .012 2.33


j.d. durbin is getting old, and i frankly don't see what the deal is here. he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, he doesn't really limit home runs, and he's walked way too many people over the past two years. is he a sinkerballer? sometimes sinkerballers can succeed despite not having good numbers.

kevin goldstein left off neshek, benson, and durbin, and added eduardo morlan, alexander smit, and david winfree. i guess he figured neshek wasn't a prospect anymore.

before i get to them, i wanna talk about how deep this list is. pat neshek is a killer, and the pitchers ahead of him are very good. the young hitters are also very good. i would have a hard time ranking these kids. alexi casilla is a major leaguer already. i can't believe the angels traded him. i mean i can believe it, because they've got so many middle infielders, but i don't think they know what they had.

ok.


Career Pitching Statistics for Eduardo Morlan:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2004 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 25.1 25 1 10 28 .090 .723 .014 2.84
2005 Elizabetht App 19 Min Rk 22.0 6 0 6 30 .077 .583 .000 0.82
2005 Beloit Midw 19 Min A 51.1 39 5 31 55 .138 .715 .036 4.38
2006 Beloit Midw 20 Min A 106.1 78 6 38 125 .087 .685 .022 2.29


eduardo morlan had a very good performance in a-ball last year, with a .087 walk percentage and a very strong .685 contact percentage. i like this kid a lot.


Career Pitching Statistics for Alex Smit:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl IP H HR BB SO WAL CON HRP ERA
2003 GCL Twins GCL 17 Min Rk 38.0 19 0 20 40 .131 .699 .000 1.18
2004 Elizabetht App 18 Min Rk 28.1 25 0 10 43 .083 .609 .000 2.54
2005 Elizabetht App 19 Min Rk 45.2 25 3 12 86 .069 .469 .039 1.97
2005 Beloit Midw 19 Min A 49.2 58 9 28 54 .119 .739 .059 5.98
2006 Beloit Midw 20 Min A 108.1 77 6 53 141 .116 .649 .023 2.99


alex smit also pitched in a-ball and had a very strong contact percentage. his control is not as good though. that can be tough to improve. according to goldstein, it was a matter of getting his pitches together, which he has done.

that 2005 line seems hard to believe.


Career Batting Statistics for David Winfree:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 70 3 16 0 3 .041 .771 .056 .129
2004 Elizabetht App 19 Min Rk 219 22 51 8 8 .091 .767 .095 .286
2005 Beloit Midw 20 Min A 568 33 93 16 36 .055 .836 .109 .294
2006 GCL Twins GCL 21 Min Rk 15 1 4 0 1 .063 .733 .091 .200
2006 Fort Myers FSL 21 Min A+ 265 22 59 13 15 .077 .777 .136 .276


david winfree is a third baseman who sat out the first half of 2006 because he didn't want to play. he swings too much, but he hits for power. if he took more pitches, his contact would improve. these numbers look like matt kemp's did before his explosion in los angeles last year.

the baseball america article listed five other third basemen who could be the answer. we'll talk about them now.


Career Batting Statistics for Matt Moses:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 GCL Twins GCL 18 Min Rk 67 5 9 0 6 .069 .866 .103 .385
2004 GCL Twins GCL 19 Min Rk 4 0 0 0 0 .000 1.00 .000 .250
2004 Quad Cties Midw 19 Min A 112 13 25 3 7 .104 .777 .115 .223
2005 Fort Myers FSL 20 Min A+ 267 31 59 7 17 .104 .779 .115 .306
2005 NewBritain East 20 Min AA 187 17 51 6 10 .083 .727 .118 .210
2006 NewBritain East 21 Min AA 477 38 113 15 18 .074 .763 .091 .249


matt moses seemed a little overmatched in double-a last year, but he's still young. he could make it. he did hit 15 home runs. he swings too much.


Career Batting Statistics for Trevor Plouffe:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Elizabetht App 18 Min Rk 240 22 34 4 9 .084 .858 .063 .283
2005 Beloit Midw 19 Min A 473 54 78 13 18 .102 .835 .078 .223
2006 Fort Myers FSL 20 Min A+ 460 62 93 4 30 .119 .798 .093 .246


trevor plouffe i don't know. he didn't hit for contact or power last year. his 2005 was very promising. maybe he'll get it back. maybe there's nothing to worry about.


Career Batting Statistics for Whit Robbins:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 Ga Tech NCAA 0 NCA 148 30 20 2 11 .169 .865 .102 .313
2005 Ga Tech NCAA 0 NCA 166 43 21 5 14 .206 .873 .131 .265
2006 Ga Tech NCAA 0 NCA 251 57 38 13 20 .185 .849 .155 .352
2006 Beloit Midw 0 Min A 115 25 17 3 10 .179 .852 .133 .304


well whit robbins looks very good. i mean very, very good. he has incredible patience, very good contact, and very good power. how did he last until the fourth round? this guy looks like a star. i don't get it.

it seems like this third base situation is quickly becoming an embarrassment of riches.


Career Batting Statistics for Garrett Olson:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2006 Elizabetht App 21 Min Rk 177 25 30 0 10 .124 .831 .068 .313


well this is not much to go on. we don't have garrett olson's numbers in college but it doesn't look like he has much power. he showed good plate discipline.

i still can't believe whit robbins lasted till the fourth round.


Career Batting Statistics for Danny Valencia:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2004 UNCGrnsbr NCAA 0 NCA 223 17 34 8 17 .071 .848 .132 .338
2005 Miami NCAA 0 NCA 233 23 23 6 18 .090 .901 .114 .300
2006 Miami NCAA 0 NCA 249 26 39 9 10 .095 .843 .090 .324
2006 Elizabetht App 0 Min Rk 193 18 34 8 13 .085 .824 .132 .311


do people just not draft college third basemen? danny valencia looks like a very good pick in the 19th round. he hit for contact and power in rookie ball. he needs to be more patient.

finally, we take a look at the centerfield situation.


Career Batting Statistics for Denard Span:
Year Team Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB W K HR 23 WAL CON POW AVG
2003 Elizabetht App 19 Min Rk 207 27 34 1 6 .115 .836 .040 .271
2004 GCL Twins GCL 20 Min Rk 16 3 3 0 2 .158 .813 .154 .375
2004 Quad Cties Midw 20 Min A 241 37 49 0 7 .133 .797 .036 .267
2005 Fort Myers FSL 21 Min A+ 187 23 25 1 6 .110 .866 .043 .339
2005 NewBritain East 21 Min AA 269 30 41 0 11 .100 .848 .048 .285
2006 NewBritain East 22 Min AA 537 45 78 2 22 .077 .855 .052 .285


denard span looks very good. he's a lefty with speed who makes contact. so he can slap-and-run. he needs to maintain plate discipline. i think he'll make it.

this organization is crawling with talent.

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