Archive for: Prospects

Prospect Rankings: First Baseman

Posted by Chuck Johnson on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 | Comments (6)

Prospect Rankings: First Baseman

Projecting first baseman is such a crap shoot I was tempted not to do it at all. Quite a few first baseman start their careers at other positions and move for a variety of reasons, others move to other postions because they’re blocked by an imcumbent, only to move back later on.

Mark Teixeira and Albert Pujols were signed as third baseman, as were Jeff Bagwell and Mark McGwire. Billy Butler and Brian LaHair were outfielders, and Paul Konerko a catcher. Plus, the list of established first baseman currently in the majors is pretty impressive, there aren’t many teams out there looking to add someone at the postion, unless it’s in a backup role.

My intial list contained forty-four names, and after looking at the list of established names ahead of them at varying levels, I was able to make a quick cut down to eighteen, a number I decided would be final after one more read through.

In alphabetical order by organization;

Joe Mahoney, Orioles
Miles Head, Red Sox
Lars Anderson, Red Sox
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Neftali Soto, Reds
Jonathan Singleton, Astros
Telvin Nash, Astros
Clint Robinson, Royals
Chris Parmelee, Twins
Tyler Austin, Yankees
Chris Carter, Athletics
Alex Dickerson, Pirates
Matt Adams, Cardinals
Yonder Alonso, Padres
Brett Pill, Giants
Rich Poythress, Mariners
David Cooper, Blue Jays
Chris Marrero, Nationals

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Categories : Prospects

Tags : Alex Dickerson, Anthony Rizzo, Brett Pill, Chris Carter, Chris Marrero, Chris Parmelee, Clint Robinson, Joe Mahoney, Jonathan Singleton, Lars Anderson, Matt Adams, Miles Head, Neftali Soto, Rich Poythress David Cooper, Telvin Nash, Tyler Austin, Yonder Alonso

Top Prospect Rankings: Catchers

Posted by Chuck Johnson on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 | Comments (4)

Top Prospect Rankings: Catchers

After three days of research and reading, I’ve gotten to the point where I can post a list of the top catching prospects I believe are in the game today. My first draft contained seventy-four names, from top of the food chain players like Devin Mesoraco, to the very bottom, eighteen year old Venezuelan free agent signee with the Orioles, Gabriel Lino.

The first cut found the list reduced to thirty-nine names, with the final cut resulting in the final tally of twenty-four players.

My thought process when ranking prospects (and in scouting) has always been to look at the tools and skills a player has presently, and determine if they fit into the position, especially as he progresses.

For a catcher, obviously fielding ability is the number one tool a player has to have. Being able to block balls in the dirt, to not be afraid to call any pitch in any situation, to be agile and quick enough to field bunts and to hang in on plays at the plate. Next is throwing ability, as it ties into fielding. How quickly is his transition from catching to throwing? If his arm isn’t plus, how is the release? Are his throws “true” to the bag?

For me, catchers should have some pop in their bats, seeing as most of them are below average runners. You won’t see too many backstops legging out too many infield hits during the course of a season, so the ability to plant the ball in the gap or even the seats is a plus and keeps defenses honest, especially for a National League organization.

For me, a big bat catcher with questionable defensive skills will rank lower than a defense first guy with lesser offensive ability.

I do look at organizational strength, although I don’t buy the “closest to the majors” theory. Yasmani Grandal is closer to the majors in San Diego than he was in Cincinnati, but he’s still the same player. Likewise with San Francisco, three of their top prospects are catchers, yet with Buster Posey firmly entrenched in the starting role in the major leagues, somebody will need to change positions or even look for opportunities with another organization when the time comes.

The list:

1) Devin Mesoraco, Reds

2) Travis d’Arnaud, Blue Jays

3) Yasmani Grandal, Padres

4) Blake Swihart, Red Sox

5) Wilin Rosario, Rockies

6) Jesus Montero, Mariners

7) Derek Norris, Athletics

8) Austin Hedges, Padres

9) Sebastian Valle, Phillies

10) Tommy Joseph, Giants

11) Ryan Lavarnway, Red Sox

12) Christian Bethancourt, Braves

13) Tim Federowicz, Dodgers

14) Gary Sanchez, Yankees

15) Andrew Susac, Giants

16) Austin Romine, Yankees

17) Jake Realmuto, Marlins

18) A.J. Jimenez, Blue Jays

19) Jorge Alfaro, Rangers

20) Max Stassi, Athletics

21) Kyle Skipworth, Marlins

22) Chris Herrmann, Twins

23) Gabriel Lino, Orioles

24) Micah Gibbs, Cubs

So, there you have it. As the site progresses I plan on adding as many bio pages to the links as time permits, but for now feel free to agree or disagree by commenting below or via email. Again, rankings like this are subjective and opinion based and should not be taken literally.

Thanks for reading

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Categories : Players, Prospects

Top Prospect Lists and Rankings Explained

Posted by Chuck Johnson on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 | Comments (2)

Top Prospect Lists and Rankings Explained

As I mentioned in an earlier post, what goes into defining a “top prospect” may be the most subjective thing a scout, writer or fan can do.

Top Prospect Ranking lists are everywhere now. From Baseball America and ESPN to hundreds of on-line “fan” writers, there are literally no shortages of opinion on just how and where to rank a Class A shortstop compared to a Triple A pitcher.

I’m not a fan of these lists in general, in part because most of them are just recreations of someone else’s work, with a few names changed around just enough to give the impression the work is original.

Well, now that I have my own minor league themed site, I’m throwing my hat in the ring and announcing my own list.

Baseball America was the first outlet to make top prospect lists fashionable, publishing their first “Top 100″ in 1990.

(Who was their first “top prospect)?

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be putting my own spin on things, starting with catchers. I believe it makes more sense to rank players by position then it does to put out a general list, because it really isn’t credible to list shortstops and pitchers together.

My criteria is pretty simple, I think.

First, I consider position and organization, both seperately and as one. The “five tools” play differently at each position, having a Gold Glove caliber shortstop is far more important than in right field; conversely a strong arm is more important on the right fielder than it is on your first baseman.

Organizationally, where a player ranks in the hierarchy of his position also matters. If you’re a first baseman in the Angels organization, for example, you may be playing more to open up the eyes of an other organization than your own, or even may be looking at a position change. Just ask Mark Trumbo about that.

When I sit down and begin my research, I start with Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook and MiLB.com’s stat pages.

By definition, a prospect is a professional player that has yet to exhaust his MLB rookie status. When considering roughly ninety percent of all signed players won’t make the major leagues, making the first cut is relatively easy. Once my initial ‘draft” is done, then I look at “tool” reports, which guys have the best arms, have the best power potential or the best slider. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, moving the tools around until they all fit.

At least, that’s the plan.

Baseball America’s first top prospect?

Atlanta pitcher Steve Avery.

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Categories : Prospects

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