Make no mistakes: this is a good major league team. Most projection systems suggest Milwaukee will end up with around 84-86 wins, putting them in close contention for the NL Central crown with the Cardinals and Reds. When ranking their overall organization’s health, though, the Brewers’ depleted minor league system really brings them down.

Present Talent – 77.73 (15th)

Brewers Season Preview

Future Talent – 65.00 (four way tie for last)

Brewers Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 75.83 (19th)
Baseball Operations – 76.82 (21st)

Overall Rating – 75.02 (22nd)

Read the rest of this entry »

In some ways, I feel like I’m rewriting the Astros post, just adjusting for the fact that there’s a bit more talent at the big league level. That might come across too harsh, but it’s hard to find any single area where the Dodgers excel, and the grades below reflect that.

Present Talent – 75.83 (t-18th)

Dodgers Season Preview
e
Future Talent – 75.00 (t-20th)

Dodgers Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 75.00 (t-20th)
Baseball Operations – 72.50 (28th)

Overall Rating – 74.63 (23rd)

Read the rest of this entry »

Washington might just have the best hypothetical core in the league – combine Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth with Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and Jordan Zimmermann and you have five legitimate stars. The question, of course, is whether or not the stars can align at any one point in the franchise’s future. R. Zimmerman will soon become expensive, Werth is in his 30s, Strasburg and J. Zimmermann must return from injuries, and Harper is likely a few years away. Beyond the core, the franchise has work to do to surround the stars with supporting talent. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but much work is yet to be done in the nation’s capital.

Major League Talent: 70.45 (24th)

Nationals Season Preview

Minor League Talent: 80.00 (T-15th)

Nationals Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources: 75.00 (T-20th)
Baseball Operations: 75.00 (T-24th)

Overall Rating: 74.39 (24th)

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Rhymes has long been a favorite of mine. He entered spring training in 2011 looking to carve out a bench role on a veteran club. But the young player with 191 career MLB at-bats ended up winning the starting second base job for the Tigers, according to manager Jim Leyland. Rhymes edged out early 2010 potential rookie of the year Scott Sizemore, an offensive-minded infielder who fell on hard times and posted a wOBA of just .284.

Rhymes is an interesting player who stands just 5’9” and 155 lbs. Despite his diminutive frame, he knows how to handle the bat. With his first taste of the Majors, the infielder batted .304/.350/.414 in 2010. A left-handed hitter, Rhymes batted more than .300 against southpaws at both the MLB level and at triple-A. He’s shown the ability to hit for average throughout his minor league career, while also stealing 20+ bases. His walk rate was OK at 6.6 BB% but his strikeout rate was impressive at just 8.4 K%; he puts the ball in play and also showed a propensity for line drives (23.2 LD%). If we’re looking for negatives to Rhymes’ game, aside from the lack of power, his defense is average at best. He has sure hands, but his range is iffy and he doesn’t have the best foot work around the bag.

It will be interesting to see what he can do over the course of a full season. There is no guarantee, though, that Rhymes will get to play an entire year at the keystone. Veteran Carlos Guillen is currently on the disabled list with knee soreness. He’s owed $13 million for 2011 so he’ll have a spot as soon as he’s healthy. Despite the feel-good story for Rhymes as the 2011 season looms, he’s likely not the long-term answer at the position. He’s going to be 28 years old on April 1.

Rhymes will bring important elements to the lineup. Firstly, he brings some smart base running and some speed; Rhymes and Austin Jackson could provide a real spark at the top of the lineup. As well, Rhymes would fit in well at the top of the lineup in the No. 2 hole. If he can maintain his .350 on-base average, he could score a lot of runs – or help move the runners ahead of him into scoring position for the big boppers like Magglio Ordonez, Victor Martinez, and Miguel Cabrera.

This move may not receive a lot of attention, but the addition of Rhymes offers an important element to the Tigers’ 2011 starting lineup.

Introduction
#25-#21
#20-#16

#15 – Juan Francisco, 3B-ish, Cincinnati

Francisco was on last year’s iteration of this Team, and has really only become more like Juan Francisco in the meantime, slashing .286/.325/.565 (.332 BABIP) in 329 Triple-A plate appearances last season and posting a 4.9 BB% against a 26.3 K%. It’s pretty clear that Francisco’s hold over the strike zone is tenuous, but his power is real and his swing exudes unbridled enthusiasm for swinging. (I’ll direct your attention to all of these videos, but especially this one.) Bill James has Francisco projected at .280/.313/.513. Brian Cartwright’s OLIVER has him at .273/.308/.513. I’d be surprised if Francisco batted as high as .270 in the majors, but I wouldn’t be surprised — at all — by an ISO north of .230.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last three years, 87 starting pitchers have accumulated at least 400 innings pitched, or an average of just under three per team. Due to injuries and poor performance, most teams end up using their last two rotation spots as a never-ending wheel of fill-ins, which is one reason why pitchers with decent track records of success often get large amounts of money in free agency. In fact, even the guys at the bottom of this list in terms of results keep getting opportunities, since they have a track record that organizations can point to.

However, one of the guys on this list – a guy with a good track record, who is pretty much square in the middle of the results no matter what metric you use – just his lost job this week. And it’s somewhat shocking to me that no one has swooped in to make him a part of their rotation yet.

This guy ranks 56th in ERA among starters (again, 400 IP minimum) since 2008, one spot ahead of Josh Beckett. He ranks 41st in FIP, one spot ahead of Gavin Floyd. He ranks 48th in xFIP, just ahead of Paul Maholm. Yet, despite being peers with some pretty well regarded pitchers, Kevin Slowey has found himself slotted in as the Twins long reliever, if they can’t find anyone to trade for him.

Read the rest of this entry »

If there was a sensible suitor, one likely would have emerged by now. But despite their best efforts, the Braves haven’t persuaded any teams to take on Kenshin Kawakami. This isn’t exactly surprising. The Braves optioned Kawakami to AAA last August and then removed him from the 40-man roster, outrighting him to AA, in November. It’s clear that they don’t view him as a contributor, which instantly depresses his trade value.

Still, Kawakmi can probably produce more value than the projected starters for a handful of teams. If the Braves eat enough of his salary, there should be a match. The problem is that the teams that would realize an upgrade with Kawakami are the teams that would benefit least from his services.

Read the rest of this entry »

The minor league talent may be impressive, but deficiencies in every other category put the Royals near the bottom of the list once again.

Present Talent – 65.00 (30th)

Royals Season Preview

Future Talent – 95.00 (1st)

Royals Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 71.00 (25th)
Baseball Operations – 75.00 (25th)

Overall Rating – 73.80 (25th)

Despite a bundle of prospects that rank among the best ever; the Royals’ failures at the major league level, combined with the uncertainties surrounding their financial flexibility have led to another poor showing in the Organization Rankings. While their talented prospects certainly make the Royals a team on the rise, the eventual promotion of those prospects will have a major impact on each aspect of the Royals’ organization.
Read the rest of this entry »

It was a rough year by the lake, and as a result, the Indians have dropped from 13th in our rankings a year ago, to 26th this season, one of the largest drops in our rankings (Arizona also dropped 13 spots). Heck, they couldn’t even turn a profit during their ingenious Snow Days event.

Present Talent – 67.50 (27th)

Indians Season Preview

Future Talent – 80.00 (19th)

Indians Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 71.15 (24th)
Baseball Operations – 80.00 (13th)

Overall Rating – 73.60 (26th)

Read the rest of this entry »