The mid-season Top 50 prospects list is here as we celebrate the most exciting players at the minor league level. There is lots of room for debate and I’m excited to hear what others have to say about the players listed below. For a refresher, check out the pre-season Top 100 prospects list here.
| 11:47 |
: Lots going on in the world of prospects… get your questions in now and we’ll start in about 15 mins….
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| 11:59 |
Will the Cardinals keep Kolten Wong in the minors until he’s 26 as is their MO. Not sure what else he can do at AAA? |
| 12:00 |
: Wong has solid numbers at AAA but he’s playing in a very good hitter’s league… It’s not like he’s exactly setting the world on fire. He’s not better than the Cards other options… His best hope (like Adams) would be a trade…
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| 12:01 |
Who’s the favorite to sign Miguel Alberto Gonzalez? |
| 12:01 |
: Last I heard it was the Dodgers… Cubs could be a sleeper team.
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| 12:01 |
Mikael Franco, Real deal or is Keith Law, et al correct in that he’s overrated? |
The Toronto Blue Jays must decide within the next few weeks whether to make a final push for a playoff spot or focus on the future. While they are still reportedly evaluating potential additions for a second half run, the organization spent a large part of their minor league capital over the off-season, and will have to decide how much more they want to dip into that pool to make a run at a wild card spot.
The Jays began the 2012 season with one of the strongest minor league systems in Major League Baseball. After the trade deadline deals and winter flurries, though, the system fell to the middle of the pack. The depth helped to ensure there are still interesting players in the system but the majority of intriguing prospects are high-risk, high-reward guys that are in A-ball or Rookie ball. The big league club has already suffered from a lack of depth at the upper levels of the system by relying on players such Munenori Kawasaki (a solid backup but a stretch as a starting shortstop), Andy LaRoche, Chien-Ming Wang, Ramon Ortiz, Thad Weber, Mickey Storey, Justin Germano, Edgar Gonzalez, and the list goes on and on.
The Jays system has been depleted somewhat, but it isn’t barren. For interest’s sake, let’s look at some players still in the system that could be part of the team’s future, or could be used to make a short-term upgrade in pursuit of a 2013 playoff push.
Using veteran right-hander Ricky Nolasco as bait, the Miami Marlins have successfully hooked three hard-throwing arms. The Fish have acquired Angel Sanchez, Josh Wall and Steve Ames, while the two clubs also exchanged international signing dollars, and you can read more about the big league portion of the deal by checking out Jeff Sullivan’s offering from the weekend.
This deal can be best categorized as quantity over quality, in terms of the prospects heading to the state of Florida. Although all three young, right-handed hurlers can hit the low-to-mid 90s with their fastballs, their ceilings are tempered by command issues and lack of consistent secondary stuff. Despite having a weaker minor league system in terms of depth, none of the three arms appeared on my pre-season Top 15 prospects list for the Dodgers. The prospects have never appeared on any FanGraphs top prospects lists over the past four seasons, although Sanchez was highlighted as a potential sleeper on my pre-2012 Dodgers Top 15 prospects compilation.
After a hiatus, the FanGraphs Prospect Stock Watch is back and I want to thank everyone who asked about its whereabouts and expressed an interest in seeing it return. Your wish is my command…
Josh Phegley, C, Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox dumped light-hitting backup catcher Hector Gimenez on Thursday. In his place, the organization promoted rookie backstop Josh Phegley — the 38th overall selection from the 2009 amateur draft. The Indiana University alum reached Double-A in his first full pro season but his meteoric rise was interrupted by a serious medical condition, which threaten to end his playing career and affect his way of life. For more on that, check out this piece by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin from 2010. Luckily for Phegley, he’s back and — although it took some time for him to get back into playing shape — finally realizing the potential that caused me to rank him as the organization’s eighth-best prospect as recently as pre-2011.
In less than two weeks the best prospects from the United States will square off against the top young players from around the world at the MLB Futures Game on the all-star weekend. We’ve already taken a look at the offensive side of each exhibition team and you can read that here.
As mentioned in the previous piece, the biggest name missing from the Futures Game rotations is Jameson Taillon of the Pirates. Other absentee names that I would pay to see include Robert Stephenson of the Reds, and Aaron Sanchez of the Blue Jays. The two most surprising additions were Taylor Jordan of the Nationals (who was recently promoted to the Majors) and Chen-Chang Lee of the Indians.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the arms that earned roster spots for this year’s Futures Game.
The rosters for the MLB Futures Game were announced on June 26. The top prospects from the United States will square off against the best young players from around the globe on July 14 during the all-star weekend. It’s difficult to make every fan happy but the roster choices were solid — especially given the restriction preventing an organization from having more than two representatives in the game.
Some of the biggest names that are MIA include Jameson Taillon of the Pirates, Gary Sanchez of the Yankees, Nick Castellanos of the Tigers, Javier Baez and Albert Almora of the Cubs, as well as Carlos Correa and Justin Singleton of the Astros. The biggest surprise additions to the rosters include Chen-Chang Lee of the Indians, Taylor Jordan of the Nationals, Jordan Lennerton of the Tigers, Yeison Asencio of the Padres, and Joey Terdoslavich of the Braves.
| 12:21 |
: sorry guys, we had some tech issues on this end and apparently you didn’t see my responses… can you please resubmitted your earlier questions…
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| 12:21 |
Maikel Franco is making quite an impression on Double-A ball. Has his stocked reached Sano’s level, and when does he debut in Philly? |
| 12:22 |
: I don’t think he’s reached Sano’s level but he’s quite an impressive prospect and his value is up by a significant amount… I would see him being ready to take over the Phillies’ third base job by mid to late 2014.
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| 12:22 |
How about Brad Miller? Can we expect a .350 OBP in the majors? |
| 12:23 |
: A .350 OBP might be a little high but he swings a mean stick and the adjustments he’s made have really paid off from an offensive standpoint… It will be interesting to see how Franklin and Miller end up sharing the middle infield from a long-term perspective.
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| 12:23 |
What do you think of Byron Buxton? Too soon to call him the best player in the minor leagues? |
Not so long ago, Tampa Bay’s Tim Beckham and Mike Montgomery (then with Kansas City) were the talk of the prospect world. Both originally acquired out of high school, Beckham, a shortstop, was the first overall selection in the 2008 amateur draft, while Montgomery, a left-handed starter, was nabbed with the 36th pick. But then a funny thing happened along the way to MLB stardom: The prospects struggled.
The Background
| 11:52 |
: Hi all… we’ll start in 10-15 minutes… feel free to get your prospect questions in now… lot’s of promotions, breakouts and other things to discuss!
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| 12:00 |
soonest you can see Buxton and Sano in the majors? |
| 12:01 |
: Sano should reach the majors more quickly but Buxton looks intend on not being too far behind. Sano probably by mid-2014 and Buxton sometime in early to mid 2015
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| 12:01 |
Offered Lindor and Fister for T. Walker. I’m competing for this year, and Fister is a big help. Is Lindor worth the step down in fantasy value? |
| 12:02 |
: Depends on what stats your league uses… One of Lindor’s strengths is defense which won’t help you in fantasy… Baez is more fantasy worth in terms of young shortstop prospects
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| 12:02 |
Luis Sardinas has produced relatively well. Has he improved enough to be considered a top 50 prospect next year? |