So I thought I would break down the midseason top prospects for each team here in the 2009 season. I will start with my Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of the NL Central. If the player has been up in the big leagues, I am already taking him off of prospect level to make it easier for myself.
Milwaukee Brewers: Mat Gamel would be the top prospect, but he has the major league experience now, despite being sent down to the minors by the Brewers recently. The Brewers have a lot of good hitters, but they don't have a type flight arm, especially after the suspension of Jeremy Jeffress. The organization hopes that this years' first round pick Eric Arnett will prove he can be that guy.
1. Alcides Escobar (SS)- We know he has the glove, and now the offense is coming around.
2. Brett Lawrie (2B)- Lawrie has been playing with the Canadian national team, so at 19 the experience is there.
3. Jonathan Lucroy (C)- Right now Lucroy has the advantage over Salome because of the defense.
4. Angel Salome (C)- You have to wonder where his future lies in this organization becasue the defense still is not there; potential AL destination?
5. Eric Arnett (P)- This years first round pick has a lot of people in the organization excited.
St. Louis Cardinals: Shelby Miller, the teams first round pick this year would probably be the number 2 prospect behind Wallace, but he has not signed. Colby Rasmus, the top prospect in the organization heading into the season is up and doing quite well in his rookie season. This leaves the door open for Brett Wallace who should be up at this time next year as the Cards every day third baseman.
1. Brett Wallace (3B)- His monster stick will put him in the lineup as soon as next year.
2. Daryl Jones (OF)- Upside is there and his skills are still developing
3. Jess Todd (P)- Hard throwing righty has been effective out of the bullpen this year in AAA
4. Clayton Mortensen (P)- His mighty sinker allows him to get a lot of ground balls and be effective.
5. Pete Kozma (SS)- The 1st round pick from 2007 has had trouble in AA so far this season, but scouts are saying that he has relatively been a slow developer.
Chicago Cubs: The Cubs have an interesting farm system as of right now. They have the top prospect in Vitters and a good arm with Cashner. They have had some surprises (Jackson, Castro) but also have had a few disappointments (Colvin, Flaherty) from high draft picks in the last few years.
1. Josh Vitters (3B)-Vitters is special especially after raking in low A ball; however, he still has ways to go and has struggled since being advanced.
2. Andrew Cashner (P)- One scout I heard called him the best closer in the minors. Yeah, he can be that good.
3. Jay Jackson (P)- Has made an enormous leap this year to turn into the teams top starting pitching prospect
4. Tyler Colvin (OF)- Colvin has a lot of tools, but the development hasn't been what the Cubs have anticipated- needs to work on his plate discipline
5. Starlin Castro (SS)- He is 19, three and a half years younger, and in a higher level than other shortstop prospect Ryan Flaherty. Did i mention hes batting 60 points higher than him too?
Houston Astros: The Astros probably had the worst farm system in the majors last year prior to the 2008 MLB Draft after trading the farm for Migeul Tejada. In that draft, the Astros found two studs that instantly became the top two prospects in the system- Jason Castro in the first round and Jordan Lyles in the supplementary round. With some other decent prospects, the Astros have gone from completely terrible to an average farm system, which is great considering the situation they were in last year.
1. Jason Castro (C)- Castro showed he can swing the bat with a home run in the Futures Game last week.
2. Jordan Lyles (P)- Lyles is only 18, but at class A he has struck out 121 batters in 99.2 innings. Stud!
3. Bud Norris (P)- Don't let Norris' 8 losses fool you. He has a 2.61 ERA in Triple-AAA this year and should get a September callup to at least work out of the pen.
4. Collin DeLome (OF)- He is learning to hit for move average now, and the power is still there.
5. Brian Bogusevic (OF)- Power numbers may never be there, but he is still learning with the stick after being converted from a pitcher; hasn't had the kind of year he had last year though.
Cincinnati Reds: The Reds have re-stocked their farm system after the losses of Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and Homer Bailey. With three of these players being pitchers, the Reds have gone in a different direction and have focused on developing some good hitters. Alonso looks like he is going to be great and Heisey has been a surprise this season.
1. Yonder Alonso (1B)- Alonso has very good power and he also walks a lot which is a plus
2. Chris Heisey (OF)- Maybe its just a fluke, but the numbers for this season do not lie- .340 with 16 home runs
3. Todd Frazier (INF)- Good hitter who should be up by next year; third base is the likely position for him
4. Drew Stubbs (OF)- Athletic outfielder who only lacks power
5. Chris Valaika (SS)- So Valaika hasn't had a great year but he is relatively a good hitter who has too much talent to not rank him in the top 5
Pittsburgh Pirates: With Andrew McCutchen graduating, the system takes a small step back, but the addition of the top catcher in the draft, Tony Sanchez helps give the Bucs a long-term solution at catcher. Tabata and Lincoln are both question marks right now, but they both have the talent to do something.
1. Pedro Alvarez (3B)- Alvarez has been up and down this year but he has the potential to be a superstar
2. Jose Tabata (OF)- Aquired in the Xavier Nady trade from the Yankees, it is hard to predict Tabata's ceiling. He could be go either way- very good or very bad. I don't see anything really in between for him.
3. Brad Lincoln (P)- Good command pitcher but still questions after Tommy John in 2007
4. Neil Walker (3B)- Hes struggled at that plate this year, but still could be the temporary replacement at third before Alvarez is ready
5. Tony Sanchez (C)- So they maybe could've gotten a better player at number 4 in the 2009 Draft, but the Bucs got the best in a weak draft class for catchers. I didn't mind the pick.
No comments:
Post a Comment