Bailey, Bruce and Votto make projectprospect.com's Top 25 list

[dougdirt]

Here is their overall list, Reds players have been put in bold


No. Player Pos Notes Age Team Hi. Lvl
1 Delmon Young OF MLB's next five-tool stud is in line for a big league job; could be a 30/30 man 21 TB MLB
2 Alex Gordon 3B 40 HR potential and in line for a good chunk of 2007 playing time 22 KC AA
3 Phil Hughes SP Needs a tad more polish but could be Yankees' best starter in second half 20 NYY AA
4 Brandon Wood SS 56.8% of 2006 hits went for extra bases, can he stick at shortstop? 21 LAA AA
5 Billy Butler OF Defensive criticism is overweighted, will mash in the big leagues; 41 BB vs. 67 K 20 KC AA
6 Homer Bailey SP A great competitor with a ton of potential, could be better ace than Hughes 20 CIN AA
7 Jay Bruce OF Slowed by shoulder injury in August, 1060 OPS in 99 June at-bats 19 CIN A
8 Mike Pelfrey SP Could have rocky first full pro season but the stuff is there and will surface soon 22 NYM MLB
9 Andrew McCutchen OF Most impressive full season debut of high school hitters from 2005 draft 20 PIT AA
10 Cameron Maybin OF On track to become one of the game's next five-tool stars; could be 20/20 in AA 19 DET A
11 Chris Young OF He'll go 15/15 in the bigs next season but he may not hit over .275 23 ARI MLB
12 Troy Tulowitzki SS May never be an all-star, will be a solid big league shortstop for a long time 22 COL MLB
13 Carlos Gonzalez OF Enough power to be a 30 HR star, will need to cut down Ks first 21 ARI AA
14 Scott Elbert SP Power lefty may be the future ace for the Dodgers, not Billingsley 21 LAD AA
15 Evan Longoria 3B Exceeding expectations since high school, if Longoria ends up at 2B, he'll be a star 21 TB AA
16 Ryan Braun 3B Turned it on in the second half, bat may be ready for big leagues by midseason 23 MIL AA
17 Andrew Miller SP Just needs to long some innings as a SP before he tops this list 20 DET MLB
18 Reid Brignac SS More potential than Tulowitzki, 24 HR between A+ and AA 20 TB AA
19 Yovani Gallardo SP Led the minors with 188 Ks also had 1.00 WHIP and gave up 2 HR in 77.1 AA innings 20 MIL AA
20 Andy LaRoche 3B Should be healthy and ready for a big league job in '07, .315/.410/.514 in AA and AAA 23 LAD AAA
21 Matt Garza SP Not going to be an ace but he looks like a solid bet to reach No. 2 potential 23 MIN MLB
22 Joey Votto 1B Went 22/24 with a .319/.408/.547 line, brightest looking 1B in upper minors 23 CIN AA
23 Fernando Martinez OF AFL showed (.253/.305/.379) he's still a few years away…could be atop this list by then 18 NYM A+
24 Justin Upton OF Early move to OF didn't show kind of results expected, will get back on track in '07 19 ARI A
25 Jose Tabata OF As he continues to add muscle to his frame will continue possible ascention to stardom 18 NYY A

[kaldaniels]

You know, I see all the threads bemoaning the fact that the Reds can't compete w/other teams spending all the $$$ on free agents. Well, this is how you compete, consistently (not once every 10-20 years) having a stable of studs in the minors. It can be done.

[Will M]

for the Reds ( as a small market team ) to compete we need a steady flux of good cheap talent. Free agency is to plug holes or fill a bench. It is not the way the Reds can go after the 5-6 star players they need to compete.

another plus about this strategy is that you get several years to see a player's work ethic & how they mix in a clubhouse. then you can decide which players to sign to long term deals & which to let go.
for all the griping about 'the trade' i think Lopez's & Kearns's work ethic ( or lack thereof ) was a factor.

one thing i love about Krisky is that he has not traded a single grade A prospect since he took over the Reds. Also signing Stanton & Gonzalez will not cost us draft picks.

[Caveat Emperor]

You know, I see all the threads bemoaning the fact that the Reds can't compete w/other teams spending all the $$$ on free agents. Well, this is how you compete, consistently (not once every 10-20 years) having a stable of studs in the minors. It can be done.

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.

[vaticanplum]

I'd give up a kidney for Delmon Young.

[VR]

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.


Considering the Reds have only had the 'drop-off' throughout recent history, and no top talent...it's a huge step in the right direction to have this level of talent.....or more importantly 'perceived talent', which they can leverage in the trade game for the right piece of the puzzle.

[VR]

I'd give up a kidney for Delmon Young.


An umpire almost did earlier this year

[kaldaniels]

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.


Agreed. Simply put, with a good minor league system, you can compete nowadays. That was what was meant as well.