[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by BoilerBC11

With that being said, Im still not sold on Javon Moran, I see him as a 4th OF at best. I also dont ever see Paul Janish becoming an everyday SS. I just dont think these guys will every develop the O it takes to be a big-leaguer. However, with defensive minded WK running the show, who knows.

This then leads me to another question. What did you base your rankings off of? Best potential? closest to potential? or most likely to someday contribute to the reds?

And also, while were on the subject. What do you think of Josh Ravin? I dont know why but i think this kid will be a stud pitcher for us down the road...

I like Moran as someone who will likely be a 4th outfielder, but could start some places. He has the speed to cover the ground in the outfield, and he can hit for a good average. He doesnt walk much, which isnt good when he slumps, but in my mind, I cant ignore a guy who has hit .330 since he became a Reds farmhand. As for Janish, I think he could become a starting SS. He has a very good glove and can cover some ground at SS. He also showed signs that he can actually hit decent enough to maybe get by in the majors. His plate discipline is actually very good. In his minor league career he has walked 120 times and struck out just 137 times, while having an on base percentage 96 points higher than his batting average, which is quite good. With the Reds and Krivsky so high on defense, I think his chances are even better.

As for the basing of my rankings, it was a mix of potential, current ability, likelihood to reach potential and what you have done.

As for Ravin, he is someone I really like. He has 3 pitches that he commands very well and is throwing in the low 90's right now. He has good size for a pitcher and should pack on some more weight as he grows some more. I cant say that I have seen him pitch outside of his draft video, but I like his potential along with his stuff and projectability.

Originally Posted by mth123

What jumps out most is that the group of relievers that many on here have been calling for are all ranked fairly low (Coutlangus 22, Shafer 24, Medlock 25, Guevera 32 and Salmon isn't even on the list). Yet some guys that appear to be no more than roster fodder at the MLB level are ranked above them (Moran 9, Janisch 11, Tatum 20, Dickerson 21). What is the reason for this ranking?

Does it mean the pitchers won't be any help?
Does it mean Moran and Janisch may actually be useful?
Is it just based on middle relievers being less valued than starters or position players?
Is it age based?

I'm just wondering because it seems like the middle relievers on the list have the most chance to make significant contributions to the Reds than anyone out of the top 5 or 10. Its hard to argue with the top 5 and I can see Stubbs, Valaika, Loo and Lecure ahead of these guys, but after that, these relievers seem like the best bet.

Comments?

With the relievers, this is my personal opinion and more often than not, people disagree with me on it, but relievers, who are not top flight Bobby Jenks or Francisco Rodriguez type relievers wont get much attention. I dont see any of those relievers being closers, or at least dominant closers, and I dont think middle relievers impact a game enough to the point where they should be very high on any prospect ranking. Can they be good middle relievers? I think they can be for sure. Just not the closer type material that I think it would take for them to be in the top 15 for the Reds. As for Janish and Moran, I covered that earlier in reply to someone else, but I think both can be useful, yes. Age also comes into play with where some guys ranked. I just think that if some of the position players listed were to reach their potential they would be more valuable than a middle relief guy almost regardless. Just my opinion, Im not always right, but I guess I dont have a high prospect ranking for middle relief.

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

Nice list, dd.

A couple more names to throw out there...

Norris Hopper -- I know, "too old" -- but he's likely going to be on the roster, and he's going to be a rookie -- I like Hopper as an extra outfielder/pinch hitter/pinch runner

Wirfin Obispo -- supposedly has a very live arm and his stats from the DSL seem to corroborate that -- I think he'll be in Dayton in 07

Hopper falls into the too old, no power at all mold. He has 4 HR in over 4000 minor league at bats. As for Obispo, I had a few guys who I exchanged ideas with on my list and Onbasemachine was one who was curious as to leaving him off. Basically it came down to this with me for leaving him off....I have absolutely no idea what he throws other than a good fastball. He dominated the DSL, but going over rosters, opposing players were anywhere from 16-23 years old. I have no idea of the competition level down there, and when all of that comes together, I had no true way of getting any type of feel for where to rank him, so I just left him off. I am sure he is a top 40 prospect, but I have no clue on where to rank him at all, so I just left him off completely and left it to prospects in the US.

Originally Posted by Kc61

Is Brendan Harris disqualified because he came up to the big club?

Harris had 110 at bats in the Major Leagues, which makes him eligible for ROY still, but it seemed to be too many for me to include him in the rankings.