Who is the Reds #36 Prospect?

[dougdirt]

Vote for the player who you think is the Reds #36 prospect (the best prospect who is not yet on the list). We will go with this as far as you guys want to take it.

I will post a new list every 2 days with 10-15 options to vote on.

If you feel like making an argument on why a guy should be voted here, feel free to vote and state why you voted for that player.

If there is someone that is not currently listed as an option to vote on, vote for 'other' then just state who you want to vote for in the thread.

If there is anyone you would like to see as an option on the next poll, just say so and if they garner enough support, they will be placed on the next poll. Guys with the lowest amount of votes will usually be removed for the next few guys who were talked about in the previous thread.


Prospect 1 - Jay Bruce
Prospect 2 - Homer Bailey
Prospect 3 - Johnny Cueto
Prospect 4 - Joey Votto
Prospect 5 - Todd Frazier
Prospect 6 - Drew Stubbs
Prospect 7 - Matt Maloney
Prospect 8 - Josh Roenicke
Prospect 9 - Travis Wood
Prospect 10 - Devin Mesoraco
Prospect 11 - Kyle Lotzkar
Prospect 12 - Danny Dorn
Prospect 13 - Sean Watson
Prospect 14 - Carlos Fisher
Prospect 15 - Juan Francisco
Prospect 16 - Neftali Soto
Prospect 17 - Brandon Waring
Prospect 18 - Adam Rosales
Prospect 19 - Tyler Pelland
Prospect 20 - Daryl Thompson
Prospect 21 - Pedro Viola
Prospect 22 - Chris Valaika
Prospect 23 - Sam Lecure
Prospect 24 - Marcus McBeth
Prospect 25 - Justin Turner
Prospect 26 - Chris Dickerson
Prospect 27 - Scott Carroll
Prospect 28 - Richie Gardner
Prospect 29 - Justin Reed
Prospect 30 - Paul Janish
Prospect 31 - Alexander Smit
Prospect 32 - Danny Herrera
Prospect 33 - Zach Cozart
Prospect 34 - Tzu-Kai Chiu
Prospect 35 - Ramon Ramrirez

[camisadelgolf]

I'm going with Hilde(n)brandt, but he's tough to make an argument for, seeing as how he has no professional innings. Still, I like that the Reds were willing to pay him far above slot money.

[chicoruiz]

I voted for Jukich again, but I'm thinking of changing to George Clooney...

[klw]

I smell a runoff coming on this one.

[Joseph]

Derrick Lutz.

[kheidg-]

Not sure why people are voting for Tatum over Hanigan at this point...

For me it was a toss up between Jukich and Lutz. My heart wanted to go with Jukich because he is from Duluth, Minnnesota. I lived in Duluth for two years 1999-2001 and he went to school less than 5 miles from where I lived at Denfield High in West Duluth.

However, Lutz's stats were better and he is younger. If he performs well in AA this year, he could be a big surprise.

[dougdirt]

Derrik Lutz is a very interesting guy to watch. Extreme groundball pitcher with good strikeout rates and has good stuff.

[Kc61]

Not sure why people are voting for Tatum over Hanigan at this point...



However, Lutz's stats were better and he is younger. If he performs well in AA this year, he could be a big surprise.

Tatum is the much better prospect and should have been much higher on this list, which is increasingly driven by a few stats and doesn't adequately consider defense, position, and other factors.

Tatum has been selected by publications as one of the Reds better prospects and is a likely major league catcher.

[kheidg-]

Tatum is the much better prospect and should have been much higher on this list, which is increasingly driven by a few stats and doesn't adequately consider defense, position, and other factors.

Tatum has been selected by publications as one of the Reds better prospects and is a likely major league catcher.

Take a look at Tatum's statistics vs. Hanigan's and tell me how exactly you can think this.

The ONLY thing Tatum has on Hanigan is age. That is is.

Tatum had ONE good half season and a decent one for Dayton a year ago. He struggled mightily in AA the second half of last season.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...ig-Tatum.shtml

Now, take a look at Hanigan. He's performed at every level. Struggled a bit at times but always seems to have a good OBP. Only thing is, he is 2 years older than Tatum.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...-Hanigan.shtml

Can anyone give me something to justify voting for Tatum over Hanigan? Besides age, that is.

[dougdirt]

Take a look at Tatum's statistics vs. Hanigan's and tell me how exactly you can think this.

The ONLY thing Tatum has on Hanigan is age. That is is.

Tatum had ONE good half season and a decent one for Dayton a year ago. He struggled mightily in AA the second half of last season.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...ig-Tatum.shtml

Now, take a look at Hanigan. He's performed at every level. Struggled a bit at times but always seems to have a good OBP. Only thing is, he is 2 years older than Tatum.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...-Hanigan.shtml

Can anyone give me something to justify voting for Tatum over Hanigan? Besides age, that is.

Tools. Defense.

[Kc61]

Take a look at Tatum's statistics vs. Hanigan's and tell me how exactly you can think this.

The ONLY thing Tatum has on Hanigan is age. That is is.

Tatum had ONE good half season and a decent one for Dayton a year ago. He struggled mightily in AA the second half of last season.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...ig-Tatum.shtml

Now, take a look at Hanigan. He's performed at every level. Struggled a bit at times but always seems to have a good OBP. Only thing is, he is 2 years older than Tatum.



http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...-Hanigan.shtml

Can anyone give me something to justify voting for Tatum over Hanigan? Besides age, that is.

First off, on age, Hanigan will be 28 this season. Most 28 year old minor leaguers don't ever become major leaguers. So the difference there is significant.

Secondly, your evaluation is entirely focused on minor league offensive stats. Particularly with a catcher, you need to look at defense and throwing. From reading public sources, it appears that Tatum ranks higher in those areas.

Third, even on the offensive side, Tatum and Hanigan are pretty close so far. Each has a minor league lifetime BA of .281. Hanagan's OPS is .771 to Tatum's at .767.

So the better defender, at a younger age, has approximately the same lifetime offensive stats.

That's the reason Tatum is higher rated.

[kheidg-]

First off, on age, Hanigan will be 28 this season. Most 28 year old minor leaguers don't ever become major leaguers. So the difference there is significant.

Most 26 year olds don't make the majors for matter of fact.

Hanigan made the majors last year for a cup of coffee (albeit only a few at bats).

Tatum is no youngster himself. He is 25 this year and batted .231 with a .299 OBP and .634 OPS in AA this previous season. Not exactly WOW stats. He did impress at high A ball, I will give him that.. but did nothing to follow up in AA.

If he can show strides this year in AA, a AAA promotion by end of year won't be out of the question. He may sniff the majors next year, but will be 26 by the time he does this.

Hanigan didn't exactly light up AAA (compared to what he did in AA) last year, but his numbers decline going to AAA from AA were nowhere near as bad as Tatums going from AA to high A.

That said, we are probably arguing over Paul Bako vs. Kelly Shoppach at best -- but then again, you never know.

[GoReds33]

I don't see Tatum or Hanigan ever getting many MLB at bats. Neither is incredibly gifted from what I've seen. Sure Tatum's a good defender, but that alone won't get him to the majors. I really hope he has a breakout year next year though. Hanigan is the lesser prospect though. He's not a good defender and 3 years older. Neither of them hit well, so logically Tatum has a better chance of becoming a major leaguer.

[camisadelgolf]

I don't see Tatum or Hanigan ever getting many MLB at bats. Neither is incredibly gifted from what I've seen. Sure Tatum's a good defender, but that alone won't get him to the majors. I really hope he has a breakout year next year though. Hanigan is the lesser prospect though. He's not a good defender and 3 years older. Neither of them hit well, so logically Tatum has a better chance of becoming a major leaguer.

Defensively, I hear that Tatum is well above average. He should easily find jobs as a minor league catcher for many years. As long as he hits just a little bit, he'll spend some time in the Major Leagues. Just look at Chad Moeller, Paul Bako, etc.

As for Ryan Hanigan, I haven't heard anything about his defense, but he is exceptional at making contact. In fact, for his minor league career, he has walked more than he has struck out. Joe Mauer (a #1 overall draft pick) was the only catcher with 200+ ML plate appearances in 2007 to do that.