Reds shut out in BA Southern League Top 20 Prospects also

[dougdirt]

1 - Clayton Kershaw
2 - David Price
3 - Cameron Maybin
4 - Matt LaPorta
5 - Alcides Escobar
6 - Chris Volstad
7 - Mat Gamel
8 - Michael Saunders
9 - Tommy Hanson
10 - Wade Davis
11 - Chris Coghlan
12 - Jeremy Hellickson
13 - Jordan Schafer
14 - James McDonald
15 - Ivan DeJesus
16 - Jake McGee
17 - Angel Salome
18 - Michael Brantley
19 - Adam Moore
20 - Luis Valbuena

No Chris Valaika to be seen. He is the only guy I expected to see on the list, but man, that league is flat out stacked.

[Kc61]

Wonder if anyone has a shot at Int'l League team. Dickerson? Roenicke? Hanigan? Thompson? Is Bailey eligible?

Maybe nobody.

[dougdirt]

Wonder if anyone has a shot at Int'l League team. Dickerson? Roenicke? Hanigan? Thompson? Is Bailey eligible?

Maybe nobody.

Bailey should be eligible still, even though he isn't a prospect, he was when the year started and that usually means you can make the league top 20's (like Justin Upton last year).

That said, I don't think anyone other than Bailey makes it except maybe Thompson.

[OnBaseMachine]

I can't believe Daryl Thompson didn't make the top 20. He threw 61.1 innings which should be enough to qualify. In those 61.1 innings he posted a 1.56 ERA and 14 BB/56 K ratio. Earlier in the year Baseball America was slobbering all over Thompson.

[Kc61]

Thinking about the overall system, next year the AA team and, perhaps, the AAA team should be loaded with prospects.

Not so sure about the lower levels, but the two highest should have most of the team's best.

[New Fever]

Jay Bruce should make the IL.

[*BaseClogger*]

This list looks better than the IL list...

[OnBaseMachine]

Q: Kyle from Middletown asks:
Where would Chris Valaika rank on this list during an average year talent wise? Does his increased agility give him a chance to be an average defensive shortstop in the bigs?

A: Ben Badler: When I started with a preliminary Top 20 in August, Valaika was in my 20. But the more people I talked to about him, the more he kept falling. The bat speed is so-so, the approach isn't ideal, the tools don't overwhelm anyone, he's got a thick-lower half and the foot speed isn't great. But you know what? I still like him. He has a good feel for hitting (though not necessarily good strike-zone discipline) and just good baseball instincts. I don't think he'll stick at shortstop, but if he can stick at second base, that's fine. The move from shortstop to second base is a move down the defensive spectrum, but I also think the magnitude of that move is overrated. He ended up in that 21-25 range for me, but I think he has a good chance to prove a bunch of people wrong in the big leagues.

[OnBaseMachine]

Q: Tony from Durham, NC asks:
I wanted to ask about a couple of outfielders, Daniel Dorn and Cole Gillespie. Are they future ML regulars, or role players? Dorn I suppose I can see as the RH half of a great LF platoon, and Gillespie the LH half. Or does either of them profile as more than that? Thanks.

A: Ben Badler: Great question, and I think you've got a pretty good take on those guys. Gillespie gets a little lost in the mix of talented bats that Huntsville had this year and that the Brewers always seem to produce. He should be a solid big league contributor, sort of like a Brandon Moss-type who won't blow you away with anything but can be a serviceable outfielder for you. Dorn's numbers in the league this year were excellent, but scouts seemed to think the tools were a little short. Kind of like Valaika, I think he has a good chance of proving the doubters wrong. He's a guy who people grew to like a little more each time they saw another one of his at-bats.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/onlin...08/266954.html