Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects

[redsof72]

1. Todd Frazier, of/2b/3b
2. Yonder Alonso, 1b
3. Mike Leake, rhp
4. Chris Heisey, of
5. Juan Francisco, 3b
6. Yorman Rodriguez, of
7. Travis Wood, lhp
8. Matt Maloney, lhp
9. Brad Boxberger, rhp
10. Zack Cozart, ss

[redsof72]

Best Tools:

Best Hitter for Average: Yonder Alonso
Best Power Hitter: Juan Francisco
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Yonder Alonso
Fastest Baserunner: Theodis Bowe
Best Athlete: Yorman Rodriguez
Best Fastball: Brad Boxberger
Best Curveball: Mike Leake
Best Slider: Mark Serrano
Best Changeup: Travis Wood
Best Control: Matt Maloney
Best Defensive Catcher: Chris McMurray
Best Defensive Infielder: Miguel Rojas
Best Infield Arm: Juan Francisco
Best Defensive Outfielder: David Sappelt
Best Outfield Arm: Yorman Rodriguez

[batsfan]

Frazier? Wow!

[mace]

Items I find interesting in all of that:

1. That Frazier is listed as the top prospect but doesn't show up in the tools section. (Not surprising, just interesting.) Neither does Heisey.

2. That Rojas gets the nod over Cozart as an infielder.

3. That McMurray was singled out (for the first time I can recall).

4. That Bowe is evidently faster than Billy Hamilton. (And Yorman a better athlete than Hamilton. Actually, I question that one.)

5. That BA's list so closely resembles ours. No accident there, I don't suppose. We're an impressionable lot.

[mace]

And FWIW, I like their No. 1 a little better than ours. There's just more there there, it seems to me.

[GIDP]

Seems about right. Frazier certainly had the better year and has more utility than Yonder. I dont know if Frazier is the longer term better player but at the moment hes the much safer bet I'd suggest.

[OnBaseMachine]

Baseball America likes Frazier best as a third baseman, where they say he profiles as a solid hitter and defender. There's also a tidbit where David Bell says Frazier was more advanced than Bell's former teammate Jeff Kent at the same point in his transition to second base.

All in all, it's a solid list, IMO.

[edabbs44]

Baseball America likes Frazier best as a third baseman, where they say he profiles as a solid hitter and defender. There's also a tidbit where David Bell says Frazier was more advanced than Bell's former teammate Jeff Kent at the same point in his transition to second base.

All in all, it's a solid list, IMO.

The only problem is that Kent seemed to really boost his stats once he got to SF. I don't see Frazier following that same path.

[icehole3]

you dont think Frazier stats will get bloated in GAB?

[mdccclxix]

It's interesting, and somehow comforting, that Alonso was ousted. It adds a twist, a challenge. It shows he's still a little long in reputation and short in performance in some people's eyes. The kid could use some people to prove wrong.

[edabbs44]

you dont think Frazier stats will get bloated in GAB?

I don't think it was the park that helped out Kent.

[lollipopcurve]

This is a good group, and remember it comes on the heels of the team graduating Votto, Bruce, Bailey, Cueto and Stubbs in the last 2 years. For all the griping that has gone on about the team's farm system in the last few years, I'd say there's little to complain about.

Jocketty now faces the 2nd major challenge of his tenure (dispensing Griffey/Dunn was the 1st). How to sort through the bottleneck of young talent at 1B/3B/LF? If Frazier can develop into a 2B, while Phillips is dealt for a nice return, he's well on the way to doing well, IMO.

A year or two from now the farm is likely to look relatively thin.

[dougdirt]

A year or two from now the farm is likely to look relatively thin.

I really don't know if that is true. We get two drafts until then and have some real strong up the middle guys between rookie ball and High A with these guys (off the top of my head):

• Billy Hamilton
• DD Gregorius
• Miguel Rojas
• Henry Rodriguez
• Junior Arias
• Devin Mesoraco
• Kevin Coddington
• Mark Fluery
• Tucker Barnhart
• Yorman Rodriguez
• Alex Oliveras
• Josh Fellhauer
• Juan Silva

That is an interesting group of guys who should all still be in the system who are just up the middle guys right now. It doesn't count any pitchers or corner players. I think it will be just fine in 2 years.

[lollipopcurve]

I really don't know if that is true. We get two drafts until then and have some real strong up the middle guys between rookie ball and High A with these guys (off the top of my head):
Billy Hamilton
DD Gregorius
Miguel Rojas
Henry Rodriguez
Junior Arias
Devin Mesoraco
Kevin Coddington
Mark Fluery
Tucker Barnhart
Yorman Rodriguez
Alex Oliveras
Josh Fellhauer
Juan Silva

That is an interesting group of guys who should all still be in the system who are just up the middle guys right now. It doesn't count any pitchers or corner players. I think it will be just fine in 2 years.

It will suffer by comparison to this group, that's all I'm saying.
__________________

[dougdirt]

It will suffer by comparison to this group, that's all I'm saying.

I am just not sure it will. By that time Yorman Rodriguez will be a human tool shed at age 19 and probably in High A with several years of experience. They will also have two first round draft picks (or more depending on someone leaving) added to be near the top of the lists to add top end depth. I just have to disagree right now because the potential is there for those guys.