Must see TV tonight

[icehole3]

MLB network is doing their top 50 prospects list tonight.

[dougdirt]

9pm EST.

[klw]

About the show
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...id=mlb_network

MLB.com’s annual ranking of the best young prospects in baseball will be revealed on Top 50 Prospects on MLB Network and simulcast on MLB.com on Tuesday, January 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Using information from scouting directors, scouts and industry sources, the complete list, which includes the top 100 prospects, is based on each player's skill set, high upside, closeness to the Major Leagues and potential immediate impact to their team. ....

Hosted by MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, the show will feature analysis by MLB Network analyst John Hart, the former general manager of the 1995 and 1997 American League Champion Cleveland Indians, and MLB.com draft and prospect expert Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayoB3). The special also will feature interviews with three of the top four picks. Complete rankings, including prospects 51-100, position and team lists, can be found at MLBPipeline.com (@MLBPipeline).

Billy Hamilton will live tweet the show.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

On Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, MLB.com's 2013 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed on MLB.com and MLB Network, and you're invited to interact with several of the players on the list as they live tweet the unveiling, moderated by MLBPipeline.com (@MLBPipeline), using the hashtag #MLBPipeline.

On board to watch and weigh in on the list are record-setting Reds prospect Billy Hamilton (@b_ham_3), D-backs hurlers Archie Bradley (@ArchieBradley7) and Tyler Skaggs (@TylerSkaggs37), future Mariners battery Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) and Mike Zunino (@Mike_Zunino), Mets ace right-handed prospect Zack Wheeler (@Wheelerpro45) and Rangers slugger Mike Olt (@molt2222). MLB.com Draft and prospect expert Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayoB3) will also be interacting with fans.

They rate Hamilton as 3rd highest OF. (Behind Tavares and Myers)
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2013/#list=of

BHam's twitter
https://twitter.com/b_ham_3

[bigfunguy]

I'd like to see Hamilton and Stubbs run a foot race....Hamilton easily??

[Salukifan2]

My only problem with all the lists is that they put imo more emphasis on age than performance. An example is Taijuan Walker. He is obviously a phenominal talent but his high positioning in rankings is due to the fact that he is so young as opposed to his performance. This year his ERA spiked by 2 points, his k/9 dropped by over 2, and his WHIP was above 1.3.

I still think he is a top 25 prospect i just dont think he is top 5 or 10, like he probably will be, just because he is 19. Idk if other people feel that way but i do.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Salukifan2

My only problem with all the lists is that they put imo more emphasis on age than performance. An example is Taijuan Walker. He is obviously a phenominal talent but his high positioning in rankings is due to the fact that he is so young as opposed to his performance. This year his ERA spiked by 2 points, his k/9 dropped by over 2, and his WHIP was above 1.3.

I still think he is a top 25 prospect i just dont think he is top 5 or 10, like he probably will be, just because he is 19. Idk if other people feel that way but i do.

I am with you and against you. At times, you point can be quite valid. But at other times, not so much. With Walker, it is a time that I don't. He was 19 and in AA. Yeah, his strikeout rate dropped off, but he was 19 and in AA. He skipped over A+. He was doing a lot of learning on the job, figuring out what would and wouldn't work at that level that he never picked up on in A+ since he skipped over it.

The bump in ERA doesn't really concern me.

As for the list tonight, if it is done the same way that Mayo has done it in the past, it probably has nothing to do with age. What he has done in the past was ask scouts/baseball professionals for their Top 30 in all of baseball lists, then tabulate them with a point system to come up with his list. While some of the voters probably are accounting for his age, most of them are simply looking at what they think he can become at the MLB level.

[delphineboom]

Thanks for sharing the news, very interesting indeed

[dougdirt]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

(11) Billy Hamilton
(51) Robert Stephenson
(66) Tony Cingrani

Didi Gregorius came in at #63 for those who were curious.

[Pony Boy]

Anyone else find it odd that the D'backs essentially traded Trevor Bauer for Didi Gregorius? If the Choo deal never come up, or involved different players; wouldnt you trade Gregorius for Bauer in a heartbeat? I sort of wish that we had made this deal instead and then used different players to get Choo from the Indians.

[klw]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Anyone else find it odd that the D'backs essentially traded Trevor Bauer for Didi Gregorius? If the Choo deal never come up, or involved different players; wouldnt you trade Gregorius for Bauer in a heartbeat? I sort of wish that we had made this deal instead and then used different players to get Choo from the Indians.

Of Didi for Bauer and then sign Bourn for 1 year. You lose this year's #1 but with that being at number 29 or thereabouts it could have been worthwhile. Of course there is still no sign yet that Bourn will go for a 1 year deal.

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by Salukifan2

My only problem with all the lists is that they put imo more emphasis on age than performance. An example is Taijuan Walker. He is obviously a phenominal talent but his high positioning in rankings is due to the fact that he is so young as opposed to his performance. This year his ERA spiked by 2 points, his k/9 dropped by over 2, and his WHIP was above 1.3.

I still think he is a top 25 prospect i just dont think he is top 5 or 10, like he probably will be, just because he is 19. Idk if other people feel that way but i do.

I really didn't have a problem with the list and I think they got most of the prospects right. The one I don't understand though (maybe it's a minor thing) is most of the year, Myers was rated above Taveras. Now, Taveras is the #3 prospect in baseball. I use this as an example because I fail to see how a player can drop off compared to another player or how another player can suddenly be higher in the rankings if nothing has changed. Is it re-evaluation or what is the deal here?

EDIT: What I mean by "nothing has changed" I meant that from a stats perspective.

[Salukifan2]

i was speaking about lists in general not this one specifically

[AtomicDumpling]

Originally Posted by Salukifan2

My only problem with all the lists is that they put imo more emphasis on age than performance. An example is Taijuan Walker. He is obviously a phenominal talent but his high positioning in rankings is due to the fact that he is so young as opposed to his performance. This year his ERA spiked by 2 points, his k/9 dropped by over 2, and his WHIP was above 1.3.

I still think he is a top 25 prospect i just dont think he is top 5 or 10, like he probably will be, just because he is 19. Idk if other people feel that way but i do.

The player's age is a big factor, and so are his stats. But when it comes to prospects it is more about looking at his swing or his mechanics and his athleticism and tools to project in your mind how good he will eventually be. It is more art than science. Minor league stats should be taken with a grain of salt. Park and league factors have to be considered. Many minor league ballparks are like Coors Field on steroids -- small dimensions at high altitude. Some ballparks are tremendous pitchers' parks where it is very hard to hit. Oftentimes the players with the best stats are not even close to being the best prospects.

Playing in the minor leagues is not about trying to get the best stats, it is often a matter of focusing on development and instruction. Some teams will have pitchers working on a certain pitch and improving it instead of using his whole repertoire to retire hitters. Usually a player is instructed to focus on improving his weaknesses rather than trying to win a minor league game. The minor leagues are more like practice than a real game. Some of these guys are very raw athletes who don't really know how to play baseball in a professional manner yet. They will be a lot better down the road than they are now, so basing one's analysis on their current statistics is not going to give you an accurate projection of their future production at the major league level.

Taijuan Walker is an elite prospect because of his size, his athleticism, his arm strength, the movement of his pitches and his command of those pitches. Once he learns how to properly harness and utilize his arsenal there is every reason to believe he will become a very good major league pitcher. The fact that he held his own as a 19 year old in AA ball (the youngest pitcher in the league) playing against guys 3-4 years older is just another feather in his cap.

[AtomicDumpling]

Originally Posted by MikeThierry

I really didn't have a problem with the list and I think they got most of the prospects right. The one I don't understand though (maybe it's a minor thing) is most of the year, Myers was rated above Taveras. Now, Taveras is the #3 prospect in baseball. I use this as an example because I fail to see how a player can drop off compared to another player or how another player can suddenly be higher in the rankings if nothing has changed. Is it re-evaluation or what is the deal here?

EDIT: What I mean by "nothing has changed" I meant that from a stats perspective.

Personally I am jealous of you Mike. I wish Oscar Taveras was a Reds prospect. I actually have Taveras as the #1 best prospect on my Top 200 Prospects list. I think he is a future star and the best prospect in all of baseball.

We did get to look at these guys in the Arizona Fall League and the Latin winter leagues in many cases, which gave us extra information to consider.

Secondly, as scouts have additional time in the winter to watch more video and look at more stats they often change their minds. Any poll or prospect list is really just a snapshot in time. Opinions are constantly drifting and shifting so no two lists are the same -- even if you ask the same people.

Also, is there really any difference between being the #3 prospect or the #4 prospect in baseball? All the guys on the top 50 list are premier prospects. There are also going to be many star players who didn't even make this top 50 list.

Top Prospect Lists don't actually have any influence on which players will ultimately succeed. It is nothing more than a fun exercise to play around with.

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by AtomicDumpling

Personally I am jealous of you Mike. I wish Oscar Taveras was a Reds prospect. I actually have Taveras as the #1 best prospect on my Top 200 Prospects list. I think he is a future star and the best prospect in all of baseball.

We did get to look at these guys in the Arizona Fall League and the Latin winter leagues in many cases, which gave us extra information to consider.

Secondly, as scouts have additional time in the winter to watch more video and look at more stats they often change their minds. Any poll or prospect list is really just a snapshot in time. Opinions are constantly drifting and shifting so no two lists are the same -- even if you ask the same people.

Also, is there really any difference between being the #3 prospect or the #4 prospect in baseball? All the guys on the top 50 list are premier prospects. There are also going to be many star players who didn't even make this top 50 list.

Top Prospect Lists don't actually have any influence on which players will ultimately succeed. It is nothing more than a fun exercise to play around with.

Thank you for that explanation. It clears up a couple of things.

I'm pumped up about Taveras. He had something like a 10.5% strikeout rate last year and is being compared to a Vladimir Guerrero type player.