Bailey, Bruce and Votto make projectprospect.com's Top 25 list

[dougdirt]

Here is their overall list, Reds players have been put in bold

No.  	 	Player  	   	Pos  	 	Notes  	 	                                                                        Age  	 	Team  	 	Hi. Lvl
1 	  	Delmon Young 	  	OF 	  	MLB's next five-tool stud is in line for a big league job; could be a 30/30 man 	 21 	  	TB 	  	MLB
2 	  	Alex Gordon 	  	3B 	  	40 HR potential and in line for a good chunk of 2007 playing time 	  	         22 	  	KC 	  	AA
3 	  	Phil Hughes 	  	SP 	  	Needs a tad more polish but could be Yankees' best starter in second half 	  	 20 	  	NYY 	  	AA
4 	  	Brandon Wood 	  	SS 	  	56.8% of 2006 hits went for extra bases, can he stick at shortstop? 	  	         21 	  	LAA 	  	AA
5 	  	Billy Butler 	  	OF 	  	Defensive criticism is overweighted, will mash in the big leagues; 41 BB vs. 67 K 	 20 	  	KC 	  	AA
6 	  	Homer Bailey 	  	SP 	  	A great competitor with a ton of potential, could be better ace than Hughes 	  	 20 	  	CIN 	  	AA
7 	  	Jay Bruce 	  	OF 	  	Slowed by shoulder injury in August, 1060 OPS in 99 June at-bats 	  	         19 	  	CIN 	  	A
8 	  	Mike Pelfrey 	  	SP 	  	Could have rocky first full pro season but the stuff is there and will surface soon 	 22 	  	NYM 	  	MLB
9 	  	Andrew McCutchen 	OF 	  	Most impressive full season debut of high school hitters from 2005 draft 	  	 20 	  	PIT 	  	AA
10 	  	Cameron Maybin 	  	OF 	  	On track to become one of the game's next five-tool stars; could be 20/20 in AA 	 19 	  	DET 	  	A
11 	  	Chris Young 	  	OF 	  	He'll go 15/15 in the bigs next season but he may not hit over .275 	  	         23 	  	ARI 	  	MLB
12 	  	Troy Tulowitzki 	SS 	  	May never be an all-star, will be a solid big league shortstop for a long time 	  	 22 	  	COL 	  	MLB
13 	  	Carlos Gonzalez 	OF 	  	Enough power to be a 30 HR star, will need to cut down Ks first 	  	         21 	  	ARI 	  	AA
14 	  	Scott Elbert 	  	SP 	  	Power lefty may be the future ace for the Dodgers, not Billingsley 	  	         21 	  	LAD 	  	AA
15 	  	Evan Longoria 	  	3B 	  	Exceeding expectations since high school, if Longoria ends up at 2B, he'll be a star 	 21 	  	TB 	  	AA
16 	  	Ryan Braun 	  	3B 	  	Turned it on in the second half, bat may be ready for big leagues by midseason 	  	 23 	  	MIL 	  	AA
17 	  	Andrew Miller 	  	SP 	  	Just needs to long some innings as a SP before he tops this list 	  	         20 	  	DET 	  	MLB
18 	  	Reid Brignac 	  	SS 	  	More potential than Tulowitzki, 24 HR between A+ and AA 	  	                 20 	  	TB 	  	AA
19 	  	Yovani Gallardo 	SP 	  	Led the minors with 188 Ks also had 1.00 WHIP and gave up 2 HR in 77.1 AA innings 	 20 	  	MIL 	  	AA
20 	  	Andy LaRoche 	  	3B 	  	Should be healthy and ready for a big league job in '07, .315/.410/.514 in AA and AAA 	 23 	  	LAD 	  	AAA
21 	  	Matt Garza 	  	SP 	  	Not going to be an ace but he looks like a solid bet to reach No. 2 potential 	  	 23 	  	MIN 	  	MLB
22 	  	Joey Votto 	  	1B 	  	Went 22/24 with a .319/.408/.547 line, brightest looking 1B in upper minors 	  	 23 	  	CIN 	  	AA
23 	  	Fernando Martinez 	OF 	  	AFL showed (.253/.305/.379) he's still a few years away…could be atop this list by then  18 	  	NYM 	  	A+
24 	  	Justin Upton 	  	OF 	  	Early move to OF didn't show kind of results expected, will get back on track in '07 	 19 	  	ARI 	  	A
25 	  	Jose Tabata 	  	OF 	  	As he continues to add muscle to his frame will continue possible ascention to stardom 	 18 	  	NYY 	  	A

[kaldaniels]

You know, I see all the threads bemoaning the fact that the Reds can't compete w/other teams spending all the $$$ on free agents. Well, this is how you compete, consistently (not once every 10-20 years) having a stable of studs in the minors. It can be done.

[Will M]

for the Reds ( as a small market team ) to compete we need a steady flux of good cheap talent. Free agency is to plug holes or fill a bench. It is not the way the Reds can go after the 5-6 star players they need to compete.

another plus about this strategy is that you get several years to see a player's work ethic & how they mix in a clubhouse. then you can decide which players to sign to long term deals & which to let go.
for all the griping about 'the trade' i think Lopez's & Kearns's work ethic ( or lack thereof ) was a factor.

one thing i love about Krisky is that he has not traded a single grade A prospect since he took over the Reds. Also signing Stanton & Gonzalez will not cost us draft picks.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by kaldaniels

You know, I see all the threads bemoaning the fact that the Reds can't compete w/other teams spending all the $$$ on free agents. Well, this is how you compete, consistently (not once every 10-20 years) having a stable of studs in the minors. It can be done.

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.

[vaticanplum]

I'd give up a kidney for Delmon Young.

[VR]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.

Considering the Reds have only had the 'drop-off' throughout recent history, and no top talent...it's a huge step in the right direction to have this level of talent.....or more importantly 'perceived talent', which they can leverage in the trade game for the right piece of the puzzle.

[VR]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

I'd give up a kidney for Delmon Young.

An umpire almost did earlier this year

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

Actually, I'd make the argument that the key to competing over the long haul is having a consistent supply of good talent punctuated by a few studs. In an ideal world, you'd want a farm system that can produce not only the occasional #1 starter or Gold Glove/power-hitting outfielder, but regularly producing the 7th inning setup man, the 3rd starter, and the slick fielding/decent hitting 2nd baseman.

The Reds have the studs part down, with Bailey, Bruce and Votto all being legitimately named as Top-25 prospects in most lists published. Problem is that the drop-off after #4 or #5 on the list is pretty steep.

Agreed. Simply put, with a good minor league system, you can compete nowadays. That was what was meant as well.