BA Midseason Top 25 Prospects

[Benihana]

Do any Reds make the list?

Would someone mind PMing the list to me? Thanks in advance.

[New Fever]

No Reds made the list, but Valakia and Thompson made the players who will be in consideration for the Postseason Top 100 list.

[Grande Donkey]

Is Homer no longer eligible?

[New Fever]

Homer is no longer eligible.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by New Fever

Valakia and Thompson made the players who will be in consideration for the Postseason Top 100 list.

but no Frazier? Hmmm...

[New Fever]

Originally Posted by Benihana

but no Frazier? Hmmm...

Only 30 players on the list Valakia and Thompson made.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by New Fever

Only 30 players on the list Valakia and Thompson made.

Nevertheless, interesting Valaika makes it over Frazier, whom most on this board feel is a much better prospect.

[Blitz Dorsey]

IMO it's probably because Valaika actually has a chance of playing SS in the Majors (especially for the Reds) while Frazier is a 3B/LF and is currently at a level lower than Valaika. I can see how Valaika looks like a better prospect in the eyes of a baseball journalist. Plus, they are probably giving the Futures Game a lot of weight.

[gedred69]

It's always said that AA is the tape measure. If a player performs well enough to be AA, he's good enough to make the Majors, if he's got it upstairs. Valaika has done better than decent since being promoted to AA, and he is a credible SS at least. Frazier might be a better bat in the end, but he's looking for a position. How many has he played at Sarasota?

[mth123]

A List (Core players - Front 3 in the rotation pitchers, Middle of the order hitters, Back of the bullpen inning guys)

1. Frazier
2. Alonso
3. Bailey
4. Roenicke
5. Lotzkar
6. Soto

B List (Role playing Regulars who lead-off or hit 7th or 8th, good bench players in the 4th OF or supersub mold, platoon assets, 4th Starters, Solid 7th inning Relief guys)

7. Thompson
8. Cumberland
9. Stewart
10. Mesoraco
11. Valaika
12. Maloney
13. Henry
14. Jukich
15. Lecure
16. Dorn
17. Stubbs (Moving up on my list. Could be in top 10 if he can .800 OPS at Chatt for half a season)

C List (5th Starters/swingmen, Utility IF, 11th or 12th man on the staff types, LOOGYs, 5th OF, Back-up catchers, PH with no position)

18. Wood
19. Hildenbrandt
20. Eymann
21. Ravin
22. Horst
23. Gutierrez
24. Geronimo
25. Manual
26. Waring
27. Fisher
28. Rosales
29. Herrera
30. Francisco
31. Cozart
32. Valiquette
33. Turner
34. Viola
35. J. Smith
36. Watson
37. Krebs
38. Smit
39. Young
40. Dickerson

Still a decent system. A few guys who didn't make the top 40 that may also qualify as "C" guys: Janish, McBeth, Ramirez, Lutz, Medina, Hanigan, Tatum, Pelland, Tabor, Heisey, Carroll, J. Reed, K. Jones, Castro, Montano, Klinker, Long.

I didn't consider other 2008 draftees or Juan Duran and the other international kids. Just not enough info for me.

[crazyredfan40]

This is an interesting way of looking at it...

It also shows just how much depth we have in our system...


I would move Thompson up a level...

Originally Posted by mth123

A List (Core players - Front 3 in the rotation pitchers, Middle of the order hitters, Back of the bullpen inning guys)

1. Frazier
2. Alonso
3. Bailey
4. Roenicke
5. Lotzkar
6. Soto

B List (Role playing Regulars who lead-off or hit 7th or 8th, good bench players in the 4th OF or supersub mold, platoon assets, 4th Starters, Solid 7th inning Relief guys)

7. Thompson
8. Cumberland
9. Stewart
10. Mesoraco
11. Valaika
12. Maloney
13. Henry
14. Jukich
15. Lecure
16. Dorn
17. Stubbs (Moving up on my list. Could be in top 10 if he can .800 OPS at Chatt for half a season)

C List (5th Starters/swingmen, Utility IF, 11th or 12th man on the staff types, LOOGYs, 5th OF, Back-up catchers, PH with no position)

18. Wood
19. Hildenbrandt
20. Eymann
21. Ravin
22. Horst
23. Gutierrez
24. Geronimo
25. Manual
26. Waring
27. Fisher
28. Rosales
29. Herrera
30. Francisco
31. Cozart
32. Valiquette
33. Turner
34. Viola
35. J. Smith
36. Watson
37. Krebs
38. Smit
39. Young
40. Dickerson

Still a decent system. A few guys who didn't make the top 40 that may also qualify as "C" guys: Janish, McBeth, Ramirez, Lutz, Medina, Hanigan, Tatum, Pelland, Tabor, Heisey, Carroll, J. Reed, K. Jones, Castro, Montano, Klinker, Long.

I didn't consider other 2008 draftees or Juan Duran and the other international kids. Just not enough info for me.

[dougdirt]

mth....
1. Bailey isn't a prospect anymore, thus shouldn't qualify for any prospect lists. Travis Wood at 18, really? Valaika and Stubbs outside of the top 10.... what?

[camisadelgolf]

Sam LeCure (possibly not a top-25 prospect in the Reds organization) ahead of Drew Stubbs (#100 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America)?

But hey, that's what's great thing about these things--we all have our different opinions.

[mth123]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

mth....
1. Bailey isn't a prospect anymore, thus shouldn't qualify for any prospect lists. Travis Wood at 18, really? Valaika and Stubbs outside of the top 10.... what?

Not sure why Bailey isn't a prospect anymore. He certainly isn't an established player and is a guy for the future as opposed to the present (like Bruce, Votto and Cueto) or the past (like Belisle or Coffey). If not, then move everyone below 3 up a notch.

Valaika is a tweener IMO. I don't think he has the bat for the spots where his glove will play and I see him as a supersub type in the big leagues. His glove would get exposed day-in, day-out in the middle of the diamond and his bat would be exposed if he tried to hold down a corner spot each day.

As I said, Stubbs needs an .800+ OPS the rest of the way at Chatt and I'd probably move him up behind Soto. I want to see it first. I'm pretty sure that Dorn could be a platoon guy and that Cumberland and Henry have enough combination of offense and defense to be a fourth OF. Right now, I only have certainty of Stubbs as a 5th OF type who can run and play good defense. I moved him to the B group because of his promise, but he needs to do it first to pass the others IMO.

Wood is a faded prospect that has gotten rocked at AA. His slight build and small frame make me think he's a swingman at best or possibly a loogy. Jukich, Maloney, Lecure and Thompson have had more success and Lotzkar has the high ceiling.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by mth123

Not sure why Bailey isn't a prospect anymore. He certainly isn't an established player and is a guy for the future as opposed to the present (like Bruce, Votto and Cueto) or the past (like Belisle or Coffey). If not, then move everyone below 3 up a notch.

If you have 50ip or 150 AB's in the majors, you are no longer considered a 'prospect'. Bailey has more than 50 ip.

Valaika is a tweener IMO. I don't think he has the bat for the spots where his glove will play and I see him as a supersub type in the big leagues. His glove would get exposed day-in, day-out in the middle of the diamond and his bat would be exposed if he tried to hold down a corner spot each day.

You don't think Valaika's bat will play at 2B or 3B? His glove is plenty fine for 2B.

As I said, Stubbs needs an .800+ OPS the rest of the way at Chatt and I'd probably move him up behind Soto. I want to see it first. I'm pretty sure that Dorn could be a platoon guy and that Cumberland and Henry have enough combination of offense and defense to be a fourth OF. Right now, I only have certainty of Stubbs as a 5th OF type who can run and play good defense. I moved him to the B group because of his promise, but he needs to do it first to pass the others IMO.

His defense alone makes him a 4th outfielder. I dunno, I just think its strange that if he boosts his OPS a whopping 25 points he somehow jumps 10 spots up the list.

Wood is a faded prospect that has gotten rocked at AA. His slight build and small frame make me think he's a swingman at best or possibly a loogy. Jukich, Maloney, Lecure and Thompson have had more success and Lotzkar has the high ceiling.

Wood is far from a 'faded prospect'. He has been pretty inconsistent in AA to this point (5 starts with 2 or fewer runs allowed, 4 starts with 5 or more runs) but faded prospect? He has good stuff and is a lefty. Yeah, his build is of some concern, but I think its pushing it to say he is a faded prospect. As for Jukich.... I really don't see him as being anything more than a Tom Shearn type of guy. I hope he does better, but thats who he reminds me of.