Baseball America top prospects by League

[redsof72]

Leagues announced so far:

Midwest League:
#3: Robert Stephenson
#9: Jesse Winker

Pioneer League:
#2: Phillip Ervin
#6: Ben Lively

Arizona League:
No Reds prospects in the top 20

The two players rated ahead of Stephenson, #1 Byron Buxton and #2 Carlos Correa, were the top two overall selections in the 2012 draft. Stephenson was the top pitcher on the list.

Winker was the #3 outfielder, trailing Buxton and #6 Albert Almora of the Cubs, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Good recognition for Winker, who was clearly one of the best players in the league as a 19 year old.

Ervin gets placed about where you would expect in the Pioneer League.

Lively being ranked that high as a fourth round pick is a statement that his exceptional season was not a case of a college pitcher with fringy stuff dominating younger players, but more a case of him showing legitimate stuff.

[lollipopcurve]

Disappointed that SMB is not in the top 20. Maybe I'll ask a question about him....

[redsof72]

Very few college guys on that list. I am as big a SMB fan as anyone but I have said that he is not the kind of player that is going to get the credit he deserves on the prospect lists because he has not (yet) hit a ton of homers as a corner infielder. I say he is an example of the difference between a player who does not have much power and a player who does not hit a lot of home runs. Two different things. Seth has tremendous raw power. But he only hit 11 homers this season. If and when he learns to turn on pitches, the homers will come. He played in a college ballpark where no one hit over eight homers for a team that won the CWS, where players developed a different approach at the plate of hitting the ball up the middle and to the opposite field.

Baseball America likes toolsy position players and hard-throwing pitchers (as do most scouts). Seth is a hard-nosed gamer with a strong arm, great defensive skills, and a good bat. He does not run particularly well. Baseball America also likes players who play up in terms of age and Seth's age was equal to or slightly higher than the league he was in this season. Average age in the Midwest League is a tick below 22 and Seth turned 22 in April.

[dougdirt]

If you are over 20 in Low-A you really have to perform to show up on these lists, not be just solid-good.

I wouldn't have SMB in the Top 20 based on what I saw in 2013. He is a prospect, but he isn't that caliber at this point.

[LoganBuck]

To me SMB strikes me a guy who is a little different than some of the other guys the Reds have developed. Having seen him in Dayton, several times, I like how he handles at bats. I agree with the grinder take. He is more of what the Cardinals have developed recently, the hard out. Doesn't give at bats away, and tends to work the count to his favor in terms of swinging the bat. 55BB to 83K over 558 PA helps too.

You need guys like him in the lineup. Contact ability, with line drive power.

[lollipopcurve]

I like how he handles at bats.

Agree 100%. Same routine every pitch. Excellent combination of relaxation and concentration. Most guys can't find that or don't believe they need it.

It's a great approach for a young guy climbing the ladder. One pitch at a time.

[dougdirt]

Yorman Rodriguez #13 in the California League. No other Reds from the league (not terribly surprising, though I thought perhaps Moscot/Contreras could be one of the last few guys on the list).

Scouting report looks interesting, though I would like to see it lined up against reports from his time in the Southern League. From watching him just about every day, some of the things at the plate don't line up for me, but I also think the reports are probably correct from his time in the California League. If you look at his season, numbers wise, he was just scraping along, then went on a torrid stretch from June 8th-16th. He was promoted immediately. From June 8th through the end of the year, he hit .283/.346/.437 with 30 walks and 86 strikeouts. From the start of the year up to June 6th he hit .225/.292/.413 with 17 walks and 67 strikeouts. The strikeout rate dropped and the walk rate went up. The power went down, but that could be two fold. First, the California League and Bakersfield specifically will boost power output because of center field. Secondly, Rodriguez goes to right field more than he pulls the ball. Pensacola's right field destroyed power this year. There were more than 3 times as many home runs hit to right field in Pensacola road games (involving both teams) than there were hit at home (involving both teams).

The light may have came on and the Reds saw it and reacted quickly to it, leaving people who saw him in the California League not seeing him once that light came on.

[dougdirt]

I just realized this thread had no link to any of the lists.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/league-top-20-prospects-index-2/

That has the lists and the dates for when future ones will come out. Scouting reports require a subscription.

[bellhead]

I just realized this thread had no link to any of the lists.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/league-top-20-prospects-index-2/

That has the lists and the dates for when future ones will come out. Scouting reports require a subscription.

The one thing that struck me on Yorman is on how he is playing against players who are older and more experienced than him. This year may be the first year he ever plays against people his own age and experience level.

Doug you specifically commented on this earlier this year and I don't think it gets enough play.

Also anybody know if he is playing winterball?

[dougdirt]

The one thing that struck me on Yorman is on how he is playing against players who are older and more experienced than him. This year may be the first year he ever plays against people his own age and experience level.

Doug you specifically commented on this earlier this year and I don't think it gets enough play.

Also anybody know if he is playing winterball?

Yorman Rodriguez finally faced a pitcher younger than him in 2012. Before then, it had never happened as a professional. In 2012 he faced a pitcher younger than him for 19 plate appearances. In 2013 he faced a pitcher younger than him for 3 plate appearances. So in his professional career, 22 plate appearances have come against pitchers younger than him.

As for winter ball, he is playing in the Arizona Fall League. After that, I honestly don't know.

[bellhead]

For winter ball I imagine he'll go home to Venezuela and play, if not I would imagine the Dominican....

[dougdirt]

For winter ball I imagine he'll go home to Venezuela and play, if not I would imagine the Dominican....

A team in Venezuela has the rights, so he won't be playing in the Dominican.

[bellhead]

A team in Venezuela has the rights, so he won't be playing in the Dominican.

Sounds like he'll go home and play a month or two...

[dougdirt]

Sounds like he'll go home and play a month or two...

Perhaps. In Venezuela, their winter league actually has a minor league called Liga Parallela. When he has played in the past, that is where he was playing. However now that he has shown something in AA, there could be a promotion to the big kid squad if a spot is open.

[bellhead]

Perhaps. In Venezuela, their winter league actually has a minor league called Liga Parallela. When he has played in the past, that is where he was playing. However now that he has shown something in AA, there could be a promotion to the big kid squad if a spot is open.

I'd just like to see him be the man for a month or two and kill it to boost his confidence... Success breeds more success.

[dougdirt]

Yorman Rodriguez was named the #20 prospect in the Southern League. No other Blue Wahoo made the list (not surprising).

[bellhead]

Yorman Rodriguez was named the #20 prospect in the Southern League. No other Blue Wahoo made the list (not surprising).

Youngest guy on the list?

[dougdirt]

Youngest guy on the list?

No, he wasn't. I didn't look at the age of everyone, but I know that Javier Baez is a few months younger than he is. I think Rodriguez was the 3rd or 4th youngest guy in the league with 200 PA's.

[texasdave]

Yorman Rodriguez was named the #20 prospect in the Southern League. No other Blue Wahoo made the list (not surprising).

This list has jumped the Sharky. Rogers that is. :laugh:

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Very few college guys on that list. I am as big a SMB fan as anyone but I have said that he is not the kind of player that is going to get the credit he deserves on the prospect lists because he has not (yet) hit a ton of homers as a corner infielder. I say he is an example of the difference between a player who does not have much power and a player who does not hit a lot of home runs. Two different things. Seth has tremendous raw power. But he only hit 11 homers this season. If and when he learns to turn on pitches, the homers will come. He played in a college ballpark where no one hit over eight homers for a team that won the CWS, where players developed a different approach at the plate of hitting the ball up the middle and to the opposite field.

Baseball America likes toolsy position players and hard-throwing pitchers (as do most scouts). Seth is a hard-nosed gamer with a strong arm, great defensive skills, and a good bat. He does not run particularly well. Baseball America also likes players who play up in terms of age and Seth's age was equal to or slightly higher than the league he was in this season. Average age in the Midwest League is a tick below 22 and Seth turned 22 in April.

With all the talk about possibly trading Phillips (and no long-term solution in-house), I was wondering if SMB could play 2B. Not next year in Cincy, but groomed to be there in a couple years (possibly 2015). Is it a possibility?

How does his glove rank with Frazier at 3B? Say Frazier's offensive game grows in 2014 and his D stays the same (above average) and SMB continues to tear it up (in say AA). If they like SMB at 3B more than Frazier defensively, would they consider moving Frazier to 2B? Frazier did play SS a bit in the minors and was thought of as a future utility guy just a couple years ago.

[RedlegJake]

SMB is already 216 at age 22. (6-2) although quite athletic I'd think he will be too big body wise to be a second baseman when fully mature physically. He is a terrific third sacker by all accounts so I don't see why you'd move him. Plus, his likely arrival will pretty much coincide with Frazier reaching his more expensive years - years that his production probably won't justify anyway. Unless Todd is replaced with someone else in the meantime I like the progression as it stands.

[LoganBuck]

Neither Frazier or SMB are middle of the diamond guys. Too big.

[redsof72]

Neither Frazier or SMB are middle of the diamond guys. Too big.

100 percent agree with that comment. First two steps are not explosive enough to provide the range.

[redsof72]

Billy Hamilton is listed at #10 in the International League. No other Reds. So to summarize:

AAA: Hamilton at #10.

AA: Y. Rodriguez at #20.

High-A: Y. Rodriguez at #13.

Low-A: Stephenson at #3; Winker at #9.

Rookie: Ervin at #2; Lively at # 6.

So you have two players who were top 3 in their league; three more who were top 10; and one more who was a top 20. In fairness to Lorenzen, he was not in any league long enough to get any real attention. He certainly is one of the Reds top seven prospects along with the other six mentioned here.

It should also be noted, and I think this is obvious but it is worth mentioning, that different leagues have contrasting levels of strength, depending on the particular year. Stephenson was #3 in his league this year but in most years, he would have been #1. He happened to be in a league that had the top two selections in the draft, both of whom had excellent (or great) years.

[mace]

Billy Hamilton is listed at #10 in the International League. No other Reds. So to summarize:

AAA: Hamilton at #10.

AA: Y. Rodriguez at #20.

High-A: Y. Rodriguez at #13.

Low-A: Stephenson at #3; Winker at #9.

Rookie: Ervin at #2; Lively at # 6.

So you have two players who were top 3 in their league; three more who were top 10; and one more who was a top 20. In fairness to Lorenzen, he was not in any league long enough to get any real attention. He certainly is one of the Reds top seven prospects along with the other six mentioned here.



So if those guys comprise the top seven, I'm guessing that, to round out the top ten, Barnhart and Mejias-Brean would be consensus choices. I'd think that the last spot would come down to any of five pitchers--Travieso, Sharky, Guillon, Garrett or Contreras. I reserve the right to be wrong.

That's not taking into account Lutz or Reynolds, considering their big-league time. Others in the photo might be Moscot, Cisco, Constante, Arias, LaMarre, Waldrop, Crabbe, Kivel, Rachal and, out of inertia, Corcino, Soto and H Rodriguez.

[RedlegJake]

Stephenson, Ervin, Winker, Hamilton, YRod, Lively, Lorenzen, Mejias-Brean, Barnhart, Contreras

I go with Contreras 10th because he has filthier stuff than Rogers but Rogers is more consistent.

Rogers would start my 11 thru 20. Lutz (I don't see his ML time as a deterrent to his prospect status because of its nature), Corcino, Muhammad, Moscot, Hayes, Cisco, Guillon, Waldrop, Crabbe would likely be in some order after that.

Travieso, Garrett, Kivel, Arias, almost certainly missing a couple. These guys could easily vault a lot higher with their ceilings. Rachal, I like him a lot but he is only in the Pioneer league. He's in my watch and see camp. I could see him making a push to climb the list but he needs to develop some power and make a bit more contact to go with his discipline and natural eye. Not really sold altogether on his glove either. The big thing with Rachal is the dearth of any other infield prospects that excite.

[dougdirt]

I like Seth Mejias-Brean and all.... but he isn't a Top 10 guy.

[RedlegJake]

I like Seth Mejias-Brean and all.... but he isn't a Top 10 guy.

neither is Barnhart but the Reds aren't exactly flush with prospects if you look at a combination of ceiling + some success. If ALL you look at is ceiling then Garrett, Guillon, Arias and a couple others move up a lot and Rogers, Barnhart, SMB move down. A lot of the high ceiling guys like Garrett, Travieso, Arias etc have been pretty lackluster performance wise. Of course, I guess you could argue the legitimancy of whether the Reds actually have ten "top" prospects at all.

[RedTeamGo!]

I have a feeling the Travieso pick is going to haunt us for years to come. Passed on both Wacha and Seager. Ouch-town.

[M2]

Outside of Arias, I'm not sure who'll make 8-10 on Reds prospects lists. No way I'd put Corcino or Travieso in there. Contreras and Rogers. Maybe Chacin as a sleeper?

I'm also curious to see if some buzz develops around Jose Ortiz. I suspect the ratings folks will want to see him put up numbers in full-season ball, but his Billings performance at age 19 is awfully hard to ignore.

[redsof72]

I listed my top 10 at the end of the season this way and mentioned that positions 8-10 could draw many candidates:

1) Stephenson
2) Hamilton (boom or bust prospect)
3) Lorenzen
4) Winker
5) Ervin
6) Lively
7) Y. Rodriguez
8) Mejias-Brean
9) Rogers
10) Arias

I acknowledge the fact that Mejias-Brean and Rogers will not be in most top 10's other than mine. Rogers is a Lecure-type pitcher and even though Sam has outperformed most of the guys who were ahead of him on the prospect lists when he was at Rogers' stage of his development, Lecure was never the type of pitcher that was going to get ranked highly on the lists. Mejias-Brean also is not the type of player who will get a lot of attention on the lists, but in my opinion, he will make himself into a good major league player.

For now, I have Winker higher than Ervin, although I have said that we really don't know what we have with Ervin yet and won't until he goes through a full season and pitchers start working his weaknesses as a hitter. Ervin clearly has better raw tools than Winker. However, watching them both play on the same field, Winker was the better player, and considering he is two years younger, to me, that places him higher. Looking forward to seeing Ervin in 2014 to really get a fair look.

[mace]

Outside of Arias, I'm not sure who'll make 8-10 on Reds prospects lists. No way I'd put Corcino or Travieso in there. Contreras and Rogers. Maybe Chacin as a sleeper?

I'm also curious to see if some buzz develops around Jose Ortiz. I suspect the ratings folks will want to see him put up numbers in full-season ball, but his Billings performance at age 19 is awfully hard to ignore.

Agree on Ortiz. I almost mentioned him earlier but thought folks might consider it premature.

I believe that Barnhart is a pretty legitimate top 10. Great defensive skills as a catcher, and hits fairly well left-handed (.754 OPS this year, with a .380 OBP). He kind of reminds me of Cozart as a prospect. Not sexy with the bat, but not too bad, either, and very good at a premium position.

[redsof72]

I would not completely give up on Travieso yet. He did hit 96 in a few games this summer at age 19. My guess is Baseball America ranks him in that 8-10 window based on the chance that he rediscovers the consistent velocity that scouts saw just prior to the 2012 draft. I am not ready to write him off as a prospect, but agree that for a 14th overall pick, you would like to have seen more electric stuff.

[RedTeamGo!]

At this point I think a lot of people would be more surprised by him making the majors as opposed to not making the majors.

[dougdirt]

neither is Barnhart but the Reds aren't exactly flush with prospects if you look at a combination of ceiling + some success. If ALL you look at is ceiling then Garrett, Guillon, Arias and a couple others move up a lot and Rogers, Barnhart, SMB move down. A lot of the high ceiling guys like Garrett, Travieso, Arias etc have been pretty lackluster performance wise. Of course, I guess you could argue the legitimancy of whether the Reds actually have ten "top" prospects at all.

I could at least see Barnhart getting the love there. Good defense at a premium position and he can hold his own with the bat. Right now, Mejias-Brean has the defense, but his bat isn't enough right now to be a starter. He needs to tap into the power more.

[dougdirt]

Also, I think a ton of people are still really sleeping on Travieso, especially among the Reds own prospects. Aside from Stephenson, I would line him up with any other pitcher in the system and lean towards taking him. I saw him hit 97 MPH several times this year. Arms like that don't come along all that often.

There were times where he didn't sniff that velocity in a game either. He is an incredibly young arm though, younger than most other pitchers his age because of how he was used in high school. Inconsistent, but lots of upside there. I wouldn't think about having a reliever ahead of him at this point.

[redsof72]

From May 17 through the end of the season, roughly the final 75 percent of the season, Mejias-Brean led the entire league in OPS at .917. He hit .334/.407/.511 with 10 homers and 30 doubles and 62 RBI over nearly four months of a five month season.

Travieso should not be written off based on potential, not what he did in 2013. He averaged 91 and there were 15 guys with better stuff in the organization including unheralded guys like Jackson Stephens. But I agree that since he has thrown much harder, he should get the benefit of the doubt that he might get back to that form.

[lollipopcurve]

I like Guillon a lot more than Travieso. I think if he can quell his control issues, he can move pretty quickly.

[mth123]

I'll take my shot at 8-10

8. Nick Travieso
9. Junior Arias
10. Amir Garrett

[M2]

I believe that Barnhart is a pretty legitimate top 10. Great defensive skills as a catcher, and hits fairly well left-handed (.754 OPS this year, with a .380 OBP). He kind of reminds me of Cozart as a prospect. Not sexy with the bat, but not too bad, either, and very good at a premium position.

If he can keep up the OB despite not having much power, and mix that with quality defensive skills, then he'll be Ryan Hanigan 2.0. Nothing wrong with that.

[M2]

I would not completely give up on Travieso yet. He did hit 96 in a few games this summer at age 19. My guess is Baseball America ranks him in that 8-10 window based on the chance that he rediscovers the consistent velocity that scouts saw just prior to the 2012 draft. I am not ready to write him off as a prospect, but agree that for a 14th overall pick, you would like to have seen more electric stuff.

I wouldn't write him off. I just wouldn't put him in a top 10 until he shows show consistency. Right now he's hard to to project. I would assume he's back into Dayton's rotation to start next season.

[RedlegJake]

I like Barnhart a lot - just saying he isn't a high ceiling prospect that some people want in a top ten list. Sometimes I think guys like him, who are more skilled in the baseball sense than the raw athletic talent sense, get short shrift. I also think SMB has a much higher ceiling than Barnhart. A pitcher of like standing is Sharky Rogers - he can pitch. His pitching skills and ability outweigh his raw stuff - which is decent but not overwhelming. Still, his ability to just plain pitch in the best sense of the word may carry him farther than a lot of more talented arms. I wish the Reds had a half dozen more guys like them closer to AAA. Cheap solid role players and back of rotation guys.

[redsof72]

I'll take my shot at 8-10

8. Nick Travieso
9. Junior Arias
10. Amir Garrett

The Garrett situation...I guess if playing basketball is what makes him happy, great. He may look back someday and see it differently. He will not be on the field again until around the first of June. He has great potential but he is a project, a long long way to go. Hard for a guy that has not played since middle school and is only a baseball player for three months out of the year to compete with guys who are developing their games throughout the year. He will be 24 before he commits to baseball full time. You watch him pitch and you see a guy that has great potential but has no idea how to handle the mental part of the game...how to make necessary adjustments, how to maintain his emotions, how to pitch on days when he does not have his best stuff, how to repeat his delivery, how to set up a hitter. How could he know those things?

Of all guys who would benefit from instructional league, mini camp, game experience, he is the guy. But he is not getting any of that.

If he was fully committed, you are darn right he is a top 10. A team comes along and offers a kid with a great arm and body a million bucks to play, great, he will play for three months out of the year and take the million.

[dougdirt]

From May 17 through the end of the season, roughly the final 75 percent of the season, Mejias-Brean led the entire league in OPS at .917. He hit .334/.407/.511 with 10 homers and 30 doubles and 62 RBI over nearly four months of a five month season.

Travieso should not be written off based on potential, not what he did in 2013. He averaged 91 and there were 15 guys with better stuff in the organization including unheralded guys like Jackson Stephens. But I agree that since he has thrown much harder, he should get the benefit of the doubt that he might get back to that form.

SMB is a solid guy, and he has some power potential, but he hit 6 home runs over a 10 game span and then over the other 120 games of the year he hit 5. For a 22-year-old, I like to see a little more power than that before jumping on board to put a guy that high. I think everyone knows that I love big tools, even if you are just flashing them every now and again. I didn't really see that with SMB on the offensive side of the ball. I saw a bunch of solid skills that for the most part showed up every day.

With Travieso, consistency was an issue. Not too surprising given his history though. I always expected him to be a project, so perhaps it is why I like him more than a lot of people who want to look at him like most other pitchers his age.

[RedlegJake]

The Reds seem to have three really big projects on their hands in pitching - Garrett, Guillon and Travieso. All three have high ceilings. All three need a lot of development. Doug - which do you like best in terms of who you'd bet on most likely to succeed in reaching near their potential? Not necessarily right away but eventually.

[dougdirt]

The Reds seem to have three really big projects on their hands in pitching - Garrett, Guillon and Travieso. All three have high ceilings. All three need a lot of development. Doug - which do you like best in terms of who you'd bet on most likely to succeed in reaching near their potential? Not necessarily right away but eventually.

Travieso and Garrett have much bigger arms than Guillon does. I would bet the most on Travieso. He has control of his pitches. The other two really don't. With three guys who all have question marks on their resumes, give me the guy who can throw strikes with consistency.

[redsof72]

I agree that Seth is not a toolsy guy, though as I have pointed out, there is power potential. For those who have been to Dayton, you have seen the awning just left of straightaway center. There is rarely a homer hit in that area, below that awning, it is a deep part of the park. Once a season, someone hits one on top of the awning. Seth hit one, in a game, that actually cleared the awning. He needs to learn to recognize pitches he can turn on and pull and if he ever does that, he will become a 25+ homer guy.

Tools aside, his baseball skills are outstanding. He is a tough kid who is hungry to keep getting better. He is a quiet guy with an old school approach to baseball. He plays everyday and the trainer told me his pain threshold is off the charts. He was an all state quarterback in high school and excellent student. Some guys are just winners. This is one. His college coach did not offer a scholarship until the last possible minute, yet he became a starter as a freshmen and later was a key ingredient in a national title at the U of Arizona. His college coach called him the best defensive third basemen he had ever seen.

This player will not be a top 10 guy on many lists. But I saw how he came to work and to improve every day. I put my money on players who want to put in the hours to get better. You know, kind of like the guy playing first base at GABP. This kid is not a sure thing, but the organization would be better with more like him.

[mdccclxix]

I have to say do love the back story on this SMB.

[Rojo]

I think everyone knows that I love big tools, even if you are just flashing them every now and again.

Dude.

http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/article/659/659370/arrested-development-season-two-20051018022000935-000.jpg

[Superdude]

This player will not be a top 10 guy on many lists. But I saw how he came to work and to improve every day. I put my money on players who want to put in the hours to get better. You know, kind of like the guy playing first base at GABP. This kid is not a sure thing, but the organization would be better with more like him.

Seems to me it's less of a tools game than it was ten years ago. SMB plays plus defense, appears to have good contact and OB skills, and even if his power never improves, he's got plenty to be an above average third basemen provided those other skills don't disappear as he moves up. He's got a ways to go and isn't young, but the pendulum has swung to players like Mejias-Brean IMO.

[*BaseClogger*]

Seems to me it's less of a tools game than it was ten years ago.

Defense is the toolsy side of the ball isn't it? Combine that with pitchers throwing harder than ever with record amount of strikeouts and I'd say it's a toolsy era for baseball...

[redsof72]

I think the biggest thing holding him back on the prospect lists is going to be the fact that he was 22 in a low-A league and, while he played extremely well, he did not completely look like a man among boys. Baseball America and others would like to see a 22 year old in a low-A league either totally dominate, or have a degree of athleticism that screams "untapped potential," or the raw athletic ability to lead you to think that there is a whole lot more there that could eventually come out that we are not yet seeing.

Seth actually has some tools. He has an excellent arm, fields extremely well, hits for average, and has raw power that has not shown up yet in games. He just isn't super fluid in terms of movement skills. He is 6'2", 216. He is a thicker Frazier with similar athleticism.

I have said for a long time that many observers are out of touch with the standard of competition at the Low-A level. Long gone are the days when you could expect that most any player who was productive at LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, etc. would immediately come into the Midwest League and dominate. The league is now filled with players from top tier college programs drafted in the top 10 rounds who put up mediocre numbers in the Midwest League. Just look at some of the Dayton players in 2013 who put up huge numbers in 2012 at places like UCLA, South Carolina, and Florida. Other teams have similar cases.

The gap between top tier college baseball and low-A pro ball is huge at this point. I have asked why, talking to scouting directors, players, and the few pro coaches who move from the college ranks to the minors. The most common answer is that the influx of blue chip international and American high school talent into the minors (players who bypassed college) has raised the level of play. Another common thought is that the depth of pitching in the minors, with 12 guys on a staff that are highly competitive, is light years ahead of what college hitters are facing when they get at-bats against a program's eighth or ninth best pitcher, allowing them to put up bloated .300+ averages despite the fact that they do not hit nearly that well against the pitchers on those colleges staffs who will be drafted.

Point being: Mejias-Brean was 22 in a low-A league, but that is not as much of a red flag as it was 15 years ago.

[mace]

He just isn't super fluid in terms of movement skills.

Oddly, I think this might be the line I've been looking for. I was puzzled by the discussion of Mejias-Brean not being toolsy. To me, that speaks of athleticism. I seem to recall (couldn't find it) something about displays of freakish athletic ability that he put on at Arizona. Maybe it was back flips or some such. And extraordinary, if only occasional, power. He has also shown contact and defensive skills. 72 notes that he has an outstanding arm. I guess he might be lacking a bit in speed, but it seems like that's the only thing left, tools-wise. If he looks awkward in his movements, though, I suppose that could explain it. It could make him appear as though the game doesn't come to him naturally.

(Incidentally, while running through a quick search on SMB's athleticism, I found that he once bowled a 278. I'm not saying that makes him an athlete, but it might make him a good running mate for BP.)

[Superdude]

Defense is the toolsy side of the ball isn't it? Combine that with pitchers throwing harder than ever with record amount of strikeouts and I'd say it's a toolsy era for baseball...

Hit, power, speed, arm, field. I was just talking more about the general prospect use of the term, where if a guy doesn't project to have 25+ homerun power, he gets tagged as a low ceiling type. With pitching as dominant as it is, the simple act of grinding out good at bats consistently has to be valued more IMO. It doesn't take 30 homers to be a superstar in 2013.

[mdccclxix]

Looking back briefly at 22 y/o Midwest League players, some Reds pop out:

Stubbs
Heisey
Cozart
Phipps
Justin Turner
Chris Dickerson
Hannigan
Sappelt

Others include:
Scott Sizemore
Brennan Boesch
Nick Hundley
Tyler Greene
Brendan Ryan
Ian Kinsler (destroyed at 1.157 OPS)

Lot's of others of course didn't make an appearance in mlb, much less an impact.

[mdccclxix]

^^I think this list gives a pretty good target expectation for SMB. Solid regular with defensive prowess. At 3b, that is increasingly hard to find.

Did Doug say they asked him to try catcher?

[texasdave]

SMB reminds me of a player that would fit in nicely into the Cardinals lineup one day. That's good enough for me.

[redsof72]

22 in the MWL--a few others: Todd Frazier, Mitch Moreland, Jason Bay, Josh Willingham, Ryan Theriot, Lyle Overbay, and Khris Davis. David Freese and Will Venable were 23 in the MWL.

So the 2012 Reds basically could have five guys of the eight in the lineup who were 22 in the MWL with Frazier, Cozart, Hanigan, Stubbs, and sometimes Heisey. Bruce was 19 in the MWL. Votto was 19-20. Phillips was 18-19 in the SAL. Of course, the first five guys, like Mejias-Brean, were college drafts. The last three were high school picks.

Catching experiment was dropped, I believe.