Fangraphs 2020 top 100 Prospects

[Mitri]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2020-top-100-prospects/

73. Tyler Stephenson
77. Hunter Greene
82. Jose Garcia
92. Nick Lodolo

Lodolo seems low. No India isn't all that surprising, but that's quite a hit. He probably deserves to be in the 100-120 convo.

Former Reds farmhands:

47. Jeter Downs
67. Josiah Gray
69. Taylor Trammell

[Benihana]

Way too Lowdolo

[Bourgeois Zee]

Lodolo seems low. No India isn't all that surprising, but that's quite a hit. He probably deserves to be in the 100-120 convo.


I think it's interesting that it's purely personal. He writes that he doesn't like Lodolo as a prospect, but others in the game do.

I suspect he'll move up as the year moves on. Lodolo has the stuff and know-how to move multiple levels, and A+ will hide many flaws if he does happen to struggle.

[BillDoran]

The beloved Keith Law posted his top 100 (link (https://theathletic.com/1627163/2020/02/24/keith-laws-top-100-prospects-for-2020/)):

30. Hunter Greene
78. Nick Lodolo (calls him "boring good")
93. Jose Garcia


43. Taylor Trammell
63. Josiah Gray
70. Jeter Downs

[Griffey012]

The beloved Keith Law posted his top 100 (link (https://theathletic.com/1627163/2020/02/24/keith-laws-top-100-prospects-for-2020/)):

30. Hunter Greene
78. Nick Lodolo (calls him "boring good")
93. Jose Garcia


43. Taylor Trammell
63. Josiah Gray
70. Jeter Downs

That list atrocious. Man, Keith Law is really mailing it in since joing the Athletic.

[Benihana]

That list atrocious. Man, Keith Law is really mailing it in since joing the Athletic.

Haven’t seen the whole list, but to me that’s not too crazy, I’d flip Lodolo and Trammell probably.

Greene at 30 and Garcia at 93 isn’t insane IMO.

[Griffey012]

Haven’t seen the whole list, but to me that’s not too crazy, I’d flip Lodolo and Trammell probably.

Greene at 30 and Garcia at 93 isn’t insane IMO.

I was referring to the top 100 in its entirety. No real qualms about the Reds player rankings. But he has quite a few pretty odd ranks that don't make much sense to me.

[BillDoran]

Kiley McDaniel's top 100 (https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/28820713/kiley-mcdaniel-top-100-prospects-2020) (apologies if this has been posted elsewhere, it came out on March 4)

78. Tyler Stephenson
85. Jose Garcia
89. Hunter Greene
90. Nick Lodolo
94. Jonathan India

46. Josiah Gray
50. Jeter Downs
75. Taylor Trammell

[Cooper]

Re McDaniel's ratings -- i don't see Jonathan India being in the top 100. If you combine his Fall League stats with his in season stats --i think you get a slash line of 243/329/393. I read he may have a sore shoulder which would decrease the power numbers. He's really had a good senior year and that's kind of it wrt hitting. His defense at 3rd is not real good -a 23 error to 11 DP is kinda rough - i've read reports that he's looks smooth, but those are not good numbers. Shoulders are hard to diagnose and it may take some time - my fear is an Austin Kearns kind of injury.

[BillDoran]

Re McDaniel's ratings -- i don't see Jonathan India being in the top 100. If you combine his Fall League stats with his in season stats --i think you get a slash line of 243/329/393. I read he may have a sore shoulder which would decrease the power numbers. He's really had a good senior year and that's kind of it wrt hitting. His defense at 3rd is not real good -a 23 error to 11 DP is kinda rough - i've read reports that he's looks smooth, but those are not good numbers. Shoulders are hard to diagnose and it may take some time - my fear is an Austin Kearns kind of injury.

I'm with you. India has hardly set the world on fire, but his wRC+ numbers have been consistently (and increasingly) good:


2018 - Dayton - 114
2019 - Daytona - 125
2019 - Chattanooga - 138

Those aren't gigantic numbers but certainly respectable. It's at least one reason for optimism.

[Bourgeois Zee]

India has hardly set the world on fire, but his wRC+ numbers have been consistently (and increasingly) good:


2018 - Dayton - 114
2019 - Daytona - 125
2019 - Chattanooga - 138

Those aren't gigantic numbers but certainly respectable. It's at least one reason for optimism.

This is where I'm at. A 130 wRC+ number is top-notch.

How he did that is problematic to me.

Lots and lots of walks. Not much of a BA. A little power.

India needs to be either a slugger or a high BA guy while in the minors. (Preferably, he's both.)

We may better see what the future holds in AA this season. If we get to see anything at all.

Man, this would be the time to re-set a swing, wouldn't it? You'd have just about anyone who wanted to work with you available. The weather would be relatively nice. You'll have lots of time to work on it. It's also as good a time as ever to be rehabbing or resting from injury. Silver linings amongst the clouds, I guess.

[BillDoran]

This is where I'm at. A 130 wRC+ number is top-notch.

How he did that is problematic to me.

Lots and lots of walks. Not much of a BA. A little power.

India needs to be either a slugger or a high BA guy while in the minors. (Preferably, he's both.)

We may better see what the future holds in AA this season. If we get to see anything at all.

Man, this would be the time to re-set a swing, wouldn't it? You'd have just about anyone who wanted to work with you available. The weather would be relatively nice. You'll have lots of time to work on it. It's also as good a time as ever to be rehabbing or resting from injury. Silver linings amongst the clouds, I guess.

All wRC+ are not created equal, and you're right, in the minors, I want more hitting prowess.

If anything, I think the consensus on India has overcorrected this offseason. He's not blowing people away, but it's not like he's falling on his face either. In fact, the numbers, as evidenced by the wRC+, are pretty good. When the complaint is he's walking too much, it's nitpicking. That said, the player drafted at No. 5, the player that was driving the ball all over the yard, has hardly materialized either. I think he's been undervalued in 2020 prospect lists and think he's a prime candidate for a breakout. Even if he doesn't pop this season, the floor still appears to be Alex Blandino-ish. If the pieces do come together, there's a lofty ceiling with that bat.

[M2]

When the complaint is he's walking too much, it's nitpicking.

The complaint isn't that he's walking too much. Every walk he draws deserves an attaboy. The complaint is he's not doing enough when he's not walking.

There's also the matter of the Reds having nowhere for him to play, but that's more about why he'll be traded eventually than whether he's going to be any good.

[reds77]

So India isn't basically a prospect anymore?

[Cooper]

he appears to have been picked too high.

[BobRoberts]

he appears to have been picked too high.

Yeah, he's not producing well given his age/draft postion. He could turn the corner or just be another Reds first round bust...

[BillDoran]

It's wild how quickly opinion swings on players.

Last season, in a 145 AA PA, India slashed .270/.414/.378; good for a 138 wRC+. He did this while playing 3B and was nearly two years under league average age.

Again, plenty of room to nitpick India and his performance, but it's baffling to me that this is the time people start jumping off the bandwagon. Last season (AFL appearance aside) was his best statistical year in the minors. Are the pessimistic folks taking their cues solely from the prospect lists?

I don't love him as a prospect, but there's still a relatively high floor and given his college performance some hope that his bat has some magic in it yet.

[dougdirt]

It's wild how quickly opinion swings on players.

Last season, in a 145 AA PA, India slashed .270/.414/.378; good for a 138 wRC+. He did this while playing 3B and was nearly two years under league average age.

Again, plenty of room to nitpick India and his performance, but it's baffling to me that this is the time people start jumping off the bandwagon. Last season (AFL appearance aside) was his best statistical year in the minors. Are the pessimistic folks taking their cues solely from the prospect lists?

I don't love him as a prospect, but there's still a relatively high floor and given his college performance some hope that his bat has some magic in it yet.

The prospect lists are higher on him than a lot of people. He was one of the final cuts from the Baseball America list. He made the top 100 list for ESPN. I think a lot of people are down on him further than those would suggest.

I've gotten plenty of mixed reports on him. And I get both sides of that coin, too. You can definitely see all of the right things if you look for them. But you can also really see some of the warts, too. I keep coming back to this, though: He gets the strikezone but he doesn't do damage. And for me, that's a concern. Is it because he dealt with some things, health wise, throughout the year? It very well could be. But it still leaves the concern.

[BobRoberts]

I've gotten plenty of mixed reports on him. And I get both sides of that coin, too. You can definitely see all of the right things if you look for them. But you can also really see some of the warts, too. I keep coming back to this, though: He gets the strikezone but he doesn't do damage. And for me, that's a concern. Is it because he dealt with some things, health wise, throughout the year? It very well could be. But it still leaves the concern.

There lies the problem. Unlike the NFL/NBA where teams know what they're getting when they draft a player, baseball is akin to buying a lottery ticket.

[dougdirt]

There lies the problem. Unlike the NFL/NBA where teams know what they're getting when they draft a player, baseball is akin to buying a lottery ticket.

The MLB draft is certainly far more risky than the NFL or NBA drafts - but it's probably a stretch to say they now what they're getting when they draft a player. Lots of guys have gone #1, #2, #3 overall in those drafts and become absolute flops. Looking at you, 2006 NBA draft that saw this as the top 5:
Andrea Bargnani
LaMarcus Aldridge (NAILED IT)
Adam Morrison
Tyrus Thomas
Sheldon Williams

Or looking at you, Oakland Raiders taking JaMarcus Russell over Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, and Adrian Peterson.