Who is Redszone's #13 prospect?

[camisadelgolf]

#1 C Devin Mesoraco
#2 1B/OF Yonder Alonso
#3 C Yasmani Grandal
#4 SS Billy Hamilton
#5 SS Zack Cozart
#6 RHP Dan Corcino
#7 RHP Robert Stephenson
#8 RHP Brad Boxberger
#9 1B Neftali Soto
#10 OF Yorman Rodriguez
#11 2B Ron Torreyes
#12 OF Dave Sappelt

[Ohayou]

Frazier is probably going to win this one, but I'm going with Gregorius.

[dougdirt]

Didi Gregorius. He is the most athletic player on the board, by far. He has good tools. He has plus speed. He has above average defensive capabilities. He hardly strikes out. Just a lot to like out of a shortstop.

[Kc61]

I've got Frazier here. At 14 and 15, I'll decide between Gregorius and Henry Rodriguez.

Based on his minor league numbers, I'm just not sure Didi will hit in the major leagues. Lifetime OPS below .700. So I have him slightly lower than this.

[HokieRed]

I went with Gregorius, though it's hard to pick against Frazier since the latter is clearly going to have a major league career of some kind. I'm wondering if anybody besides me would like to see J.C. Sulbaran added to the list. I don't have him next on my own list, but I do have him ahead of a half dozen of the guys on the board. Last year's ERA was not impressive--4.60--but the peripherals are very interesting 150 K in 137 innings, only 50 W's, and only 10HR's, in Bakersfield. Not bad for a 21 year old in High A ball.

[dougdirt]

I went with Gregorius, though it's hard to pick against Frazier since the latter is clearly going to have a major league career of some kind. I'm wondering if anybody besides me would like to see J.C. Sulbaran added to the list. I don't have him next on my own list, but I do have him ahead of a half dozen of the guys on the board. Last year's ERA was not impressive--4.60--but the peripherals are very interesting 150 K in 137 innings, only 50 W's, and only 10HR's, in Bakersfield. Not bad for a 21 year old in High A ball.
Sulbaran is in my Top 20 as well.

[dougdirt]

Based on his minor league numbers, I'm just not sure Didi will hit in the major leagues. Lifetime OPS below .700. So I have him slightly lower than this.

His lifetime OPS means nothing. For starters, its buried by a sub .400 OPS at age 18 in the GCL. Everywhere he has played half of a season or more, its been over .700. Now, it hasn't been all that higher than .700 either, but he has always been young for the league he has been in and he has tools. He hit .303/.333/.457 in Bakersfield this year as a 21 year old toolsy shortstop with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts. He then went to AA and his power dropped off some (expected, since the Cal League is very hitter friendly), but he walked more often and struck out a little more (though still only 15% of the time).

Offensively, he is essentially what I think that people hope Billy Hamilton can become, except Gregorius has a lot more power potential in his bat than Hamilton does. And he won't have 100 steals. Hamilton was the systems #4 prospect here and the difference between the two isn't all that much IMO.

[The DARK]

His lifetime OPS means nothing. For starters, its buried by a sub .400 OPS at age 18 in the GCL. Everywhere he has played half of a season or more, its been over .700. Now, it hasn't been all that higher than .700 either, but he has always been young for the league he has been in and he has tools. He hit .303/.333/.457 in Bakersfield this year as a 21 year old toolsy shortstop with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts. He then went to AA and his power dropped off some (expected, since the Cal League is very hitter friendly), but he walked more often and struck out a little more (though still only 15% of the time).

Offensively, he is essentially what I think that people hope Billy Hamilton can become, except Gregorius has a lot more power potential in his bat than Hamilton does. And he won't have 100 steals. Hamilton was the systems #4 prospect here and the difference between the two isn't all that much IMO.

Thanks for the analysis. I really like him, and I'm glad that he's getting attention, but for someone as toolsy as he is, his upside seems a bit limited. .790 OPS as a shortstop in the Cal League isn't bad by any means, but it's not particularly impressive. Given his speed, he's not a particularly good stealer either (11 out of 21 on the year). I like his game, and he'll be next on the list for me, but I've got Cingrani ahead of him for now.

[REDblooded]

His lifetime OPS means nothing. For starters, its buried by a sub .400 OPS at age 18 in the GCL. Everywhere he has played half of a season or more, its been over .700. Now, it hasn't been all that higher than .700 either, but he has always been young for the league he has been in and he has tools. He hit .303/.333/.457 in Bakersfield this year as a 21 year old toolsy shortstop with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts. He then went to AA and his power dropped off some (expected, since the Cal League is very hitter friendly), but he walked more often and struck out a little more (though still only 15% of the time).

Offensively, he is essentially what I think that people hope Billy Hamilton can become, except Gregorius has a lot more power potential in his bat than Hamilton does. And he won't have 100 steals. Hamilton was the systems #4 prospect here and the difference between the two isn't all that much IMO.


Previously you mentioned that you had Rosa pretty high. Did the BA rankings sway you a bit towards Didi?

Just curious. I'm torn between the two here (with HRod and Frazier right in the picture)

[dougdirt]

Thanks for the analysis. I really like him, and I'm glad that he's getting attention, but for someone as toolsy as he is, his upside seems a bit limited. .790 OPS as a shortstop in the Cal League isn't bad by any means, but it's not particularly impressive. Given his speed, he's not a particularly good stealer either (11 out of 21 on the year). I like his game, and he'll be next on the list for me, but I've got Cingrani ahead of him for now.

His upside is probably that of a close to gold glove type defender who can hit you .280 with 10-15 HRs at the shortstop position.

I have Cingrani at 19. I just want to see another pitch from him before I go all in on his bandwagon. If he can't find that third pitch, he is a reliever, and while a good one, isn't going to crack the Top 10-15 for me because of it (I had Boxberger at #15 this year).

[dougdirt]

Previously you mentioned that you had Rosa pretty high. Did the BA rankings sway you a bit towards Didi?

Just curious. I'm torn between the two here (with HRod and Frazier right in the picture)

No. My rankings were out well before BA's were. I had Didi at #12 (http://redsminorleagues.com/2011/11/02/redsminorleagues-com-2012-top-prospects-list-11-15/).

I don't let someone's rankings reflect my rankings.

[REDblooded]

Ahhhh.. I misunderstood your post from Vote 8 which I just bumped (yours is the 2nd to last post) on where you had Rosa in comparison to the guys I'd mentioned... Didn't realize that you said you had him just before Boxberger...

Definitely wasn't calling you out, so don't take it that way...

[mth123]

This is tough for me. At one point I had Frazier here (actually at 12 with Y-Rod at 14), but guys who can stick at SS at the major league level get a lot of respect on my list as well. When I see what some of these marginal middle IF types are going for this year it has me wondering. I also like H-Rod and a few others, but I'm sticking with Frazier based on the fact I think he can be a good role player on a good team right now and I'm not sure I can say that about anyone left on the board.

[mth123]

I know this list is getting crowded, but Daniel Renken and David Vidal are both in my top 20. I'd appreciate it if you can add them if not next round, the round after.

[The DARK]

His upside is probably that of a close to gold glove type defender who can hit you .280 with 10-15 HRs at the shortstop position.


Gold glove-type? Hmm, that's mighty high praise at one of the most important defensive positions around. Didn't know he had that kind of potential, but maybe I'm just underestimating his tools, since his production's been fairly consistent.

Out of curiosity, where do you have Lotzkar? His arm of glass showing up again is gonna bring him down, but I liked the season he had towards the end.

[dougdirt]

Gold glove-type? Hmm, that's mighty high praise at one of the most important defensive positions around. Didn't know he had that kind of potential, but maybe I'm just underestimating his tools, since his production's been fairly consistent.

Out of curiosity, where do you have Lotzkar? His arm of glass showing up again is gonna bring him down, but I liked the season he had towards the end.

Gregorius has above average range, a very strong arm and good hands to go with outstanding athleticism. Put it all together and its the potential for a very good defensive player.

With Lotzkar, I have him at #17. Very good stuff and if he had anything resembling a healthy track record, he would be much higher. His improved mechanics are 10x better than what he was using before and should help him remain healthy. The day he was drafted and I saw his mechanics he was using, I was actually scared for him.

[corkedbat]

I know this list is getting crowded, but Daniel Renken and David Vidal are both in my top 20. I'd appreciate it if you can add them if not next round, the round after.

Not that I'm ready to vote for either this high, but I was just about to say that Vidal and Sean Buckley should at least start showing up on the list. Renken is another.

[Orenda]

Not that I'm ready to vote for either this high, but I was just about to say that Vidal and Sean Buckley should at least start showing up on the list. Renken is another.


:tangent warning: nice to see buckley have a strong year...

both for him and his dad. that guy has been awesome... or maybe it was just that bad before him? for a team like the Reds, i think their scouts and minor league people contribute more to eventual big league win totals than a much highep paid ML manager

[The DARK]

Let's not forget about Ryan Wright either. He looked like a steal at pick #5, and came on strong after a slow start. Looks like an upgraded Valaika.

[dougdirt]

Let's not forget about Ryan Wright either. He looked like a steal at pick #5, and came on strong after a slow start. Looks like an upgraded Valaika.

I am not sure I am willing to go that far just yet. Valaika, at the same point in their careers, was probably a better player and prospect. He put up stronger numbers at Billings at 20 than Wright did at 21.

[kaldaniels]

I asked the same question for the most part last year, but for all intended purposes, should we write Juan Duran off?

[dougdirt]

I asked the same question for the most part last year, but for all intended purposes, should we write Juan Duran off?

No.

He is very far from being it, but his upside is essentially Adam Dunn. Duran still has a lot to work on with his game though.

[The DARK]

I asked the same question for the most part last year, but for all intended purposes, should we write Juan Duran off?

Not at all. He took some steps forward this year, and while he still is extremely raw and has a long way to go, he's still rather young as well. I'd give him as many chances as Yorman has gotten thus far.