Redszone 2023 Top 40 prospects Poll: #40

[podgejeff_]

And we've made it to the end, #40. Thanks for all the votes guys. Hector Rodriguez takes spot #39, and replacing him is Ricky Karcher.

01. Elly De La Cruz SS/3B AA 20
02. Noelvi Marte SS A+ 21
03. Cam Collier 3B ROK 17
04. Edwin Arroyo SS A 19
05. Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B/3B AA 22
06. Matt McLain SS AA 23
07. Chase Petty RHP A+ 19
08. Spencer Steer INF MLB 24
09. Brandon Williamson LHP AAA 24
10. Connor Phillips RHP AA 21
11. Sal Stewart 3B ROK 18
12. Andrew Abbott LHP AA 23
13. Joe Boyle RHP AA 23
14. Levi Stoudt RHP MLB 24
15. Jay Allen II OF A+ 20
16. Michael Siani OF MLB 23
17. Austin Hendrick OF A+ 21
18. Rece Hinds OF AA 22
19. Ricardo Cabrera SS ROK 18
20. Christian Roa RHP AA 23
21. Lyon Richardson RHP A+ 22
22. Carlos Jorge 2B ROK 19
23. Ariel Almonte OF ROK 19
24. Jose Acuna RHP A 20
25. Victor Acosta SS ROK 18
25. Bryce Bonnin RHP A+ 24
27. Julian Aguiar RHP A+ 21
28. Yerlin Confidan OF A 20
29. Javi Rivera RHP A+ 23
30. Tyler Callihan 2B A+ 22
30. Alex McGarry 1B AAA 24
32. Leonardo Balcazar SS ROK 18
33. Bryce Hubbart LHP A 21
34. Esmith Pineda OF DSL 18
35. Ivan Johnson 2B/SS AA 24
36. Cade Hunter C A 22
37. Steve Hajjar LHP A+ 22
38. Allan Cerda OF AA 23
39. Hector Rodriguez 2B A 18

[Bourgeois Zee]

My pick comes down to:

- Johnny Ascanio
Performed well for two seasons, particularly last year as a middle infielder for the ACL Reds. A .314/ .419/ .396/ .814 shows a kid without power, but he's super young (just 19). I'm going to give him a season or two to develop his body. Especially since he's a middle infielder. He also plays 3B.

- Carlos Sanchez
Absolutely monster .355/ .506/ .442/ .948 line that actually dropped over his last couple of weeks. Fantastic approach at the plate with more walks than Ks. Many more BBs than Ks.

- Daniel Vellojin
Big pop, low BA, lots of patience, supposed to be a good glove. That profile as a pretty solid backup catcher. He hits LH, so that's a plus. He's 23 and probably in AA-- that's not bad. Has to develop a bit. If this all he is, he's still likely going to play in the majors for a decade or more.

- Andrew Moore
Monster stuff. Old for a prospect in High A. He should move quickly. If he can capture his stuff, he's a back-end guy. If not, we won't hear from him again.

- Ricky Karcher
Basically, Andrew Moore but three years later. With possibly better control due to late-season development. He's on the 40-man roster, so he's likely to be given a shot. Visions of Antone, Diaz.

- Jose Torres
Good first partial season, good first month. Good pop, good speed. Good defense. Struggled a bit with his hit tool. Should become a pretty solid utility backup, a la Manos de Oro Juan Castro.

- Carson Spiers
UDFA who re-worked his delivery to find extra oomph, he got whalloped in AA in 2022. Maybe he can re-work himself as a relief arm/ middle relief guy? Fair peripherals.

[Mitri]

I went with Vellojin. We’ll see him as a backup in 2024, but I could see him being more than that if everything clicks. He’s having a nice winter and hopefully that’s what his bat looks like when healthy.

Thanks for taking this on, podgejeff!

[bah1286]

I’ve been going with young guys who have the potential to do absolutely nothing but the potential to still also be a star. Sanchez still has that.

[HokieRed]

Went with Ricky Karcher just to throw a not much discussed name into the mix. Really about ten guys you could make a reasonable case for. One thing to like about Karcher is that he's only given up 4 HRs in his last 84 innings of minor league work over two seasons. That ought to get him a shot in GABP. Thanks again podgejeff for doing this. It's always something good to look for in the winter.