Originally Posted by
Bourgeois Zee
So far:
AAA
The Good: Graduates to the MLB team include McLain (who's killing it), Williamson, Abbott, Hopkins, and a host of relief arms. Bats are on their way to a winning season-- assuming they can continue their recent dominance. EDLC and CES are two of the best offensive players in the league. EDLC has shown prodigious tools-- consensus is that no prospect in the game is as equally talented across all five tools. They are an offensive force-- and that's with several players who haven't put it together yet. There's still more in the tank, believe it or not. Chuckie Robinson and Pareda are knocking the stuffing out of the ball as a catching tandem. McLain and Hopkins were dominant. Reynolds has an OPS over 900. Lots and lots of offensive punch.
The Bad: Starting pitching has been decimated by call-ups. Bats have had to resort to several free agents from independent leagues-- with the results you might imagine. Ditto the 'pen. Serious struggles nearly across the board to just throw strikes. Siani is showing power, but a 30 hit tool.
AA
The Good: Two Lookouts have already made the show-- Salazar and Abbott. Noelvi Marte has established himself as a legitimate power and MOP candidate in AA. He's among the better prospects in the league. The tacky ball has led to underwhelming numbers across the board, but they might be hiding his breakout. He's showing power, speed, a good hit tool, and a penchant for coming through in the clutch-- best of all, he's only 21. The pitching has upside galore. Phillips, Boyle, Roa, and Richardson have all had moments of dominance-- they're inconsistent, but can be eye-popping. Each looks like a major league contributor at this point. Phillips and Richardson have taken big steps forward in their development and now look like they could be starters long-term.
The Bad: Nearly all of the no-hit, big-bat brigade has been woeful. They K in bunches and all the tools they've got can't get them to first base. That particular experiment looks doomed at the moment. Hinds, Cerda, and company have been horrid. McAfee is coming back to earth, and no one aside from Marte profiles to do anything interesting. The offensive side of the ball is putrid-- perhaps the worst I've seen a team. Yet, they're over .500.
High A
The Good: The pitching staff looks legitimately interesting. At least five starters could be considered as call-ups to AA if/when they get bumped to Louisville. Acuna's taken that next step-- he's a top 10 prospect. Chase Petty, in limited innings, is even better this season than last-- and he was very good last year. Ruben Ibarra is showing enough that he might be interesting-- he fluctuates between an 850 and a 925 OPS bat when healthy. (I'd like to see him get into premium shape-- just to see what might happen.) Arroyo is showing some signs of busting out of his season-long slump.
The Bad: Injuries have prevented the Dragons from being better. Jay Allen's early-season injury has apparently been really bad. Austin Hendrick is one of the Big K Klub-- still waiting on him to get on-track. Arroyo, as mentioned, has struggled. Is he still a top 100 prospect? Not at this juncture, IMO. (Still just 19.) Very little offense here. With a middling offense, they'd be in the running for the pennant.
Low A
The Good: Big-time offensive production from a variety of very young hitters. Jorge is still showing out-- looks like a top 10 guy. Power, speed, and a hit tool while playing middle infield? Yes, please. So was Balcazar before injury. Hector Rodriguez is showing both power and a solid hit tool. As a CF. Collier and Stewart have been less dominant, but still shown flashes. Looks like both might be able to stick at the hot corner-- or perhaps move to RF. Cade Hunter, LH-hitting catcher/ OF, has gotten hot and looks good right now. Chris McElvain is showing something-- he's promising, but a little old.
The Bad: Ariel Almonte has taken a step back. Yerlin Confidan hasn't set the world on fire either. The pitching has been pretty bad, outside of McElvain and a couple relievers. With a roster this young, there's lots and lots of highs and lows-- consistency of a roller coaster. 9 games below .500 is not where they ought to be, based on offensive stats. They're the anti-Lookouts.
DSL and ACL teams begin today.
Looking forward to seeing Alfredo Duno, Carlos Sanchez, whom scouts have raved about in The Athletic, Esmith Pineda, and Ricardo Cabrera as offensive players and Jose Montero as a SP candidate.
At this point, a top 10 list. No Hopkins, Steer, McLain, Abbott, or Williamson-- they've all gotten the call:
1. EDLC
One of, if not the very top prospect in the game right now. Ridiculous highlight, jaw-dropping plays nearly every night.
2. Noelvi Marte
Looks like he's settling in at 3B now. Might see him moved up if EDLC is. AAA as a 21-year-old is a top 25 prospect in the game, fwiw.
3. CES
Don't @ me. Look at his numbers-- they're Pujolsian. I don't care what the experts say-- I believe in that bat.
4. Edwin Arroyo
His first month was really, really bad. His last month? .289/ .330/ .489/ .819. That'll play, for sure. Especially as a 19-year-old in High A.
5. Cam Collier
On the struggle bus in Daytona, but he's only 18. Youngest player in the league gets some leeway. For now.
6. Chase Petty
With Abbott's graduation, he's the top pitcher on the list. Petty's barely 20 and dominating High A. He needs innings, but the future looks bright.
7. Jose Acuna
Another Dragon, he's among the league leaders across the board. Another precociously young guy who's dominating when he should be struggling.
8. Connor Phillips
Cut his BB rate by 1 per nine and has upped his K rate to a ridiculous 15.8.
9. Carlos Jorge
In a bit of a funk right now, but still OPSing nearly 900 as a 19-year-old in the FSL.
10. Julian Aguiar
2.03 ERA as a starter in Dayton, he's the 3rd Dragon starter on this list. Lots of intriguing arms in mid-state Ohio.
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