New York Yankees top 50 prospects

[jacksonianmarch]

Now, as you all know, I do have a knack for the minor leagues. I am not a scout, although I do know a few and played for a couple (who I still keep in touch with). But I mostly scour the internet for information and watch as many MiLB games as I can to try and see how good a certain player actually is. A lot of times, I am going off of scouting reports from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and Scout.com. I will say that these sites offer differing viewpoints at times and some of these sites differ in how strong they cover each team. Scout.com for instance, is an entity that hires out "beat writers" to cover each team. Some of their teams have no beat writers and are uncovered. Those are typically the sites that are floundering (jsinger's free content has rendered the red sox coverage useless). But for Yankee prospects, it really is the place to be (and Lane Meyer just jumped ship from nomaas to go to scout.com as well.

 

BA hasnt put out their list yet. BP hasnt put theirs out yet. But scout.com has, and BP is typically the least reliable of the three. So, here is my list, my top 50. They will come out in groups of 5. Feel free to bicker all you want, here goes

 

 

1. Jesus Montero, catcher, 19 yrs old Combined A+ and AA line- .337/.389/.562- Montero finished the yr as the #3 prospect in all of baseball. And he deserved it. He only appeared in 92 games thanks to a finger fracture, but he made it count. Not only did he have a .951OPS, but he hit 17 homers in those 92 games as a 19 yr old in A+ and AA. He also had close to as many extra base hits (43) as strikeouts (47).

Strengths His offensive prowess is difficult to underestimate. He has light tower power. He has a good sense of the strike zone. He makes hard contact. He hits for average, etc, etc, etc. And he's very, very young.

Weaknesses He has two. He runs like a lumbering Molina and he is a weak catcher at present. His arm is strong, but his mechanics are a mess and he isnt as quick as we expect most catchers to be

Ceiling His offensive ceiling is in the Miguel Cabrera/Pujols/whomever you want to throw in there. He is that good at a really young age.

Projection I see Montero as a below average catcher in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint, meaning that he will spend a lot of his time as a DH. He has the hands to play 1b, but his speed will severely limit his ability to play in the OF and in this organization, 1b is not a need. I project him to have all-star caliber offensive seasons as he is a very rare offensive talent. The question is, will he ever get to wear a glove.

ETA Midseason callup 2010 as a DH

 

 

2. Austin Romine, catcher, 20 yrs old A+ line .276/.322/.441. Romine will be cracking a lot of top 50 lists this upcoming year after his solid performance in the FSL. Remember, for those who see a mid .700s OPS, that the FSL is a notorious pitchers league. Romine was 8th in the league in HRs (13) and 4th in the league in RBIs (72). His overall total package won him the FSL MVP honors.

Strengths He has good power, not great, but is a very solid line drive hitter who is capable of being a 20+HR guy in the big leagues. He is also a very sound defensive catcher. He has a great arm and near perfect mechanics. Most scouts think he can catch right now in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint. He also has good speed for a catcher, swiping 11 bags this past yr and legging out 3 triples. And, he is a well respected leader amongst his teammates and other managers in the league. He is an all around player.

Weaknesses He is not patient enough at this juncture. His IsoPatience has sat in the .040-.050 range for 2 yrs now. The hope is that he will learn that as he ages, but he really doesnt seem to like to get into deep counts.

Ceiling I know most sox fans will think I will put Mauer on here, but cmon now. But I think a Russell Martin a la 2007 is a good ceiling. 20 homer power, 20 SB potential with solid defense and a good average.

Projection He is a player who I think is very close to his ceiling in a lot of ways. His offensive approach needs to add just a bit more patience, but his power is there and he should add to that as he fills out. His defense right now is good enough to be a top defender in the AL, so he doesnt need to fill out there. The biggest thing he needs is to gain experience and it seems NY is content to go yr to yr with him.

ETA 2012 Starting Catcher

 

3. Manuel Banuelos, LHP, 18 yrs old A ball line- 9-5 2.64ERA 109IP 1.07WHIP 8.8K/9IP 3.7K/BB. Banuelos will also be cracking a lot of top 50 lists in the upcoming months. He was one of the youngest players in the SAL this yr and he dominated. So much so that he was invited to the futures game. He is a small guy (5'10") but he packs a punch as well as 3 plus pitches. His FB went from topping out in the low 90s to topping out at 96mph this yr. His curveball came a long way and his changeup remained plus. He only walked 28 batters in 108IP, showing that his command is very advanced for his age.

Strengths He's left handed, was 18 for the entire yr in long season, tops out at 96mph, has advanced command, and has three plus pitches. He is everything you could ask for out of a young pitcher.

Weaknesses Not many. His curveball can be inconsistent at times, which gets him in trouble. And his frame could scare some people from considering him a potential starter. Other than that, experience is his only real deterrent.

Ceiling With his stuff and his command, his ceiling is as a #1 starter.

Projection With his frame, it is difficult to see him maintaining that velocity, but I do see him in the front of a rotation. I think he profiles well as a future #2 starter. We havent had a pitching prospect this advanced in the art of pitching since Hughes prior to his injury bug.

ETA 2012. They have been pretty cautious with him to this point, I do think he takes all of 2010 to navigate A+ and then splits 2011 between AA and AAA. I expect him to be in the bigs either in the rotation or the pen come 2012.

 

4. Austin Jackson, OFer, 22yrs old AAA line- .300/.354/.405 24SBs. Austin has been labelled as the Yankees CF of the future for quite some time now and he has delivered. Albeit in 2009, he delivered a bit differently than some had hoped. He improved his BA and his baserunner had improved significantly. But his power has been lacking as evidenced by the 4 homers. He's still young and he is still pretty skinny, so the hope is that he fills out a little and stays in AAA for another yr to get ready for ascencion into the CF pantheon in 2011.

Strengths He is a true 5 tool player. He has power, although he decided not to show it this yr. He has great line drive skills, he has a very good glove and runs great routes. He is quick and he has a solid arm.

Weaknesses He has yet to put a season together where he has showcased all 5 tools. Also, he strikes out WAY too much and a lot of the people in the know think he will eventually be better suited for the COF rather than CF.

Ceiling I think he has the ceiling of a true blue 5 star CFer a la Adam Jones. I am talking .300 hitter, 20+ homers, 30+ steals and a highlight reel in the OF

Projection He is an incredibly difficult guy to predict. He could end up as a perennial All-Star CFer or he could be wildly inconsistent and be a 4th OFer. I think he fits somewhere inbetween. He has a few All-Star caliber yrs mixed in with mediocre ones. Maybe like a Mike Cameron, especially with the K's.

 

5. Zach McAllister, RHP, 21 yrs old AA line- 7-5 2.23ERA 121IP 2.23ERA 1.08WHIP 7.1K/9IP 2.91K/BB. McAllister is a future version of the past version of Chien Ming Wang. McAllister makes his hay with his 2 seamer. He had monkeyed around with a 4 seamer, but believe it or not, there was no velocity difference. He sits comfortably in the low to mid 90s and throws the sinker 80% of the time or so. McAllister does have a plus changeup, but he has an average at best slider and thats about it. He doesnt strike a ton of guys out, but he gets a lot of weak hacks, a lot of grounder, and looks like he is a future bulldog in the rotation

Strengths Young, big frame who has only had one DL stint in his 3 yrs of long season ball. He throws hard and has one plus off speed offering

Weakness Not a strikeout pitcher and likely never will be. Will make his hay on contact.

Ceiling I think his ceiling is as a horse in the #2-#3 mold. He's a big strong kid who can throw that sinker in there and know it wont be hit out of the park. He has very good command of his repertoire as well, which makes his ceiling and his projection rather similar

Projection I think he can go two ways. Some people see him in the Scott Shields role. A sinkerballer who can be a bullpen ace if you will and can eat multiple innings if needed. And others think he could easily slot into the middle of a rotation. I think with his arm, his size and his sinker-change combo, he will be a mid-rotation starter in the future

ETA He'll get a callup in 2010 if just for a cup of tea. He's in the swing role in the pen for 2011 and might be in the rotation for some team come 2012.

[jacksonianmarch]

Also, the ages I am using are the ages that they spent the majority of their 2009 season at

 

6. D.J Mitchell, RHP, 22yrs old Combined A/A+ line- 12-7 2.63ERA 140.1IP 2.63ERA 1.19WHIP 8.0K/9IP 2.8K/BB. This is a debatable spot since there are a lot of players who fit into the 6-10 range. Mitchell is a short framed sinkerballer who has a lot more to him than just the sinker. He was drafted in the 10th round of 2008 but signed too late to play, so this yr was his professional debut and boy was it nice. He started off by absolutely dominating A ball, so he was promoted to the FSL where he continued his dominance. He features a low 90s 2 seamer that is considered to be a VERY heavy ball as evidenced by the 2 homers he allowed ALL season and the ridiculous 2.89GO/AO ratio. But as his K rate would attest, he is more than just a sinkerballer. He mixes in a plus potential curveball and a changeup that is improving.

Strengths He's durable, he throws an above average velocity FB, he has a deep arsenal, and he doesnt allow homeruns.

Weaknesses While he does strike out his fair share, his jump to the FSL showed some trends that will limit his ceiling. While he did improve his GO/AO (3.13 in the FSL), his K rate dropped to right around 7.

Ceiling If he keeps his strikeout form and gets that changeup to plus, he could be a #2 starter or a mid-level closer/top notch setup man.

Projection I think we can see the way that NY is grooming this kid. As his level rises, his K rate drops and his GB% rises. I think he ends up as a setup man mostly because thats where teams like to put smallish players without lights out arsenals, but he could be a middle of the rotation sinkerballer.

ETA 2011- He's a college player and he has already jumped a level. My guess is that he spends the next yr and a half mastering AA and AAA and finds his way into the yankee pen for 2011 and maybe starting thereafter.

 

7. Slade Heathcott, OF, 18yrs old Negligible experience in 2010. Slade is the Yankees #1 pick in the 2009 draft, and boy was he considered to be a good one. He's a 6'1" tank of a player capable of playing a lights out CF or throwing mid 90s cheese off the mound from the left hand side. The only thing I have for anyone is scouting reports since there isnt much game data to go off of.

Strengths The prototypical 5 star draftee, although he is more advanced than most are at his age. Has very good power for someone his size, capable of hitting the ball to all fields. He has great range in the OF and a very powerful arm. His SR prior to the draft demonstrated an advanced approach to the dish as well

Weaknesses 2 come to mind. The first is experience. He is a highly touted draftee in a franchise that puts more pressure on you than anyone else. He's already cracking top 10s and will be followed by most yankee fans. So the pressure is gonna be tough. Also, there are some personal issues that need to be raised. Apparently, his family is broken and in jail, but nothing has come up with Slade thus far

Ceiling From the SR's, the sky is the limit. Sounds like a Grady Sizemore type, but we dont have any data to back that up aside from the draftee SR's and he has a LONG way to go.

Projection too early to tell

ETA too early to tell. He is slated for Charleston if all goes well in ST and how he does there will go a long way to granting an ETA for him

 

8. Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, 18yrs old NYP stats- 2-4 2.13ERA 42.1IP 1.16WHIP 11.1K/9IP, 3.5K/BB. Arodys is a beast at a very young age. He doesnt have a very big frame at all, standing at just 6 feet tall, but he has an arm on him. He was sitting 94-96mph while hitting 98mph late in the NYP league season while also showing a very good curveball and an improving change. The only issue with him is if he can stay healthy, which he couldnt for the whole NYP short season league. He went down with a back injury that they say is now fully healed

Strengths Throws very hard for an 18yr old and has a plus curveball already. He also has good command at a young age

Weaknesses His changeup will be the limiting factor in his role, either relief or starting. He's made strides, but it needs to be a lot better to get him away from a reliever's life. Also, his size and his injury history have a lot of people skeptical

Ceiling If his changeup even gets to the MLB average range, then he could be an ace. In the pen, he'd be a future closer

Projection There is a very good reason why prospect gurus use the term TINSTAAP (there is no such thing as a pitching prospect). Because of guys like this. He has all the goods. But he has such a long way to go and he has some warning signs (core body injury history, not the cleanest motion, small frame and lots of power) that make you be conservative. I think its likely that he suffers an injury that limits his potential.

ETA Assuming everything goes swimmingly, he'll be in the bigs for good come 2013

 

9. Andrew Brackman, RHP, 23yrs old- A ball line- 2-12 5.91ERA 1.71WHIP 8.7K/9IP 1.3K/BB. Brackman is an enigma. He comes back from TJS and dominates for a month. They let up on the reigns for one game, he goes 8 innings of 1 hit ball and then falls of a cliff after that. His velocity was down, his curveball was nothing and he looked like he had suffered an injury. So they moved him to the pen and all of a sudden, he could locate again and the heat came back. The Yankee brass attribute his return to success to the fact that he isnt forcing the changeup in there. And from the sounds of it now, he is likely to stay in the bullpen. In terms of arsenal, when he is locating, he has a 1-2 punch that is very tough to hit. He's coming from his 6'10" frame throwing mid to high 90s and has a knee buckling spike curveball.

Strengths His 1-2 punch of a hard fastball and spike curve as well as his frame is rare.

Weaknesses where to begin. Repetition of his delivery has been a problem, although out of the pen it seems to be better. His lack of a third pitch makes him a pen arm. And health has to be a concern as well since he's so big and he's already had a major injury.

Ceiling If he rights himself, he could be a top notch closer for any team. His combo of size, power and breaking ball could make him an elite closer

Projection I think he becomes an above average major league reliever. IMO, he'll iron out his motion enough to be useful, but not enough to be trusted with the 9th inning

ETA Now that he's in the pen, he's on the fast track. I expect him to plow through batters in Tampa and should be an option as early as the beginning of 2011.

 

10. Corban Joseph, 2b, 20yrs old A ball line- .300/.381/.418- I really like this kid. He's versatile, can play all over the diamond and has one of the sweetest strokes you will see for his age. This was his first taste of the long season leagues after being drafted in 2008. And he really showed up. He started off slow, but finished on a tear, hitting .337 with an .889OPS and all 4 of his homers after the break. He also walked 49 times in 100 games, showing off a plus approach at a young age. And, he doesnt have any holes. He can run (8SBs, 8 triples) well enough. He's improving on D. He can hit for average. And his power came along as the season wore on.

Strengths The kid is a hard worker who centers the ball well, has good gap power that should translate into 20+ homer potential, has a very advanced approach at a young age, and is starting to play good D at multiple positions

Weaknesses He is a smaller framed IFer at 6 feet tall and is going to find it hard to get through the system with David Adams ahead of him in the minors and Robinson Cano ahead of him in the bigs.

Ceiling I have heard an Utley comparison previously, but I think that's way too generous since Utley's power is incredibly rare from a MIF. He looks like he could be a .300+ hitter with double digit homers and a very high OBP.

Projection First of all, I see him breaking into the bigs with another team, cause the path is blocked. Second of all, I think he at the very least projects to be an average 2b with the chance to be much better than that.

ETA If all goes well, he should be MLB ready by 2013, although the path is blocked

[yankees228]

Jacko, how good do you see Montero being next year, if he really does get called up?

[jacksonianmarch]

If he gets called up mid-season, I expect him to be inconsistent at first, kinda like Cabrera was when he came up with the Marlins. Probably BA in the .260 range with power. By the end of the yr, he'll have figured it out. He's THAT advanced. For reference, I have a story. There was a scout at instructs after NY signed him. He was 16 yrs old playing against guys in their early 20s, some playing as high as AAA. The quote was "Montero looks like he's playing wiffle ball with these pitchers." He was just so much better than everyone at such a young age that it was ridiculous.

[yankees228]

If he gets called up mid-season' date=' I expect him to be inconsistent at first, kinda like Cabrera was when he came up with the Marlins. Probably BA in the .260 range with power. By the end of the yr, he'll have figured it out. He's THAT advanced. For reference, I have a story. There was a scout at instructs after NY signed him. He was 16 yrs old playing against guys in their early 20s, some playing as high as AAA. The quote was "Montero looks like he's playing wiffle ball with these pitchers." He was just so much better than everyone at such a young age that it was ridiculous.[/quote']

 

Well, I'm sure you'll get called out for being extremely biased, but I hope you're right. The story reminds me of all the stories about Bryce Harper.

[redsoxrules]

I hope he pans out so the red sox can go after Mauer

[BSN07]

Now, as you all know, I do have a knack for the minor leagues. I am not a scout, although I do know a few and played for a couple (who I still keep in touch with). But I mostly scour the internet for information and watch as many MiLB games as I can to try and see how good a certain player actually is. A lot of times, I am going off of scouting reports from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and Scout.com. I will say that these sites offer differing viewpoints at times and some of these sites differ in how strong they cover each team. Scout.com for instance, is an entity that hires out "beat writers" to cover each team. Some of their teams have no beat writers and are uncovered. Those are typically the sites that are floundering (jsinger's free content has rendered the red sox coverage useless). But for Yankee prospects, it really is the place to be (and Lane Meyer just jumped ship from nomaas to go to scout.com as well.

 

BA hasnt put out their list yet. BP hasnt put theirs out yet. But scout.com has, and BP is typically the least reliable of the three. So, here is my list, my top 50. They will come out in groups of 5. Feel free to bicker all you want, here goes

 

 

1. Jesus Montero, catcher, 19 yrs old Combined A+ and AA line- .337/.389/.562- Montero finished the yr as the #3 prospect in all of baseball. And he deserved it. He only appeared in 92 games thanks to a finger fracture, but he made it count. Not only did he have a .951OPS, but he hit 17 homers in those 92 games as a 19 yr old in A+ and AA. He also had close to as many extra base hits (43) as strikeouts (47).

Strengths His offensive prowess is difficult to underestimate. He has light tower power. He has a good sense of the strike zone. He makes hard contact. He hits for average, etc, etc, etc. And he's very, very young.

Weaknesses He has two. He runs like a lumbering Molina and he is a weak catcher at present. His arm is strong, but his mechanics are a mess and he isnt as quick as we expect most catchers to be

Ceiling His offensive ceiling is in the Miguel Cabrera/Pujols/whomever you want to throw in there. He is that good at a really young age.

Projection I see Montero as a below average catcher in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint, meaning that he will spend a lot of his time as a DH. He has the hands to play 1b, but his speed will severely limit his ability to play in the OF and in this organization, 1b is not a need. I project him to have all-star caliber offensive seasons as he is a very rare offensive talent. The question is, will he ever get to wear a glove.

ETA Midseason callup 2010 as a DH

 

 

2. Austin Romine, catcher, 20 yrs old A+ line .276/.322/.441. Romine will be cracking a lot of top 50 lists this upcoming year after his solid performance in the FSL. Remember, for those who see a mid .700s OPS, that the FSL is a notorious pitchers league. Romine was 8th in the league in HRs (13) and 4th in the league in RBIs (72). His overall total package won him the FSL MVP honors.

Strengths He has good power, not great, but is a very solid line drive hitter who is capable of being a 20+HR guy in the big leagues. He is also a very sound defensive catcher. He has a great arm and near perfect mechanics. Most scouts think he can catch right now in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint. He also has good speed for a catcher, swiping 11 bags this past yr and legging out 3 triples. And, he is a well respected leader amongst his teammates and other managers in the league. He is an all around player.

Weaknesses He is not patient enough at this juncture. His IsoPatience has sat in the .040-.050 range for 2 yrs now. The hope is that he will learn that as he ages, but he really doesnt seem to like to get into deep counts.

Ceiling I know most sox fans will think I will put Mauer on here, but cmon now. But I think a Russell Martin a la 2007 is a good ceiling. 20 homer power, 20 SB potential with solid defense and a good average.

Projection He is a player who I think is very close to his ceiling in a lot of ways. His offensive approach needs to add just a bit more patience, but his power is there and he should add to that as he fills out. His defense right now is good enough to be a top defender in the AL, so he doesnt need to fill out there. The biggest thing he needs is to gain experience and it seems NY is content to go yr to yr with him.

ETA 2012 Starting Catcher

 

3. Manuel Banuelos, LHP, 18 yrs old A ball line- 9-5 2.64ERA 109IP 1.07WHIP 8.8K/9IP 3.7K/BB. Banuelos will also be cracking a lot of top 50 lists in the upcoming months. He was one of the youngest players in the SAL this yr and he dominated. So much so that he was invited to the futures game. He is a small guy (5'10") but he packs a punch as well as 3 plus pitches. His FB went from topping out in the low 90s to topping out at 96mph this yr. His curveball came a long way and his changeup remained plus. He only walked 28 batters in 108IP, showing that his command is very advanced for his age.

Strengths He's left handed, was 18 for the entire yr in long season, tops out at 96mph, has advanced command, and has three plus pitches. He is everything you could ask for out of a young pitcher.

Weaknesses Not many. His curveball can be inconsistent at times, which gets him in trouble. And his frame could scare some people from considering him a potential starter. Other than that, experience is his only real deterrent.

Ceiling With his stuff and his command, his ceiling is as a #1 starter.

Projection With his frame, it is difficult to see him maintaining that velocity, but I do see him in the front of a rotation. I think he profiles well as a future #2 starter. We havent had a pitching prospect this advanced in the art of pitching since Hughes prior to his injury bug.

ETA 2012. They have been pretty cautious with him to this point, I do think he takes all of 2010 to navigate A+ and then splits 2011 between AA and AAA. I expect him to be in the bigs either in the rotation or the pen come 2012.

 

4. Austin Jackson, OFer, 22yrs old AAA line- .300/.354/.405 24SBs. Austin has been labelled as the Yankees CF of the future for quite some time now and he has delivered. Albeit in 2009, he delivered a bit differently than some had hoped. He improved his BA and his baserunner had improved significantly. But his power has been lacking as evidenced by the 4 homers. He's still young and he is still pretty skinny, so the hope is that he fills out a little and stays in AAA for another yr to get ready for ascencion into the CF pantheon in 2011.

Strengths He is a true 5 tool player. He has power, although he decided not to show it this yr. He has great line drive skills, he has a very good glove and runs great routes. He is quick and he has a solid arm.

Weaknesses He has yet to put a season together where he has showcased all 5 tools. Also, he strikes out WAY too much and a lot of the people in the know think he will eventually be better suited for the COF rather than CF.

Ceiling I think he has the ceiling of a true blue 5 star CFer a la Adam Jones. I am talking .300 hitter, 20+ homers, 30+ steals and a highlight reel in the OF

Projection He is an incredibly difficult guy to predict. He could end up as a perennial All-Star CFer or he could be wildly inconsistent and be a 4th OFer. I think he fits somewhere inbetween. He has a few All-Star caliber yrs mixed in with mediocre ones. Maybe like a Mike Cameron, especially with the K's.

 

5. Zach McAllister, RHP, 21 yrs old AA line- 7-5 2.23ERA 121IP 2.23ERA 1.08WHIP 7.1K/9IP 2.91K/BB. McAllister is a future version of the past version of Chien Ming Wang. McAllister makes his hay with his 2 seamer. He had monkeyed around with a 4 seamer, but believe it or not, there was no velocity difference. He sits comfortably in the low to mid 90s and throws the sinker 80% of the time or so. McAllister does have a plus changeup, but he has an average at best slider and thats about it. He doesnt strike a ton of guys out, but he gets a lot of weak hacks, a lot of grounder, and looks like he is a future bulldog in the rotation

Strengths Young, big frame who has only had one DL stint in his 3 yrs of long season ball. He throws hard and has one plus off speed offering

Weakness Not a strikeout pitcher and likely never will be. Will make his hay on contact.

Ceiling I think his ceiling is as a horse in the #2-#3 mold. He's a big strong kid who can throw that sinker in there and know it wont be hit out of the park. He has very good command of his repertoire as well, which makes his ceiling and his projection rather similar

Projection I think he can go two ways. Some people see him in the Scott Shields role. A sinkerballer who can be a bullpen ace if you will and can eat multiple innings if needed. And others think he could easily slot into the middle of a rotation. I think with his arm, his size and his sinker-change combo, he will be a mid-rotation starter in the future

ETA He'll get a callup in 2010 if just for a cup of tea. He's in the swing role in the pen for 2011 and might be in the rotation for some team come 2012.

 

I'm going to throw the "jacksonian" on all these guys.

 

Montero, Romine, Banuelos have not played above A+.

 

Let's see, Jackson's power disappeared against AAA pitching. I'd reserve the 5-tool status until he grows some man muscle and shows consistent power. But considering where he's going to be playing, he might put up decent HR numbers.

 

McAllister will probably get hurt running the bases.

 

 

 

jacksonian = (idiomatic) A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

 

or see "Wet Blanket".

[Dojji]

"Running the bases?"

 

Surely you can do better than that with a one-pitch starter. The guy's gonna get lit up. He has no secondary pitches, you can get away with that in the minors if your one pitch is good enough, but on any day your one plus offering is less than perfect big league hitters are going to slap you silly.

 

And this guy's one pitch is a low 90's two-seamer. Not exactly Chien-Ming Wang's 96 mile an hour power sinker..

 

What you've got here is a middle reliever. If you're lucky, a setup man.

[jacksonianmarch]

Guys, I am just listing the prospects and giving ceilings. Thats it. I am not quantifying their trade value or even assuming I am making accurate projections, which is what I said in most of the posts. Its simply a list of the top 50 prospects. I'll have more on the way

[jacksonianmarch]

"Running the bases?"

 

Surely you can do better than that with a one-pitch starter. The guy's gonna get lit up. He has no secondary pitches, you can get away with that in the minors if your one pitch is good enough, but on any day your one plus offering is less than perfect big league hitters are going to slap you silly.

 

And this guy's one pitch is a low 90's two-seamer. Not exactly Chien-Ming Wang's 96 mile an hour power sinker..

 

What you've got here is a middle reliever. If you're lucky, a setup man.

 

He's 21 and is absolutely dominating each level he has been at. He's got more than one pitch, as I have profiled as well. Also, Wang made his hay in the 93-95 range which is about 1mph more on each end than McAllister. Also, feel free to be a wet blanket, this is a list of prospects with a brief SR. Thats it.

[jacksonianmarch]

I'm going to throw the "jacksonian" on all these guys.

 

Montero, Romine, Banuelos have not played above A+.

 

Let's see, Jackson's power disappeared against AAA pitching. I'd reserve the 5-tool status until he grows some man muscle and shows consistent power. But considering where he's going to be playing, he might put up decent HR numbers.

 

McAllister will probably get hurt running the bases.

 

 

 

jacksonian = (idiomatic) A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

 

or see "Wet Blanket".

 

Montero played half the 2009 season in AA

[rician blast]

This is a very exciting thread...awe inspiring even. I can't way to see what is posted next.

[jacksonianmarch]

11. Gary Sanchez, C, 16yrs old- No line. The 16 yr old Dominican catcher that NY bought for $2.5 million has to be close to the top. He is described as being the whole package. And in his instructs debut, he looked like it, smacking homers against people 5-8 yrs older than him. He is considered to be very similar to Montero, except he has very advanced receiving skills and a pretty clean throwing motion already.

Strengths- The SRs on this guy describe a 16 yr old kid with plus power already (one scout described him as "light-tower" power). He has a knack for making solid contact and already has a good feel for the strike zone. He also has plus tools on the catchers end as well.

Weaknesses Well, for one, he hasnt played any games of meaning in the minors, so these SRs may or may not correlate with his game-ready performance. Also, he's very young which is both a strength and a weakness

Ceiling From the SRs, he sounds like a future AS catcher

Projection No clue

ETA different spin on ETA here. This kid is going to start state-side in yr 1, which is usually reserved for the best of the best prospects in the Yankee system (only Melky, Banuelos, Montero, and Tabata skipped the DSL in recent memory)

 

12. David Adams, 2B, 22yrs old A/A+ line- .286/.373/.443- Adams is a big guy playing 2b (6'2" 190lbs) and was a 2008 draftee out of Virginia. He was a "buy low" candidate since he was coming off a poor yr, but had put up 2 solid yrs starting college. And this yr, he delivered. He started off the yr in Charleston where he showed good contact skills (.290AVG) and a very advanced hitting approach (.385OBP) but not much in the way of power (0HRs, .394SLG). But he subsequently was promoted to Tampa, where he just exploded. Over 65 games, he hit 7 homers, slugged close to .500, and continued to show an advanced plate discipline (.360OBP). Overall, he had 40 doubles, 8 triples and 7 homers, 11 steals, and 61 walks in 132 games in his first taste of the long season leagues.

Strengths Adams has good power for a middle infielder and finally started showing it as the season went along. He also has an advanced approach to hitting with a good eye. He plays 2b very well defensively and has made strides into becoming a top defender as he progresses

Weaknesses He really doesnt have one blow away type tool. He's above average in a lot of categories, power, approach, average, speed, defense.

Ceiling- He reminds me a lot of an Edgardo Alfonzo in his prime type player. Double digit homers, .280-.300+ hitter, 50+ walks and some versatility to be used between 2b and 3b

Projection- with all of his above average tools, he should definitely be a starting 2b somewhere in the league. But with Cano locked in for a few yrs and Corban Joseph in the system with probably a bigger ceiling, I dont know if it happens in NY

ETA If Cano wasnt there, Adams would probably be debuting in the majors as a Sept callup in 2010. Since Cano is here, Adams is probably going to go one yr at a time from here and should be knocking on the door, ie trade bait, come midseason 2011 or early 2012.

 

13. Eduardo Nunez, SS, 22yrs old- AA line- .322/.349/.433- Nunez is a guy who took awhile to arrive in the minor leagues. Always hyped by scouts and yankee brass alike as being a 5 tool prospect with great range, it took awhile for this kid to find his stride. After toiling in the minors for a few yrs with BAs in the low .200s, he finally broke through in 2008 with a .271 AVG and hit 6 homers in the back half of the season. That put him back on the prospect map. This season, though, puts him front and center on the prospect map for Yankee fans, because he is the most likely internal replacement for one, Derek Jeter. This yr, he hit .322 with 9 homers and stole 19 bases for Trenton. He has shown an improvement over the past 3 seasons in power, BA, OBP and OPS as well as defensively.

Strengths- The power is coming, something he has shown in BP for years. He has seen a rise in his homer total as well as his EBH total for 3 yrs in a row. His average is rising, he is striking out less, and he is fielding better. All things pointing towards good things for this SS

Weaknesses- He didnt really start playing well until he caught up to the league age-wise. Now, 22 in AA, he is just a yr under the average age which could have something to do with his physical and mental maturity, or it could just speak to him being overhyped. His approach to the plate has improved, but 22 walks is pretty abysmal and his BABIP was through the roof, so luck may be a factor.

Ceiling- This kid has a huge ceiling (like a Hanley Ramirez type ceiling minus the patience) except he still has a massive gap between where he is now and where he could be

Projection- Incredibly difficult when you dont have an easy path to follow. He's been both fantastic and maddeningly inconsistent in his minor league career, and this past yr could be just a blip on the radar or a true blue rise to glory. I think he definitely makes it to the bigs based on his glove and range and where he goes from there will be dependent on his bat. He could be an all-star or a backup defensive replacement. Too difficult to tell

ETA- depending on when they need him, he could be in the majors in 2010, but I think he ends up as a Sept callup and bides his time in AAA until he either gets dealt or takes over for Jeter after 2011.

 

sorry, gotta go. More to come

[yankees228]

This is a very exciting thread...awe inspiring even. I can't way to see what is posted next.

 

And magically, just moments after you hit the submit button, more prospect analysis shows up!

[yankees228]

However, all sarcasm aside, I appreciate these posts Jacko, because I know very little about these guys. If it wasn't for these posts, I probably wouldn't take the time to look these guys up myself.

[rician blast]

Yes, commendable work by the Jacks, but I gotta break his stones anyway.

[BSN07]

Yes' date=' commendable work by the Jacks, but I gotta break his stones anyway.[/quote']

 

^ This

 

I enjoy his enthusiam and give him credit for his hard work.

 

I'm still bustin chops though

[jacksonianmarch]

Yes' date=' commendable work by the Jacks, but I gotta break his stones anyway.[/quote']

 

I wouldnt have it any other way. Keeps me sharp.

 

Also, for reference, some people may notice that I am leaving a few players off, notably Melancon, Cervelli, Pena and Dunn. All have made their debuts in NY, so I have left them off my rankings.

 

14. Christian Garcia, RHP, 24yrs old 2-0 0.71ERA 25.1IP 1.26WHIP 8.6K/9IP 1.4K/BB. This is the prototypicaly TINSTAAP player. Garcia has an arsenal to die for. He has the best curveball in the organization. He has the best changeup in the organization. He also has a fastball that can hit 98mph. The problem with this guy is that he cannot stay healthy. From cleaning out the elbow to Tommy John to a knee injury while recovering from TJS requiring surgery to once again cleaning out the elbow, the kid just cannot stay healthy. He looked very good, sans the walks (17 in 25.1IP), but nobody was hitting him. Not a soul. But he went down early with elbow surgery and SHOULD be healthy for 2010.

Strengths Has the best arsenal in the Yankee minors hands down. Plus, plus fastball, plus, plus curve. Plus change. And he has a huge 6'5" frame.

Weaknesses- He is Carl Pavano incarnate with the injuries. Also, not only is he injury-prone, but his command has suffered from the lack of experience he has.

Ceiling He has a ceiling to be one of the best pitchers in the league, hands down

Projection There is talk that he will be moved to the pen simply because he is allergic to any kind of workload. Also due to his age and the lack of mileage on his arm, it is probably for the best. If the pen works better for him and he can stay healthy, he will be an elite reliever, assuming he recovers with all his stuff post his most recent battle with the knife.

ETA- Depends on his health, but he's already on the 40 man roster, so if he goes to the pen, I expect him to be carving out a niche in NY by midseason.

 

15. Caleb Cotham, RHP, 21yrs old Negligible experience. Cotham was our 5th round pick from the 2009 draft as a DES and was a tough sign. But he is going to be worth it. He's a big framed pitcher with a very nasty FB-slider combination that has drawn the Joba Jr moniker from some in the scouting realm. The man also possesses a league average change and a good idea of the strike zone.

Strengths Being 6'3" and 215 pounds lends you a solid frame. He throws upwards of 95mph with the heater and has a knee-buckling slider .

Weaknesses He has minimal professional experience and the changeup will be the deciding factor between pen and rotation. He is also coming off knee surgery that blunted his college season, so we will need to see if he completely recovers from that

Ceiling If his change comes along, he can be an ace. In the pen, he's a closer type

Projection I think this kid has bullpen written all over him. His FB-slider combo is so far and away better than his change that he is probably going to be rendered a 2 pitch pitcher. And as a FB-slider guy, he could be a damn good closer if his command progresses

ETA He should definitely be in Charleston to start the yr and how fast he moves will depend on his role. The rotation is pretty clogged ahead of him, so he could get to the bigs by 2012 if he skips a couple levels over the next 2 seasons. If he gets converted to the pen, he could be an option come 2011.

 

16. J.R. Murphy, C, 18yrs old Negligible experience. Murphy was the Yankees second rounder out of the Pendleton school in Florida. Widely considered the best offensive high school player from the Florida High School system, Murphy was a bit of a late sign since he was an overslot signee. He played 9 games in the GCL and was a standout in instructs. Essentially, he is a raw catcher, but also has capability at 3b and LF if needed. He's essentially more of a pure hitter at this point, possessing an advanced eye for his age, good gap power, and solid contact skills.

Strengths- He's an advanced hitter for his age in almost all facets of the offensive game. He's got good speed and is taking well to the catcher's position for someone who hasnt played it regularly

Weaknesses- He is kinda a man without a position in this system. He's billed as a catcher, but the ranks are pretty deep in the Yankee system and defensively, he's nothing to write home about yet, although he is new to the position. His size will also make naysayers out of a few.

Ceiling- Scouts within the organization think of him as a similar hitter to 2008 draftee Corban Joseph, so .300, double digit homers, good OBP seems to be his ceiling

Projection way too difficult to tell

ETA From the sounds of it, Murphy impressed so much that he is likely to skip the short season leagues altogether for 2010, meaning a start in the SAL. If he were the only good catcher in the system, then I'd predict a pretty rapid rise through the system. But the ranks are really deep and I think he takes it one level per yr

 

17. Jairo Heredia, RHP, 19yrs old- Across 3 levels- 3-3 3.99ERA 38.1IP 1.30WHIP, 7.6K/9IP, 4.0K/BB. Heredia was as high as #9 on last yrs list prior to having an injury plagued season. And unfortunately, it was a shoulder injury that limited him this yr. No surgery was required, but he missed most of the season and when he came back, his FB was a tick or two slower. Typically, he sits in the 91-93 range, but when he came back his FB was in the 89mph range, which wont cut it as a previously billed top of the rotation starter. He still has the knee buckling curve and the plus potential changeup that is inconsistent, but the decrease in FB velocity has caused a decrease in the ratings for this promising kid

Stengths He has impeccable command of a very good arsenal. He has a plus curveball right now and has shown flashes of a plus changeup. With his prior low 90s velocity, he was a top notch pitching prospect

Weaknesses Shoulder injuries scare everyone away. And the drop in velocity is very alarming

Ceiling If the FB comes back this season, then his ceiling is as a #2 starter

Projection Really depends on the FB. If it doesnt come back, he could be a #4/5 kind of pitcher or a swing reliever. If it does, then he safely projects as a middle of the rotation starter based on arsenal and command

ETA He'll likely start 2010 in Tampa and be a quick move to Trenton if he shows up. How quickly he moves will depend on how good his stuff looks when he comes back

 

18. Graham Stoneburner, RHP, 21yrs old Negligible experience in 2009. The best name in the minors just might be the new Yankee sensation. Graham was a mid teens round draftee for NY as a DES and they were able to come to terms with him. And after instructs, they really are glad they did. He is a Clemson player and like his former Clemson teammate, DJ Mitchell, he is a sinkerballer. But he throws a lot harder. In instructs he was sitting in the 95-96mph range and he was untouchable. Throw in a plus slider and he was easily the biggest surprise out of instructs

Strengths Plus slider, mid 90s sinker with impeccable bite.

Weakness No changeup in sight will limit his rotation status. Also, he has very minimal pro experience

Ceiling- I think his ceiling is as a lights out reliever, be it set-up or closing

Projection- While NY loves to give all of these guys a shot at starting, I think his life will also be as a pen-man. And he'll be a good one so long as he continues to locate

ETA- He will likely be a starter in Charleston for 2010 and depending on his arsenal and control, he could move 2 levels in yr 1 a la Mitchell. If he moves to the pen quickly, he could be a big league option by mid-yr 2011.

 

19. Brandon Laird, 3B, 21yrs old A+ ball- .266/.329/.415. Laird is another one of those guys to take his stats with a grain of salt because he languished in the FSL. Still, he was top 10 in homers (13) and led the league in RBI (75). He was selected to go to the AFL, where he just mutilated the ball (.333/.406/.633 with 6 homers in 90ABs). The big question with him is whether he will become patient enough to crack the bigs with NY, cause his power is not under any sort of question at all.

Strengths- Light tower power for a kid who was younger than the league. Drafted in 2007 out of JuCo, he has slugged 48 homers in 2.5 seasons including enduring the difficult FSL.

Weaknesses He is billed as a 3b, but his defense isnt great over there and most think he profiles as a 1b. His contact skills are only average, although he did cut down on the K's in 2009. Also, he doesnt take walks well. Its not like he's a flat out hacker (40-ish walks for 2 yrs now) and at his position, he needs to be a total player to carve out a hole in NY

Ceiling Power hitting 3b in the bigs

Projection He could be anywhere from a Mike Cuddyer to a Ron Coomer. Difficult to say because he has shown improvements and did handle a pretty difficult hitters league. 2010 will be the barometer

ETA He'll be in a much better hitters league in 2010 in Trenton, which should make or break his progress. If he puts it all together like he is doing in the AFL, then he could put himself into NY's plans. But I see him as trade bait

 

 

20. Dellin Betances, RHP, 21yrs old 2-5 5.48ERA 44.1IP 1.69WHIP 9K/9IP 1.6K/BB. Betances continued to be an enigma in 2009 and finally underwent Tommy John surgery, something he has needed for about 2 seasons. After coming up with such promise, elbow woes and pitching motion woes have limited the seemingly limitless potential of this kid. He was still showcasing the mid 90s cheese, the nasty curve and the filthy change, but all were so inconsistent and his location was so off that he was a detriment to his team. Late season elbow pain prompted an exploratory surgery which showed the UCL to be swiss cheese, so he is out for 2010

Stengths 6'8", throws gas and has 2 pitches that look overpowering when they are on

Weaknesses Injury history, now out for 2010. Repeatability is a problem in his delivery leading to abysmal control

Ceiling- he has always had an incredibly high ceiling, and at 21, he still should.

Projection- I am slowly losing faith in this kid because he has fallen victim to both the injury bug and the stalling of development bug. Hopefully, this elbow injury was the reason for his stalled development and in 2011, he can come out and dominate

ETA He has always been a hit or miss kind of candidate. As of right now, its hard to even say he will make the bigs

[jacksonianmarch]

21. Jose Ramirez, RHP, 19yrs old GCL numbers- 6-0 1.48ERA 61IP 0.80WHIP 7.8K/9IP 3.3K/BB. Ramirez is a hell of a talent, especially at #21 in this system. Take this as one of the examples of how a system has improved their stock. This kid dominated the GCL at 19 yrs old. He throws mid 90s, 94-96mph easy, with a plus changeup already. He has great command of the strike zone as well. The curve is slow to develop at this time, but his strike zone command and 1-2 combo made hitters in the GCL look silly.

Strengths 19 yrs old, throws mid 90s with ease and has a plus changeup

Weaknesses He still hasnt hit the long season leagues and is lacking a breaking ball that he can rely on

Ceiling The good thing about having a great changeup already is that it is usually easier to teach a breaking ball than it is to teach a feel pitch like a change. His ceiling is as a top of the rotation starter

Projection another one of those TINSTAAP guys who still has a long way to go. But with his advanced arsenal and control, he should project safely into the middle or upper portion of a big league rotation. He's that good

ETA He should easily skip the short season leagues in 2010 and head right for Charleston. From there, I think he is going to find himself in a logjam, but should be big league ready by 2013.

 

22. Abraham Almonte, CF, 20yrs old- Charleston line- .280/.333/.391 with 36 steals. Almonte is an intriguing yet maddening prospect. He's a short switch hitter with absolute speed to burn as evidenced by the 36 steals in 41 chances. He has shown good gap power at times and a very strong knack for making good contact. The problem is, that he goes on streaks like you wouldnt believe. He'd have a 3 week stretch where he bats .600 then go 1 for 35 for the next week. He started to even out a little towards the end of the yr and he is starting to use his speed and his gap power to get some EBH (14 doubles, 10 triples, 5 homers). He also went from being a SS prospect that couldnt field to one of the better CF prospects defensively. His range is uncanny and his arm is pretty damn good.

Strengths- Defensively, he's a ball hawk with a good arm. Offensively, he is a pest on the basepaths and is starting to hit for better average, a bit more power and is starting to take walks

Weaknesses- Very streaky, which renders his numbers pedestrian.

Ceiling- His ceiling is an elite defender in CF and a leadoff man in the big leagues, reminds me a lot of Chone Figgins

Projection- Difficult to say due to his streakiness. If he doesnt put together a complete season prior to his callup, then he might languish as a 4th OFer. His D and speed will get him to the show, the question is whether his bat will let him play it out as a starter

ETA Just repeated the SAL and improved, so he is headed for Tampa. He'll be a quick promote since the Yankee OF prospects arent clogging the way. I think he gets into the OF mix by 2012.

 

23. Kelvin Deleon, OF, 18yrs old GCL line- .269/.330/.438. Deleon was the big INTL FA signee in 2007, netting 1.5 mil to sign. His calling card is his light tower power and 5 tool potential. But when the yankees got him, they found a few holes in his game. For one, he was a tank in the OF, running routes that would make Johnny Damon look like a gold glover. He actually collided with CJ Henry a few yrs ago on a routine OF play and strained CJ's neck, knocking him out for a month. The OF situation has improved considerably since he signed. He also has the propensity to destroy fastballs, but cannot hit a curveball to save his life. Call him Serrano. Now, we just need to find Joe Boo for him so he can become a top prospect

Strengths The guy can hit the ball a mile, he has good speed, he has a cannon for an arm and is improving since his initial debachles in the OF.

Weaknesses- Still not a good routerunner but is improving and he really cannot hit anything with a wrinkle in it.

Ceiling- He has the kind of power and developing patience to develop into a middle of the order type of bat

Projection- Difficult to say because hitting a curveball is a pretty important need in the bigs. If he figures it out, he'll make it to the bigs as a starter for someone. If he doesnt, then he wont make it past AA

ETA They have taken the slow road with him so far, putting him in the DSL, then the GCL, so sending him to the NYP wouldnt be out of the question. But due to the dearth of big time OF prospects in the system, it wouldnt surprise me to see him in Charleston in 2010. After that, his ETA to the show depends directly upon his ability to hit a curve

 

24. Ivan Nova, RHP, 22yrs old- AA/AAA numbers- 6-8 3.68ERA, 139.1IP 1.40WHIP, 5.8K/9IP, 1.5K/BB. Ivan Nova is one of the more frustrating prospects in the Yankee system. He's got a 2 seamer that he can comfortable throw in the 94-95mph range. He has a plus curveball already and a plus changeup. He also has pretty good command of all three. The problem is, he tries to pitch to contact even though he has been told many times that being a K pitcher is better for him in the long run. He does have a good GO/AO ratio (1.7) which keeps the runs down and the balls in the park, but with his stuff, he should be striking batters out. A testament to his stuff, SD took him in the Rule V last yr and tried him in the pen. He did the same thing for them and quickly ended up back in the Yankee system. So, he is what he is. A guy with tantalizing, overpowering stuff who throws to contact. He did have a good yr in AA and ran into a bit of bad luck in AAA this yr. But overall, there is a reason why a guy with his stuff is so low in the rankings.

Strengths- The guy has a dynamite arsenal

Weaknesses- He doesnt use his arsenal like he should

Ceiling- He could be a top of the rotation starter if he changed his mentality, but thats more difficult than teaching a new pitch to a kid. He could be a middle to back end of the rotation starter if he stays as is. Or he could be a very good swing man

Projection- I see him getting his feet wet in the bigs as a MR and he will likely be dealt to some team that thinks they can turn him into a reliable starter

ETA- He'll debut at some point in 2010.

 

25. Jeremy Bleich, LHP, 22yrs old- A+, AA numbers- 9-10, 4.86ERA, 144.1IP, 1.51WHIP, 7.2K/9IP, 2.1K/BB. Bleich was the highest drafted player to sign out of the 2008 draft out of Stanford. He is a lefty with a 89-93mph fastball, a knee buckling curve and a very advanced changeup. He started in High A, where he had a lot of success. Finally was moved to AA where the results were absolutely horrid. The thought is that he just wasnt ready but they needed him to move up to accomodate DJ Mitchell, so they kept him there.

Strengths- Though the numbers tell you otherwise, he has good command of a pretty deep arsenal. He cuts the ball, he runs the ball, he backdoors the curve, he has a good change. He's the definition of a crafty lefty, although he does have power with that low 90s heat.

Weaknesses- He doesnt throw hard enough to profile at the top of a rotation and he needs to start avoiding the meat of the bat if he wants to make it to the bigs.

Ceiling- He reminds me of a Zach Duke kind of player. Guy who could give you a lot of mediocre to above average innings at his best, but be a pinata at times when he's missing. No room for error here.

Projection- I think regardless of his initial season numbers, this guy will be in the bigs somewhere. He's a lefty with a good enough arm and a plus breaking ball. He will at least be a lefty reliever if nothing else works. I do think he eventually cracks a big league rotation and I also think it will be with a National League team.

ETA- He'll be repeating Trenton. If all goes well there, he will likely be a midseason option come 2011.

[jacksonianmarch]

26. Wilkin de la Rosa, LHP, 24yrs old- A+/AA line- 5-5 3.17ERA, 96.2IP, 1.25WHIP, 8.7K/9IP, 2.1K/BB. One glance at his age and most people write him off. But De la Rosa took an interesting path to where he is. He was signed out of the Dominican as an OFer. He played 2-3 yrs in the minors before switching to the mound. He blew out his elbow shortly after converting to a pitcher and lost a yr to TJS. His first full yr as a starter was as a 22yr old in the GCL. Last yr, he dominated long season A and this yr he pitched well between High A and AA. Wilkin is a future reliever, but someone who possesses enough stuff to keep in the rotation for now. He throws mid 90s with the heater, capable of hitting 98mph. But he located better in the 92-93mph range. He also throws a wicked slider and a mediocre changeup. He is still pretty raw on the mound, even though he turns 25 in 3 months. But his arm is for real and that slider looks really good from the left hand side.

Strengths- Mid 90s heater and a lights out slider

Weaknesses- His command is shoddy at high velocities and his slider is hit or miss when it comes to location

Ceiling- His ceiling is as a high end reliever, if all goes right, he could close

Projection- I think he projects safely as a lefty specialist in the bigs with the capability of handling the swing role if needed since he can give multiple innings

ETA- He is likely to be kept in the rotation in Scranton this yr until they truly need to make a decision on his role. He is more beneficial as starting depth right now, but should there be a plethora of pitching depth in the system, he could be converted ASAP and be a major league option right now. He'll debut in some capacity in 2010.

 

27. David Phelps, RHP, 22yrs old- A/A+ line- 13-4 2.38ERA 151IP 1.20WHIP 7.3K/9IP, 3.9K/BB. Phelps jumped onto the scene in 2009 with a great showing and a significant improvement in stuff. A couple mechanical tweaks saw his FB sit in the 94mph range, up from 90-91mph. This is directly responsible for his really solid line. He also throws a plus slider and a changeup that he can locate. He is a strike-throwing machine who just pounds the zone on a regular basis.

Strengths- Mid 90s heat, plus slider, good changeup. Very polished and has very strong control

Weaknesses- Needs to prove he can maintain that velocity. He has never thrown this hard in his career, so he will need to prove that it wasnt some sort of fluke. Otherwise, he's a well rounded pitcher without a lot of weaknesses

Ceiling- Prior to 09, I would have said #4 starter with his fantastic control, but low 90s stuff and only one plus offspeed offering. But this yr, he's a potential #2 IMO. Hard fastball. Good slider. Good changeup. Impeccable location. And a good idea on the mound.

Projection- Depends on his fastball. If he maintains the 94-95mph fastball, then he projects pretty safely in the #2, #3 role in the rotation. If he doesnt, then he projects at the back of a rotation. He is one of the only pitchers in this list who truly doesnt project as a reliever right now since he has such good command, endurance, polish, etc. He's made for the rotation

ETA- He likely starts 2010 in Tampa again due to the logjam, but should finish 2010 in AA. He'll be a callup option in mid 2011.

 

28. Jose Pirela, SS, 19yrs old- Charleston line- .295/.354/.381. I like this kid. He was incredibly young for his league and had absolutely no power to speak of, but he had an advanced approach, showed above average speed, good bat control and a very good glove. He's one of the toolsy Dominicans that NY has signed over the past few yrs who has elevated himself to prospect status. Even though he hit no homers and his IsoPower was under .1, the SRs say that he should develop gap power.

Strengths- Good speed, good glove, good offensive approach. His power is expected to come in time, but he is not expected to have a lot of it

Weaknesses- no skill is rated at 60 or over for this kid and his power needs to improve to become anything more than a defensive replacement in the bigs

Ceiling- His ceiling is as a MLB average SS.

Projection- depends on how his power develops. I think he definitely makes the bigs for someone, but I think he needs a lot to go right for someone to give him the starting nod.

ETA- He goes to Tampa for 2010 and due to his age, will likely be a one level at a time kind of player

 

29. Kyle Higashioka, C, 19yrs old- SI numbers .253/.333/.332. The Yankees scouts LOVE this kid. They rave about his defensive abilities and his advanced approach to the plate. But this past yr, his numbers weren't very good. Granted, he was 19 yrs old and hasnt filled out, but the consensus in Yankee camp is that he will develop solid overall power and be an offensive catcher within the next few yrs. Until they change their mind, I need to keep him somewhat high on the list.

Strengths- He's already a polished defensive catcher with a cannon for an arm. He also has a very good eye and advanced plate discipline. Going by the SRs, he should develop solid power and be a very good offensive catcher, but yr 1 did not reflect that

Weaknesses- His scouting reports and his performance seem to have a big gap between them. This will need to be closed for him to become anything more than a defensive backup

Ceiling- Really difficult to say since the SRs say one thing and the numbers say another. Going by the SRs, we are talking about a very good all around catcher

Projection- Not able to give one as of yet, lets see how he does in long season

ETA- believe it or not, the yankee brass and scouts were impressed by his 2009 campaign. Enough to entertain moving him to Tampa and skipping Charleston for 2010.

 

30. Eduardo Sosa, CF, 18yrs old- GCL line .200/.280/.291. Sosa is a guy who has all the tools, but none of them showed up in 2009. He's got a rocket arm, lightning speed and showed a great bat in the DSL prior to this season. He actually started off well, but floundered in August to an OPS of .477 which skewed the numbers a bit. Regardless, the scouts are high on his tools, and at his age, you cannot give up on him. Actually, based on the SRs from the previous yr, he was in consideration for a top 10 slot prior to imploding down the stretch in 2010. Too bad. He'll get many more chances to show he can hang

Strengths- 5 tool player with a sweet left handed swing, a great arm, and lightning speed, he's another toolsy Dominican

Weaknesses- was exposed in the states and will need to show a better line than the one above to be useful to the yankees in the future

Ceiling- He has a very high ceiling, but a massive gap between his ceiling and his current. Some sites like to consider him a Lofton type athlete. That's high praise, but he needs to earn it

Projection- too early to tell. He could bomb out completely or he could become an All-Star or something in between.

ETA- Even though he sucked in 2009, he might start in the long season leagues in 2010. I think a safer bet is SI for 2010, but the OF bunch is thin, so he could move up.

[26 to 6]

What's DES mean? (#15 Caleb Cotham)

[jacksonianmarch]

Draft Eligible Sophomore. Meaning they passed on their last 2 seasons of college ball.

[26 to 6]

Gotcha.

[jacksonianmarch]

31. Bradley Suttle, 3B, 23yrs old- no line for 2009. Suttle is a wild-card. He was a highly touted pick out of the 2007 draft, even considered the best pure hitter in the draft by Peter Gammons. But injuries have slowed him. Leg issues slowed his first full yr in the minors, then a labrum injury ended his 2008 season. He had surgery, but as a type I diabetic, he was prone to complications. He developed an infection that caused the wound to not heal appropriately and essentially knocked him out for 2009. He figures to be ready to go come 2010.

Strengths- Has good power to all fields, has a good glove and switch hits

Weaknesses- Labrum surgery and its complications will likely limit him to 1B duties for the forseeable future. Also, losing a yr of development for someone his age is not good.

Ceiling- He had a very high offensive ceiling prior to his injury, but now, we'll have to see what kind of player he is post-surgery

Projection- Very difficult to say due to injury

ETA- He will likely be the 1b in Tampa for 2010 and go from there.

 

32. George Kontos, RHP, 24 yrs old- 2009 line- AA/AAA- 4-5, 3.15ERA, 71.1IP, 1.30WHIP, 8.0K/9IP, 2.1K/BB. Kontos had an up and down yr. He started the yr with an inexplicable drop in velocity. This caused him to improve his secondary stuff significantly. The changeup actually got to league average and his dynamite slider was locating even better. After having a good amount of success, a reason was found for his velocity drop. Forearm stiffness eventually revealed a UCL tear and he underwent TJS. The good thing is that he really made strides becoming a pitcher and if he recovers his mid 90s velocity, he can become a really nice piece. The problem is, he wont be pitching in 2010 in all likelihood

Strengths- When he is right, he throws a mid 90s heater, a low 90s 2 seamer, a plus slider and now has developed the change to being "average"

Weaknesses- He will miss all of 2010 which might undo the good that 2009 did for his secondary stuff and location. Also, he'll turn 26 in 2011, which is likely to be his first time back in games post surgery

Ceiling- With a mid 90s heater and a solid slider, he profiled as a reliever from the get-go, and a good one at that. But with the addition of the change, he started looking like he could be a good mid range starter

Projection- after major elbow surgery, projection goes out the window

ETA- he'll probably start in Tampa in 2011 and work his way back to SWB or even the bigs. If he's a reliever, then expect to see him in the majors in some capacity in 2011, assuming he recovers from surgery

 

33. Brett Marshall, RHP, 19yrs old- A line- 3-6, 5.56ERA, 87.1IP, 1.54WHIP, 6.2K/9IP, 1.62K/BB. Marshall was the pitcher from the 2008 draft with the highest upside. Mid 90s heater as an 18 yr old and a really nice looking slider/change combo. Well, 2009 was a mixed bag for him. He showed very solid velocity through innings 1-4. The problem was, his off-speed offerings were hit or miss and thus, he was hit hard at times. He had trouble sustaining his velocity past the 4th inning, which led to a lot of ugly lines as well. Regardless, he had shown progress until his last start in July when he ripped his UCL and required TJS. He will miss all of 2010

Strengths- Very young pitcher with a plus fastball and plus potential change and slider

Weaknesses- Many unfortunately. Now, he needs to recover from Tommy John. Also, he will probably not shed the short frame stigma either, since he's 6 feet tall. And, his off-speed stuff continued to be a problem as well as maintaining velocity

Ceiling- 96mph fastballs in 19 yr old with plus potential offspeed offerings make him a top of the rotation candidate. Recent TJS and control issues leave a large gap between current and ceiling

ETA- He will likely be in Tampa for 2011.

 

34. Damon Sublett, CF/2B, 23yrs old- A+ line- .270/.376/.416. Sublett was considered a top notch prospect in 2008, but an ankle injury limited his season and washed out a lot of his value. He started 2009 off slowly and his fielding woes led to a lot of offensive carryover. So, seeing as 2b is a pretty deep position, they moved him to CF. And he responded with an .857OPS as well as 8 SBs. He plays a passable D right now, but he has the instincts and the speed to lock down the position in the future as he gets more comfortable with it. He also has the eye and the contact skills to really project well for him

Strengths- Advanced approach, good speed, a good arm, and above average contact skills.

Weaknesses- The move to the OF drops his stock a bit and his power is gap power right now, which limits his value at his new position. He also seems to be injury prone, with lower body injuries for 2 yrs straight

Ceiling- He reminds me a lot of Mark Kotsay, above average contact skills in his prime, average or so power, above average speed and an accurate arm.

Projection- The position switch makes me think he projects as nothing more than a backup in the majors

ETA- He'll be in Trenton in 2010 and might be in NY by 2012.

 

35. Adam Warren, RHP, 22yrs old- SI line- 4-2 1.43ERA, 56.2IP, 1.04WHIP, 7.9K/9IP, 5.0K/BB. Adam Warren is an intriguing college draftee from 2009. He was drafted in the 4th round because he had a deep arsenal and a lot of polish. But a funny thing happened on his way to Staten Island. His velocity picked up. Now, topping out in the 96mph range, he has put himself into a legitimate prospect status conversation rather than filler talk. He also has 3 major league quality off-speed offerings in the slider, change and curve and great command of his arsenal.

Strengths- Great command of a deep arsenal and a new found increase in velocity

Weaknesses- He's a pretty solid pitcher, but his biggest weakness was power or lack there of. Now it will be a need to prove that his velocity bump wasnt a fluke.

Ceiling- I have always through of Warren as a potential #5, but with his velocity, I'd say #3 pitcher is his ceiling

Projection- Depends on the heater. If that heat stays 96mph, then I think he becomes a major league starter no question. If it doesnt, then he's a fringe guy

ETA- There is talk that Warren skips Charleston altogether. Regardless, he will definitely see High A in 2010 and might even make it to AA. He should be a fast mover

[Paradisecity]

Jacko,

 

Seek Sunlight.

 

 

Love,

Tom

[jacksonianmarch]

Why seek sunlight my friend. The moonlighting is beautiful

[Paradisecity]

I'm at the point where I hope you are plagiarizing, just so I'll know that you didn't go to all the trouble to write all of these yourself....

[jacksonianmarch]

I am not plagiarizing. I do take a lot of the intiricacies in velocity and what types of pitches they throw from pinstripesplus and a smattering from BA and BP.

[Paradisecity]

I am not plagiarizing. I do take a lot of the intiricacies in velocity and what types of pitches they throw from pinstripesplus and a smattering from BA and BP.

 

Sadly, I figured this...

[yankees228]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/yankees-sign-eladio-moronta.html

 

I figured this was the appropriate thread for that bit of news.