2015 Prospect Mega Thread

[Palodios]

Baseball America's top 100 usually kicks off the prospect season. The Red Sox seem stocked again, hopefully this will finally be the year these guys add big value to the majors.

 

#17 Swihart

#21 Castillo

#44 Owens

#59 Rodriguez

#73 Margot

#82 Johnson

#99 Devers

 

Moncada must fit in there somewhere, and there were a ton of players on the "just missed list" including Barnes, Cecchini, Chavis, Escobar, Kopech and Marrero.

[a700hitter]

Baseball America's top 100 usually kicks off the prospect season. The Red Sox seem stocked again, hopefully this will finally be the year these guys add big value to the majors.

 

#17 Swihart

#21 Castillo

#44 Owens

#59 Rodriguez

#73 Margot

#82 Johnson

#99 Devers

 

Moncada must fit in there somewhere, and there were a ton of players on the "just missed list" including Barnes, Cecchini, Chavis, Escobar, Kopech and Marrero.

 

The mark of success will be if the FO bets on the right prospects and maximizes the value of the others in trades. It is good to see if for no other reason than it establishes good currency for the FO.

[Spudboy]

What happened to Bryce Brentz?

 

Has he totally faded from potential glory?

 

From what I saw of him he looked to have a decent bat.

 

Is he still playing with guns?

[a700hitter]

What happened to Bryce Brentz?

 

Has he totally faded from potential glory?

 

From what I saw of him he looked to have a decent bat.

 

Is he still playing with guns?

 

I liked what I saw of him last spring. He has some thump.

[Ogden]

Just for the heck of seeing how successful in rating the top prospects, these were Baseball America's top 20 in 2013 and 2014. I copied these back in those 2 years fairly early so there may have been slight adjustments later in the springs.

 

2014

1 Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins

2 Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox

3 Oscar Taveras, OF, St Louis

4 Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs

5 Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros

6 Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Guardians

7 Addison Russell, SS, Oakland Athletics

8 Taijuan Walker, RHP, Seattle Mariners

9 Archie Bradley, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

10 Kevin Gausman, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

11 Noah Syndergaard, RHP, New York Mets

12 Yordano Ventura, RHP, Kansas City Royals

13 Lucas Giolito, RHP, Washington Nationals

14 Miguel Sano, 3B, Minnesota Twins

15 Dylan Bundy, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

16 Jonathan Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies

17 Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

18 Austin Hedges, C, San Diego Padres

19 Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

20 George Springer, OF, Houston Astros

 

 

 

2013

1. Jurickson Profar, ss/2b, TEX

2. Dylan Bundy, rhp, BAL

3. Oscar Taveras, of, STL

4. Wil Myers, of/3b, TB

5. Jose Fernandez, rhp, MIA

6. Shelby Miller, rhp, STL

7. Gerrit Cole, rhp, PIT

8. Xander Bogaerts, ss, BOS

9. Miguel Sano, 3b, MIN

10. Byron Buxton, of, MIN

11. Zack Wheeler, rhp, NYM

12. Tyler Skaggs, lhp, ARI

13. Carlos Correa, ss, HOU

14. Trevor Bauer, rhp, CLE

15. Christian Yelich, of, MIA

16. Javier Baez, ss, CHC

17. Mike Zunino, c, SEA

18. Taijuan Walker, rhp, SEA

19. Jameson Taillon, rhp, PIT

20. Billy Hamilton, of/ss, CIN

Edited March 2, 2015 by Ogden

[Behindenemylines]

Baseball America's top 100 usually kicks off the prospect season. The Red Sox seem stocked again, hopefully this will finally be the year these guys add big value to the majors.

 

#17 Swihart

#21 Castillo

#44 Owens

#59 Rodriguez

#73 Margot

#82 Johnson

#99 Devers

 

Moncada must fit in there somewhere, and there were a ton of players on the "just missed list" including Barnes, Cecchini, Chavis, Escobar, Kopech and Marrero.

 

Barnes have looked really good this spring.

[Palodios]

Brian Johnson threw 5 shutout innings in his first start. He looks ready.

[Spudboy]

Ready for a season in AAA.

[cp176]

Castillo 3 hits tonight - 2 RRI's

JBJ - 3 for 5

[cp176]

Very good outing for Owens yesterday. Bradley, Brentz, Marrero, and Castillo tearing it up early. Swihart not so much just yet.

[seabeachfred]

Very good outing for Owens yesterday. Bradley, Brentz, Marrero, and Castillo tearing it up early. Swihart not so much just yet.

 

Well some teams have to be watching. We need another solid starting pitcher, a one or a solid two, and we have the means to trade for one. Let's hope this trend continues and we can close a deal CP. Maybe one for a solid reliever too? Doesn't hurt to be ambitious.

[cp176]

A fairly good start for E. Rodriguez yesterday. JBJ - 3 for 8. keep on hitting jackie. Good starts for both young lefty pitchers.

[sk7326]

Keith Law highlighted best teams for prospect watching in the bigs: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=3857

 

Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple-A)

 

Six of my top 10 Red Sox prospects from late January (before Yoan Moncada signed) will start the season with the Pawsox, including three of the team's five starters in Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodriguez and Matt Barnes, as well as their top overall prospect, catcher Blake Swihart. Fourth starter Brian Johnson is no slouch himself and might have the highest floor of any of their pitchers; he's a four-pitch guy with command who doesn't have a huge fastball or single dominant pitch. The Pawsox can play an all-prospect infield, with Garin Cecchini and Deven Marrero both potential average regulars, and Sean Coyle and Travis Shaw at least likely to get some big league time as emergency call-ups or bench players. The outfield has Jackie Bradley Jr., who has exhausted his rookie eligibility (meaning he's ineligible for my prospect lists) but whom I still project to end up someone's every-day centerfielder, as well as 27-year-old Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, too old for my rankings but technically a rookie and likely to spend most of this year in the Red Sox's outfield.

 

Greenville Drive (Class A)

 

The Drive will have a good problem in a few weeks once Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada arrives from extended spring training; they'll have him, third basemen Rafael Devers and Michael Chavis, and shortstop Javier Guerra all fighting for playing time at three infield spots. Moncada was a shortstop as well, but won't play there in the long term, likely moving to second or third base, but the logjam probably means we'll see all four players switch positions frequently and get some time at DH too. Outfielder Nick Longhi has real power potential from the right side, signing with the Red Sox for an over-slot bonus of $440,000 in the 30th round in 2013. The rotation has their second pick from last year, right-hander Michael Kopech; 2012 fourth-rounder Ty Buttrey, who received a first-round bonus but has yet to deliver on his promise; and lefty Williams Jerez, signed as an outfielder in 2011 but converted to the mound after 2013, showing immediate arm strength and surprising control out of the chute.

[gojohn99]

Brentz has been around awhile now. He's 26, so maybe his big chance has passed.

 

What happened to Bryce Brentz?

 

Has he totally faded from potential glory?

 

From what I saw of him he looked to have a decent bat.

 

Is he still playing with guns?

[Palodios]

Trey Ball looks like he's had one hell of a June.

 

28.1 IP, 1.59 ERA, 1.09 WHIP. It would be awesome if he starts to pick it up, but he's still not striking out many batters.

[Station 13]

Binintendi already 4-8 in his first two game, with a HR.

[sk7326]

Binintendi already 4-8 in his first two game, with a HR.

 

Let's hope so - he faced better opposition in the SEC (generally)

[Station 13]

Margot is not having problem handling AA at age 20, hitting .293/.349/.448

 

Guess he is going to play in Fenway really soon.

[cp176]

Margot is not having problem handling AA at age 20, hitting .293/.349/.448

 

Guess he is going to play in Fenway really soon.

 

Don't hold your breath- maybe maybe not. Hernandez is hitting .313 but i would be surprised if he ever sees Fenway Park.

[Station 13]

Hernandez ? Who is that? Margot is a real top prospect.

[cp176]

Who is Hernandez? A 22 year old ss from the Dominican. He is and has been the Seadog's best player all year. Margot and Hernandez both have as good a chance of being traded as they do of playing in Fenway.

[Station 13]

I never heard of Hernandez. 22 year old while not old, isn't exactly lighting up AA. Bogaerts was playing for us in playoff at age 20. Margot is in the Bogaerts and Betts pool of talents.

[cp176]

If you have never heard of Hernandez, then you don't follow them. What do you really know about Margot? he comes with a lot of hype. Hope that he can live up to it. Most don't. I'm not a big hernandez fan but anyone hitting over .300 in double A qualifies as lighting it up.

[sk7326]

What we know about Margot is that he is at AA already, which counts for quite a bit. Good approach, but power is limited, and ++ defensively. A lot of Jackie Bradley profile while being a better base stealer and 5 years younger. There is a very high floor there, even if the ceiling might be more "could be an All-star in his career" as opposed to a "future All-Star"

[cp176]

What we know about Margot is that he is at AA already, which counts for quite a bit. Good approach, but power is limited, and ++ defensively. A lot of Jackie Bradley profile while being a better base stealer and 5 years younger. There is a very high floor there, even if the ceiling might be more "could be an All-star in his career" as opposed to a "future All-Star"

 

Very true. My point was and is that for every Margot that we have heard so much about there is a good chance that there is and will be someone else that comes along who will be every bit as good. Hernandez is an example of a potentially good major league ss who is having a very good year at the AA level. He is an All-Star and we have "fans" here who claim to know something about the Red Sox younger players but yet have literally never heard of this kid. Go figure. I'm not sure that I will live long enough to see either of these two in Red Sox uniforms.

[sk7326]

Very true. My point was and is that for every Margot that we have heard so much about there is a good chance that there is and will be someone else that comes along who will be every bit as good. Hernandez is an example of a potentially good major league ss who is having a very good year at the AA level. He is an All-Star and we have "fans" here who claim to know something about the Red Sox younger players but yet have literally never heard of this kid. Go figure. I'm not sure that I will live long enough to see either of these two in Red Sox uniforms.

 

It's possible - granted there are the issues with scouting the stat line and whatnot. But SS is a loaded area for Boston - somewhat by design. It's where your best athletes usually are, so the Sox make a habit of drafting them and then figuring it out. Hernandez might be good - and he might be good enough to be a trade piece.

[mvp 78]

People haven't heard of Hernandez because this is his first year in the system and he hadn't hit .300 since rookie ball in 2011.

 

This guy is a fringe prospect at best.

[cp176]

People haven't heard of Hernandez because this is his first year in the system and he hadn't hit .300 since rookie ball in 2011.

 

This guy is a fringe prospect at best.

 

And along with Margot you got two might be good enoughs someday.

[mvp 78]

And along with Margot you got two might be good enoughs someday.

 

Margot >>>> Hernandez, especially in terms of ceiling and trade value

[cp176]

Margot >>>> Hernandez, especially in terms of ceiling and trade value

 

In terms of the hype and all of the build up i would agree with that. It still probably might depend on what you are looking for in a player and what your team needs are. Potential outfielder vs potential shortstop. Many of our prospects fall into a long line of "we think that they are going to be better than they ever become" category. I'd like to see Margot become what everybody thinks that he might. For now Margot