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Travis Snider vs. Chris Marrero

I posted this question in another thread, but since there was a little interest, I'll create a separate diary - hopefully to spark further discussion.

It seems like most people here and at other sites (e.g. Project Prospect) seem to LOVE Travis Snider.  And what is there that's not to love?  He is a very solid prospect in his own right.

But what really separates Snider from Chris Marrero?  Our running prospect ranking list voted Snider #9, but Marrero is not even getting a sniff at #12.  This seems very much like a perception issue rather than a reality issue.  Here are some selected stats from the 2007 season:

AB/K Ratio:
Marrero in low-A ball:  5.69:1
Marrero in high-A ball:  4.05:1
Marrero overall:  4.68:1

Snider overall (all in low-A ball):  3.54:1

K:BB Ratio:

Snider - 129:49
Marrero - 102:46

In addition, Marrero actually displayed more power in 2007, and advanced to a level beyond low-A (where Snider was stuck all year).  Snider posted a .313/.377/.525 line for a .902 OPS and .148 IsoP in low-A ball.  Marrero, in low-A ball, posted a .293/.337/.545 line, for a .882 OPS and a .208 IsoP.

The stats clearly do not show the difference between the two.  Scouting?  Well, both were first rounders out of HS in the same year (2006).  Both played the OF exclusively in 2007.  From everything I read, Marrero would have been able to play above-average D out in the OF, but the Nats management team moved him to 1B to "speed up his development".  Scouts are also worrying about Snider's ability to play D in the OF.

Am I missing something here?  From everything I see, they had similar talent levels coming out of HS, performed similarly in their first full year of pro ball, and Marrero actually moved up a level - ahead of Snider - and looks to be slightly ahead of Snider in the development track.  Snider hit for better Avg, but Marrero displayed much more power.

Could someone please tell me why they rank Snider ahead of Marrero?  Is it solely based on his performance in the AFL?  I just do not see anything that really separates the two.

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