This Year's Top Ten NL Players from the 2007 Draft

by jammerjoe on Dec 11, 2007 6:05 PM EST Comment 38 comments

I'm looking for guys from the 2007 MLB draft, first ranked as the best keeper prospects, second those who might make an impact in the majors the fastest.

I am in way too many baseball leagues, including 2 35 man roster dynasty leagues and a couple of NL onlies that keep 10 players and up to 4 minor leaguers.

Since I have the first pick in one of my minor league drafts I am considering trading it, but first would like some input on the top guys who will be available. For instance;

Does Cameron Maybin make the top ten now that he is in the Marlin's system? What about other minor leaguers who are transisiton from the AL to NL?

Josh Vitters is the first in the draft to go NL, but he is fresh out of high school and not likely to make an impact any time soon. Daniel Moskos is next, but the Pirates have some bad mojo for the pitchers they select. Matt LaPorta out of Florida could fast track thanks to his age but what are his prospects for getting to the bigs? I don't see him in the Evan Longoria realm, meaning he doesn't look like a guy who will fast-track to the major league level quickly.

In the immortal words of Bartles and James...

"Thank You for Your Support"

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Players I would like, in order:

Matt LaPorta, 1B/OF, ATL
Jayson Heyward, OF, ATL
Josh Vitters, 3B, CHC
Casey Weathers, RHP, COL
Matt Dominguez, 3B, FLA
Jarrod Parker, RHP, ARI
Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN
Ross Detweiler, LHP, WAS
Chris Withrow, RHP, LAD
Nick Schmidt, LHP, SAD

You have to admit, the American League got the better of the draft.

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 6:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Burgess

I think Michael Burgess should be someone in the top 10. Prodigious power prospect.

by jc3 on Dec 11, 2007 6:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nick Schmidt?

Schmidt was a fairly low ceiling prospect before he had TJ.

by DrBGiantsfan on Dec 11, 2007 7:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

he has some potential

you could always go madison burmanger (spelling?) as well...

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 7:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you missed a couple and I'd change the order

Matt LaPorta
Josh Vitters
Jayson Heyward
Jarrod Parker
Michael Burgess
Ross Detwiler
Dan Moskos
the rest

by my dixie wrecked on Dec 11, 2007 7:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

moskos

he wasnt the best player for his draft slot--others better than him

plus, he's gonna have TJ (if he didnt already)

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 8:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Did I say he was?

I have Moskos listed here as the 7th best NL pick. I also would have picked 7 of the AL picks ahead of him- but that wasn't the conversation. That puts him at 15. That's about right.
Moskos isn't going to have TJ surgery.

by my dixie wrecked on Dec 11, 2007 10:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

typo

MIL drafted LaPorta.

by Yakker on Dec 11, 2007 9:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That was only from the 2007 draft

and if that's all your looking for, Maybin doesn't belong in the list

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 6:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

LaPorta

...by quite a bit. I like his power potential and he'll pay dividends quickly.

by laughlin on Dec 11, 2007 7:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

My Take

Fastest Movers: Price, LaPorta, Weathers.

Highest Ceilings: Price, Porcello, Heyward.

by DrBGiantsfan on Dec 11, 2007 7:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re

I'd add Ross Detwiler to the fastest mover list as well. The guy has already appeared in a big league game and it won't be long before he is up full time.

by SBcaptain2 on Dec 11, 2007 8:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybin

If you are saying that because he was traded to the NL, is he top ten compared to the '07 draftees, my answer is he is #1. He will probably open the season in Miami, and has as high of a ceiling as any prospect in baseball.

by drwmsu1 on Dec 11, 2007 7:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re: maybin

no, because maybin's power and avg is suspect due to his large amount of GB and his high K rate, not to mention the huge stadium

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 8:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Park effects

Why should the huge stadium impact him when all he does is K and hit grounders? :-)

Seriously though, of course the guy has some question marks, but he is a better prospect than any of the 2007 NL draft class. He is #7 on the community prospect list, and will be top ten on pretty much every single prospect list that comes out.

by drwmsu1 on Dec 11, 2007 9:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the big stadium

impacts his value in terms of power, but helps his triples and doubles cause.

I think Maybin has some pretty serious question marks, especially after that .100 avg during the regular season.

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 11, 2007 9:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

re

You're gonna hold a poor late season performance against him when he clearly was not ready? Btw, it was .143, not .100.

by SBcaptain2 on Dec 11, 2007 9:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Did you not see the smiley face?

Yeah, I understand the big stadium. Comerica is a bandbox, right? I don't see the big difference there. He is also going to the JV league, where instead of having to face Carmona, Santana, Sabathia et al a bunch of times a year, he will face the crappy Mets, Phillies, and Nats starters.

Yes, he has some question marks. So does every player drafted in the '07 draft. He is a better prospect then any of them according to every publication that specializes in prospects.

by drwmsu1 on Dec 11, 2007 9:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Big park

Pretty moot point really - they'll be getting a new stadium and/or moving by the time Maybin hits his stride...

Send your top 50-100 prospects to slurveone@yahoo.com!!!

by slurve on Dec 11, 2007 9:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Maybin is definitely ahead of any NL 2007 draftee.

by SBcaptain2 on Dec 11, 2007 8:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't trade the pick

For an NL draft, do not trade the #1 pick, draft Maybin.

by SBcaptain2 on Dec 11, 2007 8:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

Yeah, it's Maybin Maybin Maybin.

by omambiyick on Dec 11, 2007 9:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Draft & Follows

There are three big draft and follow players I'd rank about half the guys listed above - Matt Latos of SD, Max Scherzer of Arizona and Cole Rohrbrough of the Braves. They weren't drafted in 2007, but for fantasy purposes, they should be first eligible for the draft this year. Latos is a ways away but has extremely high upside (I had him rated as the top HS pitcher drafted in '06, and he fell due to signing demands). I can see Rohrbrough getting fast tracked as he has great stuff and is extremely polished. If Scherzer gets moved to the pen full time, he could be making an impact as soon as next year.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Dec 11, 2007 10:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

My list

top 10 NL-only eligible minor leaguers (not including major leaguers who were traded, so no Andrew Miller, etc.), giving equal weight to upside and time it will take to get to the majors:

Cameron Maybin
Matt LaPorta
Gorkys Hernandez
Cole Rohrbrough
Max Scherzer
Josh Vitters
Matt Latos
Jason Heyward
Michael Burgess
Casey Weathers

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Dec 11, 2007 11:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

others to think about

i really like both smoker and mcgeary (of the nationals). who knows what kind of development mcgeary will have, going to stanford full-time and playing minor-league ball in the summers, but he is a very polished HS lefty. as for smoker, i still can't figure out why he fell out of round 1.

also, has nobody mentioned tim alderson yet? i'm not going to say he's a top 10 overall prospect (heh) but he's probably a top 10 2007 NL draftee. right now i'd certainly take him over guys like mesoraco or withrow.

by jpahk on Dec 12, 2007 12:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

My top 10 list

1.Tim Alderson
2.Michael Main
3.Jarrod Parker
3.Blake Beavan
4.Neil Ramirez
5.John Tolisano
6.Chris Withrow
7.Matt Wieters
8.Devin Mesoraco
9.Nick Noonan
10.Madison Bumgarner
I really like Alderson, his control looks amazing(114K/4BB in high school), also he has promizing frame-6'7. Furthermore because of his unorthodox delivery, he's extremely deceptive to hitters, which means he'll come up very quickly.

by moffydream on Dec 12, 2007 4:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

He only wants NL prospects

So practically half your list is ineligible.

by guru4u on Dec 12, 2007 11:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

huh?

Did I really just read that Ramirez, Tolisano, & Withrow were ranked ahead of Wieters??

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

by Savoy on Dec 12, 2007 1:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i think you did, dude

of course you also read that main, beavan, tolisano, ramirez and wieters are in the NL

by wily mo on Dec 12, 2007 1:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If you are including Maybin

Then I would rank them:

Maybin
LaPorta
Heyward
Parker
Weathers (because it's fantasy, and I think he'll be their closer very soon)
Vitters
Burgess
Bumgarner
Alderson
Detweiler

I like Mesoraco, but catching prospects tend to take longer to develop (especially out of HS). Dominguez looks to me like a guy that will play solid D at 3B but struggle to hit consistently in the bigs. And the arm problems of Schmidt/Moskos scare me enough to leave them off this list.

No question the AL got the better talent out of the 07 draft. Then again, that should not surprise anyone given they are actually willing to pay their draftees.

by guru4u on Dec 12, 2007 11:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I like that list

Only I'd slot Detwiler at #4 ahead of Parker. I really like Ross...

by doublestix on Dec 12, 2007 9:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Top 10 help appreciated

Thanks guys this was a lot of help. I agree that the AL got the better of the draft this year, so in an NL only the best I can hope for is some of those guys are traded. Just found out that if Maybin is on the Marlins 25 man roster he won't be eligible for the minor draft so I traded the pick and Yorvit Torrealba ($2) for Brian McCann ($11), Kevin Fransden ($1), Ryan Spilborghs ($2) and the 13th overall pick.

Just finished the mock draft for the "Sporting News' 2008 Fantasy Baseball Yearbook", which was a lot of fun. Maybin was drafted pretty late, but that is to be expected at this point. I took a couple of prospects late since this thing comes out so dang early and you only have to hit on one prospect for bragging rights.(Jay Bruce and Evan Longoria)

I'm thinking I can still get one of the top ten guys with the 13th overall pick so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Big thanks to ya'll.

Director of Marketing www.fantasyauctioneer.com

by jammerjoe on Dec 12, 2007 5:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

not a good trade

you got:

two backups light-hitting (Spilborghs, Torreabla)
a good starter (McCann)
a useless UTIL player (Fransden)
and a useless pick (remember, its hard to come up with 13 good picks from the 2007 NL draft...though if you want to expand that idea

I would never trade the #1 pick just because I can't get Cameron Maybin. No offense, but that was seriously foolish.

--http://yankeesfuture.wordpress.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Dec 12, 2007 8:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

analysis seriously underrated McCann

he's likely worth a #1 minor league pick in pretty much any NL keeper league... (since minor leaguers usually have a salary of $10 or the average salary in the league once promoted)

by SLK on Dec 13, 2007 9:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Backups

are huge in Only leagues. I've had Matt Diaz for three years on the team at a salary of $1. Had to drop him as we have aa three year eligibility rule. You can extend players, but then you guarantee their contracts, and the extensions cost $5/year per extention. Meaning, if I extend McCann for two years (he is good through 2009) his salary would be $21 from the time I extend him til the end of the contract.

You need those kind of players to fill your roster and scrape a few points from other guys. AB's are the key, and you want guys with decent #'s...Fransden likely gets a fair amount of starts at 2B this year, Spilborghs produces pretty nicely for a part timer and McCann is a premier C still coming into his power years.

Look inside the numbers and Spilborghs returns more than the $2 he costs.

AB HR AVG RBI R SB
264 11 .299 51 40 4

You could argue that with regular playing time, thats a 20/100/80 player.

Appreciate the view. This team was raided hard last year during a playoff run so I have to rebuild it. Leftovers are slim...a $48 Matt Holiday, $42 Garrett Atkins (going back into the pool) and a $15 Chad Cordero.

Director of Marketing www.fantasyauctioneer.com

by jammerjoe on Dec 13, 2007 11:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Foolish?

Spilborghs, 2007 stats
AB HR AVG RBI R SB
264 11 .299 51 40 4

Was he even on your radar last year? He was on mine, by accident. We were making fun of him being Mr. Irrelevant in a Talented Mr Roto expert draft last year. Not bad stats for an irrelevant player eh?

I wouldn't consider that light hitting either. Actually I think it's a worthy investment for a buck or two. Fransden has a chance to start at 2B...another cheap investment that if it doesn't pan out wasn't much of a risk.

And I'll take a young stud like McCann for a #1 draft pick any day when the best prospect in the draft is a few years away from playing.

Director of Marketing www.fantasyauctioneer.com

by jammerjoe on Dec 13, 2007 11:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

FYI

its a standard 5x5. 23 man roster $260 budget league that keeps ten plus up to three minors each year

Director of Marketing www.fantasyauctioneer.com

by jammerjoe on Dec 12, 2007 5:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

given only 3 minor leaguers

can be kept I like your trade... at #13 you get a top 100 fantasy prospect (top 50 NL prospect), meaning you likely could get a Angel Villalona type (high upside but more than a season away)

by SLK on Dec 13, 2007 10:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs