Baseball America Midseason Top 25

by UrRoleModel on Jul 11, 2008 5:25 PM EDT Comment 31 comments

1. Clayton Kershaw

2. David Price

3. Matt Wieters

4. Colby Rasmus

5. Jason Heyward

6. Cameron Maybin

7. Matt LaPorta

8. Rick Porcello

9. Andrew McCutchen

10. Travis Snider

11. Chris Tillman

12. Neftali Feliz

13. Trevor Cahill

14. Austin Jackson

15. Dexter Fowler

16. Brett Anderson

17. Michael Bowden

18. Jarrod Parker

19. Tim Alderson

20. Mat Gamel

21. Wade Davis

22. Jeremy Hellickson

23. Mike Moustakas

24. Fernando Martinez

25. Madison Bumgarner

Just missing the cut: Lars Anderson, 1b, Red Sox; Adrian Cardenas, 2b, Phillies; Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers; Michael Saunders, of, Mariners; Max Scherzer, rhp, Diamondbacks.

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my thoughts

im suprised to see tillman and feliz so high…not suprised with heyward, he is a man-child. also i expected bumgarner ahead of alderson…and maybe gamel should be higher although i understand with his defensive struggles

by UrRoleModel on Jul 11, 2008 5:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Alderson and Bumgarner

My guess would be because Alderson is doing it at a higher level and has better secondary pitches and polish. I guess I’m one of the few, other than BA, that thinks Alderson is a better prospect than Bumgarner.

Neglectful father of David Quinowski

by marcello on Jul 11, 2008 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Chris Davis? Kershaw has more

time in the majors than him. DId they leave him off on purpose?

by tt68 on Jul 11, 2008 6:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Explanation...

“To qualify for this list, a player must be rookie-eligible; he must to be in the minor leagues at the time of the Futures Game; and he must have been under contract prior to 2008.”

"I hate the people that love me, and they hate me!"

by Brett Keith on Jul 11, 2008 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure if Brandon Wood qualifies

But if he did, where do you think he would be on this list? His stock has gone down, sure, with his flaws exposed at the major league level thus far, but the fact is he’s still doing reasonably well with good power in Triple-A as a 23-year old, I would think that would indicate a good probability of future success.

Hey fish, leave those kids alone!

by The Congo Hammer on Jul 11, 2008 7:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Anybody else find it interesting

that 5 of the top 8 players on this list were drafted last year?

www.loftylantern.com

by OldProspects on Jul 11, 2008 7:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A little

I can see the cases for Price, Weiters and LaPorta, but Heyward and Porcello seem a tad high.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Jul 11, 2008 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

huh?

One of the most well regarded high school pitchers in years is putting up a 2.60 ERA with great peripherals (aside from low K rate) and a great ground ball % in high-A at age 19? Sounds pretty good to me.

by AucklandGM on Jul 11, 2008 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

k rate

the k rate is ridiculously low though.

by npurcell on Jul 11, 2008 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

They’re not letting him throw his strikeout pitch right now. There’s no reason not to get on the Porcello train.

by limozeen on Jul 12, 2008 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd like more data

Yeah, I know. It’s mostly me being the one guy that wants to see more results in with the scouting, but I don’t think it’s too unreasonable to say that a kid with a good ERA and good groundball rate but a very low K rate belongs at 8 on that list. I’d much rather have someone with both the projection and the data (especially at higher levels) to back that up. Not saying that he doesn’t belong on this list (he does), but that he should be a little lower than #8 until he starts striking more guys out or drawing his absurd groundball rates at a higher level.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Jul 11, 2008 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

re:

Like the other poster said, they took away his plus curve to work on a slider he hasn’t really used before. The fact that he is dominating everything else with out one of his best pitches is really good sign by itself.

by hybrid on Jul 12, 2008 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heyward is hitting .333 in low A as an 18 year old

He’s having a better year in low A than Maybin, Bruce, Upton, and Rasmus.

by Bravesin07 on Jul 11, 2008 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And it's low-A

Again, I want more of a track record than half a good season at a low level and a lot of projection. Honestly, I’d put McCutch and Snider above him as of now… they’re more established.

I’m not saying that Jason Heyward is horrible, i just say he’s fringe top-10.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Jul 11, 2008 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's the problem with judging prospects

Everyone has their own criteria. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to see a longer track record of success but at the same time, it is perfectly reasonable to put Heyward at five if you have a different set of criteria. He is in A-ball, but he is only 18 and has shown power, speed, baserunning ability, incredible plate discipline for someone of his age, and big-time projection. It’s all in what you are looking for.

by was385 on Jul 12, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Careful, now...

I’m a Heyward believer, and don’t have any problem with his position on this list, but comparing SAL stats to the Midwest League stats straight up isn’t quite apples to apples.

by BobbyMac on Jul 12, 2008 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Reaction

Is it just me or do most of the guys after Snider not seem like top 25 guys. I’m not knocking…they are all great prospects…just not that exciting for me…

by Dfarth on Jul 11, 2008 8:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

"top 25 guys"

I like several of the players rated below Snider more than Snider. Snider’s a pretty good hitter, but I think his hitting expectations are somewhat overstated by most, and he’s a liability on brings nothing on defense. Considering that an average 1b/lf hits about .275/.350/.460, it’s hard to believe that he’ll be adding a lot more runs than he gives back on defense (assuming he’s not taking up the DH slot), compared to an average player. Of course, an average player has significant value, but my point is that many of the guys below him have a pretty decent shot at being well above average.

by BobbyMac on Jul 12, 2008 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heyward

seems more of a 5-10 not top 5 guy to me…Wade Davis has taken a big step back thisyear…surprised me made it.

That trio of Tillman, Cahill, and Feliz is something else right there..3 future studs

by jsmall404 on Jul 11, 2008 8:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

umm

You do realize being ranked #5 is technically being Top 5 and being 5-10, right? Not being mean it just striked me as funny reading it heh.

by hybrid on Jul 12, 2008 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fowler...

I don’t understand the love the guy gets. I’ll admit he is a good prospect, but not Top 15 in my book. He gets caught stealing way too much (33%) and his power is limited. How is he rated that much higher than a guy like Michael Brantley who steals at a much better rate and has a much better BB:K rate too?

I also agree with deavon up there that I don’t think Porcello and Heyward should be so high. Top 15 or Top 20, sure. But not Top 8.

As OldProspects points out, there seem to be a lot of recent draftees high on the list. Makes me wonder if BA overrates players too soon, and then prefers to drop them down later.

"My mom always taught me it's better to laugh at yourself than to laugh at others. She was so wrong. ;)" -Pedrophile

by Boxkutter on Jul 11, 2008 9:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

fowler

because he still has a ton of projection left. 6’4 and isnt even 200 pounds yet. Power is just waiting to develop. Plus, you need to factor in he is a very very good CF defensively.

by jsmall404 on Jul 11, 2008 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

fowler

I think it’s kind of like the NFL, he’s rated so high based on his “measurables”, upside and five tool talent.

by barlow078 on Jul 11, 2008 11:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he is rated so high becuase..

he has those measurable AND has put up great numbers in AA…..the production is going along with the projection.

by jsmall404 on Jul 12, 2008 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly, he is under-rated on this list

CFers who do what Fowler does, and project to hit for power with that frame of his… he is Top 10 for me… just a half-notch below Maybin…

by daveh33 on Jul 12, 2008 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Scherzer

I see John’s rotowire.com list has Scherzer extremely high, but BA doesn’t even include him in the top 25. Anyone know what flaws they see in his game to keep him from being considered elite?

by BobbyMac on Jul 12, 2008 2:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

re: Scherzer

I suspect it’s the same concerns about violent mechanics, injury concerns, and a fairly high probability that he’ll end up with a permanent role in the bullpen.

by jibs on Jul 12, 2008 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's on the major league roster

on injured list, so he didn’t qualify for the list.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Jul 12, 2008 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or I'm a dumbass

and he was listed on the honorable mention. I have no idea then.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Jul 12, 2008 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jarrod Parker

I’m surprised to see Parker rated that high. Someone doing good but not great in low-A doesn’t jump out to me as a top-20 type.

Also a bit surprised to see Wade Davis is still that high. He hasn’t done badly this year, but I just assumed that his stock had taken a hit since he apparently stagnated.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Jul 12, 2008 12:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs