Tampa Bay Rays Top 20 Prospects for 2010
by John Sickels on Jan 14, 2010 12:31 AM EST
99 comments
Top 20 Tampa Bay Rays Prospects for 2010
All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. Complete reports on these and over 1,000 other players will be in the2010 Baseball Prospect Book, now available for pre-order, shipping on February 2nd!
1) Desmond Jennings, OF, Grade A: Borderline A-, but my gut is saying to be aggressive with this one. A perfect leadoff hitter with blazing speed, great strike zone judgment, low strikeout rate, and enough power to make the pitchers respect him. Only worry is that injuries may recur.
2) Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Grade A-: For many years, I was the most famous baseball-oriented graduate of Hoover High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Jeremy Hellickson has changed that. Roy Oswalt type if he avoids injury. I love the guy.
3) Wade Davis, RHP, Grade A-: I love this guy too. If Hellickson could become Oswalt, Davis could become John Lackey.
4) Matt Moore, LHP, Grade B+: Strikeouts may be fascist, but apparently I have an inner authoritarian because I love strikeouts. Command problems preclude an A-, but the sky is the limit on Moore's potential.
5) Alexander Colome, RHP, Grade B: borderline B+. Excellent stuff, just needs to sharpen his command and transition to full-season ball.
6) Reid Brignac, SS, Grade B-: Glove has really developed, bat is good-enough for him to play given the defense. No room in Tampa barring injury; would be terrific trade bait.
7) Alexander Torres, LHP, Grade B-: More strikeouts, and gets lots of grounders, too. Command needs to sharpen up for a higher grade.
8) Tim Beckham, SS, Grade B-: Still has youth and tools, but not developing the way scouts anticipated. Plate discipline and defense have become issues. It will be very interesting to see how this one pans out. . .could be anything from a B+ to a C a year from now.
9) Nick Barnese, RHP, Grade B-: Durability may be an issue, but I've liked him since he was in high school. Might not have the ceiling of the other guys, but could be a good three/four if he stays healthy.
10) Wilking Rodriguez, RHP, Grade B-: Great stuff but need to see him at a higher level than the Appy League.
11) Luke Bailey, C, Grade C+: Difficult to rank since we don't know if the Tommy John is going to impact his defense yet. Was a first round talent before he got hurt.
12) Kyle Lobstein, LHP, Grade C+: Pitchability lefty breezed through the New York-Penn League. Projects as control-oriented three/four starter, assuming he passes the Double-A test.
13) Aneury Rodriguez, RHP, Grade C+: Got killed the first half of the season in Double-A, but pitched great starting in mid-July. Could break through in '10.
14) Kyeong Kang, OF, Grade C+: Underrated tools, took a big step forward with his plate discipline while hitting .307 with power in the Sally League.
15) Matthew Sweeney, 1B, Grade C+: He is a butcher at third base and needs to move to first, but I really like the bat. Nice pick up in the Kazmir deal.
16) Todd Glaesman, OF, Grade C+: Excellent tools, have to see if he can control the zone at higher levels. Could be Top Ten guy next year if he does.
17) Alex Cobb, RHP, Grade C+: Overlooked amidst all the other pitching in the system, but could develop into a nice inning-eater type.
18) Jake McGee, LHP, Grade C+: He was horrible coming back from Tommy John, and as a result it's hard to rank him. Could get back into the Top Ten easily, so monitor spring reports closely.
19) David Newmann, LHP, Grade C+: Throws strikes with good sinker and breaking stuff, knows how to pitch, career has been slowed by Tommy John and a blown knee but has always been good when healthy. Sleeper.
20) Matt Gorgen, RHP, Grade C+: Command is an issue but I like him as a sleeper relief arm.
OTHERS (Grade C): Nevin Ashley, C; Tyler Bortnick, SS; Joseph Cruz, RHP, Devin Fuller, RHP; Hector Guevera, SS; Kevin James, LHP: John Jaso, C; Jake Jefferies, C; Jeff Malm, 1B: Jason McEachern, RHP; Ty Morrison, OF; Rayner Oliveros, RHP; Jacob Partridge, LHP; Fernando Perez, OF; Zach Quate, RHP; Heath Rollins, RHP; Cody Rogers, OF; Scott Shuman, RHP. I ended up cutting Eduardo Morlan and Shawn O'Malley for space.
I love this system.
Not just the amazing aggregation of talent at the top, but the way they run the system really impresses me. The Rays can pick good college guys with developed skills. They can pick raw high school guys and turn them into players. They have an effective Latin American operation. They don't push guys too fast: they are particularly conservative with the high school arms, letting them percolate enough at each level. They are the Anti-Mets in that regard, and it really seems to work for them. They can even pick a guy like Rayner Oliveros (released by the Royals) off the scrap heap and get something out of him.
As good as the system is at the top, there is plenty more at the lower levels. Several of the Grade C guys could develop into excellent prospects, particularly '09 high school draftees like Malm, James, Rogers, and Partridge. Hector Guevera also draws strong reviews, but I want to see what he does in North America.
Can you imagine how good of a defensive outfield Crawford/Jennings/Upton is going to be?
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Davis
Aggressive grade (I was thinking a high B+), but hard to argue with your sentiment. I think he might have a rough rookie campaign in the majors as he gets his command in gear, but in general he seems to be somewhat under the radar these days among elite pitching prospects . . .SNTS I suppose?
McGee was horrible?
Looks to me like his strikeout and walk numbers were right in line with his career average, and the only difference was an inflated hit rate… And we all know hit rates can fluctuate pretty widely in a 22-inning sample.
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
a .394 BABIP
makes the inflated hits alright, Also I like the aggressive Bailey grade (as a top 11 spect not bad for a 4th round pick in a deep system) kid had all the hype and potential before his TJ surgery and hopefully will regain that in ’10.
http://citrusjuicing.wordpress.com/ An SRQ-Tampa Bay area sports blog
by CubFanRaysaddict on Jan 14, 2010 1:23 AM EST up reply actions
John this is your best system in baseball?
over Cleveland and their depth?
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 14, 2010 1:17 AM EST reply actions
btw
I think it is a good choice if it is
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 14, 2010 1:17 AM EST up reply actions
John's grades
Tampa Bay – A, A-, A-, B+, B, B-, B-, B-, B- and B-.
Cleveland – A, B+, B, B, B, B-, B-, B-, B- and B-.
Texas – A, A-, A-, B+, B, B, B-, B- and B-.
If we weight it 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 for the A through B-, here is how the numbers work out:
Rays – 69
Cleveland – 57
Texas – 69
If we use the C+ guys and then go 18, 15, 12, 9, 6 and 3 for A to C+ then we actually get a three way tie at 129 for all three teams. The Athletics actually get close as well with a 123 score. This is the weighting scale I plan on using once John is done for all of his lists to rank the farm systems, unless someone can give a better weighting scale to use.
+1 Very nice job doug
I really have no problem with it
Because essentially “C” is as low as John goes …
I think that could work out really well
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 14, 2010 1:56 AM EST up reply actions
The C grade
I was going to actually use the C grade as well for depth, but then about half way through John said he had to start cutting down lists, so I eliminated it from the point values as teams who went first were actually given more overall prospects than teams done later by John.
Also
John doesn’t necessarily list every C grade player in these rankings.So a team with depth such that their 41st player in their system would get a C, would be penalized because John’s list stops before that point.
That wasn't quite true
Some of the earlier teams he did this season were at 42 (Giants and Twins). Several teams had 41 players as well.
I think this underweights elite prospects substantially
I wouldn’t trade an A prospect for 2 B+ prospects, yet according to this you’d trade 2 As for 3 B+s.
I’d be more inclined to go with something like 15/10/5/3/2/1.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Interesting weighting
I like where you are going, but at the same time I feel that the C+ guys are being undervalued a bit here as well.
According to Victor Wang’s research a top 10 hitter (prospect) is worth about $32M. An 11-25 hitter is worth 22.3M, a 26-50 hitter is worth 20.8M, 51-75 is worth 12.6M and 76-100 is worth 11.1M. For pitchers it scales like this: 13.5M, 14.2M (yes, 11-25 have been better than the 1-10 guys), 14.2M (again, the 25-50 pitchers better than the 1-10 guys), 10.8M and 8.7M.
Now of course that was only for the Baseball America rankings. As for right now we have 111 A to B prospects, dictating the cream of the crop guys. I think I am going to try and weight the point scale according to that data in some way, as it reflects historical performance of those players. Wang has also done research showing what a Sickels B and C grade pitcher and hitter has done depending on the age of those players who were a grade C (since John sometimes grades huge prospects a C because of lack of information and or age when other places would rate them much higher – think the young latin 7 figure bonus guys). Sounds like I have a weekend project to do…..
Indeed
Pitchers and hitters shouldn’t be weighted evenly. John has himself said that directly comparing players at the same grade, as between pitchers and hitters, is a poor way of valuing them.
So my earlier comment might be good as an average, but breaking it out by position would be a lot better of an idea.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Also just think if the Rays had singed L. Washington or their 2nd rounder.... ??
their system would even be That much better.
wow
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 14, 2010 1:20 AM EST reply actions
Actually, I think Id rather have the picks this year
They might do better.
I wasnt that high on Washington.
+1 , great point
wow the system is almost flawed isn’t it?
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 14, 2010 1:54 AM EST up reply actions
I find that unlikely because there is no protection for comp picks.
They’re likely to draft a guy who is signable rather than the most talented player available.
Tools Whore
don't like this argument
There was no protection for any picks from the conception of the draft until just recently and teams still gambled on players. Teams are still going to take players they are high on
Yeah, I'm not that high on Washinton either
Missing out on Diekroeger will hurt more I think.
Agreed on Diekroeger, though they knew on draft day that the chances of signing him were slim-to-none. Probably a greater strategy of deferring the their picks, as stated above.
I think he was seen as a 50/50 shot
Who they could have waited a few rounds to draft because of the uncertainty, but chose to draft in the 2nd because then they could get the pick if he didn’t sign. I think that one may bite the team in the butt though.
- Excellent HS performance (was the California HS POY) despite playing 3 sports in HS
- Mensa level intelligence
- Extraordinarily self-motivated
- Great all-around athlete
After focusing three years on just baseball at Stanford, I could see him being a top 10 pick.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Well, you could say the same
about the Rangers and Matt Purke.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Aneury Rodriguez
His GO/AO fell from 0.73 in the first half to 0.56 but his HR rate fell from 1.58 to 0.31. Now obviously 1.58 isn’t his true talent level, but he’s a flyball pitcher, almost extremely so, and while he did shore up his control in the second half, the HR rate was a big reason for the big ERA disparity between halves.
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
Lobstein
I think you’re low on Lobstein and think he’s probably a comfortable B- prospect. As the 47th overall pick last year, he was pretty well regarded. Clean mechanics, room to add velocity, and two other at least average (though limited) secondary offerings.
Hard to ignore the success in short season, though..24.7% K rate, 7.7% BB Rate, 52% GB Rate and 3.11 FIP. I understand why you’re being conservative with his grade (the raw stuff isn’t elite) but I think he’s more than your standard C+ prospect, if I can make that distinction. If the velocity comes (and I haven’t seen a lot of reports though KG described him as a pitchability lefty so we’ll see),
I don’t know if I’d have Aneury on the top 20. I prefer Jeff Malm.
Also a fan of Matt Sweeney though his value is obviously limited. I’m not even sure he’s a 1B. The bat is for real.
It does seem like people were impressed by his stuff and projection last year
Now everything I see has him as a pitchability guy.
IIRC
He was sitting low-90’s as a HS junior, and when he touched mid-90’s in one of the offseason camps, all the scouts went gaga over his potential. Then, as a senior, his velocity dropped back into the high 80’s and it’s never really recovered.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I actually think I like Wilking Rodriguez the most of any of the B- guys...
I dont think I could defend it right now, but I really like him.
This is really nitpicky
But Jennings as a borderline A-? Could you ask for a better prospect? Not to say he’s the best prospect in baseball, but he’s got to be top 5 or 10. He doesn’t strike out, takes a lot of walks, has a bit of power, steals a bunch of bases, and plays a mean CF. I guess he has some injury concerns, but those seem overblown to me. Maybe I’m wrong on that (were there more injuries than the shoulder that kept him out of 2008?) but one injury shouldn’t dock a player that much. Especially after proving, through a whole season, that it didn’t affect him.
Juan Carlos Perez, please start hitting.
If he's not the best prospect in baseball, then, yes, you could ask (and receive) a better one
www.zekeishungry.com
If he'd been healthy
I think he’d probably be top 3. But the injury concerns aren’t that overblown. He’s only had 2 healthy seasons in his last 5.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Injury problems are never overblown
especially when a guy has missed large parts of multiple seasons. It suggests that he has a slow physical recovery rate.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Jennings ends up being “Milton Bradley without the temper.”
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
I guess I didn't realize the extent of his injuries
What were the other injuries?
Juan Carlos Perez, please start hitting.
No idea
but he missed basically the last month of the season in 2007. He then played only 24 games in 2008.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
What warms my cockles (what is a cockle, anyway?) is knowing that a team that absolutely MUST run their organization this way is actually doing it
The only way they’ll ever compete in the AL East is to develop this amazing pipeline of talent. They’re doing it, and I think they’ll keep doing it even without the top 5 picks every year.
www.zekeishungry.com
Cockle
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Technically, that's a cockle shell...
… one of the things that Mary, Mary quite contrary used to make her garden grow.
We usually call them scallops, but in some restaurants you may be offered Coquilles St Jacques.
Scallops have points in the back
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Cockles
found this:
Cockles are a type of bivalve mollusc, once a staple part of the diet for many British people (you may recall that Sweet Molly Malone once wheeled her wheelbarrow through Dublin’s fair city, crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!"). They are frequently heart-shaped (their formal zoological genus was at one time Cardium, of the heart), with ribbed shells.
courtesy of worldwidewords.org.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
McEachern will jump way up next year if he gets more velocity
Saw him pitch and recorded video on him and he’s got a better curveball than Davis and a quality changeup too.
I got excited
then I saw who posted this.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
looks like
the Rays will be a competitve ballclub for years to come…. too bad the team I follow can’t follow the Rays’ blueprints to success oh well.
ok, here’s my nerdiness paying off (sorta ) a cockle is a heart-shaped clam and weed. cockle somehow became a term for heart shaped .
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
BOOM Wade D with the A-
I knew you had it in you, John. Thanks for putting this together.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Jan 14, 2010 9:24 AM EST reply actions
Are the Others listed in order?
I know grades are more important, just curious if they were ranked.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
Still surprised the #13 spect in a such a talented system would survive Rule 5
after a full season starting in AA at 21.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
Brignac
6) Reid Brignac, SS, Grade B-: Glove has really developed, bat is good-enough for him to play given the defense. No room in Tampa barring injury; would be terrific trade bait.
John,
Escobar is a B+. Both played in AAA last year, were of similar age, and had similar batting lines. Is Escobar’s glove really that much better? It seems to me that Brignac’s power potential should make up the difference in baserunning. This is a question I’ve had for quite awhile as Escobar continued to get rave revues and Brignac’s seemed to be “meh.” Is it really that big of a difference? How do you project their two gloves to play at SS? Is Brignac merely a good defender at SS at the next level while Alcides is other worldly?
Thanks
alicides
Escobar has more speed and I think his glove is better.
by John Sickels on Jan 14, 2010 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
i was expecting Brignac and Beckham to get B grades...
Escobar certainly deserves to be above Briggy at this point, but I don’t think they are that far apart…
Torres, Aneury, Cobb, Newmann, Downs
Montgomery seems to be loaded with fun pitching to start the year.
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Charlotte - Moore, Barnese, Cruz
Just loaded with pitching. Hellboy and Sonny will have to hold up AAA.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
by FreeZorilla on Jan 14, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions
and Andujar
How can you have any pudding if you haven`t eaten your meat? I`m still waiting...
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Jan 14, 2010 10:17 AM EST up reply actions
Wilking Rodriguez
Maybe Suarez too but he will probably repeat at Hudson Valley do to injury.
How can you have any pudding if you haven`t eaten your meat? I`m still waiting...
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Jan 14, 2010 10:33 AM EST up reply actions
I've been wrong before
But I would be surprised to see Rodriguez skip HV. They didn’t have Colome skip HV with a similar profile.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Seems a waste to keep him in XST until Short Season begins
You are probably right though, the Ray`s play it extremely safe with their pitching prospects.
How can you have any pudding if you haven`t eaten your meat? I`m still waiting...
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Jan 14, 2010 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
I think Hall will be in Montgomery
Rodriguez in Durham
How can you have any pudding if you haven`t eaten your meat? I`m still waiting...
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Jan 14, 2010 10:21 AM EST up reply actions
I don't see the need to rush Aneury up there
He’s not working past the logjam to the majors anytime soon. Maybe mid-season.
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by FreeZorilla on Jan 14, 2010 10:23 AM EST up reply actions
Perhaps
I just thought Hall earned promotion to the Montgomery.
How can you have any pudding if you haven`t eaten your meat? I`m still waiting...
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Jan 14, 2010 10:26 AM EST up reply actions
logjam to the majors
There’s obviously a full-time, long-term logjam, but I think there’s certainly an injury opportunity for someone like Rodriguez — particularly if Andy Sonnanstine is traded.
We know the Rays do not want to rush Hellickson; they’re almost certainly committed to giving him as close to a full year at AAA to develop as possible. So beyond that, if (say) David Price has a minor injury and is out for a month, I could see someone like Rodriguez getting the call if he gets off to a hot start. He’s got more upside than retreads like Carlos Hernandez, and at the same time you’re not screwing up the development of a top prospect.
by AndrewTorrez on Jan 14, 2010 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
Hellickson has already spent a half year in AAA
And has been pretty dominant there. I doubt he has much more to learn in AAA. I can understand if it’s a service time issue, but saying he needs another full year in AAA for development reasons seems pretty bunk to me.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
The Rays believe very strongly
In slow development of pitching prospects. They put all their SP prospects on strict innings counts and development time tables with the goal of having them ready to pitch 200+ innings in their 2nd year in the majors. Hellickson will almost certainly spend the full year in AAA, maybe getting a late Sept. callup.
yes but it isn't set in stone.
I’ve seen both Hellickson and Price pitch in AAA and Hellickson is/was by far more ready to make the jump to the majors than Price was.
I'm familiar with the Rays player development process
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
"Development", in this case,
Refers more to the stretching out of the pitcher, increasing endurance while minimizing risk. It has a lot less to do with talent level/skill.
I doubt they want to start Aneury's clock.
Sonny and Hernandez are more likely to get the call if they don’t deem Helly ready. I don’t think Helly will last the full season in AAA if there is an injury or trading of a starter. I do think he will start the season in AAA if there is a ST injury.
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by FreeZorilla on Jan 14, 2010 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
I doubt they care nearly as much about Aneury's clock as some of the others
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
They cared enough to risk not protecting him him...
Dan Feinstein Director of Baseball Ops:
R.J.: Many eyebrows were raised when Aneury Rodriguez was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and soon thereafter a roster space or two were emptied. Can you explain the thought process behind who the Rays choose to protect and how they come to decisions on the borderline candidates?
DF: Each year we take an exhaustive look at all the candidates that are up for protection. The opinions of our scouts and especially our player development staff, who see these players the most, are extremely important in this process. You never want to lose a talented player, but roster flexibility is crucial, and we have to take that into account when making our decisions. That we didn’t protect Aneury this year should not be taken as an interpretation of how we feel about the player. We like him a lot. Sometimes the best way to keep a player in the organization long-term is not to protect him too early.
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True
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Seems about right
My nits, for what they’re worth.
Too low: Echoing rglass44 above, it’s hard for me to understand how Alcides Escobar is a B+ and Reid Brignac is a B-; that’s the difference between Ryan Westmoreland or Domonic Brown and a guy like Nick Weglarz. I just don’t see Brignac as that much of a dropoff from Escobar. Everyone else looks about right — I guess I like Lobstein a bit more than John does, and maybe I’m a tools whore but I love Hector Guevara and I think he’s a C+.
Too high: as FreeZorilla and I discussed on the previous thread, it’s hard for me to believe that Aneury Rodriguez is that good if every team in baseball passed on him in the Rule 5. Also I had Newmann and Gorgen as straight Cs.
But basically: wow, that’s an impressive system.
I agree, and I've said before that while yes it was a small sample size
Brignac did hit .286 (I know BA sucks as a stat but is easy to use for guys who aren’t big stat guys) in his short time in the majors last year (90 AB) Assuming he can get his walks up that is more than enough for him to be higher than a b- considering his glove. I would have gone B.
I however like the Torres grade, I think the Rays are going to end up looking really good when all is said and done with the Kazmir deal.
With everyone talking about the depth and talent of the system it doesn’t even include two guys (Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce) who have been in AAA and should crack the big league team next season who don’t have prospect status anymore.
I think he'll hit righties pretty well, actually. I don't think he will do much against lefty starters, but a solid glove will allow him to always provide value.
He certainly needs to get his walks up, but in an obscenely small sample of 80 PA (almost all in 2009) he put up a wOBA of .352 against righties. I’ve been leading the charge on the trade-Bartlett-while-his-value-is-high brigade. Maybe I’m biased, but I’m ready to see Briggy in the lineup facing righties every day. Awesome, according to b-ref, me and Briggy have the same birthday, though I’m 3 years his senior.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Jan 14, 2010 3:32 PM EST up reply actions
I'm right there with you
Bartlett had an amazing season filled with red flags about his offensive production which you nicely highlighted on DRB last week. Considering his offensive flags, declining defense, current market value, and an able replacement and it seems like a nice opportunity to address other issues.
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That would be almost unbelievably foolish
Yes, Bartlett is not really a seven-win player.
No, that does not mean that Brignac is better than he is.
CHONE calls the dropoff a downgrade of 16 runs, and that strikes me as on the low end of plausible.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Bartlett is at best an average defender at this point (and I think that's a bit optimistic).
He’s coming off a fluke year and getting older and more expensive. If he brings a good return (read positional prospects or ML ready talent) then it would be worth it. It does seem, though, that they have a lot stacked toward winning this season, so it may make less sense in that regard. If someone thinks Bartlett is a 5 win player and is willing to give you that return, then you do it IMO.
Wow, Rayner Oliveros is still around?
I was a big fan of his like way back when with the Royals. Never understood why they gave up on him.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
were you really a big fan?
cuz he was just “there” for me. i didn’t even know he was still pitching until like last July.
baseball rules.
I remember liking his ERA
And I think someone posted way back in the day that he had some family issues – like he had a sick wife or something like that. Someone connected to the Royals minor league said he was a great guy or something. He was a guy I pulled for, not necessarily a guy I thought was going to be awesome.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
I know it was last year but
I’m still not seeing how Tommy Hanson got a B+ but Davis AND Hellickson both got an A-.
by Jay212033 on Jan 14, 2010 5:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions
hanson
Because I underestimated Hanson and felt his command would take longer to develop than it did.
by John Sickels on Jan 14, 2010 6:22 PM EST up reply actions
Gotta love mobile posting lol
Thanks for the honest answer on Hanson John. Most people were doubting Hanson because of his command and his HR rate(which is still an issue).
by Jay212033 on Jan 14, 2010 11:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
If Sean Rodriguez was a prospect
What would you grade him and where would you rank him in the top 20? Just curious.
hmmm.... Briggy as trade bait?
IMO Bartlett would be better to trade given the outstanding season he had last year and the likelyhood he won’t be able to produce quite at that level next year.
--Gerald Wallace is the best player the Bobcats will have..... EVER
--Someone should slap Larry Brown and bring him back to reality..
Just out of curiosity
Where would Levon Washington and Ken Diekroger rank on here had they signed?
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Shuman
Be on the look out for Rays ‘spec Scott Shuman. I saw him extensively last year and he was dialing up to the upper 90’s when healthy. The rays have him pitching out of the pen and he could move through the system quickly with his polish.
If he can keep his head on straight he will shoot up this list.
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