Who Are Your Sleepers?
by John Sickels on Mar 25, 2010 2:40 PM EDT
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PrintLast month I posted my list of Sleeper Alerts from the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book.
I'm interested in who YOUR favorite sleepers are for 2010. Who do you regard as sleepers, and why? Please note that anyone who shows up on a top 100 prospect list isn't a sleeper. . .please don't say that Strasburg or Heyward are sleepers.
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hmmm
without giving away too many… ;-)
Jeff Kobernus 2B/Was
Andy Otero SP/ATL
Mychal Givens SS/BAL
Billy Hamilton SS/CIN
Chris Nelson 2B/SS / COL
My guys
P Rafael Dolis (CHC)
OF Oswaldo Arcia (MIN)
OF Leandro Castro (PHI)
P Kenta Suda (SEA)
P Fabian Williamson (BOS)
I don't know if they're really sleepers, but I like them to greatly improve their stock
Wilking Rodriguez
Jiwan James
Sebastian Valle
Chad Jenkins
Luke Bailey
And if he counts:
Matt Dominguez – I’m still not sure how the hell he missed both BA and BP’s top 100 but he seems way underrated if you go by those 2 lists.
sleepers / stock up guys
tommy joseph c sf
guillermo pimentel of sea
brandon jacobs of bos
madison younginer p bos
david renfroe ss bos
rymer liriano of sd
miguel velazquez of tex
roman mendez p bos
dae eun rhee p chc
richard alvarez p tex
robinson lopez p atl
daniel fields ss det
donnie veal p pit
zach vonrosenburg p pit
trayce thompson of chw
jonathan singleton 1b phi
Singleton
Do you know how I can follow Singleton? Any sites or tweeters out there with updates?
Play ball!
I use firstinning.com
It’s not the most user-friendly site, but once you get all of the people who you’re tracking registered, you can see their production every day
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by OldProspects on Mar 25, 2010 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Donnie Veal
At 26 he’s bordering more of failed prospect than sleeper
If you saw...
his AFL you wouldn’t be saying that. He dominated and those that seen him in person had really good things to say.
I was -1ing
calling Veal a failed prospect just because of his age . . . I’m agreeing with you. No reason to stop paying attention to guys because they don’t breakthrough at 23 or 24 . . .
Clarification on Veal
I wasn’t referring to him as a failed prospect due to his age. He still can’t find the strike zone after many years in baseball now. Some people just can’t be taught control. At age 26 I think it’s less likely that he would be able to turn it around, therefore I don’t think you can consider him a sleeper.
Per Nick Underhill
"[M]aybe he’s hoping we’re distracting each other while he elopes with pie. I’m on to you Kurt."- madpoopz
President, Vice President and Secretary of the Casey Crosby Fanclub.
by David Tokarz on Mar 26, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Sawyer Carroll
Everett Williams
Luke Bailey
Chad Jenkins
Jason McEachern
Jermile Weeks
Jeff Malm
Christian Bethancourt
Michael Main
Slade Heathcott
Carlos Triunfel
Can Triunfel be considered a sleeper pick?
Although he wasn’t on BA or BP lists, he was the year before.
My impression is that people have given up on him
This would be more in the vein of a post-hype sleeper… even heading into last year a lot of prospect people seemed pretty down on him. I remember it sounding like he’d done a decent bit of growing up while doing his rehab.
whats wrong with former 1st round picks?
a lot of them are seemingly failures, by injury or simply not performing to their abilities… and they usually make the best sleepers, because they are forgotten but still have that top-tier talent. a bunch of guys fall into this category… Brad Lincoln, Nelson like i already mentioned, Sergio Santos [now as a pitcher]
Devin Mesoraco
is one of my sleeper picks for this year
Padres:
above poster put Carroll & Williams,
Lance Zawadzki (SS/2B) he doesn’t have 5 plus-plus tools, but isn’t missing on any tool… Strongest IF arm in the system, decent/solid power, might not have the best contact-ability, has some patience, and can play 2B, SS, & 3B…
Zawadski ...
Not a star, but I think he’s awfully talented. Maybe, Ryan Theriot level?
Jared Cosart- Technically, several people ranked him in the Phillies Top 10, so sleeper is a pretty loose term for me here.
Aaron Altherr
Sean Henry- partly that I like his skills, partly that he’s a nice guy, partly that I think the Reds AA team will be thinner offensively than it was last year, so he’ll get every chance to shine and play a key role.
Sleepers
Ryan Strieby (1st/OF)
Domingo Santana (OF)
Zawadski (SS)
Robbie Ross (SP)
-1 and only member of the Jed Lowrie fan club!
Mine
C: Devin Mesoraco (Cin)
1B: Josh Phegley (ChW)
2B: Nick Noonan (SF)
3B: Chris Dominguez (SF)
SS: Daniel Fields (Det)
OF: Domingo Santana (Phi)
OF: Johermyn Chavez (Sea)
OF: Yorman Rodriguez (Cin)
DH: Rich Poythress (Sea)
P: Rex Brothers (Col)
P: Garrett Gould (LAD)
P: Madison Younginer (Bos)
P: Ben Tootle (Min)
P: Ryan Berry (Bal)
Yes Capra
65 changeup, figured something out and started to dominate in the second half last year. As for hitters in the A’s system, Eric Sogard is what I’d call a true sleeper. His numbers were hurt bad by San Antonio. I think he’ll show a lot more pop at Sacto, he takes a good amount of walks, and almost never strikes out (walks more than strikeouts). He’s not a stud, but he’s a good useful player (could see something like .290/.370/.440 at Sacto). The glove is the problem with him, but the A’s know how to teach that up. I’m not predicting this, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s more productive at AAA than Cardenas, and ends up as the placeholder at 2B for the big league team between Ellis and J.Weeks.
by AgitationStation on Mar 26, 2010 5:36 AM EDT up reply actions
5 Braves
Andy Otero – LHSP, At only 5’9" he’s a very stocky kid that has drawn comparisons to a young Mike Hampton(due to his athleticism and bulldog mentality, not the injuries).
Adam Milligan – OF, He’s been showing off his opposite field power this spring, if he can build off his great season last year he’ll move up on everyone’s radar.
Robinson Lopez – RHSP, My sleeper pick last season as well, love his stuff.
Eduardo Salcedo – SS, He been getting rave reviews from everyone this spring. Granted it’s only in mL spring games but something is encouraging instead of just seeing the YouTube videos.
Caleb Brewer – RHSP, This kid is a real unknown by most here but he has pretty good stuff and could really open eyes this season.
Matt Antonelli
Hitting well in spring, outside shot at 2B job.
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^^ check it out
by Preston Barclay on Mar 25, 2010 5:47 PM EDT reply actions
Mine...
Starling Marte
Fautino De Los Santos
Yorman Rodriguez
Jeff Inman(potential first round pick but he got hurt. Then got better and his sick stuff returned)
Luke Bailey(slight man-crush on him)
5 Cubs
OF Dong-Yub Kim – 6 figure signing out of South Korea last year, showed promise as a potential 5 tool OF down the road. A long way off, but a strong enough showing in short season ball would get people talking about him.
LHP Austin Kirk – Needs to brush up on his secondary stuff, but he has a very good FB. Floor seems to be left handed setup man, ceiling seems to be middle of the rotation starter.
RHP Ryan Searle – Fascinating numbers down at Daytona, especially considering ARL. Sinker is fantastic and secondary stuff could be halfway decent. Needs to work on attitude.
IF Junior Lake – Repeating Peoria wouldn’t hurt, especially if he cuts down on the Ks and errors. One of the highest ceiling prospects in the system, but he might never see AA.
RHP Esmailin Caridad – I like his chances in the Cubs’ bullpen filling in for Angel Guzman.
Sleeper or breakout?
Nick Weglarz
Not exactly a sleeper, maybe more of a breakout candidate but it looks like he’s been knocked off of top 100 lists because of a terribly unlucky season (BABIP .245 after being .341 and .319 in the two previous seasons). He has some power and a ton of patience and was only 21 in AA last year.
Love Weglarz
I have my concerns (injury, contact) but I think his secondary skills are just incredible, and at a young age, from a guy who didn’t play as much baseball as most other prospects when he was growing up
This will be a critical year for Weglarz, I think. Everyone knows he’s patient and he has great raw power, but can he do those things while maintaining a healthy batting average? My gut says yes (his average was good up until he got hurt last year)
-1 and only member of the Jed Lowrie fan club!
I could come up with at least twenty Pirates...
for sleeper picks. Their system could turn really good soon with all of the tools players they have. Here are most of them:
Jeff Inman RHP
Brock Holt SS-2B
Jarek Cunningham SS-2B
Zach Von Rosenberg RHP
Victor Black RHP
Evan Chambers CF
Jorge Bishop SS-2B
Starling Marte CF
Hunter Strickland RHP
Trent Stevenson RHP
Nate Baker LHP
Colton Cain LHP
Rogelios Noris RF
Wesley Freeman OF
Robbie Grossman OF
Excardio Cayonez OF
Justin Wilson LHP
Brooks Pounders RHP
Brett Lorin RHP
Zach Dodson LHP
Quinton Miller RHP
At least 5 of these guys should break out this year.
Yankees
1) David Adams-Double A will be the year for him to be top 100 or utility player.
2) Corban Joseph-Even though he will only play A+, his name is already known and is currently bordeline top 10 for 2nd basemen. Next year could be a lot closer to top 5 like Adams.
3) David Phelps-Not often talked about because he is just a pitcher, but will be A+/AA next year. He was absolutely ridiculous in the Sally League moving himself to organizational top 20 from about top 50 or 60.
Other names to watch though I don’t feel like writing about: Slade Heathcott (top 50?), JR Murphy (borderline top 100?), Bryan Mitchell/Jose Ramirez (either of these guys could be at the back of a top 100, but I don’t think both will), Adam Warren (borderline top 100), Sean Black (common honorable mention), DeAngelo Mack (possible top 150), Jose Pirela (possible top 175), Kyle Perkins[Australian Catcher-(possible top 200)], Abe Almonte (borderline top 200)
Watch out for Andrew Brackman without getting hopes up.
Mets
There are some “hyped” sleepers like Kyle Allen and Jeurys Familia here, so I’ll skip over those guys and give a few deeper ones:
1) Zach Lutz, 3B – Already going to be 23 and just starting his Double-A campaign, but held back by injuries. Nothing major in 2009 though, and solid offensive skillset with good plate discipline and power to go with average to above average third base defense. Numbers obscured a bit by the FSL, but he was among the league leaders in many offensive categories. Not a future star, but a useful player who will probably have to find another organization if he ever wants a shot in the majors at this point. Still, could put up some good numbers in Double-A this year. Either way, the Mets are pretty covered ahead of him at 3B and he’d probably never be much more than Murphy will at 1B, so he could eventually wind up trade or Rule V bait.
2) Robert Carson, LHP – Big lefty with a lively sinker. Doesn’t miss many bats, but good command, solid velocity, and 56.7% career GB%. Might not give up a home run all year in the FSL this year at 21.
3) Brant Rustich, RHP – Another case of injuries holding a player back, Rustich’s medical chart is ugly, but his stuff has always been great. The Mets need to stop trying to make him a starter and just leave him in the pen, if his stuff has still managed to hold up this year and he stays healthy, could be a fast comer.
4) Eric Niesen, LHP – Another lefty with a life arm, this time more of a strikeout type with some command issues. Building himself a nice little floor as a reliever, and has mid-rotation SP potential if his command improves.
5) Carlos Guzman, RF – Like Lutz, solid offensive profile, but going to be 23 in Double-A. Nothing special defensively, but being a Brooklyn native and an outfield prospect in the Mets system gets you bonus points.
6) Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B – One of Omar’s bonus babies whose yet to get a lot of hype. Only played a handful of GCL games so far (I think he got hurt), hit okay, looked raw defensively. Could be another Jefry Marte like lotto ticket type.
7) Jordany Valdespin – Middle infielder with solid tools and some offensive potential. Kind of tough to get a read on, and certainly not on the Mets fast-track plan, but perhaps worth paying attention to.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 25, 2010 6:35 PM EDT reply actions
Nieuwenhuis/Familia
Maybe they don’t count as sleepers any more. Or even Reuben Tejada. You have some nice deep sleepers there.
Top 100 Prospects this time next year:
Jonathan Singleton 1B
Nolan Arenado 3B
Kyle Bellows 3B (Super-sleeper)
Delta Cleary OF
James Jones OF
Cody Rogers OF (Desmond Jackson-lite)
T.J. House P
Allen Webster P
Cameron Coffey P
Jarred Cosart P
Brooks Hall P (Super-sleeper)
by another know it all on Mar 25, 2010 6:43 PM EDT reply actions
+1
Agree with Singleton, Jones and House
5 MORE YEARS OF FELIX!
by Marinerfanjake on Mar 25, 2010 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions
lol
desmond jennings… definitely not austin jackson.
by another know it all on Mar 26, 2010 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Rangers
Miguel Velazquez
Jorge Alfaro
Jake Brigham
Michael Kirkman
Joe Wieland
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Mar 25, 2010 6:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Carlos Melo
I don’t expect too much from him this year, but I could see him being a big sleeper in 2011.
I’m right there with you KH on all those guys. I’d leave off Kirkman if any of them, but I agree.
Robbie Ross and Robbie Erlin
both are capable of putting up great years.
Feliz says his greatest thrill was striking out Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, one of his heroes. Yet, when he called to tell his parents, his mother had a request: Strike out New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, too.
"So when I did that," Feliz says, "I told my mom, 'There you go. There's your present. Don't ask me to strike anyone else out, OK?'
I haven’t looked through, but here’s a bunch of names I’ll throw out.
John Hester – Older catcher, but has shown tons of power in the minors. I think he’ll be what Montero was before he replaced Snyder.
Drake Britton – Young, hard throwing lefty coming back from TJ surgery and is already hitting 97 again. Hard slider and solid changeup potential as well.
Rafael Dolis -Ex catcher now pitching, sitting in the mid 90’s and touching 100 with two potentially plus secondary pitches. Needs to throw strikes.
Santos Rodriguez – i LOVE this guy. 6’6’’ 185 lb lefty that sits mid 90s and touches 97. Huge K rate everywhere he’s gone, even though he hasn’t been young for his age. Slider could be an out pitch. Future dominating closer.
Nate Jones – Another White Sox relief prospect, also having closer potential. High 90s fast ball and a nasty curve at times. Control was a big issue, but looked much better this year. Still has room to add strength on his 6’5’’, 190lb frame.
Carlos Rivero – In my opinion, he actually improved last year. Struck out much less than ever before, walk rate went up, fielding percentage at SHORT went up a good amount. He also didn’t show that much less power. Struggles were mostly average.
Abner Abreu – Showing huge power as a young Dominican, already had success at low A at age 19. Has plenty of room to put on strength.
Jordan Pacheco – Older guy, but won the Sally MVP in his first season as catcher. Struck out in less than 10% of his at bats, with good power.
Shane Lindsay – Another older guy, used to be a top prospect but tore his labrum. Still has his high 90’s fastball and great K rate.
Avisail Garcia – Hit .264 for Detroit’s low A team. Doesn’t impress you? How about that he’s 6’4’’ 210 lbs, had plus speed, plus arm strength, and good raw power. Stilll no? He was 18.
Brayan Villarreal – Mid 90s fast ball, best slider in the Tigers system, and good command. Performed well in every aspect of the game in Low A. Is a little small and a little old for the level.
Marcell Ozuna – Compared to Vlad Guerrero in BA. Led the GCL in doubles at 18, with great bat speed and plus speed/arm as well.
Will Smith – I’m still high on him. His pinpoint control, good stuff, and great frame along with his youth allows for a breakout seasonn ahead.
Nate Eovaldi – More of a posthype sleeper. Was top ten last year, and has done nothing to lower his stock. Except not live up to the hype.
Adrian Salcedo – I could write so much about this guy. 6’4’’ 175 and still needs to fill out. Already throws 90-95 and could add another two-three MPH. Plus curveball at times and solid changeup. Amazing control, as seen with a 58-3 K-bb Ratio. Was only 18.
I don’t feel like writing up summaries for a lot of other people, so here’s names. If you want scouting reports you can tell me.
Oswaldo Arcia
Daniel Santana
Adam Reifer
Rymer Liriano
Cameron Lamb
Edward Concepcion
Julio Morban
Jeff Malm
Jason McEachern
Kevin James
Scott Gorgon
K.C. Hobson
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by cwhitman412 on Mar 25, 2010 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Agree hard on Salcedo
I see 92-94 with plus curve and above average change along with a durable body and ridiculous control and command of the fastball.
by Navi's_Navy on Mar 25, 2010 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions
two guys Im curious to see what they do this year
Are Allen Webster(pitcher, 18th round pick. Put it together last season and could be a TOR prospect by next year) and Kyle Russell. Russell dominated A+ ball, but was 23. He has power, defense, speed, but strikeouts a ton(and I mean A TON!). Amazing potential, but very easily could fail if he doesnt cut down the Ks…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Mar 25, 2010 10:26 PM EDT reply actions
I would not be shocked to see Webster a top 75 guy next year.
Bullpen Banter
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor
Dan Duffy and Greg Desme
…wait, what??
Friend:why do you love ripping on Jeff Francoeur?
Me: Because hes an idiot, who posseses huge physical tools but will not, nay, cannot, harness those tools into any sembelance of usable baseball skill and refuses to make any effort to do so. Hes like a tragic greek figure. doomed by his own stupidity and 80 raw power.
Angels
Post hype guys who could “put it all together”
Luis Jimenez
Jeremy Moore
Ryan Mount
Josh Blanco
“Anything could happen” guys in rookie ball
Travis Witherspoon
Dan Reynolds
Eduardo Soto
Giants
Cameron Lamb-RHP
Matt Graham-RHP
Jose Casilla-RHP
Eric Surkamp-LHP
Aaron King-LHP
Ydwin Villegas-SS
Julio Izturis-2B
Ed Concepcion-RHP
Hector Sanchez-C
Drew Biery-3B
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: Better than any SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
by Gobroks on Mar 27, 2010 3:04 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Padres
Lance Zawadzki, SS. Nice to see he’s turning some heads in here.
Cory Luebke, LHP. I think he’s a C that will pitch like a B, Like Matt LeBlanc will.
Brad Bach, RHP 33 saves in Fort Wayne Tin Caps 100 win season.
Drew Cumberland, SS, Needs to iron out the throw to delete the accidental cutter.
Matt Antonelli 2B, I think he’s gong to rebound. He got rid of a leg kick in his swing that was screwing him up. Great natural power.
Chris Denorfia OF, Yeah, THAT Chris Denorfia, having a nice spring, will have a tough time beating out Cunningham, Carroll, Williams for the next OF slot on the Padres.
"Never have a motto, that's what I always say" - Me
Zach McAllister
He’s got a shot if a player or two get injured to get into the starting rotation with the Yankees and impress.
Milwaukee Brewers
Brooks Hall – Mentioned earlier. Big body. Good velocity. Had to be bought away from scholarship to Clemson. A lot of people talk about Garrett Gould but I think this kid has just as high a ceiling.
D’Vontrey Richardson – Superb athlete whose ceiling has yet to be defined. One of the best arms in the system (expected out of the former FSU backup QB) and superb foot speed. As for bat speed, it’s incosistently quick, but he (along with Kentrail Davis) were the talk of Brewers Instructionals.
Jeremy Jeffress – One of the best arms in the minors. Still young. I’m very optimistic about his future and as long as he goes the way of Cheech instead of Chong, he should be fine. Doesn’t get even a token mention when discussing the Brewers’ bevy of righties (and an absolute dearth of southies).
Angel Salome – Has worked quite extensively to become known as more than a DH at C. He wants to be known as more than a “slashy.” But this diminutive backstop is but a year removed from pacing the Southern League in batting. It’s a big year for the chiseled catcher, as he would seem to have been passed on the tea’s depth chart by Jon Lucroy. Give me Salome.
Zach Braddock – Just look at his numbers. Monster lefty with questions about durability and ultimate role.
Scooter Gennett – Professional hitter at an “up-the-middle” position. Could really explode onto the scene this year.
Jake Odorizzi – I know most people wouldn’t really call him a sleeper, considering he gets many a token mention in pitching prospect lists, but the Brewers have handled the kid with baby gloves so far. This is the year.
Chicks Dig The Long Ball.
A few Rockies guys
Esmil Rogers: Great stuff, people were putting him on the Top 100 after what he did in Tulsa, but as soon as he blew up in Triple A, people gave up on him. He has the stuff and command to have the upside of a mid rotation starter.
Mike McKenry: Year after year, this guy doesn’t get enough respect. Great defensive catcher with power.
Chris Nelson: Former first round pick was excelling in Double A before another injury, aggressive move by Rockies to start him in Triple A and keeping him on the 40 man shows that the Rockies still have a lot of confidence in him.
Matt Reynolds: Quietly put up an amazing year in relief, has had a good Spring Training, I think he can pull off what Matt Daley did last year. (quietly good relief pitcher in minors is called up to majors and does way better than expected.)
Charlie Blackmon: Toolsy outfielder in lower minors drafted in 2nd round last year, has been raking in minors unnoticed because of age (will be 24 in Tulsa this year).
Bruce Billings: Because I just can’t ignore a guy with that insane K/9.
Chirs Balcom-Miller: Had an insane year in the Pioneer League, and plays a groundball game that will always fit well in the Rockies system.
Impossible not to have positive thoughts.
I want Sam Deduno to pitch already.
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