This question was raised in the AQA yesterday. Someone asked me if I would prefer to have the Seattle Mariners Trio of pitching prospects (Taijuan Walker, A-; Danny Hultzen, A-: James Paxton, strong B+) or the Oakland Athletics Quartet of pitching prospects (Jarrod Parker, A-; A.J. Cole, B+; Sonny Gray, strong B, Brad Peacock, strong B).

I said I wasn't sure, given the attrition rate of pitching prospects, quantity had a quality of its own. What do you guys think? Which group of pitching prospects would you rather have?

The 2012 Baseball Prospect Book should start showing up in mailboxes today. Who has a book?

This is an All Questions Answered thread.

Ground Rules:

1) one question per poster

2) don't try to disguise multiple questions as one

3) this is rapid-fire format. Questions requiring large amounts of research may be punted or turned into a different post.

NO MORE QUESTIONS PLEASE. I HAVE PLENTY TO WORK THROUGH.

Enjoy!

There will be an All-Questions Answered Thread on Friday, February 3rd, beginning at 9 AM CST.

It was pointed out yesterday that Mike Napoli and Pablo Sandoval should have been included in the list of top position players in 2011 by WAR.

They didn't show up on the Fangraphs list I was using because I hadn't set the "plate appearance" screen to zero. Anyway, Napoli had a WAR of 5.6 last year and Sandoval at 5.5, so let's take a look at how they rated as prospects. I did Napoli in a separate post earlier this afternoon. Here's Sandoval.

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Mike Napoli as a Prospect

It was pointed out yesterday that Mike Napoli and Pablo Sandoval should have been included in the list of top position players in 2011 by WAR.

They didn't show up on the Fangraphs list I was using because I hadn't set the "plate appearance" screen to zero. Anyway, Napoli had a WAR of 5.6 last year and Sandoval at 5.5, so let's take a look at how they rated as prospects, beginning with Napoli. Sandoval will follow in a separate post.

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The Top 30 Position Players in Baseball: How They Were Seen as Prospects

This is the season for prospect lists. I thought I would take a trip through the wayback machine and write a prospect list of a different sort, taking the Top 30 Position Players in Baseball (in 2011 as measured by Fangraphs WAR) and looking at how they were rated as prospects. I did a similar list for pitchers on Monday.

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The 2012 Baseball Prospect Book has arrived from the printer and we are shipping orders today. We ordered enough print copies to cover all pre-orders and we still have some remaining, but print copies are first-come, first-serve. There won't be a reprint, so if you want to be sure and get one, order ASAP.

The Baseball Prospect Book is Made in the USA! It is written by an American and is printed in the United States, so stimulate the American economy, support small business, and buy the BPB. It has reports on 1205 players, and is funnier than competing publications.

We are also selling .pdf electronic copies, which you can order at the same link (be sure you are ordering the thing you want). The .pdf is distributed via email each evening, usually after 10 PM CST. Please make sure to provide a valid email address. We've had some people who ordered the electronic version but didn't give us an email address that works. NOTE: Gmail users report that the .pdf often ends up in their spam filter, so if you have gmail, order the book, and don't get it, check your spam!

The college draft crop is thin this season but the prep crop is very good. Like Jameson Taillon and Dylan Bundy, Lucas Giolito will be in the conversation for the 1st overall pick. Ultimately, I don't think he will be but he has a chance. The draft is very heavy in Pitchers and Outfielders with a few solid up the middle talents. Expect this list to change a lot by the draft as there are 60 players that could have 1st round talent. Taylore Cherry at #26 could be a top 10 pick with a good spring. The new CBA could really make this a wild draft as well, but more on that in the future. I will be detailing many of these guys in the coming weeks.

For now, here is how I have it.

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Although often regarded as a disappointment given his status as the first player picked in 1998, Pat Burrell was an above-average player despite his limitations. Compare him to the other players drafted in the first round in 1998:

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