I still don't know why the DBacks traded for the starting right fielder on the All-Overrated Team, Shawn Green.  Since they apparently don't want CQ to play CF, they're going to have to move Luis Gonzalez.  I can't see why they would let CQ sit in the minors for another year after the destruction he caused in AAA.

How can this be?  Why is Loney's hitting only 11 HR's in a very pitcher-friendly Double A league, playing half his games in the league's most pitcher-friendly park (Jacksonville), at age 21, such a black mark against Loney, but nobody seems to have a problem with Jackson, at age 23, hitting a mere 8 HR's in one of the most hitter-friendly leagues in baseball, playing his home games in one of the most extreme hitter's parks in that league (Tucson)?  In fairness, let me point out that Jackson missed some time, playing only 93 games in Triple A, or 45 games fewer than Loney played in the minors in 2005.  Fine, Jackson played only about two-thirds of Loney's season, so lets adjust for the disparity and increase Jackson's home run totals by a half, raising Jackson from 8 to a full 12 HR's.  There.  The 23-year-old first base prospect who doesn't play his position well hit the equivalent of 12 home runs in a season playing in launching pad parks.  In 2007, when Loney turns 23 on May 7, 2007, if he were the first baseman in Tuscon (for the sake of argument let's just assume a trade to the Diamondbacks), does anybody think Loney would hit a mere 12 HR's over the season, given that two years earlier, as a less-developed player, both physically and skills-wise, he had hit 11 HR's playing in a league and home park that for pitcher-friendliness compares to the Pacific Coast League and Tucson like Shea Stadium compares to Coors Field?  If you say yes, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.

A couple of days ago, John justified his giving Loney a "C+" by saying that Loney has not lived up to expectations.  I do agree that Loney has not lived up to expectations.  He was expected to have developed more power than he has by now.  After Loney torched the Pioneer League and played in the Florida State league as an 18-year-old, Loney was talked about as a future star.  If Loney had lived up to expectations, he would no doubt either be in the majors already, or he would at least rate an "A" grade as a prospect right now.  Clearly Loney is not an "A" prospect, or an "A-" prospect.  Loney right now projects to be a great defensive first base man in the majors who hits for a high average (.285 to .300), draws enough walks to have a .350 to .365 OBA, and hits between 18 to 20 HR's.  As long as he is not too expensive, and as long as more HR power is coming from other positions on a team, THAT kind of first baseman is a good, valuable player.  Not a "star" by any means, but a good player.  A first baseman with 20-homers-a-year-power is just not going to be considered a star.  Two things to note now:  a prospect who projects to be the above-outlined player deserves better than a "C+" grade.  Not an "A-", but a "B" certainly.  Second, Conor Jackson projects to be pretty much the same player I outlined above.  18 to 20 HR's a year to go along with a high batting average.  Maybe add some more walks, and take away the great defense at first base.  The extra walks and inferior defense cancel each other out in my mind, so what we are left with, in my view, is Conor Jackson meriting a grade of "B" as a prospect, the same grade I think Loney deserves.  Loney and Jackson, cosmically related.  Given their respective skin pigmentations, I'm tempted to start humming "Ebony and Ivory"...

Can't you just be happy that John (and people on this site) rated the Dodgers as having the top farm in baseball? What is this desire to come up with some random reasons to belittle a player in another system, especially by offering such rather ridiculous arguments and comparisons?

The reality is, Jackson has lived up to the expectations that come with being a first round pick, has raked everywhere he's played in the minors, and deservedly is penciled in as the starting 1bman in AZ this year. Scouts and statheads agree that there is a lot to like about him, and I think he can be an all-star quality player for many years.

Loney, despite the hype, has never lived up to the expectations people had of him. You can make all the projections you want, and hypothesize about his future all day long, but until Loney delivers at the plate, and starts fulfilling his promise, he will always be penalized in these rankings. As it should be.

You didn't mention him here, even though he had a ridiculously good season in South Bend. What is it that you don't like (or maybe like?) about him? And where is the love for Jason Neighborgall and his electric fastball? :)

Also, a minor point, but I'd have thought that Nippert would rank just a notch higher, maybe as a B+. Finally, nice to see Chico on the list. He will be better this time around in AA. I am glad no one took him in the rule 5.

Btw, I finally registered to post here, despite being a long time lurker. You've got a great site, John. Keep up the excellent work.

But I will say that there IS a point in there worth addressing.  Since I have CONCEDED, in my first post, that Jackson is PERCEIVED as a much better prospect than Loney (wrongly, I have argued), it does stand to reason that Jackson will get a lot more benefits of the doubt if he should struggle at all in the majors than Loney would.  I'll go on the record right now and say that I believe many prospects "fail" simply because they are not given the chances they deserve, while other prospects "succeed" because they are handed opportunity after opportunity.  A few years ago, Eric Gagne's struggles in the majors as a starter put his MLB career on thin ice.  If the Dodgers hadn't lacked a closer at just the right time, who knows what could have happened to Gagne?  He wasn't "meeting expectations," but the need for a hard-thrower in the back of the Dodgers' bullpen opened up a window of opportunity for Gagne.  Right now, in the majors, a one-time first base prospect arguably more highly regarded in his time than Jackson is currently, Hee-Seop Choi, is regarded as a huge failure by everybody IN baseball, and his MLB future is in serious doubt, even if Baseball Prospectus and statheads still love him.  Choi has not "met expectations" as far as the Dodgers are concerned, and he will be relegated to the bench this year (behind Garciaparra) or demoted to Triple A.  The Cubs and Marlins jettisoned him as well for being a perceived disappointment.  Will Loney not get a chance in the majors?  It is "possible," I suppose.  But I think he will, because the Dodgers right now, even without Loney ever playing a single game in Triple A, regard Loney as a better first baseman, and hitter, than Choi, and it is what the Dodgers think that will determine how much of an MLB chance he ultimately gets.  I do think Choi is being undervalued, however.  Unfortunately that happens in baseball, even to guys who at one point, when they were prospects, looked like future stars.