Community Prospect #25
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:20 PM EST
182 comments
With 40.8% of the vote, Wade Davis is elected Community Prospect #24.
1. Jason Heyward - 51%
2. Stephen Strasburg - 76%
3. Buster Posey - 20% (43% runoff)
4. Michael Stanton - 20% (54% runoff)
5. Jesus Montero - 20% (45% runoff)
6. Brian Matusz - 21%
7. Pedro Alvarez - 23%
8. Desmond Jennings - 29%
9. Carlos Santana -37% (50% runoff)
10. Neftali Feliz -37% (50% runoff)
11. Justin Smoak - 46%
12. Domonic Brown - 23% (59% runoff)
13. Madison Bumgarner - 30%
14. Martin Perez - 28%
15. Dustin Ackley - 31%
16. Chris Carter - 33.6%
17. Jeremy Hellickson - 29.4%
18. Michael Taylor - 36.9%
19. Alcides Escobar - 37.0%
20. Christian Friedrich - 29.0%(53.2% runoff)
21. Logan Morrison - 45.6%
22. Ryan Westmoreland - 24.7%
23. Aroldis Chapman - 32.0%
Players will get 2 rounds on the poll as a tester, if they fail to draw 5% in those polls they will then be removed and sit out up to 3 rounds.
Players off the poll(will sit out up to 3 rounds): Jake Arrieta(#24-1.9%), Brett Wallace(#24-1.0%), Casey Crosby(#24-1.0%), Dee Gordon(#23-1.0%), Yonder Alonso(#23-3.1%Dan Hudson(#22-2.1%), Starlin Castro(#22-1.0%), Jordan Lyles(#22-0.0%), Ike Davis(#21-1.3%), Matt Moore(#20-0.0%)
Tester pool: Tyler Matzek, Hector Rondon, Jhoulys Chacin, Derek Norris, Jake Arrieta, Michael Saunders, Ryan Kalish, Jacob Turner, Michael Montgomery, Matt Dominguez, Todd Frazier, Josh Reddick, Brett Lawrie, Zach Stewart, Simon Castro, Grant Green
The candidates with previous round vote %:
Derek Norris 1.0%
Aaron Hicks 10.7%
Fernando Martinez 18.4%
Kyle Drabek 10.7%
Casey Kelly 4.9%
Lonnie Chisenhall 7.8%
Jason Castro 1.0%
Over 130 AB/50 IP cutoff for eligibility
Please vote using the +1 system, not the rec system. Rec'd votes will not be counted in this poll, only actual posts with +1.
2 recs |
182 comments
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Vote with a +1 here for Freddie Freeman
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:23 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Derek Norris
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:23 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Aaron Hicks
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:23 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on Jan 12, 2026 11:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
If Westmoreland is on, Hicks should be
by hybrid on Jan 13, 2026 3:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
http://jasonsbaseballblog.wordpress.com
by jumperjah on Jan 13, 2026 8:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
The 2008 Rogelio Moret League Fantasy Baseball Champions!
by The Congo Hammer on Jan 13, 2026 9:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"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 Jan 13, 2026 7:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
JD’s like, "you want some fucking pitching? Here’s all the pitching you can stand. Now choke on it, bitches!"- RCCook
by laxtonto on Jan 14, 2026 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Fernando Martinez
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:24 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1
www.oriolesprospects.com | twitter @orioleprospects
by ravensfan3 on Jan 13, 2026 6:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
by Hyatt on Jan 13, 2026 1:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Kyle Drabek
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:24 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1
"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it" ~ Mae West
by Blicks on Jan 13, 2026 6:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
-Jonathan Swift
by King Billy Royal on Jan 13, 2026 8:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
http://twitter.com/FutureSox
by The Big Hurt on Jan 13, 2026 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
-Jonathan Swift
by King Billy Royal on Jan 13, 2026 9:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
by Boxkutter on Jan 14, 2026 5:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Jenrry Mejia
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:24 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
by Brickhaus on Jan 13, 2026 11:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"I think that's a lot of horse muffins." - Bob Feller
by e-gus on Jan 13, 2026 4:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Casey Kelly
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:24 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Jhoulys Chacin
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:25 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 for Lonnie Chisenhall
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:25 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
by strums on Jan 12, 2026 11:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
MLB Bonus Baby - A Draft Blog
Current 2010 Draft Order
by Andy Seiler on Jan 12, 2026 11:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T; Park in 2010
by Gobroks on Jan 13, 2026 12:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Even atheists believe in Matt Wieters
by wickedwitch on Jan 13, 2026 9:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Voe with a +1 here for Jason Castro
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:25 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 here for Tyler Matzek
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:26 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
Vote with a +1 and name here for anyone not on the list
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:26 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
+1 - Yonder Alonso
i have been following this site for about two years and respect alot of you on here, but don’t understand the infatuation with f. martinez, drabek, and hicks. tools are great (in the case of hicks), but show a little something first before you get put in the top 25. drabek was good in single A, but clearly lost a little in AA - there are at least 3 or 4 pitchers i would take over him. as for f. martinez, i think this an instance where guys on this site have a difficult time declaring defeat - that and he just has not proven capable of staying healthy.
by Los Gueros on Jan 12, 2026 11:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Who are the 3 or 4 pitchers
you’d put ahead of Drabek? I’ll make my case for him in a bit, as he’s my vote here but I’m curious who you’d put ahead of him. FMart….I’ve never been big on him but his numbers in AAA were definitely a positive for him. Injuries are the biggest issue for him. Gotta disagree on the “declaring defeat” thing though, it’s not like he’s flamed out as a prospect, the kid hit well in AAA at age 21.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
looking back on it I think I'm going to end up putting Montgomery, Chacin, and Hudson ahead of him
but having him anywhere after 15, really, is pretty understandable
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 12, 2026 11:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
kelly, montgomery, moore, and possibly matzek
i also really like simon castro - he doesn’t have as impressive a repertoire of pitches as the other guys on the list so far, but his numbers in the MWL were incredible.
by Los Gueros on Jan 13, 2026 12:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1 Yonder Alonso
High ceiling, high floor, great peripherals, scouts love him, good numbers…. a hamate injury really dropped him this far?
by dougdirt on Jan 12, 2026 11:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dropped from where?
He’s in my next 5 so he still makes the top 30 for me, I’m just curious how high you think he should have been.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i would have had him in the top 20 quite easily
but, as you can probably tell, i prefer hitters to pitchers in most cases.
by Los Gueros on Jan 13, 2026 12:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
was he higher than this on most people's list last season?
I think he’ll place close to where I had him last year, maybe a little less because, regardless of injury, there wasn’t quite the production I would have liked to see.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 12, 2026 11:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What did you want to see?
He had 2 weeks post FSL before the injury. He hit .300 in the FSL and was on pace for 39 doubles and 21 HR in 525 at bats in a league known to sap power. I am curious what you were expecting to see. He walked as much as he struck out. He hit for power at a level where most don’t hit for power.
by dougdirt on Jan 13, 2026 1:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
more plate appearances for one...
I didn’t see enough to move him higher than I had him last year. At best he met my expectations, others below him exceeded him and some ahead of him didn’t meet expectations. I don’t think, given what he showed (350 plate appearances hitting 9 HR and 41 BBs) he deserves to be ranked higher than last year. A 12% BB rate is very good, but not the elite walk rate I expected. I also expected more than 15 HR power if extrapolated over a full seaosn, injury or not. I think by not moving him down I’m giving him an injury mulligan, because I still will probably have him over Freeman.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 13, 2026 4:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1 Yonder Alonso
Similar to Smoak and Morrison in terms of hitting projection.
by AtomicDumpling on Jan 13, 2026 3:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Process Question
Matt Moore has been sitting on the “not enough votes” list since poll #20. I am not going to vote for him, so I don’t care, but I thought it was only 3 polls off. Am I misunderstanding something else again?
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 12, 2026 11:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
do you mean
at least 3 polls?
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 12, 2026 11:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
nope, I think it means a max of 3 rounds. If he hasn't been on I'm sure it was just an oversight
I mean, he wasn’t getting even 1 vote at that point, and our tester list is pretty extensive, so its understandable if an exception was made.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 12, 2026 11:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Not really
It’s not that you’re misunderstanding anything, more just that I want to gauge a few new guys here. No one was clamoring for Matt Moore at this point. I feel like I’m pretty high on him personally, but I still have probably 3 names ahead of him right now. I wanted to get both Matzek and Chacin on at the same time to see if there is a real preference to one or the other. Freeman had at least 2 people last round say they’d vote for him, and he was due to come back on. Mejia at least got some votes last time he was on vs. Moore. I don’t want to let guys sit off the poll too long, but if there isn’t vocal support for a guy I may let him slide an extra round or two if I have other names to try.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 12, 2026 11:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Good
I like that they don’t have to be put back on after 3 rounds. I think that if there are a few people asking for the player, then the 3 rounds is good. if there isn’t much interest, i don’t think it should be a priority. Some of the testers that get put in the poll will be way too early. That is the nature of this kind of thing. Although Moore will probably get votes pretty soon.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 12:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
F-Mart
I know, I know, I was just knocking him on the last thread for his inability to stay healthy. That said, he played last year at 20 and flashed a .250 ISO in a 45-game stint in Triple-A (with only an 18.8% K rate), an indication that the impressive contact/power combo scouts envisioned may be coming around. He should be above-average, maybe even plus, in an outfield corner.
And did I mention he just turned 21, like three months ago? Age isn’t everything by any means, but for some perspective, Michael Taylor will be 24 to start next year, Domonic Brown will be 22 — hell, even Ryan Westmoreland will be 20 two weeks into the season. I think the Mets have done Martinez a disservice by constantly rushing him — I mean, what would we say if a 20-year old put up a .320/.372/.603 line in Double-A? Because that’s what we get as FMart’s MLE if we reverse engineer it from his Triple-A line.
by PhillyFriar on Jan 12, 2026 11:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
good comeback on f. martinez
i was probably being a little harsh on him - the ridiculous hype has always bothered me about him. the .250 ISO was impressive.
by Los Gueros on Jan 13, 2026 12:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
but 45 games is still a fairly small sample size and he will need to up his contact rate
by Los Gueros on Jan 13, 2026 12:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, 18.8% K with a .250 ISO is just fine. The walk rate could use a boost, but I think that’s something that comes with adjustments, and if he continues to flash that kind of power on contact, pitchers will start to work around him, too.
But I agree with everything else you said: the sample size is pretty small, and he has been overhyped throughout his career. Lot of question marks, but I think the upside and the (healthy) floor merits this spot.
by PhillyFriar on Jan 13, 2026 12:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
OTHER
Jacob Turner… ftw.
Follow me at http://twitter.com/JDSussman
Remember: baseball guys... baseball...
by JDSussman on Jan 13, 2026 12:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
+1
Would have been somewhere around 15-20 for me.
True Ace upside.
by alskor on Jan 13, 2026 12:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Drabek
…although I admit that I flipped a coin vs. F-Mart. Can’t see anyone else in this spot.
by AndrewTorrez on Jan 13, 2026 12:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Once again, not sure I like my vote
but I talked myself into Derek Norris here. Impressive bat potential, and I believe he has a chance to be an average defensive catcher. I like the fact that he cares so much about his defense. I like the fact that he focuses on his defense. I like his work ethic, I like the fact that he focuses his workouts on defensive purposes. I think he has enough athleticism behind the plate. Doesn’t mean I have any false hopes here … again, I think his best case scenario is likely average defensive catcher.
I like his bat upside as much, if not more, than Freddie Freeman, and since I believe Norris can stick at catcher, there’s a huge positional advantage. I liks his bat potential more than Hicks, and I even think he might be a tad safer than Hicks (although that’s very debatable). I’m just not sure that I like Chisenhall/Castro enough to compensate for the difference in upside/potential versus Norris. I want to see more before plopping Matzek here - just personal preference. I’m a big Chacin fan in terms of how I think he’ll do in the bigs, but I think Norris’ upside overcomes that for me.
That left the 3 pitchers and Fernando for me. I tend to believe that Kyle Drabek is a bit overhyped. He deserves to get on at some point in the next few slots, as I voted Wade Davis earlier, but let me see that changeup develop before buying that Drabek is this ace caliber arm. I actually really like Casey Kelly, but if I’m talking potential stud catcher in the low levels versus a potential stud arm that leans heavy on the projection side in the low levels, I’ll lean the stud catcher route more times than not. Personal preference again. Mejia was a tough call. I know I may have sounded, in some posts, to be lukewarm on Mejia, but I do like him. I don’t have much of an argument on Mejia - I just liked Norris better. That leaves Fernando. I really think he’s almost a bit underhyped now. I think he’s top 30, though. Just went with Norris in this case.
Anyhow, that was my thought process. Too bad Casey Crosby wasn’t on. I think I would’ve voted for him (hence why I qualified more times than not).
Also, if I understand Gatling correctly, 3 rounds is the minimum people are off unless there’s a clamoring of some sort. I fully expect Starlin Castro to take a drop here, down to the 30’s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he slipped to the 40’s, but I think he’s a top 30 or so prospect and I would like to see him back on. Doesn’t mean I’ll vote for him - depends on the board. Some of you have done top 100 lists so have a better idea of who you’ll vote next. I’m voting largely based on how the boards are coming up.
by toonsterwu on Jan 13, 2026 1:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Struggling a bit here again...
I’m leaning Hicks, because I see his name often in the press, I like his scouting reports, but am not so impressed with his performance. I can excuse his performance because he’s 19, but still.
There are some arms I like up there, but none with some significant concerns for myself. Like I think Drabek is a bit overrated, and he needs to post Davis like numbers to be ranked near Davis, imo. Kelly is ok, and so is Crosby, but they have some seirous question marks too.
I’d love to back FMart, but he reminds me of Ruben Mateo, toolsy, moved up the ranks quickly, but never really posted the numbers you’d suspect. He did have a good 45 game stretch last year, the first acceptable stat line he’s posted since A, imo. So I could be convinced that injury or whatever had stalled his development.
So I’m leaning between Hicks and FMart at this point, maybe a tad towards FMart since he’s performed at a higher level, but I do like Hick’s walk rate. Any thoughts?
Poster formerly known as artie
by beastball on Jan 13, 2026 9:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
"If Player A is on, then Player B, who is comparable to Player A, should also be on"
Someone earlier argued for Hicks by pointing out Westmoreland is on. I don’t like this line of logic.
It’s akin to “Andrew Dawson should be in the Hall of Fame, because Jim Rice is in.” Et cetera.
by nivarsity on Jan 13, 2026 10:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well
it was more or less a joke sense I’ve been one to question the hyping of Westmoreland…
by hybrid on Jan 13, 2026 10:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, gotcha.
Well, I was speaking in the general sense. Wasn’t really meant to be aimed at you.
by nivarsity on Jan 13, 2026 1:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That logic only applies if you feel Westmoreland didnt belong there
I felt he did, and I feel Hicks is right behind him and extremely similar. So, I have no problem with that logic.
To me, Hicks and Westmoreland shouldnt be more than couple spots apart.
by alskor on Jan 13, 2026 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Poll Update
F. Martinez - 18
A. Hicks - 14
K. Drabek - 9
L. Chisenhall - 8
F. Freeman - 6
C. Kelly - 5
J. Mejia - 5
Y. Alonso - 4
Definatley a widespread grouping of people to chose from, although looks like Fmart and Hicks are ahead.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 13, 2026 11:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Martinez vs. Hicks
Aaron Hicks is not even 1 full year younger than Fernando Martinez (very close to a year though). Hicks, in 424 total career minor league AB between A ball last year and Rookie ball the year before, has a line of .278/.376/.427 (much of it was because of his nice first year in the GCL).
Fernando Martinez has a similar career line (with 1105 AB): .281/.337/.445 but he has had 855 AB at the AA, AAA or MLB level. He is only 1 year older than Hicks!
Last year at age 19 Hicks batted .251/.353/.382 in A ball. At age 19, F-Mart was batting .287/.340/.432 in AA. F-Mart followed that up with a very nice year in AAA (.290/.337/.540) in 177 AB and a pretty bad flop in the Majors (at age 20!). Is that something Hicks fans think he could accomplish this season?
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 12:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
my problem with martinez is that he's a china doll.
by larry on Jan 13, 2026 12:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yeah
that is an issue for sure.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 12:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Couldn't the same thing
be said about westmoreland, who’s already on the list?
http://www.theyankeeu.com
by lemonjello on Jan 13, 2026 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
not exactly
Westmoreland is about 6 months younger than hicks, and had a much better year offensively, albeit in A- ball, not A ball. Westmoreland dominated the NYPL. The second best hitter was probably J.D. Martinez (although he is much older and wouldn’t be considered to have the 2nd best offensive performance b/c of that). Hick’s year was nice for his level and age, but not really great at all.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 2:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
oops
I guess I was responding to a different question.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Not really, no
1) Preexisting shoulder injury from pitching in high school - wasn’t a pressing issue, but they decided to clean it up before sending him to short season ball
2) Broke collarbone running into an OF wall. Already fully healthy.
Neither looks like anything recurring or nagging.
by alskor on Jan 13, 2026 2:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i don't like players who get hurt/surgery frequently.
i think some guys are just more prone to it. westmoreland doesn’t appear to have the same lengthy history as martinez so i’d call them different. but just because the injuries etc. don’t appear connected or recurring doesn’t necessarily change it for me.
by larry on Jan 13, 2026 3:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Here's my issue...
and while I may vote FMart here already, but really having more PAs is a double edged sword. Sure, it’s significant because of his age, but he’s had no real sustained dominance at any level. He gets a good, not great, 200 PAs in A ball and another a few years later in AAA, but still, I’d like to see some sustained high level performance from someone I’m considering for a top 25 slot. The fact he’s had so much experience in the minors, and in a majority of that experience he’s posting poor numbers, having that experience starts to not be an advantage, regardless of age.
That said, making it to the majors at 20 is an accomplishment and has to be counted as an edge.
Then I think FMart may be overhyped somewhat by being associated with a New York team, like Milledge was a year or so ago, and he sped through the minors pretty fast, and has stalled. So that weighs on my mind too.
in the end, I’m still undecided between Hicks and FMart.
Poster formerly known as artie
by beastball on Jan 13, 2026 12:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
because Hicks has multiple years of consistent production (particularly at low levels)
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 13, 2026 4:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I may misunderstand what you're saying...
But to me Hicks only had one productive season, and that was 2008 in SS. His only other year was in A ball, and it wasn’t good. So he’s only had 2 years experience and one year wasn’t good statistically, so that’s not consistent production to me.
FMart is only about a year older and has already been in the majors, while Hicks struggled in A ball. FMart is brittle, but isn’t that much older, and has accomplished more than Hicks. That’s why FMart got my vote.
Poster formerly known as artie
by beastball on Jan 13, 2026 5:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hoo-ray sarcasm.
I thought you were backing Hicks over Fmart and were using the continued success argument as the basis, so I made an incorrect statement. I was too quick on the trigger and didn’t read your clearly visible last line that you are undecided between the two, so my sarcasm seems less justified. The point is a fair one, by the way.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 13, 2026 5:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn!
I blame posting while at work.
Yeah, went with FMart, still considering hicks over the next 5-10 slots though.
Poster formerly known as artie
by beastball on Jan 13, 2026 5:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not the biggest Hicks supporter by any means
but let’s take his 2009 season in context here. The average line in the Midwest League this year was .256/.329/.373, average age was 21.6 years old. So Hicks was on the young end of the age spectrum here and posted higher OBP and SLG numbers than the league average. Combine that with the truckload of tools and you get a very talented young player. He’s not too far off for me at this point and I think he might end up ahead of FMart due to the injury issues for Martinez.
RIP Nick Adenhart
by gatling on Jan 13, 2026 1:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He had a good promising year
…but not great. Westmoreland had a stunning year in the NYPL. Fernando Martinez has been playing at very advanced levels. Other than Reimold (who has a 1228 OPS) and Jennings, there wasn’t anyone who had a significantly better age adjusted offensive season in the International League last season. I think Hicks deserves a B+ based on his promise, and to some degree his performance, but he isn’t a top B+ guy to me. Not yet, at least.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 2:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
NYPL
in fairness is certainly below the MWL in terms of talent you’re facing.
by MightyMoose on Jan 13, 2026 2:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yeah but..
the outputs weren’t close. the average age is similar. the average line is lower than in the midwest. westmoreland’s dominant performance last season shouldn’t be placed anywhere near hick’s nice promising performance.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i said
talent, nothing about age, batting avg., etc. I don’t care if you are 18 or 22 in the NYPL, bottom line, you are facing a tougher level of competition and talent in the Midwest League versus the New York Penn.
by MightyMoose on Jan 13, 2026 3:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
haha
fair enough. I love Westmoreland, i’m not knocking the guy. I like Hicks and F-Mart too. I actually voted Kelly here for more or less your above argument. Kelly was pretty dominant in his first full year reach High A. Now that he’s committed fully to starting I think he’s going to build on this year’s success. People forget that he split time in HS as a shortstop and pitcher too. There’s not a lot of innings on that arm, which looks pretty special. Callis said he wavered back and forth on Kelly and Westmoreland as to who should be the Red Sox’s #1.
by MightyMoose on Jan 13, 2026 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And he showed great patience
That is one of the best things about Hicks
by jar75 on Jan 13, 2026 3:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Update...
23 - F. Martinez
14 - A. Hicks
11 - D. Drabek
9 - L. Chisenhall
7 - F. Freeman
6 - J. Mejia
5 - C.Kelly
Plus 4 write in votes for Y. Alonso.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 1:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
& two for turner!
lol
Follow me at http://twitter.com/JDSussman
Remember: baseball guys... baseball...
by JDSussman on Jan 13, 2026 4:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Fernando...
Starting to pull away a bit. He’s got 29. Next highest is a tie between Hicks and Drabek with 14. Worth letting it run awhile longer, at least so people who don’t have internet access at work can weigh in.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 4:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wow, it was 18-14 F.Mart-Hicks last time I did it, guess the Hicks supporters got up early
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 13, 2026 4:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Change the system!
We MUST correct this travesty that is ballot stuffing!
Lol….
by guru4u on Jan 13, 2026 6:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's been over 18 hours
…and we have another near blowout. Fernando Martinez has 31 votes. The next highest (Drabek) has 15. Hicks has 14. I think it is a sealed deal. And I’d start a new one soon.
by auclairkeithbc on Jan 13, 2026 6:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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