Written by Greg Fertel
|
30 January 2008
Pablo has it.
1. Joba Chamberlain, RHP
2. Austin Jackson, OF
3. Jose Tabata, OF
4. Ian Kennedy, RHP
5. Alan Horne, RHP
6.
Jesus Montero, C
7. Jeff Marquez, RHP
8. Brett Gardner, OF
9. Ross Ohlendorf, RHP
10.
Andrew Brackman, RHP
11.
Mark Melancon, RHP
12. Humberto Sanchez, RHP
13.
Dellin Betances, RHP
14. Dan McCutchen, RHP
15. Kevin Whelan, RHP
16. Carmen Angelini, SS
17.
George Kontos, RHP
18.
Ivan Nova, RHP
19. Collin Curtis, OF
20.
Jairo Heredia, RHP
21. Juan Miranda, 1B
22.
Austin Romine, C
23. Francisco Cervelli, C
24. Dave Robertson, RHP
25. Mike Dunn, LHP
26. J.B. Cox, RHP
27. Mitch Hilligoss, INF
28. Scott Patterson, RHP
29. Edwar Ramirez, RHP
30.
Zach McAllister, RHP
BA and I agree on several parts of the list. Now, we rank via different criteria (I still don't agree with the wisdom of ranking those currently rehabbing from major surgery), but we also disagree on a few key prospects. I'd like to highlight those differences here, and then hear your thoughts.
Brett Gardner: I have him at #17, they have him at #8. I think that this is a clear illustration of Baseball America not understanding what makes a good baseball player. "Scrappy" players who steal a lot of bases and do very little else have extremely low ceilings. BA looks at a player like that and sees the next sexy Juan Pierre. Brett Gardner, even if things go very well, looks to max out at an average player at his position. Overrated, pure and simple. Players who look to slug .380 aren't top-10 prospects in this kind of system.
Dellin Betances: BA knocked him down to #13, while I stayed faithful at #4. I don't know what Betances' elbow looks like underneath, but the Yankees have a clear pattern of keeping golden arms like him on a very short leash. Nothing has been done to change my opinion of him from last year. BA is being very fickle here - just because much of Dellin's work in 2007 occurred behind the scenes does not mean that he had a lost season.
Juan Miranda: I have him at #10, while BA has him at #21. I think that there is some real value in a nearly MLB-ready 1st baseman, and that Miranda has both a high ceiling and a high floor. At the very least, he'll take the busy side of a platoon and produce very well. If he shows the kind of promise that he did in the middle of the season, he could be a real middle-of-the-order threat on most teams.
Francisco Cervelli: I have him at #8, while BA has him at #23. For me, this is all about position. Francisco Cervelli not only carries a pretty special defensive reputation, but he looks like he's going to hit pretty well too. A line of .279/.387/.397 is nothing to sneeze at in the Florida State League after skipping a level. At the very least, Cervelli looks to be an above-average hitter at his position, and at his best he's Jason Kendall.
What do you guys think?
