Written by Greg Fertel | 30 January 2008

Its time for part 2 of our illustrious roundtable. The cast of characters: Mike A. of River Ave Blues Pablo Zevallos of Yankees: Looking for the Future Mike Ashmore of Mike Ashmore’s Thunder Thoughts And of course, your very own Pending Pinstripes crew. Who is your sleeper? Pablo - "Jairo Heredia - I think his stuff translates into serious results at such a young age." Mike Ashmore - "Marcos Vechionacci, but I'm not sure he really qualifies as a sleeper. I thought he was impressive during his brief stay with the Thunder in the playoffs, and I think he can do a lot this season to reclaim his status as one of the top prospects in the organization." Mike A. - "I hesitate to call Damon Sublett a sleeper because he had such a high-profile college career, but he would be my pick. Nothing the guy does is conventional, but it works for him. Second base is usually a blackhole for prospects (off the top of my head, the only ML 2B I can think off that was drafted and developed at the position is Howie Kendrick) and that works to Sublett's advantage because he won't have to improve on his track record any to become one of the top 2B prospects in the game." Ashish - "Eric Duncan. Everyone thinks he's done and not going to perform, but people forget that he was once the #1 prospect of the Yankees and that he played at Trenton at the tender age of 19. In addition, people seem to overlook the fact that he was the AFL MVP in 2005. Due to the myriad of injuries these past two years at AAA, we have not seen his full potential as the injuries have kept his progress stagnant. But I am not going to give up on a 23 year old with a world of potential. If he can stay healthy, we might be in for a surprise." Eric - "This is always a fun question, and while there are a lot of intriguing choices, I'm going to go with Ivan Nova. While his numbers this past season in Charleston were far from impressive, his stuff is fantastic and I think he really has a chance to put up some very good numbers this season, especially if he starts out in Charleston again. John Manuel of BA raved about Nova in a recent interview, even saying that he would take him over Jairo Heredia. As someone who respects Manuel's opinion, I'm inclined to believe in Nova." Me - I think that Justin Snyder is going to surprise a lot of people with a strong season. Between college and short-season A ball in 2007, Snyder hit .343/.445/.479 with 41 doubles and 9 home runs over 134 games. He's finally showing some power, and he won't need a whole lot of it to be an effective major league player. I could see him becoming another version of Reggie Willits, but while playing in the middle of the infield. After meeting him, I can't see him punching those doubles into home runs, but we're not looking at a skinny little shortstop either. He's got muscle. Which Milb-affiliate will be most interesting this year? Pablo - “AAA Tacoma (Rays)--at various points throughout the season, most (or all) of Evan Longoria, Wade Davis, Jacob McGee, Reid Brignac, David Price, and Desmond Jennings will pass through there.” Mike Ashmore - "Call me biased, but I've got to go with Trenton. Jose Tabata and Austin Jackson in the same outfield is all I need to see. Cervelli behind the plate and Humberto Sanchez possibly dropping by at some point as well are just a bonus." Mike A. - "It has to be Double-A Trenton, doesn't it? Jackson, Tabata and Curtis in the outfield. Vechionacci, Corona, Malec and possibly even Hilligoss on the infield. Cervelli, behind the dish, Edwar Gonzalez at DH. Dan McCutchen, David Robertson and Eric Wordekemper are reason enough to keep an eye on the pitching staff. Plus a few guys rehabbing from Tommy John surgery could make an appearance with the Thunder this year, and more than one big leaguer will make a cameo appearance during the year. Low-A Charleston should have a ton of talent, but if any of those guys with Trenton get off a torrid start, we can see them in the bigs sooner than you may think. Just ask Chase Wright.” Ashish - "Trenton Thunder. With the additions of Jose Tabata and Austin Jackson, the Thunder might have on their hands one of the best outfields in recent memory. In addition, if the cards fall in the right place and Dellin Betances avoids injury, we could probably see him following the same ascension/pattern as Phil Hughes in 2006." Eric - "That's like choosing between my children. Trenton should be exciting to seeing how A-Jax and Tabata progress, and Charleston could be interesting because of Montero and Heredia, and possibly Betances and McAllister. However, if forced to choose, I would pick Tampa, which will be the jumping off point for a lot of talented arms coming off of Tommy John surgery. Mark Melancon, JB Cox, Humberto Sanchez and Chris Garcia may all see time in Tampa this season, at least in the beginning while the weather is warm. It will be interesting to follow how they progress. In addition, Tampa may have some of the top performers from the Staten Island team last year, including Ryan Pope, Justin Snyder and Damon Sublett, who should be exciting to watch. They may also have Betances and McAllister if they start off strong in Charleston." Me - I'm certainly excited by Trenton, but Charleston takes it for me. We're going to see some "prospect definition" in Charleston this year. Jesus Montero; Zach McAllister; Jesus Montero; Prylis Cuello; Abraham Almonte; Wilkins De La Rosa; Brandon Laird; Possibly Angelini, Romine, and Heredia. Some of these guys are going to emerge into top-10 prospects, and some are going to fade into our memory. These are the guys that we'll be writing about on this blog after the Chamberlains and Kennedy's and Tabata's graduate to the majors. I'm excited by unpredictability, because it offers a challenge to the analyst in me. Next: We wrap up our Milb roundtable with discussion about Andrew Brackman, Francisco Cervelli, and a round of "Who is the better prospect?"

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