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Baseball America League Top 20
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 8, 2014 13:48:46 GMT -5
Not surprising at all. FWIW, Margot and Johnson didn't play enough to qualify. Do we promote the best from high a to double a too quick? No. As we've discussed on the news page, the podcast, etc., there's a gap in the system because of how the team drafted in 2012 and '13. It's not a High A problem. It's a that-tier-in-the-system problem. Next year's Sea Dogs will be similarly unexciting, as was last year's Drive.
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Post by joshv02 on Oct 8, 2014 14:26:24 GMT -5
Agreed - but there will be Diaz and Haley, both of whom I can see as being pretty interesting after a year (I have a thing for Haley - GB pitcher with a consistent low 90s FB).
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Post by larrycook on Oct 11, 2014 0:40:44 GMT -5
Agreed - but there will be Diaz and Haley, both of whom I can see as being pretty interesting after a year (I have a thing for Haley - GB pitcher with a consistent low 90s FB). I like Haley as well. I have only seen him once and I liked how he threw the ball. I know he is very old for double a, but I am rooting for him next year.
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Post by soxfanatic on Oct 11, 2014 2:44:29 GMT -5
Agreed - but there will be Diaz and Haley, both of whom I can see as being pretty interesting after a year (I have a thing for Haley - GB pitcher with a consistent low 90s FB). I like Haley as well. I have only seen him once and I liked how he threw the ball. I know he is very old for double a, but I am rooting for him next year. Haley is not old for AA.
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Post by larrycook on Oct 11, 2014 22:14:25 GMT -5
Isn't Haley 27 years old?
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Post by pedroelgrande on Oct 11, 2014 22:22:42 GMT -5
23. You should check out his profile here at Sox Prospects, as I did, or you know, Google it.
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Post by larrycook on Oct 11, 2014 22:27:11 GMT -5
23. You should check out his profile here at Sox Prospects, as I did, or you know, Google it. My bad!
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rasimon
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Post by rasimon on Oct 14, 2014 6:15:11 GMT -5
The Sox were well represented on the EL list
2. Mookie Betts 6. Henry Owens 7. Eduardo Rodriguez 8. Blake Swihart 9. Brian Johnson 19. Deven Marrero 20. Sean Coyle
1st place went to Michael "Batman" Taylor 3rd slot went to Francisco Lindor
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Post by azblue on Oct 14, 2014 9:43:11 GMT -5
Well represented? I doubt that any major league team has ever had 7 prospects in any BA league top 20 before this ranking of EL prospects.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 14, 2014 9:46:41 GMT -5
Less impressed with 7 of 20 as I am 5 of 10. Don't really find any of it surprising though. And worth noting that they went and traded for one of those guys in terms of the "historic-ness" of it.
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Post by brianthetaoist on Oct 14, 2014 10:07:28 GMT -5
There are so many ways of cutting this, and it's incredibly impressive any way you look at it. And to have it all at the AA level is especially noteworthy ... this isn't a great crop of lottery tickets in the GCL or something, but a group of guys very close to the major leagues, and a diverse set, too. There are potential stars in Mookie and Swihart, a solid shortstop prospect in Marrero, three lefthanders with wildly varying profiles, and a wildcard in Coyle who just keeps slugging the ball. The intro says that Taylor "narrowly edged out" Mookie for the top slot. And honestly, this about Marrero made me like him more as a prospect: "If there was a knock on Marrero, it was that he rubbed a few evaluators the wrong way with an air of confidence that sometimes bordered on brashness that manifested on the field by occasionally playing a little too flashy." The whole thing is Soxprospects porn. edit to add: Also, this: For context, the Red Sox measured Vazquez in one instance at 1.77, something that was characterized as, "the best time that any Red Sox front-office members had ever seen, and well below the time of 1.95 that is considered the major-league average."
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 14, 2014 12:44:50 GMT -5
^ This about Swihart is part of why I think the people who are ok with trading him because the club has Vazquez are nuts. Swihart is slightly, slightly less proficient on defense but far, far more proficient on offense. I mean, Vazquez should be able to hold a starting job, but that's not a good reason to trade a guy who could/should be even better. Anyway... This is also why I think it's a little strange that he's even that low on the list. Would love to see what they say about the ranking in the chat. By the way, here's the link for convenience: www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-eastern-league-top-20-prospects-scouting-reports/
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Post by brianthetaoist on Oct 14, 2014 13:09:11 GMT -5
Agree on both of those ... I've seen Swihart catch, and everything about him looks like he's a quality receiver of pitches, too, likely a good pitch framer. Still boggles my mind that he didn't have a passed ball all year while putting up those pop times. The excuse we hear for Vazquez's passed balls is sometimes that he's too quick to jump up and try to throw, while Swihart can have similar pop times and never, ever miss a pitch. To me, the Sox have three guys who have every possibility of playing in multiple All-Star games: Bogaerts, Betts, and Swihart.
I do think he's underrated. Everyone *talks* about how hard it is to find catchers, but I think because the defense isn't as flashy as shortstop defense, a guy like Swihart's a little underrated compared to a comparable shortstop. An 800 OPS shortstop with elite defense and projection to his offense would be talked about pretty breathlessly. The age is a legit point (as compared to someone like Lindor), but catchers always develop more slowly.
Anyway, the Fangraphs article said the Sox "labeled him the only untouchable player in the system," so they know what they have, if that's correct.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Oct 15, 2014 10:15:48 GMT -5
^ This about Swihart is part of why I think the people who are ok with trading him because the club has Vazquez are nuts. Swihart is slightly, slightly less proficient on defense but far, far more proficient on offense. I mean, Vazquez should be able to hold a starting job, but that's not a good reason to trade a guy who could/should be even better. Anyway... This is also why I think it's a little strange that he's even that low on the list. Would love to see what they say about the ranking in the chat. By the way, here's the link for convenience: www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-eastern-league-top-20-prospects-scouting-reports/Some perspective here. Swihart will probably spend a good part of next season in AAA. Meanwhile Vazquez will be solidifying himself as an ML catcher. That should only increase his potential trade value. After that the hard decisions come, about who to keep, who to trade, or how to incorporate both into a possible lineup. Any way you look at it, the Sox are holding some serious assets. That, after all, is why any ML baseball team has a minor league system. The problems usually come from public perception. If Vazquez is continuing to slap down any one who moves on the bases, and he's showing enough at the plate to hold his own at the position, then trading him generates some negative media attention, and possibly some seller's remorse in the FO. So be it I personally hope they move him to the other league if he is traded. I'd hate to have to watch him from behind the plate in, say, Tampa Bay. That would hurt.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 15, 2014 11:22:12 GMT -5
International League: www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-international-league-top-20-scouting-reports/2. Betts 6. Ranaudo 16. Vazquez 19. Webster I really, really disagree with the Ranaudo ranking and think it's insane. He's ranked ahead of the likes of AJ Cole and Alex Meyer. I'm confounded by the claim that "Some evaluators see Ranaudo as a No. 2-3 starter," and the insinuation that his floor is a back-of-the-rotation starter. I find it interesting that the fastball is called "low-to-mid 90s," when yes, he hits mid-90s sometimes and on rare starts sits up there (I have one start this year in my database when he reportedly sat higher than typical), but it seems like the fastball is getting graded too high here. I note that Everett Merrill did this list. He's not a BA employee, but a web producer for the Star-Ledger in NJ. I'm not implying New Jersey bias, but that I'd be inclined to give this more weight if it were done by a full-time BA staffer.
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Post by James Dunne on Oct 15, 2014 11:47:01 GMT -5
Regarding Ranaudo, one thing I can say is that he has days where his stuff looks really, really, REALLY good and it's easy to fall in love with him. He's got the size, smooth delivery, and repertoire that you want in a pitcher. Plus, if Merrill is from New Jersey then there's a good chance that he's interviewed Ranaudo, and he's a very bright, well-spoken kid who is very articulate about pitching in general and what he needs to work on specifically.
Disappointed, though I guess not surprised, to see Barnes miss the cut.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 15, 2014 12:02:04 GMT -5
International League: www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-international-league-top-20-scouting-reports/2. Betts 6. Ranaudo 16. Vazquez 19. Webster I really, really disagree with the Ranaudo ranking and think it's insane. He's ranked ahead of the likes of AJ Cole and Alex Meyer. I'm confounded by the claim that "Some evaluators see Ranaudo as a No. 2-3 starter," and the insinuation that his floor is a back-of-the-rotation starter. I find it interesting that the fastball is called "low-to-mid 90s," when yes, he hits mid-90s sometimes and on rare starts sits up there (I have one start this year in my database when he reportedly sat higher than typical), but it seems like the fastball is getting graded too high here. I note that Everett Merrill did this list. He's not a BA employee, but a web producer for the Star-Ledger in NJ. I'm not implying New Jersey bias, but that I'd be inclined to give this more weight if it were done by a full-time BA staffer. New Jersey bias ? LOL.
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Post by ramireja on Oct 15, 2014 12:07:09 GMT -5
Regarding Ranaudo, one thing I can say is that he has days where his stuff looks really, really, REALLY good and it's easy to fall in love with him. He's got the size, smooth delivery, and repertoire that you want in a pitcher. Plus, if Merrill is from New Jersey then there's a good chance that he's interviewed Ranaudo, and he's a very bright, well-spoken kid who is very articulate about pitching in general and what he needs to work on specifically. Disappointed, though I guess not surprised, to see Barnes miss the cut. Regarding this, if there are any teams that agree with these assessments, he's my go-to trade high candidate for the offseason. The k to bb ratio in the majors though might be hard for any team to overlook.
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Post by jimed14 on Oct 15, 2014 12:15:20 GMT -5
International League: www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-international-league-top-20-scouting-reports/2. Betts 6. Ranaudo 16. Vazquez 19. Webster I really, really disagree with the Ranaudo ranking and think it's insane. He's ranked ahead of the likes of AJ Cole and Alex Meyer. I'm confounded by the claim that "Some evaluators see Ranaudo as a No. 2-3 starter," and the insinuation that his floor is a back-of-the-rotation starter. I find it interesting that the fastball is called "low-to-mid 90s," when yes, he hits mid-90s sometimes and on rare starts sits up there (I have one start this year in my database when he reportedly sat higher than typical), but it seems like the fastball is getting graded too high here. I note that Everett Merrill did this list. He's not a BA employee, but a web producer for the Star-Ledger in NJ. I'm not implying New Jersey bias, but that I'd be inclined to give this more weight if it were done by a full-time BA staffer. New Jersey bias ? LOL. Come on man, local writers are almost always biased towards home town kids.
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Post by homerdante on Oct 15, 2014 12:27:54 GMT -5
Any teasers from Q&As from AA or AAA?
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Post by jmei on Oct 15, 2014 15:02:19 GMT -5
I remember being a little sad that Ranaudo was brought up to the majors (and subsequently got bombed) because I thought he was a prime sell-high candidate this offseason. He's by all accounts a really nice, hard-working kid, but I've not been impressed by him as a pitcher, and his major league struggles this year might have dropped his stock for many teams.
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Oct 15, 2014 17:02:18 GMT -5
I remember being a little sad that Ranaudo was brought up to the majors (and subsequently got bombed) because I thought he was a prime sell-high candidate this offseason. He's by all accounts a really nice, hard-working kid, but I've not been impressed by him as a pitcher, and his major league struggles this year might have dropped his stock for many teams. Ranaudo is an enigma to a degree to me. Sometimes he really has a hammer curve and looks to be a mlb caliber stud. If he can ever get that curve full time he's a young Peavy. That's who that curve reminded me of. Could he have that curve if he didn't pitch as much. Maybe he's a future Andrew Miller?
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 15, 2014 20:41:17 GMT -5
Come on man, local writers are almost always biased towards home town kids. And accusing somebody from a national service of bias based on the ranking of one player 6th who happened to be the league pitcher of the year is rather flimsy logic. It's called trolling. Disagreeing with the ranking and giving reasoning is far more appropriate.
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 15, 2014 20:54:19 GMT -5
Come on man, local writers are almost always biased towards home town kids. And accusing somebody from a national service of bias based on the ranking of one player 6th who happened to be the league pitcher of the year is rather flimsy logic. It's called trolling. Disagreeing with the ranking and giving reasoning is far more appropriate. You're the one who responded with "LOL" to Chris simply noting the guy was from NJ, so I'm not sure it's fair for you to subsequently call out jimed for lack of reasoning. Definitely not what I consider to be trolling. I just don't think it's a ridiculous thing to at least consider -- the ranking is highly questionable, and I would think the majority of posters on here would agree. The guy literally couldn't throw the ball past a major league hitter or keep the ball in the yard, and while I'm sure fatigue was partially responsible for that, his shiny ERA was way better than his peripheral stats in AAA (and AA, to a lesser degree).
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Post by pedroelgrande on Oct 15, 2014 21:18:40 GMT -5
If the guy was named Ian I would definitely accuse him of NJ bias.
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