Devils Top 100 Prospects(Midseason-AL Central)

[THE DUKE]

Downs with another HR tonight.

I'm not quite as high on Robles, but I get the rationale 

[devils1854]

5 hours ago, THE DUKE said:

Downs with another HR tonight.

I'm not quite as high on Robles, but I get the rationale 

Downs is my boy. Dayton comes to Bowling Green again in a week, so Im excited for that.

Robles is a beast, but i see the people getting excited about Soto........Robles is still the guy.

 

[devils1854]

Going to try to go through each division and do at least a top 10 for each team and a top 25 for the division.

Arizona
1.Jon Duplantier||RHP||AA
2.Taylor Widener||RHP||AA
3.Daulton Varsho||C||A+
4.Jazz Chisholm||SS||A+
5.Pavin Smith||1B||A+
6.Taylor Clarke||RHP||AAA
7.Jake McCarthy||OF||A
8.Alek Thomas||OF||R
9.Yoan Lopez||RHP||AA
10.Drew Ellis||3B||A+

This is not a good farm system at all. The 2017 draft is looking bad after one year, and Im not high on their draft this season, and they didnt even sign their first round pick. Duplantier has the stuff to be a top of the rotation guy, but he is glass, and he might not even make much of an impact because of this. Widener has been a little bit of a nice surprise this season. Could be a back of the rotation type guy. Varsho's athleticism at the catching position puts him at #3. If he ends up having to move from catching, he could play either corner spot in the outfield.

Colorado
1.Brendan Rodgers||SS||AA
2.Colton Welker||3B||A+
3.Peter Lambert||RHP||AAA
4.Riley Pint||RHP||A
5.Ryan Rolison||LHP||R
6.Ryan Vilade||SS|A
7.Garrett Hampson||2B||MLB
8.Robert Tyler||RHP||A+
9.Sam Hilliard||OF||AA
10.Grant Lavigne||1B||R

Colorado has a top heavy system. I can see both Rodgers and Welker as impact players in the majors. Neither takes walks, but neither strikes out. Both will be more of gap hitters in the majors, and I think both can be above average defensively. Yes, both are pretty similar imo. After that, I dont love, or really like, anyone. Lambert is a low ceiling guy. Could find a spot at the back end of the rotation. Both Pint and Tyler have potential ++ fastballs, but have major injury question marks. Rolison and Lavigne have some intrigue to them from this years draft.

Los Angeles
1.Alex Verdugo||OF||AAA
2.Keibert Ruiz||C||AA
3.Gavin Lux||SS/2B||A+
4.Dustin May||RHP||A+
5.Will Smith||C/3B||AA
6.Dennis Santana||RHP||AAA
7.Yadier Alvarez||RHP||AA
8.Mitchell White||RHP||AA
9.Diego Cartaya||C||N/A
10.Ronny Brito||SS||R

I can see as many as eight guys from this list to be major league players in the next year. Now, I dont think many of them are high ceiling guys, but its a solid group. I think the Dodgers made a mistake in trading Diaz instead of Verdugo. He looks to have a higher ceiling. Im not sold Verdugo is more than a empty batting average hitter that will have a problem defensively because of his body. Gavin Lux is the guy Im most intrigued in. He is showing some nice hitting tools at his age. I do want to see what he can do outside of the Cal League, but if he can stick at short, he could be very valuable.

San Diego
1.Fernando Tatis Jr||SS||AA
2.Francisco Mejia||C||AAA
3.MacKenzie Gore||LHP||A
4.Adrian Morejon||LHP||A+
5.Luis Urias||2B||AAA
6.Cal Quantril||RHP||AA
7.Michel Baez||RHP||A+
8.Anderson Espinoza||RHP||N/A
9.Chris Paddack||RHP||AA
10.Luis Patino||RHP||A
11.Logan Allen||LHP||AA
12.Ryan Weathers||LHP||R
13.Jacob Nix||RHP||AA
14.Esteury Ruiz||2B||A
15.Buddy Reed||OF||AA
16.Josh Naylor||OF/1B||AA
17.Xavier Edwards||SS|R
18.Hudson Potts||3B||A+
19.Luis Campusano||C||A
20.Tirso Ornealas||OF||A

Possibly the best system in all of baseball. There is some high end talent that could be in the majors in the next year, but I am more impressed with the international guys that they have at the A ball level. I have five guys in their top twenty that are all at low A Fort Wayne, and thats not counting a few more guys that are intriguing. The system could be great for a number of years if just a few of these guys pan out.

San Francisco
1.Heliot Ramos||OF||A
2.Joey Bart||C||A
3.Jacob Gonzalez||3B||A
4.Chris Shaw||OF||AAA
5.Sean Hjelle||RHP||A
6.Steven Duggar||OF||MLB
7.Shaun Anderson||RHP||AAA
8.Marco Luciano||SS||N/A
9.Tyler Beede||RHP||AAA
10.Seth Corry||LHP||R

This might not be the worst system in baseball, but its close. I will give the organization credit, it looks like they have done a good job in trying to get impact players in the system the past couple of years. Both Ramos and Bart are top 100 guys, and have potential to be very good. Gonzalez(2017), Hjelle(2018), Luciano(2018), and Corry(2017) are guys that they brought in the system that have intrigue to them, but they arent even close to making an impact in the majors. The organization really doesnt have anything else of note.

 

Division Top 25
1.Fernando Tatis Jr||SS||San Diego
2.Brendan Rodgers||SS||Colorado
3.Francisco Mejia||C||San Diego
4.MacKenzie Gore||LHP||San Diego
5.Alex Verdugo||OF||Los Angeles
6.Heliot Ramos||OF||San Francisco
7.Joey Bart||C||San Francisco
8.Adrian Morejon||LHP||San Diego
9.Colton Welker||3B||Colorado
10.Keibert Ruiz||C||Los Angeles
11.Luis Urias||2B||San Diego
12.Gavin Lux||SS||Los Angeles
13.Jon Duplantier||RHP||Arizona
14.Cal Quantrill||RHP||San Diego
15.Michel Baez||RHP||San Diego
16.Dustin May||RHP||Los Angeles
17.Anderson Espinoza||RHP||San Diego
18.Chris Paddack||RHP||San Diego
19.Will Smith||C/3B||Los Angeles
20.Luis Patino||RH||San Diego
21.Dennis Santana||RHP||RHP||Los Angeles
22.Yadier Alvarez||RHP||Los Angeles
23.Logan Allen||LHP||San Diego
24.Taylor Widener||RHP||Arizona
25.Peter Lambert||RHP||Colorado

 

Ranking the Systems
1.San Diego
2.Los Angeles
3.Colorado
4.Arizona
5.San Francisco

[Slateman]

On 5/13/2018 at 2:41 AM, devils1854 said:

Downs is my boy. Dayton comes to Bowling Green again in a week, so Im excited for that.

Robles is a beast, but i see the people getting excited about Soto........Robles is still the guy.

 

I'm not sure if this didn't age well, or aged amazingly well. I'm also not sure if Robles is still "the guy" as Rizzo looks to have tried to trade him twice.

[devils1854]

4 hours ago, Slateman said:

I'm not sure if this didn't age well, or aged amazingly well. I'm also not sure if Robles is still "the guy" as Rizzo looks to have tried to trade him twice.

I mean, I had Soto as my #13 prospect before the season when all reputable places had him in the 40s. I know how good he was supposed to be/is. I still think Robles is going to be the better player. 

[hrubes20]

Xavier Edwards is going to be better than most of those pitchers listed ahead of him, but I get not ranking him that high yet.  

[Slateman]

2 hours ago, devils1854 said:

I mean, I had Soto as my #13 prospect before the season when all reputable places had him in the 40s. I know how good he was supposed to be/is. I still think Robles is going to be the better player. 

That's absolutely amazing, considering how fantastic Soto is at the plate. People don't see it every day, but the offspeed stuff he spits on and then smiles back at the pitcher after is incredible. Incredible for anyone at any skill level, let alone a 19 year old. I don't see Robles being a better hitter. Better defender, sure, but Robles comes off as Devon White to me.

[Forge]

@devils1854

Just curious because you seem to have Gonzalez higher than most for the Giants, but where do you see his long term projection defensively at, and how does that impact your opinion of him? He's an absolute dumpster fire at third so far, so I have to imagine that a change in position is coming. 

[CWood21]

It'll be interesting to see how you rank the Cardinals farm hands.  I'd probably exclude Alex Reyes just for the sake of new names.  Figure the top 5 will be in some combination of Tyler O'Neill, Nolan Gorman, Dakota Hudson, and Andrew Knizner in some order.  There's a few others that we Cards fans have been keeping an eye on, curious to see where you rank them.

[devils1854]

On 7/30/2018 at 12:50 PM, Forge said:

@devils1854

Just curious because you seem to have Gonzalez higher than most for the Giants, but where do you see his long term projection defensively at, and how does that impact your opinion of him? He's an absolute dumpster fire at third so far, so I have to imagine that a change in position is coming. 

Just because I have him third, doesnt mean I think he is a great prospect. There just isnt that much in the system, and I think he has enough intrigue to be third.

I think he will be fine hitting. He is a big boy, and I think he can end up with plus power, and should be able to hit for a descent enough average.

Yes, defense is the problem. Im not sure where he will play. Might depend on how much bigger he gets. He could probably be average enough to play left. Will definitely lose some value if he has to go to first.

[DirtyDez]

Idk why Hazen isn’t signing his picks.  Dave Stewart signed all of his first rd picks.  Granted he traded them away as soon as possible for pennies on the dollar but at least he signed them,

[devils1854]

Houston
1.Kyle Tucker||OF||AAA
2.Forrest Whitley||RHP||AA
3.Yordan Alvarez||OF||AAA
4.Seth Beer||1B/OF||A
5.Cionel Perez||LHP||AAA
6.J.B. Bukauskas||RHP||A
7.Corbin Martin||RHP||AA
8.Freudis Nova||SS||R
9.Hector Perez||RHP||AA
10.Framber Valdez||LHP||AA

The Houston system is still really about two players, Tucker and Whitley. Tucker did have a rough go with the big club last month, but that shouldnt dampen what people think he could be. He is still a top tier prospect in the game with lots of potential. This has pretty much been a lost season for Whitley after his suspension. He has come back and thrown some innings, but he recently landed on the DL, and it might be best to just save him until next year. Hopefully, the long lay off wont hurt him. After those two, I see a lot of prospects with question marks. I think both Alvarez and Beer are 1B/DH types that could be major league hitters. The glut of pitchers have some great minor league numbers, but I really dont see anything special in the group.

Los Angeles
1.Jo Adell||OF||A+
2.Brandon Marsh||OF||A+
3.Taylor Ward||3B||AAA
4.Griffin Canning||RHP||AAA
5.Matt Thaiss||1B||AAA
6.Jahmai Jones||2B||AA
7.Jordyn Adams||OF||R
8.Livan Soto||SS||R
9.Jose Suarez||LHP||AAA
10.Kevin Maitan||SS/3B/1B||R

I have loved the draft strategy that the Angels have used the past few years. They have gone with high upside, athletic types, and that has started to pay off already. Adell has been one of the most surprising guys from the 201 draft. I dont think anyone had the slightest of clues that he would be this good, this fast. He could legitimately have five tools. Marsh is a guy that I really wanted Atlanta to take in 2016, but the Angels took him and havent looked back. He is striking out too much, but he walks a great bit, so I think the Ks will start to go down once he matures. Power is going to be his worst tool, but the others play. Both Livan Soto and Kevin Maitan were signed this past offseason after they were declared free agents from Atlanta, and Maitan was supposed to be the big catch, but he continues to eat himself out of baseball. Soto just turned 18, but I like his potential. He will definitely stick at short, and could be quite good there. He looks advanced at the plate for his age, and is walking out more than he strikes out for the second straight year. He is a guy to watch in the future.

Oakland
1.Jesus Luzardo||LHP||AA
2.AJ Puk||LHP||N/A
3.Sean Murphy||C||AA
4.Austin Beck||OF||A
5.Lazaro Armenteros||OF||A
6.Jorge Mateo||SS||AAA
7.Kyler Murray||OF||N/A
8.Sheldon Neuse||3B||AAA
9.Logan Shore||RHP||AA
10.Ramon Laureano||OF||MLB

Oakland has a pretty good system, and could have a great one if not for injuries. AJ Puk, James Kaprielian, Daulton Jefferies, and Grant Holmes are all highly drafted guys that are currently out with major arm injuries. Luzardo is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, and if a couple of the injured guys can come back and contribute, the A's could have a great potential rotation. I will say that I am not a fan of their most recent first round pick, Kyler Murray. I think he was a fringe top 50 prospect at best for the draft, but Oakland saw something. I personally dont know what. I do think that him not playing any games this year could hamper his growth. Does he start next year at full season ball, or will he be a 21 year old in short season?

Seattle
1.Evan White||1B||A+
2.Logan Gilbert||RHP||N/A
3.Kyle Lewis||OF||AA
4.Julio Rodriguez||OF||R
5.Sam Carlson||RHP||N/A
6.Noelvi Marte||SS||N/A
7.Wyatt Mills||RHP||A+
8.Josh Stowers||OF||A
9.Braden Bishop||OF||AA
10.Ian Miller||OF||AAA

We might have already found the worst system in all of baseball. I dont see a top 100 prospect, and maybe not even one that deserves to be in the top 150. If Evan White becomes a full time starter in the majors, I could see him winning a Gold Glove. He has good athleticism, and plays the position well. Power is definitely the problem. He is going to have to hit for a high average to justify being a full time player. Im worried about Gilbert. For most of this past season, he did not have the velocity that he showed last year, and if he isnt able to get it back, then it would be another wasted first round pick.....like Kyle Lewis. All you need to know about how bad the system is, is looking at the rest of the guys in the top ten. There are two guys who have absolute ceilings as defensive substitutions in the majors, a 16 year old, and a 17 year old.

Texas
1.Willie Calhoun||OF||MLB
2.Leody Taveras||OF||A+
3.Cole Winn||RHP||N/A
4.Hans Crouse||RHP||A
5.Julio Pablo Martinez||OF||A
6.Bubba Thompson||OF||A
7.Cole Ragans||LHP||N/A
8.Jonathan Hernandez||RHP||AA
9.AJ Alexy||RHP||A
10.Taylor Hearn||LHP||AA

If you are looking for a system that could potentially be the best in the league in two to three years, then Texas might be the one. I absolutely love what they have done through the draft. Their 2018 first round pick, Cole Winn, was a steal, and has top of the rotation potential. Bubba Thompson and Hans Crouse we both part of the 2017 class, and both have some exciting tools to keep a watch for. 2016 gave them Cole Ragans, who is out for the season, but if he comes back healthy next year, he could showcase two great pitches. I dont love Calhoun and I dont love Taveras. Calhoun has no position, and I dont think the power plays in the majors, and I think scouts jumped the gun with the young Taveras. I dont think he is as toolsy as people thought.

 

Division Top 25
1.Jo Adell||OF||Los Angeles
2.Kyle Tucker||OF||Houston
3.Jesus Luzardo||LHP||Oakland
4.Forrest Whitley||RHP||Houston
5.AJ Puk||LHP||Oakland
6.Sean Murphy||C||Oakland
7.Brandon Marsh||OF||Los Angeles
8.Yordan Alvarez||1B/OF||Houston
9.Willie Calhoun||OF||Texas
10.Leody Taveras||OF||Texas
11.Austin Beck||OF||Oakland
12.Cole Winn||RHP||Texas
13.Lazaro Armenteros||OF||Oakland
14.Hans Crouse||RHP||Texas
15.Taylor Ward||3B||Los Angeles
16.Jorge Mateo||SS||Oakland
17.Julio Pablo Martinez||OF||Texas
18.Seth Beer||1B/OF||Houston
19.Griffin Canning||RHP||Los Angeles
20.Bubba Thompson||OF||Texas
21.Evan White||1B||Seattle
22.Matt Thaiss||1B||Los Angeles
23.Logan Gilbert||RHP||Seattle
24.Cole Ragans||LHP||Texas
25.Kyle Lewis||OF||Seattle

 

Ranking the Systems
1.Los Angeles
2.Oakland
3.Texas
4.Houston
5.Seattle

[CWood21]

8 hours ago, devils1854 said:

Ranking the Systems
1.Los Angeles
2.Oakland
3.Texas
4.Houston
5.Seattle

Maybe you can explain this one to me.  How are you ranking these systems?  Los Angeles might be moderately stronger at the top, but Oakland is a significantly deeper farm system.  I'd argue the A's farm system is quite a bit better than the Angels.

[devils1854]

50 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

Maybe you can explain this one to me.  How are you ranking these systems?  Los Angeles might be moderately stronger at the top, but Oakland is a significantly deeper farm system.  I'd argue the A's farm system is quite a bit better than the Angels.

I would argue just the opposite. I think Oakland is better at the top. They have more guys than LA in the top 100, but after that, I dont think they have that much, besides the injured guys. The Angels are deeper in their top 10, and I like their teenagers much better.

[CWood21]

4 hours ago, devils1854 said:

I would argue just the opposite. I think Oakland is better at the top. They have more guys than LA in the top 100, but after that, I dont think they have that much, besides the injured guys. The Angels are deeper in their top 10, and I like their teenagers much better.

I mean, if you assign 25 points to the top ranked player and subtract one point with each rankings after that, the A's have 36 more points than the Angels.  That's substantial.  The A's have 6 in the top 18 among all AL West teams, including three in the top 6.  On the other hand, the Angels have 3 in the top 18, and one in the top 6.  The A's system looks notably better by that regard.