Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

[ksig24]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Jay's got those veteran presents that KLaw raves about

He does, but in all fairness every "scout" or Scout have their own opinions. Jay has tools, presence and dugout savvy. Dont get me wrong, there is nothing not to like about Jay.

I say "scout" because Keith Law attended Frank Marcos' MLB Scouting Program from being from the Mothership, not from a direct referral from a GM, SD or Owner like most of us did.

Jay does put up solid numbers, but we are now talking about a potential franchise bat in Tavares. While Jay does a little bit of everything, his ceiling is fairly limited and his floor could be worse than that of his actual performance. If Jay had one terrible year, he'd end up being Donnie Murphy and I am not saying that is bad, but its not the starting CF in a huge market team.

[PadresFan]

I think that the D-Backs got what they were looking for in two nearly certain MLB'ers, but I think the fact that they needed a SS so bad was merely a ploy to obtain and ship for more pitching. Spruill could be an average starter, but Delgado finally has the opportunity to pitch at full capacity and I think that he shines in doing so. He really has nasty stuff.

If the snakes ship Ahmed off in a package deal with Krauss or a flailing AAAA guy who looks sexy based on upside for a quality SP then I think its mission accomplished for them.

They really couldnt have gotten much more in my opinion. A lot of teams trade key players and we all basque in finding out who they got in return and it always ends up being c level prospects and a Phil Humber type. It lets everyone down, but pro ranks of baseball brass make decisions based on money and organizational depth, not always for names and sexyness...

Good point. They did fill a few holes. What's your take on Ahmed?

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[ksig24]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

KSig what do you think about Stefan Romero and Hunter Morris?

Very similar players with similar upside.

Morris is a bat first power player limited to corner OF or 1B duty where his bat will play. He may be an intriguing option for MIL in the near future, especially with 1B issues. We were really high on him coming out of Auburn. Remember that he is bat first, good power and ability to drive in runs. He is certainly on the radar.

Romero seems to have really had a great year. I was skeptical throughout the first half of the season being that he was in the confines of the CAL league. To my surprise he raked in the SALLY league and actually showed a lot of people some plus offensive upside. People are buzzing and he's been asked for in many trades. Ackley is the 2B now and the club has a lot invested in him, but Romero could be the answer in the form of a heavy hitting 2B for the foreseeable future. The number one aspect scouts look for in keystone players is a power bat. Romero has a budding power bat.

[seanjeezy]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

The letter grades will be in '13, so feel free to start discussing potential... I'll take the first stab.

Here's my take on the MLB.com top 100(not including would-be SCEA players), letter grades are in no particular order...

CAP A's

Oscar Taveras
Jose Fernandez
Gerrit Cole

A's

Wil Myers
Taijuan Walker
Zack Wheeler
Javier Baez
Xander Bogaerts

A/A-

Travis D'Arnaud
Mike Zunino
Christian Yelich
Miguel Sano
Byron Buxton
Archie Bradley
Carlos Correa
Aaron Sanchez
Kevin Gausman

A-

Billy Hamilton
Francisco Lindor
Danny Hultzen
Jameson Taillon
Nick Castellanos
Jon Singleton
Noah Syndergaard
Carlos Martinez
Jorge Soler
Albert Almora
Addison Russell
Robert Stephenson
Courtney Hawkins
Austin Hedges

A-/B+

Bubba Starling
Anthony Rendon
Jackie Bradley
Matt Barnes
Kyle Zimmer
Gary Sanchez
Alex Meyer
Taylor Guerreri
Alen Hanson
David Dahl
Lucas Giolito
Mason Williams
Yasiel Puig
Kyle Crick
Oswaldo Arcia
Trevor Story

B+

Nick Franklin
Kyle Gibson
Jedd Gyorko
Brian Goodwin
Max Fried
Rymer Liriano
George Springer
Yordano Ventura
Jesse Biddle
James Paxton
Nolan Arenado
Gregory Polanco
Kaleb Cowart
Allen Webster
Tyler Austin
Zach Lee
Michael Wacha
Cody Buckel
Roberto Osuna

B+/B

Hak-Ju Lee
Jake Marisnick
Justin Nicolino
Kolten Wong
Joc Pederson
Jorge Alfaro (would rank higher if prospects could bust in this game...)
Jarred Cosart
Bruce Rondon
Henry Owens
Aaron Hicks

B

Ethan Martin
Andrew Heaney
Luis Sardinas
A.J. Cole
Gary Brown

That's 31 surefire A's and 16 tossups... Obviously there's a handful of guys who made their debut last year, I'm sure some of them will be A's as well...

The most important thing I cannot stress enough, this is my personal opinion! Prospect lists are highly subjective! Feel free to comment! Lol

OK so here are some additional players that I think are comparable to the top 100 candidates:

B+

Daniel Corcino
Lance McCullers Jr.
Cory Seager
Jose Berrios
Eddie Rosario
Wilmer Flores
Luis Heredia
Matt Wisler
Brad Miller
Victor Sanchez

B+/B

J.R. Graham
Carlos Sanchez
Trayce Thompson
Dorssys Paulino
Delino DeShields Jr.
Victor Roache
Max Kepler
Slade Heathcott
Jose Campos
Michael Choice
Josh Bell
Tyrell Jenkins
Clayton Blackburn
Chris Stratton
Brandon Maurer
Stefen Romero
Gabriel Guerrero
Luke Jackson

[yanksdaniel99]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Other then maybe 2-3 players, our lists are identical.

[seanjeezy]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Other then maybe 2-3 players, our lists are identical.

Which ones? I'm probably the biggest backer of Jose Fernandez on this site (more than even the Marlins guys lol), I have a feeling he's one... Springer as an A-? Skaggs as a B+?

I'll probably expand the list to include some guys with high ceilings that are far away, and some severely underrated guys as well. No surprise A grades though lol

[yanksdaniel99]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Which ones? I'm probably the biggest backer of Jose Fernandez on this site (more than even the Marlins guys lol), I have a feeling he's one... Springer as an A-? Skaggs as a B+?

I'll probably expand the list to include some guys with high ceilings that are far away, and some severely underrated guys as well. No surprise A grades though lol

Hamilton (B+) Fried (A-) & AJ Cole (B+)

If your the biggest backer of Fernandez, then I'm the 2nd (or 3rd) biggest lol, completely agree withthat ranking. Have Springer right on the B+/A- mark and Skaggs is already in.

[seanjeezy]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Hamilton (B+) Fried (A-) & AJ Cole (B+)

If your the biggest backer of Fernandez, then I'm the 2nd (or 3rd) biggest lol, completely agree withthat ranking. Have Springer right on the B+/A- mark and Skaggs is already in.

I completely forgot about Skaggs' debut last year... probably because it wasn't very good lol.

[rjackson]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

I tend to be a really hard grader and am keeping in mind positional differences in these grades as applied in the game. I do realize that I have to move up a notch, though. I do question some of these and wonder if 50-60 A's might be too much, but while I think someone is going to bust, the majority might not feel that way and majority rules. So, on to some discussion and please realize that I REALLY respect seanjeezy's and yankdaniel's opinions.

Nick Casetllanos does not seem to have a power tool and being a 3B, shouldn't that knock him down a couple of notches?

Albert Almora is GOOD at a lot of things but is not GREAT at anything, right? That means he's probably a solid major leaguer but not a star so wouldn't a mid-high to high B be better for him?

Zunino is underrated and Yelich is overrated on this list imo but that is just my opinion--just like Bubba Starling should have stuck with football. Valid point alert, though...Trayce Thompson & Bubba Starling seem to me to have the same athleticism--Bubba's baseball skills haven't started to develop that much so I'd go lower with him for the same reasons you did with Jorge Alfaro and would for Thompson (I hate his hands at the beginning of his swing causing the low contact). Oh, and unless you'd put Thompson as a B+, I wouldn't put Marisnick there either. They are of the same mold.

I think Paxton, Rondon, and Gary Brown are too high myself. Also, George Springer continues to look more and more promising...

Is Bogaerts really that much better than Lindor?

Wil Myers strikes out an aweful lot, I'd drop him a notch--Maybe swap him and Zunino? Admittedly though, I'm not sure how Myers is going to pan out.

Last one I question--given Singleton's position and power performance (considering PED's), I think that he is graded too high. He'll hit for average but I'm not sure that his swing is going to hit many HR's (though he could pull a Barry Bonds and say oh, chicks dig the long ball eh...then I'll bulk up and hit with a big uppercut swing from now on--screw being a 30/40 guy!! and even then how much did the PED's bulk him up?).

[seanjeezy]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

I tend to be a really hard grader and am keeping in mind positional differences in these grades as applied in the game. I do realize that I have to move up a notch, though. I do question some of these and wonder if 50-60 A's might be too much, but while I think someone is going to bust, the majority might not feel that way and majority rules. So, on to some discussion and please realize that I REALLY respect seanjeezy's and yankdaniel's opinions.

Nick Casetllanos does not seem to have a power tool and being a 3B, shouldn't that knock him down a couple of notches?
He has plus-plus bat speed so once he learns to consistently hit the ball with backspin you can expect 20+ HR's from him.

Albert Almora is GOOD at a lot of things but is not GREAT at anything, right? That means he's probably a solid major leaguer but not a star so wouldn't a mid-high to high B be better for him?
Actually his hit tool and fielding project out to be plus-plus. Combine that with the potential for average power and stolen base totals and you have a really exciting skillset.

Zunino is underrated and Yelich is overrated on this list imo but that is just my opinion--just like Bubba Starling should have stuck with football. Valid point alert, though...Trayce Thompson & Bubba Starling seem to me to have the same athleticism--Bubba's baseball skills haven't started to develop that much so I'd go lower with him for the same reasons you did with Jorge Alfaro and would for Thompson (I hate his hands at the beginning of his swing causing the low contact). Oh, and unless you'd put Thompson as a B+, I wouldn't put Marisnick there either. They are of the same mold.
Honestly I don't see how Zunino can be any higher than a borderline A/strong A-... The average will only go down from here on out, he's more likely to settle around .280 with 25 HR's... That's great for a catcher but definitely not MVP worthy...

Yelich likely has the best hit tool in the minors. Like Castellanos, once he learns how to put backspin on the ball expect 20+ homers with an average north of .300...

I gave Bubba the benefit of the doubt (not really otherwise he would've ranked higher) because he still managed to put up above average numbers despite having a glitch in his swing. If you think giving him a B+ is bad, MLB has him at #26...

Marisnick isn't really a B+, he's borderline.

Thompson wasn't on MLB's list so that's why he's not showing up here, sorry.

I think Paxton, Rondon, and Gary Brown are too high myself. Also, George Springer continues to look more and more promising...
This is the first time I've heard someone say Paxton isn't deserving of a B+... care to share why?

I actually did a Bruce Rondon CAP last year after the futures game... he has to be at least a B or he'll regress, no way around it. The two most important attributes for a reliever in this game are K/9 and pure stuff - he has both.

What's not to like about Gary Brown? He can hit, run, and field all at an above average level. He won't repeat 2011, but he's better than what he showed last year.

Springer struck out more than Wil Myers and Lancaster is nearly identical to High Desert ... Anything more than a B+ is too much for now.

Is Bogaerts really that much better than Lindor?
Yes, Lindor is very much glove first at this point and IMO always will be, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since a SS with plus defense and average offense is an all-star. Xander has impact hitting potential while providing average defense at short, I see that as a far more desirable skill set.

Wil Myers strikes out an aweful lot, I'd drop him a notch--Maybe swap him and Zunino? Admittedly though, I'm not sure how Myers is going to pan out.
I'm not saying Myers is the next Stanton but look how similar their minor league numbers are... The K's won't mean much if he continues to hit for average and power while providing solid defense.

Last one I question--given Singleton's position and power performance (considering PED's), I think that he is graded too high. He'll hit for average but I'm not sure that his swing is going to hit many HR's (though he could pull a Barry Bonds and say oh, chicks dig the long ball eh...then I'll bulk up and hit with a big uppercut swing from now on--screw being a 30/40 guy!! and even then how much did the PED's bulk him up?).
He was suspended for marijuana use, doubt that gives him much of an edge lol

Appreciate the feedback, the more opinions the better IMO. Once again I'll point out that this is my critique of MLB.com's top 100, if you don't see someone there that you like, that's MLB's fault... My rebuttals are in bold.

I also noted at the bottom of the list that the number of surefire A's I assigned was 31... There will of course be some A prospects who debuted last year that can be added to that total, as well as some from the 16 tossups so I'm not sure how close to 50-60 we'll get, but that's usually the limit to prevent an excess amount of retirements.

[ksig24]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Great post fellas and I am glad that this thread is starting to heat up.

Jeezy and Daniel, I too am a huge proponent of Fernandez.

RJackson, I really like your valuations of players.

You make note of Yelich being overrated and Zunino being underrated. Yelich is a very projectable and scouts droll over the athleticism. I saw him many, many times in high school and to be honest, I didnt see it first off, but if you look deeper at the player as a whole there is a lot to like.

He is kind of lanky when you see him, he doesnt have anything uber special, but lets not talk intangibles and just focus on the ball player and his tools.

Size - 6'4 200 or so, he was a first round pick for a reason and projectability and size is one reason, but if he were 5'9 he still would have been a first rounder.

Bat - Swing, he's lefty and everyone always refers to lefty swings as a thing of beauty, and they are. Here is the thing that makes a player with less than desirable graded power special and Yelich has it. His swing and his ability to make consistent contact makes him a perennial .300 hitter. His patience and plate discipline allow him to decide what pitches to hit hard and less focus on making contact. He's a gap to gap guy now that will produce average to above average power numbers (15 HR+). This one aspect of his game is why people are raving and ranking him so high. When I scouted him he was primarily a 1B. When you take a player with a 60-70 grade coupled with several average grades you may end up with an All-Star.

His running ability looks funky, but the kid is a very smart baserunner and will swipe a surprising amount of bags. If he starts to put on more muscle I could see him slowing up a bit on the bases, but the power may come. Its a nice trade-off for a player like Yelich. He is destined for LF, mark my words on that.

Overrated now, but projections may actually be spot on, but after all, its merely a projection.

My .02

[ksig24]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

I completely forgot about Skaggs' debut last year... probably because it wasn't very good lol.

Another player I scouted several times. Skaggs has what scouts look for in a pitcher. Repeatable mechanics, size, frame, stuff and velo.

He has a quality 4 seamer that plays up because of movement and strike-throwing ability. His cureveball is an easy plus pitch of swing and miss proportion. He has two plus pitches now. With young players the change has some promise and should be a quality third pitch, but not nasty. Throws strikes consistently but has to develop better command against MLB hitters. He's a potential no.2 starter. He still is a very high level prospect. Skaggs knows how to pitch.

[itzdaro13]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Hey Ksig24, first of all thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, so awesome!!
I wanted to ask u about Michael Fullmer, minor league starter for the Mets. he had a nice year in the minors in 2012. do you think he has the potential to be a solid 3 starter in majors?

[ksig24]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Which ones? I'm probably the biggest backer of Jose Fernandez on this site (more than even the Marlins guys lol), I have a feeling he's one... Springer as an A-? Skaggs as a B+?

I'll probably expand the list to include some guys with high ceilings that are far away, and some severely underrated guys as well. No surprise A grades though lol

I am right there with you on Fernandez. Dude could be a monster ACE.

Springer = a future beast! Very underrated mainly due to the team.

[seanjeezy]

Re: Annual KSig24 Top Prospect Q&A

Another player I scouted several times. Skaggs has what scouts look for in a pitcher. Repeatable mechanics, size, frame, stuff and velo.

He has a quality 4 seamer that plays up because of movement and strike-throwing ability. His cureveball is an easy plus pitch of swing and miss proportion. He has two plus pitches now. With young players the change has some promise and should be a quality third pitch, but not nasty. Throws strikes consistently but has to develop better command against MLB hitters. He's a potential no.2 starter. He still is a very high level prospect. Skaggs knows how to pitch.

I like Skaggs but I'm not in love with him like some others are... MLB has him at #10 overall, I just don't think he's as good as that grade indicates. If he wasn't already in the game I would've given him an A-, which is a #2. However, his fastball was a little concerning in his call-up last year but right now I'm attributing that to end of the season fatigue.