This is just a totally subjective list of the young guys in the organization that I find interesting, organized by Baseball Reference season-age (which may not line up with chronological age at a given time), with a notation as to how they were acquired. Just something that I find interesting to do, so I thought it was worth sharing. There are absolutely some guys that I'm leaving out (obviously, James Paxton goes on if he signs).
I am not totally clear on the international signings and wasn't going to chase down every one, but if it appeared that they signed after 08, then I gave credit to JZ.
Age 27: Franklin Gutierrez (MLB, JZ trade); Brandon League (MLB, JZ trade); Jason Vargas (MLB, JZ trade); Ryan Rowland-Smith (MLB, Gillick IFA); Mike Wilson (AAA, Gillick draft rd. 2)
Age 26: Jose Lopez (MLB, Gillick IFA); Rob Johnson (MLB, BB draft rd 4); Adam Moore (AAA, BB draft rd 6); Doug Fister (MLB, BB draft rd 7); Shawn Kelley (MLB, BB draft rd 13)
Age 25: Anthony Varvaro (AAA, BB draft rd 12); 1st Lt. Nick Hill (AA, BB draft rd 7); Josh Lueke (AA, JZ trade)
Age 24: Felix Hernandez (MLB, Gillick IFA); Matt Tuiasosopo (AAA, BB draft rd 3); Matt Mangini (AAA, BB draft supp. rd); Josh Fields (AA, BB draft rd 1); Kenn Kasparek (A+, BB draft rd 12)
Age 23: Justin Smoak (MLB, JZ trade); Michael Saunders (MLB, BB draft rd 11); Edward Paredes (AAA, BB IFA); Nate Tenbrink (AA, BB draft rd 7); Dan Cortes (AA, JZ trade); Steven Hensley (AA, BB draft rd 4)
Age 22: Dustin Ackley (AAA, JZ draft rd 1); Greg Halman (AAA, BB IFA); Rich Poythress (A+, JZ draft rd 2); Dennis Raben (A+, BB draft rd 2); Kyle Seager (A+, JZ draft rd 3)
Age 21: Michael Pineda (AAA, BB IFA); Alex Liddi (AA, BB IFA); Blake Beavan (AA, JZ trade); Mauricio Robles (AA, JZ trade); Johermyn Chavez (A+, JZ trade); Maikel Cleto (A+, JZ trade); Brian Moran (A+, JZ draft rd 7); James Jones (A-, JZ draft rd 4); Mickey Wiswall (SSA-, JZ draft rd 7)
Age 20: Carlos Triunfel (AA, BB IFA); Stephen Pryor (SSA-, JZ draft rd 5)
Age 19: Nick Franklin (A-, JZ draft rd 1); Steven Baron (SSA-, JZ draft supp rd); Gabriel Noriega (A-, JZ IFA); Ji-Man Choi (Rk, JZ IFA)
Age 18: Julio "Mystery Prospect" Morban (SS, JZ[?] IFA)
Age 17: Taijuan Walker (Rk, JZ draft rd 1); Dylan "Sharkie" Unsworth (Rk, JZ IFA); Guillermo Pimentel (Rk, JZ IFA)
Or, to organize it the other way --
JZ trades: Guti, League, Vargas, Lueke, Smoak, Cortes, Beavan, Robles, Chavez, Cleto
JZ draft: Ackley, Poythress, Seager, Moran, Jones, Wiswall, Pryor, Franklin, Baron, Walker
JZ IFA: Noriega, Choi, Morban, Pimentel
BB trades: None
BB draft: Johnson, Moore, Fister, Kelley, Varvaro, Hill, Tui, Mangini, Fields, Kasparek, Saunders, Tenbrink, Hensley, Raben
BB IFA: Paredes, Halman, Pineda, Liddi, Triunfel
Gillick trades: None
Gillick draft: Wilson
Gillick IFA: RRS, Lopez, Felix
Since I am probably introducing a new character here, Dylan "Sharkie" Unsworth is from South Africa and won't turn 18 until Sept. He's made 6 appearances (5 starts) in Rookie ball and has ZERO walks. None. In 27 innings. He's RH listed at 6-1, 170.
6 G, 5 GS, 27.0 IP, 29 H, 7 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 22 K
2.33 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 0.0 BB/9, 7.3 K/9
I'm just pleased someone else picked up on the Sharkie nickname.
Morban and Noriega are Bavasi guys. (Well, they're all actually Engle guys)
Wasn't really sure on the timeline for the international guys.
Just before his 17th birthday, Sharkie went to the 2009 Baseball World Cup on Team South Africa. That's the adult version, not juniors or anything. (No 16-yr-olds on Cuba's roster, for example).
Pitched two innings against Cuba and gave up 1 ER on 5 H in a 10-5 loss (pitched the 6th and 7th innings, coming in when they were down 9-5)(but that's closer than S.Africa was in their other two games).
The Cup was ultimately won by Team USA (over Cuba in the final), led by a young man named Justin Smoak.
As I have noted, two of the college pitchers that are likely to be in the Ms draft sweet spot (now looking like the 3-6 range) are barnstorming the world with the USA national college team.
Last night, Sonny Gray of Vanderbilt took the mound against Sri Lanka in the opening game of the World University Baseball Championships.
He faced 17 batters in 5.0 IP and struck out 14, walking 0, in a 15-0 USA rout.
For the tour, Gray has 31 K and 2 BB in 17.0 IP and 0 ER (getting to face Sri Lanka pads that somewhat, obviously -- most of the prior games have been against Korea, Japan and Taiwan [not Taijuan!]).
Gerrit Cole of UCLA, a very possible Ms pick at the 3 or 4 spot, has 13 K and 3 BB in 12.0 IP, giving up 1 ER.
I still don't want a pitcher in that spot, but both those guys do look very good.
We just haven't had much luck home-growing bats, and the options this year look like they could be interesting for us to add another young talent that's a year or two away. The arms are GONNA be there and have lots of value as well, though. The odds of a hitter having his arm explode and being forever useless are just lower.
Though the #1 college bat did just blow up his ankle. It happens...
Regardless, this looks like a good year to have high draft picks.
~G