Good thing we have these positions, hopefully, filled for the next 5 years.
That minors depth does not look good.
Thought I was the only one around here who would put "role player" next to the name Chris Taylor. It scares me when I've read trade proposals involving Miller, using the reasoning of Taylor being there to fill right in. Super-utility, Yes! Taking the reins from Miller, No!
Wow, looking again the minor league portion is really depressing. If both Franklin and Miller don't work out we are most likely hosed. I can see a low chance (K's) of Taylor becoming Jose Reyes-lite lite and the rest have a ceiling of what, Joey Cora?
That's the good thing about developing your own guys, you get another 5 or 6 years to replace them and with luck we won't have to bank on any of these guys. In this light I love a Chris Taylor as depth, and not as a guy who gets to flail away for years like Ackley or Smoak because we have no depth. And please, please let Franklin not join the growing list of prospect bust(ed)s. Ackley/Smoak/Montero/Hultzen is enough for one team I think.
Starting pitchers: here.
Relief pitchers: here.
Catchers: here.
Corner infielders/DH: here.
Now: middle infielders.
| 2014 age | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Thumbnail commentary | ||
| Dustin Ackley | 26 | LH | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Is he on this list or the OF list? Or trade bait? We don't know, but we know this: the direction he's going is a plate-skills-only guy with minimal ISO. That's fine if he brings defensive value at 2b or CF, and there's room for him one place or the other. Former seems true. Latter might not be. | ||
| Brad Miller | 24 | LH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | A hitting prospect who didn't disappoint! Low K%, walks, .154 ISO. Who was it who said "Seager, but at shortstop"? Yeah, it was me. |
| Nick Franklin | 23 | SH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | We predicted he might have high-K/low SLG vs. LHP (which happened), but not a too-high K% vs. RHP (which also happened). Even for a middle infielder with power, he'll have a hard time sustaining 27.4% K rate. |
| Ty Kelly | 25 | SH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Did we mention plate-skills-only guy with minimal ISO? Meet Ty Kelly. If he played SS or CF, I'd annoint him a bench spot. He's played 3b and LF, but that's not as helpful. Still, if Ackley doesn't rediscover his college genius as he gets more expensive, Kelly could slip into an MLB role. |
| Carlos Triunfel | 24 | RH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Unlike Kelly, Triu is not going to get on base a lot, but he can play SS. Funny, since originally he was going to be a hitter with an iffy glove. He ought to be around at AAA if needed, but with the versatility of Ackley, Franklin and Seager, he shouldn't be. |
| Chris Taylor | 23 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | His surprising power didn't translate from High Desert to Jackson. We've seen that before. But just the fact that he was in AA after starting 2012 in Everett shows how fast he's moved up the depth chart. And even with the down-to-earth ISO at Jackson, he held his own, with 40 walks in 67 games. He also played a lot of 2b there, so don't expect him to supplant Miller. He's looking like perhaps a very valuable role player. |
| Jack Marder | 24 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | No one had a worse HD-to-Jackson transition. Plus, they stopped playing him at C, which was a big part of his quirky appeal (2b and C). So he'll have to see if he can regroup. |
| Ketel Marte | 20 | SH | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Only one teenager made it all the way to High-A in 2013: Marte. He did it with his glove, though he also had a flurry of hits fueled by a high BABIP. But, because he's very hard to strike out and fast, he'll have some of those BABIP runs. He and Taylor provide some very interesting depth in the middle. |
| Tim Lopes | 20 | RH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Timmy started the year ahead of Marte and ended the year behind him. He's limited to 2b, and was a bit over his head at Low-A Clinton. Didn't show power, patience or speed. There's upside, but he didn't show it in 2013. |
| Jamodrick McGruder | 22 | LH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | I'm keeping McGruder on the list because he's got some versatility (2b & OF), some speed, and a massive walk rate. That spells potential role player. |
| Jack Reinheimer | 21 | RH | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Nothin' fancy. Just a solid college shortstop who won't hurt you at the plate. |
| Gabrial Franca | 20 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | See the entry on McGruder, except that Franca can play SS and has an even higher walk rate (18.6%!). I overrated him in 2012, but I think the club underrated him in 2013 by keeping him in Pulaski all year. Do the math. Any kind of BABIP good fortune and his OBP is over .400. |
| Tyler Smith | 22 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | Some of his strong numbers were fueled by sky-high BABIP, and playing in a low level considering he was coming out of the Pac-12. But I like the 16 doubles and the 12 steals, so he's earned another look. |
| Gianfranco Wawoe | 19 | RH | Rk | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | Switch-hitting Wawoe earned a "radar alert" despite playing only in Venezuela. Impossible to strike out, speed, patience and some pop. That doesn't always translate to U.S. leagues, but we'll see. He played around the diamond, but mostly at 2b. |
Comments
Chris will just continue working hard to prove 'em all wrong
Still a pretty darn good prospect, especially after his two bombs in the Fall league All Star game. If the M's start dealing, I wonder if we might see him back at 2nd, out of necessity.
I've thought the same thing, Rick. Seager, of course, would be a delightful guy to have at 2B...if things with Franklin don't work out and Peterson rides a rocket into Safeco.
I'm actually expecting an Ackley trade this winter, maybe with Maurer or ERam. Romero could well get some 2B Safeco time next year.
Mr Taylor :)
M's have been burned badly by putting all their eggs in one basket. I'm excited to have depth at each position and let the best man win. Like the Seahawks do. But I've read trade proposals that say we can deal Miller, because we have Taylor to replace him. That scares me at any position, because we have seen so many prospects fail. I'd rather keep both and see how the situation plays out.
until the Mariners prove it is not. So far they have proven they can collect highly talented young players, some of them quite highly regarded, and get at best mediocre results, and at worst busts. As of yet only a single one of Zduriencik's young "core" has risen to the status of proven quality MLB starter, and that's Seager. Better not to get starry eyed until you actually see stars.
Isn't that the point of talking about prospects, DaddyO? Some of these guys will prove they are pretty good. Some will implode. 'Tis the rule of the (baseball) universe.
Honestly I think the M's would be crazy to trade him... he brings too much to the table both on and off the field. There's a reason for the stories about Brad's teammates being genuinely happy for his success and its those intangibles that will go a long way towards creating a championship team chemistry. That's not to say there isn't room for them both in the same infield :)
advocate the banning of talking about prospects or something? I merely echoed that blissedj's skepticism was well-founded. Talking about prospects can also include a healthy skepticism. The list of Mariners prospects we have talked about over the years is quite long. The list of those successfully developed into good MLB players is awfully short, much shorter than it should be even when we talk about the standard failure rate, indicating a major deficiency in the organization. So instead of talking about the exploits of our major league team we talk about the "prospects' for our minor leaguers. It's a legitimate pursuit. But so is skepticism, if history is any judge. It may not seem like it, but I have a tremendous respect for the many people on this forum who have developed expertise and informed opinions on prospects.