Baseball America's Top 10, part 2
=== 5 Carlos Triunfel ===
This is kind of like getting Josh Hamilton back into your org, after three years on cocaine, and listing him 8th. Nada. He's 1-2 or he's not on it.
This is just a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind, kiddies. Triunfel's talent didn't go anywhere during his year off.
.
=== 6 Michael Pineda ===
BA "gets" Pineda, too. Here are three SSI articles explaining why we've adopted him as a very possible TOR:
Pineda and Dan Haren - Scouts say that Pineda (throwing 95 mph) "can hit flies at 1,000 yards. Here's a discussion of the implications for Pineda's elbow.
Some guys grow out of arm problems. Roger Clemens had major surgery when he was young, and how durable was he later?
Michael Pineda with a bullet -- Did you know that in 2007, scouts were calling Pineda a potential #1 starter in the big leagues? Here's why.
POTD Michael Pineda - the templates.
Pineda's elbow might or might not settle down, with his arm-intensive delivery. If he does grow out of his arm issues, he is an awfully special pitcher.
I think BA gets all of this, word for word, and has Pineda #6 only because of the health questions.
.
=== 7 Nick Franklin ===
Has lots of supporters arguing him as a Carlos Triunfel-type talent. Will be fun to watch him this year.
.
=== 8 Greg Halman ===
A Rohrschach test for whether you like projectable players or not. Here's a post comparing him to Bo Jackson; don't miss G-Money's comment in the thread.
.
=== 9 Dan Cortes ===
Was recently the #1 pitcher in KC's system. Don't forget that Pedro Grifol said that "In our opinion, this could be -- I don't want to say a #1 starter because they are so rare -- but a good #2 or #3 for sure."
That comment, in scout-speak, refers to an Opening Day starter who is not a Hall of Famer.
During the year, reports were that he was hitting 98 mph, consistently 94, with a power curve the M's liked almost as much as his plus-plus FB. The change was part of the package as well.
.
=== 10 Mario Martinez ===
Confuses some folks that he'd be on this list, perhaps forgetting that when Martinez was signed out of Venezuela in 2007, there were those who saw him as a (sighhhh) Trifunel-class talent, a potential #1 org prospect.
Our reaction? Dunno a thing about him. Nice to hear that the tools scouts are seeing the same things at 20, that they saw when he was 18.
.
=== Overall ===
Sickels characterized this group as weird -- having an unusual number of high-upside, but low-probability players.
I think that's probably true -- a national writer goes up and down the list and goes, Wow, Pineda and Cortes and Robles look like feasible TOR's, and maybe Cleto and Franklin... huh. At the plate, if Halman jells, he's a cleanup hitter...Tui, Liddi, Triunfel, Moore, I can see these guys making an impact...
So, I guess they must be high-risk guys, because Seattle doesn't have a good org.
Like ol Dr. D says, you shouldn't have to judge Alex Liddi's talent by whether Matt Tuiasosopo pans out and gives you a rep. You should just watch Alex Liddi.
Or not,
Dr D