Interesting list, Matt. :)
1) Dustin Ackley - No argument, I love the kid. Dunno about power but my guess is he's gonne be pegged as an Edgar Martinez "no power" kid who starts hitting 15-20 dingers and 40 2Bs a year in 3-4 years.
2) Carlos Triunfel - He's gonna have to actually put some production out there soon. He's a SOLID body, and I still see him as an Asdrubal Cabrera - can play 2nd or SS, good bat, good skills. I just don't see him as a superstar, I guess, just a quality player. I think Carlos is overhyped and Drubie was underhyped, so I wouldn't have Triunfel as high on this list, but he's still a plenty good spect.
3) Matt Tuiasosopo - Tui's Ks really concern me. His career K rate wasn't awesome before this year, and his 3/1 AB/K rate this year is Halman-esque, which is not what I want to see from a guy with 2000 career pro ABs who plans to compete to be my starting 3B. Combine that with his power outages against RHP (prior to this year) and his ability to fit our park...I have concerns. Good spect, but I think you're over-rating his ability to reach his potential. A-? It's unlike you to be generous, Matt. :)
4) Michael Pineda - I ADORE Pineda. Except for his injury issue this year. Guys pegged him early as not having blazing stuff, so his early results got marginalized. I think that's a misnomer. He's a freakin' badass in the making, and I just hope he can stay healthy from here out and remain a starter.
5) J.C. Ramirez - survived High Desert, and that's all I can ask. Still has work to do. He's got stuff, but he's going to be frustratingly inconsistent for a while yet IMO. Give him a coupla years.
6) Adam Moore - When we drafted him I was surprised to the effect of "good bat, but don't we have Clement for this?" The answer to that is "no" and so I'm very glad we took Moore where we did. He's a mix of Clement and Johnson, so I don't see why people would find that problematic.
7) Mauricio Robles - Yes, I would lynch you if he wasn't here. :) Best pitcher in the system not named Pineda, IMO. He's thick and short, but I love what he brings. What is it about him you don't like? I like his motion, his attitude, his stuff...he's a baller. With too many pitchers being Cortes-like with their inability to produce, I guess I just don't worry about Robles that way. Did I mention he already destroys RHBs as a lefty, while his excessive walk totals come from lefties because he hasn't figured that part out yet? That's a far better problem to have in a prospect than nibbling to opposite-handed batters, IMO. I just really like the kid.
8) Zeke Carrera - I like Zeke a lot, but he gets KILLED by LHP right now (.636 OPS vs LHP, .937 vs RHP). His BABIP was also really high IIRC. Love his batting eye, his steals, his glove potential, and while he doesn't currently have power he's young and he injured himself twice this year, once on the thumb. And he's got a pretty thick body that reminds me of Choo, though we're waiting on the power. Don't sleep on Carrera.
9) Mike Carp - He's Casey Kotchman, IMO. Play him, if he does well but somebody like Poythress or Raben pulls a Kendry Morales and catches fire down in the minors, don't hesitate to trade him for a good package. I'm glad we got him, and I like him, but I'm not married to him. That said, he should be a better bet than any of the other "talent" we've had at his position in the minors in a while.
10) Daniel Cortes - agreed on Cortes: I'm gonna want to see some maturity on and off the mound before I rate him too highly, even if his arm is all pretty and muscular. I like that he was added to the system, but he's got work to do between the ears, and cutting his severe walk rates. The last month of the season was encouraging. I want more of that next year.
Guys in the debate for the top 10, IMO: Gillies (think LH Eric Young), Nick Hill (I guess that makes him a LH Brad Radke). And I think both guys have a really good shot of hitting their marks, unlike a Cortes (or even a Tui). Liddi has more to prove, as do some other arms that are sitting in the 11-15 range for me.
AA is gonna be probably the most fun team maybe in any league for prospectors next year. Potentially Liddi, Gillies, Robles, Carraway, Pineda, JCR, Poythress, Raben and Ackley at the midway point perhaps, (I would expect both to get a "soft" landing in the Cal League to continue to work on shaking off rust and improving with the wood), Wild, Dunigan, Triunfel, maybe even Aumont and Fields back... *laughs* Those are gonna be some fun games to watch, I would think.
Is it Spring yet?
~G
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