http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=12776

 

Five-Star Prospects

1. Chris Sale, LHP

Four-Star Prospects

2. Eduardo Escobar, SS

3. Brent Morel, 3B

Three-Star Prospects

4. Dayan Viciedo, 1B/3B

5. Jared Mitchell, CF

6. Jacob Petricka, RHP

7. Greg Infante, RHP

8. Trayce Thompson, OF

Two-Star Prospects

9. Addison Reed, RHP

10. Thomas Royse, RHP

11. Andre Rienzo, RHP

 

Nine More:

12. Tyler Saladino, SS: Last year's seventh-round pick had a stunning pro debut, and he's a legit shortstop.

13. Tyler Flowers, C: His offensive and defense both went backward in 2010, leaving many to see him as a Quad-A player who can't catch in the big leagues.

14. Brandon Short, OF: He can definitely hit, but he has very few secondary skills.

15. Anthony Carter, RHP: The Sox' Double-A closer has mid-90s heat, but he lacks a second plus pitch.

16. Josh Phegley, C: He sure can hit, but he also sure can't catch.

17. Matt Heidenreich, RHP: This 2009 fourth-rounder has great control of solid stuff that should get better.

18. Charles Leesman, LHP: Leesman is a big, physical lefty who had a strong second half, but his lack of a deep arsenal could get him moved to the bullpen.

19. Santos Rodriguez, LHP: This long southpaw has killer stuff, but he also has poor control and an inability to stay healthy.

20. Jordan Danks, OF: Well, at least he still has some tools.

Escobar over Dayan and Mitchell, eh? Very interesting.

Buch is staying with Addison Reed right now, prepping for mini camp ...kinda cool to see his name on here!

Escobar over Dayan and Mitchell, eh? Very interesting.

Yeah he went from under the radar to overrated.

Yeah he went from under the radar to overrated.

Agreed.

First thing I thought too.

Yeah he went from under the radar to overrated.

 

+1

Yeah he went from under the radar to overrated.

It's a typical KG ranking though. Escobar's a legit short stop prospect, in a weak system AND he's from Venezuela. He was bound to sit near the top of this list.

It's a typical KG ranking though. Escobar's a legit short stop prospect, in a weak system AND he's from Venezuela. He was bound to sit near the top of this list.

 

Is Escobar supposed to pick it like Lexei?

Is Escobar supposed to pick it like Lexei?

 

From everything I've read he's superb defensively and his glove is already ML ready. It's his hitting which will determine how much of an impact, if any, he ever makes at the major league level

Tayler Flowers and Jordan Danks, won't say anything else here.

Edited January 27, 201115 yr by justBLAZE

From everything I've read he's superb defensively and his glove is already ML ready. It's his hitting which will determine how much of an impact, if any, he ever makes at the major league level

 

Could come in handy when the Yankees steal Alexei from us after Jeter changes position.

Could come in handy when the Yankees steal Alexei from us after Jeter changes position.

 

In 2014? I guess.

In 2014? I guess.

Alexei is already 29, so he would be up there in age.

Alexei is already 29, so he would be up there in age.

 

Yeah, that was kind of my point. If the Yankees want him in his age 33 season, sure, go for it.

I thought Alexei is signed through 2011 and that's it?

I thought Alexei is signed through 2011 and that's it?

 

I think he would have 2 more years of arb after that, right? Aren't the first 6 professional years under a team's control, so his contract (4 yrs) + 2 years?, which would mean he is a FA after the 2013 season. Anyone confirm?

I thought Alexei is signed through 2011 and that's it?

Yes, but he's also arb-eligible for 2 more years after that, so he's under team control.

 

That's awsome, thanks for clearing that up.

Escobar over Dayan and Mitchell, eh? Very interesting.

I was listening to their podcast and Goldstein said he takes position scarcity strongly into effect so that's why. I don't get it. I don't think he is anything but a .260., ML slap hitter with a great glove. Those guys are more prevalent than a 40-plus HR, .300 BA guy like Viciedo. Do analysts realize that he is still ONLY 21 years old?

I was listening to their podcast and Goldstein said he takes position scarcity strongly into effect so that's why. I don't get it. I don't think he is anything but a .260., ML slap hitter with a great glove. Those guys are more prevalent than a 40-plus HR, .300 BA guy like Viciedo. Do analysts realize that he is still ONLY 21 years old?

The weird thing is....260 slap hitters with great gloves seemingly have become fairly highly prized at the SS position, especially now that there are general defensive metrics so that you can confirm how good defensively a player is.

 

A .260 hitter with a great glove pretty much describes Elvis Andrus and Alcides Escobar , and these guys have been viewed as very high level prospects. Both of them had minor league OPS's right around .700 and have hit .265 and .250 in the big leagues overall so far, with OPS's in the mid .600's.

The weird thing is....260 slap hitters with great gloves seemingly have become fairly highly prized at the SS position, especially now that there are general defensive metrics so that you can confirm how good defensively a player is.

 

A .260 hitter with a great glove pretty much describes Elvis Andrus and Alcides Escobar , and these guys have been viewed as very high level prospects. Both of them had minor league OPS's right around .700 and have hit .265 and .250 in the big leagues overall so far, with OPS's in the mid .600's.

 

Well has it been justifiable? Are they actually worth that much? I mean, you essentially acknowledged that other players have been graded highly, but is it fair? I don't know that it is. Escobar had an OK year offensively, hit the ball well over a short time frame in the AFL, and suddenly he's the 2nd best prospect in the White Sox system? I think Viciedo and Morel have much, much brighter futures in the majors than Escobar does.

Well has it been justifiable? Are they actually worth that much? I mean, you essentially acknowledged that other players have been graded highly, but is it fair? I don't know that it is. Escobar had an OK year offensively, hit the ball well over a short time frame in the AFL, and suddenly he's the 2nd best prospect in the White Sox system? I think Viciedo and Morel have much, much brighter futures in the majors than Escobar does.

If a guy is worth as much defensively as UZR says he is, then probably, yes he is worth that much.

 

This is one of those areas though where I start questioning total faith in the advanced defensive metrics.

Yeah, it comes down to how many hits does a top tier SS save vs. an average one and how many hits does a guy with a mid .600 OPS cost his offense.

If a guy is worth as much defensively as UZR says he is, then probably, yes he is worth that much.

 

This is one of those areas though where I start questioning total faith in the advanced defensive metrics.

 

This is where your eyes come into play. If you've seen Andrus or Escobar even a few times you can see the special defensive ability they have. Metrics are nice and good for the game. But to rely on metrics alone is futile.

Edited January 28, 201115 yr by Jordan4life