New York Yankees top 50 prospects

[jacksonianmarch]

Now, as you all know, I do have a knack for the minor leagues. I am not a scout, although I do know a few and played for a couple (who I still keep in touch with). But I mostly scour the internet for information and watch as many MiLB games as I can to try and see how good a certain player actually is. A lot of times, I am going off of scouting reports from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and Scout.com. I will say that these sites offer differing viewpoints at times and some of these sites differ in how strong they cover each team. Scout.com for instance, is an entity that hires out "beat writers" to cover each team. Some of their teams have no beat writers and are uncovered. Those are typically the sites that are floundering (jsinger's free content has rendered the red sox coverage useless). But for Yankee prospects, it really is the place to be (and Lane Meyer just jumped ship from nomaas to go to scout.com as well.

BA hasnt put out their list yet. BP hasnt put theirs out yet. But scout.com has, and BP is typically the least reliable of the three. So, here is my list, my top 50. They will come out in groups of 5. Feel free to bicker all you want, here goes


1. Jesus Montero, catcher, 19 yrs old Combined A+ and AA line- .337/.389/.562- Montero finished the yr as the #3 prospect in all of baseball. And he deserved it. He only appeared in 92 games thanks to a finger fracture, but he made it count. Not only did he have a .951OPS, but he hit 17 homers in those 92 games as a 19 yr old in A+ and AA. He also had close to as many extra base hits (43) as strikeouts (47).
Strengths His offensive prowess is difficult to underestimate. He has light tower power. He has a good sense of the strike zone. He makes hard contact. He hits for average, etc, etc, etc. And he's very, very young.
Weaknesses He has two. He runs like a lumbering Molina and he is a weak catcher at present. His arm is strong, but his mechanics are a mess and he isnt as quick as we expect most catchers to be
Ceiling His offensive ceiling is in the Miguel Cabrera/Pujols/whomever you want to throw in there. He is that good at a really young age.
Projection I see Montero as a below average catcher in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint, meaning that he will spend a lot of his time as a DH. He has the hands to play 1b, but his speed will severely limit his ability to play in the OF and in this organization, 1b is not a need. I project him to have all-star caliber offensive seasons as he is a very rare offensive talent. The question is, will he ever get to wear a glove.
ETA Midseason callup 2010 as a DH


2. Austin Romine, catcher, 20 yrs old A+ line .276/.322/.441. Romine will be cracking a lot of top 50 lists this upcoming year after his solid performance in the FSL. Remember, for those who see a mid .700s OPS, that the FSL is a notorious pitchers league. Romine was 8th in the league in HRs (13) and 4th in the league in RBIs (72). His overall total package won him the FSL MVP honors.
Strengths He has good power, not great, but is a very solid line drive hitter who is capable of being a 20+HR guy in the big leagues. He is also a very sound defensive catcher. He has a great arm and near perfect mechanics. Most scouts think he can catch right now in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint. He also has good speed for a catcher, swiping 11 bags this past yr and legging out 3 triples. And, he is a well respected leader amongst his teammates and other managers in the league. He is an all around player.
Weaknesses He is not patient enough at this juncture. His IsoPatience has sat in the .040-.050 range for 2 yrs now. The hope is that he will learn that as he ages, but he really doesnt seem to like to get into deep counts.
Ceiling I know most sox fans will think I will put Mauer on here, but cmon now. But I think a Russell Martin a la 2007 is a good ceiling. 20 homer power, 20 SB potential with solid defense and a good average.
Projection He is a player who I think is very close to his ceiling in a lot of ways. His offensive approach needs to add just a bit more patience, but his power is there and he should add to that as he fills out. His defense right now is good enough to be a top defender in the AL, so he doesnt need to fill out there. The biggest thing he needs is to gain experience and it seems NY is content to go yr to yr with him.
ETA 2012 Starting Catcher

3. Manuel Banuelos, LHP, 18 yrs old A ball line- 9-5 2.64ERA 109IP 1.07WHIP 8.8K/9IP 3.7K/BB. Banuelos will also be cracking a lot of top 50 lists in the upcoming months. He was one of the youngest players in the SAL this yr and he dominated. So much so that he was invited to the futures game. He is a small guy (5'10") but he packs a punch as well as 3 plus pitches. His FB went from topping out in the low 90s to topping out at 96mph this yr. His curveball came a long way and his changeup remained plus. He only walked 28 batters in 108IP, showing that his command is very advanced for his age.
Strengths He's left handed, was 18 for the entire yr in long season, tops out at 96mph, has advanced command, and has three plus pitches. He is everything you could ask for out of a young pitcher.
Weaknesses Not many. His curveball can be inconsistent at times, which gets him in trouble. And his frame could scare some people from considering him a potential starter. Other than that, experience is his only real deterrent.
Ceiling With his stuff and his command, his ceiling is as a #1 starter.
Projection With his frame, it is difficult to see him maintaining that velocity, but I do see him in the front of a rotation. I think he profiles well as a future #2 starter. We havent had a pitching prospect this advanced in the art of pitching since Hughes prior to his injury bug.
ETA 2012. They have been pretty cautious with him to this point, I do think he takes all of 2010 to navigate A+ and then splits 2011 between AA and AAA. I expect him to be in the bigs either in the rotation or the pen come 2012.

4. Austin Jackson, OFer, 22yrs old AAA line- .300/.354/.405 24SBs. Austin has been labelled as the Yankees CF of the future for quite some time now and he has delivered. Albeit in 2009, he delivered a bit differently than some had hoped. He improved his BA and his baserunner had improved significantly. But his power has been lacking as evidenced by the 4 homers. He's still young and he is still pretty skinny, so the hope is that he fills out a little and stays in AAA for another yr to get ready for ascencion into the CF pantheon in 2011.
Strengths He is a true 5 tool player. He has power, although he decided not to show it this yr. He has great line drive skills, he has a very good glove and runs great routes. He is quick and he has a solid arm.
Weaknesses He has yet to put a season together where he has showcased all 5 tools. Also, he strikes out WAY too much and a lot of the people in the know think he will eventually be better suited for the COF rather than CF.
Ceiling I think he has the ceiling of a true blue 5 star CFer a la Adam Jones. I am talking .300 hitter, 20+ homers, 30+ steals and a highlight reel in the OF
Projection He is an incredibly difficult guy to predict. He could end up as a perennial All-Star CFer or he could be wildly inconsistent and be a 4th OFer. I think he fits somewhere inbetween. He has a few All-Star caliber yrs mixed in with mediocre ones. Maybe like a Mike Cameron, especially with the K's.

5. Zach McAllister, RHP, 21 yrs old AA line- 7-5 2.23ERA 121IP 2.23ERA 1.08WHIP 7.1K/9IP 2.91K/BB. McAllister is a future version of the past version of Chien Ming Wang. McAllister makes his hay with his 2 seamer. He had monkeyed around with a 4 seamer, but believe it or not, there was no velocity difference. He sits comfortably in the low to mid 90s and throws the sinker 80% of the time or so. McAllister does have a plus changeup, but he has an average at best slider and thats about it. He doesnt strike a ton of guys out, but he gets a lot of weak hacks, a lot of grounder, and looks like he is a future bulldog in the rotation
Strengths Young, big frame who has only had one DL stint in his 3 yrs of long season ball. He throws hard and has one plus off speed offering
Weakness Not a strikeout pitcher and likely never will be. Will make his hay on contact.
Ceiling I think his ceiling is as a horse in the #2-#3 mold. He's a big strong kid who can throw that sinker in there and know it wont be hit out of the park. He has very good command of his repertoire as well, which makes his ceiling and his projection rather similar
Projection I think he can go two ways. Some people see him in the Scott Shields role. A sinkerballer who can be a bullpen ace if you will and can eat multiple innings if needed. And others think he could easily slot into the middle of a rotation. I think with his arm, his size and his sinker-change combo, he will be a mid-rotation starter in the future
ETA He'll get a callup in 2010 if just for a cup of tea. He's in the swing role in the pen for 2011 and might be in the rotation for some team come 2012.

[jacksonianmarch]

Also, the ages I am using are the ages that they spent the majority of their 2009 season at

6. D.J Mitchell, RHP, 22yrs old Combined A/A+ line- 12-7 2.63ERA 140.1IP 2.63ERA 1.19WHIP 8.0K/9IP 2.8K/BB. This is a debatable spot since there are a lot of players who fit into the 6-10 range. Mitchell is a short framed sinkerballer who has a lot more to him than just the sinker. He was drafted in the 10th round of 2008 but signed too late to play, so this yr was his professional debut and boy was it nice. He started off by absolutely dominating A ball, so he was promoted to the FSL where he continued his dominance. He features a low 90s 2 seamer that is considered to be a VERY heavy ball as evidenced by the 2 homers he allowed ALL season and the ridiculous 2.89GO/AO ratio. But as his K rate would attest, he is more than just a sinkerballer. He mixes in a plus potential curveball and a changeup that is improving.
Strengths He's durable, he throws an above average velocity FB, he has a deep arsenal, and he doesnt allow homeruns.
Weaknesses While he does strike out his fair share, his jump to the FSL showed some trends that will limit his ceiling. While he did improve his GO/AO (3.13 in the FSL), his K rate dropped to right around 7.
Ceiling If he keeps his strikeout form and gets that changeup to plus, he could be a #2 starter or a mid-level closer/top notch setup man.
Projection I think we can see the way that NY is grooming this kid. As his level rises, his K rate drops and his GB% rises. I think he ends up as a setup man mostly because thats where teams like to put smallish players without lights out arsenals, but he could be a middle of the rotation sinkerballer.
ETA 2011- He's a college player and he has already jumped a level. My guess is that he spends the next yr and a half mastering AA and AAA and finds his way into the yankee pen for 2011 and maybe starting thereafter.

7. Slade Heathcott, OF, 18yrs old Negligible experience in 2010. Slade is the Yankees #1 pick in the 2009 draft, and boy was he considered to be a good one. He's a 6'1" tank of a player capable of playing a lights out CF or throwing mid 90s cheese off the mound from the left hand side. The only thing I have for anyone is scouting reports since there isnt much game data to go off of.
Strengths The prototypical 5 star draftee, although he is more advanced than most are at his age. Has very good power for someone his size, capable of hitting the ball to all fields. He has great range in the OF and a very powerful arm. His SR prior to the draft demonstrated an advanced approach to the dish as well
Weaknesses 2 come to mind. The first is experience. He is a highly touted draftee in a franchise that puts more pressure on you than anyone else. He's already cracking top 10s and will be followed by most yankee fans. So the pressure is gonna be tough. Also, there are some personal issues that need to be raised. Apparently, his family is broken and in jail, but nothing has come up with Slade thus far
Ceiling From the SR's, the sky is the limit. Sounds like a Grady Sizemore type, but we dont have any data to back that up aside from the draftee SR's and he has a LONG way to go.
Projection too early to tell
ETA too early to tell. He is slated for Charleston if all goes well in ST and how he does there will go a long way to granting an ETA for him

8. Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, 18yrs old NYP stats- 2-4 2.13ERA 42.1IP 1.16WHIP 11.1K/9IP, 3.5K/BB. Arodys is a beast at a very young age. He doesnt have a very big frame at all, standing at just 6 feet tall, but he has an arm on him. He was sitting 94-96mph while hitting 98mph late in the NYP league season while also showing a very good curveball and an improving change. The only issue with him is if he can stay healthy, which he couldnt for the whole NYP short season league. He went down with a back injury that they say is now fully healed
Strengths Throws very hard for an 18yr old and has a plus curveball already. He also has good command at a young age
Weaknesses His changeup will be the limiting factor in his role, either relief or starting. He's made strides, but it needs to be a lot better to get him away from a reliever's life. Also, his size and his injury history have a lot of people skeptical
Ceiling If his changeup even gets to the MLB average range, then he could be an ace. In the pen, he'd be a future closer
Projection There is a very good reason why prospect gurus use the term TINSTAAP (there is no such thing as a pitching prospect). Because of guys like this. He has all the goods. But he has such a long way to go and he has some warning signs (core body injury history, not the cleanest motion, small frame and lots of power) that make you be conservative. I think its likely that he suffers an injury that limits his potential.
ETA Assuming everything goes swimmingly, he'll be in the bigs for good come 2013

9. Andrew Brackman, RHP, 23yrs old- A ball line- 2-12 5.91ERA 1.71WHIP 8.7K/9IP 1.3K/BB. Brackman is an enigma. He comes back from TJS and dominates for a month. They let up on the reigns for one game, he goes 8 innings of 1 hit ball and then falls of a cliff after that. His velocity was down, his curveball was nothing and he looked like he had suffered an injury. So they moved him to the pen and all of a sudden, he could locate again and the heat came back. The Yankee brass attribute his return to success to the fact that he isnt forcing the changeup in there. And from the sounds of it now, he is likely to stay in the bullpen. In terms of arsenal, when he is locating, he has a 1-2 punch that is very tough to hit. He's coming from his 6'10" frame throwing mid to high 90s and has a knee buckling spike curveball.
Strengths His 1-2 punch of a hard fastball and spike curve as well as his frame is rare.
Weaknesses where to begin. Repetition of his delivery has been a problem, although out of the pen it seems to be better. His lack of a third pitch makes him a pen arm. And health has to be a concern as well since he's so big and he's already had a major injury.
Ceiling If he rights himself, he could be a top notch closer for any team. His combo of size, power and breaking ball could make him an elite closer
Projection I think he becomes an above average major league reliever. IMO, he'll iron out his motion enough to be useful, but not enough to be trusted with the 9th inning
ETA Now that he's in the pen, he's on the fast track. I expect him to plow through batters in Tampa and should be an option as early as the beginning of 2011.

10. Corban Joseph, 2b, 20yrs old A ball line- .300/.381/.418- I really like this kid. He's versatile, can play all over the diamond and has one of the sweetest strokes you will see for his age. This was his first taste of the long season leagues after being drafted in 2008. And he really showed up. He started off slow, but finished on a tear, hitting .337 with an .889OPS and all 4 of his homers after the break. He also walked 49 times in 100 games, showing off a plus approach at a young age. And, he doesnt have any holes. He can run (8SBs, 8 triples) well enough. He's improving on D. He can hit for average. And his power came along as the season wore on.
Strengths The kid is a hard worker who centers the ball well, has good gap power that should translate into 20+ homer potential, has a very advanced approach at a young age, and is starting to play good D at multiple positions
Weaknesses He is a smaller framed IFer at 6 feet tall and is going to find it hard to get through the system with David Adams ahead of him in the minors and Robinson Cano ahead of him in the bigs.
Ceiling I have heard an Utley comparison previously, but I think that's way too generous since Utley's power is incredibly rare from a MIF. He looks like he could be a .300+ hitter with double digit homers and a very high OBP.
Projection First of all, I see him breaking into the bigs with another team, cause the path is blocked. Second of all, I think he at the very least projects to be an average 2b with the chance to be much better than that.
ETA If all goes well, he should be MLB ready by 2013, although the path is blocked

[yankees228]

Jacko, how good do you see Montero being next year, if he really does get called up?

[jacksonianmarch]

If he gets called up mid-season, I expect him to be inconsistent at first, kinda like Cabrera was when he came up with the Marlins. Probably BA in the .260 range with power. By the end of the yr, he'll have figured it out. He's THAT advanced. For reference, I have a story. There was a scout at instructs after NY signed him. He was 16 yrs old playing against guys in their early 20s, some playing as high as AAA. The quote was "Montero looks like he's playing wiffle ball with these pitchers." He was just so much better than everyone at such a young age that it was ridiculous.

[yankees228]

Originally Posted by jacksonianmarch

If he gets called up mid-season, I expect him to be inconsistent at first, kinda like Cabrera was when he came up with the Marlins. Probably BA in the .260 range with power. By the end of the yr, he'll have figured it out. He's THAT advanced. For reference, I have a story. There was a scout at instructs after NY signed him. He was 16 yrs old playing against guys in their early 20s, some playing as high as AAA. The quote was "Montero looks like he's playing wiffle ball with these pitchers." He was just so much better than everyone at such a young age that it was ridiculous.

Well, I'm sure you'll get called out for being extremely biased, but I hope you're right. The story reminds me of all the stories about Bryce Harper.

[redsoxrules]

I hope he pans out so the red sox can go after Mauer

[BSN07]

Originally Posted by jacksonianmarch

Now, as you all know, I do have a knack for the minor leagues. I am not a scout, although I do know a few and played for a couple (who I still keep in touch with). But I mostly scour the internet for information and watch as many MiLB games as I can to try and see how good a certain player actually is. A lot of times, I am going off of scouting reports from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and Scout.com. I will say that these sites offer differing viewpoints at times and some of these sites differ in how strong they cover each team. Scout.com for instance, is an entity that hires out "beat writers" to cover each team. Some of their teams have no beat writers and are uncovered. Those are typically the sites that are floundering (jsinger's free content has rendered the red sox coverage useless). But for Yankee prospects, it really is the place to be (and Lane Meyer just jumped ship from nomaas to go to scout.com as well.

BA hasnt put out their list yet. BP hasnt put theirs out yet. But scout.com has, and BP is typically the least reliable of the three. So, here is my list, my top 50. They will come out in groups of 5. Feel free to bicker all you want, here goes


1. Jesus Montero, catcher, 19 yrs old Combined A+ and AA line- .337/.389/.562- Montero finished the yr as the #3 prospect in all of baseball. And he deserved it. He only appeared in 92 games thanks to a finger fracture, but he made it count. Not only did he have a .951OPS, but he hit 17 homers in those 92 games as a 19 yr old in A+ and AA. He also had close to as many extra base hits (43) as strikeouts (47).
Strengths His offensive prowess is difficult to underestimate. He has light tower power. He has a good sense of the strike zone. He makes hard contact. He hits for average, etc, etc, etc. And he's very, very young.
Weaknesses He has two. He runs like a lumbering Molina and he is a weak catcher at present. His arm is strong, but his mechanics are a mess and he isnt as quick as we expect most catchers to be
Ceiling His offensive ceiling is in the Miguel Cabrera/Pujols/whomever you want to throw in there. He is that good at a really young age.
Projection I see Montero as a below average catcher in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint, meaning that he will spend a lot of his time as a DH. He has the hands to play 1b, but his speed will severely limit his ability to play in the OF and in this organization, 1b is not a need. I project him to have all-star caliber offensive seasons as he is a very rare offensive talent. The question is, will he ever get to wear a glove.
ETA Midseason callup 2010 as a DH


2. Austin Romine, catcher, 20 yrs old A+ line .276/.322/.441. Romine will be cracking a lot of top 50 lists this upcoming year after his solid performance in the FSL. Remember, for those who see a mid .700s OPS, that the FSL is a notorious pitchers league. Romine was 8th in the league in HRs (13) and 4th in the league in RBIs (72). His overall total package won him the FSL MVP honors.
Strengths He has good power, not great, but is a very solid line drive hitter who is capable of being a 20+HR guy in the big leagues. He is also a very sound defensive catcher. He has a great arm and near perfect mechanics. Most scouts think he can catch right now in the big leagues from a defensive standpoint. He also has good speed for a catcher, swiping 11 bags this past yr and legging out 3 triples. And, he is a well respected leader amongst his teammates and other managers in the league. He is an all around player.
Weaknesses He is not patient enough at this juncture. His IsoPatience has sat in the .040-.050 range for 2 yrs now. The hope is that he will learn that as he ages, but he really doesnt seem to like to get into deep counts.
Ceiling I know most sox fans will think I will put Mauer on here, but cmon now. But I think a Russell Martin a la 2007 is a good ceiling. 20 homer power, 20 SB potential with solid defense and a good average.
Projection He is a player who I think is very close to his ceiling in a lot of ways. His offensive approach needs to add just a bit more patience, but his power is there and he should add to that as he fills out. His defense right now is good enough to be a top defender in the AL, so he doesnt need to fill out there. The biggest thing he needs is to gain experience and it seems NY is content to go yr to yr with him.
ETA 2012 Starting Catcher

3. Manuel Banuelos, LHP, 18 yrs old A ball line- 9-5 2.64ERA 109IP 1.07WHIP 8.8K/9IP 3.7K/BB. Banuelos will also be cracking a lot of top 50 lists in the upcoming months. He was one of the youngest players in the SAL this yr and he dominated. So much so that he was invited to the futures game. He is a small guy (5'10") but he packs a punch as well as 3 plus pitches. His FB went from topping out in the low 90s to topping out at 96mph this yr. His curveball came a long way and his changeup remained plus. He only walked 28 batters in 108IP, showing that his command is very advanced for his age.
Strengths He's left handed, was 18 for the entire yr in long season, tops out at 96mph, has advanced command, and has three plus pitches. He is everything you could ask for out of a young pitcher.
Weaknesses Not many. His curveball can be inconsistent at times, which gets him in trouble. And his frame could scare some people from considering him a potential starter. Other than that, experience is his only real deterrent.
Ceiling With his stuff and his command, his ceiling is as a #1 starter.
Projection With his frame, it is difficult to see him maintaining that velocity, but I do see him in the front of a rotation. I think he profiles well as a future #2 starter. We havent had a pitching prospect this advanced in the art of pitching since Hughes prior to his injury bug.
ETA 2012. They have been pretty cautious with him to this point, I do think he takes all of 2010 to navigate A+ and then splits 2011 between AA and AAA. I expect him to be in the bigs either in the rotation or the pen come 2012.

4. Austin Jackson, OFer, 22yrs old AAA line- .300/.354/.405 24SBs. Austin has been labelled as the Yankees CF of the future for quite some time now and he has delivered. Albeit in 2009, he delivered a bit differently than some had hoped. He improved his BA and his baserunner had improved significantly. But his power has been lacking as evidenced by the 4 homers. He's still young and he is still pretty skinny, so the hope is that he fills out a little and stays in AAA for another yr to get ready for ascencion into the CF pantheon in 2011.
Strengths He is a true 5 tool player. He has power, although he decided not to show it this yr. He has great line drive skills, he has a very good glove and runs great routes. He is quick and he has a solid arm.
Weaknesses He has yet to put a season together where he has showcased all 5 tools. Also, he strikes out WAY too much and a lot of the people in the know think he will eventually be better suited for the COF rather than CF.
Ceiling I think he has the ceiling of a true blue 5 star CFer a la Adam Jones. I am talking .300 hitter, 20+ homers, 30+ steals and a highlight reel in the OF
Projection He is an incredibly difficult guy to predict. He could end up as a perennial All-Star CFer or he could be wildly inconsistent and be a 4th OFer. I think he fits somewhere inbetween. He has a few All-Star caliber yrs mixed in with mediocre ones. Maybe like a Mike Cameron, especially with the K's.

5. Zach McAllister, RHP, 21 yrs old AA line- 7-5 2.23ERA 121IP 2.23ERA 1.08WHIP 7.1K/9IP 2.91K/BB. McAllister is a future version of the past version of Chien Ming Wang. McAllister makes his hay with his 2 seamer. He had monkeyed around with a 4 seamer, but believe it or not, there was no velocity difference. He sits comfortably in the low to mid 90s and throws the sinker 80% of the time or so. McAllister does have a plus changeup, but he has an average at best slider and thats about it. He doesnt strike a ton of guys out, but he gets a lot of weak hacks, a lot of grounder, and looks like he is a future bulldog in the rotation
Strengths Young, big frame who has only had one DL stint in his 3 yrs of long season ball. He throws hard and has one plus off speed offering
Weakness Not a strikeout pitcher and likely never will be. Will make his hay on contact.
Ceiling I think his ceiling is as a horse in the #2-#3 mold. He's a big strong kid who can throw that sinker in there and know it wont be hit out of the park. He has very good command of his repertoire as well, which makes his ceiling and his projection rather similar
Projection I think he can go two ways. Some people see him in the Scott Shields role. A sinkerballer who can be a bullpen ace if you will and can eat multiple innings if needed. And others think he could easily slot into the middle of a rotation. I think with his arm, his size and his sinker-change combo, he will be a mid-rotation starter in the future
ETA He'll get a callup in 2010 if just for a cup of tea. He's in the swing role in the pen for 2011 and might be in the rotation for some team come 2012.

I'm going to throw the "jacksonian" on all these guys.

Montero, Romine, Banuelos have not played above A+.

Let's see, Jackson's power disappeared against AAA pitching. I'd reserve the 5-tool status until he grows some man muscle and shows consistent power. But considering where he's going to be playing, he might put up decent HR numbers.

McAllister will probably get hurt running the bases.



jacksonian = (idiomatic) A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

or see "Wet Blanket".

[Dojji]

"Running the bases?"

Surely you can do better than that with a one-pitch starter. The guy's gonna get lit up. He has no secondary pitches, you can get away with that in the minors if your one pitch is good enough, but on any day your one plus offering is less than perfect big league hitters are going to slap you silly.

And this guy's one pitch is a low 90's two-seamer. Not exactly Chien-Ming Wang's 96 mile an hour power sinker..

What you've got here is a middle reliever. If you're lucky, a setup man.

[jacksonianmarch]

Guys, I am just listing the prospects and giving ceilings. Thats it. I am not quantifying their trade value or even assuming I am making accurate projections, which is what I said in most of the posts. Its simply a list of the top 50 prospects. I'll have more on the way

[jacksonianmarch]

Originally Posted by Dojji

"Running the bases?"

Surely you can do better than that with a one-pitch starter. The guy's gonna get lit up. He has no secondary pitches, you can get away with that in the minors if your one pitch is good enough, but on any day your one plus offering is less than perfect big league hitters are going to slap you silly.

And this guy's one pitch is a low 90's two-seamer. Not exactly Chien-Ming Wang's 96 mile an hour power sinker..

What you've got here is a middle reliever. If you're lucky, a setup man.

He's 21 and is absolutely dominating each level he has been at. He's got more than one pitch, as I have profiled as well. Also, Wang made his hay in the 93-95 range which is about 1mph more on each end than McAllister. Also, feel free to be a wet blanket, this is a list of prospects with a brief SR. Thats it.

[jacksonianmarch]

Originally Posted by BSN07

I'm going to throw the "jacksonian" on all these guys.

Montero, Romine, Banuelos have not played above A+.

Let's see, Jackson's power disappeared against AAA pitching. I'd reserve the 5-tool status until he grows some man muscle and shows consistent power. But considering where he's going to be playing, he might put up decent HR numbers.

McAllister will probably get hurt running the bases.



jacksonian = (idiomatic) A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

or see "Wet Blanket".

Montero played half the 2009 season in AA

[rician blast]

This is a very exciting thread...awe inspiring even. I can't way to see what is posted next.

[jacksonianmarch]

11. Gary Sanchez, C, 16yrs old- No line. The 16 yr old Dominican catcher that NY bought for $2.5 million has to be close to the top. He is described as being the whole package. And in his instructs debut, he looked like it, smacking homers against people 5-8 yrs older than him. He is considered to be very similar to Montero, except he has very advanced receiving skills and a pretty clean throwing motion already.
Strengths- The SRs on this guy describe a 16 yr old kid with plus power already (one scout described him as "light-tower" power). He has a knack for making solid contact and already has a good feel for the strike zone. He also has plus tools on the catchers end as well.
Weaknesses Well, for one, he hasnt played any games of meaning in the minors, so these SRs may or may not correlate with his game-ready performance. Also, he's very young which is both a strength and a weakness
Ceiling From the SRs, he sounds like a future AS catcher
Projection No clue
ETA different spin on ETA here. This kid is going to start state-side in yr 1, which is usually reserved for the best of the best prospects in the Yankee system (only Melky, Banuelos, Montero, and Tabata skipped the DSL in recent memory)

12. David Adams, 2B, 22yrs old A/A+ line- .286/.373/.443- Adams is a big guy playing 2b (6'2" 190lbs) and was a 2008 draftee out of Virginia. He was a "buy low" candidate since he was coming off a poor yr, but had put up 2 solid yrs starting college. And this yr, he delivered. He started off the yr in Charleston where he showed good contact skills (.290AVG) and a very advanced hitting approach (.385OBP) but not much in the way of power (0HRs, .394SLG). But he subsequently was promoted to Tampa, where he just exploded. Over 65 games, he hit 7 homers, slugged close to .500, and continued to show an advanced plate discipline (.360OBP). Overall, he had 40 doubles, 8 triples and 7 homers, 11 steals, and 61 walks in 132 games in his first taste of the long season leagues.
Strengths Adams has good power for a middle infielder and finally started showing it as the season went along. He also has an advanced approach to hitting with a good eye. He plays 2b very well defensively and has made strides into becoming a top defender as he progresses
Weaknesses He really doesnt have one blow away type tool. He's above average in a lot of categories, power, approach, average, speed, defense.
Ceiling- He reminds me a lot of an Edgardo Alfonzo in his prime type player. Double digit homers, .280-.300+ hitter, 50+ walks and some versatility to be used between 2b and 3b
Projection- with all of his above average tools, he should definitely be a starting 2b somewhere in the league. But with Cano locked in for a few yrs and Corban Joseph in the system with probably a bigger ceiling, I dont know if it happens in NY
ETA If Cano wasnt there, Adams would probably be debuting in the majors as a Sept callup in 2010. Since Cano is here, Adams is probably going to go one yr at a time from here and should be knocking on the door, ie trade bait, come midseason 2011 or early 2012.

13. Eduardo Nunez, SS, 22yrs old- AA line- .322/.349/.433- Nunez is a guy who took awhile to arrive in the minor leagues. Always hyped by scouts and yankee brass alike as being a 5 tool prospect with great range, it took awhile for this kid to find his stride. After toiling in the minors for a few yrs with BAs in the low .200s, he finally broke through in 2008 with a .271 AVG and hit 6 homers in the back half of the season. That put him back on the prospect map. This season, though, puts him front and center on the prospect map for Yankee fans, because he is the most likely internal replacement for one, Derek Jeter. This yr, he hit .322 with 9 homers and stole 19 bases for Trenton. He has shown an improvement over the past 3 seasons in power, BA, OBP and OPS as well as defensively.
Strengths- The power is coming, something he has shown in BP for years. He has seen a rise in his homer total as well as his EBH total for 3 yrs in a row. His average is rising, he is striking out less, and he is fielding better. All things pointing towards good things for this SS
Weaknesses- He didnt really start playing well until he caught up to the league age-wise. Now, 22 in AA, he is just a yr under the average age which could have something to do with his physical and mental maturity, or it could just speak to him being overhyped. His approach to the plate has improved, but 22 walks is pretty abysmal and his BABIP was through the roof, so luck may be a factor.
Ceiling- This kid has a huge ceiling (like a Hanley Ramirez type ceiling minus the patience) except he still has a massive gap between where he is now and where he could be
Projection- Incredibly difficult when you dont have an easy path to follow. He's been both fantastic and maddeningly inconsistent in his minor league career, and this past yr could be just a blip on the radar or a true blue rise to glory. I think he definitely makes it to the bigs based on his glove and range and where he goes from there will be dependent on his bat. He could be an all-star or a backup defensive replacement. Too difficult to tell
ETA- depending on when they need him, he could be in the majors in 2010, but I think he ends up as a Sept callup and bides his time in AAA until he either gets dealt or takes over for Jeter after 2011.

sorry, gotta go. More to come

[yankees228]

Originally Posted by rician blast

This is a very exciting thread...awe inspiring even. I can't way to see what is posted next.

And magically, just moments after you hit the submit button, more prospect analysis shows up!

[yankees228]

However, all sarcasm aside, I appreciate these posts Jacko, because I know very little about these guys. If it wasn't for these posts, I probably wouldn't take the time to look these guys up myself.