Baseball America just released their annual top 100 rankings.
Casas came in at 70.
Dalbec came in at 75.
That's it. If Mata and Ward have strong seasons, they should be on next year. A strong season from Casas could vault him into the top 25.
Baseball America just released their annual top 100 rankings.
Casas came in at 70.
Dalbec came in at 75.
That's it. If Mata and Ward have strong seasons, they should be on next year. A strong season from Casas could vault him into the top 25.
Originally Posted by Old Red
thanks Dave!
other names i have posted under: none
So, all those who expected a "quick rebuild of the farm" have what to say, now?
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Who expected that?
Several posters claimed, during the impending cliff debates, that somehow our farm would be rebuilt quickly and strongly.
Even recently, I can't remember who, someone was gushing over our talent evaluators and claiming we'd be a top farm team soon.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
That's not me. I think the Sox can always be competitive no matter what their farm looks like due to Henry's bank account.
Obviously not highly competitive, unless we max spending every year and never reset.
We need a farm to stay highly competitive for longer stretches.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
They have 7 guys who have a realistic chance to be top 100 guys next year:
Casas
Mata
Groome
Jimenez
Dalbec
Duran
Ward
If they all made it, would that be Bloom turning things around?
yes.
DD would have traded them all by now. at least the 2 that cracked the top 100
other names i have posted under: none
No. They are not Bloom acquisitions. If this happened, it would be a partial vindication on DD's rep. (Are any of these guys Ben dudes?)
I think Duran was over-hyped and helped by an unsustainably high BAbip, last year.
I really like Ward & Mata. Casas is the rave, but he's far away. Groome has to prove himself, soon. Dalbec has immediate hopes. I like him more than Chavis, but there are things he needs to work on. Jimenez is kind of unknown but has serious upside.
I've said it before. I think DD did better than I expected with the picks and restrictions we had on us over his term, but I expected us to be 28th to 30th ranked, so doing slightly better than that is not what we needed.
I don't blame DD for his picks, but his trades really hurt the farm. (I'm glad we won a ring and made it all worth it, but it's payback time, now.)
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Durran should always have a high BABIP due to his speed. If he starts to hit AA pitching, look out.
DD's trades brought us a ring. I'm happy with most of them. One could quibble about the Kimbrel trade and the Thornburg trade was a huge mistake.
I'm not sure speed was the only factor in his high BAbip, but your point is a good one.
That also begs the question: if he had good numbers last year based a lot on his speed, why should we expect/hope his hitting to improve as he moves up a level?
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Because almost every young player improves somewhat?
I'll take the under on all 7 making the top 100. How many teams have had 7 players ranked at one time? I can only think of 3. (2011 Royals, 2014 Red Sox, 2019 Padres) And in the case of the Royals and Red Sox, not all of the named players even became Major Leaguers. Jury is obviously still out on the Padres. (But they won't.)
.
There are 29 other teams, each with lists of top 7 prospects close to or better than that with candidates for the top 100, and all 210 players simply cannot fit on a 100 player list. Not even if BA doubles the size of the list.
The Sox might get 3 of them. Four would be the upper limit. (But that is still an impressive jump.)
Every team has guys who could make the top 100 with a great season in the minors. The problem is, injuries and ineffectiveness creep in. I would tell you this.
Groome is likely going to be either in relief or if he is starting, get a 90 inning cap. This will seriously drop his ranking. Unless he comes out and pulls a Gerrit Cole and throws to a 2ERA with 12K/9IP and shows deadly control, he isn't making the top 100. As a matter of fact, as a sox fan, you should just hope he can pitch in April through August without getting hurt.
I like Mata. He could end up a top 100 guy. He's certainly got the power, although questions about command and secondary stuff keep his ranking down. But for a guy with his power, he's never been a huge K rate guy. He also has had command issues that creeped back up in AA. He will be a top 100 guy if he dominates AA as he turns 21. He is also a pitching prospect, so he also needs health
It is unfair to put any predictions on Jimenez. We had a guy who was insanely hyped last year in Antonio Cabello, who killed it in short season only to flop this past year. These non initially hyped teenager DR prospects don't usually have the easiest of roads early on, especially as they start to see better pitching in the lower levels. He has the tools, let him develop. They may push him to A full season ball. Don't be surprised if he doesn't kill it in 2020. But a solid line (.270/.320/.380 or so) with great speed and good D is enough to keep him progressing.
Duran is going to flop. I will tell you this right now. The other guys above on this list certainly have the potential to be a top 100. Duran, to me, is a guy with skills that do not translate to being a great prospect. Yes, he crushed High A ball. But when he got to AA, the warts started to show. He is a high BABIP reliant player who uses his speed to get on base. No power to say the least. But these types need to make a lot of contact so they can reach base then steal bases. Well, he doesn't make great contact and he isn't exceptionally patient. He got to AA and K'd over once per game. If he cannot make more contact, his skill set will peak at that of a backup OFer/pinch runner.
Ward, the jury is out. Most SR's on him are a guy with average velocity for a RHer who gets a lot of swings and misses. He added the cutter, which seems to have helped him. He doesn't locate well and didn't make it out of A ball. He should be in AA this year and that is where the rubber meets the road for most prospects. If his new found velo is sustainable, if he can stay healthy and if that cutter fools more advanced hitters, then you might have something. But with his skill set, I doubt if he ever makes the top 100. Then again, top 100 is just an opinion. Robby Cano was never a top 100 prospect and he might be a HOFer. Doesn't mean Ward couldn't be useful, but the lack of command of a non plus plus arsenal would worry me as he progresses
Hal sucks
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