Low Level Prospects to Keep an Eye on
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 9:14 PM EDT
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PrintWe all know of Price, Davis, Hellickson, Brignac etc...
It's easy to know those guys. They are talked about more and consider less likely to fail because they are closer. Well this post is dedicated strictly to the guys in Colombus (low A ball) and lower. I'll only post about guys I feel have a good shot to one day be considered one of our top 10 prospects. If I like them, but dont know enough yet than you will find them under the Other Sleepers at the bottom of each affiliate. Any kind of scouting reports you guys can find would be very welcomed.
Colombus (low A ball):
Alex Cobb (20)-SP
He's not a huge guy (6'1) or the hardest thrower but he's very effective. His best pitch is his sinker, which is very good. He's still working on the command of the breaking pitches but that's to be expected. He induces twice as many groundballs than flyballs. He also strikes out around 7 guys per 9 innings. The ability to get alot of grounders could make him a star if he plays behind our defense. You probally wont hear too much of him this offseason but with a strong 2009 in Vero Beach, he could sneak onto the BA top 100.
Other Sleepers: None
Hudson Valley (short season ball):
Jacob Jefferies (20)-C
The scouting report on him coming out of college was: Good contact hitter, Good plate discipline, Good defense, and little power. That report has been dead on so far. His BB/K ratio is 1, which shows how patient he is. Also 17 k's in 156 AB's is ridiculous. Catchers usually take longer than any other prospect to develop but so far I can see why we took him in the 3rd round. He'll have a bright future and shoot through the minors if he can keep his plate discipline. Keep in mind he's a 2008 draftee so the sample size is still small.
Nick Barnese (19)- SP
Most of know about him already so I wont go into alot of detail. To make it short, he's nasty. Behind Price, Davis, Hellickson and McGee, he's the next great SP prospect in line. Following the same path as Hellickson and just as dominate. Could make the BA top 100 (like Hellickson did after SS ball).
Tyree Hayes (just turned 20)- SP
Had his best performance as a pro today, and is my inspiration for the post. He gets alot of ground balls but doesnt strike guys out a whole lot. Needs to work on his command (21 BBs in 50 IP) but the grounders could end up saving him in the higher levels. In order for him to succeed and be considered a top prospect soon, he'll need to strike more guys out. 4.5 K's/9 is just not going to cut it if he wants to stay a starter. If he does pickup the K's, than look for him to be another Alex Cobb.
Kyeong Kang (20)-OF
6'2 200 LBS. Good power potential. Hits for a nice average and has a good eye. Biggest thing going for him is his age. He'll need to keep all of his stats close to the same level while developing power to be considered anything special. He's a sleeper prospect for next year IMO. Half of his hits have been XBH so far, which bodes well for the future.
Other Sleepers-Michael Sheridan
Princeton (rookie ball):
Tim Beckham (18)-SS
Again we all know him so im not going to spend long on him. Great defense and good bat. Needs to develop power to make the comparisons to the Uptons true. BTW he's hitting over .320 in his last 10 games.
Matt Moore (19)-SP
Quite possibly my favorite low level prospect. Reminds me alot of another McGee. 58 K's in 39 IP. Thats like 15 k's/9! Gets alot of grounders and opponents are hitting .174 off him. As a 6'2, 205 LB lefty, his future is very bright. Look for him to move to Hudson Valley next year. Also 0 HR's given up in 39 IP this year. He's an amazing talent and it should be fun to watch him move up.
Other Sleepers: Kyle Ayers, Jason McEachern, Chris Luck, Burt Reynolds, Elias Otero (tho he's a little old for my liking), Brian Bryles, and Chris (Ty) Morrison.
Notes: The lack of talent in Colombus is disheartening and it shows. They are the second worst team in the Sally league. Cobb is likely the only one with any future with us. Hudson Valley has some good prospects but Barnese is by far the most ready to move to Colombus. Obviously the talent in Princeton is loaded. Most of the potential won't be reached which is why I only went with the two I felt will reach their potential. The best thing about Princeton's sleepers (except Otero) is that they all are very young and have a lot of time to succeed (or fail).
This post was written by a member of the DRaysBay community and does not necessarily express the views or opinions of DRaysBay staff.
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I take interest in the guys most people have never heard of.
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
You forgot DA KING!
Jeremy “J-Money da King and Savior” Beckham-(24)- Anywhere-
Jeremy may be the second Beckham in rankings but he is the first in our hearts and the streets. Beckham is valuable because he can play multiple positions. J-Money is not just tearing it up on the field but also with the ladies. He can parking lot pimp and pimp at the positions on the diamond. J-Money’s stats so far in 20 at-bats in Hudson Valley are .150/.292/.150. J-Money also showing he put on for his city by swiping 2 bases. His future is very bight whether it be in pimpin’ the ladies or hitting the long ball. Look for him to gradually move up the system till he reaches the Show so we can have the Beckham Bro. infield.
Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans
BELIEVE in 08!
forgot...
His ceiling is P.I.M.P. (Prime is Mega Potential) and his floor is Joe Morgan but with a love of stats.
Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans
BELIEVE in 08!
If anyone is a stoner
it is Pat. He looks like James Franco from Pineapple Express mixed with Chewbacca.
Top Josh Paul Pornos- Big Navi Stroking, 2pitchers1cup, BJ to the Balls, Riggans Your Thingans
BELIEVE in 08!
by SRQman on Aug 10, 2008 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thank you
It sucked typing that out but I figured someone would enjoy it. I got kinda lazy towards the end if you didnt notice.
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice job
I think it worthwhile to keep an eye on Jason Corder at Hudson Valley as well. I know he turns 23 this Sept. and that he seems never to walk, but the Rays seemed very high on his power potential when they picked him this year in the 7th round, and he is hitting .350 with 4 home runs and 10 doubles in 143 ABs and while only 5 BBs (ugh), only 23 Ks as well which is not a bad % of ABs.
Incidentally, since the promotions of Hellickson and Price, Vero Beach is pretty much devoid of prospects as well. Rollins has decent peripherals, but does not seem to have developed this year while Royster has been very disappointing. And like Columbus, VB is at the bottom of the league.
Your right about Vero
But the post was dedicated to Colombus and lower. Thats why I didnt mention them. 21 games under .500, 5 games behind the next worse team. That team is just awful. Royster, Jennings, Rollins and Hellickson were suppose to be the bright spots on the team. Unforturnately Royster has struggled (but he had a good june and july), Rollins has been a disappointment, Jennings has been injured and Hellickson was promoted.
About Corder, his age doesnt give him much of a future and thats sad in a way. Owell I guess. Thats just how it happens sometimes.
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Corder certainly has the odds against him
but we might note that Ruggiano began in rookie ball at age 22 and has been in the majors and is still seen by some as a potentially useful player here. He was jumped from rookie ball to A+, and if Corder gets promoted like that and continues to hit, he has a chance. Actually it is his low BB rate that bothers me even more than his age.
I think too that having been drafted in the 7th round, and singled out for praise by the Rays, suggests they think he could surprise us. But as you say, the odds are long.
Kyeong Kang!!!
I really like this guy as well. His XBH% is really freakin’ sexy.
Robi Estrada is another to keep an eye on. He’s got a good approach, was said to be a plus defender when he was drafted, and is a very hard-nosed player. He hasn’t hit for power, but for a middle infielder with plus defense and a good approach, that isn’t too big of a concern, especially since he’s still just 19. Very similar to Shawn O’Malley last year, who I picked as a breakout prospect (that hasn’t gone well…so far).
Anyways, Columbus should be a very deep team of good prospects next year. Though Beckham and Barnese will likely be the only top prospects, at least 6 position players have the potential to be solid major league regulars. The lineup and rotation should look something like this:
R. Estrada, 20, 2B
T. Beckham, 19, SS
M. Sheridan, 21, 1B
J. Corder, 23, RF
K. Kang, 21, LF
J. Jefferies, 21, C
A. Scelfo, 22, CF
J. Tweedy, 22, 3B
N. Barnese, 20
T. Hayes, 20
F. de los Santos, 21
S. Dyer, 21
G. Gibson, 21
I’d like to see Moore and Joseph Cruz at Columbus as well, but I don’t see the org doing that.
Anyways, good post Danny!
He's only 20
There is still time. With all the talent behind him, I dont see him repeating Colombus next year. I’m pretty sure Vero Beach is a good hitters park so he could rebound. I wanted to put him on the list but I couldnt after the season he’s having.
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I've still got hope for O'Malley.
He’s still drawing walks and stealing bases, and his K rate isn’t horrible. The problem is that he hasn’t been hitting the ball hard, so he doesn’t get a ton of hits, and when he does, they’re just singles. But he has picked it up a bit lately. Pre AS break: 32-for-134, 4 doubles. Post AS break: 31-for-134, 7 doubles 2 triples. He’s also the youngest player on the Columbus team, and the SAL has been very tough on hitters this year, the median team OPS’s are .694 and .691, which makes Reid Fronk’s .857 look better.
Amazing response
It’s possible that I over looked Estrada. I’ll check him out tomorrow and try to dig up some info on him. I agree almost 100% on your projected roster. I’m holding out hope that Reynolds moves to Colombus after a good rookie ball showing so far. Hitters dont need as much time to develop so its certainly possible.
As for Moore and Cruz, the RFO likes to take it slow with pitchers. I dont think we’ve had one high school pitcher skip a level under the Sternberg Co. Not that its a bad thing. Also, if Gibson can get back on track, that rotation would look amazing.
by dannythegreat on Aug 10, 2008 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
That post made me think of how bad the Biscuits will be
Royster and Rollins will be the only kinda interesting names in AA next year. At least with Vero, we can put some college players there (like Corder, Tweedy, Dyer, etc…).
by dannythegreat on Aug 11, 2008 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Longoria and Price are the only players under the new front office that have skipped A.
So I wouldn’t expect Corder, Tweedy, Dyer, etc. to make the jump to Vero. It should be interesting to see where they start Desmond Jennings next year. He could make Montgomery exciting. Hellickson is also likely to start at Montgomery, though I wouldn’t expect him to be there more than 2 months, at the most.
jennings to AA? he has to stay healthy to do that and so far that hasnt happened
i think that the rays will take the wade davis approach with hellickson, but if hellickson puts up better numbers at AA than wade davis did then i think he will see hellickson in AAA in june next year
Longo=ROY. Friedman=Executive of the year. Maddon=Manager of the year. Rays=WS champs 08! fiddler cat=best way to show your excitement. BJ UPTON IS NOT LAZY! ! ! Gabe Gross=caption clutch.
is rollins going up to AA to replace david price?
Longo=ROY. Friedman=Executive of the year. Maddon=Manager of the year. Rays=WS champs 08! fiddler cat=best way to show your excitement. BJ UPTON IS NOT LAZY! ! ! Gabe Gross=caption clutch.
thanks
Longo=ROY. Friedman=Executive of the year. Maddon=Manager of the year. Rays=WS champs 08! fiddler cat=best way to show your excitement. BJ UPTON IS NOT LAZY! ! ! Gabe Gross=caption clutch.
when is his first start?
Longo=ROY. Friedman=Executive of the year. Maddon=Manager of the year. Rays=WS champs 08! fiddler cat=best way to show your excitement. BJ UPTON IS NOT LAZY! ! ! Gabe Gross=caption clutch.
Kyeong Kang is such a suite name
I want him to play in the majors just for this name
Hello Kitty, #1 in your fantasy league. =p
Probably irrelevant but
I mention him because 2 years ago I saw him working with Joe Niekro in an instructional league game in Bradenton. He seemed very attentive and serious about the instruction. That is Diego Echeverria. He is not a prospect, I know. He is 23 in his second season in rookie ball at Hudson Valley. Last year he ended with a 7.10 ERA with more walks than Ks (32-24 in 64.2 IP) and began this year pretty badly as well.
Even now, his ERA is 4.50 and he strikes out few batters. He still gives up more fly balls than grounders, more hits than IP and walks 4.5/9. So why mention him? Because he throws a knuckleball. And his recent games have shown some statistical improvement, not much and not in all peripherals, but some. I notice that he has recently started 2 games (he has relieved in 10) and did ok.
Anyway, probably a useless post, but knuckleballers seem to me a different species, and it is possible that age is less a factor there and that there is more possibility that he masters it and becomes effective than it would be should his arsenal be more conventional.
With Dickey pitching yesterday, I found this from last year, courtesy of some Anderson guy:
http://www.draysbay.com/2007/7/11/13558/6859
It would seem age is indeed much less a factor for knucklers.
Looks like there's possibly a prospect we both missed
See my fanshot on Alex Colome. Evidently, he’s bringing heat.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
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