:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8459903/153100055.0.jpg)
Now that spring training is here, most prospect ranking features are wrapped up. Fans and analysts are on the record for this season about where each prospect falls in each system and against the league as a whole. Everyone has different opinions, and after looking at this table, it's pretty clear that there are a lot of competing thoughts on the Rays' system. Before I get to the table, here is a link to each list I used. Reports and analysis of the organization are included with some, and plenty of them go beyond 10 players.
Minor League Ball by John Sickels
Baseball America by Bill Ballew
Baseball Prospectus by Jason Parks ($)
ESPN by Keith Law ($)
MLB.com by Jonathan Mayo
Bullpen Banter by Jeff Reese
DRaysBay Community by you
DRaysBay writer poll by Daniel, Michael, myself and *REDACTED*
|
|
MiLB |
BA |
BP |
ESPN |
MLB |
BB |
DRB C |
DRB W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
W. Myers |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
C. Archer |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
T. Guerrieri |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
H. Lee |
7 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
|
J. Odorizzi |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
|
R. Shaffer |
5 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
|
A. Colome |
6 |
6 |
10 |
6 |
|
6 |
7 |
7 |
|
E. Romero |
8 |
8 |
|
9 |
6 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
|
J. Hager |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
9 |
|
J. Sale |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
B. Snell |
|
9 |
8 |
|
7 |
8 |
8 |
|
|
D. Vettleson |
9 |
|
7 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
|
|
|
M. Mahtook |
10 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
T. Beckham |
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. Rivero |
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Montgomery |
|
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
Things start pretty simple with Myers as a unanimous #1, and I don't know if there's a list on the internet that doesn't lead off with him. From there, nearly everyone is in agreement that Archer and Guerrieri should round out the top three, but Jonathan Mayo prefers the safety of Odorizzi and Lee compared to Archer. Lee is emerging as a polarizing prospect in the system. Everyone agrees that his speed and defense are still impressive, but skepticism about his bat is definitely growing. Even still, everyone is absolutely certain he belongs in the organization's top 10. On the other hand, Colome and Romero were not placed on every list which may come as a surprise to some.
In contrast to the six unanimous picks, four of the eight lists had a player exclusive to that list. For Baseball America, it's fan favorite Tim Beckham. Jason Parks got great reports on Felipe Rivero and included him. Jonathan Mayo had another lefty, Mike Montgomery all the way up at #8 which surprised me, and us writers prove to be an outlier on Josh Sale. It seems that everyone else believes Vettleson is the superior outfielder from the 2010 class, and personally it's given me more to think about.
Of course there is also the matter of the top 100 (or more) lists featuring every organization. In these, the Rays are typically well represented, with more lists to come before the season, including one by myself.
Wil Myers
#4 on MLB.com
#4 on Baseball America
#4 on ESPN
There's no surprise here. Most seem to agree that either Myers or St. Louis' Oscar Taveras is the best pure hitting prospect in the league. Both should make an impact in the majors in 2013, but a spot is much more likely to be open for Myers in St. Petersburg than Taveras in St. Louis.
Taylor Guerrieri
#44 on MLB.com
#47 on ESPN
#62 on Baseball America
There isn't much disagreement on how Guerrieri stacks up against prospects from around the league apparently. Even though he's only thrown 52 professional innings, he's shown enough to make people believe he could reach his high upside.
Chris Archer
#36 on Baseball America
#46 on MLB.com
#53 on ESPN
Like Guerrieri, everyone pretty much agrees on Archer's placement. For a while during his career in the Rays organization, I was getting concerned that Archer would never harness his stuff and end up in a relief role. Now it appears there's plenty of reason for optimism.
Jake Odorizzi
#45 on MLB.com
#68 on ESPN
#92 on Baseball America
Odorizzi has a much wider range than the previous three players, with the most optimistic having him as a top 50 prospect and the more pessimistic barely having him on the list. Keith Law splits the difference between the two, and that's probably where he belongs.
Hak-Ju Lee
#56 on MLB.com
#78 on ESPN
#90 on Baseball America
Baseball America is also a bit tougher on Lee than other sources, and it's obvious that his stock is slipping. Personally, I'm probably more in line with the #56-78 range. After nearly a year and a half of uninspiring results with Montgomery, he could find himself off these lists if he doesn't improve in 2013.
Alex Colome
#81 on ESPN
The previous five prospects appear on all three top 100 sources, but Keith Law is the only one who puts Colome in his. He notes the risks Colome has between his delivery and injuries, but his stuff makes his upside so high that for now, it's possible to look past the risks.