It seems like this kid has been around forever, but I noticed he just turned 24 on September 28th.  The kid literally played his third full MLB season at the age of 23.  He struggled with a myriad of injuries this past year, yet despite these nagging injuries he posted a line of .306/.370/.455/.825 after the All Star Break last year all while providing gold glove level defense at 3rd base.  This is much more in line with what I think he is capableof as opposed to his first half.  What does everyone see his production being like in his peak years?  Clearly he still has room to develop since he has been so young for MLB(and still holds his own).  Any and all thoughts are welcome.

Charlie

Tommy Hunter

Clayton Richard

Mitch Talbot

If you could only have 1 of these guys for your major league 40 man roster, who would it be?  I know that none profile as an ace or even a #2, but maybe these guys could be a solid MLB player at some point.  Anyone have a personal favorite here?  Hunter and Richard both made it through 4 levels this past season which is really hard to do, so its not surprising that neither looked great in their MLB debuts.  Talbot posted the best K/IP and K/BB rates.  Also, you have to be afraid of Hunter playing his home games in Texas...pitchers just get nurdered there.  Richard posted an ugly ERA in his time in the majors but posted a 2/1 groundball to flyball ratio(88/48).

 

Talbot had the highest average fastball at 91.6, Hunter came in at 91.2 and Richard at 89.9. 

 

So, if your team could only protet 1 on their major league 40 man roster, who would it be?  Who has the higest ceiling?  Who is most likely to be a decent major league player? 

 

all opinions welcome. 

 

thanks

 

Charlie

 

 

Where do these two guys fit into Oakland's long term plans? 

 

Cunningham played great as a 22 year old in AA.  Everything I have read says that he doesn't have any great tools.  But he does everything well.  The A's just moved Carlos Gonzalez, so does this open up CF for Cunningham?  After the way Buck played at the end of the season, they have to give him a shot in the OF to start.  Does Cunningham need more time in the minors?  22 is young for MLB, but with the numbers he posted in the minors last year....does he really have anything more to learn?

Outman supposedly features a nice 90-94 mph fastball and pretty decent secondary stuff.  He was one of the guys acquired in the Blanton trade with Philly.  It seems that He was a starter in Philly, but was then moved to the pen, and after being traded to Oakland, coverted back to a starting pitcher.  I would imagine with the A's having such high-end SP's on their way to the majors...Outman's long term place with the team is in the bullpen(maybe as a lefty specialist).  Does this seem accurate?  I have to imagine that the rotation next year to start the season would be Justin Duchscherer, Dana Eveland, Dallas Braden, Sean Gallagher and ___________?

Any thoughts on either of these two guys would be interesting to me.  What are their ceilings?  What are their floors?  

 

A's fans, i know there are a ton of you here, lets hear your thoughts! 

 

CHC

 

 

 

Max Ramirez

Reid Brignac

Matt Gamel

Carlos Gonzalez

Jon Neise

Michael Bowden

James McDonald

Chris Perez

Jeff Samardzija

Jose Arrendando

So These guys all made their MLB debuts this year.  And they are all past the point of "obvious talent"(Price, Longoria, Bruce, etc).

So, prospect hounds, I know this community is never short on opinions, so lets hear your take!  Who will be the best out of this group and why?

Thanks guys,

Charlie

Maybin was recalled from Double A Carolina on Septermber 16th and thrust directly into Florida's leadoff role.  All Maybin has done is go 9 for 11 with 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, 6 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 strikeout.  

Hanley Ramirez offered up some advice for Maybin that already made a difference.  <!--StartFragment --> Watching Maybin's pinch-hit single on TV, Ramirez noticed that the 21-year-old was a tad slow in his approach.

"Hanley told me the first game I was here to get [my swing] started early," Maybin said. "I was starting a little bit late, and he saw that, and I've really been making a conscious effort to get myself started early, and getting something in my zone to hit. It's just helped me be on time with those guys."

Obviously Maybin won't hit .818 in the majors over a full season.  But its nice to see a top prospect get off to such a fast start.  It should build his confidence for the future and also build confidence in him from his teammates about his abilities. 

What's up with this guy?  He has 15 homers in under 400 AB's.  He is hitting .300.  He wasn't in John's prospect book this year.  Will he be able to keep this up in future years?  He looks very skinny for his listed 6'3'' 185.  Any info on how this guy slid under the radar(Cuba?) and popped into the majors to hit .300 would be greatly appreciated.  Future projections/comps are also quite welcome.  Thanks guys.  Chuck

This kid looks pretty good.  I don't know if he was supposed to be good or not but it looks like the Mariners found him in the Netherlands.  As a 20 year old in AA for the Mariners(West Tennessee) he is posting a line of .279/.329/.559.888.  and he has a good line overall having spent part of the season in the Cal league. 

The kid is 6'4'' and close to 200 pounds so he has a nice frame and must have good speed.  He has 25 stolen bases to only 2 caught stealing this season. 

So, what's this kid's future?  Is he toolsy?  Will he be able to cut it in the majors in a couple years?  I just happaned to notice he had good numbers and had never heard of him, so i wondered if you guys had anymore knowledge about him beyond what the numbers show.

thanks

Collin Balester is getting the call today to face the Florida Marlins in Florida.  It will be his MLB debut.  He has been solid enough in AAA this year going 9-3 with a 1.30 WHIP.  He has a 3/1 K/BB ratio and has 64 K's in 78 IP.  He has given up 14 HR in 15 starts, so it might be a problem in the majors too. So what do you guys think about him short term and long term?  From what i read, he is a #3 long term.  Right?  How is his stuff?  I haven't ever seen him pitch.  And there is only so much you can tell by looking at numbers. 

I always see people talking about hitting in one place or another meaning more or less.  Does everyone pretty much agree which leagues are pitchers leagues and which leagues are hitters leagues?  I have seen that the FSL is supposed to be a pitchers league.  And the PCL is a pitchers league too, right?  I've never seen it done, so would someone care to give me a run down of which leages in the minors really influence hitting or pitching one way or the other?  You don't have to tell me about rookie ball.  I'm only comcerned with single A and above.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Don't look now, but Cameron Maybin has been MASHING in AA of late. 

 

Over his last 10 games he is hitting .417.  He has 7 K's against 3 walks.  He has hit 5 Home runs, 2 triples, 2 doubles.  has anyone actually gotten to see him play?  Is he hitting more line drives?  I'm guessing most of those extra base hits weren't ground balls he beat out.  His overall line for the season is up to .270/.370/.509/.880 with 13 stolen bases against 3 caught stealing.  Not to mention, unless something has changed, he still plays damn good defense in CF. 

So is he turning the corner as a 20 year old in AA? 

fron Rotoworld:

The Royals have reportedly optioned Billy Butler to Triple-A and called up Mike Aviles to replace him.

Esteban German has 38 at-bats all year, so the last thing the Royals need is another middle infielder. Perhaps the plan is to get German and Aviles some time at DH. Ross Gload also figures to benefit from Butler's demotion. However, it's disturbing that the Royals have made no effort to pick up more first base/DH depth. ------------------------------- What do you guys think about this?  Its obvious that he hasn't been hitting as well recently as he was in the first month of the season.  But with the Royals already 10 games under .500, shouldn't their goal be to develop long term talent?  Clearly, Butler has nothing left to prove in the minors at this point.  And the best way for him to figure out MLB pitching is to see MLB pitching. Personally, I don't love this move, but maybe the Roayls know something I don't?

So my question is this:

Do ground ball pitchers generally have longer careers than guys who get by on "stuff"? 

The guys that I can think of right now are Brandon Webb and Chien-Ming Wang.

I know that Derek Lowe has lasted a while and he is an extreme ground ball pitcher.  So, does anyone have any opinions on if a GB pitcher can have longer effective careers than normal?

 Thanks for all the input.

 

 

I'd have to say this guy has been a suprise.  He got knocked around the first time he faced ATL, but I'd say he bounced back in fine fashion yesterday after seeing them a second time. 

 

In 4 GS, he has 23.2 IP, 24 hits, 21 K's, 10 BB's and a 3.42 ERA. 

 

Is his nice start a suprise?  Or was this expected to a degree?  Does he have good stuff?  I know John gave him a B- in the book. 

I read a couple years ago that he had closer "stuff".  He'll turn 28 in July.  And looking at his numbers, he absolutley destroyed AAA last year in 33 IP.  He posted a 0.94 WHIP.  

3/1 K/BB ratio.  

Almost 10 K/9

1.09 ERA

But when he went to the bigs, his numbers look awful.  Way too many walks, not nearly enough K's.

Is he still a guy that could turn out to be a very good RP?  Or is he a AAAA kind of guy?

Any and all insight to this question are welcome.

thanks,

CHC

From Rotoworld.com:

"A Twins official said Francisco Liriano twice hit 97 miles an hour during a recent bullpen session and pitched consistently at 92-95."

With the Tommy John surgery, you have to be glad to see the velocity getting back to where it was before the injury.

Will control be an issue?

"Let go by the Pirates as their third-base coach two seasons ago, Russell was hired Monday to succeed Jim Tracy as Pittsburgh's manager. He becomes the team's fifth full-time manager since the Pirates last had a winning season in 1992, following Jim Leyland, Gene Lamont, Lloyd McClendon and Tracy."

 full story is here:  http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3095222

Upon watching far too much Bucco baseball this season i noticed how much skinnier LaRoche seemed to be than he should be.  So i checked his weight and they have him listed at 6'3'' and 185.  Is it just me or am i the only one who thinks this is FAR too light for a 1B in today's baseball?  He could easily add 40 pounds of muscle and increase his bat speed and HR total.  Shouldn't teh pirates encourage him to gain the weight?  I couldnt hurt.  Not like he's been mashing this year anyway.  

I am in a highly competitive SOM league and we dont draft players, we draft teams.  So i had the 24th pick(out of 30).  And the way it works is that i get every player called up for that year off the team i draft.  So, the 7 teams that are left are:

Toronto(Romero, Patterson, Thigpen, Litsch, and possibly McGee)

Minnesota(Slowey and Span)

Baltimore(Reimold, Beato, Liz, Olson)

Seattle(Clement, Balentien, and possibly Chen)

Philly(Happ and maybe Golson)

San Diego(Carrillo, Headley, Wells)

St. Louis(Hawksworth and maybe Garcia)

I listed the players that i think are most likely to get called up from those systems.  I've noticed that the Orioles dont have any problem promoting from AA, so i was more aggressive in projecting who they might all up.  

So, what do you think?  which system would i get the most talent or best talent from that would get called up?  Any and all opinions are appreciated.  I dont ask for help often, but i need it now.

Thanks guys(and gals!)

Charlie

http://post-gazette.com/pg/07056/764891-63.stm

This article advocates McCutchen getting the call in September if everything goes well for him this season.  

What does everyone think of this?  Is there some credence to McCutchen saying that he plays better against better competition?  SAying that because Low A pitchers don't know "how" to pitch actually made hitting harder.

Also, what do you all think of his ability to play well at the MLB level at 20-21?  Can he do it?  Or will he be overmatched and ruin him?

any and all opinions are welcome,

Charlie

I am in a situation in my strat league that i have the money to resign one of these two players.  Which should i re-sign?  And if you think they're close enought hat i should just pick the better contract.

I guess the question is, who do you like more over teh next 3-4 years?

thanks guys,

Charlie

Poll

Who do you like more over the next 3/4 years?

44%

Peavy

58 votes

47%

Zambrano

61 votes

7%

too close to call, just pick the better contract.

10 votes

129 votes | Poll has closed

I read that he focused more on his catching this season.  He focused more on learning how to call a good game.  But i have a hard time understanding how that translates into a severe drop in production at the plate.  The guy tore up High A Myrtle Beach hitting .314/.394/.519 in 2005. But in 2006 they moved him up to AA and his BA fell to .230.  Should a BA drop almost 90 points beause he jumped a level and focused on calling games?  Baseball America even had this to say about him as a hitter when they named him the Braves #2 prospect:  " A mature hitter with a professional approach beyond his years, Saltalamacchia has power from both sides of the plate."

I'll admit i couldn't follow his career too close so i was hoping that someone who has could shed some light on what's going on with him.  Was he injured?

thanks for any help,

Charlie      

I was wondering if a crystal ball had been done on Cabrera recently enough that its projections were still accurate.  I think it'd be interesting because he is young enough that he could challenge for 500 HR's.  Also, with him finishing a close second in the batting title race, he could win a few of those before its all said and done.  Also, where he goes when he is done in FLA in a couple of seasons could affect his stats.  I just thought he'd make for a very interesting CB.  Anyone else think so?  

thanks John,

Charlie

From Rotoworld.com"

An MRI showed that Francisco Liriano has a mild chronic strain of his ulnar collateral ligament, and a clinical exam revealed weakness and stiffness in his shoulder that is causing the soreness in his forearm near his elbow. His status for the rest of the season is uncertain.
This is exactly why we didn't have Liriano as one of the game's top 5-10 prospects entering the season; the talent was obvious, but he was always at very high risk for additional arm problems. Twins physician Dr. John Steubs said Thursday night that he was "optimistic, but not totally confident" that Liriano would pitch again in 2006. The Twins are going to be cautious, even if it means sabotaging their wild-card chances. Aug. 10 - 10:02 pm et

I read on this site that Team USA will have players like Gordon and Butler on it.  which will pretty much garuntee that they won't be called up this year.  But what other players are likley to not get a cup of coffee on account of the olympic team?  Tulo?  Delmon?  Stewart?

any opinions on this?  Do you think playing for their country is a good thing?  Or could this be left up to college players?  Any and all opinions are welcome.

discuss!

(as an aside, if anyone knows the full roster please feel free to submit it, i searched and couldn't find one)

I am of the opinion that its time both these guys moved to AAA.  I have no idea wht the royals are waiting on.  These are the lines they have posted so far in AA.

Gordon  .298/ .404/.511/.915     

Butler   .317/.376/.484/.860

Butler has 378 AB's, Gordon has 325.  

Butler has 59 K's to 33 walks

Gordon has 71 K's to 50 walks

Playing 3B, Gordon has 7 errors this year.  Butler has 6 errors playing LF.  

Really, what more do they have to learn in AA?  Isn't it time to move them to AAA and see how they do against the vets?(truth be told they might be ready for the pros)  

The Royals are a complete joke as a franchise.  This is just more evidence that they have no idea what they're doing.  

So what does everyone think?  they ready for the Majors?  ready for AAA?  or are the Roayls smart for letting them stay in AA?

all thoughts are welcome.

Charlie    

Poll

Where should Butler and Gordon be?

64%

AAA

85 votes

7%

AA

10 votes

28%

Majors

37 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

Well, John had Jose Bautista listed as a C+ prospect when he was running through the organizations earlier in the year.  Bautista has been very impressive to this point.  He has a .235/.350/.521 line as of last night(he hit another double tonight).  I know he isn't really a prospect anymore, since he is 25.  But what does everyone think of his ceiling?  The guy is displaying 25-30 HR potential so far.  And he isn't hitting alor of singles, but he is walking enough to make up for it.    So, any predictions?  Is he a legit MLB starter?  Or is he a utility player that MLB pitchers just havent figured out yet?  

I checked the box scores for the Wichita games from the 24th and 25th and found that Gordon was held out of the games.  I know that someone said that he was taken out of the game on the 23rd as a precautionary measure due to some injury.  Does anyone have an update on this?  Anyone close to the situation(for instance if you live in the mid-west), i would really appreciate any info at all on this matter.  John, I know you're a huge Royals fan.  do you have any scoop on this?  

Thanks guys,

Charlie