Midseason Prospects Top 50: Baseball America

[Angrioter]

1 Byron Buxton of Twins

2 Kris Bryant 3b Cubs

3 Carlos Correa ss Astros

4 Joey Gallo 3b Rangers

5 Addison Russell ss Cubs

6 Francisco Lindor ss Indians

7 Javier Baez ss Cubs .

8 Jon Gray rhp Rockies

9 Miguel Sano 3b Twins

10 Dylan Bundy rhp Orioles

11 Lucas Giolito rhp Nationals

12 Archie Bradley rhp Diamondbacks

13 Julio Urias lhp Dodger

14 Blake Swihart c

15 Henry Owens lhp Red Sox

16 Corey Seager ss

17 Austin Hedges c Padres

18 Joc Pederson of Dodgers

19 Noah Syndergaard rhp Mets

20 Robert Stephenson rhp Reds

21 Tyler Glasnow rhp Pirates

22 Raul A. Mondesi ss Royals

23 J.P. Crawford ss Phillies

24 Jameson Taillon rhp Pirates

25 Daniel Norris lhp Blue Jays

26 Kyle Zimmer rhp Royals

27 Jose Berrios rhp Twins

28 David Dahl of Rockies

29 Jesse Winker of Reds

30 Kohl Stewart rhp Twins

31 Hunter Harvey rhp Orioles

32 Alex Meyer rhp Twins

33 Arismendy Alcantara 2b Cubs

34 Luis Severino rhp Yankees

35 Josh Bell of Pirates

36 Braden Shipley rhp Diamondbacks

37 Nick Kingham rhp Pirates

38 Jimmy Nelson rhp Brewers

39 Hunter Dozier 3b Royals

40 Kevin Plawecki c Mets

41 Matt Wisler rhp Padres

42 Clint Frazier of Indians

43 Austin Meadows of Pirates

44 Aaron Blair rhp Diamondbacks

45 Jorge Alfaro c Rangers

46 D.J. Peterson 3b/1b

47 Dalton Pompey of Blue Jays

48 Brandon Nimmo of Mets

49 Stephen Piscotty of Cardinals

50 Maikel Franco 3b Phillies

 

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/midseason-top-50-injury-cant-knock-buxton-1/

[43211234]

Oh s***, Pompey made it.

[Convo]

Where's Sanchez?

[TheHurl]

While Pompey's ranking is impressive I've talked about this before with BA. They move up a few guys 20 to 30 spots to get them somewhere in the 40 to 50 range to say they are the first to rank the player. Safe to say if he keeps up his current numbers he'll be around this range at the beginning of next season but if he slips at all he'll be around 70 to 75. Plawecki, and Aaron Blair are the same thing. It's part of the reason they don't include guys like Betts, Taveras, Polonco that would easily still be eligible.

 

I think it was GD that said something like Norris is way more valuable than Severino. Seems like if the Cubs were asking for Severino for Valbuena it's not that unreal to think a 2B is going to cost us Pompey or Norris.

[TheHurl]

With quick snip write-ups

 

 

Rk. Player Pos. Team The Skinny

1 Byron Buxton of Twins Wrist injury has ruined his season, but his long-term potential remains unblemished.

2 Kris Bryant 3b Cubs Power has been just as advertised, while his defense has been better than expected.

3 Carlos Correa ss Astros Broken leg has to heal, but he was ready for Double-A when the injury occurred.

4 Joey Gallo 3b Rangers Gallo’s swing and plate discipline have improved while the power has always played.

5 Addison Russell ss Cubs Missed half the year with a hamstring problem; remains an elite all-around shortstop prospect with his new team

6 Francisco Lindor ss Indians Rare safe and elite prospect as a plus defender who can hit at the top of the order.

7 Javier Baez ss Cubs Long-term potential is still as an elite regular, but he has to moderate his swing-from-the-heels approach.

8 Jon Gray rhp Rockies Hasn’t dominated as much as scouts would like, but has refined his changeup.

9 Miguel Sano 3b Twins Won’t play this season due to Tommy John surgery, so he can commiserate with Buxton.

10 Dylan Bundy rhp Orioles Stuff is bouncing back post-Tommy John surgery, and he should be full speed in 2015.

11 Lucas Giolito rhp Nationals Possesses some of the best pure stuff in the minors, just needs to refine it and stay healthy.

12 Archie Bradley rhp Diamondbacks Elbow injury slowed him, but his stuff is back; now he just needs to improve his command.

13 Julio Urias lhp Dodgers Precocious 17-year-old with plus stuff and advanced feel is dominating high Class A hitters.

14 Blake Swihart c Red Sox Better bat potential, improved defense have made Swihart the game’s best catching prospect.

15 Henry Owens lhp Red Sox Pitched a rain-shortened no-hitter on Opening Day, and he has remained nearly unhittable ever since.

16 Corey Seager ss Dodgers He’s not a shortstop, but as a sweet-swinging lefty with power, he’ll be fine at third base.

17 Austin Hedges c Padres Still an excellent catching prospect, but as with many catchers, his bat is catching up to his glove.

18 Joc Pederson of Dodgers Power/speed prospect will force the Dodgers to clear room for him—or trade him—before long.

19 Noah Syndergaard rhp Mets Las Vegas + elbow problems + banged up shoulder have slowed the progress of the Mets’ top prospect.

20 Robert Stephenson rhp Reds Mediocre season for 21-year-old who needs to develop more consistent command.

21 Tyler Glasnow rhp Pirates Will the control get better? Hitters hope it doesn’t because they can’t hit him.

22 Raul A. Mondesi ss Royals At some point production trumps potential, but as an 18-year-old in the Carolina League he oozes potential.

23 J.P. Crawford ss Phillies Four shortstops in the top 10 will be graduating before long, and Crawford looks ready to take their place.

24 Jameson Taillon rhp Pirates Another Tommy John casualty who has to wait till 2015 to return to pitching.

25 Daniel Norris lhp Blue Jays Nice combo: lefty with three potential plus pitches (fastball, slider, change) and an average curve.

26 Kyle Zimmer rhp Royals Scouts around baseball love him when he pitches, but they sure want to see him get on a mound.

27 Jose Berrios rhp Twins Berrios has always had good feel, but his stuff just keeps getting better to go along with it.

28 David Dahl of Rockies Last year’s disciplinary demotion is old news as Dahl shows he can be a power-hitting center fielder.

29 Jesse Winker of Reds Bat-first outfielder is one of the better pure hitters in the minors and has excellent power potential.

30 Kohl Stewart rhp Twins Yes, Stewart has frontline stuff, but his advanced feel and smooth delivery are just as impressive.

31 Hunter Harvey rhp Orioles Hit a June hiccup, but his combination of plus fastball and plus curveball have blitzed the South Atlantic League.

32 Alex Meyer rhp Twins He’ll likely always have command issues, but Meyer’s fastball/slider combo is enough if he just throws strikes.

33 Arismendy Alcantara 2b Cubs Hard not to like an athletic middle infielder who can play short in a pinch and has power and speed.

34 Luis Severino rhp Yankees Yankees’ breakout prospect is a long way from big leagues but has three potential above-average pitches.

35 Josh Bell of Pirates In the year of the prospect injury, Bell is a rare example of a prospect returning to health and improving.

36 Braden Shipley rhp Diamondbacks Athletic pitcher with above-average fastball and changeup has a delivery that allows him to repeat consistently.

37 Nick Kingham rhp Pirates He’s not flashy, but with a repeatable delivery, solid stuff and some feel, he fits as a mid-rotation arm.

38 Jimmy Nelson rhp Brewers There are few healthy pitchers in the upper minors with stuff and results this year, and Nelson leads the way.

39 Hunter Dozier 3b Royals Surprise top-10 pick last year doesn’t look so surprising now, with bat and defense to profile at third base.

40 Kevin Plawecki c Mets Mets might have a tough choice between catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Plawecki down the road.

41 Matt Wisler rhp Padres Improved changeup has helped him against lefties, which was his biggest to-do item.

42 Clint Frazier of Indians Season has been less than one would hope for a top-five draft pick, but he has shown flashes in his first full year.

43 Austin Meadows of Pirates Sound familiar? A Pirates prospect whose season has been ruined by injury.

44 Aaron Blair rhp Diamondbacks Big righthander has improved his curveball to go along with lively fastball and excellent changeup.

45 Jorge Alfaro c Rangers Amazing tools, but he still has a lot of refinement ahead; his receiving in particular is inconsistent.

46 D.J. Peterson 3b/1b Mariners He’s not a third baseman long-term, but Peterson has a short stroke that provides hits and power.

47 Dalton Pompey of Blue Jays Toolsy center fielder’s bat has caught up to rest of his tools in a breakout start in the Florida State League.

48 Brandon Nimmo of Mets Nimmo keeps adding size and strength, and his excellent idea of the strike zone remains his foundation skill.

49 Stephen Piscotty of Cardinals Fast-moving outfielder gets lost in Oscar Taveras’ shadow, but his hit tool is impressive as well.

50 Maikel Franco 3b Phillies As great as Franco’s first half was last year, he has been equally poor this year; long-term outlook remains bright.

[Angrioter]

Arismendy Alcantara is really good.

[TheHurl]

emume • 24 minutes ago

Was Aaron Sanchez still within discussion?

 

JJCooperBA Mod emume • 19 minutes ago

Absolutely. Early permutations had him on the list. But concerns about poor control and very poor command in the end knocked him off...would have easily made the list if it went 75 deep.

[Caper]

Wouldn't Pompey being a switch hitter slow down his progress?

[Nox]

Joey Gallo clap clap **clap clap clap**

[G-Snarls]

Norris #25, and therefore at least 25 spots higher than Sanchez???

[G-Snarls]

Joey Gallo clap clap **clap clap clap**

 

f*** that guy looks good

 

So good the Rangers could trade Beltre, but they won't

[Nox]

Norris #25, and therefore at least 25 spots higher than Sanchez???

 

Sounds reasonable.

 

As much as I've s*** on Sanchez here, I like Norris.

[G-Snarls]

Cubs with 3 of the top 10 now of course. That's great.

 

But they're going to need pitching at some point...

[Nox]

f*** that guy looks good

 

So good the Rangers could trade Beltre, but they won't

 

Still lots of risk with the contact rate stuff. I'm as big of a Gallo fan as anyone but #4 seems a bit high to me for a real baseball list.

 

For fantasy it would seem more justified.

[G-Snarls]

Still lots of risk with the contact rate stuff. I'm as big of a Gallo fan as anyone but #4 seems a bit high to me for a real baseball list.

 

For fantasy it would seem more justified.

 

Also, they are not counting any chickens at this point I'm sure, given how they handled the Profar/Kinsler/Andrus thing last year

[G-Snarls]

Not really. His strikeouts are back up to a whopping 41% in AA. Think about that for a second. AA pitchers are striking him out at a 41% rate. He would get carved up at the MLB level, once teams very quickly figure out his holes.

 

Ouch

 

Yeah that's got to improve a lot

 

Thanks for mentioning

[jaysblue]

How many of those Top 50 become solid contributors at the MLB level?

[TheHurl]

Cubs with 3 of the top 10 now of course. That's great.

 

But they're going to need pitching at some point...

 

Hendricks and Straily as short term back end types. Edwards and Johnson as high end potential. Tseng and Torrez as wildcards. It's certainly not bare and they have stuff to trade still.

[Nox]

His strikeouts are back up to a whopping 42% in AA.

 

Don't make me link the small sample size song. It's not like we should believe his true talent AA K rate is 42%.

 

Yes, his Ks are a concern but he also hits the ball harder than anybody other than maybe Stanton.

[Atothe]

Wouldn't Pompey being a switch hitter slow down his progress?

 

They say he has plus bat speed from both sides.

[jays_fever]

Arismendy Alcantara is really good.

 

He is. Reminds of me of Ian Desmond, plus power, speed and D. Strikeouts are only concern

[TheHurl]

Don't make me link the small sample size song. It's not like we should believe his true talent AA K rate is 42%.

 

Yes, his Ks are a concern but he also hits the ball harder than anybody other than maybe Stanton.

 

Kris Bryant says hello. His K-rate is concerning too...his swing lacks the loft of a Gallo but he swings pretty damn hard. I see him hitting 45 2B's along with his 35+ HR's. Whereas Gallo is much more likely to hit 45 HR's

[43211234]

Anyone have the BP top 50 list?

[TheHurl]

Anyone have the BP top 50 list?

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/3505-The-Best-Midseason-Prospects-Top-50-Baseball-Prospectus

[Nox]

Kris Bryant says hello. His K-rate is concerning too...his swing lacks the loft of a Gallo but he swings pretty damn hard. I see him hitting 45 2B's along with his 35+ HR's. Whereas Gallo is much more likely to hit 45 HR's

 

I'd take Gallo in an exit velocity off over Bryant pretty easily.

 

Bryant might be the better prospect though. Maybe.

[Angrioter]

Cubs with 3 of the top 10 now of course. That's great.

 

But they're going to need pitching at some point...

 

Castro = MLB ready Top-rotation guy +

Alcantara = Mid-rotation prospect

[z3r0s]

Castro = MLB ready Top-rotation guy +

Alcantara = Mid-rotation prospect

 

Alcantra makes too much sense for us right now... surely won't happen.

[Angrioter]

Alcantra makes too much sense for us right now... surely won't happen.

 

Valbuena and Alcantara for Aaron Sanchez and McGuire lol

[z3r0s]

Valbuena and Alcantara for Aaron Sanchez and McGuire lol

 

The Cubs are quickly becoming my favorite NL team. Crazy MiLB assets.

[Atothe]

Castro = MLB ready Top-rotation guy +

Alcantara = Mid-rotation prospect

 

Who in their life would pay a major league ready top of the rotation pitching prospect for Castro??