Dr. Dinger

Well you just have an answer for everything, don'tcha?

Anyway you guys are sorta missing the larger commentary which is that ranking a rookie ball arm higher than Devers is straight up demented.

*drafts 16 year old*

Nah. I have gone for these high ceiling rookie ball Mexicans before and been burned. I don't have the patience to wait for them, not by a longshot.

Not really. They've poached good talent.

MLB.com keeps an updated list and he's not in their Top 100 or Boston's Top 5.

I had a share in FC but traded him away.

I have never really liked Almora, you all know I just pretended to in order to troll Boxy.

LOL the only glove first prospect I ever fapped about was Lindor, who proved to be a much better hitter than you all gave him credit for.

Where? Show me the list.

I don't pay much attention to internationals in rookie ball, sue me.

It's so hard to separate these three. Rodgers seems to have the most fantasy upside but is the furthest away. The other two seem to lack much power ceiling but otherwise look like plus contributors in multiple categories.

Can you put a bit more heat on my under-the-radar #5 pick? Christ.

I probably have, maybe. All teenage Mexicans are the same to me.

You can make an argument, but this is the only list where you'll see that I'm sure.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/images/headshot_70348.jpg7. Mark Appel, RHP DOB: 06/15/1991 Height/Weight: 6’5”, 220 lbs. Bats/Throws: R/R Drafted/Acquired: Drafted first overall by the Houston Astros in the 2013 MLB draft, Stanford University; signed for $6,350,000; traded to Philadelphia in the Ken Giles deal Previous Ranking(s): 2015: #2 (Org), #35 (Overall) 2015 Stats: 4.37 ERA, 131.2 IP, 135 H, 110 K, 51 BB between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno Key Tools: 60 fastball, 55 change, 50 slider Role: 50—No. 4 starter/low-end setup man We are only a scant few years away, one imagines, from all information on the internet being conveyed through emoticons and memes in some sort of corgi-centric re-imagining of the Star Trek: The Next Generation classic, “Darmok.” Fortunately, my future Mark Appel report will lose nothing in translation when under the key tools and role, there is just a ¯_(ツ)_/¯ . Appel is a confounding prospect to pin down, even after three seasons in the minors. At their best, his pitches will flash 7/6/6 potential, but those are flashes and they’ll rarely do so in the same game. His fastball generally sits in the low 90s now, only occasionally showing the near-elite velocity it had in college--well, except for that one start when he was popping 97 on the gun, but maybe you caught him on a different one when he was 89-92 and everything was flat. See, this is the problem. The changeup is his best secondary offering. It's deceptive out of his hand and shows late fade and dive. If you catch it on a good day, it looks like a potential plus offering. The slider is his third pitch at present. It has above-average velocity and occasionally will show some short, hard tilt, but it lacks the true two-plane break needed to consistently miss bats. The mechanics here are good: clean, simple, and repeatable. All his pitches come out from the same three-quarters arm slot. Yet you frequently hear that the ball is easy to pick up out of his hand. He shows it briefly behind him in during his delivery, and batters do seem quite comfortable timing his fastball. His command is fine, if not above average, but the limited deception leaves him with a thinner margin for error. It's easy to see Appel as a change-of-scenery candidate, but the raw stuff is down from college (most of the time), and he will be 24 next season. It's not hard to see him turning into a similar—if not more frustrating—type of starter as Thompson, where the profile doesn't quite play to the level of the stuff. There is also a chance he ends up in a bullpen where the top end velocity might show up more frequently in short bursts. Hell, he still might turn into a no. 2 starter, but that is looking more and more like a longshot worthy of no more stake than the ol' crafty quid. Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: On one hand, I’m mad at Jeff for using the shruggy face. On another hand, if there were ever a prospect worthy of two shruggy faces, it’s Appel. There’s no more likely prospect to have been traded in your dynasty league over the last 18 months, and for good reason—valuations are all over the place and everyone’s worried they’ll be holding the bag when we all realize it won’t work. However, the raw stuff remains and there’s top-25 fantasy starter upside with an easy-to-visualize fallback as a closer. Just remember you have to squint when you say that. Major league ETA: Late 2016

Not really a big fan of the new fangraphs prospect writer. Another strange list: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-2016-prospects-boston-red-sox/ Benintendi above Moncada @ 1, Anderson Espinoza (who?) ahead of Devers.

Truth is, I had eliminated Crawford from consideration, but now I am reconsidering. Having a plus shortstop is pretty enticing.

Wow, glowing report on Crawford. I might have to reconsider him at 5. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/images/headshot_102559.jpg1. J.P. Crawford, SS DOB: 01/11/1995 Height/Weight: 6’2” 180 lbs. Bats/Throws: L/R Drafted/Acquired: Drafted 16th overall in the 2013 MLB Draft, Lakewood HS (Lakewood, CA); signed for $2,299,300 Previous Ranking(s): 2015: #1 (Org), #36 (Overall) 2015 Stats: .288/.380/.418, 7 HR, 12 SB between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading Key Tools: 65 hit, 60 run, 60 glove, 60 arm, 50 power Role: 70—All-Star shortstop There might not be a more complete prospect in the game. Crawford is an assured defensive shortstop with soft hands and smooth actions. He can make all the plays. He knows this too, and will show off in infield drills. He moves well to both sides and around the bag. The arm strength is only plus, but plays up due to his quick trigger and overall accuracy from multiple angles. At the plate he shines just as brightly. It's a pretty swing from the left side with good extension and rotation. He has excellent feel for getting the barrel to the ball, and has enough bat control and strong enough wrists to get hits when fooled. The approach is excellent. He is comfortable working deep into counts, and won’t expand the zone when behind. Even if the hit tool doesn't play to the full projection, he should be an above-average-OBP bat at the top of a lineup. The one quibble is that the raw power still hasn't truly shown up in games. Crawford will show 55 raw to the pull side in batting practice, and I've seen him turn major-league velocity onto the berm in right-center in Lakewood, which is not an easy place to park one. Fifteen-plus home run power is in that swing, but he might need to physically mature to fully tap into it. Crawford is an elite shortstop prospect. The glove and approach should make him a good regular for the next decade on their own, with star potential if the bat reaches its ceiling. He doesn't have Francisco Lindor's top-of-the-scale defensive tools, but the rest of the profile is similar, and Crawford is clearly no slouch with the leather. He has also already seen some success at Double-A at just 20 years old, so it is possible he debuts sometime in 2016. The Phillies will be in no hurry to start his clock, but it will be tough to keep him out of a major-league uniform much into 2017. Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: The fantasy floor for Crawford may be the second highest in the minors right now, next to Corey Seager, but don’t let that lead you to believe the ceiling isn’t exciting in its own right. He’s not going to give Carlos Correa a run for top fantasy shortstop, but a .280 hitter with 10-12 homers and 20-plus steals (along with plenty of runs if he hits atop a lineup), is enough to give him an inside track to the top-five. And as Jeff noted above, there may be more power to come. Major league ETA: 2017

I'm going to totally throw out injury risk since they've both been very healthy so far. Syndergaard has a lot more velo and Ks. I like Stroman a lot, but 5 years from now when they both start slipping in velo, I'd rather have Syndergaard.

It's not 5 games, though, it's 5 starts or 10 games. I think that's reasonable.

I like this deal for you, although I can understand why Min did it. I like Turner's bat more, but Kang will retain SS eligibility, which Turner will not (although he could conceivably get it back).

I think it's also possible that the Dodgers just decided that the Reds were overrating Peraza and decided to cash in on it.

Interesting. Saint Fernandez carried me on wings of glory to my FC title, although Cargo and Goldy helped quite a bit.

Just looking at that DC, and now with Maeda and Kazmir signed, I'm starting to think they want Montas as a full-time reliever. Either that or they intended to package him for Fernandez and it never materialized.