daa84 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Everyone's favorite just came out with his top 100 prospects in baseball. I actually think this is fairly accurate of our guys. Viciedo was among the 10 that just missed the list according to Law RANK PLAYER POS. ORGANIZATION '08 RANK #AGE 36 Gordon Beckham SS Chicago White Sox TOP '08 LEVEL: A (Kannapolis) IE 22 Beckham doesn't always do it pretty, but it seems to work for him, as he has incredible instincts, enough that the "ballplayer" label might be more than just a cliché for him. Beckham's first move at the plate is down and slightly back, a hitch that makes it harder for him to catch up to better fastballs or adjust at the last second to an off-speed pitch, but he manages because of very quick wrists. He also helps himself by cheating a little on his front side. His natural range at shortstop is a little limited, but good game awareness helps him overcome that, as he positions himself extremely well, and his hands and arm are fine for the position. He could handle second base, but he should be allowed to stay at short until it becomes absolutely necessary to move him. He's the anti-Alexei Ramirez: Beckham's feel for the game makes his tools play up, and he's much more substance than flash. RANK PLAYER POS. ORGANIZATION '08 RANK #AGE 51 Tyler Flowers C Chicago White Sox TOP '08 LEVEL: A (Myrtle Beach) UR 23 Flowers wasn't on anyone's radar screen after a decent offensive year in Rome last year at age 21, since he wasn't young for the Sally League and will never be known for his defense behind the plate. He moved up to the Carolina League this year and hit .288/.427/.494 in a brutal hitter's park in Myrtle Beach, then obliterated Arizona Fall League pitching with a .387/.460/.973 line in 87 plate appearances. If you hit like Flowers hit in front of all of the scouts who go to see the AFL, you're going to get noticed, and Flowers' performance there helped him land in a trade out of Brian McCann's shadow to the White Sox, who did not have a catcher of the future in their organization. Flowers is, as you might imagine from the stat lines, a thick, strong kid with a good eye at the plate and 55-60 raw power; it's a high-effort swing and he starts with his hands so far back that he has to commit early, so he's going to swing and miss a fair amount in the big leagues. Behind the plate, he's an excellent hitter; he's playable back there but fringe-average is probably his defensive ceiling. As long as he can stay at the position and the White Sox can live with the cost of his glove, his bat is going to be star-caliber because of the low standard at that spot around the majors; otherwise, his bat will play at first base or DH, but he'll be an average overall player or slightly worse. RANK PLAYER POS. ORGANIZATION '08 RANK #AGE 57 Aaron Poreda LHP Chicago White Sox TOP '08 LEVEL: AA (Birmingham) 67 22 Poreda was a late first-round pick in 2007 but has zoomed past several college starters taken ahead of him. He's a tall lefty who comes from a slightly below three-quarter angle, but gets on top of the ball with a ton of sink. He'll sit 91-94 for maximum movement, and then dial it up to 95-96 to go up in the zone but still have some life on the pitch. He commands the fastball well and throws strikes with it, but beyond that he's a work-in-progress. He slows his arm for just about any off-speed pitch, primarily using an inconsistent slider that flashes solid-average with late break and decent tilt. His arm is so quick that he may have trouble throwing a consistent changeup, and didn't use it in-game during two relief appearances when I saw him in the Arizona Fall League. Because he throws strikes and gets groundballs, he projects at least as an innings-eater in the middle or back of a rotation, but he needs to find some kind of secondary offering to miss more bats and raise his ceiling Dayan Viciedo, 3B, Chicago White Sox: Viciedo has a sweet swing and plus raw power, but too many questions surround him, including his position, his weight and his declining performance while he played pro ball in Cuba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Behind the plate, he's an excellent hitter ha.I hope he's right and he can be fringe-avg... I can handle weak D behind the plate as long as he calls a good game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 02:36 PM) Behind the plate, he's an excellent hitter ha.I hope he's right and he can be fringe-avg... I can handle weak D behind the plate as long as he calls a good game. That is a huge key to good catchers - game calling and pitcher handling. Its one of the reasons why I was higher on D Lucy than some others, until he got hurt. Its hugely important, and underappreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 points Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 A bit high for Flowers, a bit low for Poreda, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Do catchers even call the games anymore? Doesn't it all come from the dugout now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 QUOTE (BearSox @ Feb 8, 2009 -> 08:24 AM) Do catchers even call the games anymore? Doesn't it all come from the dugout now? Depends on the team and the catcher and the player. Example...I doubt anything Buehrle throws comes from the dugout. Not enough time to relay those signals, and they trust AJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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