winninguglyin83 Posted September 21, 2003 Share Posted September 21, 2003 Sox have 2 of the top 3 and 4 of the top 20 prospects in the Appalachian League ... if you trust Baseball America. They're a long way from the bigs -- but after the last week, we need something to look forward to. 2003 League Top 20s: Appalachian League -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baseball America's League Top 20 lists are generated from consultations with scouts and league managers. To qualify for consideration, a player must have spent at least one-third of the season in a league. Position players must have one plate appearance for every league game. Pitchers must pitch 1/3 inning for every league game, and relievers have to have made at least 20 appearances in full-season leagues and 10 in short-season ones. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Bill Ballew September 20, 2003 2003 League Top 20s Sept. 18 Gulf Coast League Sept. 19 Arizona League Sept. 20 Appalachian League Sept. 21 Pioneer League Sept. 22 New York-Penn League Sept. 23 Northwest League Sept. 24 Midwest League Sept. 25 South Atlantic League Sept. 26 California League Sept. 27 Carolina League Sept. 28 Florida State League Sept. 29 Eastern League Sept. 30 Southern League Oct. 1 Texas League Oct. 2 International League Oct. 3 Pacific Coast League The 2003 season marked the 16th season Ray Smith has been in the Elizabethton dugout; his eighth as the manager. Smith, who spent parts of the 1981-83 playing for the parent Twins, has a better perspective than anyone when it comes to the Rookie-level Appalachian League. So what's his assessment of the league this year? "Overall, I think the talent was down a little bit," said Smith, who led Elizabethton to its second straight Appy championship. "There weren't the number of big bats that we've seen recently. But there were several arms that have an excellent chance of becoming impact guys." Burlington manager Rouglas Odor had the best pitching prospect, Adam Miller, as well as others such as Aaron Laffey, who just missed the top 20 list. "This was probably the best all-around pitching the league has had in the three years I've been here," Odor said. "Every team had a couple of guys that could develop into prospects." Two of the best position players in the league didn't log enough playing time to qualify for the list. Lastings Milledge (first round, Mets) and Ryan Sweeney (second, White Sox) are both multitalented outfielders who figure to be mainstays on prospect lists in years to come. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Chris Young, of, Bristol White Sox Young's speed played better than anyone else's in the league. The White Sox clocked him at 4.0 seconds from the right side to first base, and he stole third base on numerous occasions with ease. His legs also make him a solid defensive center fielder, where he played errorless baseball for 50 straight games. The White Sox are most excited about Young's development as a hitter. A student of the game, Young made progress in using the entire field and was second in the league with 28 extra-base hits. He surprised many opponents with the pop in his bat, and Bristol manager Jerry Hairston said there's more power to come from Young's 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame. "He's an excellent runner with budding power," Hairston said. "He's picking up breaking balls as soon as they leave the pitcher's hand and making the necessary adjustments in all phases of his game." TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Bristol 64 238 47 69 18 3 7 28 23 40 21 .290 .357 .479 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Robert Valido, ss, Bristol White Sox No first-year position player out of high school made a better impression than Valido. A product of Miami's Coral Park High, which also produced the No. 3 overall pick in the 2000 draft (Cubs shortstop Luis Montanez), Valido's instincts and maturity stood out. "He has a knack for being in the right spot all the time," Hairston said. "He knows the nuances of the game and wants to learn. He will do anything it takes to play in the big leagues. The way he goes about his business, there is no doubt that his goal is to get to the major leagues." Valido makes plays in the hole and displays the athleticism that made him an outstanding high school basketball player. He also answered predraft questions about his bat by finishing ninth in the Appy batting race and showing surprising power. TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Bristol 58 215 39 66 15 2 6 31 17 28 17 .307 .364 .479 13. Tim Tisch, lhp, Bristol White Sox The 6-foot-7 Tisch has developed as much as anyone in the White Sox organization. With a year of strength training and instruction under his belt, he refined his mechanics while improving the velocity of his fastball from 84-85 mph last season to 91-92. "If you had told me last year that Tim would be sitting in the low 90s now, I wouldn't have believed you," Hairston said. "But this kid has taken advantage of everything the organization has given him and developed into a solid major league prospect." Tisch overpowered Appy hitters at times. He throws over the top, and the ball explodes out of his hand. His slider and changeup are decent and have shown improvement. He has fine control of all his pitches, which was evident in a seven-inning no-hitter against Johnson City, one of just two complete games in the league this year. Team W-L ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Bristol 3-5 3.13 11 60.1 52 21 21 21 44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17. Orionny Lopez, rhp, Bristol White Sox Lopez was one of the league's more effective pitchers before tiring down the stretch. He doesn't throw hard, working consistently at 87-89 mph, but succeeds with a deceptive delivery and ability to command all of his pitches. He throws his fastball, plus curveball and an above-average changeup with a similar arm action. For such a young pitcher, he does a remarkable job of keeping hitters off balance. "He did a fantastic job this year," Hairston said. "He throws strikes, and he's as cool as a cucumber on the mound. He's around 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds. When he adds another 20 pounds, he could be a dominating pitcher." Team W-L ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Bristol 5-3 2.37 17 49.1 38 18 13 18 53 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighHeat45 Posted September 21, 2003 Share Posted September 21, 2003 Sox have 2 of the top 3 and 4 of the top 20 prospects in the Appalachian League Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted September 21, 2003 Share Posted September 21, 2003 Great report, thanks for posting it. I see they had a summary of the Pioneer league too, did any of the Great Falls players get any ink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winninguglyin83 Posted September 21, 2003 Author Share Posted September 21, 2003 Lemme check. If so I'll make a separate post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted September 21, 2003 Share Posted September 21, 2003 Thanks, much appreciated I'd think McCarthy would be on the list for the Pioneer league, and Nanita too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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