Rex Hudler Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 1. Miguel Cabrera, 3B Carolina Mudcats (Marlins) 2. Jeremy Reed, OF Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 3. JJ Hardy, SS Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 4. Edwin Jackson, RHP Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers) 5. Neal Cotts, LHP Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 6. Adam Wainwright, RHP Greenville Braves (Braves) 7. Mike Jones, RHP Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 8. Adam LaRoche, 1B Greenville Braves (Braves) 9. Corey Hart, 3B Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 10. Enemencio Pacheco, RHP Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 11. Angel Guzman, RHP West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) 12. Joel Hanrahan, RHP Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers) 13. Steven Smitherman, OF Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds) 14. Dave Krynzel, OF Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 15. Donnie Bridges, RHP Carolina Mudcats (Marlins) 16. Luis Martinez, LHP Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 17. Matt Diaz, OF Orlando Rays (Devil Rays) 18. Caonabo Cosme, 2B Tennessee Smokies (Cardinals) 19. Bubba Nelson, RHP Greenville Braves (Braves) 20. Humberto Quintero, C Mobile BayBears (Padres) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmr31 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 1. Miguel Cabrera, 3B Carolina Mudcats (Marlins) 2. Jeremy Reed, OF Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 3. JJ Hardy, SS Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 4. Edwin Jackson, RHP Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers) 5. Neal Cotts, LHP Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 6. Adam Wainwright, RHP Greenville Braves (Braves) 7. Mike Jones, RHP Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 8. Adam LaRoche, 1B Greenville Braves (Braves) 9. Corey Hart, 3B Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 10. Enemencio Pacheco, RHP Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 11. Angel Guzman, RHP West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) 12. Joel Hanrahan, RHP Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers) 13. Steven Smitherman, OF Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds) 14. Dave Krynzel, OF Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 15. Donnie Bridges, RHP Carolina Mudcats (Marlins) 16. Luis Martinez, LHP Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 17. Matt Diaz, OF Orlando Rays (Devil Rays) 18. Caonabo Cosme, 2B Tennessee Smokies (Cardinals) 19. Bubba Nelson, RHP Greenville Braves (Braves) 20. Humberto Quintero, C Mobile BayBears (Padres) Rex, when do you feel Reed will be able to contribute at the big league level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I'm surprised to see Guzman so far down, did his injury have something to do with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I'm surprised to see Guzman so far down, did his injury have something to do with that? Nah ... it's because he's a Cub prospect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Cabrera could be the Rookie of the Year, but I think Berroa from KC will beat him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winninguglyin83 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 The official BA list was not as kind to the White Sox -- only Reed and Cotts made it. And they were ranked third and eighth. No mention of Pacheco. More unsettling news: The Twins dominated the Eastern League stars. They had four of the top 11 prospects. Another interesting note: Royce Ring didn't make the list in either the Eastern league or the Southern League. by John Manuel September 30, 2003 No minor league made as much of an impact on this year's major league pennant races as the Double-A Southern League. The Marlins wouldn't have been in the wild-card race if not for lefthander Dontrelle Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who began their seasons with Carolina. Cabrera ranks No. 1 on this Top 20 Prospects list, while Willis would have given him a run for that honor if he had pitched enough innings to qualify. The Mudcats won the SL championship despite losing both players and strong-armed righthander Denny Bautista, the key player in the Jeff Conine trade with the Orioles. The Cardinals (Tennessee's Dan Haren), Dodgers (Jacksonville's Edwin Jackson) and White Sox (Birmingham's Neal Cotts) all called up pitchers who rated among the SL's 10 best prospects, with varying degrees of success. The Cubs likely would have promoted another, West Tenn's Angel Guzman, had he not injured his shoulder. Managers and scouts agreed that the SL had better talent than usual. Several players who didn't make the Top 10--such as Huntsville third baseman/league MVP Corey Hart, Bautista and Jacksonville outfielder Reggie Abercrombie--have the talent to be future all-stars. "What impressed me the most is the top prospects are young," Chattanooga manager Phillip Wellman said. "Usually, the top guys are 22 or 24, but this year the league had 19- and 20-year-olds who had talent and performed. That is exciting." 3. Jeremy Reed, of, Birmingham Barons (White Sox) Reed had more success in Double-A than he had in the high Class A Carolina League in every category except basestealing. He hit safely in 19 of his first 20 games with Birmingham, and though some managers thought he tired late in the season, it didn't show. He hit .431 in August and September, though he struggled in the playoffs. Reed earned some Mark Kotsay comparisons in college, especially after hitting .368 with wood bats for Team USA in 2001, but the White Sox likened him more to journeyman Dave Martinez entering 2003. Needless to say, he has raised expectations. "The guy can just hit. He can do it all offensively," a National League scout said. "He hits lefthanders real well, which is really impressive. But he hits everybody. He's more of a gap-power guy for now, but you can project more power down the line, maybe 15-20 home runs." Just as impressive, Reed runs well enough to play center field, and his arm is strong and accurate enough for right. Managers praised his savvy in all aspects of the game. TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Birmingham 66 242 51 99 17 3 7 43 29 19 18 .409 .474 .591 8. Neal Cotts, lhp, Birmingham Barons (White Sox) Cotts' big league callup didn't go as well as those of Jackson and Haren, but that didn't diminish his breakthrough season. The best part of the offseason Keith Foulke-Billy Koch trade for the White Sox, Cotts led the SL in opponent average (.173). Cotts didn't do it with Jackson's velocity or Haren's nastiness. Instead, he fooled hitters with the excellent deception on his high-80s fastball—the same formula that worked in college but didn't work in the big leagues. He alters speeds on his fastball and changeup, and also showed an improved curveball. "He's going to have to command all his pitches as he goes up the ladder, because he won't get away with mistakes," Wellman said. "But make no mistake, the ball jumps on you quick. The radar gun doesn't match your eyes." Team W-L ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Birmingham 9-7 2.16 21 108.1 67 32 26 56 133 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I'm surprised to see Guzman so far down, did his injury have something to do with that? Me too. When I saw him in the Spring against us, and in his short call ups he was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubKilla Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 The official BA list was not as kind to the White Sox -- only Reed and Cotts made it. And they were ranked third and eighth. No mention of Pacheco. Pacheco is number 10 on Rex's BA list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted September 30, 2003 Author Share Posted September 30, 2003 The official BA list was not as kind to the White Sox -- only Reed and Cotts made it. And they were ranked third and eighth. No mention of Pacheco. Pacheco is number 10 on Rex's BA list Pacheco was #10 on Rex's personal list. BA did not have him listed, which is a crock of s***. There are a lot of solid pitchers on the BA list, but none were as dominant as Pacheco, sans possibly Cotts. Pacheco was left off because he came out of nowhere and wasn't on any Top 10 lists, so he had no hype. I am telling you, if this guy can take one more step up in terms of improvement, you have one hell of a Major League pitcher on your hands, one with more upside than Cotts. I'm surprised to see Guzman so far down, did his injury have something to do with that? In my mind, yes that affected his status. He wasn't dominant early in the season, but was very good. A full season would have pushed him higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winninguglyin83 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I trust your judgment Rex. I know how BA likes to reward the guys it ranked highly prior to the season as well as guys who they projected to go high in the draft. They were very slow to recognize Jeremy Reed this season -- and really didn't do it until his numbers were too remarkable to ignore. Haven't seen Pacheco, but his numbers look solid. My guess is they didn't say much about him before the season and he probably doesn't blow up the radar guy. Any ideas why they wouldn't rank Ring in the Top 20 prospects in either league he played in? That surprised me. Might be more prospect bias against relief pitchers. I fear the Sox will go little or no respect in the International League rankings. Miles is old for a prospect. Borchard struggled. Hummel might get a call toward the bottom of the Top 20. Rauch and Adkins are unlikely to make the list either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Great list Rex. Thank goodness we have ya to tell us how Pacheco is doing. Just wait...next year when he's rocking AAA they will finally start talking about him. With his arm and if he can continue making strides...I am with ya when you say he could make a big time impact next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Here is my full take on Pacheco, including playing the Devil's Advocate side..... Pacheco came to the Sox and developed a reputation for being lazy and not working hard (weights, running, etc.). He had a live arm, but was all over the place. He was the last pitcher to make the Barons team this year and started the season pitching mop up duty out of the bullpen. He pitched pretty well early on in the few appearances he got. After several successful relief appearances and an injury to one of the starters, he was given a spot start. He pitched very well and earned another shot, one he would not give up the rest of the season. At some point, he started listening to Juan Nieves and/or Wally Backman and started doing more work in between starts. He is still not considered the hardest worker, but I am guessing he has realized the strides he can make after improving the workload. In each start, he got better and better and comanded his fastball like he hadn't before. Early on he was throwing 90-91. By the second half of the season, he was throwing 92-94 consistently and not walking many hitters. A scout did tell me one time that the knock on him was that he was not consistent from inning to inning, going from totally dominant in one, to missing spots in the next. That improved as the season went along as well. He is still not a Curt Schilling or Greg Maddux in terms of precision, but is not a guy that will walk 4-5 a game either. His slider is solid, although he does leave it up at times. In the SL, he got away with that a lot. His changeup looked really good at the end of the year, but he did throw it too often. In my mind, he needs to show this was not a fluke year. He needs to continue to work hard and learn to work even harder. If he does, and improves again next year, then he could easily be a # 3 starter with the potential to be even better. If he does not improve and relies on his fastball to blow away AAA hitters without command, then he will regress and I will look like an idiot, which is okay. The danger here is that he thinks his success from this year was easy and that it will continue without pushing himself. If he gets that idea into his head and he listens to too many people telling him how good he is, then the above may ring true. I think the potential is there with him for big things. But there are still question marks. For one, the Sox have to put him on the 40-man roster or lose him to free agency. It hasn't happened yet, but should be a formality in the coming weeks. I certainly would not rule him out as a possibility for a rotation spot next year depending on his spring. I think I covered both sides fairly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Rex, what's the scouting report on Adam Wainwright? Will he be the next big thing for the Braves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Any ideas why they wouldn't rank Ring in the Top 20 prospects in either league he played in? I don't know much about the EL prospects, but all of the SL pitchers were starters and all had a pretty good amount of hype coming into this season. On my list, I didn't include Haren or Bautista, only because I didn't figure they were around long enough to be considered. The pitchers on BA's list are legit and came in with hype ahead of them. My guess is you would really have to blow a league away as a reliever to beat out starters of that caliber. I fear the Sox will go little or no respect in the International League rankings. I agree and would almost expect a goose egg for the Sox. I think Miles will be deemed too old. Gload certainly is. Borch can't make it unless they go on total hype. I can't see anyone else from Charlotte cracking a Top 20 in a league of 14 teams. Great list Rex. Thanks, Jason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 It is very interesting that you mention Curt Schilling because that was the exact same knock on him. He personally said that his game didn't change until he got traded to the DBacks and he personally saw the ritual, routine and work ethic of Randy Johnson and what it took to be the best, and that is when he really started busting his ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Rex, what's the scouting report on Adam Wainwright? Will he be the next big thing for the Braves? I saw him one time the last weekend of the season. He was good and pitched very well. 6 IP 2 H 0 R 1 BB 7 K He is very tall and well built for a pitcher. If I recall correctly, he threw in the low 90's, but I couldn't swear to it. With the Southern League's wonderful scheduling, Greenville ended the season in Birmingham as their only trip. Carolina, with Cabrera and Willis, made their only trip to Birmingham to start the season. Makes it hard to get a good feel for some of the Eastern Division guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 It is very interesting that you mention Curt Schilling because that was the exact same knock on him. He personally said that his game didn't change until he got traded to the DBacks and he personally saw the ritual, routine and work ethic of Randy Johnson and what it took to be the best, and that is when he really started busting his ass. Some guys work harder than others. Some get by on natural ability alone, but very few get to the Majors and stay doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obno Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hey Rex, What about Bajenaru, and whats your opinion of Backman as a major league manager prospect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Rex, what's the scouting report on Adam Wainwright? Will he be the next big thing for the Braves? I saw him one time the last weekend of the season. He was good and pitched very well. 6 IP 2 H 0 R 1 BB 7 K He is very tall and well built for a pitcher. If I recall correctly, he threw in the low 90's, but I couldn't swear to it. With the Southern League's wonderful scheduling, Greenville ended the season in Birmingham as their only trip. Carolina, with Cabrera and Willis, made their only trip to Birmingham to start the season. Makes it hard to get a good feel for some of the Eastern Division guys. I think Atlanta's got very high hopes for Wainwright cos they didn't want to give him up as part of a deal for Sidney Ponson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hey Rex, What about Bajenaru, and whats your opinion of Backman as a major league manager prospect? Bajenaru has a chance to be a big league setup guy. He will need to continue to succeed and get some luck with being in the right place at the right time. The only negative about him is that there are lots of quality pitchers with good stuff in the Minors, including starters that can be converted to relievers. With good timing and taking advantage of an opportunity, he could do well. If lady luck is not on his side, he could get lost in a sea of similar pitchers, regardless of his performance. Backman will be an excellent manager in the Big Leagues and in my opinion is ready now. I do not think he and KW would mix well, however, so I will be surprised if he gets the Sox job now. I do think he would do very well, however and the players would love playing for him. I have gone into more detail on other threads if you are in the mood for a little search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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