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Southern League top 20


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What I posted for Rex at our other site.

 

Southern League

 

1. Andy Marte 2. Joel Guzman 3. Rickie Weeks 4. Prince Fielder 5. Jose Capellan 6. Edwin Encarnacion 7. Anthony Reyes 8. Kyle Davies 9. James Loney 10. Josh Barfield 11. Anderson 12. Josh Willingham 13. Renyel Pinto 14. Freddy Guzman 15. Dan Meyer 16. Morse 17. William Bergolia 18. Arnie 19. Brad Thompson 20. Brad Nelson

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Is Morse really that good?

Morse has a lot of potential, but is still raw. He hit well for the Barons in a tough park to hit in. He showed the power they always thought he would.

 

The jury is still out whether he can play SS at higher levels, but he was no liability in the field for the Barons. He still doesn't walk enough and gets himself out too often by swinging at bad pitches. If he can continue to play solid D and improves his plate discipline, then hitting .280+ with 20-25 HR and 75-80 RBI in the bigs is not out of the question.

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What I posted for Rex at our other site.

 

Southern League

 

1. Andy Marte 2. Joel Guzman 3. Rickie Weeks 4. Prince Fielder 5. Jose Capellan 6. Edwin Encarnacion 7. Anthony Reyes 8. Kyle Davies 9. James Loney 10. Josh Barfield 11. Anderson 12. Josh Willingham 13. Renyel Pinto 14. Freddy Guzman 15. Dan Meyer 16. Morse 17. William Bergolia 18. Arnie 19. Brad Thompson 20. Brad Nelson

Damn there are some big names down there. Rex you are the AA guy, what do you think of Barfield, Weeks, Fielder, Matre, Reyes, and company? Are all of these guys as good as advertised.

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Damn there are some big names down there.  Rex you are the AA guy, what do you think of Barfield, Weeks, Fielder, Matre, Reyes, and company?  Are all of these guys as good as advertised.

Marte - Due to lovely unbalanced scheduling, the G-Braves were only in Birmingham once and in mid-April. Marte started off slowly so I didn't really get to see him do much. He's a pretty big guy but to be honest with you nothing really stood out about him when I saw him. He had a solid year and was young for the league. I think he'll see a year in AAA before there is talk of him taking over 3B in Atlanta. He doesn't turn 21 until later this month.

 

Barfield - Definitely has pop. He really struggled this year, hitting .248 and striking out 119 times, but still managed 18 HR and 90 RBI. He was only 21. There is definite talent there, but like a lot of hitters, he could walk more and strike out less.

 

Weeks - I was really disappointed in Weeks. Granted it was his first full season of pro ball, but I didn't see a lot of improvement. He was at .262 on May 20 and finished the season at .259. He walked a reasonable amount (55 times in 479 AB), but the rest of his game was average for such a highly regarded player. He did have 35 doubles, 6 triples and 8 HR so he has some pop. I just expected him to be on more of a fast track.

 

Fielder - I liked what I saw in Fielder. He started the year at 19 and turned 20 in May. Being 20 and skipping high A, I believe his struggles were justified. But despite struggling somewhat and never really being a dominant player in the league, he ended up at .272 with 23 HR and 78 RBI. He walkd 65 times in 497 AB's, which is solid for a young hitter with power. What made Prince different is that he would go the other way and wasn't pull-happy. But what makes him really different is that when he is at the plate, part of you is hoping he catches a fastball just so you can see how far it will go, whether you are rooting for his team or not.

 

Reyes - He only pitched against the Barons once and I'll be honest with you I did not see much of that game. It was his first AA start and he tossed 7 IP, allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out eight and walking one. Talking with others that saw him more, he sounds like the real deal. He's just 22, but he was a college player in his first pro season, so making AA puts him on the fast track.

 

Pinto - I liked him a lot. Good fastball, kept it down and threw strikes. He struck out 18 in two starts against the Barons. He walked seven, which is too many, but you could definitely see potential. He turned 22 about halfway through the season. Hard throwing lefties are hard to find.

 

Brad Nelson - I really like him too. I think he was really overlooked on a team that included Weeks, Fielder and Tony Gwynn Jr. He is 22 and was coming off a wrist injury that sapped all of his power in 2003. He fell off toward the end of the year and finished at .254 with 19 HR and 77 RBI. He strikes out too much and needs to walk more (47 times in 500 AB), but he definitely has raw power.

 

Meyer - He was only in the league until June before a promotion to Richmond and eventually a Sept. call to Atlanta. Meyer turned 23 just after going to Richmond. I only saw him once and he carved up the Barons allowing just two hits in 5+ innings in his second start of the year. A solid lefty.

 

Loney - Lots of hype with him, but I just didn't see it. He hit better against Birmingham than the rest of the league, but it seemed like when a big out was needed, they had no problem getting him out.

 

Willingham - I am kind of surprised he made the list. AT 25, he was fairly old for the league. He has power (24 HR, 76 RBI) and walks a lot (91 times in 338 AB). Good numbers, just older than everyone else on this list.

 

Encarnacion - Talented, but raw. He didn't strike me as the next great player, but I didn't see him a whole lot. He's just 21 so he still has time.

 

Freddy Guzman - I only saw one series with him and he only had one hit in the four games. He looked like a speedy CF, but not much else stood out because he didn't hit. He's 23, so getting promoted out of the league this year was good for him.

 

Bergolla - I honestly can't recall much about him.

 

I never saw Joel Guzman, Kyle Davies, Jose Cappellan or Brad Thompson.

 

Keep in mind this list didn't include guys like BJ Upton or Joey Gathright who weren't around long enough.

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Interesting that you didn't like Weeks this season. The hype around him still seems really high despite the bad year. Weeks, Gwynn, and Nelson all didn't have good batting averages. It will be something to look for next season.

It's not that I didn't like Weeks, I guess I just expected more.

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