Soxtalk Top Ten Prospect List

[Ozzie Ball]

And I have a really hard time putting a 16-year-old in the Top 10. I wonder how much BA actually knows about the kid.

Here's part of his scout report:

Strengths: Silverio shows all five tools at shortstop. He combines a quick bat with upper-body strength, enabling him to drive the ball around the park. He has a strong arm and a quick first step in the infield. He runs well, though organization officials project him more in the Miguel Tejada mold than as a true basestealer.

They say he has the highest ceiling in the system but he may end up out growing short.

 

I'm getting the ever growing feeling that Phil Rogers has no idea what he's talking about, I understand he's probably not a draft expert but even still, just now in the BA chat he came out with this gem:

Jordan Danks is an excellent name for the White Sox with the No. 8 pick.

Danks would have been an excellent name for the White Sox with their second round pick (if they still had it) but unless he starts showing some signs that he can and will hit for power there's no way he's a top 10 pick.

[Ozzie Ball]

Is anybody a subscriber and able to summarize anything interesting from the chat with Phil Rogers?

There's not been that many interesting bits, he's choosing to answer the same questions over and over but once it's done i'll try any summarise any points of interest.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Is anybody a subscriber and able to summarize anything interesting from the chat with Phil Rogers?

I think Phil Rogers should subscribe to SoxTalk and read Bureau's posts, or anyone else's for that matter. Among other things, how could anyone possibly rank Getz ahead of Shelby? Nothing against Getz, but have I missed something? Does Shelby suck ass and look to top out as a AAAA player or what?

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

BTW, how the f*** does Nevin Griffith not make this list?

 

Methinks Rogers either farts out his mouth or he really doesn't know his head from his ass.

[Ozzie Ball]

Ok these are just bits directly from the chat:

 

On Omogrosso: Omogrosso is defintely a prospect. He's got the build of a big-league pitcher, and can run his fastball up into the mid '90s at times. He had a great slider before his surgery at Indiana State, and has never quite gotten that back. The Sox were excited about the progress he made with his changeup last season, which they hope will make him effective against left-handed-hitters, who have been his downfall. He'll almost certainly be at Birmingham, either as a starter or reliever. His greatest upside could be as closer or a set-up man. It's not out of the question he gets to Chicago in 2008.

 

On Kent Gerst: If Gerst turned out to be only a poor man's Ellsbury that would be something. Speed is definitely his best asset. I think the Sox are waiting to see if he can develop as a hitter. Even with his speed, he had only one extra-base hit every 25 at-bats last season at Bristol, which isn't going to cut it. He will compete for a job in the outfield at Kannapolis in spring training.

 

On Griffith: Griffith ranked somewhere in the 20-25 range for the book. He's a kid with a mid-90s fastball but has some command issues. The White Sox have made some changes in his delivery, essentially trying to make it more repeatable by shortening his stride a little bit. He should have a good shot to start for Kannapolis but might benefit from quieter development in extended spring training.

 

On Rick Brooks: Brooks move to the bullpen can't hurt his chances to get to the big leagues. He had solid numbers as a reliever at Winston-Salem and can open eyes if he gets to Birmingham and continues to get results. He would have less of a distance to cover than Ehren Wasserman, who was the Sox's minor-league success story of 2007.

 

On Francisco Hernandez: It's too early to give up on a catcher who is above-average defensively, as is Hernandez, but his development has been slow. He seemed to regain his confidence when he was bumped back for a fourth year at Kannapolis, but it's time for him to show he can handle better pitching in 2008. He'll probably open at Winston-Salem but should hope he's not there all season, as it's time for him to start climbing the ladder. He did well in a limited opportunity with Estrellas in the Dominican Republic this winter, which is a good sign. I do think he has a chance to be a big-league regular, but he needs to hit better to make that happen. It helps his chances that he's a switch hitter.

 

On Po-Yu Lin: Lin is from Taiwan. He received a significant bonus from the Sox ($300,000, I think) but has not showed the kind of stuff that projects to prolonged success. I'm not sure he ever makes it to Double-A.

 

On Sergio Miranda: He is an excellent, fundamentally rock-solid fielder and a switch hitter who has always known the strike zone and been able to fight off tough pitches. I think the Sox stumbled into something really good with their 13th round pick for him. He slid in the draft because he is under-sized and not really toolsy (limited power, speed). But I think he is a ballplayer, and the system doesn't have enough of those. He was thrown into the fire in Kannapolis and played well there, which should give him a chance to open 2008 at Winston-Salem. I think he could develop into a No. 2 type hitter and an incredibly popular player.

 

On Christian Marrero: He is somewhere around 14-15, and is considered a very projectable hitter. The question is whether he moves to first base or stays in the outfield. He seems to be a favorite of many in the front office.

 

On Matt Long: Matt Long right now is a disappointment. He hasn't developed and didn't show the expected velocity in 2007.

 

On Sergio Morales: Morales is in that stack of low-minors outfielders with potential. He did very well coming out of Broward J.C. I'd look for him to play alongside Martinez in Kannapolis at the start of 2008. Those two guys could push each other for years, which would be fun.

 

On Lucas Harrell: Harrell could easily project into a big-league rotation. He was a workout room standout during his recovery from elbow surgery and was throwing low-90s sinkers and a plus changeup in the Instructional League. His slider is a bit of a work in progress but the overall package could play well in Chicago. In 2006, he held hitters to an average below .200 betwee high-A and double-A.

[NorthSideSox72]

I think Phil Rogers should subscribe to SoxTalk and read Bureau's posts, or anyone else's for that matter. Among other things, how could anyone possibly rank Getz ahead of Shelby? Nothing against Getz, but have I missed something? Does Shelby suck ass and look to top out as a AAAA player or what?

Sometimes, people's lists take into account how "close" players are to making it. Getz is probably just a utility IF, though I think maybe he has a shot to be a decent 2B. But he's a lot "closer" to ready for MLB play than Shelby is, even though Shelby has a higher ceiling.

 

[hitlesswonder]

All I know is I really like the fact that BA mentioned Poreda was hitting 98 and touched 100 a few times...

 

I'm not saying this isn't true, but BA routinely seems to inflate gun readings. Still, if this means his fastball sits at 95, that's not bad IMO. He could be the next 2006 Thornton which would be OK.

[GoodAsGould]

I really hope Lucas Harrel has a big season. I was really starting to like him as one of my favorite prospects before this season which was a complete waste for him.

[Gene Honda Civic]

On Martinez, BA/Rogers said that he has a plus arm in RF, and currently has the speed to play CF (Though that ability figures to wane as he fills out his ample frame)...

 

I point this out because this is what I heard this summer, and was the main (only significant) difference between the scouting reports I've heard over the season and those given by Bureau.

 

Of course, Rogers lists "raw package of tools" as Martinez' main weakness, which I agree would be a weakness were he at AA/AAA, but he's in Rk ball. Good prospects are supposed to be lanky, raw, and toolsy at that level.

[Metz]

I cringed at the "Projected 2011 Lineup" ... thank god its just a guess and what not but still

[BearSox]

I find it tough to believe that Getz would be our starting 2B over Richar...

[GoodAsGould]

 

 

Jose Lopez!

[eickevinmorris]

Jose Lopez is seriously terrible at baseball.

[GoodAsGould]

Jose Lopez is seriously terrible at baseball.

 

Lol, idonno what it is about him but I'm personally a big fan of Jose Lopez and think he can/will be a pretty good player in the upcoming years.

[maggsmaggs]

Jose Lopez is seriously terrible at baseball.

He was doing great last year until his brother died in a accident in Venezuela. He was not able to get to his funeral and from that date, he really struggled. But, prior to his brother's death, he was an all-star.

[NorthSideSox72]

 

Interesting on Getz. That's much better than I've heard him talked about before.

[scenario]

How is Miranda not in that Top 10?

 

And I have a really hard time putting a 16-year-old in the Top 10. I wonder how much BA actually knows about the kid.

 

Good points.

 

I really question how much Phil Rogers knows about our prospects. And not just because of this article.

[scenario]

I'm not saying this isn't true, but BA routinely seems to inflate gun readings. Still, if this means his fastball sits at 95, that's not bad IMO. He could be the next 2006 Thornton which would be OK.

 

I listened to most of Poreda's starts on internet radio... and if the stadium radar-guns are accurate... he was pretty routinely hitting 97-98.

[ptatc]

 

 

A well below average MLB player who was the starting shortstop on two world series winners and a WS MVP. Just goes to show you that tools aren't everything and scouting is not an exact science. Players with "well-below" average tools may not be MLB stars but can be effective players in used properly.

[NorthSideSox72]

A well below average MLB player who was the starting shortstop on two world series winners and a WS MVP. Just goes to show you that tools aren't everything and scouting is not an exact science. Players with "well-below" average tools may not be MLB stars but can be effective players in used properly.

I tend to agree with this - some players are more than the some of those skills. Others have negatives that take away from those skills.

 

[witesoxfan]

And more than that, David Eckstein had 24 other guys around him, including a top 3 hitter in baseball when he won his last one.

 

There are bad players on great teams and great players on bad teams, and everything in between. Just because you are on a good team does not mean you are a good ball player. Timo Perez has two World Series rings too, but he's not a good ballplayer by any stretch of the imagination.

 

More than anything, David Eckstein filled the role for the Cardinals in 2006 and the Angels in 2002 reasonably well, and did all that they asked him to do. That's about all you can ask for, whether the player is good or bad.

[SoxAce]

How is Miranda not in that Top 10?

 

And I have a really hard time putting a 16-year-old in the Top 10. I wonder how much BA actually knows about the kid.

 

Yea I believe it was Bureau who put it best that BA might only get one pick right which is obvious (possibly/sometimes the first two) but after that it's basically moot. IMHO, the two guys in the quote in my sig based on potential, should/would be well up there. (I'm not even counting Griffith or Silverio)

[ChiSox_Sonix]

FWIW - Oakland Top 10 prospects

 

Gio #2

DLS #4

Cunningham #9

Carter #10

 

Best FB - DLS

Best Slider -DLS

Best CB - Gio

 

2011 Lineup:

Gio #1 starter, DLS #3

Edited January 30, 2008 by ChiSox_Sonix

[Balta1701]

God our drafting sucks. Our guys only filled up 4 of Billy Beane's top 10 spots! Sure, you may argue that he only has 5 of our guys, but still, I want guys we draft to fill all 10 of those spots on the A's!

[False Alarm]

doesn't it seem kinda weird that they'd project DLS to the rotation, yet have him as a #3 rather than a #1 or #2? i mean, i thought his profile was basically closer, front of the rotation, or injury/bust, with little in between. yet here he's behind gio, who i thought was generally considered a future 2/3 if things worked out. DLS as innings-eater. huh.