Carolina League Top 20 Prospects

[Ozzie Ball]

CAROLINA LEAGUE TOP 20 PROSPECTS

1. Matt Wieters, c, Frederick (Orioles)

2. Jake Arrieta, rhp, Frederick (Orioles)

3. Gorkys Hernandez, of, Myrtle Beach (Braves)

4. Nick Weglarz, 3b, Kinston (Indians)

5. Beau Mills, 1b, Kinston (Indians)

6. Aaron Poreda, lhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

7. Blake Wood, rhp, Wilmington (Royals)

8. Brandon Erbe, rhp, Frederick (Orioles)

9. Hector Rondon, rhp, Kinston (Indians)

10. Chris Marrero, 1b, Potomac (Nationals)

11. Ross Detwiler, lhp, Potomac (Nationals)

12. Tyler Flowers, c, Myrtle Beach (Braves)

13. Brandon Hicks, ss, Myrtle Beach (Braves)

14. Brandon Allen, 1b, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

15. Carlos Rivero, ss, Kinston (Indians)

16. Brandon Snyder, 1b, Frederick (Orioles)

17. John Ely, rhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

18. Josh Tomlin, rhp, Kinston (Indians)

19. Kanekoa Texeira, rhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

20. Bill Rowell, 3b, Frederick (Orioles)

 

Aaron Poreda, lhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

B-T: L-L Ht.: 6-6 Wt.: 240 Age: 21 Drafted: White Sox '07 (1)

Poreda stuck around Winston-Salem for just 12 starts but made a lasting impression. He pitched off a 94-96 mph fastball that induces groundballs because of its movement. "His stuff is nasty and will only get better," one talent evaluator said.

 

Poreda also began to show a feel for his changeup and defined his breaking pitch.

 

Poreda threw a curveball in college before adding a slider after turning pro, and he found himself caught in between the two pitches at the outset of the season. The White Sox have pushed him to focus on his hard slider, which dives at righthanded hitters' feet.

 

Pitching from a three-quarter arm slot makes it a challenge for Poreda to stay on top of his slider, and he also struggles to repeat his delivery at times. That could lead to a future as a reliever, and once scout said Poreda is ready to pitch out of a big league bullpen now.

 

Brandon Allen, 1b, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

B-T: L-R Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 235 Age: 22 Drafted: White Sox '04 (5)

No CL player drew more conflicting reports than Allen. Those who like him see him as a possible impact power hitter, while others deem him below average in every category but power. The league's slugging percentage leader at .527, Allen bettered that mark after a mid-June promotion to Double-A, where he homered twice in his first game and slugged .614.

 

Allen improved his ability to stay back on offspeed pitches, but he still struggles with pitch recognition and may never make enough consistent contact to hit for a high average. He moves better than most 6-foot-2, 235-pounders, but he's still rough with his footwork at first base and may wind up as a DH. He ranked second among the league's first basemen in errors despite playing just 89 games at the position.

John Ely, rhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 190 Age: 22 Signed: White Sox '07 (3)

Ely was 3-11, 5.51 in mid-July before going 7-1, 2.86 in his final eight starts, showing three quality pitches and plus command.

 

He's aggressive with an 88-94 mph fastball that typically sits at 91 with good movement and induces groundballs. Ely's best pitch is an above-average changeup with movement and fade that usually arrives 12 mph slower than his fastball. He sells it with good arm speed and action, though he sometimes relies on the pitch too much.

 

Ely mixes in a 12-to-6 curveball that can be a put-away pitch but he doesn't always trust it. He's a strong competitor who can keep his team in a game when he doesn't have his best stuff. He's not big and there's effort in his delivery, but he never has had arm problems and should be able to hold up as a starter.

 

19. Kaneoka Texeira, rhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 210 Age: 20 Drafted: White Sox '06 (22)

The CL's most dominant closer, Texeira didn't allow an earned run in his final 22 outings for Winston-Salem and finished second in the league with 20 saves despite earning a mid-July promotion. He continued to have success in Double-A and could factor into the White Sox bullpen at some point next year.

 

Texeira primarily relies on two pitches, a 90-91 mph fastball that he can throw to both sides or the plate and a nasty slider that can overmatch both lefties and righties. That combination yields plenty of strikeouts and groundouts. He was forced to use his changeup more often in multiple-inning outings in Double-A, but it's still a work in progress.

[scenario]

A couple of posts below copied from another thread since they actually belong in this one.

[scenario]

QUOTE (False Alarm @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 09:32 AM) *

this is secondhand, but the rankings i saw were poreda (6), allen (14), ely (17), and texeira (19).

 

 

Hmmm.... I have a hard time imagining Shelby wouldn't be included in the Carolina League list.

 

I've seen several comments from Carolina League managers where he was called the most exciting offensive player in the league... a very fast player with power.

 

Picture a 5'10 guy 180lb. guy who led the league in slugging percentage over some other MLB teams best prospects... and stole 33 bases.

 

A few more stats showing where Shelby ranked in the Carolina League:

1st in slugging percentage (.510)

2nd in doubles (37)

3rd in total bases (228)

3rd in stolen bases (33)

4th in triples (7)

5th in OPS (.841)

5th in runs scored (81)

6th in league batting average (.295)

6th in RBIs (80)

Edited September 26, 2008 by scenario

[scenario]

False Alarm said:

 

"he ain't included. the official list:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...008/266931.html

 

i'd imagine the omission had to do with his crappy plate discipline. nearly a 1:5 bb/k and pretty bad OBP. if he was a bit younger maybe they'd overlook it. he ain't old for the league (age-22 season), but he ain't extremely young either."

[scenario]

Interesting. I think you're right. He's 6-12 months older than most of the other guys on the list... even though he's below the league average age.

 

That's OK. Advantage us IMO. If Shelby is one of the league's best players and didn't make the list... hey I can live that. Makes our situation look that much better.

 

He's been on a normal progression (not held back or repeated any levels).

 

The exciting part IMO is if you consider that these players should all come up about the same time... in 2-3 years. (In Poreda's case probably earlier). So, next year at AA... 2010 in AAA. 2011 with the WhiteSox.

 

Danks and Beckham should be coming up in similar time-frame.

 

That's a nice pool of talent on the not so distant horizon.

[Palehosefan]

Beau Mills 5th place and Brandon Allen 14th?

 

Mills, 8/15/1986, .293 21 HR, 90 RBI, 78 Runs, 54 BB, 105 K's, 2 SB's, 3 3B's, 506 SLG% all in A ball

Allen,2/12/1986, .278 29 HR, 75 RBI, 87 Runs, 60 BB, 124 K's, 14 SB's, 6 3B's, 555 SLG% split between A/AA ball

 

Brandon is bigger, faster, has more power and put up some of his best numbers at a higher level. Yet...

 

 

Just noticed Brandon Hicks above Brandon Allen as well. Now I know they are delusional.

Hicks, 9/14/1985, .235 20 HR, 63 RBI, 52 BB 139 K's ....... really

Edited September 26, 2008 by Palehosefan

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Aaron Poreda, lhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox)

B-T: L-L Ht.: 6-6 Wt.: 240 Age: 21 Drafted: White Sox '07 (1)

Poreda stuck around Winston-Salem for just 12 starts but made a lasting impression. He pitched off a 94-96 mph fastball that induces groundballs because of its movement. "His stuff is nasty and will only get better," one talent evaluator said.

 

Poreda also began to show a feel for his changeup and defined his breaking pitch.

 

Poreda threw a curveball in college before adding a slider after turning pro, and he found himself caught in between the two pitches at the outset of the season. The White Sox have pushed him to focus on his hard slider, which dives at righthanded hitters' feet.

 

Pitching from a three-quarter arm slot makes it a challenge for Poreda to stay on top of his slider, and he also struggles to repeat his delivery at times. That could lead to a future as a reliever, and once scout said Poreda is ready to pitch out of a big league bullpen now.

 

 

Too bad they never talked to Ozzie...

[Chisoxfn]

Too bad they never talked to Ozzie...

I saw that quote and shook my head going, nice to see the Sox didn't use him in September when the pen was imploding (or at least try him out).

[bighurt4life]

Just noticed Brandon Hicks above Brandon Allen as well. Now I know they are delusional.

Hicks, 9/14/1985, .235 20 HR, 63 RBI, 52 BB 139 K's ....... really

 

Hicks plays a premium position at SS while Allen by all accounts plays a below average first base. Not sure is Hicks is a good SS but having a middle infielder with good power is always a plus and probably why he's rated higher.

[Palehosefan]

Hicks plays a premium position at SS while Allen by all accounts plays a below average first base. Not sure is Hicks is a good SS but having a middle infielder with good power is always a plus and probably why he's rated higher.

 

The thing is, Hicks hit .235 in A ball as a 23 year old. He struck out 122 times in 342 at-bats. If he's the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues, then I could understand a little bit. However, having seen him in the Big 12, I know that he's not.

[Ozzie Ball]

Hicks plays a premium position at SS while Allen by all accounts plays a below average first base. Not sure is Hicks is a good SS but having a middle infielder with good power is always a plus and probably why he's rated higher.

Here's from his scout report:

Though he's bigger than most shortstops at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Hicks was the CL's best defender at that position. He has enough range to stay at shortstop, along with a plus arm and a quick release.

 

So I guess it was his defense that did it.

[Palehosefan]

Yeah I saw that, but I also saw 19 errors in 109 games. Who knows, maybe his stats lie, sometimes it happens. I just think they really missed the boat with Brandon.