Keith Law's new top 25 prospect list

[Ozzie Ball]

Mitchell's report

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/...ontent=mitchell

 

Trout's report

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2009/...p?content=trout

 

both guys have plus speed, trout has developing power, mitchell just has raw power. I believe Mitchell has more issues with his swing and tends to strike out a lot, and Trout also had better plate discipline than Mitchell. Trout was a more well rounded player with above average tools, while Mitchell was a Mike Cameron type of player, good speed and power, but has contact issues.

 

If you respect Keith Law's opinion, I believe he had Trout as a better prospect on his board, I believe he was in the teens to twenties, while mitchell was 35 I think, and he did project Trout to go to the Sox.

Mitchell was considered to have better speed/power/defensive potential, with Trout having the edge in contact ability. Mitchell's speed/athleticism is elite, whereas Trout's is "just" plus.

 

I'm not a big Mitchell fan, and I never said he was, or is, a better prospect than Trout.

[DirtySox]

Also I hate all the Keith Law bashing. I respect his opinion perhaps more than anyone else when it comes to prospect evaluating. The White Sox system doesn't get any love from him because it doesn't deserve any and it may be the worst in baseball right now.

 

Ding Ding Ding!

 

This.

[Steve9347]

What's up Law's arse?

[Chisoxfn]

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/col...&id=5338763

 

Keith Law is putting out his updated top 25 prospect list today, and to no one's surprise, no sox prospects were on it. Realistically, I think Hudson is pitching like a top 40 prospect this season, but Law might not even have him as a top 100.

 

Though he didn't include any white sox in the top 25s, he didn't waste the opportunity to bash our new 1st rounder Chris Sale. Here is what he has to say about Sale.

 

 

 

Of all new draftees, he has be bash on Sale, not that we even expect him to be on the top 25 (Harper and Taillon wasn't on it either). What a jerk.

 

But what I am really mad about is the number 3 prospect Mike Trout of the Angels. Supposed he was on the Sox radar going into the 2009 draft and many mock drafts have him going to the Sox. But the Sox went ahead with a safer college choice in Jared Mitchell. Trout was regarded as a better prospect going into the draft. What a difference a year makes, Trout is looking like the best player in the minors with .370 BA and over 1.000 OPS as a lead off hitter. He is closing in on 40 SBs and we are not even in July yet! Crazy right, and he is still 18 years old! Mitchell on the other hand has yet to play a game this season and still has a long way to go till he reach the bigs.

 

I guess one of the main reasons the Sox passed on Trout is the fact that he might be a tough sign as a high school player. But it really frustrates me that we are passing on top notch talent to go with safer ones. I think we haven't drafted a high schooler in the first round since Kris Honel in 2001.

Mitchell wasn't a safe pick, not at all. I loved Trout, but most people coming out of the past draft thought Trout was a safe prep guy that had a Rowand like ceiling. Mitchell had a Crawford like ceiling and was kicking ass up until his unfortunate injury in spring training. And the above is coming from the guy that was probably most on board with Trout on this forum.

 

But no one expected Trout to hit as much as he did. Part of the issue was playing in the North East you just never know, but the guy has came on like gang busters.

 

If we had Trayce/Micthell healthy I'd think a lot of us would have far less concerns about our system because both guys have "elite" tools. And when I say that I don't mean they'd necessarily be elite players, but they have the ability to be difference makers. Mitchell with elite speed, Tracye with elite bat speed and athletism for a guy his size.

[whitesoxfan101]

Why does Law hate us again? I've seen the story before, but can't remember it.

[Chisoxfn]

Why does Law hate us again? I've seen the story before, but can't remember it.

I think it has to do with the David Wells deal?

[whitesoxfan101]

I think it has to do with the David Wells deal?

 

I think he still wrote for BP when that deal was made. I know Gord Ash was their GM at the time, and I think Law was hired by Riccardi.

[Quin]

I think he still wrote for BP when that deal was made. I know Gord Ash was their GM at the time, and I think Law was hired by Riccardi.

 

Law was hired by Riccardi.

 

And Ozzie Ball, yes, our system sucks. Daniel Hudson does not.

 

Remember Klaw's quote about Hudson?

 

Keith Law: "With average stuff at best. And I'm sorry, what a D1 college product did in A-ball - especially low-A - is just not that exciting. Unless he stunk, in which case, he's got one food in the discard pile."

 

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/...sider-keith-law

 

That shows me he failed to do any research whatsoever. Hudson dominated at all 4 stops and was OK last year when he was up here. He then says "Unless he stunk." That shows he didn't even follow Hudson and was unsure if he was good or bad.

 

In other chats he said he expected the Hudson hate, so it just kinda shows that he hates the Sox or that he just didn't feel like including the MiLB Pitcher of the Year on his 100 Prospects

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Law was hired by Riccardi.

 

And Ozzie Ball, yes, our system sucks. Daniel Hudson does not.

 

Remember Klaw's quote about Hudson?

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/...sider-keith-law

 

That shows me he failed to do any research whatsoever. Hudson dominated at all 4 stops and was OK last year when he was up here. He then says "Unless he stunk." That shows he didn't even follow Hudson and was unsure if he was good or bad.

 

In other chats he said he expected the Hudson hate, so it just kinda shows that he hates the Sox or that he just didn't feel like including the MiLB Pitcher of the Year on his 100 Prospects

 

Or when he made the joke about dressing up as Alexei for Halloween by just wearing a black shirt and swinging a baseball bat around aimlessly, never hitting anything. And this was in 2008 after Alexei hit .290 and had an 81% contact rate, which is pretty decent.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Trout is tearing up A ball, low A ball at that. While it's impressive, Jeremy Reed and Brandon Allen have been impressive in the minors at higher levels. Lets hold off the superstardom tag. He's probably 2-3 years away minimum.

 

Mitchell looked like he would be with the Sox next year until his injury.

 

Keith Law is a piece of ****, he adored Chris Sale coming into the draft (he had him going 4th overall) and the second the Sox drafted him, he suddenly had horrible mechanics and was a horrible prospect.

 

You do realize that Trout is not even 19 yet, right?

[Jordan4life_2007]

This thread certainly doesn't describe things as I remember them. Trout was seen seen as very raw coming out of HS with questions over his contact ability. He was compared to Aaron Rowand a lot because he's a grinder who wasn't thought to have great tools (above average hitter, average power). I can't remember anyone saying they wanted Trout. I certainly didn't want him.

 

Since being drafted Trout has obviously exploded, but there's a reason why he was picked at #25. The Sox went for the higher upside guy in Mitchell (despite what the OP seems to think, Mitchell was thought of as the higher upside guy at the time) and I think you have to just call this great scouting/player development on the side of the Angels.

 

Anyway, not sure why I'm posting in here because I do think this thread is ridiculous.

 

Also I hate all the Keith Law bashing. I respect his opinion perhaps more than anyone else when it comes to prospect evaluating. The White Sox system doesn't get any love from him because it doesn't deserve any and it may be the worst in baseball right now.

 

This is shocking to me coming from you. I took you as a White Sox farm system apologist (or is that JPN and scenario? ). You're 100% right by the way.

[scenario]

Also I hate all the Keith Law bashing. I respect his opinion perhaps more than anyone else when it comes to prospect evaluating. The White Sox system doesn't get any love from him because it doesn't deserve any and it may be the worst in baseball right now.

 

Yikes. Why?

 

He's not a scout. He's a media writer. I collect quotes of stupid uninformed comments he's made over the years... and it's not small.

 

The only reason he has any 'street cred' as a baseball insider is because he got hired for a short stint by one of the worst GMs in recent baseball history.

 

So... I guess you can tell that I'm not a big Keith Law fan.

Edited July 1, 2010 by scenario

[Ozzie Ball]

Yikes. Why?

 

He's not a scout. He's a media writer. I collect quotes of stupid uninformed comments he's made over the years... and it's not small.

 

The only reason he has any 'street cred' as a baseball insider is because he got hired for a short stint by one of the worst GMs in recent baseball history.

Well unfortunately I'm not connected with scouts from all over the country, so all I have are the prospect writers. He has as much if not more scouting experience as the guys at BA, or KG or Sickels and, like me, he uses advanced stats. It pains me reading BA and seeing them still use ERA and W-L records as means of evaluation. Sickels is better than BA in that regard but he overemphasizes pitcher hit rates, which I don't care for. KG is far too tools obsessed.

 

I can't comment on your long list if uninformed comments, but I'm sure you could compile a similar list on anyone who throws their opinions out there on a regular basis like he does.

[Chisoxfn]

Well unfortunately I'm not connected with scouts from all over the country, so all I have are the prospect writers. He has as much if not more scouting experience as the guys at BA, or KG or Sickels and, like me, he uses advanced stats. It pains me reading BA and seeing them still use ERA and W-L records as means of evaluation. Sickels is better than BA in that regard but he overemphasizes pitcher hit rates, which I don't care for. KG is far too tools obsessed.

 

I can't comment on your long list if uninformed comments, but I'm sure you could compile a similar list on anyone who throws their opinions out there on a regular basis like he does.

Especially since we are all evaluating prospects, who as we al know, tend to fail a lot more than they ever succeed/pan out.

[NorthSideSox72]

The Sox system does indeed suck right now.

 

But that doesn't change the fact that Law, as a pattern, has consistently talked Sox prospects down below where everyone else has them, and has taken every opportunity to bash, even when off topic. There is clearly a bias there.

 

[whitesoxfan101]

The Sox system does indeed suck right now.

 

But that doesn't change the fact that Law, as a pattern, has consistently talked Sox prospects down below where everyone else has them, and has taken every opportunity to bash, even when off topic. There is clearly a bias there.

 

Exactly. Our system sucks, but Law has a clear bias against us even in rare cases we deserve praise. I'm not sure why anybody would generally take Law's word to mean much though, his evaluating has shown to be iffy in recent years at best (although he's not the only one with that problem in the business).

Edited July 1, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[Chisoxfn]

The Sox system does indeed suck right now.

 

But that doesn't change the fact that Law, as a pattern, has consistently talked Sox prospects down below where everyone else has them, and has taken every opportunity to bash, even when off topic. There is clearly a bias there.

Completely agree with that too. Law has always had an agenda against KW.