We kind of touched on what to expect from Jaramillo going forward in the Reader Top 30 threads, where he took the 13th spot. Some felt he didn’t merit a ranking that high, which is understandable considering his less than amazing 2007 numbers. Baseball America’s Team USA breakdown
Bryan Anderson (Cardinals) and Jason Jaramillo (Phillies) split time behind the plate in the Arizona Fall League. Although Anderson is the more promising prospect, there is not much difference between the two in current ability. Anderson, who hit .298/.350/.388 for Double-A Springfield as a 20-year-old, is an offensive-minded catcher with good contact-hitting skills. Jaramillo, 25, hit .271/.350/.361 for Triple-A Ottawa right and shows more patience at the plate than Anderson does right now. Jaramillo also did a bit better than Anderson at throwing out base-stealers in 2007. Having the lefthanded-hitting Anderson and the righthanded-hitting Jaramillo should make for a nice platoon for manager Davey Johnson.
“Anderson is the better hitter of the two, but Jaramillo gives you more consistency behind the plate with above-average arm strength and accuracy with his throws,” a scout from a National League club said. “There isn’t much of a drop-off with either one behind the plate, but Jaramillo is the better defender. Anderson gives you more punch, but it’s not like Jaramillo is a bad hitter. This is a guy who had a really nice year in Triple-A (in 2007).”
Whether he’s just being nice for the sake of it, it’s nice to see something positive here, and it’s again highlighting his performance defensively, which is a plus. Anderson, for what it’s worth, was ranked as the Cardinals’ 6th best prospect entering 2007, and one of the better catching prospects in the minors.