Only 3 more spots to go. The voting for #27 was incredibly close, with Colby Shreve grabbing 63 votes and Jared Cosart grabbing 61 votes. Because of this, I’m going to do what we did earlier, give Shreve #27, Cosart #28, and we’ll move straight to #29. So really only 2 spots to go. I want to wrap this up this week, solicit people’s individual Top 30 lists, and then I have a number of features, including my own Top 30 list. So today we’ll do number 29, and then #30 on Wednesday. So, lets get down to business…
Write-in votes cast; Slate (5), Slayden (3), Schwimer (2), Castro (2), Escalona (1), Durant (1) and Harman (1). I’ll add Slate and Slayden to the voting for 29.
01. Carlos Carrasco, RHP
02. Lou Marson, C
03. Jason Donald, SS
04. Kyle Drabek, RHP
05. Michael Taylor, OF
06. Dominic Brown, OF
07. JA Happ, LHP
08. Travis D’Arnaud, C
09. Joe Savery, LHP
10. Zach Collier, OF
11. Jason Knapp, RHP
12. John Mayberry Jr, OF
13. Edgar Garcia, RHP
14. Antonio Bastardo, LHP
15. Julian Sampson, RHP
16. Drew Naylor, RHP
17. Mike Stutes, RHP
18. Anthony Hewitt, 3B
19. Sebastian Valle, C
20. Vance Worley, RHP
21. Freddy Galvis, SS
22. Travis Mattair, 3B
23. Damarii Saunderson, OF
24. Anthony Gose, OF
25. Andrew Carpenter, RHP
26. Mike Cisco, RHP
27. Colby Shreve, RHP
28. Jared Cosart, RHP/OF
29.
Phuture Phillies 
Voted for Slate, who is the 2007 version of Cosart. Although, for some reason my comments never make it to the site. Hopefully that’ll be fixed before the post looking for reader’s top 30.
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I went with Berry here, he’s pretty much the only guy with speed somewhat advanced in our system and had decent numbers last year. A good season this year and he could find himself on the big club for the September stretch run.
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I’ll go with Berry, too. He has a shot and must step up his game at the AA level now.
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I’m going to write-in Jeremy Hamilton. I like his potential to be a Mark Grace-style 1B
– Jeff
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Going with Berry as well. Not a huge fan of his because of his age, but he has a pretty good chance of being a reserve OF because of his defense and PR ability. This is a big year for him to show he can still be a plus player in the upper minors.
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I like Pettibone here. My top 30 might have put Q in it already, but I think Pettibone needs some love.
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A vote for Michael Durant . Has major league power .He needs to make a huge statement this year.
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That statement being, “hey look, I learned how to make contact!”
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I did vote for Quintin Berry. That speed makes him a good bet to be a useful reserve.
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I like speed…Berry was my selection.
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Voted for Chapman again. Further along than the 2008 draftees, but still upside to make a MLB contribution. Has been successful throughout his college and pro career.
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Going with De Fratus here. I would imagine he probably could be higher up on this list.
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I am getting a feeling we may not need Wednesday for voting since it might be a clear cut 2 horse runnaway.
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I like speed as much as anyone, but Berry’s got to show me more than that before I put him ahead of someone like de Fratus. A 20.2% K rate is a bit unnerving for someone who posted only a .069 ISO last year; I worry that his walks will dry up as he climbs the ladder and more advanced pitchers simply challenge him to hit better stuff.
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I see Berry in Reading but not for long. Injuries may force him
into a role the second half or sooner. I’ll bet we could go to 40 and still have a viable prospect
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Just curious, does anyone have a scouting report on Berry’s defense (route running, how good of a jump he gets on the ball, etc) and arm. For some reason, I thought I heard that he was only an average defender.
– Jeff
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I voted for Tyson Brummet again. I still say he would have had great numbers last year if he stayed at Clearwater but the dble jump mid year was too much for him. We’ll see how he does this year back at Reading. As for Berry, he’s a nice extra man and has a real shot of being on the Phils’ bench in a year or so, as does slayden but with different skills, but is that good enough to call someone a prospect? I’d choose one of the other young pitchers with potential over Berry (and I like Berry).
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can someone explain the excitement about De Fratus. he was a 20 year old in short season ball (in his 2nd year), with a 1.34 whip and less than 1 k per inning. he is a big kid, but it takes more than that.
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As someone who voted for De Fratus, here goes.
As you stated, he is a big kid who already throws in the low 90’s, with an above average slider and good control (almost 3-1 k/bb rating). Add in that he also has only given up 2 hrs in almost 130 IP and that tells me he pitches down in the zone consistently. He also led the NY/Penn league in IP which shows he has shown the ability to throw innings and go through a lineup more than once.
For all of those who were excited about Mike Cisco earlier, there isn’t a whole lot of difference in their stuff other than that De Fratus has the frame to add a few MPH.
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Would also add that being picked as the #29 prospect isn’t exactly garnering much “excitement”.
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overbeck
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Looking at Williamsport as a whole, quite a few of our pitchers had extremely low HR totals. De Fratus, Roth, Ballestas, Schwimer, Rosenberg, Ellis, Grieve, Drabek and Cisco. The league OPS for the NY-Penn League this season was just .690. That’s a pitchers’ environment. I’m cautious about falling in love with an entire group for something that might have been the playing conditions.
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For everything 3up3kkk said, JDF again. I have him at least 5-10 spots higher than this.
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ALAN
you are right so its up the Phils to move them up quickly to see what they have. The old play it safe wont work here.
You cant become a genius repeating the second grade over and over.
I would try Schimmer as the closer at Clearwater to see if he can keep his K rate up e.g.
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I voted for Justin De Fratus. Quintin Berry is almost a fringe prospect at this point, he’ll be 24 in AA. That said I think he will someday make the majors as a speed guy and if he can hit then he might be a victorino type player.
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Hey Mclouth didnt get any kind of shot until he was 25 then the idiots in Pittsburg tried to trade him despite 62 runs in 328 abs So late bloomers happen Berry and Lopes maybe a great combination
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Would Correa figure in about here if he gets reinstated?
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I like De Fratus here too. He is right where he belongs in this poll. Good numbers for a Short Season pitcher who will be 21 @ Lakewood. Another site has him at # 33 so we’re pretty close i think? Must have more k’s per IP to move up in my book.
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Berry–speed, defense, and decent OBP potential.
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I’m not a big Berry fan, to me he is just another Moran or Bourn, but he deserves a spot in the top 30, so I put him here. Pettibone or DeFratus next. Probably DeFratus.
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De Fratus has potential.
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Going to go over to the write-in candidate, 40 man roster member, and candidate to MLB this very season, Sergio Escalona. Maybe, if this one isn’t double-hung as well, some looking over for the last spot could occur.
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I’m a big advocate of De Fratus here. Still young for the league in each of his two seasons. Good-to-very good performance. 1 HR in 83.1 IP last year is really something.
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I do wonder, when you get everybody’s individual top 30, how many lists will have Saunderson on them. It will be very interesting.
DeFratus, incidentally. Berry’s .701 OPS at age 23 in Clearwater is less than impressive.
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Zack Sterner is another guy that maybe shudda moved up so we dont really know much about him.
ps wenesday,thurs etc SATURDAY
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Andy- Saunderson is a guy I’ll probably drop to make room for Pettibone, DeFratus, or Brumett.
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To me, it’s a little bit silly to be arguing about either truly fringe players who almost certianly will never get more than a “cup of coffee” (Berry being a prime example) or very distant prospects, who are so far from the majors that it’s impossible to judge their chances, when good old Jeremy Slayden is around. Although nothing is certain, I’m pretty confident that Slayden will play major league ball and he might even get a lot of ABs as a pinch hitter and extra outfielder. It would be a shame if he’s not in the top 30.
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Voted Escalona again. Theres a decent chance we’ll see him in the majors before too long, maybe this year. He’s had success in the high minors. Guys like Cosart, Shreve, their chances of ever making it to the majors are minute. I don’t think just because we got to the 20th or 25th spot we should drop the “proximity to the majors” criteria that most people seemed to be using early on.
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Saunderson would not be on my top 30. Whether I would throw anyone else off is another question. Berry probably belongs, along with Pettibone and Slate. Conceivably could put May on as well. I am not sure I leave Cisco on in place of some of those other names as I just don’t think he has a high enough ceiling as a prospect.
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Catch 22, my little essay on Slayden and his type:
Agree that Slayden should get a chance. He fits a profile that I have seen countless times since the 60s/70s. Guys with good minor league bats, not real toolsheds, but can swing the bat and have not dropped off in high minors. Consistent performance year to year.
Tomas Perez, Lou Collier, Travis Chapman, Eric Valent, Jason Michaels, Kevin Jordan, PJ Forbes, Reggie Taylor, Kevin Sefcik, Bobby Estalella, David Doster, Jon Zuber, Tony Barron, Gene Schall, Wes Chaberlain, Tony Longmire and others are all recent examples of this tweener category. Some made it, some did not, and it’s not always talent that makes the difference. At this level, opportunity might be more important.
Here’s my view of those guys: Some make it, like a Greg Dobbs, Chris Coste, Clay Condrey, etc. Most do not. Of those that do not, some actually got the chance and did not produce. Of those, the bulk are probably AAAA guys, always ready to hit in AAA, but production drops off big time in majors. Something just does not translate to majors, whether it’s a slow bat, mental struggles, poor fielding or other factors. But others may have just needed more time to acclimate. It’s a cruel fact that there aren’t enough opening to give these guys extended chances. The ones willing to hang on to age 26-28 and contuniue to perfect their games and be ready when they are called up–they are gambling big time, because the chance may never come. That is what it takes though. Dobbs did that and we all know Coste’s story, one of the more extreme cases.
Then there are the guys who had the talent to swing the bat or pitch in mjors, but never got the chance or gave yp early and moved on.
Which will Slayden be? I think to make it, he will have to step it up and hit over .300 and keeping working on fielding and other aspects of the game. His chance could come this year if Ibanez is injured. Or in two years with another team. The opportunity is probably the biggest factor with these guys. The more this type of player can create opportunity by taking performance to the next level, the better the chances.
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Slayden is a poor man’s Jason Michaels.
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Pettibone. Has a chance to develop into a SP. Q-Berry might become a spare outfielder.
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Slayden is currently 26 and will turn 27 during the 09 season. IMO, he no longer qualifies as a prospect but has reached the status of career minor leaguer who may get a shot some day and become a feel good story.
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Slayden has never repeated a single level in his entire minor league career. He is absolutely still a prospect, whether he is a good prospect or not, that is for you to decide 3up.
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Based on what Noworyta is saying DeFratus, Diekman and Galvis are expected to repeat Lakewood this year and they will make up for the lack of a first round pick by a big signing in the “foreign countries” like Latin America. .
http://blog.blueclaws.com/
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mike durant
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Great name Bob Loblaw, Attorney at Law.
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DiamondDerby – I don’t think you and I really disagree on very much. It’s not 100% clear that Slayden’s going to make it. If it were, he’d probably be in the top 20 of prospects. I base my conclusions partially on statistics, partially on what I’ve read about him (coaches believe that he can add consistency and become considerably better – it’s impossible to know if that’s a true assessment or just fluff), and partially based on the fact that, each year, he has moved up a level and has improved. It’s not entirely his fault that the organization has pushed him along slowly – wherever he’s gone, he’s hit and gotten on base.
That being said, he’s 26, so luck, persistence, and improved performance will be part of the equation, but if he hangs in there, I think he’s going to play at a major league level and will get a chance. He’s got a chance to be a nice 4th outfielder and pinch hitter. A guy like this is, in my opinion, certainly qualified to be in the top 30 of the team’s prospects.
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