Reader Top 30; #8

2010 Reader Top 30

First post of the new year, and we’ll just jump right back into the fray with the #8 spot in the voting. Sebastian Valle was the runaway winner at #7, taking 41% of the votes cast, with JC Ramirez coming 2nd, and then a largely split vote behind him. I’m going to add toolsy OF Jiwan James to the voting for #8, even though he probably won’t garner many votes in the next few polls, we still need another name. Check below the fold for more..

01. Domonic Brown, OF
02. Trevor May, RHP
03. Phillippe Aumont, RHP
04. Tyson Gillies, OF
05. Anthony Gose, OF
06. Domingo Santana, OF
07. Sebastian Valle, C
08.

57 thoughts on “Reader Top 30; #8”

  6. I had 3 guys in mind for this slot: Bastardo, Cosart & Singleton. I chose Cosart. I chose the big upside of a starter over the guy who is going to be an important part of the Philly bullpen this year. Singleton’s in my top 10 but was rated behind both of these guys on my board. Ramirez looks like #11 to me. After that I’m back to the stats, the SONAR and some more gut feeling.

    Like

  7. add Yohan Flande to the voting next round – he’s a potential bullpen arm like many of the other pitchers left on the list

    Like

  8. This is not a top 30 post but since the only active thread is our top 30 list, I thought I’d add this here.

    I’ve been watching the stats of a Byrd. Not a Cardinal or Oriole or even Marlon…. I’m talking about Darren Byrd. He’s one of the few Philly Pharm guys still playing in winter ball. He’s 3-3 in 9 starts with a 3.38 ERA in PR. 45 IP and 17 ERs. He’s not top 30 but he’s at least interesting. He’s 23 and wasn’t too successful at Clearwater this year. If he can find some innings this year, maybe he’ll surprise a few people.

    Like

  9. I wll continue to vote for J.C. Ramirez in this spot. Big (6’3 225, something like that) big fastball, good stuff, starting power pitching prospect from Nicaragua.

    And speaking of Latin American pitching prospects, today’s philly.com says Phillies signed Miguel Nunez, a 6’6 RHP prospect from the Dominican Republic to a $220,000 bonus. Somebody might have tucked this in another corner of the site, didn’t look, so maybe it is. I was looking for an article up top. Anybody didn’t see it , here it is.

    Like

  11. I picked Ramirez, who has the most upside of any pitcher who has handled class High A. The best prospect on my list not on the poll is Michael Stutes.

    Like

  12. Bellman- Darren Byrd got a late start last season at Clearwater, pitched poorly, was demoted to Lakewood, straightened himself out and returned to Clearwater. Upon his return, he pitched quite well and I would expect to see him in Reading in some capacity in 2010. Not really a top prospect, but might eventually be a low leverage relief pitcher. I was worried when he was left exposed in the Rule 5 draft, but obviously, no one was interested.

    Like

  13. I am going with Mathieson. I am hopeful he is an option in the pen immediately. I personally always felt he would be best in that role due to his limited arsenal. However, his two pitches can play up at the end of the game if he locates them. It would be a great thing to see him make it all the way back and secure a pivotal role on this year’s team.

    Like

  14. Went with Ramirez. He was really young for high A ball, and he threw a lot of innings. He’s got good stuff. Look at his 2008 numbers.

    No idea who Nunez is, but if it’s true I’m pretty pumped. I thought we had a weak draft so we need to supplement with international signings.

    I think the next guy to add to the list is either Leandro Castro, or Vance Worley.

    Like

  15. Ramirez…finally!

    Then it’s time for the high projection guys, Cosart, Colvin and Singleton to get their due…and maybe even Miguel Nunez?

    Like

  18. We tend to overrate guys based on short season stats. I wrote in Schwimer in this spot. He is far closer to the majors then anybody on the list-even Mathieson I believe

    Like

  20. Googling ‘Miguel Nunez’ brings up lots of articles on an actor by that name.

    Googling ‘Miguel Nunez baseball’ gives lots of information on Abraham Nunez. *gag*

    Maybe someone will have better luck then I? I’ll try again at home but I’m at work right now.

    Like

  22. I voted Bastardo. Hard to tell exactly where to rank the guys near the majors, with demonstrated talent, but a series of injuries. If he’s healthy, he is a part of the 2010 Phillies. He looked great prior to injury last year and is still relatively young. I don’t know exactly what to make of Ramirez either. He did not put up great numbers last season, even accounting for his ball park.

    Like

  23. Mathieson should be in the top 10. As for a limited arsenal, his changeup has developed greatly since he last pitched in the big leagues. And reports on his slider are more than encouraging since that is a pitch that generally takes a while to re-master following elbow surgery (and he’s had 3). Add in an upper 90s fastball, and he has a chance to be something special.

    Like

  24. I went with JC Ramirez in this spot on potential. He had an off year last year, but perhaps a change of scenery will help him. He definitely has the tools.

    As far as the next name on the list, what about Jonathon Pettibone and/or Colby Shreve?

    Like

  25. I voted Martinez because of the scouting reports. I’ll vote Bastardo and Mathieson in the next few slots because, while their upside is questionable, both project to be MLB pitchers and could be quite good at that, albeit, most likely, in a relief role. The other prospects are just too far away to be rated that high yet.

    Like

  26. Duh, I meant I voted “Ramirez,” in case some of you begin scratching your heads and ask, “who’s Martinez”?

    Like

  28. I would have put these guys on the list before Jiwan James, but not ahead of the other names already on the list:
    Stutes (proximity to majors and upside)
    Carpenter (proximity to majors)
    Pettibone (19 and good K/9, though results were volatile)
    Galvis (a little younger than James at a much higher level, plus fielding, but I admit hitting is still lacking)
    Castro (same age as James, better results)
    DeFratus (good results as a starter and sick K/BB ratio)
    Perhaps Collier too…we could have a Top 30 of just our Low-A outfield prospects…

    Hewitt!!!

    Like

  29. I think James belongs on the list now. Remember he has hardly played any OF but held his own after 2+ years off. He has tools that equal anyone in the system including Brown. He could become a top 5 player in a hurry if he has a good year at Lakewood.

    Like

  30. Happy New Year to everyone. I’ve been away for a week and didn’t get to vote for a few spots but since I have Bastardo listed at #5 on my list, I’ll vote for him until he wins. He’s got a great arm and health seems to be his only weakness. He seems more likely to profile as a reliever but I don’t see him limited to being a situational guy and I’m not sure that he won’t get anther chance to start either with his past results.

    Like

  31. I went with Cosart here, by a hair over Justin DeFratus. I am trusting the Baseball America on Cosart (#6 overall in the Phillies system and ahead of Santana and Singleton as the #4 prospect in the GCL) but 21-year-old DeFratus really intrigues me because of his control (3 year minor league career strikeout : walk ratio (7.9 : 1.7) , size (6’4″, 215 lb), fastball speed (up to 95 mph) and SONAR score (#1 in the Phillies system). If SONAR means anything, its #1 Phillies pitching prospect, Justin DeFratus, needs to be on the ballot by now.

    I don’t quite understand all the support for 22-year-old JC Ramirez. I have him about #25 in my overall Phils prospect list clustered with Edgar Garcia and Matt Way, behind about a 11 other pitchers (DeFratus, Bastardo, Mathieson, Worley, Colvin, Savery, Carpenter, Sanchez, Stutes, Schwimer, Rosenberg). I do like Ramirez and consider him a prospect, but nobody left is a blue chip prospects and arguments can be made for any of them at this spot in the voting, so why is Ramirez running away with it? I think it is mostly due to him being in the news as part of the Cliff Lee deal and PP saying he likes Ramirez better than Aumont, (which I think is a reasonable position to take, although I have Aumont as the Phils #2 prospect it shows how hard and volatile the prospect projecting business is.)

    Like

  32. Ken, I’ve always like DeFratus for all the reasons you cited but the Phils have been, IMO, mishandling him. They tried to make him into a reliever in the fist part of the season. They used him as a starter at the end. He pitched in 36 games and started 12 which I believe were all at the end of the season. I like him as a starter but I’m not sure where the Phils want him. That’s why he’s slipped on my board. If he’s a reliever, he falls behind (in no particular order) Rosenberg, Schwimer, Bastardo and Aumont (if this is his fate). As a starter, I think there are some guys with big upsides that shade him out. He’s a guy who could get lost in the numbers game. He’ll make my top 15 for sure.

    Like

  33. ken – a lot of scouting reports I read following the days of the trade had great things to say about Ramirez. I’m sorry I can’t reference specific links, but I read more then a couple scouting reports that were high on him. He looks like he’s a classic change of scenery/bad year guy who could really show something this year. We may be putting the cart before the horse, but time will tell.

    Like

  35. Roger (PA): I know Amount, Ramirez and Gilles aren’t ranked very high but the appear to be the exact type of high risk-high reward, toolsy, athletic guys that the Phillies love. Given that they have done such an outstanding job finding the toolsy guys that pan out, can’t we be a little more optimistic abt the guys Amaro & Co got from Seattle?

    Kevin Goldstein: I actually have Aumont ranked pretty darn high, but yes, this is good analysis as the Phillies love athletes. As to them being smarter than others when it comes to identifying ahtletes, they have a ton of failures in that regard as well, but that’s just part of the business.

    Like

  36. I voted for Mathieson, for the simple reason that he seems likely to be a big league contributor very soon. I can see why more people are voting for Ramirez, but we’re getting into a fuzzy zone between certainty and projection. It’s sobering that #8 already starts to feel like the fringes, but hopefully some of the lower-level guys open our eyes this year.

    Like

  37. Mathieson. Combination of proximity (significant pen role this year, when things sort out, IMO) and upside (still has potential to be a dominant reliever, and, if he puts injury concerns behind him in a year or two, could compete for a rotation spot). His wild card attribute is off the charts determination, discipline and competitiveness. Many pitchers have used those to push their talent to the top, Hoping Scott can stay healthy and do the same.

    Like

  38. Mathieson. High ceiling, right on the edge of making it. Seems to finally be healthy, which is really the only question. I think he’d have broken down last year if he was going to.

    Like

  39. I know this is a little off-topic, but I love how the Phillies are finally getting into the game of paying draft picks out of slot and writing some checks in the Caribbean…better to spend the money like that than giving it to Brandon Lyon.

    I’ll vote for Ramirez – I understand that he had a tough year last year, but High Desert is a freaking launching pad – it’s not surprising that a 20-year-old might get a little wigged out pitching in a place like that. His road numbers were dramatically better, and I put a young guy with his size and stuff above other guys who have had injury problems (like Mathieson and Bastardo – guys whose past history of injuries may keep them in the bullpen for the forseeable future).

    Like

  40. I was just curious about something about Jiwan James. did he get injured in Williamsport because back during the season I saw he didnt play a game from July 16th to August 29th and I never heard anything about him being injured.

    Like

  41. Cosart seems to have the most upside of any of the guys in the poll at this position. Clearly Mathieson and Bastardo are closer to the majors but both are injury prone and I’m just note sure that either of them will end up making a long term impact on the club

    Like

  42. “Injury prone” seems to be a very selective term Aumont

    Made his professional debut with Wisconsin…selected to play for the World team in the 2008 Futures Game, but did not participate due a right elbow strain…selected to play in the Midwest League All-Star game…went 2-1 with 2 saves and a 1.37 ERA (3 ER, 19.2 IP) in 7 relief appearances…in 8 starts, went 2-3, 3.50 (14 ER, 36.0 IP)…opened the season (and his career) not allowing an earned run in his first 6 appearances (17.2 IP)…made his pro debut April 8 vs. Quad City, allowing one walk and striking out 4 in 4.0 hitless innings…threw season-high 7.0 innings, allowing 6 hits and one run, June 3 vs. Peoria…in his next start June 9 at Burlington, allowed 7 hits and 6 runs in 1.2 innings…placed on the DL the following day with a right elbow strain…on the disabled list June 10-Aug. 9 and Aug. 21-remainder of the season with right elbow and shoulder strains.

    Discount JC’s season for (Hign Desert) then you have to discount Gillies hitting . You cant have it both ways

    Like

  43. I have no problem with discounting Gilles’ hitting stats for High Desert…so he wasn’t one of the top 5 hitters in the minors last season. Darn.

    He still has plus-plus speed, a plus-arm, is easily projectable as a solid-to-above-average defensive CF, and even if you deflate some of his High Desert numbers (although his game is more contact/speed than power, where High Desert would REALLY distort his projectables), he looks to be an obp machine, with materially better BB/K numbers than Gose. Without even getting into the intangibles (which look pretty impressive), Gilles’ toolbox looks pretty promising.

    If all the guy does at Reading is hit .270 with a solid OBP, he moves ahead of Gose and is a legit replacement option for Victorino in 2012, which would simply be HUGE (and would allow the Phils to be more aggressive in terms of re-signing Werth).

    Like

  44. ***Kevin Goldstein: I actually have Aumont ranked pretty darn high***

    does anyone know where he ranks him? i like goldstein and think that he does a good job, unlike klaw, whom i greatly disagree with.

    Like

  45. I’m pretty sure his Phillies top 10, and overall minors top 100, will be out sometime this month. I’ll certainly post it in the comments as soon as it comes up as the lists without the commentary are generally free content.

    Like

  48. I don’t quite understand all the support for 22-year-old JC Ramirez.

    You’re right that no one left at this point is really a blue chip prospect, but Ramirez’s stuff stands out above everyone else’s (with the possible exception of Cosart). For me, the combination of impressive stuff and a track record with some success (great Low-A numbers as a 19-year old) makes him the second best pitching prospect in the organization. I like De Fratus a lot, and guys like Worley, Sanchez, Schwimer, etc. to varying degrees, but they simply don’t have the raw stuff or the upside of Ramirez.

    Like

  49. I think Ramirez is #8. Number 9 looks to be very interesting. Bastardo, Cosart and Mathieson have similar vote totals. Even Colvin is getting strong support. I’d like to see DeFratus added to voting. I still have Cosart, Bastardo and Singleton rated above him but I could be persuaded to move him up a notch or two.

    Like

  50. pp: I appreciate your knowledge of the system and your insight and wonder how you assign value on achievement vs. potential or if you just have a feel for it, because although talented i would have a hard timegetting J James in my top 20 and was surprised to see him added here. I have at least 14 ahead of him and several others on par.
    (no partiular order)
    GALVIS
    VILLAR
    PETTIBONE
    N. HERNANDEZ
    (ON PAR)
    HUDSON
    DUGAN
    HEWITT
    COLLIER
    J. SANCHEZ
    CORREA
    H. GARCIA
    SAMPSON
    SHREVE
    WAY
    DEFRATUS
    SCHWIMMER
    ROSENBERG
    FLANDE
    STUTES
    SAVERY
    WORLEY
    CARPENTER
    i MAY BE UNDERSELLING JAMES’ POTENTIAL

    Like

  51. tHESE NAMES ARE ALL ONES NOT EVEN ON THE BOARD AND I BELIEVE JAMES IS WELL BEHIND ALL THOSE ON THE BOARD.

    Like

  52. (ON PAR) WENT IN THE WRONG PLACE. tHE ON PAR PLAYERS ARE HUDSON THROUGH sampson. the rest are in my oppinion deserving of a higher ranking.

    Like

  53. I believe J.James has one of the highest upsides of any prospect in our organization. From what I have read, he is our best pure athlete. While he is not in my top 10, he is just outside it and he is one of the players I am most excited to follow this season.

    Like

  54. How old is Juan Carlos Ramirez? The 40-man roster on the Phillies website has his birth date as 08/16/88 and shows Ramirez to be the youngest Phillie by a year and a month. But, if that is right then why is he on the 40-man roster? His first pro season as far as I can tell was in the VSL in 2006, making him a 4-year minor league veteran. If he was 17 in 2006, then he would not have to be protected until after his fifth season. On the other hand, The Baseball Cube has his birth date as 08/16/86 making him 19 on June 5, 2006, explaining why his on the roster. I’m assuming the Baseball Cute is right in this case, which is a big reason I don’t think he belongs in the top 10. On the other hand, if the Phillies website is right and he is still just 21, then never mind. Those 2 years would change everything.

    Like

  55. Good catch on Ramirez. The Mariners added him to their 40-man on November 20th. That is why the Phillies had to put him on theirs to avoid putting him on waivers.

    But the U.S.S. Mariner site had written an article on the 18th saying that Ramirez should not have been eligible this year.

    http://ussmariner.com/2009/11/18/09-40-man-preview-extravaganza/

    He is a lesser prospect if he is 2 years older. The Phillies would have known this when they made the deal. Now I am starting to believe the scouts saying he does not have the body to be a full-time starter. If he is actually 23 there is less to project on him. He is still a prospect, but probably down around 15th or so if this is true.

    Like

  56. Thanks andyb. The ussmariner article says “signing contracts in ’05, but for the ’06 season” regarding Ramirez (and others). This makes his 4th season his 5th year and explain why he had to be protected by the Mariners to avoid exposing him in the Rule 5 draft. This indicates that he is indeed just 21 and that the sites that list him as 23 are wrong. He is the youngest man on the major league roster by far and has always been young for the league he pitches in, making him a good choice at #8.

    Like

  57. Not necessarily. Take Nunez for example. If he signed in December he almost certainly signed a 2010 contract even if the signing date is 2009. This happens all the time. Like the article implies, Ramirez should not have needed to be added to the roster. Remember also he comes from Nicaragua, a country where the age vetting system is most likely less rigorous than in the Dominican or Venezuela. While I do not know for sure, I think it is at least 50-50 that he is 23 and not 21.

    Like

Comments are closed.