2011 Reader Top 30, #21

2011 Reader Top 30

The voting in the run-off for spot 19 was obviously being manipulated to keep it as even as possible, there’s no way that after 500 votes, they should be within 3 or 4 total. At the time of this writing, Austin Hyatt had the lead, so he gets it. At this point, we’re splitting hairs anyway. I actually figured out how to see the answers given for the write-in votes. Scott Mathieson and Derrick Mitchell (I still don’t get this) had the most during the regular voting for 19. So I’ll add them. I personally didn’t even consider Mathieson for my personal top 30. He’s under the 50 inning mark, but I think he may be over the service time limit MLB uses to determine rookie eligibility. I guess if you really like him that much and believe he belongs in the 30, you can vote for him. Or Derrick Mitchell. Or whoever. Its your show!

1. Domonic Brown, OF
2. Jon Singleton, OF
3. Jarred Cosart, RHP
4. Brody Colvin, RHP
5. Trevor May, RHP
6. Sebastian Valle, C
7. Vance Worley, RHP
8. Jesse Biddle, LHP
9. Tyson Gillies, OF
10. Justin De Fratus, RHP
11. Jiwan James, OF
12. Julio Rodriguez, RHP
13. Domingo Santana, OF
14. Aaron Altherr, OF
15. Phillippe Aumont, RHP
16. JC Ramirez, RHP
17. Matt Rizzotti, 1B
18. Jon Pettibone, RHP
19. Austin Hyatt, RHP
20. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
21.

127 thoughts on “2011 Reader Top 30, #21”

  1. Still say Hyatt over Hernandez is an embarassing conclusion to reach, but that’s over with.

    PP, I know you’re not a Mathieson booster, but I have a hard time believing a reliever who throws 96 and strikes out 11.6 per nine can’t succeed at some level in the Majors. And having seen him in person a couple times, I think he can do it.

    This time around, I cast my vote for Leandro Castro. A decent speed/power guy who has the potential to blossom into a 20/20 threat. I hope the plate discipline improves. #21 isn’t unreasonable at all for him considering this is about where he rated last year.

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    1. Not sure why you think this is embarrassing. Sickles had them both as C+ prospects, Hernandez #11 and Hyatt #16. Reading Eagle poll had Hyatt #12, Hernandez out of top 20. They are both sound choices. Here’s hoping that Hyatt starts strong in 2011 so you can get over your embarrassment quickly.

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  2. I like Zeid the best of those remaining. About half the guys on this list don’t impress. I guess Garcia and Duggan after Zeid. I have to scan the top 30 I put together earlier, I know there were guys I liked better than the others who are left. This far down the list, I’d consider Shreve.

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  3. If I were to rank those nine, they’d look like this.

    Castro
    Mathieson
    Garcia
    Dugan
    Galvis
    Alvarez
    Zeid
    Overbeck
    Mitchell

    Overbeck and Mitchell have no business on this list. Overbeck’s plate discipline was not good even at an advanced age and he can’t really play third base well. Mitchell we’ve hashed.

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  4. At this point i voted Zeid. I also agree that the remaining list is unimpressive. I personally feel some of our 2010 high school draft picks should enter the list based purely on their potential.

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  5. Staying with Galvis. No, he’s not a great hitter, but considering his age related to level, people are being too hard on him. He’s like 6 months older than Cesar Hernandez. If Hernandez were in AA last year while Galvis were in Williamsport, who wants to bet they wouldn’t have ended up with about the same level of performance? Galvis, of course, wins the defensive matchup easily.

    As for Mathieson, I had figured he wasn’t elligible. I’d have had him ahead of Hyatt, around this spot on the list. But, Galvis for me here.

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    1. For the record, Mathieson has absolutely crushed the rookie service time limit (he wasn’t eligible last year either). The limit is 45 days on the MLB roster and includes time on the DL. Mathieson’s more recent arm injury occured while he was on the roster, so his year of time on the DL, all accrued as MLB service time, so he is no longer a rookie, per MLB rules.

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  6. im going Dugan based on that potential and that nice although small stretch in the summer…also alan where do see hyatt in the top 30? the guy has produced…maybe he will make majors maybe he wont but results have been good.

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    2. I’m not comfortable voting Dugan yet, based on production. But I love his chances of being the sleeper this year, who suddenly jumps on everyone’s radar. I’ll vote for him in 3 or 4 spots, but I think he has a chance at top 10 consideration next offseason.

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  7. Garcia. Might seriously consider Zach Collier after that, though Galvis and several others would also be in the running. I would also think a couple of the really young GCL guys (Maikel Franco, Miguel Nunez, and Kevin Walter) might deserve to be in the top 30 on talent if not on their stats yet.

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  10. I still like Freddy Galvis here. Young, has a legit MLB tool, who knows if he can hit but he can play the hardest position on the diamond with the best of them.

    On the list we basically have 24-year-olds in AA, low-A OFs in their early 20s, relief pitchers, and a 21-year-old in AA with an acknowledged MLB tool. I’m going with Galvis (apparently for the rest of my life).

    After Galvis I would vote Garcia, Castro, Zeid, then Shreve (I’m not counting Mathieson, whom I would have much higher than here).

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  12. Somebody here suggested that Dugan MIGHT be getting a 3rd baseman’s glove in ST. That would be terrific if he could play that position since, aside from Overbeck (who has his own issues with breaking balls), the system is befreft of any. (Hint for the next draft)

    I have no info on whether that is really in the FO minds, but I sure hope so. The last words on Dugan I saw was that he could be moved to 1st base which IMO is the haven for most “sluggers” who can’t play in the field, i.e., not athletic enough.

    If there is somebody out there that has a good take on his skills and whether he would be a possible 3rd baseman, etc., please step up to THIS plate.

    Thanks.

    Gues I won’t vote here until we learn more Re: Dugan. He DID go crazy at the plate for 2-3 weeks at Wmsprt.

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    1. For everyone who wants to draft a 3B or SS in next year’s draft, I believe that the general consensus among scouts is that there are 2 or 3 prospects who play those positions who will be drafted in the top 15 or so picks (definitely top 20), and then the next prospects at those positions will be in the neighborhood of 70s or so. I recall that KLaw said in a recent chat that the areas of depth in this draft are HS OF and P.

      I think that you go with the best talent available at your draft position. For the Phillies, they will likely have to reach for a SS or 3B from their current draft slot unless one of those lower-half top-100 guys falls to the Phillies’ second round pick. Getting a stud prospect is more important than the position that prospect plays, because you can deal surplus talent or sign free agents to fill holes in a roster.

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      1. Agreed. In almost every sport, including baseball, you draft the best player available. That is particularly true in baseball where the developmental time is so long.

        It sounds nice to draft by need, but if, for example, you draft a shortstop for need over a more highly rated outfielder and that outfielder turns out to be Mike Stanton (who was a second round pick), in retrospect, you will not think that drafting by need was a good idea. Surplus talent has value that can be used, in some way, to further the best interests of the team.

        My favorite (non-baseball) story about the folly of drafting by need is when the Dallas Cowboys had Joe Montana as the number one player on their draft board, but passed him up for a player at a position where they believed they had a “need.”

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        1. Unfortunately, no matter how many ways you explain it, the same commenters will continuously beg for drafting need. The logic for drafting the best player available, somehow escapes.

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  13. Jimmie Rollins was drafted in the 2nd round. If you check the records, including the top ten on each team. you.ll find that there are several 3rd basemen highly ranked who were drafted in the 3rd, 4th, etc, rounds of their draft.

    There are the more obvious choices that are ranked among the leaders at that position, and then there are others who are unearthed by incisive, superior scouting.

    It would be foolhardy to ignore a team’s apparent needs (which in this case doesn’t include the better pitchers available) in any draft: thus, would you draft a slugging first baseman as your first choice ? I’d say not since that position is to be covered by Ryan Howard and following him, if needed, Singleton.

    Their choice among them will be influenced by their team’s apparent needs, IMO;certainly it will be an important factor.

    Hoping for both a SS and 3rd baseman from the ’11 draft.

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    1. It would be foolhardy to do the opposite. For one thing, Polanco is a free agent after 2012. Do you think a drafted third baseman would be ready in 1.5 years? It takes players 3-5 years to develop in the minors, and a team’s needs can drastically change in that time.

      Second, you can trade your surplus for what you need! If a slugging first baseman is the best player, take him. Milwaukee did that and traded their first baseman for C.C. Sabathia.

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    2. Most of the shortstops now are from Latin America. They aren’t drafted, they are bought on the international level.

      A solid athletic short stop may not choose baseball or he may not make it to the bigs. It’s not like the NFL, where there is alot more certainty than in baseball. if the Phills can nab a quality starting pitcher I’ll be happy.

      After Floyd and Hamels graduated from the minors all this farm system had was Drabek. Knapp was/is way too young to worry about as was Outman who never had the ceiling of Hamels/Drabek/Floyd. Yet somehow some way the Phills were able to acquire Lee/Oswalt/Halladay for prospects. So I am kinda not worried.

      Rather grow my arms and buy my bats anyhow.

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    3. I would use “need” as a tiebreaker, or make it worth a few draft spots. I wouldn’t make it worth 30 or 40 draft spots which is what you would be doing taking one of those 70ish guys with one of your first rounders.

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  14. I’m glad Hyatt finally made it so I can start voting for Galvis! Here are the top 3 reasons Galvis is a better prospect then Hernandez
    #3 excellent fielding shortstop instead of good fielding secondbaseman.
    #2 10 HR at Lakewood, Clearwater and Reading versus 0 career HR for Hernandez who hasn’t reached Lakewood yet although just 6 months younger than Galvis.
    #1 Galvis reached in AA at 19 in 2009, FOUR levels ahead of where Hernandez ended in the same year at the same age.

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  16. I like Zeid as a pro prospect, more than Hyatt, but probably won’t vote for him for a couple picks. Will go with Harold Garcia over Leandro Castro and Miguel Alvarez.
    In the battle of guys who shouldn’t be on the list, I’d take Mitchell over Overbeck. Both have similar issues at the plate, but Mitchell can play multiple positions and steal bases. Overbeck defense is abominable. You would think a guy with zero rang, wouldn’t be able to make that many errors.

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  17. Actually, this is probably a good time to vote for someone else on my list for the ballot. I would like to get M Franco on the list first, but I don’t think the masses would support him.

    OTHER: Kevin Walter

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    1. 100% kevin walter…

      all of these guys left arent going to amount to anything..
      i agree it is foolish to ignore the 10 draftees.

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  20. Zeid is going to be the prospect people talking about next year as possibly making the MLB roster. Especially if they keep him in the pen. Remember he not only do well in Lakewood he was an all-star in the AFL where you have the higher level prospects. To see Mitchell with that many votes is crazy. He probably does not make top 50 at least not mine).

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  22. I have Zeid #30 I believe. I think that’s high praise for a 23 year old in Lakewood. I believe he’s going to shine this season but he’s 100% a relief prospect.

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  23. Scott mathieson I believe was injured during a game in MLB. He went on the dl with a tj injury. He spent a lot of time on the dl and accrued MLB service time. I agree with pp I don’t think he is a prospect in the terms of voting for this list. I know he doesn’t have many innings in MLB and I think he has talent to help out in the bigs.

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    1. Service time accrued as a result of an injury seems like a kind of technical point to hang his exclusion on, doesn’t it? To me, a prospect is a young player with little to no major league experience. We can argue about whether Mathieson meets the definition of “young” anymore, but he’s played in far fewer ML games than Domonic Brown. To me, Mathieson is on the outer edge of prospect status, which is why I have him ranked down in the #20 range. But if others are inclined to hold his age and injury history against him, we can agree to disagree.

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      1. That’s why Baseball America and other publications tend to ignore the service time requirement. To me, its only relevant in Rookie of the Year discussion.

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    2. MLB Service time accrued while on the DL or in September does not count against rookie status by MLB rules. The problem is, it is hard to find out total major league service time, let alone to subtract out the time that do not count.

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      1. Cot’s is usually good about providing the data. The only problem is that they don’t have it updated through the 2010 season as of yet. Before the season Mathieson had about 2.5 years of service time accrued. I think he’s actually arbitration eligible if he puts in enough MLB time in 2010.

        Bastardo is also well over the service time rookie limit. It looks like John Mayberry is over the limit. Ditto Zagurski. Brian Bocock is actually a hair below the rookie threshold as long as his September time doesn’t count.

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  25. I’m voting Casto here, but I think there are quite a few names you could just pull from a hat.

    The person I feel the worst about not voting for is Harold Garcia.

    In regards to the Draft, While it’s true you Draft “The Best Player Available”, there will be cases at each point in the draft were a set of Players who are equal in Skills and Signability exist and it could really be an eenie meenie minie moe, type of choice between a few players. At that point, Position clearly can be a factor in the decision process. It is along those lines, I hope we can find a 3B. However, we can’t choose to draft a weaker player solely because he plays 3B.

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  26. Keep on with Galvis. C’mon.
    Dugan- I had him as next on my original list. 3B at “Lakewood” next season , I have as Mattair(ain’t no Clearwater for a guy who took a year off- especially if he never really hit well at Lakewood). Dugan is plenty athletic enough to play the OF, but for Lakewood OF I have D. Santana RF, A. Altherr CF, Miguel Alvarez LF and A. Hewitt OF-DH. The possibilities at 1B . I have Dugan or Jeffrey Cusick, I say Dugan, maybe they cut Cusick, given the bench possibilities. What is important is the AB’s a player gets, no who is DH or 1B or whatever.
    Castro (and by extension his clone, Alvarez) where does he become a 20-20 guy at, Reading? What alternative Universe does he become an MLB regular at? Don’t see it. Maybe he becomes a 4th OF, who can play all the OF positions and some level of production in a bench role. Does everything well , but does not offer enough for starter at MLB level. Both these guys should work in a little later.
    Zach Collier- did not play at all last year, and the year before had substandard results. That’s 2 years without getting in the groove so to speak, long shot, I say back to Williamsport, to see if he can rebuild .
    Mitchell has more talent than some under consideration, and might be a better bet for MLB reserve duty, and to occupy an MLB berth than some of the highly touted pitchers, though not in my top 30. More to offer than Overbeck, I say.
    Harold Garcia – given the AAAA types signed , project he might remain at Reading and if that continues through the season he is 25 and starting AAA and many will say he is washout and too old for level, so why not get a head start and vote him in a little later.
    Some relatively unmentioned types that maybe should be considered before this grinds to a halt: Ervis Manzanillo, LHP, only days older than Biddle and interesting performance, Edgar Duran, SS, Cameron Rupp C, Stephen Malcolm SS, Francisco Diaz , C, Mikol Franco 3B, also alot of promising type pitchers with little track record such as the previously mentioned Walter, also Musser, Miguel Nunez, Lino Martinez, F. Zuvala, Relief candidates, Juan Sosa, Juary Gomez, and some lightly experienced position players, so need to recycle guys not believed in.

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  27. Oh yeah, one more thing- Best Player Available.
    No team in any sport drafts Best Player Available, as the term is understood by many message board types. They draft the best player available On their draft board. Where a prospect is placed on a team’s draft board will have as one of the determining factors team (in baseball sometimes organizational) needs and positions to fill.

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  28. I can’t believe that Castro has fallen this far down the list. IMO I have Castro as the forth best outfielder in the system behind Brown, Singleton, Santana and ahead of James, Altherr, and Gilies

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    1. I see both Castro and James as over-rated. Although the same age, James has been trying to be a hitter for a lot less time. Castro isn’t a big guy and he isn’t skinny for 5′-11″, so I’m not sure he has as much physical maturing to do as James. They both steal bases at too low a success rate for it to be a plus. Neither has an OPS that stands out. Castro K’s abougt 20% of the time and James Ks more. James is a guy who projects defensively to be able to play CF, Castro isn’t, which means Castro needs a much better stick to make it to the bigs as a regular. I thought Castro had a very poor 2010. He went from an .860 OPS in NYP in 2009 to only .711 last year at Lakewood. Not good for a guy who projects as a corner OF. Castro will make my top 30, but a lot closer to 30 than 20. He doesn’t seem to be a guy who does anything especially well — middling BA, middlng power, middling SB, middling OF D.

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  30. Other: Colby Shreve.

    He’s my big sleeper for next year– hopefully his stuff will get back to his pre-surgery scouting reports. Right now he has more projection than anyone left on the board and the results last year were very positive. I’m surprised he hasn’t been a vote candidate yet so far– especially considering the garbage that is on that list. Mitchell? Really?

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  31. OTHER – Colby Shreve

    Based upon the guys still left on the board, I think that he has some potential. His second year back from TJ will say a lot, and I think he’ll do well.

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    1. Other than draft position, what has Perci Garner done to make the top 30? He pitched only 4 innings, had only 1 K, and a sky-high ERA. He may be great in 2011, but shouldn’t we wait until he actually does something positive before putting him on a top 30?

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  33. Another name that needs to be added is Matt Way. I don’t think it’s fair to assume a guys ceiling until he actually hits it. Seems like lower velocity/command guys get overlooked when in reality it doesn’t matter how you get guys out as long as you get them out.

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    1. to continue
      pp had Pointer and Walter as potential elite prospects.

      Nobody else on this list is potentially elite..

      in fact, these guys should have been higher than peetibone, rizz, and hyatt

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      1. While i agree with you to an extent, this is the community top 30. None of us a pro scouts and have to go on second hand info. Just because Walter and Pointer got huge bonuses and are talented doesn’t mean you, me, or any of us can judge them against other prospects.

        It comes to a point that a prospect has to show me something. Biddle was highly touted, lots of reports and pitched some games. He gets on. The others don’t. I just am not that knowledgeable to know if Pointer is a better OF player than Gillies/James/Altherr/Santana or even how to compare them cause I have no stats or much in terms of scouting info to go on. This doesn’t deflate how good they are at all.

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  35. Hernandez was just named the 7th best 2B prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com. This is a guy we have not seen play (most of us), but those who have seen him (scouts) love him. We have him way too low.

    Garcia’s my vote here.

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    1. interesting.. their writeup “Cesar Hernandez, Phillies: Hernandez made his United States debut in 2009 in the Gulf Coast League, but really jumped out with his All-Star performance in the short-season New York-Penn League last year. His 32 steals were good for second in the league and he was sixth in the batting race (.325). He should be a fun one to watch during his full-season debut with Lakewood in the South Atlantic League.”

      Outfield tomorrow, pitchers friday
      http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110117&content_id=16448384&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

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      1. Well gee, how about that! I wonder how high Hyatt will rate among starting pitchers. Must be top five at least.

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      2. Wow…they have him ranked between Espinosa of the Nats and Nunez of the Yanks…not bad…really like Espinosa.

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      3. Interesting that in the fan poll, the 7th best 2B prospect in ALL of baseball, isn’t considered better than a future middle reliever (Hyatt) and a AAAA DH (Rizzotti).
        Proximity rules. Up next: player #7 of 11, from that 2010 Reading Juggernaut that should be an important major league contributor.

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        1. Sometimes proximity rules, sometimes it doesn’t. You need to weigh it appropriately. I understand you do not think it was weighed appropriately in his case. However, I would take Rizzotti over Hernandez still. Rizzotti’s power tool is more rare than Hernandez’s fielding and speed tools. Plus Rizzotti has done it at a higher level.

          I think it’s safe to say I had Hernandez too low on my list and I would have ranked him higher if I had this piece of info when I made my list. My bad.

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        2. Aumont was a rated between #18 and #25 last year for ALL prospects last year in different ratings I saw.

          I don’t think he is there now.
          Hewitt was a Top Rated HS Player.

          Talk to me when Hernandez is starting in the majors.

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  37. Other: Eric Pettis

    8-0, 1.37 in SS ball with 67 Ks in 59 IPs versus only 7 walks. He was the best pitcher in the league before the Phils shut him down due to reaching his innings limit (combined with college ball). Hollands was the high draft pick, but Pettis was the star of the staff.

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      1. I agree with you. He was actually on the Lakewood roster for the playoffs. They moved him out of the starting rotation in the beginning of the season to cut down on his innings.

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  38. I admit I have a hard time gauging the 2010 draft class. To call a pitcher like Kevin Walter potentially elite is nice, and he has a high ceiling. But what are his odds? 1-2%? How does a pitcher that good fall to the 20th round? 6’6″ and projectable also describes Miguel Nunez pretty well, and until Walter gets more pro time under his belt I can’t see rating Walter above Nunez.

    Another name I thought about was Gauntlett Eldemire. I fear about falling into a trap of pre-draft hype, and I want to see production before I distinguish him from Zach Collier and company.

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    1. im not a scout at all.. and know little about them..
      but i do know that the names left on out board are potentially average. So to me potentially elite trumps potentially average.

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      1. I saw Rupp in person a couple times. His bat is a bit rough (big looping metal bat swing right now) but defensively, he’s solid behind the plate. I like him.

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        2. Good power so far despite weak contact skills (21 XBH in 193 ABs with just a .218 AVG).

          It’ll be interesting to see what he does in Lakewood this year.

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      2. You may be right. The only problem is that you’re taking a line from someone who doesn’t have the chance to see these guys play often and projecting that over guys for whom we have a lot of information. And some of these guys like Kelly Dugan and Leandro Castro do have high ceilings.

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        1. Exactly what about Leandro Castro makes him a high ceiling guy? Compared to our other young OF prospects he is smaller, less athletic, and hasn’t put up the good stats, walks too little, gets caught stealing too much.

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  39. The problem with the 2010 Draft is there are so little results.

    Walter, Musser, and Pointer had a combined 2IP and 7AB as the 3,4,5th highest bonus signed players.

    Perci Garner has 2IP who was our 2nd Round Pick and 2nd Highest Paid player.
    Rupp who was drafted in the 3rd round actually played, but had limited success with the bat. As a College Player, he will need to progress quickly.

    The rest of the lesser signings did little.
    If you look at the washout rates of even 1st Round Picks historically, the chances of lesser signings are even slimmer.
    At this point, the higher ranked ones w/o any significant playing time may still be what it was before the draft, but clearly crap shoots.
    The others who signed for less and played some with results from average to bad, did little to improve their stock.

    I could see Walter, Musser, Pointer, and Garner on the list since they were high paid signings who did not really play last year. Rupp might be on there since he may deserve a chance to pull it together based on his history. The rest are nothing more than really needing to show something before I even think very hard about you in the top 30.

    Based on that I would vote to add
    Garner to the List 1st based on being a 2nd Rd Pick and no data yet.
    Then Walter and Muser has tough signs who have not performance data.
    Rupp would be added after those, but unlike some of the others is likely not actually likely serious consideration anywhere in the top 30.

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    1. Rupp was only 21 last year so its not too much of a concern. If he was a 23 year old 5th year senior, it’d be more worrying. Lots of guys struggle in SS A- Ball as they transition from college/aluminum bat baseball to wooden bat pro baseball. The power is real and he’s a good defender.

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    2. I agree that there is good reason to have the 2010 picks underrepresented here. For example, is Walter or Garner a better prospect than Zeid? I don’t think it’s possible to say so unless you are a scout and have seen them all pitch.

      Walter is the only one I have on my Top 30, but Musser and Eldemire came close. Musser was actually in there at #27 until I changed my mind.

      I like Garner from his description – pretty big guy, throws hard, very rough, learning to pitch. I don’t think they will push him, since he is raw. I have a feeling he will have an up-and-down year in 2011. On the positive side, I think one possible outcome for him is to become the next Justin DeF. We’ll see.

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    3. Agreed. If they are good, they can go on next year’s list after they have some success. None of them were super-rated talents. I don’t think Musser et al are regarded as elite. I thought the consensus was that the best talents we drafted in 2010 Frazier and Biddle.

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      1. If I recall, Walter wasn’t rated much lower thann Frazier by ‘cross checker’. Pointer was neck ‘n’ neck with Brandon Allen. Both Walter and Pointer would have been worthy of picks in rounds 5 through 10 if their commitments weren’t considered strong.

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    1. Thanks for the link, Alan. If those velocity readings are correct, this could turn out to be a good signing.

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    2. I think he should be the honorary #31 on this list. It would be cool if he ould make it up to the big club this year.

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  41. Garcia. Speed and versatility will be his calling card in MLB.
    Loved the hitting streak last year and how he continued to hit after arriving in Reading. Phillies brass raves about his makeup which will serve him well in a utility role. He just might be one of those guys you have to make room for in the every day lineup ala Ryan Freel.

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    1. I think you said it right when you said Garcia projects as a utility guy. I think Galvis still projects as a starter, making him more valuable.

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      1. Nothing is Galvis’s game so far projects him as a future starter. Until he hits, he’s simply another defensive shortstop.

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        1. You don’t need to hit to be a starter at SS in the majors. The median OPS was .681 for the top 40 SSs by ABs in 2010. The median OBP was .318. That’s the median, meaning half the group were below that level. Galvis projects as a no-hit, slick-field starting shortstop. Maybe not for a championship team, but many a team give players like Freddy the majority of the ABs at SS.

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      2. Then Galvis only needs to gain 100 points of OPS and advance 2 levels while doing so to be a 2nd-tier offensive SS..

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  43. Also, I’m not a big fan of this comment system. Really confusing to try and figure out where new comments are on long threads, and that there’s a four level limit holds back worthwhile sub-discussions.

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    1. It may not be perfect, but I much prefer it to the way it was before. There are just too many people commenting here now to have a good discussion without something like this.

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  44. Derrick Mitchell must be amazing with computers. Somehow he’s getting past the 1 vote per user rule and voted for himself 36 times. Impressive. And in the vain of my friend D-Mitch

    OTHER: vladamir de los santos

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    1. I really dont think Derrick cares how many times he is getting voted for. Especially doesnt care enough to vote for himself, he has a little more class than that. I dont think it’s right to say he shouldnt be up on the list because he is one of the better players for stealing bases and homeruns. And he is versitile an can play more than one position. Stop hating

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      1. I think he was kidding about Mitchell voting for himself. Don’t get upset. Mitchell had one of his better seasons last year but he been in the system for 6 yrs and has much to prove. There are many outfielders ahead of him right now. Brown, Singleton, Gillies, James, Santana, Altherr, and Castro. I would even say you could put Hewitt, Dugan, Collier, and Eldemire based off draft status. Mitchell and Steven Susdorf are players good for the system who can fill roster spots in the minors.

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        1. No, I was serious. I actually thought a professional athlete spent his time voting for himself on a blog. Oh brother.

          And judging from the majority of commenters, Mitchell does not deserve to be on this list. Which brings me back to my Vladimir de los Santos suggestion. He had a pretty good year in 2008, after staying in the same league, which he was too old for. Then in 2009, after being bumped up to Lakewood, well you know the rest. Sound like anybody?

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      2. I decided to take a look and see if I could find similar players to Mitchell. Players about the same age who produced the same type of home run/stolen base numbers in the FSL. I found two in recent seasons.

        Cody Strait
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=strait001wil

        Tim Moss
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=moss–001tim

        Athleticism is nice. But it’s useless when it doesn’t translate into baseball skills. Mitchell was old for the FSL (average age is 22.7), and his batting average was only .264. His batting average was way above his established career average, indicating that it’s possibly a fluke. And his plate discipline was still poor. What good is speed if you can’t get to first base?

        As for playing multiple positions, playing all three outfield positions doesn’t count. Mitchell played started at third base, he was moved off the position presumably because of his .841 fielding position. He played a season at second base in 2008, and then the organization moved him to the outfield. He’s played two games in the infield the last two years, both in 2009, and he made an error in four chances. So his versatility is nothing that any outfielder in the minors couldn’t do.

        The only way Mitchell is a prospect is if you look at HRs and SBs and ignore age, level, walks, batting average, strikeouts, fielding percentage and any number of other stats. You like him, fine. But there are 50-75 players in the Phillies’ system with better profiles.

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        1. Charlie, follow the minor leagues long enough and it sounds it everybody. I see nothing to suggest that de los Santos is still in baseball. Dozens of players come in and out of the minors with similar stories.

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  45. I voted for Kelly Dugan. I don’t see how Mitchell is getting so many votes. He is not in my top 30 nor is he even on my list of notable players that just missed. I really don’t even consider him a prospect. Also, I think that Miguel Alvarez should be getting some love. I have him as #21 on my list.

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  46. More info on Pettis…

    Definitely lacks a great fastball, but at least he put up good rookie numbers.
    I think we should definitely be considered to be added to the list.

    I’m not ready to get very excited, since he will likely need to be one of those pitchers who succeeds on intelligence more than raw stuff. However He likely deserves at least consideration at the lower end of the top 30s.

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    1. It’s great to have the ability to sort numbers. What about pitches that translate to the major leagues.

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  47. I’ve voted for Garcia. Colby Shreve should be on the list and I’ll definitely be voting for him ahead of anyone on the current list

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  48. The Matt Anderson story was entertaining. It sounds like he is working his way back to a mid-90s fastball. I also like the fact that the Phillies are still looking for guys like this and that Anderson specifically targeted this team. I think it’s pretty clear now that, in major league baseball, Philadelphia is THE place to play. If he can throw 95 MPH it’s hard to imagine that he could be any worse than Denise Baez (misspelling intentional).

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  49. I like Garcia in this spot but its getting thin beyond that. Leandro is getting old fast. Big year for him to re-establish his prospect status. .257 with a .717 OPS leaves some room for optimism.

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    1. I don’t think Castro really lost his prospect status. Wish the average were higher but it was his first time through the league (cup of coffee nonewithstanding, that’s not the same as a full season). 21 is young enough for the Sally League.

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      1. I didn’t see Castro play everyday, but I saw him enough last year to think that he has potential. While his average was down, he did show at the very least an approach at the plate that can be approved on. Defensively I thought he was solid in left. Nothing in the games I saw, showed me he would be a liability in the field. To say he has lost his prospect status is ridiculous.

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  50. Jonathon Mayo has placed Cesar Hernandez number seven on his list of top secondbase prospects in baseball. He says he is excited to see him at Lakewood. Singleton made it to number four for firstbaseman, Overbeck and Galvis did not make it for 3B and SS.

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    1. Overbeck might have trouble holding onto the #1 3b job in Reading (much less making a top 10 prospects list). Carlos Rivero might push him to 1B.

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  52. Alan

    I understand that. I was implying it sounded similiar to Mitchell. Repeating the same league for years despite being too old for it to begin with

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  53. Well the cool thing about this is that unless Alan and Charlie Kelly get to vote more than once their opinion matters no more than mine no matter how vocal or negative they are. It is a reader poll after all.

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    1. Theres a difference between negative and realistic as well as a difference between being positive and having optimism as blind as Ray Charles. It’s easy to look at a season performance like Mitchell had a go gung-ho for him. But I’ve seen so many guys just like him before. I just need to see more than one season in a repeated league that he’s already old in order to consider him a prospect.

      I sincerely hope that Derrick Mitchell is the next Justin Upton. But I truly believe there’s a better likelihood of Manuel joining Mensa

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    1. You have noticed that around 500 people vote each time with at least 80% of them not leaving comments or was that stat not listed somewhere on MILB or BA.

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      1. I don’t mind your nomination of Derrick Mitchell (He’s no worse than Overbeck), if that is who you truly believe is the best player, but you don’t don’t even give an argument. Just a ” It’s my opinion, and it’s my right”. Then you get sensitive to criticism. What’s that?

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        1. I have given my opinion before but I do not have a comeback for he is too old for his league or he repeated the same league over or he has never left Florida. After all if you are 18 or 19, bat in the low 200’s and strike out almost half the time you’re in the top 15. Heck maybe he probably should be. I don’t know.

          None of the valid arguments about age or his stats do not add up bother me. Unfortunately many of the comments go beyond that and do irritate me.

          Your point is well taken Mike. I’m lowering myself.

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      2. You’re right. Stats are meaningless. So how many Lakewood, Reading, Lehigh Valley and Williamsport games did you watch while you saw Derrick Mitchell light up the Florida State League?

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        1. I never said stats were meaningless. Obviously more goes into evaluating talent then just stats. But to use stats to talk crap about someone who you have never seen play is pathetic.

          I have not seen all these players play. That is one of the reasons I choose not to argue with everyone’s opinion. The other being everyone is entitled to pick their favorite and voice that opinion and I have better things to do then degrade a bunch of 18 to 25 year olds who are trying to live a dream.

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  55. Voted for Mathieson but will only do so for this round. I still hold out hope he could become a closer but he has numerous obstacles. (One of which is that the Phillies do not seem to think as much of him as I do.) He is old, a huge injury risk, still needs another quality pitch, but 99-mph fastballs are still impressive. And if I am ranking on potential, he still has some.

    The Cesar Hernandez ranking by MLB just shocks me. I wonder how many 2B prospects there really are. Would speed type middle infielders be tried at SS while power types may not considered able to stick at 2B and scouts ‘move’ them when ranking? His speed must be amazing since his power is dreadful.
    Ever since the Phillies protected him (which I disagreed with) I have been moving him onto and up my list. None of his prior stats showed him as a dominating player. I thought his season was just a fluke of his AVG and that he would not maintain it. However, I did not make the connection that his 32 steals were in only 65 games though.
    Four full levels of other 2B prospects and a cheap Latin signed guy in SS ball in #7. I certainly did not see that coming. Lakewood could be scary again:

    C.Hernandez 2B, Alvarez LF, Altherr CF, Santana RF, Duffy/Murray 1B, Rupp C, Hewitt/Collier DH, Alonso/Dugan? 3B, Malcolm/Duran SS.
    SP: Cosart?, Biddle, Rodriguez, Pettis, Hollands, Claypool,

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    1. Lakewood:
      C – Rupp
      1B- Duffy/Dugan
      2B- Hernandez
      3B- Alonso/Mattair
      SS- E Duran
      LF- Alvarez
      CF- Altherr
      RF- Santana
      DH-Dugan/Claypool
      SP – Biddle, Garner, Holland, Pettis, Claypool
      RP – Morgado

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  56. funny how so many of you are “experts” and have personally seen each and every one of these prospects…

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