Category Archives: Prospect Rankings

Reader Top 30 #4

2015 Reader Top 30

Maikel Franco is deemed to be the organization’s #3 prospect getting 84% of the vote.

I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas yesterday.  The days leading up were saddened by a family event earlier in the week and doubled with more sad news on Christmas Day.  The daily poll may be sporadic the next week as I attend to other matters.  I plan on posting an Open Discussion for next week, and I hope to post poll #5 Sunday night, as well as a Winter Ball update if enough games were played to make it worthwhile and I can find the time.

Once again, I ask that you consider submitting your personal top 30 to prospectpoll@yahoo.com with the Subject line – Poll.  I’m using them to determine who I add to the poll.  I can’t use the write-in votes, some of them are pretty wild – Larry Greene, for instance.  So nine players who showed up on a majority of ballots are being added today – Aaron Brown, Luis Encarnacion, Zach Green, Franklyn Kilome, Yoel Mecias, Nefi Ogando, Ricardo Pinto, Andrew Pullin, Joely Rodriguez.  Suggestions can also be sent to the address above with the Subject line, Add. Continue reading Reader Top 30 #4 →

Reader Top 30 #3

2015 Reader Top 30

Aaron Nola was your choice as the organization’s #2 prospect in a very tight race.  Fourteen players received votes with Nola and Maikel Franco garnering 92% of the vote.  Oddly enough, players who received votes in the poll for #1 (Carlos Tocci, 2 votes; and Mitch Gueller and Aaron Brown who received 1 vote each through the write in feature) didn’t receive a vote as the #2 prospect. Lee Ridenhour received the 1 write in vote this round.

Up next #3. Continue reading Reader Top 30 #3 →

Reader Top 30 #2

2015 Reader Top 30

J.P. Crawford was your choice as the #1 prospect in the organization. That he was selected by such a large margin is no surprise.

Up next #2. Continue reading Reader Top 30 #2 →

Reader Top 30 #1

2015 Reader Top 30

Welcome to the 2015 Reader Top 30.

I will post a poll most days Monday thru Friday.  I’m starting with MLB’s Top 20 and will add names as needed.  I expect the first new group of names will be added after Prospect #5 is decided.  If you want to make sure a name is added to the list e-mail prospectpoll@yahoo.com using the Subject Line – Add Prospect Continue reading Reader Top 30 #1 →

Upcoming Reader Top 30 Poll

2015 Reader Top 30

Get ready for the 2015 Reader Top 30 Prospect Survey.  An overwhelming number of readers expressed interest in having a top 30.  Of 274 respondents, 246 were in favor  (89.8%).

I will start next week and try to post a poll every day.  I would encourage each participant to submit her or his own Top 30 to prospectpoll@yahoo.com using the Subject – My Prospect List. I am curious how the day-by-day voting would affect the outcome when compared to a one-time submission along the lines of an MVP ballot.  (This is not a requirement.)

I suggest we continue to follow Baseball America’s standards for prospects by considering any player eligible for rookie status as eligible for this poll.

As a quick refresher, the following players exceeded Rookie Status during the 2014 status – David Buchanan, Ken Giles, Miguel Gonzalez (he has 122 playing days at the major league level according to Baseball Reference), Cesar Hernandez, Mario Hollands, Ethan Martin, and Cameron Rupp. Continue reading Upcoming Reader Top 30 Poll →

Baseball America’s Phillies Top 10 list

Prospect Rankings

BA released their Phillies Top 10 today. You can find it here.

The top 10 is:

01. JP Crawford
02. Aaron Nola
03. Maikel Franco
04. Roman Quinn
05. Carlos Tocci
06. Aaron Brown
07. Matt Imhof
08. Jesmuel Valentin
09. Yoel Mecias
10. Franklyn Kilome

Please do not post the scouting reports from behind BA’s paywall. They will be pissed if you do. Here is a summary

The good:

* JP Crawford is awesome, and one of the best all around prospects in baseball
* Aaron Nola has elite command, he’s more than a soft tosser, but he has to refine his secondary stuff
* Franco has legit power and a great arm, but he’s really aggressive and has holes in his game
* Roman Quinn is one of the fastest players in baseball

The bad:

* After the top 4, it gets really bad# in a hurry
* Jesse Biddle couldn’t make the top 10, in what will be a system BA ranks in the 20-30 range. That is really troubling.
* The Phillies drafts over the last 4-5 years have been brutal. We’re feeling the effects right now.

If you’re a believer in divine intervention, say a few prayers for the bottom half of our top 10 so that things look a little better at this time next year. Also, a few people have asked me about putting out a top 30 list this winter, since I may start writing again. I’m going to decline to do that, simply because I have not paid as much attention to the system (or baseball as a whole) over the last 2 years. If I get back into it again, I will write a top 30 next winter. I will say, from what I know, that I’d rank Quinn above Franco right now, and even with his struggles, I’d have kept Biddle at #10, as I don’t think hes lost all hope, and I think hes a better bet to contribute in the majors on some level over a guy who hasn’t gotten out of A ball yet. But there isn’t much else for me to add.

Now, please discuss.

2015 Reader Top 30

Prospect Rankings

polling booth

So, I’ve gone through our archives and found that Matt ran the Reader Top 30 last year.  I’ve gone through the files and think I’ve figured out how to run a poll.  If you want me to moderate a poll this year, let me know in the survey below.  I propose two modifications.

First, I want to start a little earlier.  Last year the poll ran into the first few days of spring training.  I will be covering spring training and would like to finish the poll articles before it starts.  I also need to work around my schedule in December and January.  A convenient start time for me would be sometime in the next three weeks.

Second, I would like to propose that you submit a personal Top 30 early in the polling process.  I‘m curious how a weighted vote would compare to the day by day survey (30 points for #1, 29 for #2, … 1 for #30).  I’ll set up an e-mail account to receive those submissions.  I would hope to get enough submissions to make a comparison between the two processes relevant.

So, please cast a vote below.  This will also be a nice test to see if I can set up a poll correctly.  (As you can see above, I have figured out how to insert a picture.)  This poll will be active for one week.

Two Prospect Lists to Mull Over

Top Prospect Lists

About a week ago, Mike Drago, of the Reading Eagle, posted a prospect list that he compiled from the input of media members who cover the Phillies and their minor league affiliates.  I was honored to be included in Mike’s request of about 2 dozen writers.  We were asked to –

  • Rank the top players in the Phillies organization from No. 1 to No. 20, based on their present value to the organization and their major league ceiling/potential.
  • Consider the player’s age and performance relative to each level he has played.
  • Not include players who are no longer with the organization, nor players who appear to be in the majors for the long haul or have had significant big league time (example: Ken Giles, Mario Hollands, David Buchanan, Darin Ruf, Freddy Galvis or Cesar Hernandez).
  • Consider players who appear to be up for a brief time and/or who are likely to begin next season in the minor leagues (Cameon Rupp, Ethan Martin.).

The following is the 2014 Phillies prospect list as published in the Reading Eagle.  Players are listed with their position and current club. Continue reading Two Prospect Lists to Mull Over →

Top 30 Stock Watch (1-20)

2014 Reader Top 30

After exploring the back of the Top 30, it is time to look at how the stock is trending for the Top 20 prospects in the system.  This is not a reranking, and it does take into account any injuries that we present at the time of the original ranking.  The Top 30 list can be found here.

20. Adam Morgan (LHP) – Morgan has not yet started his rehab, and shouldn’t be throwing for a bit longer. Stock: Static

19. Severino Gonzalez (RHP) – Severino has not been good this year, but he has not been as bad as his ERA looks.  Overall, Severino is not missing bats this year and the fastball is about where it was last year.   Overall Severino is still on pace to be a back of the rotation starter or middle reliever.  Stock: Slightly down Continue reading Top 30 Stock Watch (1-20) →

Top 30 Stock Watch (21-30 and Off the List)

Prospect Rankings

We are now nearly two months into the minor league season so it is time to do a quick look through the ranks and see how players are getting on.  It is way too early for a reranking of the list, but I am going to see whose stock is trending up or down, or staying constant.  For the first part I pulled 10 names off of my thoughts on those that missed the Top 30, as well as numbers 21-30 on the actual Top 30.

Jake Sweaney (C/OF) – Sweaney’s move to the outfield is a bit shocking this early, but catching was never a guarantee.  Still a lot to see about the bat and whether it will play in a corner.  He is certainly athletic enough to make it work.  Stock: Reset

Jiandido Tromp (CF) – Tromp started the year as the odd man out in Lakewood, but got his chance when Larry Greene was injured early in the year.  Tromp isn’t lighting the HSAL up, but he has flashed some power and speed, and some raw tools to make him interesting.  He should continue to get sporadic. Stock: Trending Up Continue reading Top 30 Stock Watch (21-30 and Off the List) →