Jul
09
Baseball America’s Midseason Top 25 Prospects
ByThe guys over at Baseball America posted their midseason list of the top 25 prospects in baseball, and Jesus Montero comes in at number three behind only Jason Heyward of the Braves and Mike Stanton of the Marlins. In their subscriber only supplement, they note that Montero could have ranked number one if his defense was better. Two other catchers – Buster Posey and Carlos Santana – make the top ten.
Austin Jackson was included in the “Next 25″ section, but we’re not quite sure where he’d exactly rank. Either way, it’s tremendous honor for both players.
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I hope he breaks out of his slump and keeps his monstero numbers up.
no redsux in top 25
yeah, lars has had a tough go of it at AA and has slip a little bit
JESUS!
And Montero had a hit today, too!
You cannot imagine how happy this makes me. Well, maybe you can.
I think I can. I’m too young to remember Jeter’s rise to the Majors and I didn’t follow prospects when guys like Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano were on their way up. It is amazing to watch Montero tear up the minor leagues, and this ranking confirms that my idea of what he is capable of is not unrealistic.
Johnson or Soriano were’nt even in the same strastosphere of a prospect like Montero. Jeter had a ton of hype, but no comparison between the two as far as hitting.
Soriano was very hyped. He was seen as a 40/40 candidate. Rightly so.
And he showed unbelievable power for his age (which, as we learned later, had a valid reason.)
Soriano was hyped. I didn’t follow prospects at the time, but I knew his name. I knew nothing about him other than that he was supposed to be the “next big thing.”
I knew nothing about Nick Johnson before he arrived in New York, but I’ve read about the hype he received for his hitting ability.
Johnson and Soriano were actually just as hyped – if not more – than Montero. Maybe by this time next year, that’ll be different, but right now Montero hasn’t gotten the hype that either of them had.
I can live with Montero at 3.
Is it me or it just seem there really isn’t any clear cut #1 prospect so far?
There will be once Strasburg signs.
I would jizz in my pants if he goes to Japan for a year. I know, not gonna happen but, it’s fun to imagine.
So what would you say Mike? Less than 1% chance it happens?
I’ll be shocked if he takes a couple mil in Japan instead of 20 mil from the Nats. It’s just a negotiating ploy by Boras, he knows better.
The counter argument would be “He can make more down the road” but that’s not how player/agents look at these things. Especially when it comes to pitchers. It’s all about the guaranteed money. Athlete’s careers are often short and unpredictable, even more so for pitching prospects. Strasberg himself wasn’t even a highly touted prospect as little as a year ago. It just goes to show how fast these things can change, in either direction.
You take the money when its available, period. He could blow out his elbow tomorrow and he’ll wish he grabbed the Nats offer.
Strasburg wasn’t the greatest pitching prospect ever a year ago but he was viewed as the potential first overall pick. He was undrafted out of high school and not well regarded at the time if that’s what you mean.
ajax is at 37
i’d delete my comment if i could. i now realize that the 2nd 25 list is in alphabetical order. my bad
Doug, you have shamed us all. Please committ seppuku immediately.
I will be his kaishaku-nin.
Takes two to Seppuku. You got the head?
Mike – no Buckholz in the top 50?
No, too many innings in the bigs.
they said in the comments that any major league experience makes them uneligible.
I don’t know about that. I see Matt LaPorta up there and he’s got big league experience.
its probably about ‘rookie status’- under 130 ab, 50 IP or 45 days on the 25 man roster i believe
He pass the 50 inning mark, so he’s not a prospect anymore.
Still a prospect, just not a rookie.
I agree. The words “prospect” and “rookie” should not mean the exact same thing.
don’t think he qualifies
montero began the season at 38. nice 35 slot climb up the charts
the fact that montero’s ahead of both posey and santana, who play much better defense behind the plate, shows how much better they think his bat is over theirs
I wonder if the fact that Montero is ahead of Justin Smoak an indicator that if Montero did end up a DH-type player, the bat would still be on par with what Smoak could deliver.
I’m sure age played the major factor in giving Montero the spot ahead of Smoak, but do you think these guys have similar batting/power ceilings?
Wait, so Jesus Montero is a “Justin Smoak-type bat”?
Cool, maybe now we can trade him to Boston for Brad Penny.
Hold on, so they’re not getting Mauer anymore?
They are. My sources tell me the Twins are looking at a package centered around Manny Delcarmen, who has closer stuff so good that Joe Nathan would no doubt defer to him, becoming ManDel’s setup man.
They’re currently haggling over how much money the Twins will be sending to Boston in the deal.
For Diamond Cutters, I’m Peter Gammons, ESPN.
IETC
When Carlos Santana becomes a big league regular, I wonder what his walkup music is gonna be.
He should go with this unique and undiscovered piece: http://tiny.cc/YqVAG (SFW).
“Samba Pa Ti” my favorie Santana song of all time.
It has to be “Smooth”, no? I mean, I know Santana has given us much better music, but the first strains of “Smooth” would be awesome to enter the batter’s box to.
If anybody has a pitcher named Rob Thomas, I hope he gets traded to the Indians organization.
Three Orioles on the top 50 list, not counting Riemold, Wieters, and Bergesen who already made their debuts this year. And five Rays, not counting Price.
Yeesh.
Oh, and the Phillies, Marlins, and Braves have a combined 7 of the top 25 prospects. Kiss that NL East contention goodbye, Mets.
As to the O’s and Rays, it’s amazing what losing can do for ya.
You ain’t kiddin’. But several of those elite weren’t high first rounders, they’re also scouting well and having good luck.
Ironically, many of the O’s and Rays’ high picks are playing elsewhere now, like Adam Loewen, Josh Hamilton, and Elijah Dukes…
Don’t forget Delmon Young.
Yeah, him too.
The O’s have a scary core and with both Tillman and Matusz probably debuting in 2010, I think the Rays are gonna find themselves as the best 4th place team in baseball in a couple years.
I wonder if it ever leads to a divisional shake up.
Hmmm…. no.
I say they should go back to two divisions in each league with the division winners and two WC teams make the playoffs.
Meh, I say no to that as well.
I find nothing particularly wrong with either the current three-division format or with the current wildcard format.
Or with interleague play. I love tradition but don’t fear change.
Meh, I say no to that as well.</strong.
I am shocked and offended and HURT.
But seriously…
I’m not horribly upset with the way things are now, but if we start getting years where 90 win teams are missing the playoffs ’cause of their division(s), it’ll be something to consider. I am, however, aware that the possibility of that is very small.
formatting fail.
Matt, you have shamed us all. Please committ seppuku immediately.
heh.. we will see. No one would have foresaw a Wild Card.
If for the next 10 years, 4 of the best 8 teams in MLB hail from the AL East, a change may be in order.
Unless that change involves one of the cities of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Toronto, or Tampa picking up and moving out of the Eastern time zone, I don’t know how that change is feasible.
Since when did Texas become part of teh western time zone?
Apples, oranges.
The West is more spread out than the East. Colorado and Dallas and Kansas City may not be West Coast teams, but the dearth of population centers increases as you move westward. It’s not that big of a deal.
There are no NL or AL Central teams further West than Dallas. It’s not a geographical incongruity.
Cleveland, Cincinnati, & Detriot are all in the Eastern time zone, but in Central Divisions
Zach, you’re totally misinterpreting my comment. Allow me to amend it to avoid the confusion.
“Unless that change involves one of the cities of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Toronto, or Tampa
picking up and moving out of the Eastern time zoneceasing to be the five easternmost cities in the American League, I don’t know how that change is feasible.”I was using time zones as a form of geographic shorthand. Don’t lose the point in the semantic nitpicking.
Just saying teams arent divided up by time zones.
Theres not going to be switches to divisions, unless it becomes a pattern of 90+ win teams missing the division like someone else said.
But its not just the AL East. How many teams are getting worse? Besides the Pirates, no one. Yeah Washington sucks, but add Strasburgh & Harper to the 2 Zimmermans and a few other guys working out they can be competitive
Okay then, rather than shake up the divisions, shake up the playoff format. I’m not saying it will or should happen. I’m saying that if for a decade, 2 of the top 8 mlb teams cannot enter the playoffs, something may need to be done.
It’s not nitpicking when you used time zones in your original statement. If you want to say the innermost cities fine, but then dont use time zones.
Great! Since Cleveland is east of Tampa, can we make the swap now?
Christ, man, I didn’t know I had to spell it out for you. I wasn’t talking about the Orioles moving from Baltimore, MD to Columbia, MD. I was talking about them moving to Las Vegas or Mexico City..
I’m sorry for drastically underestimating your ability to understand a colloquial turn of phrase.
Can we drop it?
It’s not a big deal. But dont try to act like I’m a moron because your initial statement was wrong. You specified time zones, not location. You cleared it up, great, and they the easternmost cities.
My initial statement was not wrong. You just interpreted my initial statement in a different manner than intended.
That was all very fun to read, but now that I’m though it, here’s a question: Why do all the Division winners need to move on the Playoffs? Why can’t they just raise a Division Champion Banner in the spring and watch the four best teams from their league compete against each other in the Fall. And another question: Why does MLB insist on some stupid tennis-like arrangement for their playoff match-ups? It should be 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 regardless of division winner/wild card.
Done ranting, but still hoping for some answers…
TSJC,
Given the tone you’ve taken with Zach, it seems worth noting that, as Chris points out, even your clarification of your initial statement is wrong. And if you look at the NL, Pittsburgh is probably about 150 mi east of Atlanta. So the divisions just don’t make perfect geographical sense.
Your initial statement was not wrong as it was an opinion and therefore can be neither right nor wrong. You did however fail to make your point clear. You said one thing when you clearly meant another. Then you tried to hide behind big words.
its tough to say 4 of the best 8 teams will be from the AL east; whos to say Tampa can keep all their guys (Crawford, Pena, Upton, Garza) and continue to develop elite talent? Then with Baltimore, young pitchers need what 2-5 seasons in the majors to reach elite level- and thats if they turn out to be the real deal and not struggle like Homer Bailey or whoever else you want to metnion.
With the talent in place it is possible, not likely but possible.
Yea, the mets FS has been brutal. Their best prospect is F-Mart who is barely better than Tabata.
That’s what you get for paying slot, and not taking player development all that seriously.
I just can’t wait for Montero to hit the majors cuz I wanna know what HR call Sterling is gonna give out with Montero.
Hopefully Sterling retires, or somehow loses his voice in a tragic blimp accident sometime between now and then and we never have to find out.
Yeah Sterling isn’t really Vin Scully out there.
“The Mitsubishi Montero DRIVES one out of the ballpark!!”
Hmmmm… if we can get some sponsorship dollars attached to that, I’m all for it.
Speaking of the o’s
From K Law chat
”
1 ER in 48 IP for Matusz. Ridiculous. Opening Day rotation?”
For real?
Holy hell.
If he does well in AA, perhaps.
The scary thing is, Uehara’s been decent and Bergesen looks like a solid youngster, and all four of their elite pitching prospects (Tillman, Matusz, Arrieta, and Troy Patton, the forgotten one) are pitching very well this year in the high minors. All four are in the mix for next year’s rotation.
The days of Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson could be long gone.
Who will have the best pitching in the next 3 years in the AL East?
A positive thinker would say the Yankees will. By then, Hughes and Joba will be full-time starters and will be well beyond their early struggles while the Orioles youngsters should hit some bumps in the road.
Add them to CC, AJ, and most likely some other free agent pitcher. Perhaps McAllister or IPK God willing will be making their presence in the majors felt as well. That’s a formidable rotation, no?
Nevertheless, I am tad surprise that Montero is ranked that high. For a guy who is often knocked for his D at the C position and to be ranked that high is quite interesting. They must feel that his bat is THAT good (Im talking Miguel Cabrera, Mike Piazza or A-Rod good) Not saying he’s gonna be that impactful but the potential is certainly there.
Honestly, I’ll “settle” (compared to Miggy/Mikey/A-Rod) for Jesus Montero becoming Jorge Posada Pt. 2. I know that’s a high bar to set but I’d say that’s a fair ceiling for Montero (right?).
I think his ceiling may be higher than Posada, offensively.
Posada’s a damn good likelihood, though.
Yeah, maybe a bit higher power potential than Jorge.
It’s higher. Posada never nad that type of power Montero had at the same age.
I do think Montero can be Miguel Cabrera. Heavy expectations yes but his potential is immense.
Posada is a borderline HOF candidate.
If all we get out of Montero is Jorge Posada #2, we will have done very well indeed.
I give Cashman alot of credit. Think about it though, the yanks for the last couple years has a prospect potentially in the top 5.
06: Hughes
07: Joba
08: A-Jax might not be as good of prospect as Hughes, Joba or Montero but was ranked in the top 50.
09: Mid-season Montero in the top 3 and possibly at the end of the year top 3-5 best prospects.
That’s quite cool.
Nope. The Yankees suck at development. Lies. All lies.
The Red Sox are more like a hybrid with the best farm system and nearly the most amount of money to win championships.
Direct quote from one shortsighted fan on a Red Sox blog.
And you guys ask me why I don’t go there instead
You obviously know nothing about baseball. Read Torre’s book, Cashman is just a nerd who runs around screaming “On Base Percentage! On Base Percentage!” that Joe had to straighten out. Brian Cashman wouldn’t know a pitcher if he fell on one, anyone that listens to Mike Francesa knows that.
he cant even tell a reliever from a starter
ANDY PETTITTE IS A STARTING PITCHAH!!!!
All those amazing prospects, and the fact that we can’t make a Bridge to Mowhere means Cashman is a bust.
/Francesa’d
[...] releasing their Midseason Top 25 Prospects List last week, the crew at Baseball America posted their midseason list of the Top 20 Rookies today. [...]
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