2.20.2012

CAYMAN MINOR-LEAGUE PREVIEW, PART 4

Somewhere in the Cayman Islands----Hello, BARB fans! This is PART FOUR of a FREE report from Ike Goodyear, here at the East Caribbean Unlimited, Ltd (ECU). Come by and see us after your season starts, and invests your hard-earned parent's inheritance in our tax-free shelters!

In my last post, I covered minor league talent that is ready to make an impact this season. It's now time to look at the big picture: when we consider everything---number of prospects, number of blue-chippers and number of players ready to make an impact THIS season, which BARB franchises are truly loaded in their minor league systems, and which clubs have a cupboard like Old Mother Hubbard? Ike knows all, sees all, and will give you his opinions for FREE.....





LOS ANGELES (A+): 29 unestablished players, with 6 ready to contribute this year and another 6 blue-chippers in the lower minors. No rookie is likely to make a bigger contribution to their club this year than power-hitting RF Mike Stanton, and in LHP Mike Minor and RHP Michael Pineda, they have two rotation-ready power arms!

YUMA (A): 20 unestablished players, with only a few ready to contribute now, but a league-high 10 blue-chippers below AAA, including the highest-ranking IF, Jurickson Profar.

SIN CITY (A): 23 unestablished players, with eight ready to contribute this year, though not all in a starting capacity. 5 blue-chippers, including the highest-ranked left-hander, Matt Moore.

FROSTBITE FALLS (A-): Only 14 unestablished players, and perhaps only C Wilson Ramos ready to contribute this season due to V-Mart's injury/release, but any system that has the top two overall player prospects (OF Bryce Harper and Mike Trout) as part of eight blue-chippers has to be among the loop's best.

POTTSYLVANIA (B+): 25 unestablished players, at least five blue-chippers, and four (RHP Steven Strasberg, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, LHP Aroldis Chapman and OF Desmond Jennings) ready to assume regular duties. The only reason the Creepers don't rank more highly is the number of players in their system coming back from injuries....

BROOKLYN (B): 24 unestablished players, three blue-chippers and perhaps as many as eight ready to contribute in at least a part-time role give the Moabs some leverage on the trade market. RHP Julio Teheran is arguably the highest-rated righthander in the BARB minors, and the organization would rank even more highly if not for the fact that so many of their position player prospects seem to have stalled in AAA....

AC/BC (C+): 21 unestablished players, with perhaps three (closer candidate Jordan Walden, CF Peter Bourjos and DH Mark Trumbo) ready to contribute this year, but a noticeable lack of blue-chip talent. 3B Miguel Sano, in High-A ball, is perhaps the biggest name in a system largely stocked with so-called "AAAA players"....

ST. FRANCIS (C): Seven players drafted by the Friars make the blue-chip list, but due to trades only four remain in a system that is reduced in both size (10 unestablished) and in those ready to contribute in April (RHP Randall Delgado is a rotation candidate). No wonder Jack McKeon is rumored to be hanging up the GM job in St. Francis.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA (C): 11 unestablished players, and tons of uncertainty for the players ready to contribute (IF Danny Espinoza and Jemile Weeks, 1B Freddie Freeman and RHP Daniel Hudson) due to the stocked major-league roster and the number of players who will have to be left unprotected in the Draft. The .45's can console themselves with the fact that last year all four of their rookies proved their worth....

WORCESTER (C-): 10 unestablished players, with probably half of them likely past their sell-by date, the club can at least point to three ready to contribute this year, including a likely Rookie of the Year candidate, 3B Brett Lawrie, while incredible fan artist Craig Kimbrel will understudy as a setup man to the great Mariano Rivera.....

ARIZONA (D+): 11 unestablished players, and (sigh) barring a trade or two or three, most of them would be counted on to fill regular roles this season. Glass half-full: a lot of blue-chippers are ready to contribute (C J.P. Arencibia, 1B Justin Smoak, 2B Dustin Ackley, OF Logan Morrison, RHP Alexei Ogando, LHP Zach Britton). Glass half-empty: that means, that for all practical purposes, the minor-league system is all but bare for 2013, and will need to be rebuilt.

NEW ENGLAND (D): 8 unestablished players, with perhaps only one ready to make a full-time contribution in April.....29-year-old closer candidate John Axford. Only one of the remaining seven (LHP Drew Pomerantz) is regarded as a blue-chip prospect by most observers, so this is a system in need of a rebuild.

CASSELTON (D-): Mike Moustakas is one of the best hitting prospects in BARB, and ready to contribute. OF Aaron Hicks is a blue-chipper still in A ball. The other two bodies are RHP Trey McNutt (injured, 1.65 WHIP in AA) and OF Josh Bell (the 25-year old 3B with the Orioles, not the 19-year old five-tool OF drafted by the Pirates last year). Yes, only four unestablished players. The future is now in Casselton, and it is a open question how many picks in this year's Draft will be used to restock an all-but-depleted system.

















1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Again like I warned Hatfield, he chose a horrible time to do this.. does he realize how many trades went down today!? These "rankings" or "grades" are surely going to be altered in a huge way. Hope we can see an update soon lol.