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Baseball America top 30 list

Thought it would help to put out what Baseball America thought of the A's minor league and their top 30 prospects.

  1. Travis Buck (last year rating 5)
  2. Daric Barton (1)
  3. Kurt Suzuki (11)
  4. Matt Sulentic (2006 pick 3)
  5. Jermaine Mitchell (2006 pick 5)
  6. Javier Herrera ((2)
  7. Jason Windsor (15)
  8. Marcus McBeth
  9. Justin Sellers (17)
  10. Trevor Cahill (2006 pick 2)
  11. Richie Robnett (13)
  12. Cliff Pennington (3)
  13. Mevin Melillo (6)
  14. Shane Komine (9)
  15. Jared Lansford (12)
  16. Danny Putnam (14)
  17. Myron Leslie
  18. Vin Mazzaro (10)
  19. Ryan Goleski (Clev. not top 30)
  20. Landon Powell (20)
  21. Jeff Baisley (30)
  22. Craig Italano (8)
  23. Anthony Recker
  24. Mike Mitchell
  25. Jason Ray (22
  26. Ryan Webb
  27. Ben Jukich (2006 pick 13)
  28. Andrew Bailey (2006 pick 6)
  29. Chad Lee (2006 pick 7)
  30. Larry Cobb (2006 pick 27)
Not on list from last year
Andre Ethier (4) traded
Jairo Garcia (7)
Gregorio Petit (16)
Jimmy Shull (18)
Dallas Braden (19)
Dan Meyer (21)
Brant Colamarino (23)
Connor Robertson (24)
Brian Stavisky (25)
Freddie Byrun (26) traded
John Rheinecker (27) traded
Mike Madsen (28)
Ramon Alvarado (29)

David Shafer was 20th in Cinn after being 26th last year.

Hope you enyoy

0 recs  |  Comment 38 comments

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Four out of the top six are outfielders
I wonder what that means as far as resigning Bradley next year?  

by Hang Man on Jan 29, 2007 8:19 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Basically nothing
Buck is our starting LF in 2008 barring disaster, but the other three are far away.  Mitchell won't see the majors until September 2009 at the earliest, Sulentic is defensively questionable as an OF and may switch positions, and probably will not see the majors until 2010 or 2011.  Herrera is a wild card.  He is tools wise very similar to Bradley, and could move quickly if he is healthy and clicks.  If Buck is at LF in 2008, and Herrera appears ready to take over RF in 2009, maybe Bradley in CF after Kotsay departs?  
I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 8:28 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

that's
what I'd like to see
"I'd like to reference a brilliant post from Left Coast Lumber today" - notsellingjeans

by methodrampage on Jan 29, 2007 10:22 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I've read
that Herrera has a cannon for an arm and probably will have better range than Bradley at that point in their careers so maybe Javier in center and Milt still in right?
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Jan 29, 2007 10:44 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Dan Meyer (21)
now, not even in the top 30. what a mistake that was.
"Where you start is not as important as where you finish."- Zig Ziglar

by bigelephant on Jan 29, 2007 9:20 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Does anyone know if Meyer, is supposed to be fully
healthy at the start of ST.  I wonder if he could be a darkhorse candidate for #5, since they apparently want a lefty.

by theblackpearl on Jan 29, 2007 9:40 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Darkhorse possibly
but even if Meyer were lights out in ST, i still think he would be sent down and if continued to shine at AAA and Kennedy/Halsey falter on someone gets injured he could get the call.

He is to hoping that happens that could really help the future out if he returned to form. Remember at the time he was supposed to be better than Blanton and a tic below Haren.

by Bud Light on Jan 29, 2007 9:49 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

If Dan Meyer pitches in ST like he did in 2004
he'll be our 5th starter ... and he'd probably soon be our third.

by devo on Jan 29, 2007 9:53 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

He'll never make the list again... tsk...
"I can't believe you guys like that (Swisher) doesn't wear underwear..." ~ Mark Ellis

by Poppy on Jan 29, 2007 9:35 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm impressed with Sulentic
He's already high on the list of our prospects. Hope he plays somewhere I can see him this year. I guess he will be with the hounds this year?
"Choosing between Milledge and Gomez is like choosing between Mozart and Beethoven" --NY Mets Message Boards

by apilgrim on Jan 29, 2007 10:08 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

I would seriously doubt he would be that high. He
will probably spend the whole year at Stockton.  He was a HS'er in his first year of pro ball.  They won't rush him that much.

by theblackpearl on Jan 29, 2007 10:13 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I'd guess Kane County
and if he rakes there he could get the call to Stockton.  Can't see AA at all next year.

Sulentic needs to learn how to play baseball, how to take a lead from first and read the pitcher's move, how to play in the field, things like that.

Word is he learns quickly, but he still has a long way to go to actually learn how to play baseball.

by jakarta on Jan 29, 2007 10:16 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Me too
I'd love to get to watch him this year, but he probably ends up in Kane County.
I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 10:34 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Kane County to start
Projected Cougar OF of Sulentic, Mitchell and Cobb.
This guy is dead! We'll list him as day-to-day for possible reincarnation.
A's Medical Staff, 2006

by grover on Jan 29, 2007 10:59 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for posting this list
I've been wondering about it and even checked Border's yesterday to see if the book was in yet.

Some comments/observations

The A's are really deep in C prospects.  Guys like Petit, Shull, Braden, Meyer, Garcia/Casilla, Perezand Robertson (not to mention Knox, Deal, Boyd, ...) still have legit shots to contribute at the MLB level.  

I'm still (since seeing their top ten in December) surprised that Justin Sellers is that high on the list, I look forward to watching him play in Stockton this year. Also Leslie at 17 seems a reach.

How the High School arms develop, and if we can draw conclusions about our system from it, will continue to be one the most important subplots for us.

by jakarta on Jan 29, 2007 10:41 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Speaking of catcher prospects,
whatever happened to Jeremy Brown? Maybe he's not here because he's on the 40 or something, but how do Brown & Suzuki compare?

by BerkeleyDawg on Jan 29, 2007 6:00 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Ive asked that
around here a few times as well. The answer I got was Brown was going to be a career backup. He is at AAA and will probably be here next year. This year is Kendall and Melhuse again. Suzuki looks good and will be on the big team in 2008 or 2009. He should be at AAA Sacramento this year, but the minor league rosters havent been announced yet so he could still end up at AA Midland.
"Choosing between Milledge and Gomez is like choosing between Mozart and Beethoven" --NY Mets Message Boards

by apilgrim on Jan 29, 2007 9:50 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Brown is 27
not really a prospect anymore, though he is on the 40 man roster and looks to be the 3rd catcher/emergency catcher for the next year.  As a catcher, he probably can play in AAA and with occasional stints in the bigs for several years if he wants.  If he really has a good year he might be the backup catcher for 2008.

Speaking of the 40 man roster, lots of chaff in there. Meyer, Brown, Donnie Murphy, David Schaffer, Charles Thomas, Bocachica, Scott Dunn, Flores, Komine, Casilla, and rule 5 guys Jay Marshall and Ryan Goleski.  At least it will be easy to find guys to drop if/when Durazo/Buck/Barton/McBeth are needed.

by jakarta on Jan 30, 2007 12:31 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

BA
threw their typical jab at Brown, listing Baker ahead of him on the A's depth chart.

by Danny on Jan 30, 2007 6:46 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Only Sulentic and Mitchell
really seem like they could be "impact" prospects. The others are good prospects in the sense that they are good, good bets to reach their potential as solid major leaguers, as opposed to having much star upside.
BeaneBall: This is a guy playing baseball. BeaneBall: But then, suddenly, MONEYBALL! HendryHuggins: Wait, I missed the part where moneyball.

by walk off bunt on Jan 29, 2007 12:18 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

A few others
Herrera has the ability to be an impact prospect.  Buck has a chance to be a Cano kind of guy who is better in the majors than scouts thought if he can keep his batting average up and develop HR power to go with the doubles.  Buck really reminds me a lot of Luis Gonzalez without the fluky (roids-driven??) home run seasons.  Barton has a chance to be an impact player if he can develop 20-30 home run power and hit over .300 consistently in the majors, and he is still young enough to do so.  Italiano has a very high ceiling, but his injury and bad mechanics make him a bust candidate.  The rest of the crew besides Mitchell and Sulentic are lower impact guys that can be valuable non-star major leaguers.
I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 12:30 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Herrera, perhaps Italiano
I'll give you, but Buck and Barton are exactly the kind of guys with limited upside (unless, of course, they out-of-the-blue develop that kind of power) but solid projectability that I'm referring to. Buck's a  lot like Milton Bradley as a hitter it seems, and Barton like Olerud. Not impact players certainly, but solid guys to have around.
BeaneBall: This is a guy playing baseball. BeaneBall: But then, suddenly, MONEYBALL! HendryHuggins: Wait, I missed the part where moneyball.

by walk off bunt on Jan 29, 2007 1:02 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Olerud and Bradley
were and are impact players.  Olerud never hit for HRs, but look at his prime years and he was one of the best offensive forces in baseball in those years despite his limited homerun power.  Buck and Barton are most likely not impact players, but both have the ability to develop power and surprise.  If Buck hits .300/.380/.500 in the majors, that's an impact player.  If Barton hits .320/.410/.480 in the majors, that's an impact player.  Both players are capable of those numbers.  Not sure what you mean by "perhaps Italiano."  He has a tremendously high ceiling, just a low chance of ever reaching it.
I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 1:27 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah
Forgot about him.  A 90 mph knuckle curve definitely brings potential impact.
I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 1:28 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

"Mevin"Mellio...
I've heard of trying to get a prospect to reduce his "k" rate but this one takes the cake.

by Miggy on Jan 29, 2007 12:41 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

lol
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 29, 2007 2:21 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

When are the Minor League
rosters announced?
"Choosing between Milledge and Gomez is like choosing between Mozart and Beethoven" --NY Mets Message Boards

by apilgrim on Jan 29, 2007 12:53 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Minor league rosters
After spring training:Much like the major league roster. Players are cut from major league roster and begin to fill out minor league teams, you also have invited players that must be placed. I hope that helps.

by dougald1 on Jan 30, 2007 5:49 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Yes it does
thank you.
"Choosing between Milledge and Gomez is like choosing between Mozart and Beethoven" --NY Mets Message Boards

by apilgrim on Jan 30, 2007 8:50 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

dan meyer
for those who follow this stuff a lot more closely than i do: what's the deal with dan meyer?

what specific injuries has he had over the last two years?
did he have any sort of surgery?  is he fixed?
how have other pitchers with similar injuries recovered?
what exactly is his problem now?  reduced velocity?  is there any chance of full recovery?

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 29, 2007 2:24 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

More questions than answers
Dan Meyer's specific problem was shoulder impingement, for which he finally had surgery in 2006 after non-surgical remedies apparently didn't work.  Impingement is caused when the rotator cuff rubs against a protuding bone on the shoulder blade called the acromion.  People have three basic shapes of acromion, and impingement is a constant risk for a person with a hook-shaped acromion (I am cursed with one of these and spend a great deal of time avoiding muscular imbalances and so far have avoided surgery.)  I have never been able to find out whether Meyer has a hook-shaped acromion, but if he did the surgery likely would have shaved down the bone.

Shoulder impingement is exacerbated by muscular imbalances, like so many other injuries.  If Meyer is able to correct the muscular imbalances and his rotator cuff has healed, his chances for recovery should be good.  Shoulder injuries involving the labrum are close to a death sentence for pitchers, but Meyer didn't have any problem with his labrum that I've heard.  Rotator cuff surgeries have a much greater success rate than labrum repair surgeries, but not as good as the success rate enjoyed by Tommy John patients.

Meyer's velocity was down from Spring Training 2005 and never recovered pre-surgery.  This is too be expected with someone who is suffering from impingement.  As you can imagine, having your rotator cuff scraping on bone during a throw tends to impact performance.  I have not heard how Meyer is doing, but if he has his velocity back in Spring Training he becomes an intriguing guy again.  Meyer was one of the best left-handed prospects in the game prior to his injury, and he still has a chance to be very important to the A's.  

I'd like to eat my lunch, but Billy just kicked me out of my office.

by BlameChannel53 on Jan 29, 2007 2:50 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

thanks for the info
i'm actually feeling better about meyer after reading that.
obviously we can never count on him, but it would be great if he actually recovered.
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 29, 2007 4:54 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

His pitching arm actually fell off.
Larry Davis said it was "merely a flesh wound" and deemed him ready to start the next day. I'm wondering if we can tape Charles Thomas into his shoulder joint and make one player out of them.

by jjham15 on Jan 31, 2007 9:31 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Robnett
I have been high on him for a while now and if he puts it together this year with his power potential arm etc he will rocket up that list next year and could really determine if Bradley is resigned.

Another guy needing a bounce back year is Danny Putnam. Cliff Pennington could also regain his high status with a strong AA campaign this year.

Again this farm system and the A's future is dependant on the high school arms and how they progress. He is to letting them throw all there pitchs and lets see what we got.

by Bud Light on Jan 29, 2007 7:34 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Interesting and Important year for A's
With so many questions marks with the A's minor leagues it is hard to grade what the A's really have. Can players like Meyer and Barton stay health all year. Things would look a lot different if every other prospect did not have some kind of injury in 2006.

by dougald1 on Jan 30, 2007 5:58 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

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