Baseball America A's top ten
by dougald1 on Jan 25, 2012 10:51 AM PST
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Just got the Baseball America with the AL west top tens. Their top 30 is due out next month. Take it for what you think it is worth. I always find it an interesting read, both this issue and the book when it comes out. This list is up to date, as in the Bailey deal has been made. It also is interesting to go back and look at old issues, and see just how well or how poor the writers did.
The A's
2. Brad Peacock
3. Sonny Gray
4. AJ Cole
8. Jermaine Mitchell
10. Tom Milone
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Choice is way too low
I like Gray, I think he deserves to up there near the top. But Choice at least has over a full season under his belt. Choice needs to be at least higher than Gray.
And Cole...
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 25, 2012 11:17 AM PST up reply actions
How is tenth too high for the most-ready prospect with unbelievable control and results?
On another note, Mitchell is shouldn’t even be on this list. But BA has always had odd rankings. Looking at the projected 2015 lineup shows they hardly pay attention to the A’s. Carter at 1st with Seth Smith at DH? Wtf?
I will make a $10,000 donation to some charity
in Baseball America’s name if Carter and Smith are the opening day 1B and DH for the 2015 A’s.
BA is seriously retarded...
Why does anyone pay attention to them anymore?
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 26, 2012 9:39 PM PST up reply actions
pay attention
While I agree that the likelyhood of Smith being in the A’s lineup is very small. Baseball America, does a projected lineup that goes forward three years for each team and have been doing it for years. What they try to do is put the best players on the present team in a lineup three year forward along with the best prospects. It does not include trades, or Free Agents. If you want to be sad, go back and look at what was projected in the 2009 book, for 2012. Suzuki c, Doolittle 1b, Weeks 2b, Cardenes 3b, Pennington ss, Holliday if, Cunningham cf, Buck rf, Carter dh, a Anderson, Cahill, Inoa, Gallagher, Gio as the starters and Ziegler as the closer. At thhe time I would guess the writers did not think Holliday would still be an Athletic, but they did not want to leave off their best player. It may not the way you and I might do a projection, it is the system they have always used. At the time we were reading back in 2009, I bet most A’s fans were not thinking that Doolittle has a better chance of being the A’s closer in 2012 than Zeigler and yet
While Baseball America has faults, it is a great magazine. It may be the only magazine that has only baseball in it over all 12 months. The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated seem to forget baseball for 4 mounths as does Sports Weekly (once called Baseball Weekly). They do great draft stuff all year long. And while their lists can have odd stuff in them, they do make for a fun read in late January.
What I have a problem with is that they tend to carve their own puzzle pieces and fit them to fill their needs
The A’s don’t have a big 3B prospect, so they threw Grant Green in as the future 3B when they already listed him as an OF. It just seems lazy to me.
True
The BA view of three yeers forward, offen has issues. This example probable speaks more to BA not liking S Parker than anything involving Green. Not sure if the future lineup is created by the writer of the A’s artical, or a composite of the BA staff.
I actually like having Gray that high
He doesn’t have as much pro experience as Choice but he has already reached AA. The sample size is too small to draw real conclusions from but it at least suggests that he was not overwhelmed starting his career there.
I tend to be a little higher on Gray than most (although I guess not BA) but I think his fastball/curveball combo is top notch and I’m hopeful that his command and change-up will be sufficient to be a #2 or 3 starter.
What in the hell is Jermaine Mitchell doing at #8
Usually BA tends to favor the new, fresh thing, and Jermaine Mitchell is the opposite of that. I’d be surprised if Mitchell even cracks the 25 man.
by Rebuilding Season on Jan 25, 2012 11:28 AM PST reply actions
Somehow, at 27, still a better prospect than Carter, Cowgill, Alcantara, Stassi, Krol, Yordy, Head?
I just don’t get it.
by Rebuilding Season on Jan 25, 2012 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
This is by far the worst list I've seen
Mitchell and Taylor shouldn’t be on that list. Carter should.
I like them both and want to see them on the field but they are by no means top prospects.
by OnlybuyBeaneJerseys on Jan 26, 2012 1:45 AM PST up reply actions
Seriously
I was thinking maybe this list values ML readiness much higher than ceiling. But if that’s the case Cole shouldn’t make the list. I think he should but I’m just thinking this list has no consistency.
by OnlybuyBeaneJerseys on Jan 26, 2012 2:37 PM PST up reply actions
See my comment above...
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 26, 2012 9:40 PM PST up reply actions
I already posted this elsewhere but
the last time Baseball America considered Mitchell an organizational top 10 prospect he was featured on a list that included the likes of: Javier Herrera, Jason Windsor, Justin Sellers, Matt Sulentic; oh and at #10? A very young Trevor Cahill.
The year? 2007
Someone do some research – has there ever been a player who appeared on one of their top 10 lists and then reappeared 5 years later without a position change??? It’s pretty fricking amazing that anyone would consider this guy a prospect, let alone a top 10. I love him and hope he does well, but COME ON Baseball America! Put down the crack pipe…
He made some big improvements and is close to the majors
I think they saw his skill changes as something that has a good chance to transfer to the majors, because the great numbers alone can be dismissed because of age relativ to league. And he is close to majors, you could make a case that he has even mastered AAA and has earned a shot in the big leagues.
I have to say that I applaud BA for ranking him that high. It shows that they are no slave to the age relative to the league.
by Rio on Feb 2, 2012 1:16 PM PST up reply actions
Five years later
In 2009, Baseball America listed Michael Ynoa as #3. He hasn’t made their top 10 since then.
Five years later would be 2014. Right now Ynoa is 20 years old. Suppose that this year he struggles a bit finally getting started in the minors. Then suppose in 2013 he settles in at AA and looks really good. Then maybe he makes BA’s top ten again for 2014. It could happen.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
assuming the A's don't cut their losses
(not sure why they would considering their investment, but crazier things have happened) and release him before that point! ;)
He's 27 and has played less than 60 games above AA.
Wow at 8. Ahead of Shipman, Ynoa, Vollmuth and Krol…
The future is bright for the A's
if in San Jose….
if Albert gets busted for Juice….
I am hopin’ this is the year where M. Ynoa comes into his own (meaning throwing actual IPs) and starts his rise to King Felix-sih….
Lance "you sunk my" Blankenship
He'll probably never throw more than 5 innings in any outing this season
and won’t top 75 IP for the year, but I still have hope for him in about 2015, when he’ll be 23.
It's crazy to think that he'll only be 23 in 2015...
It seems like he’s been around forever.
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 25, 2012 4:37 PM PST up reply actions
I think it's odd that he's such an afterthought now.
He’s the same age as a sophomore in college. And plenty of top pitching prospects had Tommy John surgery at 19.
Agreed.
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 25, 2012 8:21 PM PST up reply actions
I was surprised to see him there as well
But BA does have a history of valuing raw tools over production, and Jermaine Mitchell has never been short for tools. By most accounts he is a legit centerfielder who projects to be above average defensively and is a great athlete who shows speed on the basepaths although his success rate stealing bases leaves something to be desired.
I don’t really know what to make of Mitchell, he started out as a pretty good prospect but stalled for two years in Stockton and looked to be completely done. Now he’s started hitting again and looks interesting. I don’t have very much confidence in his ability to keep hitting like he did last year, but with his defensive value and on-base ability he really doesn’t have to hit all that much to be useful.
I hope he gets to 100% quickly so we can see how he looks this year.
post yer own
1. Jarrod Parker
2. Michael Choice
3. Brad Peacock
3. Sonny Gray
4. AJ Cole
5. Derek Norris
6. Michael Taylor
7. Grant Green
8. Tom Milone
9. Chris Carter
10. Collin Cowgill
That's a much better list than BA's
mine would be
Jarrod Parker
Michael Choice
AJ Cole
Brad Peacock
Sonny Gray
Derek Norris
Grant Green
Vicmal De La Cruz
Aaron Shipman
BA Vollmuth
Snoochies
And some who just missed the cut (in no particular order)
Renato Nunez
Bobby Crocker
Michael Taylor
Collin Cowgill
Tom Milone
Miles Head
Raul Alcantara
Dan Straily
Snoochies
Ha, just noticed I posted a top 11
Two number threes!
Nice to see Milone break someone's top 10.
I personally like him at about 7 or 8, but that seems to be a minority opinion.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
I'm hoping Milone is another Braden
Seems like he’s another one of those guys that doesn’t have the greatest raw tools, but knows how to use them so much better than the next guy.
by Maverick10126 on Jan 25, 2012 2:41 PM PST up reply actions
Milone
I really, really like Milone. I could see him logging about 180 innings next season in G&G.
by Colorado Fan on Jan 25, 2012 2:42 PM PST up reply actions
Actually, now that I look more carefully
and try to come up with a top ten of my own, I like him even higher than that. He’s my second favorite of all the pitchers. I also like Cowgill a lot better than others do. They’re potentially my #3 and #4, though it’s close.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
Do you rate them higher because they're more major league ready?
At one point in my life I liked Dave Kingman more than Rickey Henderson. I was an idiot.
by the_rozeboom on Jan 25, 2012 4:42 PM PST up reply actions
Sort of.
I only like pitching prospects if they’re close to the bigs, and I like them better if they seem skilled rather than just strong. With hitters I’m more open to younger guys, especially if they play a premium defensive position, but I don’t like many of our current ones, for various reasons.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
I like this reasoning
Too much can go wrong with lower level pitching prospects. Everything about Milone is positive except the doubts that his velocity is good enough. That works for me. I’m very optimistic.
agreed
what is the deal, btw, with everyone doubting his velocity? Fangraphs shows his average fastball (granted, limited sample size) to be around 88mph. Isn’t that right around average/low average for a left handed starting pitcher? It’s not as if we’re talking about a Jamie Moyer/Tim Wakefield fastball here. He’s got “young Barry Zito” type velocity. What’s the big deal? Last I checked, there’s been quite a few lefties that have done very well with this that much or a good deal less velocity.
3 and 4? Really?
1. Parker
2. Choice
3. Gray
4. Peacock
5. Cole
6. Green
7. Milone
8. Norris
9. Cowgill
10. Ynoa
Yeah, really.
1. Choice
2. Parker
3. Milone
4. Cowgill
5. Norris
6. Peacock
7. Cole
8. Gray
9. Carter
10. Green
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
This is hilarious and awesome
I’m somewhat shocked by your placement of Milone and Cowgill, and i love it.
John 3:16
"If they want to pay me like Mike Gallego, I’ll play like Gallego." - Rickey Henderson
I just noticed my 10 are
the same as Sickels’ 10. Just in a slightly different order….
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
Milone's numbers in the minors
are virtually identical to Joe Blanton’s, which isn’t a bad thing. But he certainly doesn’t have a ceiling of more than a 4th starter, though his probability is pretty high. He’s a nice addition, but Cole, Peacock, and Gray could be 1/2 type starters.
to clarify:
Milone’s MiLB numbers:
516 IP, 3.05 ERA, 8.8 H/9, 8.1 K/9, 1.5 BB/9 5.54 K/BB
Blanton’s:
376 IP, 3.35 ERA, 8.6 H/9, 8.3 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 4.93 K/BB
I'd be thrilled if
our #3 prospect went on to have a career like Blanton’s. If we could trade our #3 prospect down the line for a pocket full of valuable prospects. If our #3 prospect gave us an average of 3+ WAR of the course of 4 seasons. I’d be VERY pleased. What are the chances of Gray or Cole doing that? You’d have to say pretty slim if you consider all the factors/variables that could derail their path to that sort of success.
More fun with numbers:
Dan Haren’s MiLB numbers:
474 IP, 3.15 IP, 8.5 H/9, 1.6 BB/9, 8.8 K/9, 5.37 K/BB
The difference is Haren had a major league out pitch when he came up, plus a few mph on his fastball more than Blanton/Milone. By all accounts, Milone doesn’t have a put-guys-away pitch in his arsenal right now.
But if Milone can find an out pitch like Haren’s splitter or Braden’s change up, iglew could be right about him.
How good is Milone's change up?
I’ve read scouting reports that range from very good to mediocre. I tend to think it’s at least above average because it’s hard for me to imagine he dominated AAA the way he did last year with only smoke and mirrors.
Good stuff
I’m not sure I’d have them quite that high, but it really does seem like the knocks against them are old fashioned (“he doesn’t throw hard enough” and “he’s too small”) which I’d really thought we’d gotten past. I’m very high on both.
Went to make my own list and couldn't disagree with any of the top 10 from Sickels's either
1. Choice
2. Parker
3. Cole
4. Cowgill
5. Norris
6. Gray
7. Millone
8. Peacock
9. Carter
10. Green
Echoing what you’ve said elsewhere, despite my distaste for Green there just isn’t anyone below him that can take the 10th spot.
Interesting list
Just wondering why you seem to be so low on Brad Peacock, doubts about him or do you just like the other prospects better?
Mostly I liked the others better
The one concern I have with Peacock is that he’s only put up good numbers in partial seasons in 2010 in A+ and 2011 in AA. Every other stop he’s been ok or bad. For me, the scouting on Parker, Cole, and Gray is what puts them ahead of Peacock, and Milone’s ridiculous numbers at higher levels over the past two years push him ahead as well. But I am very optimistic about all 5. It’s an impressive group.
As for the rest of the list: I believe that Cowgill will be a solid MLB regular, not a 4th outfielder. He’s getting short shrift because of his height, which is idiotic. Choice and Norris I have serious concerns about, but they’ve got legit power and I like hitting prospects better than pitching prospects. Carter and Green are just there to fill out the list; I think there are serious concerns with everyone else that’s left and I those two seem to be the most likely to be productive major league players. Not that optimistic about either of them, though, especially Green. That K/BB ratio really hurts the eyes.
OK, I guess I can see where you're coming from
I still like the two plus pitches Peacock brings with the four seamer and the curveball. I’m buying into the mechanical adjustments he made before last season and I think he can get results similar to say Gio Gonzalez, possibly even better depending on his command.
Peacock and Gray seem like the same player to me.
They’re both are undersized but decently built RHP with a good fastball and a plus breaking ball. Similar stats, though SSS applies with Gray. If they become the same player, I wouldn’t be surprised. Best case scenario, they both become Roy Oswalt. More likely, they probably become right handed versions of Wandy Rodriguez.
if we're doling out diminutive astros as comps, how about bud norris?
thats who i see for peacock at least. especially with his thicker build.
fwiw, parker is also small, so maybe short righties have become a target for beane.
I'm definitely interested to see how Milone does
There’s such a huge discrepancy in the scouting opinion on him versus his statistical performance. Based in his performance the last couple years most projection systems seem to think he will be an ace this year, but just about every scouting opinion thinks he’ll be lucky to stick in the majors as a mediocre 5th starter.
Personally, I think a strike throwing lefty with a diverse repertoire of pitches has a chance to be very useful, especially with a homefield like the coliseum.
MLB's top 100 is out.
Parker is the only one in the top 50 (at 26).
Choice, Gray, Peacock, Cole, and Green also made the list.
I'm not as high on Green as most, maybe more hopeful about Choice than some:
1. Choice
2. Parker
3. Peacock
4. Gray
5. Cowgill
6. Milone
7. Cole
8. Norris
9. Green
10. de la Cruz
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Head could be #10 as well
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
I may be really high on Shipman
but any teenager who walks more than he strikes out, has tons of speed to boot, is a very good prospect in my opinion, and i think he should be in the top 10
of course at some point he’ll become a little more aggressive which i wouldn’t mind as long as his slugging raises some (obviously he won’t hit a lot of hr’s, but more doubles and triples)
but even if he drops his obp down 20 points, that’s still a .365 obp, which is solid
Snoochies
Can someone name...
The last Oakland Prospect to start as a low SLG%/Singles hitter and turn into a baseball player with decent “slugging”?
by Colorado Fan on Jan 26, 2012 7:49 AM PST up reply actions
I think it would depend on how you define "start"
I mean, Shipman is 19 years old and has played a total of 67 professional games. So you’d have to exclude anyone drafted out of college, or go back to their freshman or sophomore year of college to find a comparable SLG.
If he carries the slap-hitting into Stockton and Midland, and becomes a 21-year-old who can’t hit the ball more than 300 feet, then I agree that would be a problem. His ceiling in that case might be Darren Lewis or something. But he could also grow and get stronger and learn to drive the ball in the next few years.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Freddie Bynum
Almost the same stats for the first 250 AB’s, while I think Shipman was a year younger.
Not saying that Bynum was great stuff, but he did turn into a major league player for 3 years as a back up in Balt. And his career Slug is higher in the majors than the minors. While not a great end result, if Shipman turned into a nice 4th outfilder that can bring spead and defence to the bench, that is not too bad
Shipman is 19 years old at Vermont (low A) had .303 slug, Bynum was 20 at Vanvover (low A) with .310 slug and was a career .358 slug in minors and a .379 in majors.
I found Bynum, but stopped looking there, so there may be better examples, that did better or did worse. Maybe Steve Stanley, but he was a college kid, so the age he started with the A’s was much older.
J.T. Stotts
J. T.Stotts had low slug, and but never made the show, but did help get the A’s Chris Hammond
Why limit it to Oakland prospects?
i think it would be more interesting to see if any prospects with a profile similar to Shipman in any system showed a significant increase slugging as they progressed. Off the top of my head it’s hard for me to think of too many prospects like Shipman that Oakland has brought through the system.
Coco Crisp
If I did the math right, CoCo Crisp had a .325 slug after his first 363 AB, as he started in Johnson City and New Jersey (rookie ball and NY-Penn) for the Cards and he was 20 or 21 years old (over one and a half seasons).
Ok .325 is higher, but that is very low number. He ended up with a .421 slug in the minors and .406 in the majors.
Skip Schumaker had a .327 slug with same Jersey team and he was 21 years old.
Gary Pettis
In his first full season (low A) at age 22, in 393 AB he had a .308 slug
Alex Rios
Alex Rios had a .318 slug in his first 308 AB’s and had only 1 homer is his first 514 AB’s for the Blue Jays. He stated young and was 18 or 19 for this two seasons.
It is kinda fun looking back.
Also, Chone Figgins
Starting as a 19-year-old in Rookie ball, his SLGs…
Rookie: .384
Low A: .349
High A (2 seasons): .344
AA: .332
Suddenly, as a 24-year-old in AAA, he slugged .466 and .509 — but that was in Salt Lake City, which I think is at altitude. He’s never had consistently good SLGs in the Majors, but he’s had 3 or 4 really good seasons at the plate.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
for guys like shipman
power is usually the last thing to come around when they’re still filling out
Snoochies
I think I've been brainwashed by Paul Thomas, who hates Shipman
and does know a thing or two about prospects.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
yes, i know these guys know a ton about prospects
however, it’s hard to take a list seriously when it’s got guys like mitchell and taylor (who may be serviceable mlb players at some point, but are just too old to be called “prospects”). shipman has the upside of maybe a coco crisp or someone like that, maybe even a juan pierre if things go “meh”.
players i’d rather see on the list than mitchell/taylor: carter, de la cruz, nunez, vollmuth, pan, cowgill, head, and alcantara
Snoochies
to be fair
To be fair, when Baseball America’s prospect book comes out, all these players will be there. And the likelyhood that Taylor makes the major in some way is good, while Shipman and the other are years away. I guess the question, in Taylor or Mitchell’s case is, these guys are one step away, can they make the one step and will they bounce back to the well thought of prospect the once were. Shipman and these other, while looking good, still have to take many more steps. Each one could prove that they can’t make it. The likelyhood, Taylor is something is way higher than the likelyhood that Shipman is something.
Also if Shipman is 11 and Taylor is 9, is it that big a deal?
i didn't know shipman's ranking
and no a two spot difference isn’t that big of a deal. i just see michael taylor doing what he should’ve done last year. i’m sure the talent’s there, just too little too late in respect to his numbers. with jermaine mitchell, i see a 27 year old who performed 4 years too late at AA, where he should be playing really well anyway. 60 games at AAA isn’t a terribly small sample size, but not big enough for me to say “ok he’s fine up there”.
again, i could see them being serviceable major leaguers, and yes they haven’t achieved rookie status, but i just don’t view them as true “prospects”.
i also concede i’m probably higher on shipman (and de la cruz for that matter) than i should be, but to me, a teenager who walks more than he strikes out is pretty noticeable, dunno how else to put it
Snoochies
I really like Gray, but am down on Cowgill because of defense.
1. Parker
2. Choice
3. Gray
4. Cole
5. Peacock
6. Milone
7. Norris
8. Green
9. Carter
10. Parker
Next 11: Mitchell, Cowgill, Griffin, Krol, Cardenas, Taylor, De La Cruz, Straily, Godfrey, Recker, Donaldson
I like how Parker is #1 and #10!
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Yeah good find.
Hope it is obvious the second is 3B Stephen Parker.
no - it's not obvious
as he’s slipped off most peoples top 10 (top 15 or 20 for that matter) after his regression last season.
Mine would have to be...
1. Parker
2. Choice
3. Peacock
4. Gray
5. Cole
6. Norris
7. Milone
8. Green
9. Carter
10. Cowgill
I tend to rank guys higher that are closer to MLB ready. Parker and Peacock are there or almost there. Gray looks like he wont be far behind. Cole is probably talented enough to rank higher, but he’s so far away that I don’t trust that he’s a for sure thing yet.
On a side note, it seems like the A’s have been doing better in drafts lately.
2011: Gray
2010: Choice
2009: looks like a dud unless Green can make some adjustments
2008: Weeks
Hopefully we’ll be able to capitalize on the draft order and number of picks this year.
We’ve come a long way. There have been some crappy drafts in the past. 2000 for instance, ouch!
the instant reaction is Choice is way too low at 5...
it would be really really great though, if the writers are correct and Choice is the 5th best prospect…means the top 4 are going to be all world.
by JimBarnett2KevinGarnett on Jan 26, 2012 2:23 PM PST reply actions
1 and 2 are more 1a and 1b
I cut Green some slack with a good season on the horizon. Still love that swing though, as he gets stronger the power number’s will go up. No denying a kid that can go opposite field with such authority.
1. Jarrod Parker SP
2. Michael Choice CF
3. Brad Peacock SP
4. Sonny Gray SP
5. A.J. Cole SP
6. Grant Green SS/CF
7. Chris Carter 1B
8. Tom Millone SP
9. Derek Norris C
10. Vicmal De la Cruz OF
I doubt he sees A ball this year
Most likely he’ll get sent to extended spring training and then report either to rookie ball or the NY/PENN league.
I think
he could possibly do extended spring training then go to A ball if they really think he’s ready and wanna push him
But i mostly agree with you, he’ll probably end up in short-season ball
Snoochies
I don't know
If he goes does well in the AZL, with the target for the rebuild to be complete, he could very well end up in low A Burlington. Scouts rave about this kid being a 5-tool talent, one scouting report I read (I can’t remember where) said he could develop “game changing power” that coupled with the fact we have very little 5-tool players in the system could push him faster than we’ve seen in quite some time.
by Halloffamer7 on Jan 28, 2012 2:55 PM PST up reply actions
His performance in the dominican summer league was great
.443 wOBA, 7th in the league.
by Billy Frijoles on Jan 28, 2012 3:25 PM PST up reply actions
big jump
between the DSL and low A ball – I think it’s more likely that he finishes in short-season ball. I don’t know why they’d rush him, he’s still very young and raw, and we don’t want to have him turn into Rashun Dixon 2.0
Surprised to read about him having power
I haven’t seen any reports at all that suggest he could have even above average power. Even if he were graded as a 5-tool talent I can’t imagine it would change how the A’s handle him. The idea that they would move him faster because of the target for the rebuild or the lack of 5-tool talents in the system makes no sense to me.
De La Cruz is young and wasn’t that highly regarded until he had a good 50 game debut in the Dominican league, I wouldn’t get too excited about how he’s going to perform next year.
Oops wrote the reply un JPShark's Top 10
by Halloffamer7 on Jan 28, 2012 4:29 PM PST up reply actions
Some people rated him as the #1 dominican prospect in the offseason, prior to the summer league I believe
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/11/as-likely-to-sign-vicmal-de-la-cruz.html
He was only 16 when he signed, commanded $800K. He must have been very highly regarded for the A’s to pony up that kind of money for an unproven 16 year old.
by Billy Frijoles on Jan 29, 2012 6:44 PM PST up reply actions
I haven't really heard a report on the 16yo SS the A's just signed
Any word?
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
he's a gap to gap contact hitter with plus defense and a strong arm
his report is up on dplbaseball.com
Snoochies
Cool, thank you!
I had heard “defense-first guy…” but didn’t know anything more.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
To add, he looks very physically mature.
Disclaimer: I’m not accusing him of lying about his age; he simply looks very developmentally mature for somebody that’s sixteen and as big as he is.
he looks, physically, a little like Orlando Cabrera
nice compact swing, almost no stride from the left side. If they work on his swing with him, perhaps he could develop a little power.
they also signed a few others during the fall
one of which is nicknamed “barry” because he was considered the barry bonds of his team
as long as he wasn’t nicknamed that for the supplements he took, hopefully it bodes well for him
Snoochies
Ok i'll try one
1. Parker
2. Choice
3. Gray
4. Cole
5. Peacock
6. Milone
7. Norris
8. Cowgill
9. Green
10. Carter
Next five for me would be De La Cruz, Krol, Taylor, Donaldson and Miles Head (who
I expect to rank much higher on next years list).
Agreed
On Head, I think this year he probably solidifies himself as one of our top 10 prosepects. I mean this kid can hit and if he can play even an average 3rd base, his value skyrockets, as many have said he wouldn’t be able to handle 3rd, due to his body and possible loss of agility. Good call. .
by Halloffamer7 on Jan 28, 2012 5:37 PM PST up reply actions
Does anyone think Head can play 3B at all?
The impression I got from scouting reports is that it’s a toss-up whether he’s a 1B or a DH. My assumption is he’s like Chris Carter and we’re lucky if he can handle 1B adequately. If he can actually play 3B that’s a whole different story.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
Yea, this seems kind of like a Brett Wallace situation
Where the A’s are the only team that thinks he can handle third base. Also his bat doesn’t seem to be all that impressive as well.
Goes to show, the going rate for closers just isn’t what it used to be.
Head tore the cover off the ball in A league last year
He’s still young, too. The difference with Wallace, I think, has to do with age — Wallace was older and had a longer track-record to base a defensive evaluation on. Plus, Head had been a catcher in HS, which means a) he might actually be agile and have a good arm, and b) he might still be on the steeper end of the learning curve at 3B, with the possibility of a big step forward.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Or (c)
He might have been the most talented person by far on a high school team where no one else was even remotely qualified, so they put him in as catcher.
Difference of opinion among my community is a sign of the bounty of God.
Could well be
For what it’s worth, this rating site listed him as the #61 prospect in the country the year he was drafted, so I still think there’s some talent there.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I hope he can keep hitting like that
But his successful hitting was only about 60 games in low A, the other 3/4’s of his career he’s been largely mediocre with the bat.
I’m pretty interested to see how Stockton performs this year, with Head, Whitaker, Kirby-Jones, and Thompson rotating through the corner spots there should be plenty of power on that team, even if none of them look like future major leaguers.
The Red Sox gave him an overslot bonus
which IIRC was equivalent to 3rd round money — so that indicates that he was a real prospect coming out of high school. So I don’t think it was astonishing that he’d start hitting at some point. They gave him the bonus because they thought he had talent.
Here’s a story about him from last June. Guess who his manager was? Billy McMillon — maybe another reason Beane was paying particular attention to him.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
And I repeat
If he plays well he’ll move from AZL to Vermont It’s been done before, who cares what makes sense to you I dont write for you. In other words if he plays well he’ll be rewarded. Make sense?
I guess it doesn't matter what makes sense to me, you're perfectly within your rights to ignore my comments
Just trying to have a conversation here.
As far as De La Cruz being promoted to Vermont, I could see that. I said in my original comment that I could see him playing in either the AZL or the NY/PENN league. I agree that if he plays well in in the AZL he could move up, I was just saying that I would find it hard to believe he would make it to Low A Burlington. Maybe there was Burlington/Burlington confusion causing the disconnect.
The part of your comment I was having trouble with was when you suggested that the lack of 5-tool talent could cause the A’s to push him faster. It would seem to me that they would let his play determine his pace regardless of the amount of 5-tool players in the system.
Yeah I did write Burlington
but I guess I should’ve been more clear. He probably start’s in the AZL, then moves up to NYP, then say he’s absolutely killing it (and only if), like say Mike Stanton (not comparing him just an example) was before he got called up from AA, maybe recieves a call upto Burlington.
That coupled with the move and the fact Beane wants to have a contending team on the field by 2015, might (emphasis on might) play a role in him getting a call upto Burlington.
However, this is the Oakland A’s we’re talking about and as a fan I’ve never seen them (during the Beane era) be this aggresive with a hitter, to my recollection. I’m just saying it’s not out of the realm of possibility for him, given the talent he posseses, to move up quicker than alot of other prospects. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility, being a prospect, for him to end up in the NYP or even turn out to be a total bust (which I doubt).
by Halloffamer7 on Jan 28, 2012 5:13 PM PST up reply actions
De La Cruz is only 18
if he were to make it to A ball next year, he would still be ahead of the curve (a 19 year old in a league where top prospects are around 20 years old),therefore, he could possibly be considered an elite prospect if he were to perform well there. No need to rush him TOO much, a year at short season is just fine.
Snoochies
My bad for being so snappy.
What you said made sense and is more of a reality. I was speaking hypothetically, dreaming I guess. We all know there’s probably no chance he makes it to A ball.
by Halloffamer7 on Jan 30, 2012 10:17 AM PST up reply actions
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