BA's 2008 AZL Top 20 Prospects

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Two Cubs made it.

 

1. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Royals

2. Jaff Decker, of, Padres

3. Jharmidy DeJesus, 3b, Mariners

4. Ehire Adrianza, ss, Giants

5. Manuarys Correa, rhp, Angels

6. Rashun Dixon, of, Athletics

7. Jake Odorizzi, rhp, Brewers

8. Tyler Sample, rhp, Royals

9. Jose Casilla, rhp, Giants

10. Yowill Espinal, ss/2b, Royals

11. Joe Wieland, rhp, Rangers

12. Tyler Chatwood, rhp, Angels

13. Jose Bonilla, c, Royals

14. Starlin Castro, ss/2b, Cubs

15. Seth Lintz, rhp, Brewers

16. Junior Lake, ss, Cubs

17. Kyle Nicholson, rhp, Giants

18. Clark Murphy, 1b, Rangers

19. Terrell Alliman, of/3b, Angels

20. Wendell Fairley, of, Giants

 

Got to say I thought Jharmidy DeJesus was a shoe-in for #1. I am also surprised Larry Suarez didn't make it again after having a better season than last year while still being age-appropriate and rehabbing from major surgery. I was also holding out hope that one of Cerda or Watkins would make it, but those two not making it was less of a surprise to me.

 

14. Starlin Castro, ss/2b, Cubs

 

B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 160 Age: 18 Signed: Dominican Republic '06

 

The AZL Cubs had two intriguing 18-year-old Dominican infielders, Castro and Junior Lake, who rotated between shortstop, second base and third base. Opinions are split as to which is the better prospect, with Castro getting the nod here after improving significantly in the second half.

 

Castro has a good approach at the plate and handles curveballs better than most young players. He flashes some power and will have more once he adds to the 160 pounds he carries on his 6-foot-1 frame. With plus range and a solid, accurate arm, he can handle any position in the infield.

 

16. Junior Lake, ss, Cubs

 

B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 175 Age: 18 Signed: Dominican Republic '07

For now, Lake is a solid defensive shortstop with a strong. The question is whether he'll be able to remain at the position long-term as he fills out his lanky 6-foot-3 frame. He also played some third base this summer and looked comfortable there.

 

Lake should have enough bat for the hot corner it that's his eventual position. He has the potential for plus power and the ball comes off his bat really well. He feasts on fastballs but needs to improve against offspeed pitches and stop chasing balls out of the strike zone.

 

Though his speed is no better than average, Lake has good instincts on the bases. He stole 12 bases in 14 attempts and legged out six triples.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2008/266852.html

[Guest]

While other systems have done well with the whole Latin American middle infielder craze in recent years, the Cubs haven't had anyone besides Ronny Cedeno and *maybe* Marwin Gonzalez. It's nice to see two middle infielder prospects worth something in the system. And both of them are showing something with their bat too, even if it is the AZL. I would imagine Lake grows out of SS though.

[Guest]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/chat.php?id=2008091501

 

Chat with BA's Bill Mitchell at 3 pm ET. Flood them with Cubs questions!!

 

5 years ago, the top 10 prospects in the AZL were:

 

FIVE YEARS AGO

 

1. Chris Lubanski, of, Royals

2. *Wladimir Balentien, of, Mariners

3. Ryan Harvey, of, Cubs

4. *Mitch Maier, c, Royals

5. Alexi Ogando, of, Athletics

6. Bear Bay, rhp, Cubs

7. *Shane Costa, of, Royals

8. *Adam Jones, ss, Mariners

9. *Brandon Wood, ss, Angels

10. Charlie Fermaint, of, Brewers

*Has played in major leagues.

[Guest]

Questions about Larry Suarez, Matt Cerda, Logan Watkins, Tony Campana, Yohan Gonzalez, Jericho Jones, Jeffry Antigua, Dionis Nunez, Nelson Perez, Chris Huseby, Starlin Castro, Junior Lake and John Contreras were answered in the chat:

 

Q: Navin from Pasadena, CA asks:

Good to see two Cubs on two hitters from Latin America at that. I was wondering if Larry Suarez, Matt Cerda or Logan Watkins were at all close as they had good campaigns in the AZL and have some hype due to their big bonuses. Thank you.

 

A: Bill Mitchell: The Cubs had a lot of good hitters on that team this year. Cerda was very close. Intelligent hitter whose numbers would have likely been better if he hadn't been focusing on a difficult new position (catching). The Cubs really like the kid. Watkins is an interesting prospect --- not much power but very athletic. He played both infield and outfield, so his future may be more as a utility guy. Suarez recovered nicely from an early injury. He's still young, so let's see how he does next year.

 

Q: Jason from Lake Villa, IL asks:

Two Cubs prospects from the AZL that I have heard positive things about- Logan Watkins (SS/2B) and Tony Campana (CF). Watkins looks like he's got some polish and tools to him- what could he profile as? Campana was old for the league (getting sent back there after an injury), but 22 SB's in 90 PA's counts for something. Does he have a chance to be something like Jason Tyner?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: I addressed Watkins in an earlier question. Campana was a lot of fun to watch --- great speed, very good defense. He's small and at his age I wouldn't project him getting much bigger. Like a lot of small players, he will need to prove himself at every level, but in the meantime he will add value to every team he plays on. If he ever makes it, he'll be a Cangelosi or Dascenzo type of overachieving fourth outfielder.

 

Q: Mike from Chicago asks:

I was just wondering why some Cubs didn't make the list such as Yohan Gonzalez or Jericho Jones, were any of them close?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: I didn't get too many comments on Gonzalez, although he's still only 18 and he put up some good numbers --- just didn't miss a lot of bats. The best pitching prospect on the Cubs team was probably southpaw Jeff Antigua, another 18 year old who should get bigger. Jones obviously hit well in the AZL, but he's a college guy. There are other higher rated hitters from that team, but I will still be interested in seeing how he does at a higher level. He's tall and strong, but could still add more muscle.

 

Q: Ken from Phoenix asks:

How do Jeffry Antigua and Dionis Nunez of CHC get left out? 2 18yr olds w/ Huge cielings.

 

A: Bill Mitchell: I discussed Antigua as being an interesting prospect to watch. Nunez was actually 19 and will turn 20 in a couple of weeks. He was pretty hittable and had command issues.

 

Q: Patrick from Chicago, IL asks:

Will Matthew Cerda stick at catcher, or will the Cubs end up moving him back to the middle infield?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: The Cubs were satisfied with the progress that he made this year. They had Kerry Wood's former high school catcher, Danny Fatheree, working with him during the summer. My opinion is that it may depend on how much bigger he gets. He's still kind of small and will need to put on weight and muscle to withstand the wear and tear of catching.

 

Q: Patrick from Chicago, IL asks:

Is there much to get excited about between Jericho Jones and Nelson Perez for the Cubs? How do both project?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: Nelson Perez is a hard one to project. He's got big time power potential, a very good arm (70 on the scouting scale) and runs well for a big man. But I want to see how he does at a higher level because of his big swing. There's definitely potential there. The Cubs like him, as did many of the opposing managers.

 

Q: Navin from Pasadena, CA asks:

Thank you for your response to my earlier question! What happened to Chris Huseby? He had a solid season last year in the NWL but he struggled to throw strikes in the AZL this season. Was he hurt again?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: I do not believe that Huseby had any injury issues this year. Like you said, it's just a matter of throwing strikes. He made some incremental progress as the season progressed, but he's still a work in progress.

 

Q: john from san diego asks:

please name 5-8 prospects that missed the cut?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: I've alluded to a few players in previous comments, but here are the names for you in one place: Josh Blanco (Angels), Nino Leyja (Athletics), Matt Cerda (Cubs), Aaron King (Giants), Nelson Perez (Cubs), Alexia Amarista (Angels), Leonel De Los Santos (Rangers). Keep an eye on that last one --- 18-year-old catcher from Venezuela who can hit and has a strong arm. I inadvertently deleted a question that I intended to answer about Starlin Castro and Junior Lake. I liked both of them a lot, as did many others around the AZL. Lake stood out early in the season, but Castro really impressed in the second half. Castro can most likely get bigger and stronger without having to move off shortstop, while Lake may have to go to third base. A Cubs scout told me that within the organization opinions are split as to which is the better prospect. The good thing is that no one has to decide right now --- they can let them play and watch how they both develop.

 

Q: Brad from Rock Hill, SC asks:

Thank you for answering questions about players 3 to 4 years away from the big leagues. These guys give us hope, especially for third generation Cub's fans like me. Jose Contreras is 22 years old, first season out of the Dominican, and the Cubs played him a lot in '08. What makes him interesting enough for the playing time at that age?

 

A: Bill Mitchell: John Contreras hit a lot of homeruns and put up good numbers for the Cubs, but didn't draw any comments about being a prospect. You are correct that he is 22 and in his first year in the States. In addition to third base, he also played some first base. There's some power potential, but probably not enough of anything else to make him a prospect.

[Guest]

Schedule for the rest of their league prospect lists relating to Cubs players:

 

Northwest League: Monday, Sept. 22

Midwest League: Tuesday, Sept. 23

Florida State League: Monday, Sept. 29

Southern League: Wednesday, Oct. 1

Pacific Coast League: Monday, Oct. 6

[Guest]

No real appropriate thread for this so I stuck it in the only active thread (yes, I realize I have all the posts in here). Cubs-centric highlights from Kevin Goldstein's chat today at BP:

 

nb (IL): What kind of upside are we Cub fans looking at in Vitters? How excited should I be?

 

Kevin Goldstein: You should be excited. I wrote this while he was still in high school, but I think it still fits -- he reminds me of a more physical Howie Kendrick.

 

jklein (TP): Love that Vitters reminds you of Kendrick but at what position? 3B still even with his defensive questions?

 

Kevin Goldstein: I think he'll be find at third. Not gold glove, but I don't think he'll have to move.

[davell]

I'm a little surprised Antigua didn't make the top 20, same with Cerda. That said, at least they were talked about very favorably as it is. Was hoping for a better account on Gonzalez though.

[craig]

Thanks for the info, raisin. Nice to read the somewhat favorably comments about Castro at SS, and Lake both defensively and as a potential power guy. Power matters a ton, so that's in Lake's favor. But if the ability to hit curveballs is in Castro's favor, and he's a fundamentally smarter and more sound player, he may have the edge. I'll go with Castro for now, preliminary as that may be.

 

I was very happy that those guys were viewed as interesting enough to merit. Wasn't sure how good either looked to an outsider.

 

Disappointed that nobody else was. As others have mentioned, I'd have hoped that at least one of Neifi, Cerda, Watkins, Jones, Gonzalez, Antigua, and Suarez would have looked jazzy enough to make it. That said, the fact that we've got at least 9 guys who we thought might merit consideration reflects how many guys there can be at that level who still have a chance. Probably every org down there likewise has a handful of guys who have some potential, whether it be some power or some speed or some defense or a fast fastball or an interesting breaking ball. Probably somewhat hard to guess which guys will improve and which won't. Hopefully a good ratio of the Cub rookie leaguers will develop. It's a pretty inexact science. Soto, Marmol, and Castillo were nobodys in rookie league. Kelton, Mark Reed, Billy Petrick, those were hot commodities. So you never know.

[TruffleShuffle]

lol @ anthony hewitt:

 

33 games, 23-117, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 BB, 55 K, .197/.256/.299,.555

 

good luck with that, phillies.