BA's 2009 Top 20 AZL Prospects

[CaliforniaRaisin]

No Cubs made the list, though BA said Austin Kirk would have made the list if he had logged enough innings:

 

Baseball America[/url]"]1. Mike Trout, of, Angels

2. Fabio Martinez, rhp, Angels

3. Allen Webster, rhp, Dodgers

4. Rymer Liriano, of, Padres

5. Randal Grichuk, of, Angels

6. Julio Morban, of/dh, Mariners

7. Adys Portillo, rhp, Padres

8. Rafael Rodriguez, of, Giants

9. Jonathan Garcia, of, Dodgers

10. Jon Bachanov, rhp, Angels

11. Maverick Lasker, rhp, Brewers

12. Richard Alvarez, rhp, Rangers

13. Edward Concepcion, rhp, Giants

14. Jesus Brito, 3b, Indians

15. Hector Sanchez, c, Giants

16. Tomas Telis, c, Rangers

17. Rolando Gomez, ss, Angels

18. Jonathan Galves, ss/2b, Padres

19. Danny Danielson, rhp, Dodgers

20. Max Walla, of, Brewers

[davell]

We didn't have many guys who got a full season's worth down there. I guess Jesus Morelli was about the only guy we had that even we would classify as someone to watch, that actually got enough playing time to qualify. And unless he would have shown some sort of extra base power, I wouldn't think he'd have been close to making it either.

[jersey cubs fan]

Is this a function of focusing on college guys who end up going to Boise first, or does it expose a lack of investment in the young latin America market?

[Outshined_One]

They said Kirk would have ranked high on the Top 20 had he logged enough innings. :-k

 

Given that their chats are no longer open to non-subscribers, anyone care to ask them about Kirk and Burruel for me? I'm curious about how both of them looked.

[davell]

Is this a function of focusing on college guys who end up going to Boise first, or does it expose a lack of investment in the young latin America market?

 

 

Possibly both. But, we spent some higher picks on high school kids this year actually. Springfield and Darvill both struggled pretty badly though. And Kirk signed too late to get himself enough innings. Same with Burruel for that matter, we probably overslotted him by a good bit, and he's someone to keep an eye on.

 

It's true we haven't spent big bucks in Latin America recently, but we are spending bigtime in the Pac Rim to compensate. Some of the guys we signed this year will probably hit the AZL next year anyway. Although it wouldn't surprise me to see some of them bypass it either.

[Guest]

Is this a function of focusing on college guys who end up going to Boise first, or does it expose a lack of investment in the young latin America market?

 

The Cubs definitely lack in the Latin American department compared to other teams but they did have two 18-year old Latin Americans make last year's list (Starlin Castro and Junior Lake). And that might be in concert with their added emphasis on the Pac Rim but thus far, all their big name Korean prospects have skipped Mesa to debut in Boise or Peoria.

[Guest]

We didn't have many guys who got a full season's worth down there. I guess Jesus Morelli was about the only guy we had that even we would classify as someone to watch, that actually got enough playing time to qualify. And unless he would have shown some sort of extra base power, I wouldn't think he'd have been close to making it either.

 

I thought Toby Matchulat, Julio Pena, Jose Rosario and Cody Hams were the most interesting guys there amongst the non-2009 draftees.

[davell]

We didn't have many guys who got a full season's worth down there. I guess Jesus Morelli was about the only guy we had that even we would classify as someone to watch, that actually got enough playing time to qualify. And unless he would have shown some sort of extra base power, I wouldn't think he'd have been close to making it either.

 

I thought Toby Matchulat, Julio Pena, Jose Rosario and Cody Hams were the most interesting guys there amongst the non-2009 draftees.

 

Any idea as to why Pena repeated? Was he hurt early this year, I can't remember. I guess Rosario could be someone to watch, we just need some info on him, as I'm not sure of anything he throws. All I see is a nice K rate to this point, which is obviously a start. If either Matchulat or Hams resolve their control issues, I could see them making noise.

[Guest]

We didn't have many guys who got a full season's worth down there. I guess Jesus Morelli was about the only guy we had that even we would classify as someone to watch, that actually got enough playing time to qualify. And unless he would have shown some sort of extra base power, I wouldn't think he'd have been close to making it either.

 

I thought Toby Matchulat, Julio Pena, Jose Rosario and Cody Hams were the most interesting guys there amongst the non-2009 draftees.

 

Any idea as to why Pena repeated? Was he hurt early this year, I can't remember. I guess Rosario could be someone to watch, we just need some info on him, as I'm not sure of anything he throws. All I see is a nice K rate to this point, which is obviously a start. If either Matchulat or Hams resolve their control issues, I could see them making noise.

 

Pena and Matchulat were the last two off the Boise roster so it wasn't injury-related. Pena did get to finish the season at Daytona just like Rosario. His control at such a young age is impressive.

[Guest]

Only one chat question related to the Cubs:

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): It's disappointing to see no Cubs on there. Who was the closest Cub prospect to make the list? I thought Toby Matchulat and Julio Pena had interesting numbers.

 

Bill Mitchell: Most of their top draft picks (Jackson, LeMahieu, Rusin) made token appearances but none had enough time to qualify for the list. Kirk and Raley signed late and didn't pitch enough to qualify. Keep in mind that they also challenged some of the younger players, like Hak-Ju Lee, by sending them to Boise instead of keeping them in the AZL. As for players who played enough to qualify, Wes Darvill has potential. He's still very raw; nice batting stroke but needs to get stronger. I also question whether he has the arm to play SS. Outfielder Jesus Morelli could be one to watch in the future. The pitcher to draw the most favorable comments was Jose Rosario, who started the year in the DSL and finished with two appearances at Daytona.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2009/268915.html

[toonsterwu]

We didn't have many guys who got a full season's worth down there. I guess Jesus Morelli was about the only guy we had that even we would classify as someone to watch, that actually got enough playing time to qualify. And unless he would have shown some sort of extra base power, I wouldn't think he'd have been close to making it either.

 

He actually does have some pop, but he's immensely raw according to AzPhil. Been tracking him since DSL.

 

On a side note, I'll be curious if the Cubs bring Albert Hernandez across next year.

[toonsterwu]

Only one chat question related to the Cubs:

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): It's disappointing to see no Cubs on there. Who was the closest Cub prospect to make the list? I thought Toby Matchulat and Julio Pena had interesting numbers.

 

Bill Mitchell: Most of their top draft picks (Jackson, LeMahieu, Rusin) made token appearances but none had enough time to qualify for the list. Kirk and Raley signed late and didn't pitch enough to qualify. Keep in mind that they also challenged some of the younger players, like Hak-Ju Lee, by sending them to Boise instead of keeping them in the AZL. As for players who played enough to qualify, Wes Darvill has potential. He's still very raw; nice batting stroke but needs to get stronger. I also question whether he has the arm to play SS. Outfielder Jesus Morelli could be one to watch in the future. The pitcher to draw the most favorable comments was Jose Rosario, who started the year in the DSL and finished with two appearances at Daytona.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2009/268915.html

 

Nice to see a Darvill note. I'm terribly fascinated by him, as he's really got a nice swing, good footspeed, overall solid athelticism. Interesting that they note that Darvill lacks the arm. I was under the impression that he had solid arm strength for short. Guess not.