BA's 2009 Top 20 NWL Prospects

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Three Cubs in BA's NWL Top 20, including 2 of league's top 3 prospects. Hak-Ju Lee is the second Cub in as many years to be rated the top prospect in the NWL and the third in four years (Vitters in 2008 and Colvin in 2006 were also the top rated prospects in the NWL):

 

Baseball America[/url]"]1. Hak-Ju Lee, ss, Boise (Cubs)

2. Edinson Rincon, 3b, Eugene (Padres)

3. Brett Jackson, of, Boise (Cubs)

4. Mario Martinez, 3b, Everett (Mariners)

5. Tim Wheeler, of, Tri-City (Rockies)

6. Ryan Wheeler, 3b, Yakima (Diamondbacks)

7. Robbie Ross, lhp, Spokane (Rangers)

8. Francisco Peguero, of, Salem-Keizer (Giants)

9. Matt Davidson, 3b, Yakima (Diamondbacks)

10. Miguel Velazquez, of, Spokane (Rangers)

11. Tommy Mendonca, 3b, Spokane (Rangers)

12. James Jones, of, Everett (Mariners)

13. Chris Dominguez, 3b, Salem-Keizer (Giants)

14. Julio Ramos, lhp, Vancouver (Athletics)

15. Rob Scahill, rhp, Tri-City (Rockies)

16. Ben Paulsen, 1b, Tri-City (Rockies)

17. Jerry Sullivan, rhp, Eugene (Padres)

18. Connor Hoehn, rhp, Vancouver (Athletics)

19. Logan Watkins, 2b, Boise (Cubs)

20. Braden Tullis, rhp, Spokane (Rangers)

 

1. Hak-Ju Lee, ss, Boise (Cubs)

 

B-T: L-R Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 175 Age: 18 Signed: South Korea '08

 

Signed out of Korea for $725,000 in 2008, Lee made his pro debut this summer after injuring his elbow last season and requiring Tommy John surgery. One of the youngest players in the NWL, he was also its best all-around player. While Lee only projects to have gap power, his other four tools are all above average.

 

His plus-plus speed stands out and gives defenses fits. If infielders play him back, he'll lay down a bunt for a single, and if they play him in, he'll shoot a hard grounder right by them. He led the NWL with 56 runs and 25 steals (in 33 attempts) and his quickness helped on defense, where managers considered him the best shortstop in the league.

 

"When he goes in the hole, he has plenty of arm to make that play," Boise manager Casey Kopitzke said. "When he goes up the middle, he has the athleticism to spin and make the play, and he has the hand-eye coordination when he comes in on balls to make those plays too."

 

Lee led all NWL shortstops with 27 errors, but he also got to more balls than anyone else and Kopitzke said the errors were mainly from a lack of experience—usually rushing plays when he didn't have to—and not from deficient skills. He aggressively goes after balls and has soft hands.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/hakjulee09428309bm.jpg

 

3. Brett Jackson, of, Boise (Cubs)

 

B-T: L-R Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 210 Age: 21 Drafted: Cubs '09 (1)

 

Jackson offered one of the best power-speed combinations in the 2009 draft, which is why the Cubs selected him 31st overall. The knock on him was that he struck out too much in college, but he made an impressive transition to pro pitching and wood bats.

 

Jackson didn't chase balls out of the zone, concentrated on getting good pitches to hit and bore down when he got into two-strike counts. He shows plenty of pull-side power—after homering once for Boise, he went deep seven times following a promotion to low Class A Peoria—and has good loft to his swing. When his timing is right, the ball jumps off his bat.

 

Jackson has above-average speed and stole 13 bases in 15 attempts in his pro debut. He also puts that speed to use in center field, where he gets good jumps on balls and chases down fly balls in the gaps. His arm doesn't stand out but is playable in center field.

 

"The thing that impressed me the most was that he played the game extremely hard," Kopitzke said. "He runs every ball out, he'll break up a double play for you and he goes hard after every ball in the gap. On top of that, he was able to hit for power and hit for some average. It's exciting."

 

19. Logan Watkins, 2b, Boise (Cubs)

 

B-T: L-R Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 170 Age: 20 Drafted: Cubs '08 (21)

 

Watkins didn't generate much hype before the 2008 draft, but the Cubs paid him a $500,000 bonus in the 21st round to lure him away from Wichita State. The early returns on that investment are positive so far, as the athletic Watkins has batted .326 in two pro seasons. He was one of just five minor leaguers to string together two hitting streaks of 15 games or more in 2009—an especially impressive considering he played just 72 games.

 

Watkins has good hand-eye coordination and sprays the ball all around the field. With his contact-oriented approach and above-average speed, he does a fine job of getting on base. He has yet to homer as a professional, but he has some gap power and still has room to fill out.

 

Watkins started the season in extended spring training, focusing on improving his defense. The hard work paid off, as he showed increased range, softer hands and a better ability to turn the double play when he joined Boise in June. He has a solid arm and also saw some time in left field, and it's possible that he could handle center.

[Guest]

The chat is at 2 pm CT: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/chat/?1254327987

[davell]

Hopefully a question about Antigua gets in there. It'd also be cool if someone directly asked the question as to whether or not Lee or Jackson make the top 100......I'd say it's got to bode well for Lee being the number 1 at his league, right?

[Guest]

I asked a question about Antigua and another one about Ha and Jung. Hopefully both of them get answered. At these lower levels when there are fewer teams in each league, my success rate on getting questions answered is much higher.

 

I'm sure someone will ask for a comparison between Starlin Castro and Lee.

[bubblesdachimp]

Are we gonna have a chat wrap? Also Congrats to Lee, Jax and Watkins

[Guest]

I submitted questions on Watkins and Hernandez.

[Outshined_One]

I'm sure someone will ask for a comparison between Starlin Castro and Lee.

 

That would be me.

 

Also:

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): Conor, thank you very much for answering questions. I loved seeing 3 Cubs in the top 20 but I was wondering if LHP Jeffry Antigua was on the radar. He is only 19 and did very well during his stint at Boise (2.30 ERA and 35 Ks in 31.1 innings) before getting promoted to Peoria and doing well there too.

 

 

Conor Glassey: Thanks, Navin. You're right, Antigua had a good season, but didn't garner a lot of support for the list. His fastball sits in the 89-91 mph range, he has a slider that's tough on lefties and a changeup. His fastball has a lot of movement and he's able to throw his secondary pitches for strikes. Boise manager Casey Kopitzke said he liked Antigua the best out of the Hawks other arms this year (Hernandez, Nunez & Gonzalez).

[Guest]

Yeah, I can tell you a lot of us are going to rate Jeffry Antigua higher than BA will this offseason.

 

I'm also surprised by the velocity readings, I remembered reading he was consistently in the low 90s

[davell]

Antigua evidently is our Rodney Dangerfield of prospects. He just produces, but gets no respect. He's got to be doing alot right, or else his K rate wouldn't be as good as it is, if his FB hovers around 89-91. Pretty disappointed he wasn't under much consideration for the top 20 here, especially since that means he almost certainly won't make the Midwest League top 20 either.

 

Maybe BA won't even have him their top 20 Cubs prospects. I'm sure he'll make the top 30, since Callis or someone already admitted that omitting him last year was a mistake. At any rate, I still think it's 50-50 he starts next season in Daytona.

[toonsterwu]

Nothing too surprising on the list. I thought Watkins might go a few slots higher as he has the potential to develop some pop (and NWL seemed weaker in talent this year than previous), but it's understandable where they put him.

 

The report from Glassey on Antigua sounds about right. I think the reason Cubs fans might think of him a bit better than Glassey made it sound is that he probably has the potential to add a little more zip on the fastball (add in that lefty starting situation, or lack thereof, in our system).

 

Actually, the disappointing thing about that comment was what it means about Robert Hernandez. He was so exciting a couple years ago, but now, he seems buried. If they don't think that much of Antigua right now, and Hernandez is behind him, that doesn't bode well for Robert getting a priority focus in our system.

[Outshined_One]

Jon (Peoria): Hi Conor: How would you rank Lee among the Cubs' middle infield prospects (Castro, Flaherty, Lake, Watkins)? In particular, how does Lee compare with Castro?

 

 

Conor Glassey: Obviously I think Lee is better than Watkins. I like Lee better than Flaherty too because Lee is a legitimate shortstop. Overall, I think I would rank them: Castro-Lee-Flaherty-Watkins. Lee might be the best singer though!

 

:-))

[Guest]

Jon (Peoria): Hi Conor: How would you rank Lee among the Cubs' middle infield prospects (Castro, Flaherty, Lake, Watkins)? In particular, how does Lee compare with Castro?

 

 

Conor Glassey: Obviously I think Lee is better than Watkins. I like Lee better than Flaherty too because Lee is a legitimate shortstop. Overall, I think I would rank them: Castro-Lee-Flaherty-Watkins. Lee might be the best singer though!

 

:-))

 

Hak-Ju can do Ne-Yo too: http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/LeeSinging.wma

[Guest]

Nothing too surprising on the list. I thought Watkins might go a few slots higher as he has the potential to develop some pop (and NWL seemed weaker in talent this year than previous), but it's understandable where they put him.

 

The report from Glassey on Antigua sounds about right. I think the reason Cubs fans might think of him a bit better than Glassey made it sound is that he probably has the potential to add a little more zip on the fastball (add in that lefty starting situation, or lack thereof, in our system).

 

Actually, the disappointing thing about that comment was what it means about Robert Hernandez. He was so exciting a couple years ago, but now, he seems buried. If they don't think that much of Antigua right now, and Hernandez is behind him, that doesn't bode well for Robert getting a priority focus in our system.

 

I'm guessing it's the league's other managers who didn't think that well of Antigua. The Cubs must think well enough of him since they bumped a 19-year old pitcher to the MWL after about one month in short season.

[TruffleShuffle]

i guess the velocity isn't great, and maybe he doesn't have much projectability, but i don't see why a LHP who sits around 90, has a plus slider and plus command, can't be a good major league pitcher. cliff lee's fastball averages about 90 and he's one of the 20 best starters in the game.

[Outshined_One]

Justin (Nashville): So are the Cubs justified in taking Brett Jackson over Tim Wheeler at this point? I know a lot of Cubs fans didn't like the Jackson pick because of his strikeouts.

 

 

Conor Glassey: Sure, I think so. In hindsight it looks like we were a little too high on Wheeler and a little too low on Jackson. The strikeouts were a big concern, but maybe (and this is pure speculation) he was swinging harder to try and impress scouts and once he got into pro ball he let out a big sigh of relief and calmed down at the plate. After all, his strikeout rate doubled from his sophomore year to his junior year.

 

Jackson is a better runner, defender and might hit for a better average. Wheeler profiles for more power, but might fill out to the point that he'll have to move to a corner spot.

 

Tim (NorthSideBaseball): Watkins was originally selected as a shortstop. Do you think he could still play there and was moved for Lee, or does he not have the tools for SS?

 

 

Conor Glassey: Watkins played hard at instructs to improve his defense. While he did improve his range and footwork, he still profiles as more of a second baseman.

[toonsterwu]

I never understood why so few people emphasized, during the draft, that Jackson's K's doubled. Now, I am rightly concerned about how much he struck out in Peoria, so only time will tell, but I thought the K angle was a bit overplayed pre-draft on Jackson. A concern, yes. The end of the world that some draft followers on other sites made it out to be? Never understood that.