BA's Florida State League Top 20

[Outshined_One]

This gets posted tomorrow. Some random predictions for Cubs...

 

Starlin Castro gets the #1 spot

Josh Vitters gets in around #15

 

Ryan Searle probably won't make the list, but he'll get a mention in the chat as being promising. Chris Carpenter won't make the list since he did not pitch in the FSL for long, but he'll be mentioned favorably in the chat.

[Serge]

Whats the IP one needs to qualify? Because Jay Jackson and Andrew Cashner both beat some ass and took some names in the FSL.

[davell]

I'm hoping we aren't disappointed with where they have Castro. I haven't really looked at the league as a whole, so I don't know who he's up against. I figure 15 is about right for Vitters, considering his struggles there. I hold out a LITTLE hope that Searle makes it near the bottom, but I think you're right and he'll miss out.

[Outshined_One]

Whats the IP one needs to qualify? Because Jay Jackson and Andrew Cashner both beat some ass and took some names in the FSL.

 

Jim Callis: To qualify for a full-season Top 20, a player must have either a) one plate appearance per team game; b) 1/3 inning per team game; or c) 20 relief appearances.

 

Daytona played 135 games, so they would need 45 IP, meaning neither should qualify (42 IP for Cashner, 38.3 IP for Jackson).

 

I'm hoping we aren't disappointed with where they have Castro. I haven't really looked at the league as a whole, so I don't know who he's up against. I figure 15 is about right for Vitters, considering his struggles there. I hold out a LITTLE hope that Searle makes it near the bottom, but I think you're right and he'll miss out.

 

It's pretty much a down season, from what I remember about the FSL this season. His main competition will likely be Austin Romine, Caleb Gindl, and Ben Revere, but considering how much BA loves international SS prospects who are young for their league (see: Hak-Ju Lee) and the fact that they gushed over him during the Futures Game, I think he has a very good chance of taking the top spot in the league.

[davell]

By the way, Mike Stanton had 180 at bats, so I figure he's the number 1 in this league.

[Outshined_One]

By the way, Mike Stanton had 180 at bats, so I figure he's the number 1 in this league.

 

I had a feeling I was missing someone. Yeah, no question Stanton gets #1.

[davell]

After looking at the rest of those guys though, I agree that BA likely will put Castro ahead of all the guys you just mentioned.

[bubblesdachimp]

I expect no one outside of castro to make it. I assume he will be two or three and realistically if he is behind stanton he is behind a top 5-10 prospect. I wouldnt be surprised to see castro in the top 30 vitters wont make the list. I think castro is now our top prospect and IMO he should be. He has performed. Interesting to see if he get an invite to ST

[biittner77]

I expect no one outside of castro to make it. I assume he will be two or three and realistically if he is behind stanton he is behind a top 5-10 prospect. I wouldnt be surprised to see castro in the top 30 vitters wont make the list. I think castro is now our top prospect and IMO he should be. He has performed. Interesting to see if he get an invite to ST

 

He'll certainly get an invite to camp but he will probably be one of the first cuts unless Theriot or Blanco gets hurt and they can't find any gritty vets as NRIs.

[Ryno12]

Here it is:

 

1. Mike Stanton, of, Jupiter (Marlins)

2. Jesus Montero, c, Tampa (Yankees)

3. Domonic Brown, of, Clearwater (Phillies)

4. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Sarasota (Reds)

5. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Clearwater (Phillies)

6. Starlin Castro, ss, Daytona (Cubs)

7. Jenrry Mejia, rhp, St. Lucie (Mets)

8. Ben Revere, of, Fort Myers (Twins)

9. Ike Davis, 1b, St. Lucie (Mets)

10. Austin Romine, c, Tampa (Yankees)

11. Carlos Gutierrez, rhp, Fort Myers (Twins)

12. Matt Dominguez, 3b, Jupiter (Marlins)

13. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, of, St. Lucie (Mets)

14. Josh Vitters, 3b, Daytona (Cubs)

15. David Bromberg, rhp, Fort Myers (Twins)

16. Caleb Gindl, of, Brevard County (Brewers)

17. Chris Parmelee, 1b, Fort Myers (Twins)

18. Shane Peterson, of, Palm Beach (Cardinals)

19. Freddy Galvis, ss, Clearwater (Phillies)

20. Mark Rogers, rhp, Brevard County (Brewers)

[tspain]

Castro is #6 and Vitters is #14. Wow.

 

Top 5 are Stanton, Montero, Brown, Alonzo, and Drabek, and the first 5 are called the "elite prospects".

 

Said both Cashner and Jackson would have made the list if they had pitched enough innings in the League.

 

Will hear more from the Chat this afternoon.

Edited October 7, 2009 by tspain

[Guest]

6. Starlin Castro, ss, Daytona (Cubs)

 

Age: 19. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-1. WT.: 160. Signed: Dominican Republic '06.

 

Castro not only made the jump from Rookie ball last year to high Class A at age 19, but he also played just as well following a promotion to Double-A in August. While he was at Daytona, he stood head and shoulders above the rest of the FSL's shortstops.

 

Castro has excellent range to both sides to go with a strong, accurate arm. His bat isn't as advanced as his glove, but he has the ability to square up balls—he finished third in the league in hitting at .302—and has enough strength in his wrists to eventually hit for some power.

 

14. Josh Vitters, 3b, Daytona (Cubs)

 

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 200. Drafted: Cubs '07 (1)

 

No player on this list was tougher to evaluate than Vitters. Promoted to Daytona at the end of June after an excellent start to the season in low Class A, he struggled at the plate and missed two weeks with a hand injury. He also showed a lack of urgency, seeming to cruise through games in one gear, though he seems to be a hard worker who doesn't shy away from spending time in the batting cage.

 

"Wherever you rank him will be too high and too low," said one scout, explaining that Vitters is a high-ceiling prospect but one with a high risk of not reaching his ceiling.

 

Vitters isn't very selective at the plate, but he has excellent hand-eye coordination and above-average bat speed. While he batted just .238/.260/.344 at Daytona, he did show he could turn on quality fastballs. One of his three homers came on a 93-mph heater.

 

At third base, Vitters shows a strong arm but there are concerns that he doesn't have the range to stick there long term. He has below-average speed.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2009/268967.html

[Guest]

Stanton-Montero-Brown...talk about a league stacked at the top. That's arguably 3 top-10 prospects in the game.

 

Chat is at 1 pm CT: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/chat/?1254929395

[davell]

Where was Revere on last year's top 100? Seeing Castro ahead of him COULD at least give us an idea of where he may rank on the top 100 possibly......

[craig]

Wow, that's pretty high for Castro. Nice.

 

I was also very surprised that Vitters made it. I thought that given his limited AB's at Daytona, given that he'd already been listed at Midwest, and given that he was terrible at FSL, that they'd just leave him off.

 

This is the most high ratings I can recall in a few years.

[Guest]

Where was Revere on last year's top 100? Seeing Castro ahead of him COULD at least give us an idea of where he may rank on the top 100 possibly......

 

You don't want to extrapolate based on one league's top 20 list because 1) four BA writers work together to come up with the BA top 100, not just 1 writer like this list and 2) the league top 20s are based on what people saw of the prospects during their time in the league and not overall.

 

That said, Ben Revere came in at 59 last year.

[davell]

Where was Revere on last year's top 100? Seeing Castro ahead of him COULD at least give us an idea of where he may rank on the top 100 possibly......

 

You don't want to extrapolate based on one league's top 20 list because 1) four BA writers work together to come up with the BA top 100, not just 1 writer like this list and 2) the league top 20s are based on what people saw of the prospects during their time in the league and not overall.

 

That said, Ben Revere came in at 59 last year.

 

Cool, thanks. For some reason, I didn't even think about the one writer versus four thing.

 

 

On a side note, I'm sure there will be a Castro question or two, I wish someone would actually ask if he's a top 40-50 prospect for them this year. I doubt we'll hear anything about Vitters that we haven't heard before, but maybe something about either Jackson, Cashner, or Carpenter could get answered and give us something different on them. Maybe something on Searle as well? I wonder if he was even discussed for this list.

[Guest]

I asked about Cashner & Jackson in one question, Searle in another and Carpenter in a third question.

[davell]

I asked about Cashner & Jackson in one question, Searle in another and Carpenter in a third question.

 

Awesome. I'm figuring with the Southern League tomorrow, surely we will get some stuff on Cashner and Jackson either today or tomorrow.

[Serge]

Where was Revere on last year's top 100? Seeing Castro ahead of him COULD at least give us an idea of where he may rank on the top 100 possibly......

 

You don't want to extrapolate based on one league's top 20 list because 1) four BA writers work together to come up with the BA top 100, not just 1 writer like this list and 2) the league top 20s are based on what people saw of the prospects during their time in the league and not overall.

 

That said, Ben Revere came in at 59 last year.

 

Cool, thanks. For some reason, I didn't even think about the one writer versus four thing.

 

 

On a side note, I'm sure there will be a Castro question or two, I wish someone would actually ask if he's a top 40-50 prospect for them this year. I doubt we'll hear anything about Vitters that we haven't heard before, but maybe something about either Jackson, Cashner, or Carpenter could get answered and give us something different on them. Maybe something on Searle as well? I wonder if he was even discussed for this list.

 

I just asked "In your estimation, Starlin Castro is a top __ prospect" so hopefully he'll answer and we'll have a good idea.

[Outshined_One]

JAYPERS (IL): If Vitters is unable to stick at the hot corner, which position would be a better fit for him?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: You could try right field but first base would seem much more likely for a teenager who is already a tick below average as a runner.

 

Dave (Pittsburgh): Three of the Cubs' once and future top prospects: Castro, Vitters and Colvin spent time in High A this year. How would you rank them in terms of ceiling and also in terms of likely ultimate productivity, and how clear are the separations between the three? Thanks.

 

 

J.J. Cooper: As far as ceiling I'd go Vitters, Castro and Colvin but as far as ultimate productivity I'd go Castro, Vitters, Colvin. Castro has a very good chance of being a very solid big leaguer. Vitters has more potential, but there are a lot more pitfalls as well (position questions, his swing at everything approach). Colvin doesn't have as high a ceiling or the likelihood of reaching his ceiling of the other two in my mind.

[Outshined_One]

Navin (NorthSideBaseBall): Thanks for the chat. What did you hear about Chris Carpenter's brief but successful run in the fSL?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Good things. He would have been a Top 20 guy if he had enough innings to qualify. Plus stuff and a feel for pitching.

[davell]

That's cool. All 3 of Carpenter, Jackson, and Cashner would have made the top 20. We haven't had much to cheer this season, but it sure as hell is nice to see our farm system getting back on track.

[Outshined_One]

not JAYPERS (not ILL): Why the lack of pitchers in the top 20?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: I touched on this above, but the problem was almost all of the best pitchers in the FSL were promoted out of the league just a start or two before they would have qualified. Zach Stewart and Andrew Cashner would have ranked right behind Drabek on this list and Jay Jackson, Brad Holt, Mauricio Robles and Chris Carpenter would have all made the Top 20 as well. Add those six pitchers to the Top 20 and it would have been a pitcher-heavy list.

[bubblesdachimp]

not JAYPERS (not ILL): Why the lack of pitchers in the top 20?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: I touched on this above, but the problem was almost all of the best pitchers in the FSL were promoted out of the league just a start or two before they would have qualified. Zach Stewart and Andrew Cashner would have ranked right behind Drabek on this list and Jay Jackson, Brad Holt, Mauricio Robles and Chris Carpenter would have all made the Top 20 as well. Add those six pitchers to the Top 20 and it would have been a pitcher-heavy list.

 

cashner right behind drabek.... interesting... Maybe in the top 100 we have castro vitters cashner lee and both jacksons?