BA's 2011 NWL Top 20 Prospects

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10. REGGIE GOLDEN OF, BOISE HAWKS (CUBS)

Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 210. Drafted: HS—Wetumpka, Ala. '10 (2).

Built like a linebacker and nearly as strong, Golden shows explosive raw power. He already has homered in a game at Wrigley Field—the 2009 Under Armour All-America Game—and projects to hit many more there if he makes it to the big leagues.

 

"The ball comes off of his bat as hard as I've seen," the NL scout said. "He's got a long ways to go because he will swing and miss a lot, but he hit one and I don't know if they ever found it."

 

Golden doesn't pull off balls as much as he did in high school, though he frequently chases pitches out of the zone and will need to cut down on his strikeouts. He's not a burner and doesn't get out of the box well, but he's a solid runner underway. He has improved defensively since signing and should be an average defender with a solid arm in right field.

 

12. BEN WELLS RHP, BOISE HAWKS (CUBS)

Age: 18. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 220. Drafted: HS—Bryant, Ark. '10 (7).

Wells pitches mainly off his fastball, and spent much of 2011 trying to achieve a balance between velocity and movement. Early in the season, he sat at 87-91 mph with his heavy two-seamer. As the year went on, he learned how to get the best of both worlds, peaking at 94 while maintaining above-average sink.

 

"He's just an absolute gamer," Boise manager Mark Johnson said. "I wish I had five starters like that. He's going to be something special. I haven't seen a sinker like his in a while, it's just a power sinker that he can throw over and over and over."

 

Wells flashes an average changeup at times, though his curveball is below average. While he has a fleshy build with some baby fat remaining on his frame, he has a loose arm and throws strikes.

 

14. PIN-CHIEH CHEN OF, BOISE HAWKS (CUBS)

Age: 20. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 170. Signed: Taiwan '09.

A second baseman in his 2010 pro debut, Chen moved to center field this year and put his well above-average speed and solid arm strength to better use. He's still learning how to read balls off the bat and had difficulty going back to make plays early in the season, but made progress as he gained experience.

 

Chen has excellent bat control and uses his hands well in his swing to consistently square balls up. He has almost no power and doesn't project to develop any because he has a thin frame with narrow shoulders. He understands his limitations and uses a slap-and-dash approach to get on base.

 

"Not knowing the numbers, I'd have guessed he hit .340 this year," Johnson said. "He always smokes the ball and has a real knack for squaring it up. He just needs to lift and get stronger. He's like a pitchfork, but he has some unbelievable, God-given hands."

 

17. ZEKE DeVOSS 2B, BOISE HAWKS (CUBS)

Age: 21. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 171. Drafted: Miami '11 (3).

One of several above-slot signings for the Cubs in the 2011 draft, DeVoss parlayed his extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore into a $500,000 bonus in the third round. He quickly won over Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, who attended a game in Boise and saw him draw three walks and obliterate the catcher in a play at the plate.

 

A switch-hitter with patience and above-average speed, DeVoss profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter. He has enough strength in his tightly wound frame to drive some balls into the gaps. He split time between second base and the outfield in college and in his pro debut, and he has the hands and enough arm strength to stay in the infield.

[davell]

Kind of surprised to see DeVoss that low personally. Would have figured he'd have been over Chen anyway. Glad to see us get 4 on there though. Our lower levels are going to be stacked.

[BeerHere]

Disappointed that DeVoss is that low. I might be alone but Golden doesn't strike me as an impact player. He reminds me of Dopirak who raked at the lower levels and fizzled out.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Dopirak had one year when he just raked, and I don't mean Jusint Bour/Richard Jones raked, I mean proper top prospect raked. I forget if it was high or low A.

[Guest]

Dopirak had one year when he just raked, and I don't mean Jusint Bour/Richard Jones raked, I mean proper top prospect raked. I forget if it was high or low A.

low a

[Guest]

Disappointed that DeVoss is that low. I might be alone but Golden doesn't strike me as an impact player. He reminds me of Dopirak who raked at the lower levels and fizzled out.

 

Well, that's certainly a very good possibility given the type of high risk, high reward prospect Golden is. But I would rather have prospects like him (and Vogelbach, possibly even Dunston) to give the organization a better chance to strike it big with one of those type of prospects and produce an elite bat.

[Outshined_One]

Disappointed that DeVoss is that low. I might be alone but Golden doesn't strike me as an impact player. He reminds me of Dopirak who raked at the lower levels and fizzled out.

 

Dopirak never took walks like Golden does.

 

However, the near 30% K rate with Golden is a serious red flag, especially given that he accumulated those numbers in short season A.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Couple things about Golden that makes me like him more than I usually like guys who profile like him:

 

He's a Cub so that bias is there.

He walks.

I read little things...good effort on D and stop pulling off like it says up there so he's less exposed to a good fastball and breaking balls away.

I liked his old draft video more than I thought I would. Good athlete 4 sure.

 

Actually a couple of those reasons are why I still think Michael Burgess can end up a Marcus Thames type. You don't hear about a bad attitude or work ethic, which is a huge plus. Effort is put in, they walk...Anyway Golden profiles slot like Burgess did in his draft year, without the delays Burgess has had in his development (hasn't reached AA yet).

 

Anyway:

 

Wells is sounding like a Jake Westbrook type, but he's got plenty of projection left to go higher.

 

I like Chen more than most, in a possible Reed Johnson type kind of way.

[Guest]

Reggie Golden (Midwest League 2012): Conor- I faded the second half of the season, but I showed all 5 tools right?

 

Conor Glassey: Golden didn't fade too badly, but calling him a 5-tool guy is stretching it. Power is his best tool and his raw power is above-average, but I don't see him becoming an above-average hitter because of his contact issues. His speed is like a 55 now, but he could slow down and he's just okay defensively.

 

Mike (Chicago): Are there any other cubs pitchers that I could get excited about besides Wells, such as a Yao-Lin Wang?

 

Conor Glassey: Lots of questions about Yao-Lin Wang and, yes, he was close to making the list. But Wang got mixed reviews and wound up in my 21-30 range. At his best, he has a mid-90s fastball—though it's too straight—and pretty good curveball, which helped him rack up big strikeout numbers. He's a good competitor, but some scouts saw him more in the 87-91 mph range and his changeup is below average. Fringy back-of-the-rotation guy, but probably winds up in the bullpen. The Boise guy that was closer to making the list was RHP Jose Rosario, who sat 92-94 and topped out at 97. He's a small guy but has a loose arm and is working to develop his curveball.

 

Trabajo (Wheaton, IL): What is Zeke DeVoss' overall power ceiling? Can he hit for more power than a Ben Revere type?

 

Conor Glassey: DeVoss won't be a home run threat, but he definitely has more sock than Ben Revere.

 

Dan (Lansing): Is Zach Britton a solid comp for Ben Wells?

 

Conor Glassey: I mean, they both throw sinkers. But, no. Britton's a lefty with a slider. Wells is a righty with a curveball.

 

Jack (Toronto): Did any Cubs just miss the list? I know Hoilman was old for the league, but he put up some sick power numbers.

 

Conor Glassey: Already mentioned some other Hawks. Hoilman didn't just miss the list, but he did miss a lot of breaking balls. The power numbers are impressive, but he also came within 3 strikeouts of breaking the NWL all-time record (held by current Cubs outfield coordinator Lee Tinsley).

 

Jack (Toronto): Would "Pinchy" Chen's defense have been good enough to stick at 2B?

 

Conor Glassey: The impression I got was that he was fine there, but his speed was just better utilized in the outfield.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Has anything been written about Austin Reed? He was a little iffy mechanically but I liked him as much as Wells last year. Crap numbers but did he at least improve in some other aspect like conditioning or mechanics?

[TruffleShuffle]

Hoilman didn't just miss the list, but he did miss a lot of breaking balls.

 

lol

 

also it is great to hear that ben wells is a gamer.

[Guest]

Here is the schedule for the rest of the top 20 prospects lists:

 

MWL - 9/27

FSL - 10/3

SL - 10/5

PCL - 10/10

[Quakers]

For the most part I would agree with BA. But after seeing them I would have rated DeVoss higher and Golden lower. But what do I know.

 

True, when Golden connects...it is a wonder, but he didn't often enough, at least in the series that I saw. He was decent enough in right.

 

I like DeVoss's ability to get on base. I think he is better suited for second. He will have some pwer, but I can't see him hitting more than 10 homeruns in a season.

 

I saw Chen at the end of the season. He looked good in center. I agree with his power issue, but he was hitting the ball well. IMO if he makes it to the moajors it will be at second or center because of his lack of power. But he is a good prospect.

 

The comment about Hoilman and breaking balls was true enough. But his power is real.

 

I wonder what BA thought about Ryan Cuneo and Rafeal Lopez? I think it will be interesting to see what they do next year.

[Guest]

For the most part I would agree with BA. But after seeing them I would have rated DeVoss higher and Golden lower. But what do I know.

 

True, when Golden connects...it is a wonder, but he didn't often enough, at least in the series that I saw. He was decent enough in right.

 

I like DeVoss's ability to get on base. I think he is better suited for second. He will have some pwer, but I can't see him hitting more than 10 homeruns in a season.

 

I saw Chen at the end of the season. He looked good in center. I agree with his power issue, but he was hitting the ball well. IMO if he makes it to the moajors it will be at second or center because of his lack of power. But he is a good prospect.

 

The comment about Hoilman and breaking balls was true enough. But his power is real.

 

I wonder what BA thought about Ryan Cuneo and Rafeal Lopez? I think it will be interesting to see what they do next year.

 

Lopez is, what, 24? And Cuneo wasn't there too long and should have been in the NWL. I doubt either are real meaningful prospects and were beating up on worse talent.

[KingCubsFan]

Seems a little tough on Yao Lin Wang. Given the league, I have to think a lot of players struggle with consistency from game to game. Anyone who can hit 95 with a good breaking ball and rack up strikeouts like he did should have a higher ceiling than a back of the rotation starter.

[toonsterwu]

I don't think it's unfair. He topped out 95, but mostly sat low 90's, a solid velo, but nothing exceptional. Fastball's a bit straight, as noted. Physically, there's not much that he's going to add.

 

I hope he succeeds as a starter, but the concerns are fair about him. It's part of the reason why some of us had him behind the Peralta/Cruz/Liria group.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Seems a little tough on Yao Lin Wang. Given the league, I have to think a lot of players struggle with consistency from game to game. Anyone who can hit 95 with a good breaking ball and rack up strikeouts like he did should have a higher ceiling than a back of the rotation starter.

 

 

Hes hurt by being short, RH, and at 20 a tad bit older than his competition.