2013 BA FSL Top 20 Prospects

[CaliforniaRaisin]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2013-florida-state-league-top-20-prospects-with-scouting-reports/

 

3. Javier Baez

Baez and Sano showed precocious talent and occasional bouts of immaturity that made scouts question their makeup, but both players had tools and performance to back up their swagger. Baez claimed the FSL as his own on June 10, the day after Sano’s promotion to Double-A, hitting four home runs in a game against Fort Myers.

 

Baez earned his own promotion less than a month later and wound up tying for second in the minors with 37 homers—two more than Sano. Baez has similar swing-and-miss tendencies thanks to bat speed as good as any minor leaguer, as well as an aggressiveness that borders on recklessness. Most scouts consider Baez a future .260-.270 hitter.

 

While Baez earns 70 grades for his power and arm, he’s an erratic defender at short, where his aggressiveness also works against him. Most scouts still believe he could handle the position, as he has solid range and average speed, but he’d likely be more consistent at less-demanding positions such as second or third base.

8. Jorge Soler

Soler has to live up to high expectations, both those created by his $30 million contract and those set by Cubans who preceded him, such as the Athletics’ Yoenis Cespedes and the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig. He’s no Puig, but then few are. Before a stress fracture in his left tibia (bone in the lower leg) sidelined him, Soler showed raw power that pushed Sano and Baez for being the best in the minors, earning some 80 grades from scouts.

 

Soler’s tools fit the right-field profile. He’s a solid runner underway with an average-to-plus arm, but his defensive skills require plenty of polish. Evaluators were split on Soler’s bat. Some consider his swing long and believe he’ll struggle when pitchers with velocity locate at higher levels. Daytona manager Dave Keller disagreed.

 

“It was one of the most frustrating things for me personally to not see him (finish the season),” Keller said. “He has so much ability. It’s not a Cespedes swing—it’s a short, compact swing with very good finish. Very few people can backspin the ball like he does. He really has awesome potential . . . but he needs so much work.”

15. Pierce Johnson

Johnson follows in a long line of Colorado prep pitching products, from fellow Arvada, Colo., native Roy Halladay and Brad Lidge through to Kevin Gausman and Mark Melancon. He finished his first full season with Daytona, teaming with C.J. Edwards and Corey Black to front the Cubs’ championship rotation.

 

Johnson has a pitcher’s frame, clean delivery and front-line stuff when he’s at his best. He combines power with solid pitchability. His fastball sits 91-94 mph, touches 95, and he showed the willingness to pitch inside with his heater. He also has a good feel for his solid-average changeup and showed a power curveball in the low 80s.

 

The biggest question for Johnson is durability, as he had both knee and forearm problems in college and pitched just 118 innings overall this season. The Cubs were careful with his workload, particularly in the season’s final two months.

 

Buxton and Sano ranked ahead of Baez.

[davell]

I would like to think Javy is higher than Sano in the Southerm League rankings. Think it's a bit low for Pierce here and I wouldn't put Sanchez over Soler either. Wish CJ had enough innings to qualify for the list. Anything interesting in the chat?

[Guest]

Ben (Leland Grove): Had they qualified, about where would C.J. Edwards, Dan Vogelbach and Kris Bryant have placed on this list?

 

John Manuel: Good question. Bryant would be in the mix for 2, 3 or 4. I didn't ask anyone straight up to compare him and Sano, but that's really, really close. Neither is a sure-fire 3B but I do expect both could play third, especially if they hit enough (see Alvarez, Pedro). Baez is more athletic than either but has more swing and miss. I do think Bryant would have to rank ahead of Polanco, as much as I like Polanco. Edwards would check in between Syndergaard and Sanchez; Syndergaard's size and 70 fastball are hard for Edwards to overcome. I definitely like Edwards as much as anybody but probably got a little overheated on him in my last chat, or rather just under-rated Syndergaard a bit. Vogelbach would check in around 17-20 if he fits at all. I found a strong consensus that the top 16 guys here were the top guys, and then after that it's anybody's guess. I'd put him 17 most likely.

 

Patrick (Fort Wayne, In): John, Daytona won the league championship with an array of talent turnover from the beginning of the season to end. Was there any other Daytona players considered for the top 20?

 

John Manuel: Already mentioned Bryant & Edwards. RHP Corey Black got a decent amount of support; some people think he can start but most have him chalked up as a middle reliever, albeit a good one. RHP Ben Wells had a nice season and could be a back-end, groundball guy. 1B Dustin Geiger doesn't profile as a right-right 1B but he earns a lot of respect for a good approach and consistency.

 

Brian (Oklahoma City): Addisson Russell and Javier Baez both greatly improved their stock this season, it seems. Going forward, which player is the better bet to have an impactful major league career?

 

John Manuel: That's an interesting comp, hadn't thought about it. Russell seems to be more under control defensively and is more likely to play SS. He also has plenty of offensive upside, but I can't see him having Baez's upside with the bat. I'd say Baez will have the larger impact. Probably the fastest bat in the minors.

[davell]

Thanks Raisin. I kind of wondered if Black was a dark horse to make the list. Geiger and Wells getting any mention at all for consideration is a pleasant surprise. Not too surprising Manuel backtracked a tad on CJ. His placement though makes me think he makes BA's top 50.

[TruffleShuffle]

he has to make top 50 if he's near syndergaard, who's probably top 20 at this stage. of course, mlb.com had syndergaard at #12 and didn't even rank edwards in the top 100, which basically means that those rankings should be crumbled up and thrown in the garbage.

[davell]

he has to make top 50 if he's near syndergaard, who's probably top 20 at this stage. of course, mlb.com had syndergaard at #12 and didn't even rank edwards in the top 100, which basically means that those rankings should be crumbled up and thrown in the garbage.

My hope is Callis legitimizes their rankings. Don't think they've made any changes since he's been there. Mayo is a joke though.

[Guest]

@johnmanuelba: Can't believe I left this out of Florida State League chat but got a Merten Hanks physical comp on @CEdwardsSBS http://t.co/O0sGxdUu1S

 

@CEdwsrdsSBS = CJ Edwards

 

Hope CJ celebrates strikeouts like Hanks celebrated interceptions.

[jersey cubs fan]

@johnmanuelba: Can't believe I left this out of Florida State League chat but got a Merten Hanks physical comp on @CEdwardsSBS http://t.co/O0sGxdUu1S

 

@CEdwsrdsSBS = CJ Edwards

 

Hope CJ celebrates strikeouts like Hanks celebrated interceptions.

 

He'll suffer whiplash after 7 innings.