BA Top 20 Prospects: Florida State League

[Outshined_One]

Same as last time, BA has it on their site, but not officially posted:

 

Link

 

D-Cubs on the list:

 

#15 - Scott Moore

#18 - Brian Dopirak

 

Notes on each:

 

Scott Moore

 

-Has adjusted himself at the plate to stop pulling the ball and has been using all fields more effectively and cutting down on his strikeouts. He still has some kinks to work out of his swing, however.

 

-He showed good baserunning instincts despite having average speed.

 

-His range was decent at 3rd, but his arm is still an asset. He tired as the season went on, however, and had troubles throwing the ball accurately.

 

Brian Dopirak

 

-Despite his plunge in numbers, is still is a legit prospect.

 

-He is undeniably strong with power to all fields.

 

-As we saw in the Dopirak chat, he tried to over-do everything and just put too much pressure on himself at the plate. This got him frustrated and did not help his cause in adjusting to outside breaking balls.

 

-Defensively, he is still below average, but he could be average if he continues to focus on his defense.

[rawaction]

Dope is a better prospect than Moore.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Dope is a better prospect than Moore.

 

Higher ceiling, but you can't overlook how terrible Dope was at the plate this year. Very similar to Corey's '05.

[cubweiser03]

Dope is a better prospect than Moore.

Dope has more upside than moore but i think the probabilty of moore being more successful in the majors is better. Dopes year was just horrible. They are the same age and moore had a much better year than dope. Moore improved a lot this year while dope regressed a lot. I know moore repeated but again i go to they are the same age. Top prospects dont put up numbers dope just did this year and regress that much.

[Outshined_One]

Dope is a better prospect than Moore.

Dope has more upside than moore but i think the probabilty of moore being more successful in the majors is better. Dopes year was just horrible. They are the same age and moore had a much better year than dope. Moore improved a lot this year while dope regressed a lot. I know moore repeated but again i go to they are the same age. Top prospects dont put up numbers dope just did this year and regress that much.

 

Scott Moore last year at Lakeland last year:

 

.223/.322/.384

 

Better OBP than Dopirak this year, but a worse AVG and SLG than Dopirak. Moore put up outstanding numbers in the Gulf Coast League (Rk), so you can make the case that he pretty much regressed from those numbers.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Dope is a better prospect than Moore.

Dope has more upside than moore but i think the probabilty of moore being more successful in the majors is better. Dopes year was just horrible. They are the same age and moore had a much better year than dope. Moore improved a lot this year while dope regressed a lot. I know moore repeated but again i go to they are the same age. Top prospects dont put up numbers dope just did this year and regress that much.

 

I disagree, which is why I think Dopirak is a better prospect still. Obviously he's fallen off a lot, but I'd rate him ahead of Moore too.

 

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

[Outshined_One]

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

 

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach

5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach

8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach

11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach

12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach

17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

 

Um...yeah.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I wonder if LaRoche is going to be on the Southern League list as well. :D

[CaliforniaRaisin]

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

 

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach

5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach

8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach

11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach

12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach

17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

 

Um...yeah.

 

Then there's Jacksonville, which might have Chad Billingsley, Joel Guzman, James Loney, Russell Martin, and Jonathan Broxton qualify for the SL Top 20.

[Outshined_One]

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

 

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach

5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach

8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach

11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach

12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach

17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

 

Um...yeah.

 

Then there's Jacksonville, which might have Chad Billingsley, Joel Guzman, James Loney, Russell Martin, and Jonathan Broxton qualify for the SL Top 20.

 

If their ownership is willing to increase the budget this offseason, they're a team that seriously worries me in the trade market. They could legitimately afford to bring in pretty much any player in baseball (namely Adam Dunn) with their prospects.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

 

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach

5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach

8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach

11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach

12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach

17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

 

Um...yeah.

 

Then there's Jacksonville, which might have Chad Billingsley, Joel Guzman, James Loney, Russell Martin, and Jonathan Broxton qualify for the SL Top 20.

 

If their ownership is willing to increase the budget this offseason, they're a team that seriously worries me in the trade market. They could legitimately afford to bring in pretty much any player in baseball (namely Adam Dunn) with their prospects.

 

That's why we need to put their prospects to good work in some 3-4 team deal where they get Lee, and we get Bradley, a stud OF, and maybe an Overbay to replace Lee. :D

[rawaction]

And the Dodgers farm system is stacked. Yeesh.

 

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach

5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach

8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach

11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach

12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach

17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

 

Um...yeah.

 

Then there's Jacksonville, which might have Chad Billingsley, Joel Guzman, James Loney, Russell Martin, and Jonathan Broxton qualify for the SL Top 20.

 

If their ownership is willing to increase the budget this offseason, they're a team that seriously worries me in the trade market. They could legitimately afford to bring in pretty much any player in baseball (namely Adam Dunn) with their prospects.

 

Don't they still have just Drew and Kent under contract for next year? I see them as major players for anyone they want. I think they will be major players for Nomar, B. Giles, and Burnett. And if M.Giles, Dunn, and Delgado are gonna be available, they will be in the thick of things. They have a ton of money and a ton of prospects at their disposal.

[Tim]

I believe they also have Lowe, Weaver & Perez under contract.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Penny, Gagne, and Izturis too. About 59 million in 8 players.

[rawaction]

I believe they also have Lowe, Weaver & Perez under contract.

 

Forgot about Lowe, but I thought Weaver, Perez, and Penny were done. Gagne and Izturis are arby eligible right?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I believe they also have Lowe, Weaver & Perez under contract.

 

Forgot about Lowe, but I thought Weaver, Perez, and Penny were done. Gagne and Izturis are arby eligible right?

 

Both have extensions. Gagne gets 10 mil in '06, Izturis 3.1 million.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Weaver's a FA at the end of the season - did he re-sign already and I missed it?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Weaver's a FA at the end of the season - did he re-sign already and I missed it?

 

No, he's a FA.

[craig]

I was surprised that both Dopirak and Moore made it. And disappointed that neight Marshall nor Marmol did. Dopirak's got the gorilla power, but his numbers were so awful and his running/defense so blah, I didn't expect him to fit in such a competitive league. Rare for a guy who isn't exceptionally young to make the list with a mid-.600's OPS, if he isn't a golden-glove SS kind of prospects or a speedburner. Dope's BP power must still be pretty impressive even though he only hit 16 in games.

 

Would you guess that 12 games and 69 innings wasn't enough for Marshall to stay on people's memory? Or that he just didn't look like as good a prospect as Moore or Dopirak or 20 other guys?

 

If I was convinced that Marshall was healthy, I'm pretty sure I'd rank Marshall ahead of Dopirak or Moore on my Cub prospect list.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I was surprised that both Dopirak and Moore made it. And disappointed that neight Marshall nor Marmol did. Dopirak's got the gorilla power, but his numbers were so awful and his running/defense so blah, I didn't expect him to fit in such a competitive league. Rare for a guy who isn't exceptionally young to make the list with a mid-.600's OPS, if he isn't a golden-glove SS kind of prospects or a speedburner. Dope's BP power must still be pretty impressive even though he only hit 16 in games.

 

Would you guess that 12 games and 69 innings wasn't enough for Marshall to stay on people's memory? Or that he just didn't look like as good a prospect as Moore or Dopirak or 20 other guys?

 

If I was convinced that Marshall was healthy, I'm pretty sure I'd rank Marshall ahead of Dopirak or Moore on my Cub prospect list.

 

In the chat, I asked about Marmol and Marshall, hopefully the question is answered. Marmol did throw more innings in the SL than in the FSL. I agree with you, if Marshall was healthy, I'd definitely rank him ahead of Dopirak and Moore.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The Chat

 

Q: Erick D. from Statesboro asks:

Where was Chris Walker in the rankings. He had really good numbers this year( 285 avg 6 hr 57 rbi 97 runs and 60 sb)not bad for a converted switch hitter. Walker was a midseason and post-season all-star and seems to get better year after year.

 

A: JJ Cooper: Managers liked Walker, but as a 25-year-old in high Class A he needs to dominate the league like he did to keep moving up. If he was 20, he would have been in the middle of the consideration for the top 20, but you have to allow for the fact that he was two to four years older than most of the guys on the top 20. That doesn't mean that Walker doens't have a shot at the majors, and he actually seems to fit the profile as a guy who could be a fourth outfielder, but he'll have to prove it at every level because of his age.

 

Q: Outshined_One from northsidebaseball.com asks:

Thanks for the chat JJ! Next season, will the Cubs move Dopirak up to AA or keep him in Daytona?

 

A: JJ Cooper: My guess is that it will depend somewhat on spring training, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him start out in FSL, with the potential to move up quickly if she shows his 2005 struggles are behind him.

 

Q: R. Allen from Little Rock, AR asks:

I didn't notice any backstops on the list. Would Jake Fox make it in the top 5 Catchers out of the FSL? And is he the Cubs best prospect at the position?

 

A: JJ Cooper: No catcher really came close to making the list, although the ones who got the most mentions were Danillo Sanchez, Miguel Perez, Robinzon Diaz and Lou Palmisano. As a backstop, Perez was major league ready according to several managers , but his bat is a big question. If I had to rank them, I'd take Palmisano first, as he has the best combo of defense with hitting ability.

 

Q: ryan from indianola Iowa asks:

As a former Cubs system minor league third base prospect I am very curious about Scott Moore! Why didn't he get a higher ranking? What are his faults and do you think a position-switch to right field would help?

 

A: JJ Cooper: Guys in the league don't think he should move off of third, as most guys think he can handle the position. Moore wore down as the season went along, but he showed a strong arm and decent range to handle the hot corner. A year ago, Moore seemed to be ready to lose his prospect status, so a 15 ranking is actually the sign of a very strong bounce back season. There are some concerns anytime a guy repeats a league, but in Moore's case, managers and scouts were impressed with his approach, his strong arm and his developing power.

 

Q: Brian Dopirak's Clone from Chicago asks:

Hi, is my time up? Am I falling into the "what happened" prospects? Please, shed some light!

 

A: JJ Cooper: Dopirak definitely can say he's now learned that baseball is a humbling game. He still has the power potential to be an impact big leaguer, but he needs to show he can make adjustments when pitchers figure things out. As you move up through the minors, the same approach that worked at lower levels won't always work. In Dopirak's case, pitchers found that he would chase the outside pitch off the zone. It's a correctable fault, but one that Dopirak struggled to fix this season.

 

Q: Rick Smith from Port St. Lucie, FL asks:

How is Dopirak on the list? He hit .235 this season? Not to mention that he lacks tools, he plays first base, lacks athleticism, and his swing is simply drop and drive. A guy from our team hits just under .300 leads the league in homeruns, and plays four positions, yet he isn't a prospect? How does that work?

 

A: JJ Cooper: I assume you're comparing Wilson to Dopirak. While Wilson shows plus power, Dopirak has better raw power with plus bat speed. And he's a 21-year-old, not 24. One bad year does not erase Dopirak's potential to be a 40 home run guy, which is why he makes the list.