re: FSBDL Regular Season Thread

Posted on 7/16/15 at 1:32 pm to EarlyBird

Posted by MrWiseGuy

Member since Dec 2009

27821 posts

Posted on 7/16/15 at 1:32 pm to EarlyBird

Some snippets from Keith Law's updated top 50

10. Kyle Schwarber, C
Age: 22 | B/T: L/R | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 235
Currently at: Triple-A (Iowa)

This ranking may still be too light. I've had two clubs tell me their internal rankings have Schwarber with a 70 hit tool, something I might say about only one or two other players in the minors (Seager in particular). And that praise is coming from quarters where he wasn't as highly regarded before the season; his laying to waste of Double-A pitching before his cup of coffee with the Cubs raised his stock everywhere, including with me. His receiving behind the plate remains his main weakness, but his bat is so advanced that it may behoove the Cubs to move him to left field now to get him to the majors.

12. Michael Conforto, OF
Age: 22 | B/T: L/R | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 211
Currently at: Double-A (Binghamton)

One of the most disciplined hitters in the minors, Conforto has improved as he has moved up the ladder. He's now facing pitchers in Double-A who can locate their off-speed stuff more effectively, and his ability to recognize those pitches and lay off ones just outside the zone separates him from most other hitters at that level. He's already an average defender in left with a grade-50 arm and could end up above-average out there, but it's the bat and the eye that separate him; he has an excellent chance at .400-OBP, 20-homer seasons when he peaks.

18. Austin Meadows, OF
Age: 20 | B/T: L/L | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 200
Currently at: High Class A (Bradenton)

Meadows can run and play center field and has excellent plate discipline for his age, hitting for average and posting strong OBPs everywhere he has played so far. I'd like to see harder contact from him, as he's putting the ball on the ground way too often for a guy his size and strength, which is more of an explanation for his slim power output than the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.

19. Alex Reyes, RHP
Age: 20 | B/T: R/R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 185
Currently at: High Class A (Palm Beach)

Reyes has always had a big arm, but he has matured significantly over the past year and a half in every way, from conditioning to work ethic to feel for pitching, and he struck out 36 percent of the batters he faced as a starter this year in high-A before he was shut down with shoulder soreness after his June 17 start.

20. Jose De Leon, RHP
Age: 22 | B/T: R/R | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 185
Currently at: Double-A (Tulsa)

De Leon looks like an absolute steal as a 24th-round pick in 2013 out of Southern University, where he headed after he was undrafted out of high school in Puerto Rico. De Leon has a low-to-mid-90s fastball that plays up because hitters don't see the ball out of his hand, along with an above-average slider with good tilt and an average or slightly better changeup. He dominated high-A but has settled in as merely great so far in Double-A.

29. Alex Bregman, SS
Age: 21 | B/T: R/R | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 180
Currently at: Class A (Quad Cities)

Bregman, probably the best pure college hitter in the 2015 draft class, is off to a solid start in pro ball -- though, like Newman, is below expectations on balls in play in a small sample size -- and could make this ranking look very light if he stays at shortstop for the long term.

(TEAM MWG) 36. Blake Snell, LHP
Age: 22 | B/T: L/L | Height: 6-4 | Weight: 180
Currently at: Double-A (Montgomery)

Snell, my "breakout" prospect pick for the Rays this year, has carried over the improvement in stuff he showed late in 2014; he has a mid-90s fastball and plus changeup, along with a slider that will reach above-average. His command continues to gradually improve, while his control has come a long way, from 73 walks in 99 innings in 2013 (16.5 percent of batters faced) to 39 walks in 84 innings so far in 2015 (11.7 percent).

38. Aaron Nola, RHP
Age: 22 | B/T: R/R | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 195
Currently at: Triple-A (Lehigh Valley)

Nola's uncanny fastball command has carried over into pro ball, making the Phillies' decision to keep him out of major league spring training this year even more bizarre in hindsight than it was at the time. He has walked just 26 batters in 161 2/3 pro innings, has averaged better than a strikeout per inning since getting the call to Triple-A, and would be the Phillies' No. 3 starter if they called him up today.

39. Anthony Alford, OF
Age: 20 | B/T: R/R | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 205
Currently at: High Class A (Dunedin)

Alford is 20, but he's in his first season playing baseball full time after wasting parts of the past three seasons playing college football at Ole Miss (which was part of the reason the Blue Jays got him in the third round in the 2012 draft even though he had first-round ability). He's quickly making up for lost time, showing excellent plate discipline to go with his combination of plus speed, defensive range and arm strength. He has a strong leadoff-hitter profile once he comes into the above-average power I project for him.

(TEAM MWG) 40. Dominic Smith, 1B
Age: 20 | B/T: L/L | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185
Currently at: High Class A (St. Lucie)

Smith has been scorching for more than two months; he leads the Florida State League in doubles and is fourth in batting average despite hitting just .220 with only one extra-base hit in April. He's an elite defender at first with a 70 arm, and he'll show plus raw power in batting practice, so I believe it'll come once he gets to a normal hitting environment in Binghamton. That should happen soon, but the Mets were very conservative with Conforto and might not move quickly enough with Smith, who has little left to prove in St. Lucie. In the meantime, Smith will need to work on his conditioning, as he has gotten heavier since signing.

This post was edited on 7/16/15 at 1:39 pm