2010 Top Prospect Fan Poll - Your Results Are Up!

[colbyjack]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/amaury_rivas-1.jpg

Amaury Rivas

 

It's that time of year again. The AFL season is over, Baseball America has already released their top prospect list, and the newest Power 50 is up and likely won't be revised until before the beginning of the 2010 season. It's time for you to contribute to the 2010 top prospect fan poll. Here's last year's finished product for reference:

 

2009 Top Prospect Fan Poll

 

And here's the thread that discussed some of the individual entires and overall philosophies in how those selections were made:

 

2009 Top Prospect Fan Poll Discussion

 

Here's how it works: Compile a list of who you feel the Brewers top 20 prospects are. Be sure not to include any player that has already accumulated 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the big-league level. Also, prospects over the age of 26 are also not eligible (for instance, Adam Heether is not eligible for this exercise). When done email that list (or send a PM) to me at this email address:

 

pebert@brewerfan.net

 

I will assign values in reverse order of the rankings, with 20 points given to every first-place vote and one point assigned to every 20th place vote. The prospect with the most points will receive the highest ranking.

 

You have until Thursday, December 31st to submit your list. Ideally I would like to receive 50 submissions, so please make sure to get your in to me as soon as you can so I don't have to keep extending the cut-off date.

 

I'm adding a new twist this year. I'm asking any and everyone that has the opportunity to get out and see these young players perform live and in person to submit their favorite pictures to go along with their top prospect submissions, similar to the one I have added to the top of this post. The winning photo, which will be determine by yours truly, will receive the proper recognition and I'll even try to dig up a prize from my deep collector's vault to reward your efforts. All of the photos submitted may be used for future homepage features (again, providing similar recognition to the provider).

 

Please note in your email what your board name is. Thanks in advance for your participation!

[colbyjack]

FYI, Chuck Lofgren was acquired after the latest Power 50 update. I know Mass has touched on this elsewhere, but if you rely on the Power 50 to come up with your own list, you may want to take him into consideration. Not that it matters, but he probably would be just on the outside of my own personal top 20, somewhere in the 22-26 range, but I could definitely see where someone would rank him higher given his production at the AA and AAA levels the next few years, not to mention his potential contributions on the 2010 ballclub.

[battlekow]

Be sure not to include any player that has already accumulated 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the big-league level.

Mat Gamel would like to politely point out that players with exactly 130 at-bats are still eligible http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. Constructing my list right now; a lot more fun that studying for finals.

[clancyphile]

Sent mine in.

 

There was a tie for the top pitcher in the Brewers far system in the prospect list. Six of my top ten are pitchers - although some are what I consider undervalued (including a repeat from last year).

[colbyjack]

Thanks for pointing out Mat Gamel battlekow. While he technically no longer qualifies as a rookie in 2010, similar to Manny Parra a couple of years ago, he is still considered a prospect. When in doubt, consult the Power 50 for those that are eligible. If your player isn't listed on the Power 50, there's a good chance he shouldn't be in your top 20 http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

Anyone want to take a guess at who clancy had at #4...again? Just giving you trouble clancy, I enjoy receiving and looking over all of the top prospect lists, as everyone clearly has a different way to quantify prospects.

[clancyphile]

Thanks for pointing out Mat Gamel battlekow. While he technically no longer qualifies as a rookie in 2010, similar to Manny Parra a couple of years ago, he is still considered a prospect. When in doubt, consult the Power 50 for those that are eligible. If your player isn't listed on the Power 50, there's a good chance he shouldn't be in your top 20 http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

Anyone want to take a guess at who clancy had at #4...again? Just giving you trouble clancy, I enjoy receiving and looking over all of the top prospect lists, as everyone clearly has a different way to quantify prospects.

I know. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

I will say that last year's #5 on my list dropped all the way off. The tie at #4 is not so much ceiling as much as it is likelihood they can perform better than Suppan did in 2009.

[HiAndTight]

Perhaps on that note you could clarify for us newer posters on here how exactly you go about assigning value to your prospects.

 

 

For me I place a great deal of value on ceiling.....lets say roughly 80 pct, and then about 20 pct on the liklihood to reach said cieling based on how close they are and how "sure of a thing" they are.

 

 

What exactly would you guys say. Just to give me an idea of how others formulate their lists so as to come up with as coherent a list as possible. Using my aforementioned formula, I'd put a guy like Wooten somewhere in my 20's for example, and then a guy like Jeremy Jeffress somewhere in the lower Teens.

[TheCrew07]

Perhaps on that note you could clarify for us newer posters on here how exactly you go about assigning value to your prospects.

Make the list however you want. Some of us will favor projectability, some production, some mix of both. Personally I like some guys because of what they could be, and some guys because of who they are, there aren't rules here other than the same basic qualifications used for the power 50.

[colbyjack]

In ranking prospects, I try to have some balance between a player's actual production, his upside, his age, and what level he has performed at. For instance, I have had Mat Gamel in the top spot, at least before my last ranking, for the last year + since he has hit at every level and continued to get better as he ascended to the upper levels of the system. He has been relatively young for those levels and has a good chance to continue that success in the big leagues with many suggesting that more power is to come out of his sweet left-handed swing. I'm trying not to let his struggles from this past year weigh too heavily in my rankings since he bounced around quite a bit and did have the challenge of trying to adjust to big-league pitching in spot duty, although as noted he did drop out of the top spot for me in my last ranking.

 

Escobar now is my #1 since he continues to get better as he moves up, is loaded with tools, is also young relative to his level and success and now is poised to be the Brewers everyday starter at a position of great importance. Lawrie is third on my list because no one in the system can match his offensive potential, and despite not posting gaudy numbers in 2009, he more than held his own in the Midwest League during his professional debut at 18-19 years old, a league known to suppress offensive numbers. He also was challenged with a brief stay in AA Huntsville to close the year before playing for the Canadian national team.

 

Jonathan Lucroy may not have the tools that Gamel, Escobar and Lawrie possess, but he makes the most of what he does have, and has been putting up good numbers ever since he was added to the system. He of course is now knocking at the door of the big-leagues, a player that Melvin points to as one that could make the jump from AA to MLB. Being a catcher also enhances his value.

 

For pitchers it is a balance of stuff, command and success. I don't look at W-L records, and even ERAs can't be trusted 100% because quite often the peripherals tell more of a story than the ERA does. For instance, Eric Arnett, Jake Odorizzi and Nick Bucci all posted ERAs higher than where we all would like to see them, but we know from following the link reports over the course of the summer that there is plenty to be excited about for all three players.

 

Arnett is someone of a unique case, since he was a high, premium pick. That alone doesn't dictate where a player should be ranked, but we heard that his velocity was fine all summer, and that the Brewers wanted him to lay off of his slider and limit his pitch count to ease up on his arm after a long spring with Indiana. As a tall, RHP with mid-90s stuff and a wipeout slider, his upside is obviously rather high, and he also has the ability to rise up through the system more quickly than some to most.

 

I too don't have Wooten in my top 20. In fact, I think he's somewhere in the 30s for me. I like his chances of contributing at the big-league level better than most, but he maxes out around 90 mph and is always going to be used as a short-inning specialist who doesn't have the stuff to become a closer, much less an 8th inning set-up man. He's a good example of making sure not to fall too much in love with the statistics he has posted during his career.

 

Jeffress is in the low 20s for me at this point in time, but that has everything to do with his suspension(s). Once he gets back on the mound and shows that he has his head on straight while still possessing a fastball that can approach triple digits, he will return to the top 5-10 overall prospects where he should be on pure talent.

 

Players such as D'Vontrey Richardson, Del Howell and Scooter Gennett are three players I like quite a bit, but right now are not in my top 20. They need to show what they can do in the minors for me to move them up more aggressively, and all three have the potential to easily be among the team's top 10-20 prospects at this time next year.

 

Again, the Power 50 is a good resource to help get a feel since it is a collaborative ranking between myself, MassHaas and Toby. Each one of us likes some players better than others, but for the most part our rankings are all in the same range, and I'm guessing the final prospect poll will be rather close to our rankings.

[colbyjack]

I could have kept my post a lot shorter, as TheCrew07 is absolutely correct. There are no rules. I brought up clancy before because his list usually is the most different from everyone else's. I may not agree with a lot of his rankings and reasonings, but his vote counts just as much as everyone else's in this poll.

[clancyphile]

I could have kept my post a lot shorter, as TheCrew07 is absolutely correct. There are no rules. I brought up clancy before because his list usually is the most different from everyone else's. I may not agree with a lot of his rankings and reasonings, but his vote counts just as much as everyone else's in this poll.

Part of it is production, part is proximity to the majors (a AAA prospect ranks higher than a Rookie leaguer), and another part is where the major league team is a bit weak (for instance, a player who is drawing a lot of walks and who has a low strikeout rate will get a bit of a "bonus" in my rankings). Last year, Mat Gamel and Taylor Green were 1-2 in my listings, and Gamel's production barely edged out Green's strength in areas the Brewers were weak (this year, Green still drew a lot of walks - I hope he's at 3B in AAA). Alcides Escobar dropped to 7 because the Brewers had JJ Hardy, who had just come off a second straight season as one of the best shortstops in the NL.

 

Projectability isn't such a big deal in my book. I'll go for it, but I do need to see some production.

[TheCrew07]

I'll be the first to volunteer my list.

 

1. Escobar - My opinions of Escobar have been beat to death the last 2 years or so

2. Gamel - Ditto for Gamel

3. Lawrie - I loved his bat speed and athleticism when I saw him play, but I was hoping for better results, this is a ranking based mostly on potential.

4. Lucroy - Very solid all around prospect

5. Salome - I'm still into Angel's upside but it's time for him to put it all together and take the next step. He's also got to stay healthy.

6. Rivas - I know this looks like a fan boy pick, but he's the closest projectable pitcher we have to MLB and could have an impact in the near future.

7. Rogers - I'm trying to put the AFL aside because he's seemed to make strides control wise during the season but BBs are still an issue

8. Arnett - I didn't get the feeling from listening to Steve call the games or the audio interviews that Arnett is as advanced as he's been billed by some prospect sites. Tons of potential no doubt.

9. Cain - This season gave me pause but he's still our best 5 tool prospect at this time.

10. Green - Taylor got mired in the first extended slump of his career, I'm interested to see if he bounces back or if his prospect bubble has burst

11. Braddock - If he's a starter he's too low, if he's a reliever he doesn't belong in the top ten, I'm guessing he's a reliever. The health issues have been beat to death.

12. Davis - I'm not as high on this pick as I maybe should be, I don't like tweeners in general... is he athletic enough to play CF? If not will he hit enough to play a corner spot?

13. Schafer - Logan has impressed thus far in his short career, he still has some work to do offensively but he's surprised me.

14. Peralta - He was very up and down when I saw him pitch, dominant one inning, the wheels come off the next. I love his 2 best pitches though.

15. Odorizzi - I've liked him from the start and hope he keeps progressing

16. Gindl - Maybe I should flip flop him and Schafer, but I'm still firmly on the Caleb bandwagon. I really dislike how the reports we get on him from national publications seem to have such varied opinions, is he a questionable defender or not?

17. Bulter - Will start at AAA, did he finally figure it out last season or was it a fluke? He's too low if he's put it together as he's poised to impact the MLB team, he's this low mostly because I'm not sure how to read him as a prospect.

18. Scarpetta - Much like Peralta, up and down, walks way too many batters yet for me, but he's still one of our better young pitchers.

19. Richardson - In my opinion the most intriguing player taken in the last 3 drafts, the reports out of instructs have me pretty excited about him

20. Axford - If only every Brewer pitcher could add 5 MPH to his FB through mechanical adjustments. He needs to work on his command yet but it seems he has a nice future in the BP ahead of him.

 

Players that just missed the cut... Heckathorn, Bucci, Anundsen,

[clancyphile]

1. Mat Gamel - 3B - Could be a left-handed hitting version of Ryan Braun at 3B or the OF

 

2. Brett Lawrie - 2B/3B/C - Has hit so far, only question will be where he plays.

 

3. Taylor Green - 3B - 2009 was a washout due to a wrist injury, but he remains strong where the Brewers lineup has been weak (OBP, low strikeouts)

 

4 (tie). Chris Cody - LHP - While he struggled at AAA, he is still the closest starter to the majors in the Brewers' system. Would be better than Suppan as the #5 starter.

 

4 (tie). John Butler - RHP - Also close to the majors, but right-handed.

 

6. Alicides Escobar - SS - JJ Hardy's gone; has to fill some very big shoes at SS.

 

7. Daniel Merklinger - LHP - While attention has been on the Jeffress soap opera and the Jones comeback, he has quietly put up good numbers through Brevard County.

 

8. Zach Braddock - LHP - The next Dan Plesac at worst

 

9. Cody Scarpetta - RHP - Pitching well in AA. Would be higher if he were as close as Chris Cody. (OK, it was one game at Huntsville, but still, very good for a 20-year-old)

 

10. Mark Rogers - RHP - Don't look now, but the 2004 #1 pick may be back on the road to Milwaukee, but will his repaired arm hold up?

 

11. Evan Anundsen - RHP - Looks like he put it all together in Brevard County

 

12. Jon Lucroy - C - Will have to beat out Zaun and Kotteras for a spot on the roster.

 

13. Angel Salome - C - Has the bat - but where will he play? Outfield? Catcher? Plus, Lucroy may beat him to Milwaukee!

 

14. Caleb Gindl - OF - Flashed power and speed in Brevard County.

 

15. Hernan Irribarren - 2B/OF - Could succeed Craig Counsell as Milwaukee's IF backup.

 

16. Joshua Prince - SS - 38 steals in a half season. Could be Milwaukee's SS of the future.

 

17. Khristopher Davis - LF/RF - hit .237 in short stint, but drew 6 BB in 46 PA, and slugged .500. A new 3TO?

 

18. Amaury Rivas - RHP - Put up numbers on par with Anundsen's in Brevard County

 

19. Eric Arnett - RHP - Rookie league numbers not impressive.

 

20. Logan Schaeffer - OF - Could be a CF of the future, but he is facing competition from Gindl and others.

 

Honorable mentions:

21 (tie). Chris Ellington - LF - Cranked out 29 extra-base hits in 70 games - a 32nd-round steal?

 

21 (tie). Jake Odrozzi - RHP - Roughed up in rookie league

 

23. Nick Bucci - RHP - Also roughed up in the minors.

 

24. Tim Dillard - RHP - Solid starting numbers, but has been ignored too often. Did bullpen experiment derail starting rotation help?

 

25. Donovan Hand - RHP - Solid year at Huntsville, but is he a starter or reliever?

[clancyphile]

TheCrew07

 

Interesting about Braddock. I have him at 8 - if he were to be a starter, he'd be top-five. But he is looking like the next Dan Plesac at worst. For the cheap years, he could be an anchor of the bullpen. In essence, he comes in with a lead, and the game might as well be over, either because he shuts the door, or he keeps a lid until it's time for the closer to come in.

[Mass Haas]

Clancy, our long-time faithful reader and contributor, I don't fault you your Chris Cody pride. Rock on.

 

Feel free to follow-up comment on your # 6 choice, I'm just guessing that he'd be the # 1 prospect on at least 1/3 of all MLB organization lists right now, if not more.

[battlekow]

01. Alcides Escobar
02. Mat Gamel
03. Brett Lawrie
04. Jonathan Lucroy
05. Eric Arnett
06. Zach Braddock
07. Angel Salome
08. Lorenzo Cain
09. Amaury Rivas
10. Caleb Gindl
11. Logan Schafer
12. Kentrail Davis
13. Wily Peralta
14. Cody Scarpetta
15. Mark Rogers
16. Jake Odorizzi
17. Jeremy Jeffress
18. Taylor Green
19. Josh Butler
20. John Axford

Random comments beyond the obvious first few players:

I still like Salome, and it's amazing to me that he slipped to #15 overall in the BA list. I think that in a vacuum, he'd be more appreciated, but the emergence of Lucroy casts him in a too-harsh light. All warts aside, it's going to take more than a year to make me forget about .360/.415/.559 at AA at age 22.

I struggled for a long time about where to rate Cain, Gindl, Schafer, and Davis relative to each other. Similar to Salome, it's going to take more than one injury-plagued year to take the shine off Cain's 2008. His well-rounded offense approach and good defense make him a possible 4th outfielder even if he doesn't fulfill his remaining projectability--as long as his hamstring problems don't become chronic. I think Gindl's underrated nationally and perhaps a bit overrated here; I buy the concerns about his lack of projection, but the precocious production is hard to ignore, and I love that he's getting a little better every year. Combine that with fine corner defense and you at least have a fourth outfielder. I could easily buy placing Schafer ahead of Gindl because of his excellent CF defense, but I just like Gindl's bat relative to Schafer's a little more--I don't like Schafer's dearth of secondary skills. Cain > Schafer because of upside and slightly better performance at the same level at a younger age. Now, Davis: I get that he's more athletic than Gindl, but still, they're listed as being the exact same size and they're the same age, so it's hard for me to believe that Davis can project to future stardom while scouts are so blase about Gindl. Combine that with the fact that he's yet to prove anything as a pro and he comes in last among the four for me.

After Arnett and Braddock, I've got Rivas as our best pitching prospect, mainly due to the fact that it's easy to see him staying as a starter because of his three quality pitches. I think we're ahead of the curve on this one and the national prospect media will start to really notice him next year.

Past Rivas, I like Peralta a little better than Scarpetta because of Scarpetta's worse control, though the fact that everyone seems so concerned about Peralta's max-effort delivery forcing him to the bullpen eventually narrows the gap. Then comes Rogers, who's got massive uncertainty about his health and his own control problems. Rogers succeeded at a level higher than Peralta or Scarpetta and has a better fastball, but the fact that he hasn't shown he can handle a starter's workload post-surgery knocks him behind them.

After Rogers comes Odorizzi. Have you ever looked at the prep pitchers selected right after Odorizzi's spot in 2008? Would you trade Odorizzi for Mike Montgomery or Jordan Lyles? I would. Brett DeVall's right there, too, though not at the same level as Montgomery and Lyles. (All three were taken after Evan Frederickson, too, so the Brewers could have had two of the four /headdesk). Unlike the other three, Odorizzi has yet to make it out of rookie ball, and he hasn't shown blown-you-away stuff and was surprisingly hittable, though the control is great to see. Reports that he'll fill out and improve his stuff hearten me, but I think I'm a little more down on him than most people.

As for the rest, I'm taking Jeffress' upside over Green's lack of it and my concern about his wrist injury, and then you've got Butler, about whom I remain skeptical but am intrigued by as unsexy back-of-the-rotation guy, and Axford. Where's Heckathorn? Probably #21, but I think Heckathorn's bound for the bullpen and in a comparison of power relievers, I prefer the fact that Axford's already proven himself a bit at the upper levels, despite his wildness, over Heckathorn's better control.

I'm sure I've said a few stupid/unsupportable/outrageous things in there somewhere, so have at it.

[TheCrew07]

Clancy if you look around these forums you'll find that I don't hold the bullpen in much esteem. If he's our best reliever and he's being wasted as the closer it will just piss me off even more than him moving to bullpen already did. Closers just don't pitch enough innings or the highest leverage innings for me to give a squat about them in general... I did rate Aguilar highly on his ability to close last season mostly because I was hoping DM wouldn't heed the calls to spend money on closer, but I've since revised my opinion on closer prospects.

 

I know others disagree, but I despise closers and the bullpen in general, and I'm not particularly fond developing players that have the potential to be starters as relievers either. In Braddock's case I understand why it was done and it's probably necessary, but it limits his upside as those 55-70 IP as a late reliever would have to be awfully special for his value to even approach the value of our 5th starter in my opinion. When the upper tier of relievers are only worth 1 to 2 WAR, I'm not just not going to be excited about their impact. Not that 1 or 2 wins isn't important, but as I've said elsewhere I'm looking to build a team from the starting pitching up.

[And That]

Here's mine, plucked straight from my personal Power 50 ballot. Lofgren would be in the low-mid 20 range for me.

 

1. Escobar

2. Gamel

3. Lawrie

4. Lucroy

5. Arnett

6. Braddock

7. Odorizzi

8. Salome

9. Peralta

10. Schafer

11. Ke. Davis

12. Cain

13. Rivas

14. Scarpetta

15. T. Green

16. Heckathorn

17. Gindl

18. Rogers

19. Butler

20. Anundsen

 

I think Odorizzi is underrated by a lot of people on here, and I like that the Brewers are taking it slowly with him. He has a ton of upside.

[battlekow]

the Brewers are taking it slowly with [Odorizzi].

They certainly are; why do you think that's the case?

[Minigoon]

I share mine:

 

1) Alcides Escobar

2) Brett Lawrie

3) Mat Gamel

4) Zach Braddock

5) Jonathan Lucroy

6) Wily Peralta

7) Cody Scarpetta

8) Angel Salome

9) Jake Odorizzi

10) Eric Arnett

11) Mark Rogers

12) Caleb Gindl

13) Logan Schafer

14) Amaury Rivas

15) Kentrail Davis

16) Lorenzo Cain

17) Taylor Green

18) Josh Butler

19) John Axford

20) Jose Pena

 

Pretty much the same as most. The Pena signing was a pretty big deal in July so I felt it was necessary to include him in there.

 

My # 21 was Evan Anundsen.

[And That]

They certainly are; why do you think that's the case?

A lot of it comes from the 2008 Brewers draft class. They took all those arms and were able to fill so many spots on the Wisconsin (and even Brevard) rosters, that they didn't need to push a guy like Odorizzi (or Lasker, or Billings, or Bucci, or Krestalude, etc.) to Wisconsin. In years past, I have no doubt many of those guys would have either broken 2009 camp with the low-A squad, or would have been one of the first permanent call-ups. Not that that would have ruined their careers, but that brings me to my second point.

 

I think there's a lot to be said for being able to directly monitor pitching in Arizona during extended spring training. It's a controlled environment, and much more flexible than a scheduled set of proper baseball games. And of course, you're probably not going to be rained/snowed out. The competition may not be as good as a full season league, but I think it's more important to have regular repetition and specific practice on things for pitchers that are so young.

 

In any event, Odorizzi is still just turning 20 right before the season starts, and may well hit AA as a 21 year old.

[HiAndTight]

Clancy if you look around these forums you'll find that I don't hold the bullpen in much esteem. If he's our best reliever and he's being wasted as the closer it will just piss me off even more than him moving to bullpen already did. Closers just don't pitch enough innings or the highest leverage innings for me to give a squat about them in general... I did rate Aguilar highly on his ability to close last season mostly because I was hoping DM wouldn't heed the calls to spend money on closer, but I've since revised my opinion on closer prospects.

 

I know others disagree, but I despise closers and the bullpen in general, and I'm not particularly fond developing players that have the potential to be starters as relievers either. In Braddock's case I understand why it was done and it's probably necessary, but it limits his upside as those 55-70 IP as a late reliever would have to be awfully special for his value to even approach the value of our 5th starter in my opinion. When the upper tier of relievers are only worth 1 to 2 WAR, I'm not just not going to be excited about their impact. Not that 1 or 2 wins isn't important, but as I've said elsewhere I'm looking to build a team from the starting pitching up.

 

I'll have to admit to having long held these very views, however after watching so many pitchers simply unable to pitch in this situations and so many teams having their seasons really fall apart as a result, I now place a bit more value on the Bullpen.

 

I also don't really think "WAR" is a good evaluational tool for relievers. I don't think you can accurately quantify the impact they have. For instance, Carlos Marmol two years ago was worth 6-7 wins for the Cubs IMO at least. He came into so many games in the 6th, 7th or 8th innings when it was on the line and just shut down the other team.

 

 

So while I completely understand your point of view on this one, and frankly I'd imagine I'm in the big minority here. But hey, I'm alright with that!

[Scooter1027]

Well, here are my thoughts. The thing I noticed overall is after the 3 hitters on top, the pitchers are the most interesting part of the list. We could use another impact bat or two in the system.

1. Alcides Escobar -- Not sold on the bat, but should hit enough to go along with top flight defense at a premium position.

2. Brett Lawrie -- Love the upside...production hasn't been elite, but he was only 19 years old playing at A and AA levels. Canadian national team experience can only help.

3. Mat Gamel -- Lost a little luster this past season, but still has excellent offensive tools.

4. Jonathan Lucroy -- Well-rounded catching prospect close to MLB ready.

5. Zach Braddock -- I hope they give him another shot at starting, as he is as dominant as they get when healthy.

6. Amaury Rivas -- Seems to have better stuff and upside than polished pitchers like Cody and Butler, and has more polish and command than "stuff" pitchers like Peralta and Scarpetta. Just seems like the most well-rounded SP prospect, I'm very excited to see how AA treats him.

7. Angel Salome -- Just needs to stay healthy; more offensive upside than Lucroy.

8. Caleb Gindl -- Nice power/speed blend with solid on-base skills, and he still has room to improve as a 21 year old hitting AA.

9. Wily Peralta -- 9-14 present a group of SPs (Schafer aside obviously) that are hard to rank and could all finish better than the others. I like Peralta the most as of now, just needs a quality 3^rd offering.

10. Eric Arnett -- Rookie campaign offered little, but at 6'5", 230 lbs, and great power stuff, he just oozes projection.

11. Logan Schafer -- Loved his improved plate discipline this year...could afford to walk even a bit more. But he made nice strides and seems to be legit in CF. Exciting prospect.

12. Evan Anundsen -- If the K-rate spike is real, his consistently good BB rates and groundball tendencies become that much more valuable. '09 was a breakout year, I hope for continued improvement.

13. Jake Odorizzi -- They're taking it real slow with him, but still a very interesting skillset.

14. Cody Scarpetta -- Similar prospect to Peralta in my mind, with a worse BB rate. Has to improve that.

15. Kentrail Davis -- Well, we haven't seen anything yet...but has potential to be an impact bat.

16. Lorenzo Cain -- AA could have a very interesting OF (Gindl/Schafer/Cain), assuming Cain starts there.

17. Mark Rogers -- Still may pan out afterall...still has great stuff, needs to stay healthy and improve his command.

18. Jeremy Jeffress -- One can only hope he's past his troubles.

19. Taylor Green -- Lost '09 hurts his ranking.

20. Rob Wooten -- Doesn't have upper echelon stuff, but yet continues to post phenomenal K rates. Just knows how to pitch. At this point I like him a touch more than my guys that just missed the cut (Heckathorn, Bucci, Butler, Howell, and Richardson)

[Tbadder]

1. Escobar--range, arm, only going get better--his defense makes him, next to Yo, our best pitcher

2. Gamel--I wasn't sold on Mat until I saw that swing up close and personal. This guy can whack. The Brewers need to get over the fact they don't like his personality and make him the third baseman for the next 5 years

3. Braddock--lets stop wishing he's a starter and just accept the fact that he's a lockdown reliever

4. Peralta--he's my guy, love him, his ball is heavy. I swear he throws old tear-stained wash cloths up there--try to hit that!

5. Lawrie--one of a few guys who could easily jump to number one by next July 15, love the power.

6. Lucroy--a completely boring prospect, but ya gotta have solid citizens strewn through your system

7. Rivas--too old, he'll make the majors though, I mean someone has to, right?

8. Wooten--Petersen's right, they draft you for your fastball, and you sign your major league contracts based on control. Sure he'll just be okay, but he won't be dumb. David Weathers when he was acceptable.

 

The eight above are the guys I think are Major League locks. They'll get long looks. They might not be good: 3, 6, 8 could be busts, but they'll see the Bigs and everyone but 8 has a chance to blossom.

 

These next guys I'm less sold on, but one good year and they could make us all extremely excited.

 

9. Arnett--I'm trusting the Brewers on this one, take away his slider and he doesn't impress in A Ball, not my idea of a college pitcher, but that could be a mute point after 2 starts next year

10. Schafer--I don't see it myself, he's too old for my tastes, but his line last year gives hope; I think he'll nosedive in AAA

11. Salome--a DH, I think we waited too long to trade him, too bad really

12. Cain--has gotten beter everywhere he went, but now has to prove he can get better after a real set-back; I think he gets a cup of coffee as a 4th outfielder

13. Axford--I got a feeling the Brewers don't really like him that much, spending money on Hawkins probably did him in as I see them as roughly equivalent; I don't think he'll make it out of spring training but if he shows enough he could be trade bait to a forward looking team

14. Green--I just can't see him making it, ever. Wrist problems, if what I've read, are more times than not chronic and spell doom

 

The rest of these guys represent hope--lots of hope. "I gotta feeling guys" who have more of a chance to die on the vine ala Brent Brewer than succeed but who could also turn on the jets and become top prospects quickly.

 

15. Dennis--young enough that he could overcome the injury; if healthy a man among boys in A-Ball. If he's like that in AA and still young enough he could be awesome. I love this guy.

16. Lasker--the quiet pitcher, the longer he's under the radar the better

17. Hall--he's a picther from Texas, do we need to know more?

18. Frederickson--our next Jorge. In other words we'll give up on him and somebody else will reap the benefits. Stop picking up hard throwing lefties Milwaukee!

19. Odorizzi--hmmmm...loved the pick, now other pitchers from the same draft are passing him by. He needs to go to A Ball. Half season away from jumping into the top 5 to 10

20. Davis--I don't know; he hasn't played and isn't a left fielder offensively or a CF defensively; reminds me of the horse from Ren and Stimpy.

[TheCrew07]

Heckathorn did pitch last season, but he did get hit around pretty good.