October 2000
by Daniel Skidmore-Hess (except for Chicago, written by Dr. Cox)
BIRD-IN-HAND HEXERS
The first thing you might think about when this franchise is mentioned could be GM Peter Hess's strange fixation on Amish culture. Horse and buggy drivin' wannabe he may be, but he's also either a good judge of pitching talent or has had a nice run of Jehovah's blessings in this area. The emergence of Rick Ankiel, Ryan Dempster, and Brad Penny gives the Hexers the core of a fine young rotation & arguably makes them a darkhorse candidate for next year's Northern Division wild-card playoff berth. On the other hand, Peter will have to find a away to beef up a sub-par lineup that relies too heavily on aging vets like Buhner, T. Martinez, Zeile, and Alicea.
STRENGTHS: There is even more pitching on the way! Danys Baez may not be living up to the hype (and who knows his real age?), but Aaraon Myette could help out soon. Jung Bong looks very good for his age and level (and by the way, his name translates as "long stick"). In the outfield, Elpidio Guzman offers a potential star multi-tooled centerfielder, while Adam Dunn has a weak arm but is otherwise a good athlete who projects as a possible 30-30 guy. Youthful prospects Ryan Christianson (C) and Ramon Santiago (SS) are premium long-range propects who play critical positions. Alex Rios has moved to OF as expected and must be considered more of a project than a prospect at this point.
WEAKNESSES: No big bats in the short term future here and Pete needs one. Adam Dunn could be a basher some day but enthusiasm should be tempered by the fact that he only hit 16 long ones in slow-A this year. No high-ceiling short-term help available at the key defensive positions either, where BIH currently relies on the likes of Girardi and Rey Ordonez. However, Jermaine Clark (2B) and Jason Grabowski (3B) could be useful IF contributors within the next two years.
Organizational Grade: B
Prospects:
Adam Dunn B
Elpidio Guzman B
Ryan Christianson B
Ramon Santiago B
Aaron Myette B
Jason Grabowski B
Jung Bong B
Jermaine Clark B-
Danys Baez B-
Mike Meyers B-
Josh Girdley C+
John Sneed C+
Alex Rios C
Jason Middlebrook C-
Clint Johnston C-
BALTIMORE HONS
First year GM Al Melchior assembled a deep and effective pitching staff,
including emerging closer Scott Strickland, through savvy use of the
supplemental draft and trades. Eric Gagne struggled a bit in his rookie MLB
season, but joined Bruce Chen (acquired in the Big Unit deal) and a cast of
veterans to form a respectable rotation. MVP candidates Todd Helton and
Sammy Sosa supply power to the lineup. However, the lineup may be faulted
for lacking an effective leadoff hitter. CFer Chris Singleton is a free
swinger with poor OBP, although late-blooming Jay Payton looks like a fine
addition to this team. This organization can be expected to reload
effectively and next year's squad should be in the running for a place in
the postseason.
STRENGTHS: Good genetic lines and literary fame are the strength of this
farm system. Third baseman Sean Burroughs is clearly a very special
prospect who played effectively at AA at the tender age of 19. All the
skills are there except power and the potential in that area is apparent.
Burroughs' presence alone raises the organizational evaluation by a grade.
Additionally, Rock, Jr. could be the future leadoff man; he steals lots of
bases at any rate. Buddy "Thomas" Carlyle doesn't have power stuff but has
two years of effective AAA pitching on his resume' by age 22.
WEAKNESSES: There is no top prospect in the middle infield and the big
league club could use some help at shortstop. Nor is there a good power bat
on the near horizon since Burroughs must be considered a long-range asset.
The emphasis on building a good bench and bullpen may have left the farm
system underdeveloped. Do not expect Julio Ramirez to replace Singleton and
Payton anytime soon.
Organizational Grade: B
Prospects:
Sean Burroughs, A
Buddy Carlyle, B
Brad Wilkerson, B
Eric Cammack, B-
Humberto Cota, B-
Tim Raines, Jr. B-
Javier Cardona, C+
Scott Sobkowiak, C+
Albenis Machado, C+
Brett Evert, C
Amaury Garcia, C
Julio Ramirez, C
CHICAGO COCKROACHES
It's official. The Roaches have entered the rebuilding mode, with trades of
OF Jermaine Dye and Mark McGwire to prove that GM Mike Isaacs is serious
about refashioning a club that will have his own Roach print plastered on
the rear end of every incoming player. Personal hygiene aside, the early
indications are that the Roaches have added a stable of promising young
players, and even potential stars, to the mix in the past half season of
activity. The shaky early season rotation concerned the organization enough
to go after more young pitching, acquiring Kip Wells and Randy Wolf in the
McGwire trade. The additions of power-hitting 1b Carlos Pena and last year's
super-hyped prospect Vernon Wells from the Leones gives Isaacs two more
players to build around. When he was not suffering from shoulder tendinitis,
flamethrower and genuine pitcher Josh Beckett (he already has command of
four major league caliber pitches at his youthful age) gave the Roaches
faithful a glimpse of his outstanding potential. A future starting rotation
of Chan Ho Park, Adam Eaton, Kip Wells, and Randy Wolf looks promising,
with veteran Denny Neagle holding down the fort until other starting
prospects can arrive or be acquired. The team has to hope that Roy Halladay's
2000 meltdown was not fatal, and that Ted Lilly will develop into a useful
future starter. Offensively, Isaacs has let it be known that he wants to
continue to get younger and to acquire more high-ceiling prospects for the
future, even if it means parting with players such as CF Preston Wilson.
STRENGTHS
The most obvious strength comes from the wrists of Carlos Pena, who
generated impressive bat speed to continue to mash the ball in AA (.299, 36
2b, 28 HR, 101 Bbs) while showing impressive plate discipline. His
acquisition from the Leones could help make that trade a success, assuming
that CF Vernon Wells can rebound from a disappointing 2000. Most scouts
think that he can, as the second half of 2000 looked quite a bit better than
the first half. The rest of the minor league system provides some potential
major league help, even if not star caliber, from the likes of Mike Darr and
Chip Ambres. Darr showed in AAA pretty good plate discipline and line drive
power, but at 24 is unlikely to become much more than a 4th outfielder at
the big league level. Ambres, while taking a step back, is still only 20
and perfectly capable of moving forward in future seasons. The infield
corners have some depth in 1b Hee Seop Choi and 3b Eric Hinske and David
Kelton, although none of the three project as stars. The conversion of
infielder Joe Lawrence to the catching position has been going better than
the organization expected from a defensive standpoint, which provides some
potential insurance if either Ben Davis or Ramon Castro fail to pan out at
the big league level.
WEAKNESSES
There are no solid middle infield prospects in the organization, and one
possibility, SS Ruben Castillo, struggled mightily at A ball this year.
Even if he does develop, he's years away from arriving at the major league
level. Similarly, SS Jay Hood proved overmatched at AA ball this season.
Josh Beckett is the potential ace of the future pitching staff, but with
shoulder tendinitis slowing his progress, there has to be considerable
caution in ranking him an A caliber prospect until we see his performances
at higher levels. OF Choo Freeman, Of Juan LeBron and IF Troy Cameron are
tools players at various stages of development. While Freeman is the
youngest, he suffers from the same tool disease as the others: lack of plate
discipline.
Organizational Grade: B+
Prospects:
Carlos Pena A-
Josh Beckett B+
Vernon Wells B+
Hee Seop Choi B
Eric Hinske B
Chip Ambres B
Mike Darr B
David Kelton B-
Ted Lilly B-
Joe Lawrence B-
Kevin Eberwein C+
Jason Lakman C
Todd Noel C
Ruben Castillo C
Choo Freeman C
Troy Cameron C-
HARRISBURG HEROES
This organization has been wracked and ravaged by pitching injuries over the
past couple of seasons: John Smoltz, Kerry Wood, Jeremy Gonzalez, and Billy
Wagner. The bullpen remains effective even without Wagner but this pitching
staff produced nary a single 10 game winner over the course of the long
season in 2000. Offensive disappointments also added to the second half
slide (cf. Fernando Tatis) into sub .500/second division land. Nonetheless,
Glaus-Konerko-Drew are a formidable trio of young bats who are products of
this farm system. Add in the veteran power of Piazza and Juan Gonzalez and
this lineup should contend next year if the pitching staff is stabilized.
STRENGTHS: The pitching prospects are close to contributing at the MLB level
and Harrisburg may have two aces (although one is a McSorleyesque thug) in
the prospect deck; Christenson and Sabathia. Both the defense and offense
should soon get a charge out of the super-high ceiling of Corey Patterson.
Soon, a much needed young second sacker should emerge as well, either in the
form of Alf Soriano or the mein of Marcus Giles. GM Dave Hess also knows how
to use the waiver wire, picking up pitcher Britt Reames from the invisible
ink section of the waiver wire, legible only to illuminati [actually, Moline
relinquished its claim].
WEAKNESSES: With Soriano stuck behind Jeter, it is doubtful, barring trades,
that this organization can produce a top-flight MLB shortstop anytime soon.
On a note of broader concern, the bats in the farm system now do not project
to equal those produced in the past (compare: Konerko vs. Munson, Cuddyer
vs. Glaus, Crosby vs. Drew). Angel Pena is a suspect, not a catching
prospect. Marcus Giles still does not get the respect he deserves, although
the Braves would have a fine DP combo if they went with Giles-Furcal in
their immediate future. But I digress ...
Organizational Grade: A-
Prospects:
Corey Patterson A-
C.C. Sabathia A-
Ben Christenson B+
Marcus Giles B+
Alfonso Soriano B
Jason Marquis B
Michael Cuddyer B
Eric Munson B-
Abraham Nunez B-
Luis Rivera B-
Angel Pena C+
Tony McKnight C
Bubba Crosby C
Britt Reames C
Shawn Chacon C
Nick Green C
MOLINE GREENS
The two most dominant starters in the league plus a lineup with all-stars at
nearly every position make this team the clear #1 in the present day SJL.
How may future Hall of Famers are here? A few at least, I'm sure. Only a
flawed bullpen stood between the 2000 squad and the attainment of "best
ever" status in SJL history. Despite years of low picks, GM Rolf Samuels
has assembled a farm system with both quantity and quality at nearly every
position as well.
STRENGTHS: Betemit, Rollins, Ozuna, etc. ... that's a load of valuable
middle infield talent. Additionally, there are some guys who could
contribute if not star at the ML level (Abernathy, in particular, but also
Ty Wigginton). At third, Drew Henson is an intriguing prospect who also
happens to be a very fine college QB. There's a trio of high ceilinged
outfield prospects (Snelling, Ndungidi, Rowand) as well as a couple of soon
to be MLB bench jockeys, one of whom is the son of an all time great bench
player (Mota).
WEAKNESSES: Rolf's distinctive approach to pitching acquistion leaves the
franchise with little in the way of pitching prospects. Behind the plate,
Jeff Goldbach has caught whatever it is that afflicts Cubs catching
prospects. After years of patience, giving up Jay Payton, just as he was
coming around and into his peak years, makes little sense from a developmental perspective. The return for Payon included Jody Gerut, strictly a sabermetrician's prospect who likely lacks the outstanding tools necessary to make it as an impact MLB outfielder.
Oganizational Grade: A-
Prospects:
Wilson Betemit A
Chris Snelling B+
Drew Henson B+
Pablo Ozuna B
Pappy Ndungidi B
Brent Abernathy B
Aaron Rowand B-
Ty Wigginton B-
Ed Yarnall C+
Maicer Isturiz C+
Josh Pressley C+
Tony Mota C+
Jody Gerut C+
Jeff Goldbach C
Damian Moss C-
PENNSYLVANIA PLUTONIUM
Some early speculation considers the radiation men to be the frontrunners
for the Northern Division wild card in '01 and B. Bonds may be the candidate
to beat for 2000 MVP honors. Add Alou-Beltran-Mateo to the mix and one can
see that the stellar outfield powers this club's offense. However, there
are fine talents around the rest of the field as well. The pitching staff
contains a wide array of potentially useful performers, reminiscent of the
KC Whirlwind's mix and match approach; only better. Jon Garland was
Baseball America's #1 prospect in the International League but no longer
qualifies for prospect status in our view. He's a major leaguer, albeit one
who needs some more season(s)ing to reach his potential. Behind the plate,
Ben Petrick looks like the real deal, but is also past prospect status.
STRENGTHS: Ryan Anderson is Baseball America's #1 prospect in the PCL (nice
matching set Jim!). Beyond the Next Unit, GM Brown has assembled so many
pitching prospects that the law of averages favors success here. Nor are
the pitching prospects all in one mold. There are overpowering
closers-in-waiting (Tsao) as well as effective control and finesse guys
(Dicky Gonzalez). Acquiring D'Angleo Jimenez post-auto accident appears to
have been a good risk and along with Juan Uribe gives the Plutes two good
prospects at a premium position.
WEAKNESSES: So many pitching prospects leaves the organization thin at
other positions and pitching prospects are risky, there's no getting around
that reality. There are only seven infielders (not counting 1B) on the
entire roster. The sole outfield prospect is a basher from the bayou who is
better off playing first or hunting gator.
Organizational Grade: B
Prospects:
Ryan Anderson A-
Chin-hui Tsao B+
D'Angelo Jimenez B+
Ben Broussard B
Juan Uribe B
Dicky Gonzalez B
Jason Jennings B
Matt White B-
Lorenzo Barcelo B-
Ty Howington B-
Matt Riley B-
Aaron McNeal C+
Jason Standridge C+
Jimmy Osting C
Ryan Mills C-