After preparing our prospect rankings, we decided to provide an updated ranking of the farm systems based on our positional rankings and top 100. A summary of our methodology is listed below and this document provides a basic explanation of the results. The rankings were created using a very basic system that is not perfect. For example, in reality, I think Tampa should perhaps be right below Atlanta. However, on the whole, I think the rankings provide a reasonably accurate picture showing three or four elite systems followed by a number of good systems which are close together. The following are the rankings and each team’s cumulative score.
1. Royals (50)
2. Rays (47)
3. Braves (44)
4. Blue Jays (38)
5. Yankees (34)
6. Reds (33)
7. Rangers (31)
7. Indians (31)
9. Angels (30)
9. Phillies (30)
9. Twins (30)
12. Dodgers (29)
13. Mariners (28)
13. Padres (28)
15. Athletics (25)
15. Cubs (25)
15. Pirates (25)
18. Nationals (24)
19. Red Sox (23)
20. Mets (22)
21. Orioles (21)
21. Rockies (21)
23. Giants (19)
24. Tigers (18)
24. Cardinals (18)
26. Astros (17)
26. Diamondbacks (17)
28. White Sox (15)
29. Brewers (13)
30. Marlins (11)
We used the following method: (1) teams were awarded one point for a player appearing in our positional rankings; (2) teams received an additional point for prospects on the positional rankings up to a specified “cutoff point;” and (3) teams received a point every time their prospect ranked in the top 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, and 5. The concept of “snub points” was created to avoid situations where relying directly on our rankings would be misleading. For example, I awarded a snub point when I saw something on the list affecting the ranking that could have gone either way and/or I could have ranked differently (i.e.,Pittsburgh had several players who just missed in the positional rankings, including 2-3 young players I removed because our rankings are geared toward fantasy keeper leagues). Since “snub points” are a little arbitrary, the following shows how the rankings would have look without them.
What’s up Sonny. I would not reccomend adding the NDFA’s to your fantasy league roster. There are some success stories (George Sherrill, etc), but generally speaking, it’s pretty rare for an NDFA to succeed in the major leagues.
The Mets system will be interesting to watch this season. I think their challenge will be getting Minaya’s international players to adjust to a slightly new approach. Alderson is an awesome general manager and I think he knows they don’t neccesarily have to reinvent the wheel overnight. I think a few of the prospects will really benefit from the changes. For example, in theory, a guy like Aderlin Rodriguez could absolutely take off….but it’s hard to tell what will happen. The system is going to get better, and in a perfect scenario, it’ll happen quickly through improvements in their younger prospects. Otherwise, restoring the system is a process that will take about 3 years.
is there a such thing as a top non drafted free agent? and also how do you think the mets farm system may pan out?
Realistically, it’s virtually impossible to perfectly evaluate the entire minor leagues. Basically, I use a bunch of sources to locate whatever info I can. The growth of the Internet has made the search easier. One of my favorite ways to locate potential sleepers is studying websites devoted to certain teams. A lot of these sites (and the comment board) provide a great starting point. When I hear about an intriguing player, I’ll use google to locate info regarding their statistics, background, and in certain cases, video. Feedback is always helpful too. For example, I somehow missed Carlos Matias until six weeks ago when a Cardinals fan asked why I wasn’t listing him.
Here, I ranked the systems using a point system based using our lists. There are definitely talented players who didn’t improve their team’s ranking merely because I haven’t learned about the player. But I tried to keep it objective to provide a reasonable overview of the talent in each system.
how do you guys evaluate talent of all the young minor league prospects including the underrated prospects?
The Reds are going to be tough for the next few seasons! They have a great mix of talent which is close to the major leagues (Chapman, Mesoraco, Alonso, etc) and high-upside guys (Hamilton, Yorman Rordiguez). I’d argue the system’s one weakness is their pitching gets a little thin after Aroldis Chapman. But the criticism is somewhat misleading b/c they have young pitchers that just graduated (Leake, Wood), and Brad Boxberger is pretty talented. Plus, they have a great sleeper named Drew Cisco who they picked in the 6th round.
You can make a good case for putting Cincinnati ahead of the Yankees b/c their systems are really close. Both systems have great catching prospects, and while the Yankees’ system has lots of pitching, the Reds’ strength is position players.
what about the cincinnati reds i like them i think they can be ranked a little higher
Montaous Walton is becoming the Sidd Fynch of our comment board! No recorded statistics makes me sorta uneasy. But the Blue Jays are definitely building a good system and I’ll watch out for Walton this season.
the bluejays are a good team with a good growing Farm system, with the addition of deck mcguire, Brett lawrie and the speedy prospect Montaous walton i wonder what the future will look like, does anyone know how good the bluejays system is in general?
Interesting. Couldn’t locate any stats for him (???), but I’ll watch out for him to see how he performs.
he was an NDFA for sure with plus speed (6.3) in the 60 yard dash and a nice bat, alot of scouts compare him to a younger version of BJ upton.
We’re not familiar w/ Walton…was he a draft guy or a NDFA? Our site’s main focus is prospects for fantasy keeper leagues, so we don’t know everything. The Blue Jays have been aggressive adding players this season. In just over 12 months, they have really built an excellent farm system.
the buejays have added speedy infielder montaous walton to the system he should be great in many years to come.
FYI, some great system rankings from a fan post over at John Sickels’ site. Definitely worth reading.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/1/7/1921427/john-sickels-farm-system-rankings
Even though I’m a loyal ‘stros fan, it’s hard not to get a little frustrated. The new group definitely inherited a depleted system in 2007, but 3+ years is an awfully long time.
Yelich definitely has a bright future. I’m questionable about putting him directly in the top 100. The four HS guys from the 2010 draft who made the list were Taillon, Machado, Lee, and Sale. I think Yelich ranks somewhere behind those guys and a few others (DeShields, Castellanos, Cowart). But that all changes if Yelich plays well this season, which I think he will.
Yeah, I used a ranking system that inadvertently did very little to help the Marlins b/c they have a decent amount of depth ranking just outside the positional rankings (ex: Scott Cousins provided no help on this list…not really fair). They’ve gotta pump some additional talent into the system, but the Marlins have always been great about not depleting their system. My guess is they either: (1) will put huge efforts into bringing in talent; or (2) have already assembled a group of lower level guys (Yelich, Ozuna, etc) they think will break out.
Florida should have two players in the top 100. Yelich and Dominguez both have bright futures. Yelich can flat out hit. The system is down but they have a couple of players that should stick.
The Yankees have had their share of busts. But it’s also interesting how many of their “core players” (Mariano, Posada, etc) were never considered top prospects. We’ll see how their system turns out…three solid catchers, excellent starting pitching, and a few reasonably intriguing young positional players (Williams, Heathcott, Culver).
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2007/26983.html
Wish I could change the Rays logo! The problem is our image options are pretty limited b/c we search the “creative commons” sites for baseball-related pictures we can use. The selection isn’t great but we can usually find something.
y r d yankees ranked so high when was the last time a yankee top prospect lived up to their billing
Please update that god-awful Rays logo in your picture lol
It’s pretty amazing. What the Royals are building reminds me of the early-1990′s Atlanta Braves. It’s interesting b/c Moore worked under Schuerholz in Atlanta, and Schuerholz originally came from Kansas City.
This chart from an article I saw last year has a chart showing BA’s top farm system rankings from year-to-year. It reinforces that having a dominant farm system generally leads to a winning team in subsequent years…
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090116&content_id=3747818&vkey=pr_tex&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex
Kansas City is loaded!! I mean look at this potential lineup/pitching staff within the next 3 years…
C – Lucas May
1B – Eric Hosmer
2B – Johnny Giovatella/Christian Colon
SS – Alcides Escobar
3B – Mike Aviles
LF – Mike Moustakas
CF – Lorenzo Cain/Derrick Robinson
RF – Wil Myers
DH – Billy Butler
LHP – Mike Montgomery
RHP – Jake Odorizzi
LHP – John Lamb
LHP – Chris Dwyer
LHP – Danny Duffy
RHP – Aaron Crow
LHP – Noel Arguelles
CL – Jeremy Jeffress
And you wait.. they may even end up trading Soria this year at the deadline and get even more young guys.. My prediction: AL CENTRAL CHAMPS in 2014!
Good news for Marlins fans. After the Greinke trade, your team moves up one spot. The Brewers are now in last w/ 8 points, but they are going all in w/ Greinke. The Royals increase their lead w/ 55 points.
Yeah, Florida at the bottom is painful b/c it definitely doesn’t reflect their young talent. They just graduated a large # of players, and I think their ranking should improve. I’m a huge ‘stros fan so I don’t like placing them that low. Milwaukee fell b/c they traded Lawrie and failed to sign their first round pick. The White Sox aren’t necessarily a bad organization. They just follow a method that doesn’t lead them to score well in farm system rankings.
I completely agree with Milwaukee, Chicago and Florida at the bottom of this list. Their farm systems are very depleted! Atleast Florida got a good boost from last years crop into their pro roster. Mike Stanton may end being the best player in baseball in 2 years and Morrison and Coghlan are good players! I think that the 10 best players in baseball in 5 years will be: Jason Heyward, Mike Stanton, Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Gonzalez, Aroldis Chapman, Buster Posey, Joe Mauer