Here are the Top 100 pitching prospects. I went ahead and incorporated relief pitchers onto this list, but I did not add too many because I have always found them less valuable for fantasy purposes (i.e., difficult to predict who will close). I will also create a reliever list, but for now, I wanted to go ahead and finish the positional rankings to get started on the Top 100. We will publish the Top 100 in the next week. Then, I will do some research re: amateur players before publishing the Top 250 list. Hope you all like the list, and as always, feedback is appreciated.
1. Matt Moore—Rays
2. Yu Darvish—Rangers
3. Julio Teheran—Braves
4. Shelby Miller—Cardinals
5. Trevor Bauer—Diamondbacks
6. Gerrit Cole—Pirates
7. Tyler Skaggs—Diamondbacks
8. Dylan Bundy—Orioles
9. Drew Pomeranz—Rockies
10. Danny Hultzen—Mariners
11. Jacob Turner—Tigers
12. Jameson Taillon—Pirates
13. Taijuan Walker—Mariners
14. Zach Wheeler—Mets
15. Carlos Martinez—Cardinals
16. Martin Perez—Rangers
17. James Paxton—Mariners
18. Jarrod Parker—Athletics
19. Arodys Vizcaino—Braves
20. Randall Delgado—Braves
21. Archie Bradley—Diamondbacks
22. Matt Harvey—Mets
23. Drew Hutchinson—Blue Jays
24. Jake Odorizzi—Royals
25. Manny Banuelos—Yankees
26. Robbie Erlin—Padres
27. Trevor May—Phillies
28. Tyrell Jenkins—Cardinals
29. Joe Weiland—Padres
30. Taylor Jungmann—Brewers
31. Matt Barnes—Red Sox
32. Dellin Betances—Yankees
33. Mike Montgomery—Royals
34. Jed Bradley—Brewers
35. AJ Cole—Athletics
36. Sonny Gray—Athletics
37. Zach Lee—Dodgers
38. Brad Peacock—Athletics
39. Nestor Molina—White Sox
40. Noah Syndergaard—Blue Jays
41. Wily Peralta—Brewers
42. Allen Webster—Dodgers
43. Daniel Norris—Blue Jays
44. Alex Torres—Rays
45. Justin Nicolino—Blue Jays
46. Luis Heredia—Pirates
47. Jose Campos—Mariners
48. Nathan Eovaldi—Dodgers
49. Keyvious Sampson—Padres
50. Deck McGuire—Blue Jays
51. Addison Reed—White Sox
52. Garrett Richards—Angels
53. Casey Kelly—Padres
54. Jesse Biddle—Phillies
55. Jose Fernandez—Marlins
56. Chad Bettis—Rockies
57. Tyler Thornburg—Brewers
58. Robert Stephenson—Reds
59. Jarred Cosart—Astros
60. Alex Colome—Rays
61. Chris Archer—Rays
62. Robbie Ross—Rangers
63. Taylor Guerrieri—Rays
64. Dillon Maples—Cubs
65. Drew Smyly—Tigers
66. Jeurys Familia—Mets
67. Alex Meyer—Nationals
68. Cody Buckel—Rangers
69. Trey McNutt—Cubs
70. Neil Ramirez—Rangers
71. Dillon Howard—Indians
72. Joe Ross—Padres
73. Liam Hendriks—Twins
74. Matthew Purke—Nationals
75. Henry Owens—Red Sox
76. Chris Reed—Dodgers
77. Chad James—Marlins
78. Tyler Matzek—Rockies
79. Sean Gilmartin—Braves
80. Anthony Ranaudo—Red Sox
81. Daniel Corcino—Reds
82. Jennry Mejia—Mets
83. Jon Pettibone—Phillies
84. Casey Crosby—Tigers
85. Tom Milone—Athletics
86. Eric Surkamp—Giants
87. Andy Oliver—Tigers
88. Hudson Boyd—Twins
89. Aaron Sanchez—Blue Jays
90. Andrew Chafin—Diamondbacks
91. Kyle Gibson—Twins
92. Roman Mendez—Rangers
93. Anthony Meo—Diamondbacks
94. Juan Oramas—Padres
95. Garrett Gould—Dodgers
96. Enny Romero—Rays
97. Stetson Allie—Pirates
98. Kyle Weiland—Astros
99. John Lamb—Royals
100. Adonis Cardona—Blue Jays
Tough call, but I’m leaning toward no. Erlin and Banuelos are both divergent prospects. Some people rank ManBan in the Top 25-30 prospects in baseball while I would put him lower. Erlin is a little different b/c he has terrific numbers, but based on his stuff, many do not see him as a top of the rotation guy and leave him off their rankings completely.
So basically, if you were super-high on both Erlin and Banuelos, it might be enough value to justify the trade. But I would probably keep Bauer or ask for a little extra value.
In a dynasty league would you take Robbie Erlin and Manny Banuelos for Trevor Bauer?
With prospects always being hit or miss would this be smart or is Bauer good enough to hold on to him?
Yeah, I am a huge Darvish fan. We are one of the few lists that did not put Harper/Moore/Trout as our Top 3. Not sure that is a good decision, but regardless, I would take Darvish over Bauer (even though I like Bauer too).
Do must agree Darvish over Bauer long term ?
Brad I’ve lost faith in baseballs best. Jonathon Mayo just released his top 100 prospects. Robbie erlin isn’t on it. Really?! Wow…:
Interesting predictions, Jed! I was initially concerned whether Darvish would sign, but at this point, what makes me cautiously optimistic is reading something that said the sticking point is whether he’ll get five years or six years. Who knows if that is true, but assuming that is the only issue, I’ve gotta think they can adjust the dollar figures enough to reach an agreement before the deadline.
This draft class is pretty amazing! On the whole, the 2012 prospect list has turned out to be pretty strong. I would say it is stronger than last year b/c Harper & Trout are a year older, Moore had a breakout season, and Darvish is now in the mix. Plus, the depth of last year’s draft allows fantasy teams to grab upside in the later rounds.
I’ve been looking at the 2012 draft class and it’s amazing how much the talent seems to drop this season. I am going to try a mock draft, but at this point, it’s hard for me to provide much input b/c many of the best guys are HS players (hard to learn about them). The ’stros definitely have a tough job making sure we find the right guy at #1! I have a lot of faith the new people will do a good job, but it’ll be tough b/c there are at least 10-15 guys who could get at least some consideration and they all seem to carry a little more risk than you’d like to see in the #1 overall pick.
Brad,
I think I would totally agree with you on Lindor-Bradley being top 35 prospects. I would even go as far to say that Josh Bell and Javier Baez could be top 50 prospects. This years draft class is incredible. I remember hearing whispers around the time of the draft that had Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley going 1-2 in the draft after word of Rendon’s injuries and Cole’s struggles this past season. IMO, Rendon when healthy is the clear cut best prospect in this class with Bundy-Bradley nipping at his heals. Bauer and Hultzen are great prospects and will both probably reach the bigs this year, but I dont see either of their upsides being as high as Bundy’s or Bradley’s. Im still at a big time crossroads on who I like more between Lindor and Baez. Lindor is a definite stick at SS, but his bat may not play up as well as Baez’s. In terms of fantasy I think I may lean towards Baez because he figures to be a #3-5 type of hitter that drives in lots of runs. Lindor is more of a leadoff type. Im definately drinking the kool-aid on all of this years class. By far the deepest draft I’ve ever tracked .. 2005’s class was star-studded, but it may not have even been this deep… only time will tell obviously. I only wish the Twins could have had a top 2 pick this past year rather than this year. There are lots of questions to be answered about the upcoming draftees so hopefully some players can come forward and distance themselves to help out my Twins in making their selection.
MY BOLD PREDICTION FOR THE WEEK: Yu Darvish does not sign with Texas, they in turn lock up Prince Fielder for 7 years. Also, Cespedes gains his citizenship in the D.R. and signs within 1 week with the Chicago White Sox… ya you heard it hear first the White Sox!
Agreed, Kyle! It seems like Bradley was the #2 HS pitcher in last year’s draft. One random question is how would you value Bradley compared to Lindor? As I create the Top 100, I find myself ranking Lindor and Bradley one spot apart in the 30’s.
This sorta contradicts my initial instinct re: how to value players from that draft. During the season, I viewed Bradley as one of the “big 6″ w/ Cole, Rendon, Bauer, Hultzen, and Starling. I thought the talent dropped slightly at #7, and while Lindor was a solid pick, he seemed like one of a few of players who could have been selected in that spot. Perhaps ranking them next to each other is reasonable b/c Bradley might not be on the level of those other five or I might have initially underrated Lindor?
I like Stephenson too. I did not follow him as closely leading up to the draft, but as I learned more afterward, I thought he was clearly in that group of HS pitchers who could easily vault into Top prospect status w/ a solid performance in their first pro season (i.e., his value seems fairly interchangeable w/ guys like Norris, Fernandez, and Guerrieri).
The more I read on them, the more I love CIN SP Robert Stephenson and ARI SP Archie Bradley. I think both HS arms would be top 8 picks any other year (Bradley top 3).
Sorry about the slow response, G Rees! Just got back in town. That is an impressive group of pitchers! I think Teheran will have the greatest impact next season, but depending how quickly Arizona promotes Bauer, it would not totally surprise me if he outproduces Teheran. Assuming he pitches well, Gray should arrive next season too. Less sure about Hultzen? He is a solid prospect, but Seattle might give him a little longer in minors.
Interesting question re: Darvish’s ranking. He is different than the other pitchers on this list b/c he’s slightly older. Despite having no milb experience, I think the bid he received through the posting system is a strong indicator of his potential.
Interesting question: if Gerrit Cole were made available under the same system as Darvish, how much would he get? My thought is he would receive much less than Darvish, but at the same time, it would be enough to show there is an incredible difference between top players’ signing bonuses and what they would get on the open market.
Zeus, one thing Darvish has that no other prospect has, is that if he signs he will be a starter on the Texas staff!! At least for 1 season, he will be a hot fantasy pic!!
No one thinks darvish is too high? I’ve heard some blogs saying he isn’t a top 15 prospective SP.
Thanks to a couple of down seasons and draft pick trading, I have Teheran, Cole, Bauer, Hultzen, Sonny Gray, and Kyle Gibson on one of my team’s farm roster. Thanks for all of the advice during the draft Bradley.
Which of these guys do you predict to have the greatest season in 2012? Think Teheran is going to be playing the entire season in Atlanta?
I’ll admit I may be biased on Eovaldi. I saw both Tommy Milone and Eric Surkamp pitch in high school(Surkamp only once, and he head great composure on the mound). It’s hard for me to see him distancing himself from the other two. That’s when ranking players can be fun, you see how someone else views a player instead of all of the repetition that goes on at times.
Lance Lynn could fit into a conversation like this(prospects contributing in 2012), largely dependent upon how the Cardinals decide to use him.
The Giants trading for Beltran looks really bad right now…they had him for half a year and lost what woulda been their top prospect in Wheeler. They would’ve been better off keeping wheeler or trading him for someone with more than one year left…maybe Carlos Lee.
I like Eovaldi. I wonder if it’ll take him a little longer than the average prospect w/ 30+ major league innings.
Even though it’s a small sample size, a few numbers in those 36 innings concern me. First, I would be more excited about the 3.62 ERA if he did not have 23 strikeouts and 20 walks. Second, Fangraphs shows 91% of his pitches were fastballs and sliders. There are a few pitchers who are effective pretty much exclusively throwing fastball and slider (Ervin Santana, Justin Masterson), and I haven’t watched Eovaldi much firsthand besides one game. I do not write much about pitch f/x b/c it’s complicated and I do not totally understand it, but it was interesting looking at the pitch f/x and comparing Eovaldi to Santana/Masterson. The various factors re: Santana and Masterson’s slider (especially horizontal movement) seem much higher than Eovaldi’s. But I’m not sure how much this matters (i.e., Pineda’s slider which he throws regularly doesn’t have lots of horizontal movement), so I could be totally wrong considering trying to compare pitchers based on pitch f/x is tricky. So even though I could be wrong, my thought is priority #1 should be finding a third pitch he can throw more regularly even if it means spending more time in the minor leagues.
That being said, I still like Eovaldi enough to rank him in the Top 50 despite those concerns. He really improved last season, and it would not surprise me if the improvement continues into 2012.
I don’t buy Eovaldi as a mid-rotation starter for the same reason Gerrit Cole is bumped down a few spots: I don’t see them getting 3,000+ pitches, ~200 innings out of their approaches.
Carlos Martinez and Taijuan Walker could see the same thing happen depending upon 2012.
This list has him ahead of Addison Reed, Casey Kelly, and Tyler Thornburg. I’d keep them in that general ranking and acknowledge they’ll be up in 2012. I don’t see Eovaldi in that group. The Dodgers don’t have money to spend, and you have to wonder if they’d keep him in AAA and call him up in the summer if that wasn’t an issue.
I think MHz’s changes are often based on upside, but guys like, say, Eovaldi, who is just about ready as a mid-rotation starter have a lot of value in both the real world, and in deep fantasy leagues.
This is great stuff, MHz! Really like those suggestions. What makes me think those suggestions are solid is they follow the exact pattern of players I have overrated in past years. To some degree, I tend to overrate players based on familiarity. I follow college baseball pretty closely (mostly the big programs in Texas and the southeast), so in many cases, I’ll overrate the players I’ve seen (Pomeranz, Jungmann, McGuire, Bradley, Gray). I probably tend to undervalue a lot of the HS pitchers b/c I have less information since it’s harder to get firsthand info besides online scouting reports, YouTube video, etc. On the other hand, with the HS players, my instinct is to overrate guys based on the stats b/c it’s best information I have (i.e., Robbie Erlin).
I think Miller starts the season in AAA, and assuming everything goes reasonably well, he’ll get promoted midseason. At this point, I’m not too worried about him holding himself back. I remember reading something last season about him missing a few starts b/c of something involving alcohol, but I generally don’t read much into it if the incident is something that could have happened to a typical college age person. A player’s makeup can have a huge effect on how they will perform, but from my perspective, I figure it’s impossible for me to know too much about that area. I love the reference to Shelby County, Brad. I grew up going to Ole Miss Football games and we used to fly into Memphis. I bet Miller will want his stay in Memphis to be pretty short, but if it takes longer, at least Rendezvous has good ribs and it isn’t too far from the stadium!
I forgot to put my name on the post, I think?
I spent some time today updating pitching prospects, here’s some notes I have on the list.
1-5
Sounds good to me.
6-10
I like that Gerrit Cole has become a point of contention in the comments. You can be aggressive and put Taillon and Cole in this group. I’ve never liked Cole’s delivery, and he can be erratic with his release point. He has the look of a pitcher whose delivery will catch up to him in his mid to late 20s. Taillon and Cole are fun to project right now.
I would definitely bump Pomeranz down ~10 spots. He and Martin Perez both look to have had rushed development, and need work on their secondary pitches.
11-15
Bump up Turner and Taillon, drop Zach Wheeler lower in the teens. I just like other pitchers over him, like Carlos Martinez. Martinez could bump up a few spots no problem.
16-20
Martin Perez could drop a couple to settle near Pomeranz. The distinction between the top LHP(Moore, Skaggs, Hultzen & Paxton, Perez & Pomeranz) starts to take shape in the top 20. I’d drop Vizcaino and Delgado 5-10 spots because I would much rather see them in the minors this year than MLB.
21-25
I’d move Matt Harvey and Archie Bradley up 5-10 spots. I think they are affected by the systems they are in. The Mets usually trade their top of the rotation starters, and Archie is very talented but buried behind some great pitching prospects in Arizona. I’d drop Hutchison and Odorizzi considerably. Still in the mix for top 50, but I like the two pairs of Betances/Banuelos and Trevor Rosenthal/Tyrell Jenkins here. Ineed to see more from Hutchison and Odorizzi to rank them higher.
26-30
Drop Erlin lower in the top 50, bump May up into the 20s, Weiland and Jungmann shouldn’t get top 50 consideration. Weiland works for the Padres, and Jungmann had a disappointing start.
31-35
Jed Bradley shouldn’t get top 50, questionable top 100.
36-40
Sonny Gray is a bit high, as is Syndergaard. Should be lower in the top 50. Both are a bit raw and need to prove more.
41-45
Wily Peralta, Daniel Norris, and Alex Torres should all drop. There are other pitchers with higher upside ranked below them.
46-50
Love Campos, I’d bump him up to top 25, top 20. Drop Eovaldi possibly off the list, and Deck McGuire a bit outside of top 50.
I think the biggest difference I had was the upside for Taillon, Paxton, Matt Harvey, Archie Bradley, and Jose Campos. The two I would drop at this time without question is Joe Weiland and Taylor Jungmann.
If you want to continue the Shelby kick, Shelby is the only way Shelby gets out of Shelby county…As a TN resident, if the city of Memphis isn’t reason enough to get your act together nothing is going to help.
Brad, well said on Erlin. One more Q, when do you realistically see Shelby coming up? Ive heard anything from June to 2013. I think the general consensus is Shelby is the only one in the way of Shelby…
Thanks Bradley…I like the tier system for pitchers as I can’t follow EVERY prospect like you and others do. So when fantasy players offer me prospect for prospect trades, I tend to use a tier system to maximize value.
Sometimes its as simple as a Yankee fans, for example, that overvalues Yankee prospects so they tend to overpay. Tiers help me in maximizing maximum returns. So if i can get a high 16-26 pitching prospect for a 27-49 pitching prospect, it’s a no brainer…where as an unknown player would see the prospect trade as an equal value trade.
Ive got Cole, Pomeranz, Harvey, Cosart, Maples, Pettibone, Crosby, Oliver, Sanchez and Lamb. Also got Stilson who I feel will be ranked high on this list after the season. And those guys you listed have all been drafted. Deep league, hard to find some quality guys to draft at the end of the draft.
Good question, Geo. I would say the cutoffs on here are less substantial than some of the other positions, and people could see it differently. But if I had to create tiers, I would view it as:
Level One: 1-2
Level Two: 3-4
Level Three: 5-15
Level Four: 16-26 (you could make two tiers and have a 1-4 group and a 5-26 group)
Level Five: 27-49
Level Six: 48-75
Level Seven: 76-100 (plus another 30-40 pitchers I cut)
Creating tiers is a helpful way of spotting potentially misvalued players. For example, I probably should have ranked Sampson a little higher? As I was creating the tiers (pretty quickly), my first instinct was the difference between Eovaldi & Nicolino, Campos, and Heredia was enough to justify creating another tier. But I would probably value Sampson with those other players (but not so much Eovaldi). At the end of the day, creating tiers piles subjectivity upon subjectivity b/c the rankings themselves are pretty subjective. But it’s important for fantasy purposes when trying to figure out who to draft, release, or trade.
I like Hendriks. His value dropped primarily b/c his numbers after the promotion to AAA (and the major leagues) could have gone better, and even though he does not issue many walks, you would like to see a slightly higher strikeout rate (7.2/9 is not bad though). He’ll get another opportunity this season, and ideally, he should be a solid mid-rotation starter for the Twins.
What is the knock on Liam Hendricks? His numbers look good but he doesn’t seem to be that close to the top of anyone’s lists.
Hey Bradley, where are the talent drop offs here in your opinion? To trade Shelby Miller for Gerrit Cole would not make sense as they are similar to talent and upside. You can see the difference 1-6 and 7-15 16-39 etc. So I have a better idea in a trade to get someone in 7-15 for a 16-39 pitcher as it could be worth it.
Yes the Jays have quite the pitching farm system, and I am starting to see the “you can never have enough pitching” scenarios. Really young pitchers are so inconsistent. The Jays have drafted so many pitchers in the draft, I cant wait to see some of them develop or traded for proven talent. I was really surprised when the Jays didn’t land Gio Gonzalez, until i heard the rumours of what the asking price was from Oakland.
Agreed Bryce. Subjectively, I like Erlin a lot more than where I have him ranked. His milb career numbers are 288 k’s and 34 BB’s despite pitching against older competition!? Pretty amazing. We rank a little bit differently than other sites b/c since our target is dynasty leaguers, my goal is to balance my subjective opinion w/ the player’s estimated market value trying to help owners make the best picks.
In Erlin’s case, some people better than myself at looking stuff beyond the statistics (mechanics, velocity, etc) argue he’ll run into enough problems at higher levels to keep him from being an elite prospect. I get how lack of velocity can cause problems in the major leagues, but beyond that, I lack the expertise to offer a valuable opinion re: whether those people are right. But when you see 288:34, it’s hard not to think there is room for Erlin to struggle and remain effective. Plus, he is still only 21 years old meaning there is potentially more room for improvement.
I would not be shocked to see Erlin really succeed in that park, for his lack of velocity he puts the ball where ever he wants it and he still has a k/9 over 10. Don’t laugh, but he could easily be Cliff Lee light.
Ten of these guys in a 30 team league is impressive, Scott! I wish the ’stros had that in real baseball! Haha. Which pitchers do you own?
In terms of high-upside pitchers, I would probably focus on guys from the 2011 draft. The pitching in last year’s draft was so deep I think the best strategy is to keep a good list of all those pitchers b/c some of them will fall through the cracks in the later rounds (i.e., guys like Houser, Meo, or maybe Amir Garrett).
It seems like the number of high-upside pitchers outside the draft is a little thinner. Last season, I went more heavily on guys from outside the 2010 draft who were yet to make their full-season debuts. I was less aggressive ranking them this season b/c so many of my worst rankings last season were young pitchers I ranked on hype despite knowing very little (Perez from ATL, several Royals).
FYI, I tried to respond to all the comments-but instead of doing one long comment-I made several comments and adjusted the posting times.
I like the list. Glad John Lamb is still on there even with TJ. Hopefully the guys on this list do well cause im in a 30 team league and i have 10 of those guys! haha. okay im done with bragging. Does anyone have any suggestions of pitchers who are a buy low right now but have high potencial?
Great input, MHz. I like the suggestion re: Paxton. My only experience watching Paxton firsthand was the Futures Game, and I was impressed. My only question is whether the secondary stuff is progressing (didn’t think the Futures Game really showed that either way), but judging from his numbers, either the concerns were overblown or Paxton has made great progress.
I am excited about Armstrong. At this point, my only concern is he never really distinguished himself at Vanderbilt. The ’stros have a number of pitchers I like subjectively, but just not enough to rank at this point (guys like Armstrong, Houser, Clemens, Folty, Bushue). I have always been convinced that-but for the arm injury-Velazquez would have had a great season last year (but not sure how the health issues will affect him going forward).
On the comment board, somebody made a great mention of Trevor Rosenthal from the Cardinals. I helped an owner last season who picked him in the last round of a deep league, and after reading about him, I remember thinking that could be a great pick. I did not track him closely this season, but after looking at the numbers, I still think he could be a great “under the radar” pick in deep leagues.
To some degree, the end of the list is a little heavy on pitchers who were much more valuable last season that I decided not to cut (for example, I kept Lamb, Mejia, and Gibson despite TJ). Once a guy achieves a high ranking, I am always a little too reluctant to move them down (i.e., I owned Jason Stokes for so long it became comical).
Nice list as always, Brad.
Pomeranz is ninth, but James Paxton is highly comparable and I think he has better stuff. I understand why he is higher, but it is difficult for me to accept, haha.Nice rankings for Archie Bradley, Matt Barnes, Jed Bradley, Sonny Gray, and Daniel Norris.These players give you an idea of how you are ranking upside and professional innings(or in their case, a lack of,) on this list.
Jose Campos and Justin Nicolino could sneak up 10 spots. Very impressive seasons from both, just like their names next to Zach Lee and a spot above Syndergaard. Jesse Biddle is one of those slow and steady risers that can inch towards becoming a top prospect. I”d probably bump him right above Daniel Norris. I am a big fan of Jack Armstrong, and although there are injury concerns maybe one day he will sneak on the list or be an HM. He probably doesn’t deserve it yet.
I’m interested to see if Ranaudo and the two Tigers pitchers(Crosby and Oliver, could add Smyly?), will place at the end of the year. Ranaudo benefits from the current minor league pitching depth in Boston, and pitchers like Alex Burgos and Josue Carreno might pass a few of the other Tigers. Speaking of Ranaudo, that Matzek/Ranaudo/Jennry Mejia trio looks like a tough one to grade. I might drop them and put Enny Romero higher. I guess I could have thought of some to drop, but the list is solid and it’s really players I would bump on personal preference.
I think Milone could make the opening day roster. Oakland is in rebuilding mode, and I’ve gotta think they’ll give him a shot pretty soon. I have a few guys listed who posted great numbers despite not having ideal velocity (Surkamp, Milone, Erlin, etc), and I’m excited to see how their numbers will translate.
Finally some love for Tommy Milone. What are your thoughts on him making the opening day roster?
You are right that Bauer>Cole is questionable, Bryan. In retrospect, I’m a little skeptical of my own ranking! They are both solid (albeit different) prospects offering pretty interchangeable value.
Despite the list, I might go w/ Cole. There is this great video on YouTube of Cole pitching in summer 2010 against the Cuban National Team, and in the video, his stuff looks absolutely dominating.
For people who like really speculative prospects offering upside, the pitcher for Cuba was a guy named Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. Who knows if he’ll defect but he is apparently about the same age as most of these prospects and his stuff looked really impressive too.
Bauer over Cole now? Wondering because I’m in a deep league with a 100-man minor league system and 40-man roster. I traded for the top pick and also have the #6. I’ve been debating between Cole and Bauer for awhile now, and am looking for others opinions on the two.
Also, Hultzen over A Bradley long term? This assuming Cole, Bauer, Starling, Bundy & Rendon are the top 5 picks.
Yeah I bought Moore really cheap last offseason. Traded Hanley for Moore, Chisenhall, Arencibia, and three minor picks (which turned out to be Machado, Kipnis, and Archer).
Good call on Sanchez, Geo! Last season could have gone better, and at this point, it might have been better to avoid listing him until the numbers improve.
What do you think of the Blue Jays rankings? I think y’all have about 4-5 pitching prospects w/ solid upside offering relatively interchangable in the second half of the Top 100. Not a bad situation!
Bradley, your comments are too optimistic on Darvish…I will be surprised if the Rangers let him pitch 200 innings as the past have shown Japanese pitchers are not as durable as they only pitch once every 7 days. 180 inning should be his ceiling if the Rangers are smart.
I am surprised Aaron Sanchez still is on the top 100…He had a horrible season last year. I guess his upside is still solid enough.
Funny how the Jays put value on Asher Wojciechowski and we put very little. He is considered the Jays number 9 top prospect?!?! Truth is, he may be a good pitcher but is not stat worthy for fantasy because he is not a strikeout pitcher.
PS: Now that Nestor Molina is in the Chisox system, he’s not that good anymore…haha. All kidding aside, his KK:BB ratio, ERA and WHIP can not be ignored! Hopefully he can continue his pace from last year!
Not sure about the Cubs’ rotation? Last season, among other things, what hurt the Cubs was nobody stepping up to fill those final rotation spots. This year, y’all will have Garza, Dempster, Maholm, Volstad, etc. I think ultimately they’ll run into a similar problem in 2012 not having enough depth, but you never know. Long term, I think you’ll see them getting more aggressive developing players which will fix the problem.
Shelby Miller is going to be a superstar! What do you think the cubs rotation will look like this year brad?
I like David Price, but I still have enough faith in Moore and Feliz to think that’s a good deal. I would trade anybody for the right deal, but not sure whether now is the right time to sell Price? I could see him regressing some, but I believe he has enough talent to be a top starter for the foreseeable future.
Yes, I believe we have been on the same bandwagon for years Brad, but I think the time to buy low on Darvish will be after his first year. I see him having an ERA of 4 in 2012 with flashes of greatness mixed in. After a year, I see him being a top 10 SP. I think a lot of people will drop him below Bundy, Miller, Teheran and Pineda after 2012 but will change their minds by June 2013. This is why baseball is fun, we all have our crazy predictions – lol.
Side note— Traded David Price for Matt Moore and Neftali the other day. Unfortunately, the manager didn’t know I would have probably just taken Price for Moore straight up. AKA- time to sell high on Price and pay big for Moore before it is too late.
Bradley if Darvish can adjust in the first month those numbers seem very fitting.
From everything I’ve read on him, your ranking of Darvish seems fair. I agree that Moore is the only guy I’d definitely rank over him.
Also, Trevor Rosenthal seems like a guy you could argue should be somewhere on the latter half of the list. Had nice K and BB numbers in A this year, but often seems to get overshadowed by the big three Cardinal pitching prospects ahead of him (Shelby, Martinez, Jenkins).
Good thought, Joe. I have always been a huge Darvish fan. For fantasy purposes, I actually like that he’s a little bit older b/c—for better or worse—owners should learn a lot about his fairly quickly. If I had to guess, I think he’ll throw almost 200 innings this season w/ 175 strikeouts and an ERA in the mid-3’s. Might be too optimistic?
Might get some people arguing Teheran, Shelby and a few more over Darvish