MBBA hidden gems perhaps? (FL-Pacific)

[bschr682]

Im going to be looking through the minor leagues and pointing out some of the players that could be the next wave of regulars in the mbba. Not necessarily star players as most of those guys have been pegged already. Some of these guys will be folks you never heard of. To be included here the player has to meet the following criteria:

1. No major league service time. If a player has that he's already a bit of known quantity.
2. 24 years old or younger. At 25 if a player hasn't had his shot at the bigs it starts getting dicey as to whether he'll ever have an impact. Not impossible obviously but not likely.
3. The player can not have been named to the MBBA top prospect list.
4. None of the rookies just selected in the draft will be on these lists. Its way too soon to see what these new guys will look like.

CALGARY MARAUDERS

1B David Prestwood

Prestwood is an interesting case. Slow on the bases and not the greatest defender but he's a pretty decent hitter. He had been projected top be an elite talent but has fallen short of those expectations so far. He has great intagibles so theres still a chance he can bounce back to his full potential but for now he's more of a fringe player. Just doesn't have the power currently to take an everyday 1B spot.

Cl Coy Davis

Coy Davis is the kinda of guy that makes the manager pull his hair out. Extremely talented. 2 plus-plus pitches. Fastball can touch 97. Extreme g/b ratio makes him deadly in fron of a great defense. Davis however has a fatal flaw. No control. At the big league level he will struggle mightily as he currently stands. He is only 21 though and has a great work ethic. If Davis manages to figure out his control, he will be a star.

LAS VEGAS HUSTLERS

2B Julius Cook

Cook is a nice player. Listed as a 2B but i think his limited range will provoke a move to 1B in the future. Projects to have above average contact, gap ability and an extreme knack for avoiding strikeouts. Decent speed on the bases but nothing special. His future depends heavily on the status of the 1B ahead of him in the system. He doesn't have the big power bat that everyone loves at 1B but I think if he ever gets a shot he might stick especially on a team that favors pitching, defense and speed.

MR Mark Hill

Hill is a lot like the Calgary pitcher i just mentioned. Great movement, great stuff, great g/b ratio and his fastball can touch 98. Hill even has the stamina to be a starter if he added a 3rd pitch to his arsenal. He just lacks control. If he does ever figure it out, he'll be a great bullpen arm.

SEATTLE STORM

RF Dae-ik Chong

Chong projects to be a pretty good power hitter in this league. He sports a great eye at the plate and makes good contact to boot. Great defense in RF and could be a terror on the basepaths. Decent intagibles project that he should get pretty close to his potential and provide his team with some good offense to go with his good defense.

SP Jorge Medine

Medine has a decent chance to make it to the big time. Projects to have outstanding control and pretty good movement as well. Not much in the stuff department but when you only throw 85 mph, you shouldn't be expecting 200 k's a year anyway. Pretty good work ethic and amazing stamina. Only has 3 pitches and 1 of them is definitely not big league quality. This, and his relatively low g/b ratio, could lead to his future being in the bullpen. He is only 22 however, so there is plenty of time to grow.

LONG BEACH SURFERS

CF John Holland

Although Holland is listed as a CF, he will definitely need to be moved to left if hes going to have any shot in the big leagues. Just not enough range to be in center. He would be decent in LF however. Nothing exciting to his running game but he won't clog the bases either. The exciting thing about Holland is at the dish. He has shown that he will hit for average, has great ability to hit the gaps and he knows how to draw some walks. He doesn't have a whole lot of pop but he won't kill you with strikeouts either. All this adds up to Holland being a pretty good left fielder someday.

MR Neil Huggins

I'm shocked that Huggins isn't considered a top prospect. Huggins projects to be an elite arm out of the pen. He won't wow you with strikeouts but he will get his share as he sports a sinker that can hit 94 on the gun and a pretty nice curveball to baffle the hitters. These pitches combined with his extreme g/b ratio will make Huggins dynamite in front of a good D. He's going to have above average control and his pitches have insane movement on them. At only 23 and with his good intangibles, he still has plenty of time to get even better.

[aaronweiner]

Prestwood reminds me a lot of Chris Brown. Nothing flashy, just a decent hitter. Davis is kind of an awesome player. And I'd damn sure want Huggins as a lefty out of the pen.

[jcrmoon42]

That second Seattle is Long Beach! We can't get no respect!

Actually, I'm just excited that we have eight players "better" than the 2 listed here!

[bschr682]

That second Seattle is Long Beach! We can't get no respect!

Actually, I'm just excited that we have eight players "better" than the 2 listed here!

i fixed that. and for the record i wasn't just trying to list ur best guys. just guys that will get a shot and perhaps no one has heard of them.

[jcrmoon42]

That second Seattle is Long Beach! We can't get no respect!

Actually, I'm just excited that we have eight players "better" than the 2 listed here!

i fixed that. and for the record i wasn't just trying to list ur best guys. just guys that will get a shot and perhaps no one has heard of them.

Oh, I know. That's what I mean. I'm just glad we have other players who are actually ON the list!

[bschr682]

ah i gotcha.

[KCCardinalFan]

I keep hoping that Davis will show some signs of improving his control, but right now he is a useful AA bullpen guy. Like most teams I have a host of useful first basemen, so Prestwood may be blocked for awhile.

[aaronweiner]

Davis is kind of a tragic story a little, too - his original control potential was 8. At that level, he's probably a productive pro.

[jumpmancol]

Chong was a good get for me earlier this year, but Medine I have really high hopes for. Had a talent drop slightly earlier in the season, but has plenty of time to work that out and get back to where I think he can go.

Nice write-up!

[salas]

Like most teams I have a host of useful first basemen, so Prestwood may be blocked for awhile.

Hey, it's your fault for not trading him to me!

[recte44]

Cook has improved his defense a bit recently, gained a bit more range. As for Hill, I seriously question whether at age 23 he's suddenly going to gain control. And it's too bad.

[KCCardinalFan]

Like most teams I have a host of useful first basemen, so Prestwood may be blocked for awhile.

Hey, it's your fault for not trading him to me!

That is true! I'm glad I balked though, that would have made my financials for next season even more interesting