AAA Halifax/OMA Organizational Report
Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 2:39 pm
Halifax Fighting Scots
Home of two of the top ten - and some wonderful sleepers.
Best of the best:
Tobias Kelly
We consider Kelly Omaha's top prospect and the player most likely to make an immediate impact. Kelly is a fantastic prospect, well-rounded and ready for the majors at age 21, a major indicator of future success. He'll probably go through some growing pains, but the catcher has the ability to be one of the best MBBA players for a long time if he sharpens his batting eye. Kelly, incidentally, was a 1997 seventh-round pick, which means you never know.
Corey Warr
The 2000 season was a big disappointment for Warr, as he failed to make the jump to AAA. To his credit, he was young for the level (just 22 during the season) and he wasn't a complete zero, just slightly below par. His development has followed a fairly predictable arc for the last few seasons, and if he continues on this path, he looks like he might become like Dan Manville in his prime, though probably not Ross White.
Best of the Rest:
Matthew Krieger
Krieger, a former first round pick, has been a success at every level of the minors, and he's just a half-inch from being ready for a major league relief role. They could hand him one anyway; worse pitchers have been major leaguers. Krieger, however, is just 21, and he won't be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until next year, so they could wait.
Eric Rouse
A superior defensive outfielder with some outstanding plate skills, Eric Rouse has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. Just 20 years old, Rouse has a career .325 average at AAA, and there's no reason he can't come to the majors and hit .300 right away, albeit without more than doubles power.
Ad Collins
He hasn't hit in the majors yet, but there's no good reason why he can't hit. At the very least, Collins would be a fantastic bench player in the majors, since his defense is lousy.
Sleepers and Such
Parker Giorgi
Giorgi is a prime candidate for a reliever conversion. He'd have a dominant fastball and a decent splitter, and he'd probably be a quality major league reliever, especially as a LOOGY. Here's one that should actually happen.
Samuel Sieg
A reasonable candidate for a reliever conversion, Sieg's never been a good starting pitcher but would probably make a decent relief pitcher with the conversion in place. He's 29, though.
Brian Meister
Meister is a good example of why peripheral ratings matter. He's got outstanding control and great endurance, but he'll never be more than 5th starter material, because he has no out pitch, minimal movement and a low GF ratio, so he's homer-prone. Still, as a 5th-starter innings eater, you could do worse. He's also a poor candidate for a reliever conversion.
Rory West
Wasn't terrible in a late-season callup this season, but he's just barely marginal as a major leaguer.
Victor Vera
Has been a disaster at the major league level. Batters hit him better than they should, too, possibly because his control is so bad he finds the middle of the plate.
Yin-xiang Yi
We liked him better when he had more control of his stuff, but he looks like a potential righty specialist out of the pen.
Home of two of the top ten - and some wonderful sleepers.
Best of the best:
Tobias Kelly
We consider Kelly Omaha's top prospect and the player most likely to make an immediate impact. Kelly is a fantastic prospect, well-rounded and ready for the majors at age 21, a major indicator of future success. He'll probably go through some growing pains, but the catcher has the ability to be one of the best MBBA players for a long time if he sharpens his batting eye. Kelly, incidentally, was a 1997 seventh-round pick, which means you never know.
Corey Warr
The 2000 season was a big disappointment for Warr, as he failed to make the jump to AAA. To his credit, he was young for the level (just 22 during the season) and he wasn't a complete zero, just slightly below par. His development has followed a fairly predictable arc for the last few seasons, and if he continues on this path, he looks like he might become like Dan Manville in his prime, though probably not Ross White.
Best of the Rest:
Matthew Krieger
Krieger, a former first round pick, has been a success at every level of the minors, and he's just a half-inch from being ready for a major league relief role. They could hand him one anyway; worse pitchers have been major leaguers. Krieger, however, is just 21, and he won't be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until next year, so they could wait.
Eric Rouse
A superior defensive outfielder with some outstanding plate skills, Eric Rouse has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. Just 20 years old, Rouse has a career .325 average at AAA, and there's no reason he can't come to the majors and hit .300 right away, albeit without more than doubles power.
Ad Collins
He hasn't hit in the majors yet, but there's no good reason why he can't hit. At the very least, Collins would be a fantastic bench player in the majors, since his defense is lousy.
Sleepers and Such
Parker Giorgi
Giorgi is a prime candidate for a reliever conversion. He'd have a dominant fastball and a decent splitter, and he'd probably be a quality major league reliever, especially as a LOOGY. Here's one that should actually happen.
Samuel Sieg
A reasonable candidate for a reliever conversion, Sieg's never been a good starting pitcher but would probably make a decent relief pitcher with the conversion in place. He's 29, though.
Brian Meister
Meister is a good example of why peripheral ratings matter. He's got outstanding control and great endurance, but he'll never be more than 5th starter material, because he has no out pitch, minimal movement and a low GF ratio, so he's homer-prone. Still, as a 5th-starter innings eater, you could do worse. He's also a poor candidate for a reliever conversion.
Rory West
Wasn't terrible in a late-season callup this season, but he's just barely marginal as a major leaguer.
Victor Vera
Has been a disaster at the major league level. Batters hit him better than they should, too, possibly because his control is so bad he finds the middle of the plate.
Yin-xiang Yi
We liked him better when he had more control of his stuff, but he looks like a potential righty specialist out of the pen.