BBA Minor Leagues - Infields of 2039

[RonCo]

Here we are again…looking into the infield. One thing I’m really getting from doing these is an appreciation for how complex the decisions are. In other words, take the complexities I discussed in the outfield post—age, level, organization level, position, and volume vs. quality—and then add another position to the mix. Sheesh.

Regardless, I liked having the thing split by next year’s divisions because that made the idea of ranking by team at least feasible. Looking back on it, I think it also gives us a little peak into how the future is going to look in each division, too, so that’s kind of fun. Regardless, what this all means is that I’m going to do that again, starting with …

THE HEARTLAND DIVISION

Within the Frick League, the Heartland’s infield prospects have to be considered stronger than the Pacific’s. I’ll try to remember to talk more about that when I get to the Pacific itself, but for now we’ll let that suffice. It’s top two systems, I think, are fairly far ahead of the rest—then there’s a slows slide down through the rest, in which arguments can be had.

It does seem to me, however, that you have to start with:

#1: Yellow Springs

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Robert Chenoweth	S A	19	R	80	10	10	9	5	7	3	4	3	4	6	7
1B	Mark Haynes	AA	20	R	65	8	8	8	6	7	1	5	2	3	1	2
1B	César Torres	A	18	R	60	9	9	8	3	8	2	4	2	4	1	6
1B	Miguel Angel Perales	AAA	20	R	50	7	8	7	4	6	3	3	2	3	2	2
2B	Roberto Viramontas	AA	20	R	60	7	8	3	7	8	8	9	7	7	11	7
3B	Blaine Tyler	S A	19	R	70	6	7	8	6	4	6	8	6	8	2	9
SS	Bob Allen	S A	20	R	50	4	6	5	5	5	9	12	8	10	4	1
SS	Luis Peña	AAA	19	R	50	6	6	3	5	7	11	9	11	11	10	9

Yes, the list is a little heavy on 1B/DH kinds of players, but they can all really thump and the bottom line is that Nine is the only team in the division, and one of a few in the league, to have a quality prospect in every position. Chenoweth and Haynes are still the stars at 1B, though Cesar Torres has fully thrust himself into that mix this year. At second is Roberto Viramontes, who is a guy who can do a lot of things well, but nothing with brilliance (my kind of player!). The shortstop is Luis Pena, who I personally think is under-rated as a “50,” but what the heck. We should players in all three of these position ready in 2040 or so. At third, Blain Tyler is sitting in Short-A, so he’s probably three years out baring a burst of NOx to the Deve-beast.

Allen and Perales are also candidates to find major league roster time.

#2 Nashville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Ernesto Sousa	AA	19	L	80	10	10	10	6	7	3	5	1	3	5	2
1B	José Calderón	A	20	L	55	6	9	8	6	5	3	4	2	3	3	5
3B	Tony Frost	R	18	S	75	8	8	7	4	7	7	9	6	8	5	4
3B	Jaime Cuevas	S A	18	R	55	6	8	6	6	5	4	11	4	7	4	1
SS	Francisco Otero	AAA	19	S	50	5	5	4	6	5	9	8	9	10	9	8

Sure, he’s got a big, big split coming in, but I don’t think you can get a better prospect at 1B than Ernesto Souza. He’s putting up good numbers in AA, but his development still has a long way to go. Otero at shortstop is workable, but has a problem in that he’s really as ready as he’s going to be now, and the guy ahead of him is better. Given his glove, perhaps he’ll take a utility role. And I like Tony Frost a lot at 3B, not the least of why is that he looks like a true switch hitter.

While there is no second baseman in the mix, the bottom line is that the Bluebirds have two positions covered with top-flight players, and a workable third.

#3 Louisville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Hugh Mangrouthormone	A	19	R	70	7	8	12	2	4	1	2	1	1	6	7
SS	Juan Medrano	A	18	R	65	7	8	2	9	8	8	10	8	9	9	9
SS	José Montaño	R	18	R	50	6	8	4	4	7	7	11	11	8	7	3
SS	Reynante Alvero	A	19	L	50	4	6	3	6	4	10	11	10	10	11	10
SS	Ed Edmonds	AAA	22	R	50	5	6	4	4	6	8	7	8	8	10	10

Louisville starts the “interesting question” category of this segment. They’ve got quality players at first and short, but nothing of note in the other two slots. Do you rank them above or below a team that may not have as much on the top end, but actually have prospects filling more lanes? My answer was “on top,” but yours can vary. And yours may really vary when I say that Hugh Mangrowthhormoe is the “elite” first baseman. The guy cannot play defense, cannot walk, and will strike out a ton—all while drilling homers and denting outfield walls around the league. Personally, I think he’ll play to a “55-60” kind of range, but the game says 70.

In addition, Juanny baseball is a borderline shortstop with that 8 range. One dip and he’s a second or third baseman. Still valuable, but not quite where he’d be at short. If you say Montano is better served at second, which I do … but I’ve been wrong before … you’ve got two thirds of an infield in the flow.


#4 Twin Cities

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	José Cordero	A	19	S	70	8	9	8	5	6	5	2	1	3	1	1
1B	Jack Lush	S A	19	R	60	7	8	8	5	5	3	6	1	4	2	4
3B	José Benavidez	S A	18	R	55	6	7	6	5	6	6	11	6	8	9	9
SS	Russell Sharp	S A	20	R	50	4	5	3	6	5	10	11	11	11	8	7

There is no 2B here, and if we’re honest it seems to me that Russell Sharp is unlikely to ever hit enough to justify putting his glove on a BBA field. They said that about Joaquin Torres at one point, too, but I played him for awhile, and he won a Zimmer for Boise a year back, so what do I know

I think Benavidez is underrated at 3B, though, and Cordero looks like he’s going to be just good enough as a switch hitter to play 1B full time. The two of them together slide the into the #4 slot—though Madison fans could argue that volume mediocrity+ is better than top quality. In the bigs, I’d agree, but a system’s job is to yield big leaguers, an TWC seems to have two surer shots than …

#5 Madison

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
2B	José Hernández	A	18	R	55	8	8	6	5	8	5	3	9	5	8	2
2B	Manny Montáñez	AAA	31	R	50	4	3	7	10	8	5	6	10	8	2	6
3B	Virginia Rain	R	19	L	50	5	5	6	8	4	6	9	4	5	1	4
3B	Stepán Simonovic	AA	22	R	50	4	5	6	7	4	10	7	9	8	6	1
SS	Salvador Allende	A	18	L	65	7	6	3	9	8	7	8	9	9	10	7
SS	Roberto Puente	R	19	R	55	8	7	2	5	9	8	10	10	9	4	4

Oddly, Madison is one of only seven BBA teams to not have a 50+ prospect at first base. Of course, it’s likely Jose Hernandez’s glove will force him to slide from 2B to 1B. His bat is probably just good enough to pull it off, and his glove at the bag would be near Zimmer quality. Otherwise, SS Allende is the prime candidate in the bunch, and that becomes worrisome because he’s not putting up the fielding numbers to suggest his range is going t o be good enough for the slot. Simonovic may be the better true SS prospect—but he’s 22 and hasn’t ever hit a lick.

Bottom line, there’s quite a bit if flexibility in Madison;s crop. It’s like a Rubik’s cube though in that I’m not sure all the pieces are ever really going to come together.

#6 Des Moines

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
3B	Anastasio Guillén	S A	19	R	60	7	7	7	3	8	7	10	3	5	9	7
SS	António Suárez	R	18	R	50	4	6	3	6	4	10	10	10	11	10	10
SS	Juan Luis Manuel	AA	19	R	50	4	5	5	6	4	8	8	10	9	10	9

The Kernels have clearly been focusing top picks on pitchers, and to some degree it shows here.

That said, Anastasio Guillen is as solid of a 3B prospect as you’d need, and Juan Luis Manuel is a slick glove at shortstop who’s AA numbers say he might just hit enough to stick.Not so sure about Suarez at this point, but the kid’s got a long way to go.

#7 Huntsville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Aarnoud Budding	AAA	19	L	70	8	11	8	6	5	4	4	1	3	1	1
1B	Robby Clements	R	18	R	50	7	7	7	5	6	2	4	2	3	1	4
2B	Tomás Durán	AA	18	S	50	7	9	5	4	8	6	6	7	7	9	5

The Phantoms/Sox slide above Omaha on the power of Aarnoud Budding’s presence. AT 19, the kid is hitting well in AAA, and looks like he could be a 2040 arrival—at least in the fall, but probably earlier. I say that because he’s still got some growth to go and GM Vic Caleca may need to do some thinking on the service time issue. The team has a pair of 22-year-old 1B already.

Complicating matters a bit, 2B prospect Tomas Duran is a SHINO (switch hitter in name only) and probably needs a platoon partner. He looks like he could be a bit of a righty-masher, though, and since he can field the position, that’s still a big value. If only he’d deign to take a walk.

#8 Omaha

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Edgardo Díaz	AAA	21	R	60	7	7	9	6	6	3	2	2	4	2	4
3B	Chuk-yan Lian	R	18	R	60	7	8	7	5	7	5	10	4	6	3	5
3B	Brian Dixon	R	18	R	50	8	7	7	3	8	4	9	4	6	2	1

The Hawk infield system has this giant sucking vaccum between 21-year-old AAA 1B Edgardo Diaz—who could probably have a little value right now (though can never be expected to be the kind of guy to lead a team to the promised land)—and the pair of 3B they’ve got sitting in Rookie ball. I mean, this is basically a system telling the parent club that for three years you’re on your own, bubba.

Yes, Chuk-yan Lian is an interesting guy. And yes, Brian Dixon (whose glove says he might be better viewed as a 1B—which the Hawks could use) looks like he should make an impact, but both of them are R-ball young, and neither are hitting in that same R-ball right now.
# # # As usual, here’s a visual…

[usnspecialist]

The bears have to be at the bottom of the Pacific right?

[RonCo]

The bears have to be at the bottom of the Pacific right?

I brief matter of time will tell.

[RonCo]

This is where we roll into …

THE PACIFIC DIVISION

If there’s a weak brother division when it comes to infield play, it’s got to be the Pacific.

#1: Vancouver

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Alejandro Ortíz	AA	20	L	50	8	9	6	5	7	4	5	8	6	1	8
2B	Michinaga Narita	AA	23	R	50	4	7	7	6	5	8	5	7	6	10	10
3B	Yasutoki Sato	AA	19	R	60	6	8	7	6	5	6	10	4	5	8	10
SS	Guillermo Fuentes	R	19	R	55	5	7	4	5	7	8	5	11	10	7	8
SS	Robbie Krok	AA	22	R	55	5	3	3	7	9	10	3	9	10	9	10
SS	Roberto Beltrán	A	18	R	50	7	7	3	3	8	9	8	8	8	10	6
SS	Carlos Martínez	AAA	20	R	50	6	8	5	5	7	8	8	9	10	9	5

To be clear, Vancouver really doesn’t have a lot going for it beyond Rookie-league 3B Yasotuki Sato and a lot of depth, but in the Pacific that’s all it really takes to be #1 when it comes to prospects on the infield.

That depth, though, is interesting. Yes, AA SS Richard Krok is really a 2B, and if he walks enough to be “productive” could actually hold down a big league job with his glove. And you can argue that Sato’s fellow rookie-league teammate in SS Roberto Beltran is under-rated. And 20-year-old Carlos Martinez is an interesting baseball player. I’m sure he’s a great SS, but he can play the position, and looks like he’d be above average at 3B or even 2B.

So, really, Vancouver’s group is like looking at one of those magic pictures where at first you don’t’ see a lot, but as you let your gaze go fuzzy you get a picture of a penguin.

Or whatever.

#2 California

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	César Feliciana	AA	20	L	60	7	8	8	4	8	5	8	4	4	1	3
2B	Brendan Drake	A	22	R	55	4	6	7	6	5	9	5	7	7	9	10
3B	Héctor Ojeda	S A	19	R	55	5	7	9	3	4	7	9	3	8	2	3
SS	Thomas Kramer	R	18	R	55	6	7	5	6	5	9	10	7	8	9	3
SS	Daryl Pris	AAA	22	S	55	6	6	4	6	6	10	9	9	10	7	10

At times, you can see the aura of Ted Schmidt still hanging around this team—and one of those times is when you’re looking around the farm system. Unlike many teams, the Crusaders have at least semi-interesting prospects in every infield role someplace in their organization. Call it hording if you want. Some of these guys don’t shine as brightly as others, but they all at least glimmer a bit.

While AA 1B Cesar Feliciana carries a “60” weight, and looks like he’ll be valuable soon the name-drop goes to AAA SS Daryl Pris who will likely be a big leaguer in 2040. Pris is an acrobatic fielder who can hit from the left side of the plate. Sure, they say he’s a switch hitter, but that’s like saying a left-handed guy is playing third base because he’s standing next to the bag [grin]. Still, he’s probably the gem of the system. It makes me thing that Rookie league SS Thomas Kramer will eventually slide to 2B. Kramer is destroying Rookie pitching, so I suspect he’ll be in SA by the time the season’s over.

Drake and Ojeda at 2B and 3B round out the table set. Both are a little warty in places, but both have enough power to warrant deep looks.

#3 Valencia

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Miguel Maez	R	18	R	55	8	9	7	4	7	2	5	1	3	2	4
1B	Júlio Guerra	AA	21	L	55	7	8	7	5	6	2	8	2	3	7	5
3B	Kenan Reis	A	18	R	60	8	8	7	3	9	4	9	4	5	2	5
SS	Joey Nethersole	S A	19	R	50	4	6	3	6	5	9	5	11	8	10	6
SS	Miguel Pacheco	AA	20	R	50	5	7	3	4	6	10	7	6	7	4	7

At first I have the Stars at the top of this chart, so I can go that way if you prefer. Kenan Reis is a serious prospect, though his glove will annoy to the point where one might consider him at 1B until Rookie-ball’s Miguel Maez arrives. Assuming he does, anyway. That’s the thing about thinner systems—there’s a lot of risk. Julio Guerra is also interesting at 1B.

Among the issues here is that you’re reading a lot of 1B, and that while you’re reading a lot of 1B, there’s not a top-flight 1B in that mix. AA shortstop Miguel Pacheco might be able to contribute in the big leagues some day, but his bat makes that a big might. He didn’t really hit in A-ball, and isn’t hitting in AA. In Short A, Nethersole’s arm says he’s a Zimmer quality 2B, but until his bat says something other than “no” you have to question his future.

So, yeah, there’s some stuff here, but it leaves me angsty.

#4 Hawaii

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Rafael Mota	AAA	21	R	50	6	8	7	6	6	2	8	2	4	5	1
2B	Jack Nichols	AAA	20	R	55	6	8	4	8	6	8	5	8	7	6	4
3B	Gary Allen	R	18	R	65	8	9	7	5	6	4	11	4	6	7	2
SS	Hedde Aalbers	R	20	R	50	5	6	2	5	7	10	6	7	7	8	5
SS	Fernando Rodríguez	R	18	R	50	5	8	4	6	5	7	9	10	10	8	10

2B Jack Nichols looks like he’s ready in AAA right now, and should be a sturdy player for years to come. Nothing blistering, but good—which is a great fit for the tropics, who are borderline hurting for a second baseman enough right now that I’d guess Mike Bieschke’s blood pressure is racing in trying to decide whether to bring the kid up now or not. That alone could be enough to argue their moving up this list a little—in fact, I did bump them a notch while writing this. And the fact is that Mota at 1B could provide some value at the big league level hitting LHP—something Rupert Grant was brought in to do, and hasn’t really made much of.

Third baseman Gary Allen is a promising thumper. He’s 18 and kicking some tail in R-ball. The two shortstops, however, are works in progress. Check back later. Time will tell. Yada yada yada.

#5 Seattle

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Pedro Martínez	R	18	L	50	6	6	7	6	5	5	6	1	5	7	9
1B	José López	AAA	21	R	50	6	7	7	5	6	2	3	2	4	2	3
SS	Alejandro Córdova	A	19	R	60	6	6	5	8	5	8	11	7	8	10	9
SS	Eric Jones	R	18	R	55	8	9	5	5	8	8	9	8	6	5	2
SS	Pancho Estrada	A	21	R	50	4	5	5	6	4	11	5	9	9	10	10

It would be tempting to just slide Pancho Estrada to second base (where his arm says he belongs), and say you’ve got that slot covered. But while Estrada’s arm says 2B, his bat … well, you get it. I think he’s probably over-rated and at age 21 probably doesn’t belong on this list. R-baller Eric Jones is probably a better prospect, too, though he’s got to fix a hole in his glove.

But this is about what teams have, and the fact is that A-ball shortstop Alejandro Cordova came from the IC and jumped straight to A-ball. He’s struggling a little there, but if he can right the ship he should be a solid player. At 1B, Lopez is young for AAA, but could find time as a RHB in a platoon.

Bottom line: another organization with a bit of clay who is going to have to wait to see if it’s going to cure.

#6 San Fernando

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
2B	Stephen Geloran, Jr.	R	18	R	50	4	6	8	6	3	8	7	4	6	8	7

If a prospect cuts a tree down in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it smell as nice? I dunno. Geloran has power. And his glove should be good enough. He needs to bump contact, though. If he can get a swing down, he’ll be a 1-2-WAR Bob Frazier clone without the clubhouse presence. If he doesn’t, he’ll probably top out at AAA.

#7 Long Beach

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
None	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

The surfer system has no infield prospects that qualify for this study, but we’ll rank them 7th because at least they exist today.

#8 Portland

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
None	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

To be determined
# # # As usual, here’s a visual…

[RonCo]

So, no, Randy. SFB is not last in the Pacific.

[usnspecialist]

So, no, Randy. SFB is not last in the Pacific.

that is a sad sad state of affairs.

[GoldenOne]

#2 Nashville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Ernesto Sousa	AA	19	L	80	10	10	10	6	7	3	5	1	3	5	2
1B	José Calderón	A	20	L	55	6	9	8	6	5	3	4	2	3	3	5
3B	Tony Frost	R	18	S	75	8	8	7	4	7	7	9	6	8	5	4
3B	Jaime Cuevas	S A	18	R	55	6	8	6	6	5	4	11	4	7	4	1
SS	Francisco Otero	AAA	19	S	50	5	5	4	6	5	9	8	9	10	9	8

Sure, he’s got a big, big split coming in, but I don’t think you can get a better prospect at 1B than Ernesto Souza. He’s putting up good numbers in AA, but his development still has a long way to go. Otero at shortstop is workable, but has a problem in that he’s really as ready as he’s going to be now, and the guy ahead of him is better. Given his glove, perhaps he’ll take a utility role. And I like Tony Frost a lot at 3B, not the least of why is that he looks like a true switch hitter.

While there is no second baseman in the mix, the bottom line is that the Bluebirds have two positions covered with top-flight players, and a workable third.

If you can play SS, you can play 2B. Also, if you take a closer look at Otero, he can do pretty well anywhere in the OF as well (and could have made that list too for the Goats.)

[usnspecialist]

#2 Nashville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Ernesto Sousa	AA	19	L	80	10	10	10	6	7	3	5	1	3	5	2
1B	José Calderón	A	20	L	55	6	9	8	6	5	3	4	2	3	3	5
3B	Tony Frost	R	18	S	75	8	8	7	4	7	7	9	6	8	5	4
3B	Jaime Cuevas	S A	18	R	55	6	8	6	6	5	4	11	4	7	4	1
SS	Francisco Otero	AAA	19	S	50	5	5	4	6	5	9	8	9	10	9	8

Sure, he’s got a big, big split coming in, but I don’t think you can get a better prospect at 1B than Ernesto Souza. He’s putting up good numbers in AA, but his development still has a long way to go. Otero at shortstop is workable, but has a problem in that he’s really as ready as he’s going to be now, and the guy ahead of him is better. Given his glove, perhaps he’ll take a utility role. And I like Tony Frost a lot at 3B, not the least of why is that he looks like a true switch hitter.

While there is no second baseman in the mix, the bottom line is that the Bluebirds have two positions covered with top-flight players, and a workable third.

If you can play SS, you can play 2B. Also, if you take a closer look at Otero, he can do pretty well anywhere in the OF as well (and could have made that list too for the Goats.)

Otero cant play both though, which I think is what he was going for.

[ae37jr]

Otera is a good prospect. He just needs to move around a little more. Right now he is just a SS.

[RonCo]

And now for …

THE FRONTIER DIVISION

Jumping from the Pacific Division into the Frontier group is like a trip from It’s a Small World into Space Mountain. When it comes to infield prospects, the Johnson League is where it’s at, and you can have a healthy argument about which group is better. The Frontier may well have the edge when it comes to top talent—though if they do it’s a tight edge. That said, the Atlantic is deeper.

So, while you guys argue it out, I’ll just begin with …

#1: Phoenix

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Andrew Gallagher	R	18	R	75	8	8	9	6	5	2	2	1	3	2	4
1B	Juan Mateo	A	19	L	75	8	10	9	6	5	5	5	4	4	4	7
2B	Chua-kah Yang	S A	20	R	75	7	8	10	4	5	6	7	5	9	5	3
3B	Pankratz Isekenmeir	AA	20	R	65	8	9	7	4	8	3	10	4	9	5	6

Yeah, they lack a short stop, and there’s no one ready Right This Minute. But the Talons have four of the prime beefiest of prime beef prospects spread across the rest of the diamond.

If AA kiddo Pankratz Isenkenmeir had range, he might be the perfect third baseman, but, alas, alas, he is a block of granite—albeit a block of granite with horsehide paper stuck to it. Chua-kah Yang is the heir to the 2B throne. He’s not perfect, either. His glove could be a little rangier. But he’s already showing gap power in Short-A, and scouts can’t wait for his power to come in. And with the R/L combo of Mateo and Gallagher coming along a season or two apart, one can imagine no lack of ball flying out of the desert ballpark these guys play in.

There’s not really “depth” here, but the top end is top-notch.

#2 San Antonio

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Larry Stinson	A	18	L	80	9	10	10	6	7	4	8	1	4	1	2
3B	Alfredo Rosas	A	18	R	75	8	8	7	4	8	4	12	5	6	1	4

Rational people can disagree where the Outlaws should be on this list. They fit kind of in the middle of all the problems with making these rankings. What the have is very, very good, but they don’t have a lot of it. They don’t cover the whole spectrum on the infield, but what they cover they cover in elite ways. And they aren’t going to yield players today or maybe not even tomorrow, but soon, and (and for the rest of their lives? … okay, maybe not, but for a moment there I channeled Bogart, sorry about that).

Bottom line: both Stinson and Rosas are in A-ball. Stinson is kicking serious butt and will probably be in AA before this year is out, but Rosas is struggling and may need a season to catch up. That’s okay, though. Staggering them can help the cash flow, right? Eventually?

If you want to knock them down a notch, that’s fine by me. But I like where San Antonio is at right now. They aren’t dying for these guys immediately, which gives them a year or three to build more around them.

#3 Boise

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Pepe Madrid	A	19	L	60	7	9	7	6	6	4	5	2	2	4	4
1B	José Hernández	AA	21	R	50	6	7	7	5	5	3	3	2	4	1	1
SS	Motonobu Yamashita	AA	20	R	70	10	9	2	2	11	9	9	10	9	10	9
SS	Raúl Rivas	A	21	R	50	4	5	4	5	5	10	9	9	7	9	8

Shortstop Motonobu Yamashita is the star of the collection, and he’s good enough, developed enough, and needed enough that it makes me wonder if GM Joe Lederer isn’t planning on having him jump directly from AA to the majors next year. Technically he still needs some time to refine his view of the strike zone, but the team literally has no other option right now. Perhaps it will depend on the FA and trade market.

Madrid has thunderous gap power, but really does need another couple years. He’s also growing a big split, so he’ll need a platoon partner if he’s going to maximize his value. The other guys don’t thrill me a lot, but they’ve still got a year or two to change minds, and I suppose it’s better to have that depth and have them fail than not have it and watch someone else’s guys go off.

#4 Wichita

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
3B	Jim Gouzzie	AAA	20	R	80	9	9	9	5	7	8	8	7	9	4	4
SS	Ismael Peña	AAA	25	R	50	5	7	5	3	5	9	9	7	8	6	9

Remember how I said the Atlantic is deeper? Here’s another two-prospect group, but Wichita bumps up the rungs because Jim Goussie is both good and essentially ready. AT least, his numbers say he’s ready even if the scouts say he’s got a little way to go. I expect Stu will hold him back the rest of the year, though it’s possible a pennant race might get him a September call up. You’d like to see him pick up that last notch or two, though, before you start his clock.

Pena qualifies here (and he’s been up in the bigs at times for the expansion Aviators, but at age 25, he’s really just injury insurance.

#5 Edmonton

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
3B	Carlomaria Donadoni	A	18	R	80	9	10	10	6	7	4	11	3	6	3	2
SS	Jorge Guillén	A	20	R	50	4	5	4	6	5	9	10	8	7	7	8

The Jackrabbits’ system is almost a cookie cutter to the one in Wichita, expect it’s premier 3B chip isn’t quite as ready and its shortstop is younger. Donadoni is doing his business in A-ball, though, and while the numbers aren’t totally there, seems like he could succeed in AA today. Expect him at full readiness maybe in September of 2040. Or maybe 2041? Regardless, the question at that point might be to wonder if he’ll become a trade chip for a different position, or whether the Edmonton front office will keep Stephen Collins moving around in different slots.

#6 Mexico City

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	José Ayala	A	19	L	50	7	8	7	6	6	3	3	2	3	1	2
SS	Marvin Isworth	AA	18	R	65	10	10	4	4	9	8	5	10	11	3	6

18-year-old Marvin Isworth is a prototypical Aztec hitter—don’t strike out and put a lot of balls into the gaps. He’s also a sublime fielder, though I think his final destination is second base rather than the shortstop he’s listed at. Still, a solid guy who just now earned a call-up to AA. I’d expect fans in New Mexico might see him for part time in 2040, but 2041 is a better bet. First baseman Jose Ayala is just kind of meh right now, so he’s going to need to grow.

I’ll stop here to now how many Frontier teams have 1-3 premier kinds of players in their IF ranks, and then essentially nothing. Some of this may just be OOTP getting the overall rating wrong. The rest might be the styles of their GMs or the impact of the development engine, or … dunno.

#7 Calgary

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Henry Jones III	AAA	24	R	50	7	6	7	4	6	1	4	3	5	3	9
3B	Pepe Espinosa	A	18	R	65	7	9	7	4	8	10	6	10	8	8	7
SS	Alex Herman	AA	19	R	50	4	5	5	6	4	8	9	9	10	10	9

Espinosa appears to be learning on the job—and right now that job is in A-ball. At 18, he’s got time to grow and when he finishes it looks like he should be able handle himself well enough. It’s possible he could handle the shortstop role, and if that turns out to be the case, you’d bump his personal rating a bit. Herman is your run of the mill glovey shortstop in AA.

#8 Las Vegas

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Richard Wishart	AAA	29	R	50	6	3	8	7	7	2	9	3	5	1	7
SS	Jesús Yan	AAA	18	L	60	7	9	5	5	7	7	10	9	10	10	10

Yes, we show two prospects, but that’s a remnant of the selection process. Wishart is 29, and not a prospect. Yan is a nice little prospect, though, and his numbers at AAA say we could see him real soon now. Probably the biggest issue for him is that his defense may not be good enough to carry the load at shortstop—which would put a dimmer on future projections. Perhaps second base? Or third. Kind of depends on team need, but the fact is that Yan’s bat looks superior if he can play shortstop, but not so superior in the other roles.

# # # As usual, here’s a visual…

[RonCo]

If you can play SS, you can play 2B. Also, if you take a closer look at Otero, he can do pretty well anywhere in the OF as well (and could have made that list too for the Goats.)

Yeah, as Alan said, Otero is a good little player--especially as a platoon infielder, but he probably does need to move around. You'd much rather his bat in a middle infield slot than as an outfielder, though. At least I would.

[StormZ_23]

First in outfield and infield for the Pacific division. I like it.

[RonCo]

And finally …

THE ATLANTIC DIVISION

Whereas the Frontier has top-rung guys, and the Heartland has a dabbling of depth and some interesting guys, and the Pacific is just resting … the Atlantic seems to have put the whole package together, mixing the top end numbers of the Frontier with some of the depthier parts of the Heartland. We suppose this makes sense given where the Atlantic has been drafting for awhile, but what do we know?

Let’s take a look, shall we.

#1 New Orleans

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Raúl Fernández	AA	21	R	80	8	9	9	6	5	4	4	1	5	1	4
1B	Bratislev Marousek	AAA	22	R	60	10	9	3	4	9	3	4	1	2	11	9
2B	Manny Gutiérrez	A	20	R	50	6	7	6	3	7	7	4	10	7	8	7
3B	Mal Fountain	R	18	R	80	8	10	7	6	7	5	11	4	7	5	8
3B	Damek Korbel	A	20	R	55	7	8	5	4	7	10	10	9	11	5	6
SS	Diego Acostas	R	18	R	60	7	9	6	4	7	8	6	9	7	10	7
SS	José Sánchez	S A	18	R	60	9	8	2	4	9	8	9	8	6	9	8
SS	Luis Domínguez	AA	22	S	60	7	8	5	5	7	8	5	8	11	9	10

This might be the quintessential idea behind how to build a full system. Yes, arguably it lack a mega-prospect at second, but Manny Gutierrez isn’t just sliced bread. Or whatever. If there’s a concern it has to do with the fact that Raul Fernandez is 21 and not yet developed up, and that Mal Fountain is 18 and has a whole long way to go. That said, the big names of the group are well staggered, and…well…big. And, while shortstop Jose Sanchez needs to put up some numbers at Short A right now, if he doesn’t there’s solid bumper-stock around that could act as either insurance or future trade chips.

Nice collection.

#2: Montreal

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Sparr Khianderson	R	18	L	60	7	5	7	9	6	1	8	1	3	1	1
2B	Lineu Aldo	A	19	L	80	9	11	7	3	7	8	4	6	6	10	9
3B	Eduardo González	S A	18	R	80	9	10	9	5	6	5	10	4	6	4	3
SS	Wagaw Fakihi	A	18	S	55	5	8	5	5	6	10	4	9	9	10	9
SS	Luca Colman	S A	18	S	50	6	5	1	5	8	8	7	9	8	10	9

When I first sat down to grade out the Blazers, I had them at #1 in the division, but the Crawdad’s depth pushed them back. I like a lot about what Kevin’s doing in Montreal, and part of it can be seen here in that the club has prospects filling every lane. The stars, of course, are 19-year-old Lineu Aldo at second base and 18-year-old Eduagro Gonzalez at third. Aldo’s combination of power and speed looks like a possible face of the franchise kind of guy. Gonzalez’s power will make up for an acceptable but borderline glove. A bump there, and Gonzalez turns into a real beast.

If there’s a real issue here’s its that both shortstops have holes in their game that you’d like to cover over—Fakihi’s being an arm that should probably push him to second and that his switchieness is not as real as you’d like, Coleman’s is a total lack of power and a glove that looks merely workable for the role. But you’d take either in a pinch as long as the other guys dev up, too.

They are probably two years away as a group, but this group could be the cornerstone of a long Montreal run.

#3 Charm City

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
2B	Grady Fern	S A	21	R	50	7	7	3	4	8	8	10	9	10	7	1
2B	Mario Rodríguez	AAA	22	R	50	6	6	4	5	6	10	8	7	7	10	9
3B	Wllibald Akbulut	A	19	R	65	6	8	7	6	5	6	13	5	6	3	6
3B	José Toledo	AAA	21	R	60	7	6	7	5	7	5	10	3	6	3	4
SS	Wilson Andrade	S A	18	R	80	9	10	7	5	9	9	9	11	11	6	9
SS	Shawn O'Bagy	R	18	R	55	4	7	4	9	3	8	9	10	9	3	3
SS	Francisco Martínez	R	19	R	50	4	6	4	6	5	10	10	10	8	7	6
SS	Ron Ritchie	R	18	L	50	5	6	4	5	6	9	10	10	6	9	8
SS	Fernando Rodríguez	AA	21	R	50	5	8	4	4	5	8	9	10	9	10	9

Shortstop Wilson Andrade is probably the most intriguing of these players. He failed briefly in A-ball, but is raking in Short A—which is just for an 18-year-old. With left-side mate Jose Toledo probably a season away in AAA, this could be a solid tandem of the future. In today’s world, Toledo’s middling glove could well be fine there, too. Add Mario Rodriguez, who looks like a super-sub across the infield at worst and a starting second baseman at best, and you’re got a nice little set-up

If there’s a hole here, its that “thumping 1B” kind of player. With Matt Guerrer in place, one hopes the Jimmies won’t need one of those for awhile, though.

#4 Rockville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Bing-de Zhào	AA	19	R	80	10	9	10	8	7	7	6	6	7	2	2
1B	Willis Roberts	AA	21	L	50	6	7	8	7	5	1	5	1	3	1	5
3B	Sergio Valentín	R	18	R	60	7	8	6	7	7	4	10	3	6	4	2
SS	Daniel Pepper	R	18	S	60	8	8	7	5	8	6	6	5	7	5	6
SS	Mark Fuentes	R	20	R	50	4	5	3	5	5	10	6	8	7	10	10

One can forgive GM Aaron Weiner if Bin de Zhao has him dreaming of Frank Thomas III kinds of images. He’s that good. The difference is that this version can actually play defense to a degree. Boggle. He could arguably play today, but he’s in AA and that’s the right call. He’s got room to grow, and given Rockville’s overall situation, there’s no reason to hurry him. The next guys on the order of battle—3B Sergio Valentin and shortstop Daniel Pepper—are both in rookie league, which means they’ve got a ways to go. If it weren’t for the fact that Pepper looks a lot more like a utility kind of defender than he does a shortstop, we might have these guys up a notch. It hurts that Fuentes, the second shortstop on the list, is still needing to discover how to use the bat.

So, yeah, you can push Rockville up a notch if you want. I won’t, but that’s fine. The fact that we’re talking about the #4 shows how well-stocked the Atlantic Division is with infield prospects.


#5 Jacksonville

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Luis Reyes	AAA	21	S	50	7	7	7	3	8	4	5	2	4	5	1
2B	Francisco Arredondo	AA	19	R	65	8	9	7	4	7	8	3	7	6	10	7
3B	Holden Dickson	R	18	R	65	4	10	10	4	3	7	9	5	6	2	5
SS	Jeremy Pickens	S A	18	R	65	7	8	7	5	6	8	9	6	7	7	7
SS	Jonathon O'Reilly	AAA	21	R	50	4	4	2	8	4	9	8	9	9	4	6

If AAA SS O’Reilly could hit, I’d agree with that “50.” But as is I don’t see it. AAA 1B, Luis Reyes has one of my favorite kinds of profiles—a guy no one pays attention to, but a switchie who can actually hit from both sides. If he could take walk, I’d be in love.

The real players here though are a three-musketeers infield that’s staged almost perfectly to yield into the club in a year-over-year format. Yes, you’d like Holden to bump a notch in contact, and for Pickens to pick up a bit of range, and they’re young enough to think that could happen. But even if they don’t there’s enough there for them to be useful players at the big-league level.

As a whole, in another division I’d probably consider the Hurricanes’ to be in the upper half, but in the prospect-rich Atlantic, there’s downward pressure to overcome. Solid group of guys, though. The smell like overachievers to me.

#6 Atlantic City

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Jack Cox	R	19	R	55	6	7	7	7	7	2	2	3	4	1	1
3B	Ernesto González	A	19	R	65	9	10	6	4	9	6	8	4	7	8	9
3B	Don Pérez	R	18	R	60	8	9	5	4	8	7	10	9	6	7	6
SS	Imazighen Kibasila	S A	19	R	50	6	7	4	5	7	8	8	11	10	5	8
SS	Sven Burel	AA	21	R	50	5	6	4	4	5	10	11	11	11	6	7

The Gambler’s organization has a couple very nice players in the form of Ernesto Gonzalez and Don Perez. The problem, if there is one, is that both are very solid defensive 3B, but don’t look to move to anything but first with great aplomb. Perez could satisfy at short, maybe. And both could handle second as long as you’re willing to accept a few blemishes. Of the “50” fillers, Kibasila has solid promise, and could grow to an average (at least) shortstop, or not. And Jack Cox projects to a cheap enough lefty killer, which is useful but not one of those guys who are going to put you over the top.

In other words, there’s work to do here. But there’s also time. Gonzalez and Perez won’t yield for a few seasons. In the Pacific this might put them in the upper two or three, but all total, it adds up to system that is flying below the clouds.

#7 Brooklyn

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
1B	Art O'Bryan	R	18	L	55	8	9	7	3	7	5	2	1	4	3	2
2B	Richard Drouin	A	19	L	55	7	7	5	5	8	7	7	10	9	5	2
SS	Jorge Lugo	A	18	R	60	7	8	5	4	8	9	9	7	8	9	5
SS	Scott Bell	R	18	R	50	7	9	5	4	8	7	8	7	7	9	8
SS	Ignacio Venegas	R	18	R	50	6	6	3	4	7	9	9	7	7	8	6
SS	Robert Franklin	AA	22	R	50	4	6	4	6	5	10	6	10	9	10	7

I expected there would be more here, but Brooklyn seems to have been focusing on other areas. Perhaps a “glass half full” view would be to view Drouin or Bell as a 3B, which given GM Alan Ehler’s views, is likely, then you’ve got a respectable blanket at every position. This alone could be argued to pull the Robins up over the Gamblers, but I’m weighting the two solid guys in Atlantic City more heavily. Like Atlantic City, the Brooklyn system is still very young, too. So you never know: it could die off tomorrow, or someone like Art O’Bryan could get a bump or two and suddenly you’d have a group that was more than solid. Bottom line here is that SS Jorge Lugo looks splendid on paper, and if the team manages to wrangle him some support, Robin fans are in for an interesting wave of players come 2041-2042.

#8 Charlotte

POS	Name	Lev	Age	B	POT	CON	GAP	POW	EYE	K	RNG	ARM	TDP	ERR	SPE	STE
None	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

To be determined

# # # As usual, here’s a visual…

[bcslouck]

You left Drew off both lists, Ron.

[Rubaboo]

You left Drew off both lists, Ron.

Does the game rate him as 50 pot?

[Rubaboo]

Yes, yes it does. I demand a recount!

[jleddy]

You left Drew off both lists, Ron.

He's in the majors...title of the series is "BBA Minor Leagues".

[RonCo]

Yes, if he's in the majors, I don't count them.

[ae37jr]

Not that it matters much, but I have a couple of players I'm cross training at other positions and it's lowering their POT rating. Players like Ernie Schoonmaker and Teruo Jouda are both 50 POT if listed as SS instead of outfielders.

[udlb58]

I've been very disappointed in O'Reily. I was hoping he would be a .250 AVG/.400 OBP guy in AAA, giving me a reason to decline Hardy's team option. But not only has he not hit, his defense hasn't been impressive either.

Holden and Pickens have big questions (can Holden actually make contact? Can Pickens play short?). If the answers are yes, they could be good. If they are no, well, Pickens could still be a solid 3B. Meanwhile, Arredondo could be challenging Encarnacion as soon as next year.

If I didn't have Martinez and Zuniga on such cheap deals, I would definitely be thinking about giving Reyes (or Perez) a look.