by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
Remember when I said Carter ‘Fortnite’ Cramer’s role would be minimal last year? Lol. When Crissy Tingle went down with an injury, Cramer stepped into the spotlight and shined brighter than anyone. He kept this position over the three-time all-star when Tingle returned from injury and continued to outperform his predictions, earning himself the 2062 Gillstrom Award, the Bluebirds’ third straight honoree. As the 2062 season came to a close, the Nashville farm system was lacking a bit of firepower for the first time in years. That changed when management decided to cut ties with Mark Lolololofor top pitching prospect Daniel 'Hopalong' Grasia. Now OSA ranks Nashville as #7 in the farm rankings with a new crop of youngsters ready for their shot, however, Javier ‘Pops’ Basanta may be the only prospect worth mentioning for the Gillstrom this season based on his expected playing time. Here’s a look at the future of the Bluebirds:
| Banjo's Rank | Position | Player | OSA Rank | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LHP | Daniel 'Hopalong' Grasia | 14 | 2064 |
| 2 | RHP | Brent ‘Black Jack’ Chappel | 26 | 2064 |
| 3 | RF | Cüneyt 'Roomba' Tanju | 34 | 2066 |
| 4 | SS | Luke Cage | 58 | 2064 |
| 5 | RHP | Halewijn de Haan | 106 | 2066 |
| 6 | SS | Lao-po Chou | 201 | 2066 |
| 7 | RHP | Dave Labonte | 95 | 2065 |
| 8 | LF | Fernando 'Boo Boo' Hawkins | 96 | 2064 |
| 9 | RHP | Enrique Perez | 219 | 2065 |
| 10 | C | Cris Sawyer | NR | 2066 |
The top 4 is in alignment with OSA’s rankings, however, it is very possible Roomba surpasses Chappell on the list, especially with Chappell’s spring training injury keeping him out for most of the season. There is a pretty significant shift in the ceiling of prospects after the top 4. De Haan and Chao have high ceilings, but the uncertainty of IFA’s developing is an issue the Bluebirds will have to face. The rest of the list could have been a handful of good prospects with low ceilings and, in fact, could be interchangeable with any of the prospects listed 7-10. I like Labonte a little more than the rest of them, but Perez could have just as easily been fellow SPs Medina, Diaz, Ramirez, or Moran. Sawyer grabbed the final spot because he is a catcher. He likely won’t be more than a backup, but could become a force if he bumps his contact, especially after a successful dev lab to improve his catching in the offseason. Carlos Gomez looks like a stud of a reliever, but was not included in the list.
All of these players are expected to contribute at the BBA level at some point in the near future. Surely, this list is likely to change over time and several youngsters may have been snubbed, but these are the ten candidates most likely to contribute in the future. Hopefully we see many of these faces with the Bluebirds, but surely some will fall victim to a trades to help improve the team. Either way, they are all valued commodities for the organization and will help lead the way to more titles.
