April 1, 2058
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
The Nashville Bluebirds still have one of the league’s top farm systems, but the late season promotions of Alfonso Gonzales, Jorge Cano, and Mark Lolololo will drop Nashville out of the top spot. That’s gonna happen when you lose three premier players to the BBA, not to mention José Ramos, who began the season in Nashville. OSA scouts still have Cano and Lolololo on the top prospects report, but they’re Bluebirds now and won’t be included in this list, which may only have one or two players projected to play in Nashville this season.
| Banjo's Rank | Position | Player | OSA Rank | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LF | Ra'id Usamah | 50 | 2060 |
| 2 | 1B | De-shi Kuo | 42 | 2059 |
| 3 | C | Michael Cantu | 255 | 2060 |
| 4 | RHP | Javier Basanta | 118 | 2060 |
| 5 | 3B | Essam bin Eisa | 188 | 2060 |
| 6 | RHP | Giustino Modica | 219 | 2058 |
| 7 | RHP | Harry Spurlock | 176 | 2060 |
| 8 | SS | Tareef Abdul-Malik | NR | 2062 |
| 9 | RHP | Walt Thomas | NR | 2059 |
| 10 | SS | Johnny Reed | NR | 2060 |
So, obviously, this list isn’t as deep as it’s been in year’s past. The bottom half of this list is toss-up with several unknowns who show just a glimmer of hope. For some reason, the game doesn’t value Cantu very highly, but I’m really optimistic on last year’s first round pick. He’s a decent enough hitting catcher with great defense. Basanta also comes the first round of last year’s draft and was acquired via trade with the Mounties. Modica made the Opening Day roster after a massive improvement in 2057, so he shouldn’t stick around this list for long. He looks like he could be used in a stopper role or emergency starter. Spurlock locks in at the 7th spot, but he really could be subbed out with Keith Fitter, Imran bin Numair, Dane Beckham, Alfredo Anaya, or Pete Hulett as they are in that same group of pitchers that are just a bump or two away from being viable. The hope is one or two out of the group develop into a useful piece in the future. At the bottom are a couple of middle infielders who might not be all-stars, but could find a spot on a BBA roster.
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.
