ATC Top Ten Prospects

[chicoruiz]

I generally go with stats over ratings, so my personal top ten list varies somewhat from OOTP's. I'll include that one at the end of this article...

1. P JAMES ROBINSON- Age 22- Acquired in trade from Sacramento… Hit the wall a bit in AAA, but he was only 21… Three plus pitches, fastball in the high 90s and a good ground ball rate… Movement and control only fair… He’ll start in AAA, but the big league club will make room for him as soon as he shows he’s ready; figure him to be up at least by the All-Star break.

2. OF BILL BURROWS- Age 21- Signed as an international FA out of Canada in 2050… Jumped from Rookie League to High-A in 2054 an at least held his own… Should show more power as he develops… Defensively, he can handle any OF spot… Intangibles are weak… He’ll be aggressively promoted to AA this year at age 22, and we’ll see.

3. OF CARLOS ALLEN- Age 17- 2054 draft 1st round pick (#30 overall)- Balled out in rookie league Albany at age 16 (.327/.382/.553)… Should hit for both average and power… Defensively he will probably be limited to a corner OF, but should be a plus there… Good work ethic… He’ll return to Albany for 2055, but if all goes well, he should start moving up quickly in 2056.

4. P ART CHERRY- Age 25- Acquired in a trade with Nashville- Reached the big leagues briefly in 2054 and didn’t embarrass himself (3.93 ERA, 1.47 WHIP)… Art is basically a junkballer; his fastball only reaches the high 80s, but he survives on guile and a nasty changeup… Prone to finger blisters… Should probably make the big club out of spring training as the #5 starter, which may be his ceiling.

5. P JEREMY NICKERSON- Age 21- 2050 draft, 14th round pick (#449 overall)… Originally cast as a reliever, he was converted to a starter at short-A Bogota last year, and he handled it well… Throws five pitches and induces ground balls… Will go to high-A Long Island in 2055; a good year there could vault him up this list.

6. P ANDREW MCLEAN- Age 22- 2049 draft, 12th round pick (#393 overall)… Scouts thought he’d be limited to a lefty bullpen role, but he has confounded them by pitching well as a starter… He hit AA as a 21-year-old last year and went 8-7 with a 2.54 ERA… Throws a high 90s fastball, a good slider, and a decent change… Will return to AA Trenton in 2055, but could be in line for a midseason call-up if he keeps on this path.

7. P DEWEY MCKIM- Age 18- 2053 draft 1st round pick (#27 overall)- Stringbean lefthander without any terrific strong points, but also without any glaring weaknesses… Pitched well the last two years in rookie ball despite being very young… Throws five pitches; four are okay, but he should probably ditch his forkball… Hard worker… Will pitch in Albany again this year, more because of his youth than anything else.

8. OF STEVE PICK- Age 23- Acquired in a trade with Nashville- Tall, speedy OF who skipped AA and moved right to AAA at age 22 and OPSed .924… Might be overextended as a full-time CF but could at least fill in… Excellent percentage base stealer… Work ethic is high… Might have a shot to make the Atlantic City club this year, if no big FAs are signed.

9. OF SHANE WEBB- Age 25- 2050 draft 1st round pick (#22 overall)… Has made steady progress through the minors, hitting at every stop, until he reached the majors for a cup of coffee in 2054… He is slow, and he’ll swing at almost anything, but he still manages to make good contact… As a lefthanded hitter, he’s probably destined for a job as the long half of a platoon, either at DH or a corner OF slot.

10. C JACK CASHMAN- Age 20- 2054 draft, round 5 (#162 overall)- Drafted as defense-first catcher, he surprised everyone by going .335/.401/.422 at short-A Bogota… There’s some room for skepticism there, as nothing in his scouting report indicated that he was capable of that, but nonetheless he did it… Will be aggressively pushed to high-A this year; he might not thrive, but he’s surprised us before.

OOTP’s TOP TEN:
1. Burrows
2. Nickerson
3. Robinson
4. P Keith Mays
5. Cherry
6. P John Schmitt
7. McLean
8. P Jimmy Fisher
9. P Dan Lopez
10. OF Josh Ridenhour

[Dington]

I think Cherry could be sneaky good. Pick is replacement level now but could be a good player when ratings level off.

[BaseClogger]

I'm going to see how many teams write up a top prospects list and do a league feature where I comment on each list.

First reaction is I wouldn't rank McLean so high since he's only going to be a reliever. You seem too low on the starting pitching prospects you omit but the game has in your top 10.