7/10/2062
I’m gonna shake up my format a little bit to mimic what Ron’s been up to with his “Prospect Watch” series. I still want to assign letter grades but listing some ratings on the screen and limiting myself to a top 5 should make it more readable.
Here is a link to the last time I analyzed my middle infield prospects. There’s a couple new names at the bottom of this list but little change overall.
#1
Jason Steward (C) | Age: 23 | AAA
| OVR/POT | CON | BABIP | AVK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|
| 40/40 | 4/4 | 5/5 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Steward looks fully developed but we must hope there is still some room to grow within the ratings bands because he’s only hitting .220/.297/.317 in AAA. He hit better during his first try at Brooks last year so there is reason for optimism. He’ll be a gold glove caliber shortstop if his bat gets him to the Brewster and he’s got a reputation as a captain amongst his teammates. Steward is on his last option year so expect the 2055 3rd round pick to be a bench glove in 2063.
#2
José Barrón (C) | Age: 20 | SA
| OVR/POT | CON | BABIP | AVK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|
| 30/40 | 4/5 | 4/4 | 5/6 | 4/4 | 2/3 | 5/5 |
Barron is a similar prospect to where Steward was a few seasons ago, albeit with a little less home run power. He was a 2nd round pick in 2061 who also has elite range and arm defensively. He entered our system as more of a final product and is probably ready for A ball considering he’s hitting .341/.405/.500 in SA. Barron’s ETA is around 2065.
#3
Luis Hernández (C-) | Age: 20 | SA
| OVR/POT | CON | BABIP | AVK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|
| 30/40 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Not much separates these top three prospects as here’s another glove guy drafted in the first couple of rounds who isn’t a massive project offensively but could use a bump. Hernandez possesses merely typical range and arm for a shortstop and looks like he’ll be a little more BA challenged. On the bright side, his power and eye tools are already fully formed. Expect his timeline to be a few months behind Barron’s.
#4
Tokichiro Yamamoto (C-) | Age: 18 | R
| OVR/POT | CON | BABIP | AVK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|
| 30/40 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/6 | 4/4 |
This year’s draft netted us Yamamoto. He’s a little more advanced for his age than the others were but still he starts in rookie ball. He’s actually got a rock-solid offensive tool in his home run power, but defensively he has second baseman tools and needs a bump to play shortstop. Weak intangibles don’t help his stock.
#5
Cyrille Ricciardi (D+) | Age: 19 | R
Yazid bin Rabi (D+) | Age: 17 | INT
The last spot is a battle between a couple of scouting discoveries. These teenagers have a ton of development ahead of them and their defensive tools are more good second baseman than legit shortstop, but they have the offensive tools to play somewhere in a BBA middle infield if they fully develop. Ricciardi is struggling in his second tour of rookie ball while bin Rabi sits in the international complex.
