Off Topic
2062 Snapshot
Even then, however, the list has changed a bit (seeing the addition of International Complex teenager Yunis Husain and the subtraction of Rahimat Sulayman in a trade for Al Schumann), it could be argued that the overall development of these players alone has made the organization stronger this year than it was at the same time last year.
Let's take a look.
#1: Ivan Quintana
It would probably have been best to have Quintana spend more time in AAA, but scouts continue to upgrade him, as his Contact and Arm potentials/ratings have been increased ince last year. He remains on the list as a prospect simply because there's every chance he'll be back in AAA fairly soon. At 21, Quintana is not through the development mill. His defense is passable, but could use some help. Ultimately, though, his future probably depends on whether his left-handed bat (which has OPSed over .800 everywhere he's gone) holds its pop. If it does, there's every chance that he could be one of those sneaky-good players who helps win games in ways no one really sees.
#2: David Castillo
Last year I said I thought that Castillo's path to the majors may depend more on his plate discipline improving than his glove improving. I said that because, while it's obvious he needs to improve his glove, I think it's also obvious that the glove is never going to be his golden ticket. I suspect he can improve to "passable" in the field. At 20, he's got time. But to make the grade as a major league catcher when your glove is just passable means you have to bring the lumber. As another left-handed bat that flashes high contact and a touch of power, Castillo holds promise in that area. His AVK and Power have each grown in the past year. His jump to A-Ball this year has shown a similar path to Quintana's, meaning a struggle early, but showing signs of getting with the assignment now.
So overall, there's a lot of good things going on under the hood in David Castillo land. What has NOT gone on though, is any obvious improvement in his plate discipline that I pined for last year. Nor his glove. It adds up to say that even if his star remains shining for a bit, his stay at #2 may be short-lived.
#3: Yunus Husain
Husain signed a $2M bonus deal earlier this year, and has been in the team's International Complex since then. He's a right-handed batter who scouts say will be a good contact hitter with likely even more power than Castillo. Given his glovework is already smooth, and theoretically just needs a little seasoning to be major league quality, some purists already put Husain as the #1 guy on their list of Bikini catchers.
We'll wait a year, thank you very much.
The main rating Husain struggles with is the "Age" rating, meaning that having literally just turned 17 years old, and with serious baking left to do, I struggle to put the pressure of listing him as a top prospect just yet. His raw skill ratings are all just "2" across the board, which doesn't bode well in the very short term. That said, the temptation is strong to bring him to Ogden in Rookie Ball.
#4: Takiji Takata
Takata spent a third year in Rookie Ball last year, each one showing a small bump of progress (-.3 WAR, .3 WAR, .5 WAR). He will likely start a fourth season in Ogden, but wind up in Port au Prince Short A. We'll see. A scan of the snapshots of his ratings from last year to this suggests not a lot is going on, but he's also be the victim of V25 "phantom bumps," meaning that he saw a couple potential bumps (which made us all very happy) only to see them fade back a few sims later(which made us all very sad).
Bottom line, though, he's on the list for his glove. He'll stay on the list only if the hope of those bumps remains in the cards
#5: Fred Adamic
Adamic's first season in Port au Prince was "successful" as far as that goes. He flashed a good glove while spending time mostly as David Castillo's defensive replacement. This year he'll get a full season to work on the bat. Hopes are gently positive, though, since even in limited time he showed scouts enough to suggest his contact had improved. Ultimately, he's Takiji with a little less glove and a little more bat.
Summary
Spending $2M to add Husain to the list was a thing that probably needed doing. He's the only guy on the list (other than Quintana) who grades as a potential future top prospect in the future. There's material here, though. And with Jimenez (29) and Quintana (21) still on the golden side of 30, there's time to let the stew boil for a bit.
2061 RANKING
1. Quintana
2. Sulyaman
3. Castillo
4. Takita
5 Adamic
Full Report
Last season's #1 on the prospect list was Ivan Quintana. At 21-years old, he's been arguably rushed up to the majors this year, where as Pedro Jimenez's backup, he had a bit of a rugged start, but as I type this in mid-May, he's gotten the average back to a respectable .250, and seems to have stabilized. The team selected two catchers during this past selection process, but both were really just guys the team thought would maybe help win some games in the minors. Either would need some help to get on this list next year.1. Quintana
2. Sulyaman
3. Castillo
4. Takita
5 Adamic
Full Report
Even then, however, the list has changed a bit (seeing the addition of International Complex teenager Yunis Husain and the subtraction of Rahimat Sulayman in a trade for Al Schumann), it could be argued that the overall development of these players alone has made the organization stronger this year than it was at the same time last year.
Let's take a look.
#1: Ivan Quintana
| Ivan Quintana (C) | Age | OVR | CON | BABIP | AvK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level: AAA | 21 | 40/45 | 5/6 | 5/5 | 6/6 | 5/5 | 6/6 | 5/5 |
| Age: 21 | * | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA |
| Bats-Throws: L/R | * | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Height: 6'3" | * | SPD | AGR | STE | RUN | CBK | CFR | CAR |
| Weight: 195 | * | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Source: DR60.5 |
#2: David Castillo
| David Castillo (C) | Age | OVR | CON | BABIP | AvK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level: A | 20 | 25/45 | 4/8 | 4/7 | 8/8 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/3 |
| Age: 20 | * | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA |
| Bats-Throws: L/R | * | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Height: 6'5" | * | SPD | AGR | STE | RUN | CBK | CFR | CAR |
| Weight: 195 | * | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Source: DR59.2S |
So overall, there's a lot of good things going on under the hood in David Castillo land. What has NOT gone on though, is any obvious improvement in his plate discipline that I pined for last year. Nor his glove. It adds up to say that even if his star remains shining for a bit, his stay at #2 may be short-lived.
#3: Yunus Husain
| Yunus Husain (C) | Age | OVR | CON | BABIP | AvK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level: INT | 17 | 20/55 | 2/7 | 2/7 | 2/7 | 2/5 | 2/7 | 2/5 |
| Age: 17 | * | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA |
| Bats-Throws: R/R | * | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Height: 6'4" | * | SPD | AGR | STE | RUN | CBK | CFR | CAR |
| Weight: 190 | * | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Source: IFA62 |
We'll wait a year, thank you very much.
The main rating Husain struggles with is the "Age" rating, meaning that having literally just turned 17 years old, and with serious baking left to do, I struggle to put the pressure of listing him as a top prospect just yet. His raw skill ratings are all just "2" across the board, which doesn't bode well in the very short term. That said, the temptation is strong to bring him to Ogden in Rookie Ball.
#4: Takiji Takata
| Takiji Takata (C) | Age | OVR | CON | BABIP | AvK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level: R | 20 | 20/25 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 3/5 | 3/3 | 2/2 | 4/4 |
| Age: 20 | * | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA |
| Bats-Throws: S/R | * | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Height: 6'2" | * | SPD | AGR | STE | RUN | CBK | CFR | CAR |
| Weight: 183 | * | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Source: DR59.4 |
Bottom line, though, he's on the list for his glove. He'll stay on the list only if the hope of those bumps remains in the cards
#5: Fred Adamic
| Fred Adamic (C) | Age | OVR | CON | BABIP | AvK | GAP | POW | EYE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level: SA | 21 | 20/25 | 4/4 | 3/4 | 3/5 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 4/5 |
| Age: 21 | * | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA |
| Bats-Throws: R/R | * | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Height: 6'2" | * | SPD | AGR | STE | RUN | CBK | CFR | CAR |
| Weight: 200 | * | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| Source: MLC |
Summary
Spending $2M to add Husain to the list was a thing that probably needed doing. He's the only guy on the list (other than Quintana) who grades as a potential future top prospect in the future. There's material here, though. And with Jimenez (29) and Quintana (21) still on the golden side of 30, there's time to let the stew boil for a bit.