2042-08: Talons Research Says People Don't Read Team News With Long Headlines. So Why Does PHX Have the #1 Farm System?

[jiminyhopkins]

Phoenix, AZ--

Welp, it's that time of year again. The time when the beloved Baseball News Network reports that the Talons have the #1 Farm System in the Brewster, despite objective analysis suggesting its more like mediocre.

So what gives?

Honestly, we don't know. But we decided that we might as well profile the top five Talons prospects and see if they really are up to snuff, properly befitting the supposed amazing juggernaught that is the Talons Minor League Development Program.

LF Pedro Guzman (#10 overall)
Drafted as the 20th overall pick in 2038, there is no doubt the guy can hit. At age 21, he still has a ways to go to fully develop his power, but it will be elite when he reaches his peak. Pedro is spending his second straight year in AAA, mainly because there is nowhere to put him in the bigs. So yeah, he's a little frustrated. But if the Talons can find someone who wants current DH Bartolo Ortiz, Guzman will be called up post-haste.

SP Antonio Gonzales (#13 overall)
News flash: this season the Talons drafted a starting pitcher in the first round for only the second time in franchise history. Although he has great command of his pitches, including a potentially elite changeup, this college lefty still has to fill out his control and stuff ratings to be a factor. He's already dominating in Short Season A ball, so who knows how fast he can move up. A small bump in movement could make this guy the best starting pitcher the Talons have had in years.

2B Chua-kah Yang (#15 overall)
This guy just screams Platinum Stick. The fact that he can passably play 2B is another bonus. Yang was just called up to the majors after the incumbent 2B was placed on waivers, and is having trouble finding his stroke. And, he is rather long in the tooth for a prospect. But his development has been steady and it won't be long before the club has a 40HR middle infielder.

1B Juan Mateo (#29 overall)
This good fielding 1B had a .932 OPS during a September callup last season, but an injury derailed his rookie campaign this year. Unfortunately, his splits indicate that he'll never really hit lefties, so the club will have to carry a competent platoon partner for him. On the plus side, however, Mateo has good defensive abilities and is even a decent baserunner. Someone has to drag the Talons from the 16th best offense in the JL to something more respectable. Why not him?

RF Norihisa Yokoyama (#41 overall)
Already well developed as a hitter, Yokoyama is known for smashing a variety of all time season records in AAA last year. But his poor range in the outfield puts a damper on his prospects to stick around in Phoenix, which has a boatload of DH candidates in both the majors and minors. He is well balanced from both sides of the plate and is a good baserunner, but his callup this year to replace the injured Thad Meyer has not gone as planned. WIll he be sent back down to AAA once Meyer completes his rehab assignment?

That's all for now. Hope everyone enjoyed this rather straightforward Talons Team News.

Ahh, who are we kidding. No one reads this crap anyway.

[RonCo]

Gonzalez is an interesting pitcher. I'd be borderline tempted to jump him to AA to get a better read on where that movement rating sat.

[shoeless.db]

TTL;DR

(title too long, didn’t read)

[HoosierVic]

Read it. Enjoyed it. Even the title. Your thesis is disproved.

[jiminyhopkins]

TTL;DR

(title too long, didn’t read)

How many times can I like this?

[jleddy]

Ahh, who are we kidding. No one reads this crap anyway.

I don't read Talons' team news but I do print it out and line my birdcage with it.

J/K, I love 'em all. Did you hear Ron wax poetic about you in a recent podcast? Did you know we have podcasts?

[recte44]

Post-haste

[recte44]

Getting Marko to do a podcast would be the bestest

[usnspecialist]

Gonzalez is an interesting pitcher. I'd be borderline tempted to jump him to AA to get a better read on where that movement rating sat.

gonzales was a guy i was hoping would fall to me at 17