Regardless, I liked having the thing split by next year’s divisions because that made the idea of ranking by team at least feasible. Looking back on it, I think it also gives us a little peak into how the future is going to look in each division, too, so that’s kind of fun. Regardless, what this all means is that I’m going to do that again, starting with …
THE HEARTLAND DIVISION
Within the Frick League, the Heartland’s infield prospects have to be considered stronger than the Pacific’s. I’ll try to remember to talk more about that when I get to the Pacific itself, but for now we’ll let that suffice. It’s top two systems, I think, are fairly far ahead of the rest—then there’s a slows slide down through the rest, in which arguments can be had.
It does seem to me, however, that you have to start with:
#1: Yellow Springs
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | Robert Chenoweth | S A | 19 | R | 80 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
1B | Mark Haynes | AA | 20 | R | 65 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
1B | César Torres | A | 18 | R | 60 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
1B | Miguel Angel Perales | AAA | 20 | R | 50 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
2B | Roberto Viramontas | AA | 20 | R | 60 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 7 |
3B | Blaine Tyler | S A | 19 | R | 70 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
SS | Bob Allen | S A | 20 | R | 50 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
SS | Luis Peña | AAA | 19 | R | 50 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
Allen and Perales are also candidates to find major league roster time.
#2 Nashville
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | Ernesto Sousa | AA | 19 | L | 80 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
1B | José Calderón | A | 20 | L | 55 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
3B | Tony Frost | R | 18 | S | 75 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
3B | Jaime Cuevas | S A | 18 | R | 55 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
SS | Francisco Otero | AAA | 19 | S | 50 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
While there is no second baseman in the mix, the bottom line is that the Bluebirds have two positions covered with top-flight players, and a workable third.
#3 Louisville
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | Hugh Mangrouthormone | A | 19 | R | 70 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
SS | Juan Medrano | A | 18 | R | 65 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
SS | José Montaño | R | 18 | R | 50 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
SS | Reynante Alvero | A | 19 | L | 50 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
SS | Ed Edmonds | AAA | 22 | R | 50 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
In addition, Juanny baseball is a borderline shortstop with that 8 range. One dip and he’s a second or third baseman. Still valuable, but not quite where he’d be at short. If you say Montano is better served at second, which I do … but I’ve been wrong before … you’ve got two thirds of an infield in the flow.
#4 Twin Cities
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | José Cordero | A | 19 | S | 70 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
1B | Jack Lush | S A | 19 | R | 60 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
3B | José Benavidez | S A | 18 | R | 55 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
SS | Russell Sharp | S A | 20 | R | 50 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 |
I think Benavidez is underrated at 3B, though, and Cordero looks like he’s going to be just good enough as a switch hitter to play 1B full time. The two of them together slide the into the #4 slot—though Madison fans could argue that volume mediocrity+ is better than top quality. In the bigs, I’d agree, but a system’s job is to yield big leaguers, an TWC seems to have two surer shots than …
#5 Madison
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2B | José Hernández | A | 18 | R | 55 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
2B | Manny Montáñez | AAA | 31 | R | 50 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
3B | Virginia Rain | R | 19 | L | 50 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
3B | Stepán Simonovic | AA | 22 | R | 50 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 1 |
SS | Salvador Allende | A | 18 | L | 65 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
SS | Roberto Puente | R | 19 | R | 55 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
Bottom line, there’s quite a bit if flexibility in Madison;s crop. It’s like a Rubik’s cube though in that I’m not sure all the pieces are ever really going to come together.
#6 Des Moines
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3B | Anastasio Guillén | S A | 19 | R | 60 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
SS | António Suárez | R | 18 | R | 50 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
SS | Juan Luis Manuel | AA | 19 | R | 50 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
That said, Anastasio Guillen is as solid of a 3B prospect as you’d need, and Juan Luis Manuel is a slick glove at shortstop who’s AA numbers say he might just hit enough to stick.Not so sure about Suarez at this point, but the kid’s got a long way to go.
#7 Huntsville
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | Aarnoud Budding | AAA | 19 | L | 70 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
1B | Robby Clements | R | 18 | R | 50 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
2B | Tomás Durán | AA | 18 | S | 50 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
Complicating matters a bit, 2B prospect Tomas Duran is a SHINO (switch hitter in name only) and probably needs a platoon partner. He looks like he could be a bit of a righty-masher, though, and since he can field the position, that’s still a big value. If only he’d deign to take a walk.
#8 Omaha
POS | Name | Lev | Age | B | POT | CON | GAP | POW | EYE | K | RNG | ARM | TDP | ERR | SPE | STE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1B | Edgardo Díaz | AAA | 21 | R | 60 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
3B | Chuk-yan Lian | R | 18 | R | 60 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
3B | Brian Dixon | R | 18 | R | 50 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Yes, Chuk-yan Lian is an interesting guy. And yes, Brian Dixon (whose glove says he might be better viewed as a 1B—which the Hawks could use) looks like he should make an impact, but both of them are R-ball young, and neither are hitting in that same R-ball right now.
# # # As usual, here’s a visual…