Top 50 Prospects
Just finished my personal run through the youngsters over at AOL. The pieces are in 10-player chunks. The big caveat here is that I’m not a scout and my analysis relies heavily on statistics. Of course, if you read this blog, you probably already knew that.
Nos. 50-41 | Nos. 40-31 | Nos. 30-21 | Nos. 20-11 | Nos. 10-1
And you can read last year’s Top 50 list here.
Interesting stuff. I actually made myself a top 100 list for fun about a month ago. One thing I don’t get (and I’ve seen this on a lot of lists) is why Johnny Cueto is ranked so low. He essentially did the same thing that Jay Bruce did last season (dominated in stints at three levels), except as a pitcher. Granted, I know Bruce is a much better prospect, but I still think Cueto needs more love. Is there some knock on him I dont know about (other than his smallish frame)?
The biggest knock I’ve read on him is that he stays in the K zone too much and that can lead to some XBH. Also his fastball is not outstanding. Really none of his stuff is plus-plus, he just mixes it well.
I like Cueto too. The line between him and Homer Bailey is very thin. I don’t get all the hype on Bailey. Most have him as a Top 10, but I ranked him significantly lower.
Thanks for the info. Yeah, him and Bailey are pretty much even in my book. It’s not often you see someone with Cueto’s mix of control and strikeout ability. Even if his K rate takes a significant drop in MLB, he could still be a very effective pitcher.
The thing with Bailey is, if he ever figures out how to pitch he’ll be fantastic. His ceiling is way higher. Do yourself a favor and watch his highlights on MLB.com. Papelbon-esque zip and late life to his heater.
I guess he’ll have to quit moonlighting as this “Christian Bale” character I keep reading about on Perez Hilton if he wants to become a real ace.