2011 top 10 prospects update

With my team-by-team top 10 prospect rundown now complete, it seems like a good time to go back and account for trades.

This year’s big offseason winner was Milwaukee, if you’re into the whole win-now thing. But the moves severely thinned the Brewers’ farm system, which has been accounted for already in my write-up of the Brewers. The first top prospect to be traded was Brett Lawrie, going to Toronto. Toronto also took a hit of its own when the New York Mets plucked Brad Emaus in the Rule 5 draft. But Toronto’s Top 10 list looks stout with the addition of Lawrie:

1. Brett Lawrie / 3B/2B/OF
2. Kyle Drabek / SP
3. Deck McGuire / SP
4. J.P. Arencibia / C
5. Chad Jenkins / SP
6. Travis D’Arnaud / C
7. Carlos Perez / C
8. Adieny Hechavarria / SS
9. Zach Stewart / RP/SP
10. David Cooper / 1B

Milwaukee then traded for Zack Greinke, bolstering the game’s best farm system even more. Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain give Kansas City two major league-ready talents with upside, while Jake Odorizzi finds his way into the Top 10, at the expense of Aaron Crow, and Jeremy Jeffress is left on the outskirts:

1. Mike Moustakas / 3B
2. Eric Hosmer / 1B/OF
3. Mike Montgomery / SP
4. Wil Myers / C/OF/1B
5. Daniel Duffy / SP
6. John Lamb / SP
7. Jake Odorizzi / SP
8. Christian Colon / SS
9. Chris Dwyer / SP
10. Johnny Giavotella / 2B

Another major trade this offseason sent Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego to Boston, and three of Boston’s top 10 prospects, Casey Kelly, Reymond Fuentes and Anthony Rizzo, to San Diego in return. San Diego’s new-found riches have been accounted for in my write-up. Boston’s system has certainly lost some luster, but the Red Sox have good depth to fill in the cracks:

1. Kolbrin Vitek / 3B/2B/OF
2. Lars Anderson / 1B
3. Jose Iglesias / SS
4. Bryce Brentz / OF
5. Anthony Ranaudo / SP/RP
6. Oscar Tejeda / 2B
7. Stolmy Pimentel / SP
8. Chris Balcom-Miller / SP
9. Drake Britton / SP
10. Josh Reddick / OF

The third big trade this offseason sent Matt Garza to Chicago in exchange for the Cubs’ No. 2, 4 and 6 prospects, Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, and Brandon Guyer. Tampa Bay owns the second-best farm system in baseball and it just got better. Guyer couldn’t make the Top 10 cut. Alex Torres and Kyle Lobstein were removed to make room for Archer and Lee:

1. Desmond Jennings / OF
2. Jeremy Hellickson / SP
3. Jake McGee / SP/RP
4. Matthew Moore / SP/RP
5. Nick Barnese / SP
6. Chris Archer / SP
7. Justin O’Connor / C/3B/SS/2B
8. Alex Colome / SP/RP
9. Josh Sale / OF
10. Hak-Ju Lee / SS

The Cubs got a little something to add back to their system when they acquired Michael Burgess in the Tom Gorzelanny trade. Even so, Chicago’s system took a beating but is certainly not without talent:

1. Brett Jackson / OF
2. Trey McNutt / SP
3. Jay Jackson / SP/RP
4. Hayden Simpson / SP
5. Josh Vitters / 3B
6. Michael Burgess / OF
7. Chris Carpenter / RP/SP
8. DJ LeMahieu / 2B
9. Reggie Golden / OF
10. Austin Reed / SP/RP

Washington wasn’t done retooling with that move. The Nats acquired Corey Brown from Oakland in the Josh Willingham trade. That leaves their system looking like this:

1. Bryce Harper / OF
2. Danny Espinosa / 2B/SS
3. Derek Norris / C
4. A.J. Cole / SP
5. Wilson Ramos / C
6. J.P. Ramirez / OF
7. Corey Brown / OF
8. Eury Perez / OF
9. Sammy Solis / SP
10. Chris Marrero / 1B

And that leaves Oakland’s system:

1. Michael Choice / OF
2. Grant Green / SS
3. Chris Carter / 1B/OF
4. Jemile Weeks / 2B
5. Ian Krol / SP
6. Max Stassi / C
7. Josh Donaldson / C
8. Adrian Cardenas / 2B
9. Michael Taylor / OF
10. Eric Sogard / 2B

Did I forget anything?

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.

9 Comments
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Doug
13 years ago

Jake Odorizzi goes to the Royals and is their #7 prospect?  Let me theorize that he would be in the top 3 just about everywhere else.

ecp
13 years ago

Re Odorizzi, somebody (I think it was Law, but I could be wrong) said that he would be top three in 25 other systems.

Jacob Rothberg
13 years ago

As Royals non-fan, it will be delectable to watch them screw up the best farm system in recent history.

Justin
13 years ago

Your Jays top 10 is completely off.  Chad Jenkins should be nowhere near it.  Deck McGuire can’t be #3.

Law’s list is much closer to reality than this.

Jeffrey Gross
13 years ago

Matt,

Interesting that you have Espinosa ahead of Derek Norris. Care to offer insight in that still?

Doug
13 years ago

@ Jacob – how can you have so much animosity for a team that has suffered for decades?  LOL

Jacob Rothberg
13 years ago

@ Doug – 1985 ALCS. It still hurts.

On the Jays list, I find it odd that David Cooper is there. I’m sure there are younger prospects with far higher ceilings in the jays system: Gose, Henderson Alvarez, Cardona, and Marisnick all come to mind.

Joel
13 years ago

Jenkins over D’Arnaud, Carlos Perez, and Zach Stewart might be your Waterloo. Lars at 2nd seems way too highly rated and Drake Britton at 9th seems criminally low. I’d have those two flip-flopped actually.

Leo Walter
13 years ago

Perenially overrated?  Lars Anderson,who never saw a left handed pitcher he liked.