Thursday, October 28, 2010
2011 Top 10 Prospects: Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals
Posted by Matt Hagen at 4:03amToronto Blue Jays: Top 10 Prospects
1. Kyle Drabek / SP / It's difficult to imagine Drabek's average overall command ever allowing him to be a true ace, but his good fastball/curveball combination should help him become a mid-rotation mainstay with respectable strikeout numbers.
2. Deck McGuire / SP / McGuire carries himself well and looks the part of a big-time prospect. He is a pure strike thrower, but that the lack of upside in his three-pitch arsenal, mainly the lack of an out pitch, will hinder his chances to become Toronto's ace one day.
3. J.P. Arencibia / C / After a down year in 2009, Arencibia put up an all-star comeback season. His fantasy relevance hinges on his power translating to the major league level and Toronto allowing him to catch full time.
4. Chad Jenkins / SP / Jenkins was a bit on the old side for A-ball in 2010 and still only posted so-so stats. He lacks an out pitch, but did show nice overall control and natural downward movement on his fastball, as evidenced by his groundball rate.
5. Travis D'Arnaud / C / D'Arnaud is a young man who has displayed many useful skills for a catcher, but nothing stands out as exceptional at this time. He battled injuries in 2010, but still could be taking the leap to Double-A next year.
6. Carlos Perez / C / Perez is a slightly younger version of D'Arnaud in that they both have a little bit of everything you look for in a catcher. But just like D'Arnaud, nothing sets Perez apart at this point, meaning he seems to lack elite ability. However, he remains a good, young catching prospect.
7. Adieny Hechavarria / SS / Hechavarria needs to shorten his swing, but has useful tools across the board for a shortstop. Toronto would be wise to allow him another crack at the Eastern League before pushing him higher.
8. Zach Stewart / RP/SP / Stewart made it through the entire year as a starter, to ho-hum results. He still appears destined for a future prominent bullpen role, where his fastball and slider could hit a new level.
9. Brad Emaus / 3B/OF / Many gave up on Emaus after a lousy 2009 campaign. Still largely unheralded, Emaus stepped his all-around offensive game up a notch, displaying the skills necessary to be an asset in the majors. It's too bad he couldn't have stayed at second base, but his defense looks shaky even for third base.
10. David Cooper / 1B / Henderson Alvarez and Anthony Gose received a look, but haven't proven enough yet. Aaron Sanchez is a projectable high school arm who deserves some love, too. But it's too early to give up on Cooper. He managed to cut back even more on his strikeouts this year while stepping up his home run power, though he still has an awful lot to prove.
Toronto Blue Jays: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11)
1. Travis Snider / OF
2. Brett Cecil / SP
3. Kyle Drabek / SP
4. Deck McGuire / SP
5. J.P. Arencibia / C
6. Chad Jenkins / SP
7. Travis D'Arnaud / C
8. Carlos Perez / C
9. Adieny Hechavarria / SS
10. Zach Stewart / RP/SP
Kansas City Royals: Top 10 Prospects
1. Mike Moustakas / 3B / His walk rate is lacking, but otherwise it's hard to find a single fault in Moustakas' game. He could be a future .300/30 or better hitter.
2. Eric Hosmer / 1B/OF / Much like Moustakas, Hosmer is one of the more complete hitting prospects in baseball. His home run power even managed to surface over the final third of the season. He may not get a chance, but Hosmer has the ability to man the outfield, which would add more to his value.
3. Mike Montgomery / SP / Montgomery has a mid-90s fastball and a wicked curveball, meaning his upside is tremendous. While the elbow soreness he suffered midway through the season cannot be ignored, he has persevered, and it appears to be a non-issue.
4. Wil Myers / C/OF/1B / It still seems to be a bit too early to know exactly how much upside Myers has offensively, not to mention where he will end up defensively, but he showed no weakness with his bat against A-level competition in his first full season.
5. Daniel Duffy / SP / Despite walking away from baseball for a brief period, Duffy's commitment shouldn't be questioned. He is currently getting strikeouts without an out pitch or mid-90s heat. He is the type who uses movement and sharp command to get his outs.
6. John Lamb / SP / Lamb uses his great change-up and low-90s fastball to set up his developing curveball. He is able to throw everything for strikes, and there seems to be little standing in his way.
7. Christian Colon / SS / Colon doesn't have much upside or one current standout skill, but does have the ability to play a respectable shortstop and has polish across the board.
8. Chris Dwyer / SP / Dwyer plays the part of a poor man's Mike Montgomery with his bread and butter fastball/curveball combo. But his curveball needs to hit a whole new level if he is going to come close to matching Montgomery's upside.
9. Johnny Giavotella / 2B / Giavotella should be able to get by defensively at second base, while his bat will do most of the talking. He has a bit of power and speed to go along with good plate discipline and outstanding contact skills.
10. Aaron Crow / SP / This year's Kansas City top-10 list looks very similar to last year's. Aaron Crow and Tim Melville were the only disappointments from last season. Melville has too much upside to ignore, though, and would rank No. 11. Crow already has a mid-90s fastball and occasional out pitch with his slider. He just needs to throw strikes.
Kansas City Royals: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11)
1. Billy Butler / DH/1B
2. Mike Moustakas / 3B
3. Eric Hosmer / 1B/OF
4. Mike Montgomery / SP
5. Wil Myers / C/OF/1B
6. Daniel Duffy / SP
7. John Lamb / SP
8. Christian Colon / SS
9. Chris Dwyer / SP
10. Johnny Giavotella / 2B
Send Matt questions at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The Royals declined to give Moustakas a cup of coffee. Does this indicate he’s more of a Sept-11 and all-of-2012 guy?