My top-20 might just EAT your top-20

[mnfanforlife]

Okay people...you have my top-20 prospects. Now, tell me what I did wrong.

 

Top-10 list ...and... 11-20 list.

 

These are projections for current prospects that will remain under "prospect status" for the start of 2014.

 

Please and thank you.

[PseudoSABR]

These are projections for current prospects that will remain under "prospect status" for the start of 2014..

Why take that route? Arcia or Hicks may not lose their prospect status this year.

[mnfanforlife]

True, but there's an equal chance that both lose their prospect status next year, in my mind. Plus, it allows me to PROJECT what moves will be made, and then refer back to these posts to see how I did. Lots of thinking involved, but I am happy to explain my reasoning for any drop or add to the list.

[kab21]

First off - Chris Colabello is not a prospect. he's 29 already and will be lucky to make it as a bench player.

 

I really don't understand the benefit of a doing a prospect list for the following season. If you think Rosario will be ranked higher after this season then you should also think he is a better prospect now. And imo there is no reason eliminate guys like Hicks, Arcia and Gibson for the sake of doing a 2014 list. Do a 2013 list.

[kab21]

Harrison didn't play in 2011 because of different rules regarding drafted players. Most draftees drafted before 2012 didn't sign until Aug 15th and weren't able to play in the minor league season because of it. This was true of almost all 1st rd picks. The new CBA moved the deadline up to July 15th and also encouraged picks to sign earlier. The strange thing is that a lot of people were complaining about the new CBA at the time and missed this HUGE improvement which allows teams to get these players into rk ball a year earlier.

[mnfanforlife]

First off - Chris Colabello is not a prospect. he's 29 already and will be lucky to make it as a bench player.

 

I had to include Colabello for the reasons listed in my article. He is "on the cusp" by being in AA last year, and most of my list is guys that were in A+ or lower last year. So he was a perfect fit at 20, and I am hoping we make some trades to get him a shot while we wait for Sano or Harrison or Vargas to take over at 1B in 2015 or whatever.

 

Sooooo, he is a prospect, with a shot to be a 30-31-yr-old rookie in Minnesota. Or is there an age limit to being a baseball prospect?

[mnfanforlife]

Harrison didn't play in 2011 because of different rules regarding drafted players. Most draftees drafted before 2012 didn't sign until Aug 15th and weren't able to play in the minor league season because of it. This was true of almost all 1st rd picks. The new CBA moved the deadline up to July 15th and also encouraged picks to sign earlier. The strange thing is that a lot of people were complaining about the new CBA at the time and missed this HUGE improvement which allows teams to get these players into rk ball a year earlier.

 

I would have to agree with those that think it is a big improvement to sign early rather than skipping out on rookie ball because of contract negotiations.

[PseudoSABR]

Sooooo, he is a prospect, with a shot to be a 30-31-yr-old rookie in Minnesota. Or is there an age limit to being a baseball prospect?

Do you understand how development of the human body works. Almost exclusively, 29 year old AA players don't have enough room for improvement (potential) to ever be consider a 'prospect.' The word prospect means that there's room for development.

 

Please don't be stubborn on this point. It's just silly.

[mnfanforlife]

Do you understand how development of the human body works. Almost exclusively, 29 year old AA players don't have enough room for improvement (potential) to ever be consider a 'prospect.' The word prospect means that there's room for development.

 

Please don't be stubborn on this point. It's just silly.

 

Umm...the word prospect is defined here: Prospect | Define Prospect at Dictionary.com

 

All five of these defintions apply to Colabello. His production at AA last year means he is a likely candidate for advancement. Even advancement to Minnesota eventually. Maybe you have a certain AGE where you want to draw the line between being a "baseball prospect" and not?

 

But, in my opinion, age does not matter if the production is quality.

[PseudoSABR]

Age doesn't matter in terms of developing potential? Oh boy.

[ashbury]

Umm...the word prospect is defined here: Prospect | Define Prospect at Dictionary.com

 

I wonder if this is the kind of conversation Kevin Slowey had with Ron Gardenhire between innings.

[FrodaddyG]

But, in my opinion, age does not matter if the production is quality.

Sonofabitch... he actually works for the Twins.

[mnfanforlife]

Colabello is a legit prospect. Others seems to think so too. His trade value is nothing so he's not a very highly ranked one, but still a legitimate prospect with his production in AA...

[DaveW]

Wow

[mnfanforlife]

Age doesn't matter in terms of developing potential? Oh boy.

 

No. Age does NOT matter when determining if a person is a "likely candidate for advancement" or THE VERBATIM DEFINITION of the word "prospect"

[mnfanforlife]

Wow

 

What, we got another baseball genius on here that wants to diss Colabello?

[mnfanforlife]

Age doesn't matter in terms of developing potential? Oh boy.

 

Where did you get this anyway? I never posted anything remotely close to "age doesn't matter in terms of developing potential" Maybe it was a thought you had? Because I never posted anything like that.

[DaveW]

What, we got another baseball genius on here that wants to diss Colabello?

Dude its so off base its not worth giving a long response to sigh...I miss BYTO due to threads like this.

[Shane Wahl]

Good god. I don't understand the tone and animosity for daring to list Colabello as a prospect. Regardless of age, he is fresh into professional baseball and can be labelled a prospect if one wants to do so. I have done it. Now, I probably wouldn't do it for 2014, but hopefully that is merely because he is with the Twins. The tone here is just weird. It's perfectly legitimate to consider even a 29-year-old a prospect if he is new to professional ball and can GET BETTER as the result of professional baseball experience. It isn't like we are talking about someone clinging to professional baseball's minor leagues for ten years.

 

And Colabello should be on the 25-man roster, damn it. Why on earth not?

[FrodaddyG]

Where does Roy Hobbs rank on current prospect lists?

[FrodaddyG]

Good god. I don't understand the tone and animosity for daring to list Colabello as a prospect. Regardless of age, he is fresh into professional baseball and can be labelled a prospect if one wants to do so. I have done it. Now, I probably wouldn't do it for 2014, but hopefully that is merely because he is with the Twins. The tone here is just weird. It's perfectly legitimate to consider even a 29-year-old a prospect if he is new to professional ball and can GET BETTER as the result of professional baseball experience. It isn't like we are talking about someone clinging to professional baseball's minor leagues for ten years.

 

And Colabello should be on the 25-man roster, damn it. Why on earth not?

The thing is, he's not new to pro ball. He's been toiling in indy leagues for the better part of a decade. Generally there's a reason why that happens to a player. The reason age factors into players being labelled as "prospects" is that they have not yet reached the years where players generally "peak", leaving room for improvement both in tools and their physical frame. Colabello is firmly in the midst of the typical "peak" years already, and only projects as a no-glove 1B or possibly corner OF. That's not exactly a basket of tools just waiting to explode on the scene, particularly now that he's probably bordering on his decline years.

[mnfanforlife]

The reason age factors into players being labelled as "prospects" is that they have not yet reached the years where players generally "peak", leaving room for improvement both in tools and their physical frame.

 

Your opinion is that "age factors into players being labelled as "prospects"." Thank you for your opinion. But, I politely disagree with your opinion on this subject. Why? See my comments about production above in this thread.

[mnfanforlife]

Where does Roy Hobbs rank on current prospect lists?

 

Right up there with the "Salliest" villain of all-time, The Monarch. (whose girlfriend is a dude that cheats on him with nerds) hahahah

[FrodaddyG]

Your opinion is that "age factors into players being labelled as "prospects"." Thank you for your opinion. But, I politely disagree with your opinion on this subject. Why? See my comments about production above in this thread.

And it's also the opinion of virtually EVERY prospect evaluator that does it for a living. I wonder why that is?

[mnfanforlife]

And it's also the opinion of virtually EVERY prospect evaluator that does it for a living. I wonder why that is?

 

You're going to have to reference some sort of concrete evidence about that claim you just made...I can speak for myself, but I will never speak for EVERY prospect evaluator....as you have.

 

I am employed by an NCAA baseball program. (go ahead and check it out) Part of my job is to evaluate baseball talent, and determine if it is capable of performing at the NCAA Division II level. I am not saying I am a professional baseball scout, but I have extensive experience when it comes to evaluating baseball talent potential.

 

I do not need to be told that a person's age determines how much more he may or may not develop tools, skills, etc. I ALREADY KNOW THIS.

Either you are not capable of understanding that a player can still produce at a high level past the age of 29, or you are simply discriminating against any productive player that is over your unstated "age limit" for being labelled a baseball prospect...

 

If you choose to respond. Please do so in a respectful way, and DO NOT lump every prospect evaluator's practices into your personal opinion. Its irresponsibly incorrect, and totally unfair to the people that do it for a living.

[FrodaddyG]

You're going to have to reference some sort of concrete evidence about that claim you just made...I can speak for myself, but I will never speak for EVERY prospect evaluator....as you have.

 

I am employed by an NCAA baseball program. (go ahead and check it out) Part of my job is to evaluate baseball talent, and determine if it is capable of performing at the NCAA Division II level. I am not saying I am a professional baseball scout, but I have extensive experience when it comes to evaluating baseball talent potential.

 

I do not need to be told that a person's age determines how much more he may or may not develop tools, skills, etc. I ALREADY KNOW THIS.

Either you are not capable of understanding that a player can still produce at a high level past the age of 29, or you are simply discriminating against any productive player that is over your unstated "age limit" for being labelled a baseball prospect...

 

If you choose to respond. Please do so in a respectful way, and DO NOT lump every prospect evaluator's practices into your personal opinion. Its irresponsibly incorrect, and totally unfair to the people that do it for a living.

Please, go find me one reputable prospect guy who will have Colabello on their top 10 list, or explain to me what conspiracy they have cooked up to not consider him a top prospect. Projecting what 17-year olds could do at a D-II school is significantly different from projecting how minor leaguers will fare against the highest level of competition. It's hit or miss either way, but the professional guys are playing a much higher stakes version of the game, so there's probably a good reason that their evaluation practices remain largely universal.

 

Are you out scouring for 25-year olds complaining at a local bar that they "just never got a chance" for your next big college player, or do you generally stick to the high school ranks? Colabello is the guy at the bar, whereas young guys at the low-to-midlevels of the minors are the high schoolers.

[DaveW]

Which program? Also evaluating if a guy has enough talent to play in Division II is quite different then evaluating if a guy is a top prospect for a major league organization.

 

I currently play in a baseball league that is littered with former DII and low end Division 1 players. The minute a former 6.00 ERA guy AA or even Single A prospect comes into the league they absolutely dominate. (Think 55k's in 24 innings). The talent levels are so greatly disparged its like claiming being a middle school football coach to an NFL one personally.

[twinsnorth49]

By the sounds of it, I'm a prospect!!!

[mnfanforlife]

By the sounds of it, I'm a prospect!!!

 

 

What "sounds" are you listening to?

[FrodaddyG]

What "sounds" are you listening to?

Well, it's never too late for a guy to have an impact, right?