Author Topic: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects  (Read 7536 times)

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Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #25: December 22, 2010, 04:08:23 PM »
Perez, best defense? Outstanding!!!!

Someone needs to send Norris to go hang out with him and teach him how to work a count... if that happens, Perez could be the leadoff man we've been searching for.

Offline blue911

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #26: December 22, 2010, 04:11:09 PM »
Someone needs to send Norris to go hang out with him and teach him how to work a count... if that happens, Perez could be the leadoff man we've been searching for.

Haven't you ever heard the saying "Nobody ever walked off the Island"?

Offline Nathan

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #27: December 22, 2010, 05:02:15 PM »
Solid Snake 8)
Snake?!  SNAAAAAAAKKKKEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Offline PANatsFan

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #28: December 22, 2010, 05:04:56 PM »
This team needs Snake Plissken.

Offline hammondsnats

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #29: December 22, 2010, 05:29:39 PM »
Marv: I know I heard that name 'snakes' before.
Harry: Snakes, Snakes ... I don't know no snakes.

Offline NatsDad14

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #30: December 22, 2010, 06:25:53 PM »
Close your eyes if you don't like the pain.

2005:

1. Mike Hinckley, lhp
2. Larry Broadway, 1b
3. Ryan Church, of
4. Clint Everts, rhp
5. Brendan Harris, inf
6. Bill Bray, lhp
7. Daryl Thompson, rhp
8. Darrell Rasner, rhp
9. Kory Casto, 3b
10. Collin Balester, rhp

2006:

1. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b
2. Collin Balester, rhp
3. Clint Everts, rhp
4. Ian Desmond, ss
5. Armando Galarraga, rhp
6. Kory Casto, 3b
7. Mike Hinckley, lhp
8. Bill Bray, lhp
9. Larry Broadway, 1b
10. Daryl Thompson, rhp


2007:

Collin Balester
Chris Marrero
Colton Willems
Kory Casto
Smiley Gonzalez
Zech Zinicola
Glenn Gibson
Matt Chico
Stephen King
Ian Desmond

2008 list:

Chris Marrero
Ross Detwiler
Collin Balester
Michael Burgess
Jack McGeary
Josh Smoker
Jordan Zimmermann
Justin Maxwell
Colton Willems
John Lannan

2009:

Jordan Zimmermann
Ross Detwiler
Chris Marrero
Michael Burgess
Jack McGeary
Derek Norris
Destin Hood
Adrian Nieto
J.P. Ramirez
Smiley Gonzalez

2010:

Stephen Strasburg
Derek Norris
Drew Storen
Ian Desmond
Danny Espinosa
Chris Marrero
Jeff Kobernus
Justin Maxwell
Michael Burgess
Destin Hood

Offline NatsDad14

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #31: December 22, 2010, 06:26:26 PM »
Quote
For the first time since Major League Baseball assumed ownership of the Expos in 2002, the franchise appeared to have some certainty about its future. After years of dragging its feet, MLB announced in September that it was moving the team to Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season. The renamed Nationals finally had a home after two years of splitting home games between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Not so fast. The deal between MLB and Washington, which called for a publicly funded stadium, began to unravel in December. The D.C. council reneged on that agreement, amending the financing plan to call for at least half the money to come from a private source. MLB abruptly shut down the Nationals’ business and promotional operations. But hold on again. A week later the council, the mayor’s office and MLB reached a compromise, and a divided council narrowly approved it. The new deal allows the city to pay for the ballpark with tax money while searching for private financing, and splits the liability for cost overruns and missed deadlines evenly between the city and MLB.

True stability won’t arrive until the Nationals get a real owner. The team has operated under tight financial restrictions for years, and the Expos were held to a strict draft budget and allowed to have just a skeleton staff, with 11 full-time scouts in 2004.

Considering those handicaps, scouting director Dana Brown has done an admirable job. His first draft in 2002 netted three of the franchise’s Top 10 Prospects in first baseman Larry Broadway and righthanders Clint Everts and Darrell Rasner. Chad Cordero zoomed to the majors after being taken in the first round of the 2003 draft, which also produced righthander Daryl Thompson, third baseman Kory Casto and outfielder Jerry Owens.

It’s too early to tell how the 2004 draft crop will stack up, but lefthander Bill Bray looks like another first-rounder on the fast track. Righthander Collin Balester also has potential, and the organization’s need for catching was addressed with the early selections of Erick San Pedro and Devin Ivany.

Though the club’s draft efforts are encouraging, the reality remains that its farm system is one of the worst in the game. Former general manager Omar Minaya, who bolted for the Mets in October, strip-mined the franchise of most of its top prospects—including Jason Bay, Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore—in a failed 2002 playoff run. Minaya swung a couple of nice trades in 2004 to get Francis Beltran, Ryan Church and Brendan Harris, but the system remains depleted.

Until a real owner buys the team, MLB has appointed former Reds GM Jim Bowden as Minaya’s replacement. Bowden quickly made several aggressive moves, signing free agents Vinny Castilla and Cristian Guzman to contracts totaling $23 million and trading with the Angels for outfielder Jose Guillen. But with the franchise’s long-term future up in the air yet again, its short-term direction is uncertain as well.

Quote
The Nationals’ first season in Washington was a success, as the team staged a surprising playoff run and finished .500 despite being the majors’ lowest-scoring club. The struggles of free-agent acquisitions Vinny Castilla and Cristian Guzman contributed to the Nationals’ offensive woes, though a trade for outfielder Jose Guillen worked out well. The team’s strength was its pitching staff, which finished with the ninth-best ERA in baseball, thanks largely to a terrific bullpen and the emergence of John Patterson in the rotation.

But while the Nationals came together on the field, their front-office future took longer to materialize. By the end of the season, there still was no new ownership group in place. MLB still controls the club and it’s uncertain how long the appointed general manager, Jim Bowden, will remain with Washington, though he was given a six-month extension with a new ownership group pending. The Nationals also will have to wait until 2008 for a planned $440 million ballpark to be completed, leaving them in RFK Stadium for two more seasons.

Bowden dismissed farm director Adam Wogan on Oct. 17 and named vice president of ballpark operations Andy Dunn interim farm director. Wogan’s firing came after another difficult year for Nationals affiliates, who combined for a .438 winning percentage. The system’s top two prospects entering the year, lefthander Mike Hinckley and first baseman Larry Broadway, suffered from injuries and confidence problems.

Washington tried to reinstitute its instructional league program for the first time in five years, planning on holding it at special assistant to the GM Jose Rijo’s complex in the Dominican Republic. But construction on the hotel where the players were to have stayed was behind schedule, and the program was scrapped without the players ever getting on the field.

There was some good news, however. The big league club got some help from the top of the farm system, as Ryan Church emerged in the outfield and Gary Majewski was a revelation out of the bullpen. Prospects like Collin Balester, Ian Desmond, Armando Galarraga, Kory Casto and Frank Diaz had breakout years. And of course, first-round pick Ryan Zimmerman zoomed to the majors.

The Guzman and Castilla signings deprived the club of its second- and third-round picks, so scouting director Dana Brown tried to make up for it by drafting high-upside outfielders Justin Maxwell and Ryan DeLaughter in the fourth and fifth rounds before bolstering the organization’s pitching depth with college arms. The returns on Brown’s recent drafts have been encouraging, particularly given the lack of resources at his disposal under the tight fiscal restraints imposed by MLB ownership when the franchise was in Montreal. But Brown—who received a one-year contract extension—and his scouts still have managed to find talent, signing All-Star closer Chad Cordero and eight of the players on this Top 10 list in his four years with the team.

Quote
The Nationals finally found some stability in their second season in Washington, as a new ownership group led by developer Ted Lerner took the over the reins of the franchise from Major League Baseball in late July. Former Braves executive Stan Kasten became team president, and general manager Jim Bowden and his staff were given the security of knowing their jobs were no longer in limbo.

Bowden’s major offseason acquisition, Alfonso Soriano, joined Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez as the only members of the 40-40 club. Though Bowden knew there was a high risk Soriano would leave as a free agent after the season, he held on to his all-star left fielder at the trading deadline. When Soriano signed a $136 million contract with the Cubs, Washington was left with two draft picks in return.

Soriano's big season and Ryan Zimmerman's 110-RBI rookie year didn't pay off in the standings, however. The Nationals finished in last place in the National League East at 71-91, 10 games worse than in 2005. Washington let manager Frank Robinson go after the season, replacing him with Mets third-base coach Manny Acta.

But the Nationals are about the future, not the present. With a new ballpark set to open in 2007, they spent 2006 trying to build a long-term foundation by acquiring as many young players as they could through trades, the draft and the international market.

Though he didn't spin off Soriano, Bowden did make some slick trades during the summer. He acquired big leaguers Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez from the Reds and pitching prospects Luis Atilano (Braves), Matt Chico and Garrett Mock (Diamondbacks), Shairon Martis (Giants) and Jhonny Nunez (Dodgers) without giving up anyone in Washington's long-term plans. Bowden made another nice move in December, dispatching declining veteran Jose Vidro and $12 million in salary obligations to the Mariners for outfielder Chris Snelling and righthander Emiliano Fruto.

For the first time in five years, the Nationals could spend freely in the draft. Though they had two first-round picks and two second-rounders, they didn’t have to worry about signability like they had in the past. Though they didn't sign second-round righthander Sean Black, they landed two legitimate first-rounders in outfielder Chris Marrero and righthander Colten Willems and went over slot money to sign shortstop Stephen King (third round), lefthander Glenn Gibson (fourth) and righty Hassan Pena (13th).

All told, Washington spent $5.3 million on the draft, the 10th-highest amount in baseball. The Nationals also signed

16-year-old Dominican shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez for $1.4 million. They trumpeted that bonus in their official press release, making a statement that they will be major players in Latin America for years to come.

The end result of all the moves is that Washington has vastly improved the depth in its farm system, though it will take some time for the talent to progress to the upper levels. The Nationals hope to build their club with homegrown talent, much like the Braves did under Kasten.

To that end, the Nationals hired Diamondbacks scouting director Mike Rizzo as assistant GM and vice president of baseball operations. Washington added 10 scouts, including former Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar, in November to augment a scouting staff that had been ravaged during MLB’s ownership. Even with a skeleton staff, scouting director Dana Brown has proven resourceful with help from scouts like Tony Arango, who signed the first three prospects on this Top 10 list.
Quote
It's a measure of just how low expectations were for the Nationals in 2007 that they won 73 games and finished 16 games out of first place, yet Manny Acta garnered manager-of-the-year consideration for getting his team to overachieve in his first year at the helm. Washington, in its first full season with the Lerner family installed as owners and Stan Kasten as club president, embraced a youth movement with an eye at fielding a competitive, exciting team when their new Nationals Park opens in 2008.

Ryan Zimmerman turned in his second straight solid season, giving the Nationals confidence that they have a cornerstone player to build a franchise around. Other young players made positive impressions in varying amounts of big league exposure, as rookie Matt Chico led the beleaguered pitching staff in starts (31) and innings (167), Jason Bergmann made a successful conversion from the bullpen to the rotation, and rookies Shawn Hill and John Lannan also showed promise as starters. Nationals fans also got a glimpse of their potential center fielder of the future when Justin Maxwell jumped from high Class A to the majors for a 15-game cameo and swatted a grand slam in his third at-bat.

Freewheeling general manager Jim Bowden made just one significant trade in 2007, acquiring powerful but raw outfielder Wily Mo Pena from the Red Sox. Instead of bolstering the system through trades as it did in 2006, Washington focused on building through the draft, where it had five picks in the first two rounds. The Nationals spent $7.9 million on the draft, the fifth-highest figure in baseball.

The first four players they drafted—lefthanders Ross Detwiler (first round) and Josh Smoker (supplemental first), outfielder Michael Burgess (supplemental first) and righthander Jordan Zimmermann (second)—rank among the top 10 prospects in the system. So does lefthander Jack McGeary—who received a $1.8 million bonus, a record for a sixth-round pick, plus the money and permission from Washington to attend classes at Stanford from September through May for up to three years. Outfielder Jake Smolinski (second round) just missed the Top 10.

The aggressive approach to the draft paid immediate dividends, as Washington's system is already far deeper and flush with more high-impact talent than it had a year ago, when it ranked as the worst system in baseball. Assistant general manager of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and scouting director Dana Brown have co-existed very well, and there are no signs of a power struggle that some feared when Rizzo joined the organization in mid-2006 after a successful run as the Diamondbacks' scouting director.

The Nationals may not be blessed with many prospects in the upper levels of their organization, but their player-development system has made strides under farm director Bobby Williams and minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams. Washington has instituted organization-wide philosophies, alleviating the too-many-cooks syndrome that hampered its prospects in the past. The club held instructional league for the first time since the franchise moved to Washington, giving young players a chance to build on lessons from the season and focus on developing specific skills.

Offline NatsDad14

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #32: December 22, 2010, 06:34:32 PM »
PROJECTED 2010
LINEUP
Catcher   Brian Schneider
First Base   Nick Johnson
Second Base   Felipe Lopez
Third Base   Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstop   Esmailyn Gonzalez
Left Field   Kory Casto
Center Field   Austin Kearns
Right Field   Chris Marrero
No. 1 Starter   Collin Balester
No. 2 Starter   Colton Willems
No. 3 Starter   John Patterson
No. 4 Starter   Glenn Gibson
No. 5 Starter   Matt Chico
Closer   Chad Cordero


PROJECTED 2011
LINEUP
Catcher    Jesus Flores
First Base    Chris Marrero
Second Base    Stephen King
Third Base    Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstop    Ian Desmond
Left Field    Wily Mo Pena
Center Field    Justin Maxwell
Right Field    Michael Burgess
No. 1 Starter    Ross Detwiler
No. 2 Starter    Collin Balester
No. 3 Starter    Jack McGeary
No. 4 Starter    Josh Smoker
No. 5 Starter    Jordan Zimmerman
Closer    Chad Cordero

Offline natstime

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #33: December 22, 2010, 06:35:16 PM »
Well at least you can see major improvements as the years go on. That seems like alot of progress in 5 year to me.  Barely any of those guys from the earlier lists are in the majors, but I feel like many of the guys on the current list have legitimate shots of making it.  Its progress.

Offline houston-nat

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #34: December 22, 2010, 06:46:57 PM »

Offline NatsDad14

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #35: December 22, 2010, 06:57:45 PM »
WOW.
At least he made the big leagues for the Nationals. That is more than can be said for Everts and Broadway.

Offline hammondsnats

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #36: December 22, 2010, 07:11:38 PM »
Quote
True stability won’t arrive until the Nationals get a real owner. The team has operated under tight financial restrictions for years, and the Expos were held to a strict draft budget and allowed to have just a skeleton staff, with 11 full-time scouts in 2004.

HAHA

Offline Tyler Durden

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #37: December 22, 2010, 08:34:05 PM »
Close your eyes if you don't like the pain.

2005:

1. Mike Hinckley, lhp
2. Larry Broadway, 1b
3. Ryan Church, of
4. Clint Everts, rhp
5. Brendan Harris, inf
6. Bill Bray, lhp
7. Daryl Thompson, rhp
8. Darrell Rasner, rhp
9. Kory Casto, 3b
10. Collin Balester, rhp


This is hard to look at.  Who the hell is Darrell Rasner?  Ha.

But this is why were so terrible.  MLB just picked the franchise bare.  People like that ESPN guy are talking about the Nationals needing to rebuild.  Well, I think they have and they've done a decent job of it. 

I odn't want them to stink for another 20 years until they have 'the #1 farm system in MLB!' like it's something to be proud of when you're about to trot out a team that knows it will lose at least 100+ games.

Offline hammondsnats

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #38: December 22, 2010, 08:42:22 PM »
awwwww my post got LANC'd!

Offline imref

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #39: December 22, 2010, 10:03:36 PM »
for comparison:

Phillies Projected 2011 Lineup (2007)
Catcher   Lou Marson
First Base   Ryan Howard
Second Base   Chase Utley
Third Base   Travis Mattair
Shortstop   Jimmy Rollins
Left Field   Pat Burrell
Center Field   Dominic Brown
Right Field   Adrian Cardenas
No. 1 Starter   Cole Hamels
No. 2 Starter   Brett Myers
No. 3 Starter   Carlos Carrasco
No. 4 Starter   Joe Savery
No. 5 Starter   Josh Outman
Closer   Brad Lidge

2013 (2009)

Catcher   Travis d'Arnaud
First Base   Ryan Howard
Second Base   Chase Utley
Third Base   Sebastian Valle
Shortstop   Jimmy Rollins
Left Field   Jayson Werth
Center Field   Shane Victorino
Right Field   Domonic Brown
No. 1 Starter   Cole Hamels
No. 2 Starter   Cliff Lee
No. 3 Starter   Kyle Drabek
No. 4 Starter   J.A. Happ
No. 5 Starter   Trevor May
Closer   Ryan Madson

All these projects ought to be taken with a grain of salt.

Offline imref

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #40: December 22, 2010, 10:07:02 PM »
and here's the Mets projected 2011 roster as of 2007:

Catcher   Francisco Pena
First Base   Fernando Martinez
Second Base   Greg Veloz
Third Base   David Wright
Shortstop   Jose Reyes
Left Field   Lastings Milledge
Center Field   Carlos Gomez
Right Field   Carlos Beltran
No. 1 Starter   John Maine
No. 2 Starter   Oliver Perez
No. 3 Starter   Mike Pelfrey
No. 4 Starter   Deolis Guerra
No. 5 Starter   Kevin Mulvey
Closer   Eddie Kunz

Offline RD

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #41: December 22, 2010, 10:22:30 PM »
Someone needs to send Norris to go hang out with him and teach him how to work a count... if that happens, Perez could be the leadoff man we've been searching for.

It's strange. In the DSL, Eury was almost at 1:1 in terms of walks to strikeouts.

In the GCL, it was the same thing.

Then he heads to full season ball, and it's a struggle to take pitches and a walk.

Hopefully once he matures, he'll settle down and take more walks. I don't expect a 1:1 rate, but he definitely has a lot of room for improvements from last year. At least there is a slight glimmer of hope based on his short season numbers, although i know the competition level is much different.

Offline PatsNats28

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #42: December 22, 2010, 11:43:41 PM »
That was a painful read.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #43: December 23, 2010, 07:28:44 AM »
2007:

Collin Balester
Chris Marrero
Colton Willems
Kory Casto
Smiley Gonzalez
Zech Zinicola
Glenn Gibson
Matt Chico
Stephen King
Ian Desmond

wow, out of that we get Bally - decent if not great reliever, Chico - he is what he is, and Desmond. I wonder if any top 10 list has panned out so badly in so little time?

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #44: December 23, 2010, 08:37:40 AM »
PROJECTED 2010
LINEUP
Catcher   Brian Schneider
First Base   Nick Johnson
Second Base   Felipe Lopez
Third Base   Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstop   Esmailyn Gonzalez
Left Field   Kory Casto
Center Field   Austin Kearns
Right Field   Chris Marrero
No. 1 Starter   Collin Balester
No. 2 Starter   Colton Willems
No. 3 Starter   John Patterson
No. 4 Starter   Glenn Gibson
No. 5 Starter   Matt Chico
Closer   Chad Cordero

:lmao:

Offline PANatsFan

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #45: December 23, 2010, 11:09:23 AM »
Stephen King and Marrero still have a chance, I guess.

Offline PatsNats28

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #46: December 23, 2010, 11:38:29 AM »
2007:

Collin Balester
Chris Marrero
Colton Willems
Kory Casto
Smiley Gonzalez
Zech Zinicola
Glenn Gibson
Matt Chico
Stephen King
Ian Desmond

wow, out of that we get Bally - decent if not great reliever, Chico - he is what he is, and Desmond. I wonder if any top 10 list has panned out so badly in so little time?

How about this one:

Quote
1. Mike Hinckley, lhp
2. Larry Broadway, 1b
3. Ryan Church, of
4. Clint Everts, rhp
5. Brendan Harris, inf
6. Bill Bray, lhp
7. Daryl Thompson, rhp
8. Darrell Rasner, rhp
9. Kory Casto, 3b
10. Collin Balester, rhp

Church is a 4th outfielder with concussions, Harris is a utility infielder, I think Bray is a decent reliever but I don't know, and Balester is a reliever now. That's it.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #47: December 23, 2010, 12:54:24 PM »
For what it's worth... I was browsing Nationals Prospects today, and I noticed that during the most recent Baseball America chat, they said that Corey Brown is a slightly better prospect than Perez, but they didn't put him on the list because he was traded after their print deadline.

Quote
He’s a quality athlete with a nice all-around tools package and a pretty good approach. At this point, I’d probably give him a slight edge over Eury Perez, who still comes with question marks about his bat long-term[sic].

So, I guess that makes Brown our 8th best prospect?

Offline PatsNats28

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #48: December 23, 2010, 06:57:02 PM »
Why is the sic in there? I don't see any misspellings.

Offline tomterp

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Re: BA: 2011 Nats Top 10 Prospects
« Reply #49: December 23, 2010, 07:01:45 PM »
This is hard to look at.  Who the hell is Darrell Rasner?  Ha.


I vaguely remember him being left unprotected on waivers and immediately pounced on by the Yankees, for whom he appeared in parts of 3 seasons before being sold into indentured servitude with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.