Good news.
The team really needs a lot of talent in the system... because outside of the top 4 or 5, it's terrible.
2 years ago that was a true statement. It's still pretty bad at the AAA/AA level, but we've got a lot of A+/A guys that are showing really good development.
Let's take out the guys who are in the majors right now and leave out Detwiler/JZ with injuries. What do we have prospect wise that constitutes quality?
AAA:
No bats.
Josh Wilkie looks like a solid bullpen prospect but is 26 in July so he needs to force his way to DC now.
Erik Arnesen is 26, has started and relieved this year, and is putting up good numbers in Syracuse right now.
Atahualpa Severino is another decent reliever and is 26 in November.
Victor Garate is a lefty reliever and 26 in September.
Jeff Mandel fits the mold of a serviceable starter. He is 25.
I'm pretty sure we all know
Matt Chico and
Shairon Martis by now.
Serviceable arms and not much more.
AA:
Chris Marrero is still very young for AA (22 next month), is good enough at 1B, and has a .748 OPS after a slow start.
Danny Espinosa, 23, has good range at SS. Needs to make more contact but his OBP is .096 higher than his AVG.
Brad Meyers is 25 in September, putting up dominant numbers. Best SP prospect above A ball.
Tom Milone, 23, lefty with good year at A+ in 09 and very good start at AA in 10.
1B platoon against LHP, everyday MI, two mid-rotation possibilities. Not great, but not bad
A+:
Derek Norris, 21, C that just needs to stay healthy and mature/develop into his role.
Michael Burgess, 22 in October, finally putting it together. Everyday RF. OBP/OPS taking major upswing this year.
Tyler Weeden, C, 23 in September. Former Red Sox prospect. Talented but injury prone.
Martin Beno, reliever, 24 in August. Big uptick in control, needs to move to AA and succeed there as well.
Evan Bronson, lefty starter, 23, 26th round pick in 2009 already pitching very well at A+.
Patrick Lehman, starter, 13th round pick in 2009 pitching well at A+. 24 in October.
Brad Peacock, starter, 22, very high K/BB rate, gives up too many hits.
Marcos Frias, starter, 22 in December. Dominated prior to this year, struggled to start and now on DL.
Patrick McCoy, lefty reliever, 22 in August. Improving control but too many hits.
AJ Morris, starter, 24 in December. 4th round pick in 2009. Very good 09, too many walks so far in 2010.
That's everyday MLB potential at C and RF as well as 5 starters and two relievers showing good promise (3 being picks from last year).
A:
This is where we get the youngsters who are just starting. Bats like
Destin Hood,
Jeff Kobernus and
Eury Perez are playing their first full seasons in the minors but all have good upside. Wonder if
Steven Souza will get his bat going this year. Not sure who
Hector Taveras is but I'll be adding him to the guys I'm watching.
Daniel Rosenbaum, 23 in October, 22nd round pick in 2009, is dominating as a lefty starter so far.
Trevor Holder, 23, 3rd round in 2009 is having a good season but needs to cut down on hits.
Paul Demny, 21 in August, is worth watching. 6th round pick in 2008 showing big improvement in his 2nd full year.
A handful of raw bats and 3 good looking SP prospects. Too bad
Jack McGeary got hurt as he looked to be getting things figured out this year.
Add in this draft and the talent at A+ and below is starting to look pretty good. Not everyone is going to be a superstar but it looks like we have a steady progression of guys with MLB roster talent. Clearly heavy on good enough SP prospects with a few that could pan out to mid rotation level. It would do wonders if Marrero and Espinosa both make it to DC in 2011 and can contribute.
Definitely more than the top 4-5 guys in the system and last years draft is already looking phenomenal. 2 guys pitching in DC, 3 more starters pitching at A+ and doing well, 1 starter at A dominating and another doing well. I doubt that draft actually produces 7 major league arms, but 40% on the A+/A guys isn't too much to hope for with the early returns.
