Minor League Grades

by Brandon Wilson on Dec 17, 2006 6:59 PM CST

Author of the Minor League Baseball Analyst and BaseballHQ writer Deric McKamey gave the AL West clubs the following grades on their minor league systems:

TEXAS
Organizational Grades: Hitting (D+).....Pitching (A-).....Top End Talent (B-).....Overall (B-)

SEATTLE
Organizational Grades: Hitting (B-).....Pitching (B+).....Top End Talent (C).....Overall (C+)

OAKLAND
Organizational Grades: Hitting (B).....Pitching (C).....Top End Talent (C).....Overall (C+)

LOS ANGELES
Organizational Grades: Hitting (A-).....Pitching (B-).....Top End Talent (B+).....Overall (B+)

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That seems

pretty reasonable, just without looking at lists or anything. Our pitching might not quite be an A- but nothing really jumps out at me as off. Though Seattle does clearly have better positional prospects at the top than us, in Jones and Clement, they probably have no more behind them than we would our first two, so I would consider that B- to be a tad generous, and I really think that B+ for their pitching is probably the worst grade given there. They do not have that good of pitching prospects, I don't think. Their top guys are all from this last draft.

by Brett Perryman on Dec 17, 2006 7:06 PM CST reply actions

Mariners pitching

In addition to their recent draft class (Brandon Morrow, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler) he likes Mark Lowe and Ryan Feierabend. B+ may still be a little generous, but he seems to like the depth.

by Brandon Wilson on Dec 17, 2006 9:44 PM CST up reply actions

That's something

You don't see every day the Rangers grading out with an A- in the pitching.

Welcome to Arlington Barry Zito.

by boomer1 on Dec 17, 2006 7:28 PM CST reply actions

Until lately, not ANY day.

by tklawless on Dec 17, 2006 9:58 PM CST up reply actions

Who do we have

That has a high ceiling hitting-wise? Mayberry is the only guy I can think of off-hand. Harrison isn't that bad, and Lemon seems to have advanced plate-patience for his really young age.

by Rangerchick on Dec 17, 2006 8:54 PM CST reply actions

Most guys are

in the lower minors - guys like Chris Davis, Chad Tracy, RJ Anderson and the like.

Oh, and Joaquin Arias.

by FirebatM3 on Dec 17, 2006 9:19 PM CST up reply actions

We have a few...

...but there are a lot of "if's" in there.

Chris Davis has a lot of potential with the bat. So does Chad Tracy, especially if by some miracle he could stay behind the plate. Whittleman might, but he badly needs to rebound in '07. Johan Yan has a very high ceiling, but he's really, really far away.

And there's Botts, of course, if you choose to count him.

Jason Botts: 500+ AB's in '07, or bust!!!

by thedirkatron on Dec 17, 2006 9:20 PM CST up reply actions

True "high ceiling" guys?

One...Mayberry. Maybe Chris Davis, as well. But that's probably it.

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 17, 2006 9:22 PM CST up reply actions

i think

yan could be a "high ceiling" guy

too far away though...same w/ c santana

by knockoutking24 on Dec 17, 2006 10:27 PM CST up reply actions

These guys

have already mentioned almost all of them. I would put them in two groups. One is Botts, Mayberry, Davis, basically all-bat types, and Botts might be a little questionable for it at this point.

The other is the young, talented Dominican, and I'd say it includes the aforementioned Yan and Santana, and the one new name I'd add is Emmanuel Solis. When the papers ran down the last group of Latin signees last summer, Preller was quoted as saying Solis throws 92 off the mound and has big power potential (he's a pretty big guy too, 6-3, 195 at barely 17 years old). He's a 3B. I think he starts this year at 17, and he might see the AZL, along with Santana and maybe Yan repeating (as well as Fabio Castillo probably).

One last upside guy for me, who isn't on the right track at the moment, would be Whittleman.

by Brett Perryman on Dec 18, 2006 12:03 AM CST up reply actions