Rangers All Decade (2000-2009) Top 10, #2

Blalock was 3rd in 2003

Mateo was 6th in 2000, 9th in 1999, 17th in 1998 and the scary part was that he was still 5th on the Rangers BA list in 1997 at 19.

I can’t find the writeups for 97 and 98 but here are his 99 and 2000 witeups from BA..

1999

1. Ruben Mateo, OF
Age: 21 B-T: R-R Ht: 6-0 Wt: 170
Signed: Dominican Republic, 1994 Signed by: Omar Minaya/Hector Acevedo

Background: It seems like Mateo has been around for years and should be getting on the old side of prospect status, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Dominican native played all of 1998, his fourth full season, at 20 years old. Despite a shoulder injury that caused him to miss four weeks and then start slowly, Mateo enjoyed an excellent season. He handled a position change, established career highs in every major offensive category except stolen bases and put together a 27-game hitting streak.

Strengths: For pure tools and athletic ability, Mateo is one of the premium prospects in baseball. He’s the kind of athlete who would fit in at point guard or cornerback at a top college program if he had been raised in the United States. He successfully moved from right field to center field in hopes of playing there in the big leagues. With his raw speed and cannon arm, he has a chance to be a top-notch defensive player if he refines his routes and jumps. Offensively, the hitting streak and power increase attested to his maturity and improved consistency.

Weaknesses: Mateo has a live, tightly wound body that has not shown great durability. He missed time in 1997 with a hamate bone fracture, a month in 1998 with shoulder problems and was hampered by hamstring troubles this winter. None of the injuries is serious enough to cause long-term problems but a six-month healthy streak would be encouraging. Ideally, Mateo would draw more walks so he could use his speed and high batting average from the leadoff spot in the order.

The Future: The Rangers likely will start Mateo at Triple-A Oklahoma this spring and probably wouldn’t mind if he spent the entire year polishing his game there, as long as they get good production in center field in Arlington. Premium prospects such as Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez carried the franchise for the past decade and the organization believes Mateo could be in that mold.

2000
1. Ruben Mateo, OF
Age: 22 B-T: R-R Ht: 6-0 Wt: 170
Signed: Dominican Republic, 1994 Signed by: Omar Minaya/Hector Acevedo

Background: The headline announcing Mateo as the Rangers’ top prospect last year proclaimed “Mateo Performs Despite Injuries.” Time for a rerun. A fractured hamate bone in his left wrist ended Mateo’s 1999 season just eight at-bats before he would have lost his rookie status. Stomach ulcers limited his playing time this offseason in the Dominican League, where the Rangers had hoped he would make up for the lost games. Neither Mateo’s recent injuries nor his past hamstring, shoulder and wrist problems have been career-threatening. He hasn’t needed major surgery, but the volume and regularity have to take a toll at some point.

Strengths: When healthy, Mateo has all the tools to become a perennial all-star. He has a lightning-quick bat that projects to hit for both power and average. Mateo’s blossoming power is his most intriguing skill. His home run progression the last four years has been from eight to 12 to 18 to 23, and most observers think he is just starting to scratch his potential. Because of his well-above-average arm strength, Mateo played right field his first two years as a pro. The Rangers, though, shifted him to center field before the 1998 season to take advantage of his plus speed. The conversion has been successful, and the Rangers are completely comfortable with the thought of going for their third straight American League West crown with a rookie in center.

Weaknesses: The infamous incident last summer when Mateo swung at a pitch and missed, only to have it plunk off his midsection, sums up his approach at the plate. He’ll swing at virtually any pitch, but because his hand-eye coordination is so extraordinary, he still has been able to consistently make solid contact. Major league pitchers overmatched him by changing speeds and keeping the ball out of the strike zone.

The Future: For Mateo to become a top-notch center fielder, two factors come into play. The first, obviously, is his health. The second is his ability to make adjustments. Two fellow Dominicans, Vladimir Guerrero and Sammy Sosa, had similar approaches when they first reached the big leagues. While they still aren’t imitating Wade Boggs, they have changed enough to become stars.

but this is why I voted for Mike Young:

“…these are the ones that have turned out the best.”

He may not have been a hyped up prospect, but he was a prospect, and has had a very good career. Adrian Gonzalez has gotten two votes as of right now. I don’t understand this. He’s pretty good in the majors and has been for a while. He was also considered a blue chip prospect by most. First overall pick.

I don’t understand what we’re being asked to vote for, either, I guess.

Well, there is no “criteria” and so, who knows what we are going by.

The most-hyped? Blalock was up there but not ahead of Tex or Mateo – maybe ahead of Cedeno as far as hype because he had more “hype time.”

so, yeah