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Jim Callis chat session

By Adam J. Morris

BA's Jim Callis has a chat session going right now, and this jumps out at me:

Nathan (San Diego): When I open Baseball America's 2008 Prospect Handbook, which team's farm system am I going to find made the biggest jump from last year? Also - are any new Indians prospects going to break into the top 100?

SportsNation Jim Callis: (2:25 PM ET ) The Rangers. Via trades and the draft, plus the improvement of prospects already on hand, they'll jump from No. 28 last year to perhaps the top five. I haven't broken down all the systems, so I can't be more precise.

That sound you hear is zywica and I saying, "I told you so."

Go back to last year -- particularly after the Brandon McCarthy trade -- and there was much howling about what a desolate wasteland the Rangers farm system was, that it would take years to get the minor league system back to respectability, despite a few of us pointing out that there was a good chance of there being a big leap in 2007.

Now, one of the most respected prospect gurus out there has the Rangers as a top-5 system.

The talent at the major league level is not good right now...but the future, at least, looks very bright.

Of course, we also have this...

Tyler (denton, texas): Common i gotta know.. Ian Kinsler or Noah Lowry.. good deal for both sides?

SportsNation Jim Callis: (2:11 PM ET ) Texas needs pitching, San Francisco needs hitting, would make sense for both sides.

No. Texas needs hitting more than pitching right now. Kinsler is the team's best positional player, and trading him for a pitcher with shaky peripherals that is a year closer to free agency would not be a good plan.