Top Minor League Propsects

[Fritz Buelow]

If you had to pick the Top 3 prospects in the minors, of all players who will be in AA or below to start this season, one group of three for the NL and one for the AL, who would you pick?

[Duque]

AL - Mark Teixeira (he'll be starting in AA, no?)
- Dewon Brazleton
- Joe Mauer
NL - Boof Bonser
- Brandon Phillips
- Mark Prior

[Fritz Buelow]

Is Prior going to start at AA?

[Duque]

From Yahoo Sports:

"As expected, the Chicago Cubs sent pitcher Mark Prior to Double-A West Tenn of the Southern League on Monday."

I know it's a cheap pick, since Prior is expected to be up in the Majors by June at the latest.

[Fritz Buelow]

Betcha he only makes 3 starts in AA before hitting AAA on the way to the Cubs.

[Ytown Tribe fan]

Colt Griffin. Wait and see.

[Fritz Buelow]

Originally posted by Ytown Tribe fan
Colt Griffin. Wait and see.

YTF - can you tell us more?

I'm still stuck on 4 for each league - - here they are:

AL:

Casey Kotchman
John-Ford Griffin
Chris Snelling
Justin Morneau

NL:

Brandon Phillips
John Buck
Adrian Gonzalez
Kelly Johnson

[Duque]

Griffin would've been my #4 in the AL. Just me, or does it seem that AA has become more of the breeding ground for prospects - those that go to AAA are either washed-up veterans or good prospects blocked by someone at the ML level.

[Fritz Buelow]

Originally posted by Duque
Griffin would've been my #4 in the AL. Just me, or does it seem that AA has become more of the breeding ground for prospects - those that go to AAA are either washed-up veterans or good prospects blocked by someone at the ML level.

Nope. You have it exactly right, IMHO. If you're a busher, and you spend more than a season at AAA, you have to question your chance to make it.

[KCBOOMER]

Originally posted by Ytown Tribe fan Colt Griffin. Wait and see.


I really doubt this. The first strike is he's a high school pitcher who throws rockets except they miss the target. The track record of the number of guys who start out like this and then make it big in the bigs is very low.

Second he is in the hands of the Royals who have ruined numerous high round draft pick pitchers in the last eight years.

[Ytown Tribe fan]

I lived near KC in the '80s and early '90s -- the glory years and beyond.

Colt could be the next Nolan Ryan, or the next Steve Dalkowski -- either way, he'll be entertaining. Nuke LaLoosh.

You know, one of these days, George is gonna say, "Enough is enough, dammit!" and take over the whole operation.

How he can sit idly by and watch the losing is beyond me -- he NEVER stood for losing as a player. He HATED losing. He made his teammates hate losing -- him and Hal McRae.

George is the one guy who could do it, with about 50,000 Royals fans marching right behind him. Just kick out the deadwood and make the changes that need to be made.

Maybe call Whitey outta retirement and give him complete control of scouting and player development -- the two things he was best at.

Cleveland's trying to head in the same direction, and we didn't get a ring yet. But seats remain for every game, including Opening Day. Cleveland doesn't have a George Brett to kick some serious ass in the front office, but KC does.

[KCBOOMER]

Brett doesn't have the ability to walk into the front office and demand changes. He is not part of the ownership structure. He doesn't have that kind of dough.

On the other hand he is in good with every sports outlet in town (print and electronic) and could cause some serious p.r. problems for management if he were to complain publicly.

A significant problem for the Royals is that if Glass were to decide he doesn't want to own the Royals who do we find that will keep the club in KC. Remember the local rich folk had a five year window in which to buy the club and not a one of them even make an remotely acceptable offer.

[Fritz Buelow]

:topic: Friendly reminder - this thread is on minor league propsects.

[heisman]

Mark Prior, Austin Kearns, and Jose Reyes in the NL. I don't follow the AL. The day they get rid of the DH, I'll start watching!

[Fritz Buelow]

Kearns is playing AA this year?

[heisman]

Yes Fritz, a very public demotion to AA. He cried like a baby and went AWOL for a few days. Read about it at rotoworld.

[Fritz Buelow]

Wow! Too bad. Never like to see that.

[Duque]

Seems like there's been a lot of that lately - Adam Johnson, Orlando Hudson. Someone should remind them they are under contract.