Sox prospects vs. Yankees prospects

[rokketmn]

It's always about Sox vs. Yankees, isn't it?

Back on CBS' website, I had a pretty healthy debate with a Yankee fan about the state of the Sox and Yankees farm systems.

The crux of the debate was that I said the Sox prospects were much farther along the chain than their Yankees counterparts. I was also saying that I was going on the basis that all of the scouting reports were correct, and that all of the prospects would be good players for both teams. I know that is not realistic, but in a discussion such as this, you have to have an even playing field.

I was also saying that given the fragile status of the Yankees roster, and the appearance that their prospects would debut in 2015 at the earliest, meant hard times for the Yankees in the short term.

Well...almost 4 months into the season, and many of the Sox top prospects have either debuted in the majors, or moved up a rung in the farm system. The Yankees best prospects are either still in A ball, or are not producing as well at the AA level. The Sox prospects are starting to separate themselves.

The Sox have had Jackie Bradley and Allen Webster make the MLB debuts this season, though they did not enjoy great success. They both have had excellent success in AAA this season, and with more seasoning and experience, they will be back later this year, and could be roster mainstays for years to come.

Sox top prospect Xander Bogaerts was quickly moved up to AAA last month and appears to be in track to join the Sox in the second half of 2014, if not earlier.

Anthony Ranaudo has had a tremendous rebound season in AA, and has himself back on the prospects radar, showing why he was a supplemental 1st round pick. He could get a look if the Sox have pitching issues with th big club.

Gavin Cecchini just keeps hitting wherever he goes, and he has now been moved to AA. Aside from Bogaerts, there is not another hitting prospect I am more excited about.

Henry Owens is dominating A ball, and will likely be promoted to AA before the season is out.

Matt Barnes is struggling with a high hit rate in AA, but his K rate is fantastic. He has also been uncharacteristically wild, and served up too many Hr's. He may need to finish the season in AA.

Brandon Workman and Drake Britton have also made their debuts with the Sox this season.

What are your views?

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

It's always about Sox vs. Yankees, isn't it?

Back on CBS' website, I had a pretty healthy debate with a Yankee fan about the state of the Sox and Yankees farm systems.

The crux of the debate was that I said the Sox prospects were much farther along the chain than their Yankees counterparts. I was also saying that I was going on the basis that all of the scouting reports were correct, and that all of the prospects would be good players for both teams. I know that is not realistic, but in a discussion such as this, you have to have an even playing field.

I was also saying that given the fragile status of the Yankees roster, and the appearance that their prospects would debut in 2015 at the earliest, meant hard times for the Yankees in the short term.

Well...almost 4 months into the season, and many of the Sox top prospects have either debuted in the majors, or moved up a rung in the farm system. The Yankees best prospects are either still in A ball, or are not producing as well at the AA level. The Sox prospects are starting to separate themselves.

The Sox have had Jackie Bradley and Allen Webster make the MLB debuts this season, though they did not enjoy great success. They both have had excellent success in AAA this season, and with more seasoning and experience, they will be back later this year, and could be roster mainstays for years to come.

Sox top prospect Xander Bogaerts was quickly moved up to AAA last month and appears to be in track to join the Sox in the second half of 2014, if not earlier.

Anthony Ranaudo has had a tremendous rebound season in AA, and has himself back on the prospects radar, showing why he was a supplemental 1st round pick. He could get a look if the Sox have pitching issues with th big club.

Gavin Cecchini just keeps hitting wherever he goes, and he has now been moved to AA. Aside from Bogaerts, there is not another hitting prospect I am more excited about.

Henry Owens is dominating A ball, and will likely be promoted to AA before the season is out.

Matt Barnes is struggling with a high hit rate in AA, but his K rate is fantastic. He has also been uncharacteristically wild, and served up too many Hr's. He may need to finish the season in AA.

Brandon Workman and Drake Britton have also made their debuts with the Sox this season.

What are your views?

What's a "Yankees prospect"? I'm unfamiliar with this term.

 

[rokketmn]

What's a "Yankees prospect"? I'm unfamiliar with this term

It is defined as a player in the Yankees system that the organization (and any 3rd party evaluator who they pay off) touts as the 2nd coming of Joe DiMaggio, so their fans can get excited and/or they can trade off to an uninformed team that believes all of the hype.

 

[ImSmartherThanYou]

What's a "Yankees prospect"? I'm unfamiliar with this term

It is defined as a player in the Yankees system that the organization (and any 3rd party evaluator who they pay off) touts as the 2nd coming of Joe DiMaggio, so their fans can get excited and/or they can trade off to an uninformed team that believes all of the hype.

Oh. The Yankees don't really have anyone like that. The last one was Jesus Montero, and look how that turned out.

 

[navamind]

You mixed Garin up with Gavin. Gavin's in the Mets system, and he hasn't been quite as sucessful.

Gavin Cecchini Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com

 

[$500 Million]

The Yankees don't have much of anything in their farm system, it's a barren wasteland of useless second string AA players.

 

[navamind]

After batting .267/.352/.307 last year in Lowell, Mookie Betts batted .296/.418/.477 with 58/40 BB/K, 24 doubles, 1 triple and 8 HR before getting promoted to Salem.

 

[rokketmn]

You mixed Garin up with Gavin. Gavin's in the Mets system, and he hasn't been quite as sucessful.

I did. Thanks.

 

[rokketmn]

Here is a rundown of how the "Top 11" prospects in each organization are doing this season. These rankings are based on MLB.com's mid-season updates. I used top 11 because the Sox 11th ranked prospect, Brandon Workman made 3 starts recently with the Sox.

Name Team Level AB's Avg R Hr's RBI SB OPS bb/k ETA X. Bogaerts Red Sox AA/AAA 373 0.298 63 14 59 7 0.891 59/82 2014 J. Bradley Jr Red Sox AAA 237 0.278 40 8 26 6 0.868 34/52 2013 G. Cecchini Red Sox A/AA 347 0.337 68 7 47 20 0.957 65/63 2015 B. Brentz Red Sox AAA 302 0.272 34 16 53 1 0.808 19/76 2014 B. Swihart Red Sox A 282 0.273 27 2 32 6 0.757 36/51 2015 G. Sanchez Yankees A 355 0.256 38 13 61 3 0.740 28/67 2015 M. Williams Yankees A 353 0.275 52 3 23 12 0.717 36/51 2015 T. Austin Yankees AA 311 0.254 42 6 39 4 0.710 41/76 2014 E. Jagielo Yankees Low A 90 0.256 9 1 9 0 0.724 13/20 2016 Z. Almonte Yankees AAA 259 0.297 30 6 36 4 0.789 30/47 2013 S. Heathcott Yankees AA 370 0.257 52 7 46 11 0.716 31/101 2014 Name Team Level ERA WHIP IP H BB KK Avg A. Webster Red Sox AAA 4.04 1.14 71 49 32 83 0.193 2013 H. Owens Red Sox A/AA 2.92 1.14 105 66 53 123 0.180 2015 M. Barnes Red Sox AA 4.38 1.44 88 90 37 113 0.261 2014 A. Ranaudo Red Sox AA 2.95 1.09 110 80 40 106 0.204 2014 T. Ball Red Sox Rookie 2017 B. Workman Red Sox AA/AAA 3.21 1.19 101 90 30 108 0.243 2013 R. De Paula Yankees Low A/A 3.82 1.18 92 73 36 127 0.217 2016 M. Banuelos Yankees AAA injured -out for 2013 2015 I. Clarkin Yankees Rookie 2017 T. Hensley Yankees Rookie 2017 M. Montgomery Yankees AAA 3.1 1.48 41 37 23 53 0.252 2013

 

[rokketmn]

My apologies as the copy and paste did not work as I had planned.

To Summarize:
Bogaerts has been hitting as well in AAA as he did in AA, and there is even talk of him getting called up soon to play 3B. Even if that doesn't happen, he will likely be a September call up and will be with the Sox during 2014, if not at the beginning. I feel he should get at least 500 ab's at AAA, and that timeline could mean a June or July call up in 2014 which would also delay his arbitration clock.

Bradley was up earlier this season and looked a bit overmatched. He never really got enough AB's to work through it, but it didn't stop him from performing well in his first season in AAA. He possesses a great feel for the strike zone, plays fantastic defense, and is a good kid. He will surely be back in 2013, and stands a good chance to be our opening day CF in 2014 if/when Ellsbury leaves.

Cecchini is just a hitting machine. It is because of this guy that I would have traded Will Middlebrooks in a deal for Cliff Lee. He has continued to rake even after his callup to AA. He is also an above average defender at 3B, with a strong arm. He is not terribly fast, but has good baserunning instincts, which allowed him to steal 20 bases so far this season and 51 last year. He will likely be in AAA next season, and in the majors in 2015.

Bryce Brentz is the Sox Zoilo Almonte. A good AAA hitter, but is likely more destined to be a 4th OF at the major league level. Brentz was recently injured and is out for the season, otherwise he would have been a September call up.

Blake Swihart is too far away to get excited about yet, but he is a switch hitting catcher that needs to focus more on the defensive aspects of the position.

As good as those Sox hitting is, the pitching is equally good.

Allen Webster was cruising along in AAA, and the Sox called him up to make a spot start in June. He pitched well in that game, but was then rocked in his 2-3 thereafter. He's since had a rough go of it in AAA, but his overall numbers are still good. He will be back in September, but will likely start 2014 in AAA with the Sox overall starting depth so deep. He will likely be used as spot starter again next season.

In my opening post on this thread, I mentioned Henry Owens would be promoted to AA later this season. Well...he was promoted yesterday. This kid has dominated in A ball and will get to show his stuff in AAA now. He is the Sox #4 overall prospect, and will likely finish this season in AA, and move up to AAA at some point next season. His debut will likely come in 2015, if not in the second half of 2014.

Matt Barnes was previously our top pitching prospect, but he has fallen behind Webster and Owens because of a rough season in AA. His K rate is still fantastic, but he has been more hittable. He still projects as a solid starter, but will likely need to finish the year in AA, before moving to AAA next season.

Anthony Ranaudo was a suplemental #1 pick, but has struggled the last few seasons with injuries and inconsistency in A ball. This year, he is pitching very well in AA, and he is looking like a prospect again.

Brandon Workman, though not as heralded as his fellow mound mates, has actually been the Sox most consistent starter in the minors the last 2 seasons. That is because the kid throws strikes. That earned him 3 starts with the Sox, and he pitched very well. The Peavy acquisition has since moved him to the bullpen.

Trey Ball was our #1 pick this season (#7 overall), and has barely pitched in rookie ball.

As for the Yankees:

Their top hitting prospect, Gary Sanchez is repeating A ball, and only has a .740 OPS. Mainly because he has good power. Their next best prospect, mason Williams is also in A ball, and hitting to the tune of a .717 OPS. Both will likely debut no earlier than 2015.

Their most advanced hitter, Ty Austin, has a .710 OPS in AA ball, and Slade Heathcott has a .716 OPS in AA.

Eric Jagielo is their #5 overall prospect, and he was just drafted last month! He has a .724 OPS in Low A ball.

None of their top starting pitching prospects are above A ball, and Rafael DePaula was just promoted to A. Ty Hensley pitched in rookie ball last season, and he hasn't pitched this season due to injury. Ian Clarkin was another #1 pick last month, so he has just started pitching rookie ball.

Manny Banuelos, the much ballyhooed lefty starter had TJ surgery earlier this year and is out for the season. He will likely need all of 2014 at AAA just to get back on track, so 2015 is a more realistic possibility for a major league debut.

Mark Montgomery is the Yankees #11. He dominated in AA last season, but has struggled a bit in AAA. Since he has been used exclusively as a reliever these last few years, he is not a candidate for the starting rotation.

Given the Yankees hitting problems and pitching problems (except Kuroda) this season, and the state of their farm system, where are they going to find players to compete next season?

Mo Rivera will be gone; Pettitte will likely be gone; Kuroda is a free agent; Hughes is a free agent. They have Michael Pineda, I guess.

Where is NYNasty?

 

[$500 Million]

where are they going to find players to compete next season?



Um, how shall I put this.....



They are not going to compete next yer.

 

[navamind]

Barnes has had a disappointing 2013 campaign, but he appears to be turning things around. He had a 1.74 ERA in July with 30/12 K/BB and 12 hits allowed.

 

[rokketmn]

Barnes has had a disappointing 2013 campaign, but he appears to be turning things around. He had a 1.74 ERA in July with 30/12 K/BB and 12 hits allowed.

That's what I like to hear. Control has always been a strong suit, as well as his K rate, so it was disappointing to see so many hits and Hr's allowed. If he rights the ship, he could be another good one.

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[ImSmartherThanYou]

where are they going to find players to compete next season?



Um, how shall I put this.....



They are not going to compete next yer.

No they shant. I still marvel at how they've been able to compete this year. Joe Girardi deserves some kind of award or something.

 

[Chef99]

No they shant. I still marvel at how they've been able to compete this year. Joe Girardi deserves some kind of award or something.

Agreed. An absolutely amazing job of managing by Girardi.

 

[LogicMan]

There is no comparison. I remain perplexed how Cashman is keeping his job.

 

[rokketmn]

Xander Bogaerts will be called up by the Red Sox today.

It will be interesting to see how the Sox use him. I can't imagine he is being called up now just to sit on the bench. I would imagine (hope) the Sox use him at SS against lefties and 3B against righties, spelling Drew and Middlebrooks, respectively.

I think the Sox may also be looking for a spark here, as they have lost 7 of 10 games and have a tenuous lead on the division.

Nonetheless, the kid is one of the top prospects in baseball and he should be exciting to watch. It should also be interesting to see if Bogaerts can earn the fulltime job out of spring training in 2014.

Bogaerts promotion adds to those of Jackie Bradley Jr, Allen Webster, Brandon Workman, and Drake Britton to the big club.

In the minors, Anthony Ranaudo was promoted to AAA, and Henry Owens is now dominating AA after being promoted there a few weeks ago.

The future looks bright in Boston.

 

[navamind]

Keep an eye on Daniel McGrath, an Australian pitcher the Sox signed last year. He just turned 19 a month ago and has pitched pretty well. He had 30/6 K/BB,just 8 hits allowed and a 1.35 ERA in 20 IP in the GCL before being promoted to short season A ball. In Lowell, he has 22/3 K/BB, he's allowed 17 hits and has a 3.43 ERA in 21 IP.

 

[rokketmn]

Keep an eye on Daniel McGrath, an Australian pitcher the Sox signed last
year. He just turned 19 a month ago and has pitched pretty well. He had 30/6
K/BB,just 8 hits allowed and a 1.35 ERA in 20 IP in the GCL before being
promoted to short season A ball. In Lowell, he has 22/3 K/BB, he's allowed 17
hits and has a 3.43 ERA in 21 IP.

Thanks. I remembered them signing a guy from Australia, but I thought he was older and then forgot about him. SoxProspects.com has him ranked #39 right now.

I like that H/IP ratio, as well as the K/9, and the K/BB. Still a ways to go, obviously, but I would rather have out guys playing well than not.

Henry Owens is looking like a monster. Theo gave us a nice going away present with his 2011 draft of Bradley, Barnes, Owens, and Swihart in the 1st round.

 

[navamind]

Thanks. I remembered them signing a guy from Australia, but I thought he was older and then forgot about him. SoxProspects.com has him ranked #39 right now.

I like that H/IP ratio, as well as the K/9, and the K/BB. Still a ways to go, obviously, but I would rather have out guys playing well than not.

Henry Owens is looking like a monster. Theo gave us a nice going away present with his 2011 draft of Bradley, Barnes, Owens, and Swihart in the 1st round.

yup. There's a lot to be excited about regarding the 2011 draft. Mookie Betts has had a very good season between A and A+ ball. He's batting .295/.403/.479 with 75:56 BB:K and 35 stolen bases (caught only 3 times) in 116 games. To see him hitting for more power than expected is nice.