Top 100 Prospects for 2014

[Philabuster5]

If anyone is interested, I posted my top 100 list today here:

Top 100 Prospects for 2014 | The Fantasy Assembly

 

[TKOSpikes]

The Fantasy Assembly is already bookmarked for me. Great stuff.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Think TDA is going to have a solid year for us. Probably wont see Thor(Syndergaard) till mid-season.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

i never understand prospect rankings(not specifically yours)...

I have 3 problems with almost all rankings...

1. Injured players from previous year disappear on rankings... I have a hard time believing that a player who was once a top 25 is not even top 100 anymore, when all that really happened is that they might have missed the previous season

2. Rankings love the 5 tool players... The best athletes are always ranked high, thats why we see so many SS and CFs on the lists... the problem is that we forget that players that do one thing great is likely to be better...- I would generally rather have a player that does one thing great than players that do everything well(not great)...

3.Only a fantasy problem, but when there is a flood of elite prospects who all play the same position- how great is the 10 best SS even if he is a top 50 prospect... shouldnt they include position played as a factor to prospect ranking... For example there is not really many elite 1B prospects, shouldnt the best first base prospect be more valuable than the 6th best SS??

 

[Philabuster5]

Thanks for comments.
As far as #1 and #2, I could probably answer better with examples.
A guy like Giolito missed most of last year and is ranked quite high.
A guy like Bundy will miss most of 2014 and, while his ranking took a hit, he's still pretty high.
Injuries can easily ruin a guy's career, or very easily cause other prospects to develop further while they're recovering.
As far as tools I do think 5 tools are important because your defense only guys may not find a positional home. Your power only guys will get exposed by mlb pitching without a solid hitting (contact) tool.
But maybe you've got an example for me...I could very well be wrong... But 5 tool guys are the most athletic prospects.

As far as positions, I'd think the opposite.
For example, a 1B prospect for fantasy will need to be able to hit .280 30 homerun,and a .360 obp to be useful for fantasy. That's why you don't see a lot of 1B prospects ranked high. The bar is too high offensively. You also see many times a 3B prospect slide over to 1B later because of lack ability to hande 3B defensively.
A SS on the other hand if they can handle the position, can hit .280 with 10 homeuns and 20 SB and be quite useful. Presently the top SS prospects are more along the 15-25 home run and 15-25 SB levels. Pretty awesome really.
That's my view point on propsects.
The more tools the better
The better they can field and stick at a premium position the more value they'll have.

Not sure I answered all your points. happy to try to address individual cases

 

[Philabuster5]

Ha didn't mean to say "your defense only guys".
Meant it as guys who don't have the defensive tools

 

[TREFF]

Is their any weight given as to the chances of contributing this season in your listings?

That's always been my big buggaboo with prospect lists. Sure a guy is the top dog, but are we gonna see him in the next 3 years?

Was perusing the upper half of your list, I can easily see many, if not most, getting a shot.

 

[Philabuster5]

An eta might be a good column, or as was suggested to me a "fantasy relevance eta".
I forgot when making up the list.

 

[Philabuster5]

I guess to answer your question... Sorry.... some weight certainly given to proximity to majors.
Mostly it's a risk factor for me. A guy like Gausman doesn't have Gray's celing but he's in the show and in my view he's a safer bet to be a #2 than Gray is, even if Gray's stuff might be superior. Arms are risky really at any level, but we know that Gausman has already been successful.
.... If that makes sense I'm on road so trying to answer as quickly as I can

 

[Chef99]

I can't wait to see Tanaka pitch, whichever team it will be for. He better be pretty damn good for that kinda money...

 

[TREFF]

I can't wait to see Tanaka pitch, whichever team it will be for. He better be pretty damn good for that kinda money...

I'm in full wait n see mode. . Could be Irabu all over again, could be Darvish, could be anything in between, and there's always the possibility he's even better

 

[tlance]

I'm in full wait n see mode. . Could be Irabu all over again, could be Darvish, could be anything in between, and there's always the possibility he's even better

Better than Darvish? Is that possible?

 

[TREFF]

Better than Darvish? Is that possible?

Dwight Gooden's second year? maybe?

 

[Ram Tough]

How does everyone feel about Jose Abreu ? 30+ HRs? ... I read a report that scouts are worried about his bat speed..

 

[Philabuster5]

Yeah, I've read that a fair bit.
The power should play, but not without a lot of risk.
I read a piece and they showed his swing vs various pitches. There's more to like than not like in my opinion. He could hit 30 HR and I wouldn't be surprised at all.

 

[boredoutofmymind]

Who do you all take in a 4 round supplemental draft? Tanaka, Bryant, Abreu, Gray, Appel, someone else?
Rank em. and my current pick is 12 but planning to move up.

 

[TREFF]

Who do you all take in a 4 round supplemental draft? Tanaka, Bryant, Abreu, Gray, Appel, someone else?
Rank em. and my current pick is 12 but planning to move up.

You're going to eventually get more informed answers than mine here, so if their opinion differs, I'd listen to them. . But for me, Just in general, not having any info about your current roster, league setup, ect..
I'd go with Abreu, Tannaka, Bryant, Appel, Gray.

 

[tlance]

Who do you all take in a 4 round supplemental draft? Tanaka, Bryant, Abreu, Gray, Appel, someone else?
Rank em. and my current pick is 12 but planning to move up.

Are you referring to Sonny Gray? If so, I am not sure why is in the supplemental draft with these guys.

Tanaka and Abreu are both poised to make an impact at the big league level this year. There is risk with both of them, but they could both be great.

I would rank as follows:

Tanaka, Sonny Gray, Abreu, Bryant, Appel

Bryant is the best long term prospect of the bunch, so if you are rebuilding he may be the guy you want. Gray is pretty good, but he does not have Tanaka's upside. He is safer though. You can never be sure how a foreign import will adjust at the big league level.

Also, don't forget about Alexander Guerrero. He looks set to play 2B for the Dodgers and he has a lot of power from the MI. He is a good MLB ready option who might fall under the radar a little.

 

[BigDDude]

Here is MLB.com's take on this.

2014 Prospect Watch | MLB.com: News

 

[DragonfromTO]

Are you referring to Sonny Gray? If so, I am not sure why is in the supplemental draft with these guys.

Tanaka and Abreu are both poised to make an impact at the big league level this year. There is risk with both of them, but they could both be great.

I would rank as follows:

Tanaka, Sonny Gray, Abreu, Bryant, Appel

Bryant is the best long term prospect of the bunch, so if you are rebuilding he may be the guy you want. Gray is pretty good, but he does not have Tanaka's upside. He is safer though. You can never be sure how a foreign import will adjust at the big league level.

Also, don't forget about Alexander Guerrero. He looks set to play 2B for the Dodgers and he has a lot of power from the MI. He is a good MLB ready option who might fall under the radar a little.

Probably referring to Jonathan Gray