Prospects Chat: Excerpts from Baseball America Top 10 Chats

Baseball America has completed their Top 10 Prospect lists for teams in the National League East and Central and here are some excerpts from recent Top 10 chats:

Cardinals

Frank (Chicago): How many of the top 10 do you think are worthy of being on BA's top 100 list?

Derrick Goold: I wondered the same thing as I put together the list. I think both Miller and Martinez will be in the top 50, and probably much higher. Taveras deserves consideration. So, let's go with at least three. Those decisions are made above my pay grade at BA, but I bet two for sure, likely three and next year I'm betting a certain middle infielder makes the top 100.

Shelby Miller is probably a top 10 prospect in 2012, and Carlos Martinez is probably in the Top 25 or so. Oscar Taveras is the third prospect that St. Louis Post Dispatch writer Derrick Goold says will be included in the Baseball America Top 100 next year. Taveras hit .386-.444-.584 with 8 HRs, 62 RBI and 52 runs in 308 at bats at Low A Quad Cities. 

@Jaypers413 (IL): If Pujols sticks around, which OF position is Adams best suited for, and are you confident he can adapt?

Derrick Goold: The safe answer — and the one presented to me when I asked this same question not too long ago — is left field. This spring, if No. 5 is still around, Adams is going to get more reps in the outfield, and that will reveal where he is most comfortable and where his tools best fit. An aside: This perpetual interleague play that is coming to baseball in a couple years could increase the number of games that the Cardinals need a DH. Enter Adams.

A very interesting response from Goold that fantasy owners should consider for 2013 when the Astros move to the AL West. There will be interleague play all year round thus the need for more DH-type hitters in the NL. Those of you in NL-only keeper or dynasty leagues should consider this when evaluating utility hitters late in your drafts.

More excerpts after the jump:

Pirates

Frank (Chicago): How many of the top 10 would you consider worthy of being on BA's top 100 list

John Perrotto: I would say the top five, for sure: Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell, Starling Marte and Luis Heredia.

The Buccos system has definitely improved over the last few drafts. I think the team will have to wait till Cole and Taillon are ready before they can really make some noise in the NL Central.

Jacob (DC): What do you see Josh Bell's best big league seasons looking like?

John Perrotto: .275-40-115

This is why I was upset that Bell did not fall to me in the minor league draft portion of the Fake Teams Dynasty League draft.

Astros

Greg (Fullerton, CA): Springer compare to Sizemore? Will his average stay high enough to keep him playing full time as a pro?

John Manuel: Not a good comp ... RH vs. LH bat, and Sizemore's worst tool is his throwing arm, whereas Springer has a big arm. I put a comp in the writeup that I believe is a better comp. I don't think he's going to have quite this kind of power, but he has Matt Kemp upside in terms of being a power-speed CF. The difference is Kemp is bigger, so that's not a perfect comp either. Mike Cameron, who has similar size, would be a more realistic career for Springer.

Holy cow. George Springer was the Astros first round pick in the 2011 draft and has Matt Kemp upside?