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We've seen nearly a week's worth of Spring Training games, and while some players have looked great (Darvish, Starling Marte among others), and some (like Gerrit Cole) have already been sent to minor league camp, it's still just a week's worth. Just a reminder that the numbers don't always translate so well.... With that, here's this week's minor league links.
Fake Teams
Minor League Keeper Thoughts: Arizona Diamondbacks - Fake Teams
I took a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league system, most notably the top 3 pitching prospects in their system.
Minor League Keeper Thoughts: Boston Red Sox - Fake Teams
I took a look at some of the prospects in the Boston Red Sox organization who could help fantasy and dynasty league owners.
Going Deep: Prospect Comparison - Matt Szczur vs. Robbie Grossman - Fake Teams
Craig Goldstein takes a look at a pair of outfield prospects in Cubs' OF Matt Szczur and Pirates' OF Robbie Grossman.
Minor League Ball
John Sickels and Matt Garrioch recently completed their first amateur mock draft of the season, with Matt selecting Kevin Gausman of LSU with the #1 overall pick. This draft was completed prior to the news of Lucas GIolito's injury, and John talked about the implications of that later in the week.
John also ran three discussions this week, asking whether Bryce Harper should be on the Opening Day roster, asking which lefty prospect you would want to start Game 7, and a prospect comparison between arguably the top 2 right handed pitching prospects in the game right now. He also wrote up 4 prospects he thinks could be breakout candidates in 2012.
Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Prospectus | Ten Prospects on the Bubble, Part Two ($)
Profiling five more former top prospects, this time from the NL, who have to make a move this season or risk being labeled busts.
Baseball Prospectus | Future Shock: Rangers Top 11 Prospects
"Profar can do a little bit of everything. He's an above-average hitter with bat speed and strong wrists and projects to hit 15-20 home runs annually. His approach and understanding of the strike zone is mature, and he's a tick above-average runner who can steal some bases. Defensively, his range, hands, and arm are all above average. His makeup, instincts and baseball intelligence are off the charts."
Baseball Prospectus | Future Shock: Yankees Top 11 Prospects
"Sanchez has special power that he's already tapping into as a teenager. He works the count well and looks for pitches to drive, and knows how to crush mistakes. He has well above-average arm strength."
Baseball Prospectus | Future Shock: Phillies Top 11 Prospects
"May brings three average or better pitches to the table. His low 90s fastball can touch 95 mph and features horizontal movement. His best secondary pitch is a classic over-the-top slow curveball with late, heavy break, and he's refined his changeup to a solid-average offering. He honed his delivery and command, and is built to eat up innings."
Seedlings to Stars
Nathaniel Stoltz released his team prospect list for the Washington Nationals, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Texas Rangers.
Wally Fish continues his look at six different top 100 prospect lists, this time breaking down the teams in the AL West and the teams in the AL East.
Baseball Instinct
The guys over at Baseball Instinct took a look at Mason Williams of the Yankees, Keyvius Sampson of the Padres, as well as Rymer Liriano of the Padres. They also took a look at Archie Bradley and Joc Pederson of the Dodgers.
Fangraphs
MLB Draft: High School Bats To Watch | FanGraphs Baseball
"Buxton continues to draw lofty comparisons to both Justin and B.J. Upton. While it is always difficult for such a young player to be saddled with such high expectations, the outfielder possesses the similar potential to develop five above-average tools across the board."
Top 15 Prospects: St. Louis Cardinals | FanGraphs Baseball
"Although he stands just 5’9", Wong generates good gap power from above-average bat speed and a strong base. He projects to hit for average because he uses the whole field and has a strong eye at the plate."
Top 15 Prospects: Houston Astros | FanGraphs Baseball
"Springer offered one of the highest ceilings in the 2011 draft, even in comparing him to the top prep players, but he’s also more raw than most top college picks. He is the epitome of the high-risk, high-reward player – and that’s exactly the type of prospect that an organization like Houston, nearly devoid of high-ceiling talent, needs to take."
Ranking the 30 Minor League Systems | FanGraphs Baseball
Marc Hulet finished up his minor league rankings with a list ranking the overall systems themselves. Not a ton of surprises here with the Padres, Blue Jays, and Rays as his top 3.
Jason Catania finished up his top 100 fantasy prospect rankings for the season, with Matt Moore at #1 overall on his top 20.
Other Sites:
MLB Dirt released their top 16 prospect lists for the Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals
Fantasy Baseball 365 released their top 5 prospects for fantasy in the Rockies' system.
The Fake Baseball takes a look at some prospects in the AL Central who could help fantasy owners in 2012.