Baseball America is out with their list. Jacob Melton is #1. Anyone have a subscription to flesh out the list?
- Melton
- Baez
- Arrighetti
- Matthews
- Dezenzo
- Loperfido
- Cole
- Tredwell
- Corona
- Taylor
Quite a range of opinion on Melton (BA #1, BP #5), Dezenzo (BA #5, BP #1), and Wagner (BA NR, BP #3) in the public lists so far.
Where do those three fit in the Top 100 lists (for all of MLB)? Thatās always good for a chuckle.
Outside is where they fit. But somehow, the Astros keep putting rookies on the rookie of the year top 5 (9 of the last 10 years). Just maybe the folks in the Astros front office know something the list makers donāt know about player development.
14 - McHugh 4th & Springer 8th
15 - Correa 1st
16 - Devo 4th
17 - Yuli 4th
18 --------
19 - Yordan 1st
20 C. Javier 3rd
21 Carcia 2nd
22 Pena 5th
23 Diaz 5th
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BP had Dezenzo in their midseason top 50, I think.
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I wonder where Gilbert and Clifford wound up on the Metsā list.
ETA: Checked - Gilbert 3, Clifford 5.
Was listening to a podcast with Kalas and Dana Brown. When asked about two players to watch for ROY next season Brown threw out Melton and Arrighetti. Then Brown proceeded to go on and onā¦gushing about Melton. When asked if he was asked to part with him in the Verlander dealā¦and then asked if that was a player he chose not to giveā¦he was noncommittal but said every team starts with asking for Melton in trade talks. He said there isnāt anything that he canāt do on a baseball field and has a chance to be a very special player.
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Not a top prospect list, but an interesting analysis of MiLB OFers. Links to other positions.
BA and BP have posted their top 100s. One Astro on each. BA has Melton at #88 and BP has Dezenzo at #40.
Must be quite different methodologies.
Watching Dezenzo move through the system reminds me of Altuve ā not in the sense of similarity of approach, but rather in that he seems to exceed expectations at every level.
Melton is more of a traditional high-ceiling prospect.
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BA says the plan is for Dezenzo to play mostly OF with some 1b/3b thrown in. Not sure I had seen the OF plan for him.
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Did BA provide any reason/speculation why the thinking on Dezenzo is to get more OF reps?
I am wondering if it indicates they are confident in extending Bregman.
To me it speaks more to the organizational philosophy of positional versatility.
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[quote=āMusicMan, post:11, topic:2404, full:trueā]
BA says the plan is for Dezenzo to play mostly OF with some 1b/3b thrown in. Not sure I had seen the OF plan for him.
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I hope extending Bregman is a priority, but if not Dezenzo is really the only guy in the system who looks like he could replace him by 2025.
If heās playing mostly OF that throws a monkey wrench in my assumptions of the current position player roles at the highest levels.
He played 2/3 of the season at AA and was 14% better than league average with the bat despite being 1.3 yrs younger than league average.
It feels like he spends most if not all of 2024 in AAA.
Ross Adolph, Colin Barber, Jordan Brewer, Kenedy Corona, Zack Daniels, Justin Dirden, Quincy Hamilton, Corey Julks, Pedro Leon, and Joey Loperfido are all OF who will be looking for playing time and should spend time in Sugar Land this season.
It seems to me keeping him at 3B/1B and getting him as many reps as possible is the path to success. Especially since he was a SS in college and these are all newer pisitions to him.
But Iām just a fan. They know more than I ever will.
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If Will Wagner can stick at 3B (TBD) heās also in that conversation. Dude just keeps hitting and heās already in AAA.
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I have never seen Wagner play, so all my info is 2nd and 3rd hand, but from what I have read he lacks the arm and lateral quickness to be a plus fielder at 3B and looks to have 15-20 HR power more than true 30+ HR power (and as a lefty he doesnāt have the Crawford boxes to pull into) which would justify him starting despite these deficiencies
Overall, what I have read is Wagner projects to be Jack Mayfield with a better hit tool and less defensive versatility- a valuable guy to have but more bench player than starter.
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That certainly tracks with what Iāve read. Most folks seem to think heās a useful player to have, but not an everyday starter.
Good podcast from BA today on the Astros system, including an interesting discussion on the Astrosā own evaluations of Melton vs Gilbert before the Verlander trade. A little on Luis Baez, Zach Dezenzo, Forrest Whitley, Alimber Santa, and Jake Bloss too.
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Thanks!! Queued up for the drive home from the winery.
No Astros on the MLB top 100