We’ll see.
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Well, as of yesterday’s release.
This makes me smile.
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Thanks for posting. I just listened to it on my morning walk.
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The BA guys in the podcast linked above talked about how they know the Astros are going to pull one or two MLB regulars out of a hat every year, but there’s no telling who it’ll be, so they just have to rank them as they normally would and accept that they’re going to miss. I appreciate their honesty about that.
As for these MLB rankings, I don’t feel strongly that any particular Astros prospect belongs in the T100, but Pipeline is by far the least informed of the major prospect ranking outlets.
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BA has the Astros 29th overall, ESPN has them 27th
Keith law with no Astros in his top 100.
Jeeves, fetch me my fainting couch.
Yes that didn’t surprise me. What continues to surprises me is the fact that teams with a long history of finishing at the bottom of the standings are below the Astros (KC & A’s)
That surprised me as well. I guess Oakland’s complete lack of spending caught up to their minor league system.
I will also say that of all the well known prospect publications, Keith Law is the guy I take the least seriously.
I find Law to be arrogant but at least he is clear on how he grades:
I tend to favor upside in prospects more than certainty, but there is value in both. A player who is all ceiling and no floor isn’t as valuable, in the trade market now or in considering his expected value in the long term, as one who has a somewhat lower ceiling but a much higher floor. I want players who might be stars, and after that I want players who might be above-average big leaguers — but I also try to keep in mind that many of these prospects won’t reach their ceilings, and to consider what other scenarios exist for their futures.
That being said - it is true, the Astros don’t have many of those players. They just keep producing better than replacement level players who plug into the right pieces that make up a solid team. That isn’t the sexy prospect Law is looking for.
From what I’ve read, there have been years of severe brain drain from Oakland’s front office, and they just haven’t brought in good new talent to fill the holes. Their drafts have been unproductive and they’ve gotten very little back when selling from the MLB roster. Disinvestment at the major league level and in the front office is a bad combo. It’s a shitshow.
The Astros “Spring Breakout” game against the Cardinals (top prospects vs. top prospects) just started. There’s a radio stream here, but I’m not sure if there’s video available. The lineup is:
Will Wagner 1B
Kenedy Corona RF
Joey Loperfido LF
Jacob Melton CF
Miguel Palma C
Brice Matthews SS
Colin Barber DH
Alberto Hernandez 2B
Zach Dezenzo 3B
Spencer Arrighetti SP
.
For those who want a closer look at the farm, Spencer Morris (@prospectspencer on twitter) has started a new YouTube channel with clips of in-game action from the most interesting guys in the system. You can check it out here:
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Law has Paul Skenes #10.
/ignorehack
PS Skenes looks more like Nolan Ryan each time I see him.
Loperfido takes the #1 spot on this week’s BA Hot Sheet. Well deserved after going 11-for-26 with 6 walks and 5 HR.
He also struck out 10 times, but who’s counting.
The strike outs are concerning, but I think he has a career SO rate <25% in the minors. If Loperfido can get back down to that level while maintaining his current pace, or something similar, watch out.
I still don’t think he’ll be an All Star caliber player in MLB. Just another guy whom the Astros drafted and developed into a useful player for the big league club. And I’d be more than happy with that outcome.
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The Astros
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Joey Gallo Loperfido
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Gallo? I thought you said “Callo”.
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