2008 was a heartbreaking year for the Twins, losing the AL Central by one game. The team was led by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau who both had excellent years offensively. The rest of the team did not flash big numbers, but they were good enough to keep them in contention for the playoffs all the way to the last game of the year. The pitching staff of the Twins was very underrated and had 4 starters win at least11 games (Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, and Glen Perkins). Solid pitching combined with the excellence of Morneau and Mauer led Minnesota to their 88 - 74 record and 2nd place in the AL Central.
Projected Lineup:
C - Joe Mauer
1B - Justin Morneau
2B - Alexi Casilla
SS - Nick Punto
3B - Joe Crede
LF - Delmon Young
CF - Carlos Gomez
RF - Denard Span
DH - Jason Kubel
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Scott Baker
#2 - Francisco Liriano
#3 - Kevin Slowey
#4 - Nick Blackburn
#5 - Glen Perkins
Closer - Joe Nathan
Position Battles:
#5 Starter - Phillip Humber will challenge for a spot in the rotation this spring, but most likely he will stick to the bullpen and Perkins will be in the 5 spot.
2009 Outlook: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau should continue their outstanding play in 2009 and lead the team in offense, but they will not be alone. The Twins outfield is very young and has a lot of potential. Carlos Gomez is a speedy center fielder who will steal a lot of bases and should score a lot of runs at the top of the lineup. Delmon Young was a highly touted prospect with Tampa Bay and now he is with the Twins and we are still waiting for his big breakout, which I would not be surprised if that happened this year. He should hit for good average, steal bases, and hit for power and hopefully this is the year that it happens because this kid has a world of talent. Denard Span finally got his chance to play in 2008 and he will look to continue to build on the success that he had. Overall, the offense could be a force to reckon with next year.
The pitching could be even better in 2009 than it was in 2008. The Twins will return all their starters and if Fransisco Liriano can stay healthy, then he should make that rotation even better. The whole group is very underrated, but they get the job done by keeping the team in games. I believe each starter will improve on their win total from the previous year.
Projected Finish: 1st Place, AL Central
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
2009 Preview: Milwaukee Brewers
There was a lot of optimism in Milwaukee heading into 2008, Prince Fielder was coming off of a 50 homerun campaign, Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun had burst onto the scene and looked like future superstars, and the rest of the lineup, especially JJ Hardy and Corey Hart had surprising years. Gallardo tore his ACL in spring training, and Fielder struggled mightily over the first two months of the season, but thanks to fantastic performances by Braun, Hart, and Ben Sheets, the Brewers remained in contention. After trading for all-star CC Sabathia, the Brewers blossomed; Sabathia pitched 7 complete games and led Milwaukee to it's first playoff appearance since 1983.
Projected Lineup:
C - Jason Kendall
1B - Prince Fielder
2B - Rickie Weeks
3B - Bill Hall
SS - JJ Hardy
LF - Ryan Braun
CF - Mike Cameron
RF - Corey Hart
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Yovani Gallardo
#2 - Dave Bush
#3 - Manny Parra
#4 - Braden Looper
#5 - Jeff Suppan
Closer - Trevor Hoffman
Position Battles:
Middle Infield - Alcides Escobar is ready for the major's defensively, and should be a solid offensive producer right from the get-go. He is currently blocked by Hardy; there are rumors that either Hardy or Rickie Weeks could be traded to open up space for Escobar. If Weeks is traded, Hardy will move over to second base.
3B - After a fantastic season, Mat Gamel is now breathing down Bill Hall's neck. Gamel is not ready to play full-time and is a butcher at third base, but Hall has steadily regressed from his 30 homer campaign a few years ago, he is now a border-line player and a change of scenery could do him some good.
2009 Outlook: Milwaukee's rotation took a major hit when they lost both Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia, who are without question two of the best starting pitchers in the game today. The Brewers made no impact signings to fill their void in the rotation, as a result they will have trouble staying in games when their offense doesn't produce.
Milwaukee's lineup is certainly potent, led by Braun and Fielder, they should be one of the best in the big leagues. The additions of Escobar and Gamel will help, unfortunately it won't be enough to make up for the loss of Sheets and Sabathia.
Projected Finish: 3rd Place, NL Central
Projected Lineup:
C - Jason Kendall
1B - Prince Fielder
2B - Rickie Weeks
3B - Bill Hall
SS - JJ Hardy
LF - Ryan Braun
CF - Mike Cameron
RF - Corey Hart
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Yovani Gallardo
#2 - Dave Bush
#3 - Manny Parra
#4 - Braden Looper
#5 - Jeff Suppan
Closer - Trevor Hoffman
Position Battles:
Middle Infield - Alcides Escobar is ready for the major's defensively, and should be a solid offensive producer right from the get-go. He is currently blocked by Hardy; there are rumors that either Hardy or Rickie Weeks could be traded to open up space for Escobar. If Weeks is traded, Hardy will move over to second base.
3B - After a fantastic season, Mat Gamel is now breathing down Bill Hall's neck. Gamel is not ready to play full-time and is a butcher at third base, but Hall has steadily regressed from his 30 homer campaign a few years ago, he is now a border-line player and a change of scenery could do him some good.
2009 Outlook: Milwaukee's rotation took a major hit when they lost both Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia, who are without question two of the best starting pitchers in the game today. The Brewers made no impact signings to fill their void in the rotation, as a result they will have trouble staying in games when their offense doesn't produce.
Milwaukee's lineup is certainly potent, led by Braun and Fielder, they should be one of the best in the big leagues. The additions of Escobar and Gamel will help, unfortunately it won't be enough to make up for the loss of Sheets and Sabathia.
Projected Finish: 3rd Place, NL Central
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
2009 Preview: Chicago White Sox
The 2008 season was a very good one for the Chicago White Sox. They won the division and had a couple of players really break out throughout the season in Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez. Carlos Quentin was having a monster year and was in the AL MVP talk, until he went down with an injury late in the year. Alexei Ramirez was in contention for the AL Rookie of the Year last year with his play at second base and with his amazing bat. Also, the pitching staff stepped it up last year and players like Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle, and John Danks really pitched well for the White Sox. The underrated pitching staff and the break outs of Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez fueled Chicago to an 89 - 74 record and the AL Central title.
Projected Lineup:
C - A.J. Pierzynski
1B - Paul Konerko
2B - Chris Getz
SS - Alexei Ramirez
3B - Dayan Viciedo
LF - Carlos Quentin
CF - Brian Anderson
RF - Jermaine Dye
DH - Jim Thome
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Mark Buehrle
#2 - John Danks
#3 - Gavin Floyd
#4 - Clayton Richard
#5 - Bartolo Colon
Closer - Bobby Jenks
Position Battles:
2B - Right now it looks as though the job is going to go to Gentz, but Brent Lillibridge or Jayson Nix have a chance to win the position in spring training.
3B - Dayan Viciedo is a Cuban rookie trying to make the team at the age of 20 and he is good enough to actually do that. Josh Fields and Brent Lillibridge could take the spot if Chicago feels that Viciedo needs some time in the minors first, but do not expect that to be long.
#5 Starter - If Bartolo Colon is not fully healed from his surgery the obviously he will not be in the #5 spot, but Lance Broadway or Jose Contreras could fill that spot.
2009 Outlook: This team will be very good on offense. Carlos Quentin should have another really good year, Alexei Ramirez should continue to get better and establish himself as one of the best middle infielders in the game, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye should continue to produce power. Dayan Viciedo can provide a spark for the offense and add more power to the already powerful lineup, which might not be right away, but at some point in the season it will happen.
Age and the pitching staff are the the weaknesses of this team. Thome, Dye, Pierzynski, Dye, Colon, and Contreras are 30+ years old and so that could start to be a problem for the team. Also, the pitching staff could hurt Chicago because Contreras, Colon, Broadway, and Clayton Richard are not the most reliable pitchers right now and they really need to pitch well for this team to make the playoffs this year.
I think that the race for first in the AL Central will be a very close battle, but I do not know if the White Sox have it in them again this year. It will be tight at the end though, I believe that.
Projected Finish: 2nd Place, AL Central
Projected Lineup:
C - A.J. Pierzynski
1B - Paul Konerko
2B - Chris Getz
SS - Alexei Ramirez
3B - Dayan Viciedo
LF - Carlos Quentin
CF - Brian Anderson
RF - Jermaine Dye
DH - Jim Thome
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Mark Buehrle
#2 - John Danks
#3 - Gavin Floyd
#4 - Clayton Richard
#5 - Bartolo Colon
Closer - Bobby Jenks
Position Battles:
2B - Right now it looks as though the job is going to go to Gentz, but Brent Lillibridge or Jayson Nix have a chance to win the position in spring training.
3B - Dayan Viciedo is a Cuban rookie trying to make the team at the age of 20 and he is good enough to actually do that. Josh Fields and Brent Lillibridge could take the spot if Chicago feels that Viciedo needs some time in the minors first, but do not expect that to be long.
#5 Starter - If Bartolo Colon is not fully healed from his surgery the obviously he will not be in the #5 spot, but Lance Broadway or Jose Contreras could fill that spot.
2009 Outlook: This team will be very good on offense. Carlos Quentin should have another really good year, Alexei Ramirez should continue to get better and establish himself as one of the best middle infielders in the game, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye should continue to produce power. Dayan Viciedo can provide a spark for the offense and add more power to the already powerful lineup, which might not be right away, but at some point in the season it will happen.
Age and the pitching staff are the the weaknesses of this team. Thome, Dye, Pierzynski, Dye, Colon, and Contreras are 30+ years old and so that could start to be a problem for the team. Also, the pitching staff could hurt Chicago because Contreras, Colon, Broadway, and Clayton Richard are not the most reliable pitchers right now and they really need to pitch well for this team to make the playoffs this year.
I think that the race for first in the AL Central will be a very close battle, but I do not know if the White Sox have it in them again this year. It will be tight at the end though, I believe that.
Projected Finish: 2nd Place, AL Central
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009 Preview: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds had a lot to be excited about entering the 2008 season, they had the top minor league prospect in Jay Bruce, and 3 others with all-star potential in Joey Votto, Homer Bailey and Johnny Ceuto. Their Ace, Aaron Harang was coming off a career year and they had brought in Dusty Baker during the off-season to help lead the team back to the play-offs. What followed was a bit of a dissapointment, Bruce and Bailey started back in the minors, Harang couldn't find the strikezone, and Baker conflicted with management over how to handle the team's young players. On the bright side, Edison Volquez became a dominant force in the NL and should stay that way for a long time.
Projected Lineup:
C - Ramon Hernandez
1B - Joey Votto
2B - Brandon Phillips
SS - Alex Gonzalez
3B - Edwin Encarnacion
LF - Chris Dickerson
CF - Willy Taveras
RF - Jay Bruce
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Edison Volquez
#2 - Aaron Harang
#3 - Bronson Arroyo
#4 - Johnny Cueto
#5 - Micah Owings
Closer - Francisco Cordero
Position Battles:
SS - Alex Gonzalez was the starter until he missed all of 2008 with a compression fracture in his knee. If he has setbacks or struggles, both Jeff Keppinger and Jerry Hairston could see playing time.
#5 Starter - Micah Owings is the front-runner for the position, but strong play out of Homer Bailey could send Owings to a relief role or the minor leagues. Bailey, once a top prospect, has struggled over the last two years, but has shown improved velocity and control-- he may be poised for a breakout.
2009 Outlook: The Reds have built a promising young lineup anchored by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce. They will have no problem scoring runs, and Veteran Ramon Hernandez will give them a viable catching option for the first time in a few years.
Cincinnati's rotation had a bit of a roller coaster ride in 2008, they saw the emergence of Edison Volquez as one of the NL's top pitchers, but Aaron Harang regressed badly; Johnny Ceuto was inconsistent all season and should straighten out now that he has a year of experience under his belt. Their bullpen is a different story, outside of Francisco Cordero the Reds don't have a solid relief pitcher. A bullpen anchored by David Weathers won't get you very far these days.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, NL Central
Projected Lineup:
C - Ramon Hernandez
1B - Joey Votto
2B - Brandon Phillips
SS - Alex Gonzalez
3B - Edwin Encarnacion
LF - Chris Dickerson
CF - Willy Taveras
RF - Jay Bruce
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Edison Volquez
#2 - Aaron Harang
#3 - Bronson Arroyo
#4 - Johnny Cueto
#5 - Micah Owings
Closer - Francisco Cordero
Position Battles:
SS - Alex Gonzalez was the starter until he missed all of 2008 with a compression fracture in his knee. If he has setbacks or struggles, both Jeff Keppinger and Jerry Hairston could see playing time.
#5 Starter - Micah Owings is the front-runner for the position, but strong play out of Homer Bailey could send Owings to a relief role or the minor leagues. Bailey, once a top prospect, has struggled over the last two years, but has shown improved velocity and control-- he may be poised for a breakout.
2009 Outlook: The Reds have built a promising young lineup anchored by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce. They will have no problem scoring runs, and Veteran Ramon Hernandez will give them a viable catching option for the first time in a few years.
Cincinnati's rotation had a bit of a roller coaster ride in 2008, they saw the emergence of Edison Volquez as one of the NL's top pitchers, but Aaron Harang regressed badly; Johnny Ceuto was inconsistent all season and should straighten out now that he has a year of experience under his belt. Their bullpen is a different story, outside of Francisco Cordero the Reds don't have a solid relief pitcher. A bullpen anchored by David Weathers won't get you very far these days.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, NL Central
Sunday, March 8, 2009
2009 Preview: Cleveland Indians
In 2008 injuries plagued the Cleveland Indians. Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner, who are a huge part of the Cleveland offense, had awful years and ended up being sidelined for the rest of the year due to injuries. Also, Fausto Carmona's season was thrown off by a hip injury that really affected his pitching. Even though those three did not have the best years, they were saved by Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore who had fantastic seasons and were the real keys to the Indians going 81 - 81 last year (when it could have been a lot worst).
Projected Lineup:
C - Victor Martinez
1B - Ryan Garko
2B - Asdrubal Cabrera
SS - Jhonny Peralta
3B - Mark DeRosa
LF - Ben Francisco
CF - Grady Sizemore
RF - Shin-Soo Choo
DH - Travis Hafner
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Cliff Lee#2 - Fausto Carmona
#3 - Carl Pavano#4 - Jeremy Sowers
#5 - Anthony ReyesPosition Battles:
C - Victor Martinez was not completely healthy last year, so if that is the case again then Kelly Shoppach will take his place. Also, due to what happened last year with Martinez's health, the Indians will give him less starts at the catcher position and give him some random starts at DH and 1B to try and keep him as healthy as possible. So Kelly Shoppach will get more starts at catcher than a normal back-up catcher would.
#3-#5 Starters - Jeremy Sowers did not have a good year last year, so he is on thin ice this coming season. The fact he is a left-handed pitcher helps him because the rest of the rotation is righties, but he really needs to step it up if he wants to keep his spot in the rotation. Also, Anthony Reyes was not able to finish the season last year due to injury, so that is something to watch out for this year.
2009 Outlook: The Cleveland Indians went 81 - 81 with many injuries to their team, so if they can stay healthy in 2009 the team will be much improved. Sizemore will be the anchor of the offense once again and should put up incredible numbers, while Cliff Lee will lead the pitching staff. If Fausto Carmona can stay healthy, then he will make a good number 2 starter and really help that staff because if the team has one weakness, it is the bottom of the rotation. Also, if Kerry Wood can stay healthy and be the closer all year, then that pick up in the off-season would end up being very beneficial, because Kerry Wood has shown he can be a very good closer. I think this team has the players to be an above .500 team, but I think they are just missing a couple pieces to be a sure playoff team.
Predicted Finish: 3rd Place, AL Central
#3-#5 Starters - Jeremy Sowers did not have a good year last year, so he is on thin ice this coming season. The fact he is a left-handed pitcher helps him because the rest of the rotation is righties, but he really needs to step it up if he wants to keep his spot in the rotation. Also, Anthony Reyes was not able to finish the season last year due to injury, so that is something to watch out for this year.
2009 Outlook: The Cleveland Indians went 81 - 81 with many injuries to their team, so if they can stay healthy in 2009 the team will be much improved. Sizemore will be the anchor of the offense once again and should put up incredible numbers, while Cliff Lee will lead the pitching staff. If Fausto Carmona can stay healthy, then he will make a good number 2 starter and really help that staff because if the team has one weakness, it is the bottom of the rotation. Also, if Kerry Wood can stay healthy and be the closer all year, then that pick up in the off-season would end up being very beneficial, because Kerry Wood has shown he can be a very good closer. I think this team has the players to be an above .500 team, but I think they are just missing a couple pieces to be a sure playoff team.
Predicted Finish: 3rd Place, AL Central
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Top 100 Prospects: 9-1
#9 Trevor Cahill, P, OAK - The 20 year old really blossomed in 2008, going 11-5 with a 2.61 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 134 innings. Cahill is special because he mixes strikeouts with a ridiculous 60% groundball rate; this means that he gives up very few hard hit balls. He has a mid-90's 4-seam fastball and a sinking 2-seam fastball that sits around 90 mph; he couples his fastballs with a hard curveball that rates as a plus pitch. Cahill and Brett Anderson could both get shots are Oakland's rotation in 2009, look for him by mid-season.
#8 Rick Porcello. P, DET - Only he and Tim Alderson of the Giants pitched in A+ after being drafted out of high school in 2007. The 19 year old profiled as a strikeout pitcher but caused some concern when only posted a 5.2 K/9 rate. It turns out Porcello totally changed his approach; instead of striking batters out, he began throwing more 2-seam fastballs, which lead to a whopping 65% groundball rate. Make no mistake, Porcello still has a mid-90's fastball and a sharp slider, those should help him rack up more strikeouts as he develops. There is talk that Porcello could win a rotation spot with Detriot this year, that would be a mistake, he will most likely split 2009 between AA and AAA which will put him in excellent position to win a 2010 rotation spot.
#7 Dayan Viciedo, 3B, CHW - After defecting from Cuba and receiving Dominican citizenship in 2007, Viciedo signed with the White Sox in December of 2008. Chicago has said that the 19 year old will get a chance to compete for the big-league third base job in spring training. Viciedo should hit for both power and average, with good plate discipline; he came to America weighing about 260 pounds so he will have to slim down if he truly wants to win the White Sox third base job. The bottom line is 19 year olds who can hit for both power and average while competing for a major league job are few and far between, he should reach Chicago by mid-season at the latest.
#6 Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC - Unfortunately his shortstop days are over, but his bat is good enough to play anywhere on the diamond. In 2008, the 20 year old compiled a line of .272/.337/.468 with 22 homeruns in 496 A- at-bats. While his batting average is not overly impressive, Moustakas got off to a poor start batting around .200 over the first month of the season. When he reaches the big-leagues Moustakas should hit 30 homeruns annually with an average of at least .280 and solid plate discipline. He will probably split 2009 between A+ and AA, look for him in Kansas City by late-2010.
#5 Colby Rasmus, OF, STL - The 22 year old was expected to get some at-bats with St. Louis last year after a hot spring, but the Cardinals decided to send him to AAA for the first part of 2008. Rasmus struggled mightily for the first two months of the season, hitting just over .200; he rebounded with a great June but hurt his knee in July and missed the rest of the season. Overall, Rasmus compiled a line of .251/.345/.396 with 11 homers and 15 stolen bases in 331 at-bats. Rasmus once again showed solid plate discipline, walking 49 times and striking out 72 times. Ultimately, Rasmus' dreadful 2008 should not be cause for concern, every once in awhile someone has a bad year; he will once again compete for an everyday job in spring training, and should be up by mid-season at the latest.
#4 Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT - Drafted 3rd overall in 2008, Alvarez was at the center of a signing debacle, and thus did not get a chance to play pro ball last year. The former Vanderbilt standout has drawn some comparisons to Albert Pujols in his hitting approach and should hit for both power and average once he gets to the majors. Alvarez will probably need the first few months to get the rust off, as he hasn't played any baseball since last May, but once he does the results should be outstanding. He will probably start 2009 in A+, but he has a chance to move quickly once he gets his polish back; a September call-up in not out of the question.
#3 Travis Snider, OF, TOR - After a solid introductory performance to pro baseball in 2007, Snider flew though A+, AA, and AAA to earn a September call-up with the Blue Jays in 2008. in 484 minor league at-bats, Snider compiled a line of .275/.358/.481 with23 homeruns and 91 RBI. The 21 year old's plate discipline is definitely below average as he struck out 153 times last year and walked only 61 times. Snider has big time power and should be able to hit at least .270--even with poor plate discipline. Right now he is penciled in to be Toronto's starting left fielder, he will probably struggle to make consistent contact in 2009, but should be an all-star down the road.
#2 David Price, P, TB - The #1 selection in the 2007 draft wasted little time in 2008, he breezed through 3 minor league levels and on to a call-up with Tampa, where he got a chance to pitch in the playoffs. During his minor league stint, the 22 year old posted a 2.30 ERA and struck out 109 batters in as many innings (split between A+, AA, and AAA). Price, a 6'6" lefty has a mid 90's fastball, plus slider, and solid change up which he can throw for strikes. He should be Tampa's #4 or #5 starter in 2009 as his minor league days are over.
#1 Matt Wieters, C, BAL - It's not that Wieters is clearly ahead of Price as the #1 prospect--they're both very special talents, its that switch hitting catchers who profile to hit .300 with 30 homeruns, and can play solid defense don't come along that often. Weiters demolished A+ and AA in 2008 compiling a line of .355/.454/.600 with 27 homeruns and 91 RBI in 437 at-bats. It gets better, He walked 82 times while striking out 76 times, and he should be Baltimore's catcher by opening day. Wieters has the potential to end up in the hall of fame one day.
That wraps up our top 100 prospects for 2009, tomorrow we will have a link to our top 100 spreadsheet, thanks for reading.
#8 Rick Porcello. P, DET - Only he and Tim Alderson of the Giants pitched in A+ after being drafted out of high school in 2007. The 19 year old profiled as a strikeout pitcher but caused some concern when only posted a 5.2 K/9 rate. It turns out Porcello totally changed his approach; instead of striking batters out, he began throwing more 2-seam fastballs, which lead to a whopping 65% groundball rate. Make no mistake, Porcello still has a mid-90's fastball and a sharp slider, those should help him rack up more strikeouts as he develops. There is talk that Porcello could win a rotation spot with Detriot this year, that would be a mistake, he will most likely split 2009 between AA and AAA which will put him in excellent position to win a 2010 rotation spot.
#7 Dayan Viciedo, 3B, CHW - After defecting from Cuba and receiving Dominican citizenship in 2007, Viciedo signed with the White Sox in December of 2008. Chicago has said that the 19 year old will get a chance to compete for the big-league third base job in spring training. Viciedo should hit for both power and average, with good plate discipline; he came to America weighing about 260 pounds so he will have to slim down if he truly wants to win the White Sox third base job. The bottom line is 19 year olds who can hit for both power and average while competing for a major league job are few and far between, he should reach Chicago by mid-season at the latest.
#6 Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC - Unfortunately his shortstop days are over, but his bat is good enough to play anywhere on the diamond. In 2008, the 20 year old compiled a line of .272/.337/.468 with 22 homeruns in 496 A- at-bats. While his batting average is not overly impressive, Moustakas got off to a poor start batting around .200 over the first month of the season. When he reaches the big-leagues Moustakas should hit 30 homeruns annually with an average of at least .280 and solid plate discipline. He will probably split 2009 between A+ and AA, look for him in Kansas City by late-2010.
#5 Colby Rasmus, OF, STL - The 22 year old was expected to get some at-bats with St. Louis last year after a hot spring, but the Cardinals decided to send him to AAA for the first part of 2008. Rasmus struggled mightily for the first two months of the season, hitting just over .200; he rebounded with a great June but hurt his knee in July and missed the rest of the season. Overall, Rasmus compiled a line of .251/.345/.396 with 11 homers and 15 stolen bases in 331 at-bats. Rasmus once again showed solid plate discipline, walking 49 times and striking out 72 times. Ultimately, Rasmus' dreadful 2008 should not be cause for concern, every once in awhile someone has a bad year; he will once again compete for an everyday job in spring training, and should be up by mid-season at the latest.
#4 Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT - Drafted 3rd overall in 2008, Alvarez was at the center of a signing debacle, and thus did not get a chance to play pro ball last year. The former Vanderbilt standout has drawn some comparisons to Albert Pujols in his hitting approach and should hit for both power and average once he gets to the majors. Alvarez will probably need the first few months to get the rust off, as he hasn't played any baseball since last May, but once he does the results should be outstanding. He will probably start 2009 in A+, but he has a chance to move quickly once he gets his polish back; a September call-up in not out of the question.
#3 Travis Snider, OF, TOR - After a solid introductory performance to pro baseball in 2007, Snider flew though A+, AA, and AAA to earn a September call-up with the Blue Jays in 2008. in 484 minor league at-bats, Snider compiled a line of .275/.358/.481 with23 homeruns and 91 RBI. The 21 year old's plate discipline is definitely below average as he struck out 153 times last year and walked only 61 times. Snider has big time power and should be able to hit at least .270--even with poor plate discipline. Right now he is penciled in to be Toronto's starting left fielder, he will probably struggle to make consistent contact in 2009, but should be an all-star down the road.
#2 David Price, P, TB - The #1 selection in the 2007 draft wasted little time in 2008, he breezed through 3 minor league levels and on to a call-up with Tampa, where he got a chance to pitch in the playoffs. During his minor league stint, the 22 year old posted a 2.30 ERA and struck out 109 batters in as many innings (split between A+, AA, and AAA). Price, a 6'6" lefty has a mid 90's fastball, plus slider, and solid change up which he can throw for strikes. He should be Tampa's #4 or #5 starter in 2009 as his minor league days are over.
#1 Matt Wieters, C, BAL - It's not that Wieters is clearly ahead of Price as the #1 prospect--they're both very special talents, its that switch hitting catchers who profile to hit .300 with 30 homeruns, and can play solid defense don't come along that often. Weiters demolished A+ and AA in 2008 compiling a line of .355/.454/.600 with 27 homeruns and 91 RBI in 437 at-bats. It gets better, He walked 82 times while striking out 76 times, and he should be Baltimore's catcher by opening day. Wieters has the potential to end up in the hall of fame one day.
That wraps up our top 100 prospects for 2009, tomorrow we will have a link to our top 100 spreadsheet, thanks for reading.
2009 Preview: Houston Astros
After a mediocre start to their season, the Astros traded aggressively at the deadline, adding Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins which was apparently enough to boost them into contention. Unfortunately, the late-season push was not enough as they finished just 3.5 games out of the wild card spot with a record of 86-75.
Projected Lineup:
C - J.R. Towles
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Kaz Matsui
SS - Miguel Tejeda
3B - Geoff Blum
LF - Carlos Lee
CF - Michael Bourn
RF - Hunter Pence
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Roy Oswalt
#2 - Wandy Rodriguez
#3 - Brandon Backe
#4 - Mike Hampton
#5 - Brian Moehler
Closer - Jose Valverde
Position Battles:
#5 Starter - Moehler and Russ Ortiz will fight for a rotation spot in spring training; the best of the two will get the first crack at the #5 job, but it's likely that both will get a fair amount of starts.
2009 Outlook: Owner Drayton McClane's "win now" mentality has completely drained Houston's farm system, and it looks like that will finally catch up with them as their #3-5 pitchers are either injury prone or AAA material. Roy Oswalt successfully reinvented himself last year, transitioning from a strikeout pitcher to a groundball pitcher as he can no longer blow fastballs by hitters the way he did 5 years ago. Wandy Rodriguez improved dramatically, but sat out the first half of 2008 with a groin injury, he and Oswalt should prove to be an effective 1-2 combo.
Carlos Lee was on pace for career numbers before injuries got the best of him; he, Lance Berkman, and Hunter Pence will give the Astros a strong heart of the lineup. If Michael Bourn can improve from his abysmal 2008, and J.R. Towles can handle the load at catcher, Houston will have one of the more potent lineups in the National League--too bad their pitching will struggle to keep them in games.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, NL Central
Projected Lineup:
C - J.R. Towles
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Kaz Matsui
SS - Miguel Tejeda
3B - Geoff Blum
LF - Carlos Lee
CF - Michael Bourn
RF - Hunter Pence
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Roy Oswalt
#2 - Wandy Rodriguez
#3 - Brandon Backe
#4 - Mike Hampton
#5 - Brian Moehler
Closer - Jose Valverde
Position Battles:
#5 Starter - Moehler and Russ Ortiz will fight for a rotation spot in spring training; the best of the two will get the first crack at the #5 job, but it's likely that both will get a fair amount of starts.
2009 Outlook: Owner Drayton McClane's "win now" mentality has completely drained Houston's farm system, and it looks like that will finally catch up with them as their #3-5 pitchers are either injury prone or AAA material. Roy Oswalt successfully reinvented himself last year, transitioning from a strikeout pitcher to a groundball pitcher as he can no longer blow fastballs by hitters the way he did 5 years ago. Wandy Rodriguez improved dramatically, but sat out the first half of 2008 with a groin injury, he and Oswalt should prove to be an effective 1-2 combo.
Carlos Lee was on pace for career numbers before injuries got the best of him; he, Lance Berkman, and Hunter Pence will give the Astros a strong heart of the lineup. If Michael Bourn can improve from his abysmal 2008, and J.R. Towles can handle the load at catcher, Houston will have one of the more potent lineups in the National League--too bad their pitching will struggle to keep them in games.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, NL Central
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