The Major League Baseball Off-Season Post Vol. 24 days until Opening Day 2009

[osh kosh bosh]

I can use 2007 stats when he played RF all year the year where Alex Rios recorded a 13.2 UZR and Markakias had a -0.6. Rios was also top 10 in Bill James plusminus ratings and Markakias was not listed.

No matter witch way you break it down Alex still rates out as a better right fielder than Nick who according to the stats wasn't even that good until thisyear.
Now only if he was even close to Nick with the bat.

 

[wildkycat]

Jonny Gomes?

jesus.

 

[tylerdub]

Lets hope the Cubs can get Peavy. I think they are getting ready to go for him alone.

Zambrano
Peavy
Harden
Dempster
Lilly

Wow!
That is a rotation that can get it done. There isnt a single let down guy in there.

Only 22 days until some of the sweetest words a baseball fan can hear will be uttered.
Pitchers and Catchers report.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by tylerdub

Lets hope the Cubs can get Peavy. I think they are getting ready to go for him alone.

Zambrano
Peavy
Harden
Dempster
Lilly

Wow!
That is a rotation that can get it done. There isnt a single let down guy in there.

Only 22 days until some of the sweetest words a baseball fan can hear will be uttered.
Pitchers and Catchers report.

While that 5 looks great on paper, look at the questions.

Z-how long can his arm hold up?
Peavy-same
Harden-same
Dempster-can he repeat 200 + innings again?
Lilly-is about the only one without any arm trouble and he would do well facing other teams' #5 starters most nights.

If they all stay healthy, sure they would be a great quintet, and we could probably afford to lose one for a month here, a month there to lessen the wear andtear, but can they ALL be healthy in October? I dunno. But at this point, I say we might as well put all our chips on the table and get Peavy. They want totry and end this ridiculous drought, then go all in, not 90 percent and fail again.

 

[DownByLaw]

Originally Posted by tylerdub

Zambrano
Peavy
Harden
Dempster
Lilly

Wow!
That is a rotation that can get it done. There isnt a single let down guy in there.

The optimism is already starting to build

. Don'tworry tylerdub, we will all have our rescue nets ready to go.

 

[CP1708]

I fully expect Stringer within the hour. Ya'll see a couple of Cub fans in here and it's like a moth to a flame.

 

[wildkycat]

 

[red is on nt]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

 

[briannnnn]

^^^ lol

I heard Jeff Kent announced his retirement...

 

[N41D]

The Rangers can't catch a break with pitchers...

Just when they develop their own pitcher, one that they actually feel has the potential to help anchor a rotation in Arlington, and actually keep him,something goes wrong...

Eric Hurley done for the year with a torn rotator cuff...

Bright side, maybe this pushes them to sign Ben Sheets to fill that rotation spot...

 

[CP1708]

I got a question.

Ok, so players get these huge deals whenever they are free agents........then why do these younger guys who are proven as hell (as in Papelbon) get only SIXMILLION dollar deals for 1 year and such?

Didn't Albert after his 3rd year or maybe his second, sign a 900,000 dollar deal or something close to that?

What is the deal with these little contracts for younger guys?

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by CP1708

I got a question.

Ok, so players get these huge deals whenever they are free agents........then why do these younger guys who are proven as hell (as in Papelbon) get only SIX MILLION dollar deals for 1 year and such?

Didn't Albert after his 3rd year or maybe his second, sign a 900,000 dollar deal or something close to that?

What is the deal with these little contracts for younger guys?

The Boston Red Sox signed closer Jonathan Papelbon to a one-year contract worth $6.25 million Tuesday, the largest deal in history for a closer who was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Originally Posted by CP1708

I got a question.

Ok, so players get these huge deals whenever they are free agents........then why do these younger guys who are proven as hell (as in Papelbon) get only SIX MILLION dollar deals for 1 year and such?

Didn't Albert after his 3rd year or maybe his second, sign a 900,000 dollar deal or something close to that?

What is the deal with these little contracts for younger guys?

The Boston Red Sox signed closer Jonathan Papelbon to a one-year contract worth $6.25 million Tuesday, the largest deal in history for a closer who was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

Ok, I see that, in fact I think that Pujols deal I was talkin about was arbitration too. And I see Howard wants 18 mil from arbitration. So then what thehell is this arbitration crap? Why is it dictating contracts and such for teams and their players?

 

[wildkycat]

just google "baseball arbitration" or something CP...it's kind of a lot to explain and i don't feel like it.

 

[Retroballer]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Originally Posted by CP1708

I got a question.

Ok, so players get these huge deals whenever they are free agents........then why do these younger guys who are proven as hell (as in Papelbon) get only SIX MILLION dollar deals for 1 year and such?

Didn't Albert after his 3rd year or maybe his second, sign a 900,000 dollar deal or something close to that?

What is the deal with these little contracts for younger guys?

The Boston Red Sox signed closer Jonathan Papelbon to a one-year contract worth $6.25 million Tuesday, the largest deal in history for a closer who was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

arbitration is pretty much a judge looking at how much other players at that position make and how he ranks up against the others. then they rulehow much they should make. Cause papelbon wasnt a FA. when they are FA is when they get the big money

 

[wildkycat]

[h3][/h3]

[h3]What Players Are Eligible for Arbitration?[/h3]
A player and club who cannot agree on a contract may agree to salary arbitration, provided that the player has enough service time in the majors. The following players are eligible for arbitration:

(1) Players with at least 3 but less than 6 years of service in Major League Baseball;

(2) The top 17 percent of players with at least 2 but less than 3 years of Major League service. These are known as "Super 2" players. To qualify as a Super 2, a player must have accumulated at least 86 days of service in the previous year. Historically, the cutoff point for Super 2 status is 2 years, 128 days of service, though the requirement has been as high as 2 years, 140 days in years past.

(3) Players who have filed for free agency may also go through the arbitration process if their former team makes an offer of arbitration and the player accepts.
[h3]The Club's Arbitration Offer Requirements[/h3]
(1) A club must offer contracts to players under its control by no later than December 12;

(2) If a player has filed for free agency, his former club must offer him arbitration by December 1. If the player accepts by December 7, the player is placed back on the team's roster, and the two sides may continue to negotiate or go to an arbitration hearing. If the free agent player declines the arbitration offer, the sides may continue to negotiate.

(3) The club's salary offer to a player under its control may not be less than 80% of the player's total compensation from the prior year, and may not be less than 70% of his compensation from 2 years earlier. These rules, however, do not apply to free agents who are offered arbitration.
[h3]The Arbitration Procedure and the Arbitration Hearing[/h3]
Arbitration works as follows: In January, the player and the club each submit a salary figure to a three-person panel of professional arbitrators. hearings are conducted between the 1st and 20th day of February.

At the hearing, each party has one hour to present its case to the panel, and then has an additional 30 minutes for rebuttal. The player must attend the hearing, but is usually represented by his agent. A club executive or attorney usually represents the team.

The arbitration is a "high-low" proceeding, during which each side presents its case for why the player should be awarded the requested salary in the upcoming season. In deciding to award the higher or lower salary, the panel may consider the following criteria:

(1) the player's contribution to the club in terms of performance and leadership;

(2) the club's record and its attendance;

(3) any and all of the player's "special accomplishments," including All-Star game appearances, awards won, and postseason performance;

(4) the salaries of comparable players in the player's service-time class and, for players with less than five years of service, the class one year ahead of him.

The parties may not refer to team finances, previous offers made during negotiations, comments from the press or salaries in other sports or occupations.

The panel, without opinion, awards the player a one-year, non-guaranteed contract at one salary or the other. If the player is cut within 16 days before the season begins, he is entitled only to 30 days' termination pay. If the player is cut during spring training but after the 16th day before the season begins, he is entitled only to 45 days' termination pay.

That's it. That's baseball arbitration. Not that hard, right?

 

[CP1708]

So in a sense, this is kind of what the NFL wants to head towards, where a rookie makes less money and after one has proved themselves for a few years, thenthey can earn the big contracts.
This arbitration crap looks like a way to control players short termed at reasonable salaries and then after 6 years of experience, the players can get rich ascan be.

I knew arbitration was weird, but when I see Paps, who you know will be getting a huge deal at some point, is signing for just 6 million, it just didn'tmake sense to me.

Thanks WildK, Retro.

 

[N41D]

Basically, you make crap for your first 3 years in the Bigs, then, after your third year of service time, you become arbitration eligible...

Players put in a dollar figure they feel appropriate, and the team does the same... If the two can't come to an agreement before hand, the dollar figure issettled on by an independent judge...

 

[N41D]

Annnnnnnnnnnd just because I thought this was a riot, and I know that idiot is still lurking around here somewhere...

From Keith Law's farm system rankings posted today on ESPN.com

29. Washington Nationals: Ross Detwiler and Josh Smoker, two of their top three prospects at this time in 2008, took huge steps backward this past season, and the Nationals' botched negotiations with first-round pick Aaron Crow were just more of the same from Jim Bowden's reign of error. The consistent failure to convert veteran big leaguers into any sort of prospects and questions about their practices in Latin America will leave them stuck down here even if they have a successful draft in 2009.

But yeah, that Baseball America article that was over a year old > Me...

 

[stringer bell 32]

This is kinda trivial news story but still worth a good laugh

[h1]Cubs' Playoff Priest In Spat With Club ChairmanGreek Orthodox who blessed pre-game dugout saying he was 'thrown under the bus'[/h1]
By EAMONN BRENNAN

Updated 9:59 AM CST, Wed, Jan 21, 2009

Related Topics:Crane Kenney | Christianity | Culture and Lifestyle | Eastern Orthodox Church | Religion

AFP/Getty Images

Greek Orthodox priests: great for carrying alms. Not so great for baseball blessings.

Cubs fans -- and anyone else, really, especially those who enjoy watching the Cubs lose -- will be familiar with this: In one of the strangest pregame rituals of all time, Cubs chairman Crane Kenney commissioned a Greek Orthodox priest to bless the Cubs dugout before their 2008 playoff series with the Dodgers.

Of course, the Cubs were swept, but even if they had won, the blessing would have been a signature bit of Cubs weirdness. Who blesses a dugout, for God's sake? (The Cubs, that's who.)

Last weekend at the Cubs Convention, Kenney copped to allowing the priest to bless the dugout, and here was his explanation:

When a fan asked about the ritual, Kenney took the blame, calling it "one of the dumbest things" he had done. Kenney said (the priest) had initially approached him. "An e-mail comes in, and this was a huge Cubs fan who wants to get tickets to the game and has a cell phone with a Cubs ring tone on it, and I said, 'Let him go,' " Kenney said.

Kenney's story: A fan wanted tickets, wanted to bless the dugout, and so Kenney let him. But the priest, Rev. James L. Greanias, takes issue with that account, saying Kenney asked for him specifically:

"Kenney told me he wanted a Greek Orthodox priest because [William] Sianis was Greek," said Greanias, referring to the tavern owner who placed a hex on the Cubs during the 1945 World Series. "The last thing on my mind was calling the Cubs to ask them to bless the field. In fact, I thought it was a joke at first." "Coach Sinatro told me Lou wasn't upset," Greanias said. "But I defended Kenney after it happened, and now he's thrown me under the bus."

Ah, yes. Nothing like a little he-said, he-said between the Cubs chairman and the Greek Orthodox priest he may or may not have hired to bless a dugout before a baseball game. It's a cliche, but it's a cliche because it's true: Only with the Cubs.
Copyright NBC Local Media

So you're the Chicago Cubs and to further add more bad karma hovering above your franchise you start slandering a priest?!?!?!

 

[kiddin like jason]

During an "Indians Town Hall" meeting at Solon High School last week, manager Eric Wedge told the crowd Garko would see some time in the outfield this spring to determine if he can provide depth at the corner spots this season.
My boy patrolling the outfield.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk

Annnnnnnnnnnd just because I thought this was a riot, and I know that idiot is still lurking around here somewhere...

From Keith Law's farm system rankings posted today on ESPN.com

29. Washington Nationals: Ross Detwiler and Josh Smoker, two of their top three prospects at this time in 2008, took huge steps backward this past season, and the Nationals' botched negotiations with first-round pick Aaron Crow were just more of the same from Jim Bowden's reign of error. The consistent failure to convert veteran big leaguers into any sort of prospects and questions about their practices in Latin America will leave them stuck down here even if they have a successful draft in 2009.

But yeah, that Baseball America article that was over a year old > Me...
Keith Law is probably the best baseball writer right now.

You think you could post the whole article?

 

[N41D]

As a prelude to Thursday's publication of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2009, I've ranked all 30 organizations on the current states of their farm systems. These rankings consider only players who still have rookie eligibility for 2009, so the Dodgers get no credit for Clayton Kershaw, nor do the Mets get credit for Daniel Murphy, who lost his eligibility by one at-bat. Some systems ranked near the bottom are there because they have been very productive over the past few years and have entered fallow periods. Other systems are ranked near the bottom because they're just bad.
I considered the entire list of prospects in each system in ranking the organizations, but I gave much more weight to top prospects, particularly high-impact prospects, than to organizational depth in average to fringe-average prospects. I also considered how much major league value each organization is likely to produce over the next few years; Boston had a number of very promising, high-upside prospects in short-season leagues this past year, but even in a best-case scenario, that group of players will not produce any major league value before 2012. So a system with high-impact prospects who are relatively close to the majors ranks high, even if the system lacks depth in second- and third-tier prospects.

1. Texas Rangers: The Rangers have far and away the best farm system in the game right now

, with impact prospects, lots of depth (particularly in very young pitching

) and plenty of prospects close enough to the majors to help the big league club in 2009 and 2010. What is most impressive about the restocking of Texas' farm system is that the additions have come from across the board. Texas has been one of the most aggressive bidders on talent in the international market, landing Martin Perez, Wilmer Font, Wilfredo Boscan and Esdras Abreu. The Rangers also have integrated their international scouting with the rest of their baseball operations -- for most teams, it's still a separate fiefdom -- and have acquired several top international prospects in trades a year or so after missing out on them as free agents, including Neftali Feliz, Engel Beltre and Carlos Melo. Having one person, A.J. Preller, heavily involved in both international and pro scouting has made this integration easier, and the Rangers also use adviser Don Welke heavily in both areas. In addition, they have been aggressive in the draft under scouting director Ron Hopkins, signing several players who fell due to bonus demands and giving them above-slot bonuses that were appropriate to the players' talents, including Justin Smoak and Robbie Ross in 2008 and Julio Borbon and Neil Ramirez in 2007. And the Rangers have worked the trade market to add prospects, cashing in Mark Teixeira for a huge package that included Feliz and Elvis Andrus, flipping Kenny Lofton for Max Ramirez and more recently dealing Gerald Laird for Melo and Guillermo Moscoso. GM Jon Daniels has implemented a clear and consistent philosophy for baseball operations, centered on building pitching depth with an emphasis on upside, a tacit acknowledgment that pitching in Arlington requires better stuff or a stronger constitution than pitching in Seattle or Oakland. The integration across departments -- amateur scouting, pro scouting, international scouting and player development -- is still unusual in baseball, although the success of similar efforts in Boston and Tampa Bay is causing more teams to reevaluate their organizational structures. Whether this translates into major league success for Texas largely will come down to the young pitching: Can these pitchers succeed in the Rangers' ballpark, and can they stay healthy? If so, the wave of arms coming through Texas over the next five years will give the Rangers the best chance in their history to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: They just keep churning out the prospects, although they'll have a new challenge in 2009: no draft picks in the top 10 -- or even 20. Success with high school pitchers taken after the first round has been a big part of their system's depth, including another wave of kids who spent 2008 in short-season ball. However, their recent efforts in Latin America have yet to yield any significant prospects.

3. Oakland Athletics: Now that's how you restock a farm system. Between the trades of Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Joe Blanton and Nick Swisher, the A's added six of their current top 10 prospects, most of whom would fit in the top 10 of any club, not including Fautino de los Santos, who is still out after having Tommy John surgery. They added pitching depth and up-the-middle players, and the group is supplemented by a few successful selections of high school pitchers and the big prize in this year's international market, 16-year-old right-hander Michel Inoa.

4. Atlanta Braves: Still one of the best and deepest systems in the game despite the trades for Mark Teixeira and Javier Vazquez. Scouting director Roy Clark and his staff are among the game's best, with a knack for finding talent beyond the first round while they remain quietly productive on the international front.

5. Cleveland Indians: The trades of Casey Blake and CC Sabathia combined with some depth-oriented drafts have filled out this system over the past two years, although it's arguable how many impact guys the Indians have after Carlos Santana. A healthy Adam Miller, who has No. 1 starter stuff, would have had them a little higher on the list. They are one of a half-dozen teams whose prospect lists genuinely run 12 to 15 names deep.

6. St. Louis Cardinals: St. Louis' system features three potential star prospects followed by a stack of average or slightly above-average prospects, giving the Cardinals both impact and good depth. Their efforts in the Dominican Republic are just starting to bear fruit.

7. Boston Red Sox: Probably an aggressive ranking, but their 2008 draft class has the potential to be one of the best. They have become more aggressive at going over slot to obtain premium players in the draft and have become more active internationally. Their system probably had more prospect depth on 2008 short-season rosters than any other but Texas'.

8. Florida Marlins: Something of a top-heavy system, with six or seven excellent prospects, but pitching injuries and a few graduations to the majors have thinned out the system. The Marlins sent one of the more interesting contingents to the Arizona Fall League, with top prospects Logan Morrison and Sean West (still coming back from 2007 shoulder surgery) and lower-profile tools players John Raynor and Scott Cousins.

9. San Francisco Giants: Speaking of top-heavy, the Giants' front four prospects rival just about anyone's, but after those guys and Conor Gillaspie, the quality drops off quickly, even in the face of two very good recent drafts. The Giants do have some interesting names who will be in extended spring training or the Sally League this year, but no impact guys beyond the top four.

10. Baltimore Orioles: Once again, a great front four, or perhaps three, without much depth behind them. Two lost picks in 2007 didn't help, but the Orioles took some upside players after Brian Matusz in 2008 and could slide up if one or two of them have strong full-season debuts in 2009.

11. Philadelphia Phillies: This system has improved dramatically in the past year, in particular because of the emergence of two tools guys, Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, who weren't really on the radar last winter. The system could make a big move up if a few high-risk/high-reward picks from this year pan out.

12. Kansas City Royals: Another improved system, boosted by an outstanding 2008 draft led by Eric Hosmer, lefty Mike Montgomery and sleeper Tim Melville, a projected first-rounder who fell after a mediocre spring. The Royals have good pitching depth but are a little light on impact talent after Hosmer.

13. Milwaukee Brewers: Very good depth without much star potential beyond Jeremy Jeffress, who has an electric arm but a number of developmental hurdles still ahead of him. The trade for CC Sabathia did hurt their depth, although Matt LaPorta was blocked behind Prince Fielder in Milwaukee. New amateur scouting director Bruce Seid has big shoes to fill after Jack Zduriencik left to become Seattle's GM.

14. Seattle Mariners: The new regime inherits a system in decent shape, unlike (for example) what Neal Huntington found in Pittsburgh. Outstanding international scouting work by Bob Engle has filled the system with high-upside talents from around the world. The blown first-round pick in 2008 -- college reliever Josh Fields, who still hasn't signed -- doesn't help matters.

15. New York Yankees: For the first time in several years, the Yankees' system is light on impact talent, with major question marks on each of the top four prospects. The 2008 draft class doesn't offer much hope -- the Yankees' first pick reversed course on them midsummer and decided to go to college; their third pick had a medical issue and didn't agree to terms; and the resulting crop of players doesn't offer much upside.

16. Colorado Rockies: There's a little more here than meets the eye, between under-the-radar prospects and guys like Hector Gomez (a toolsy infielder who missed this past season due to a fractured shinbone and Tommy John surgery) and Casey Weathers (who is about to miss 2009 due to his own blown-out elbow).

17. New York Mets: It took a few major trades, but their system finally has thinned. Their international scouting department has saved the system, with three of their top six prospects (Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte) all coming via that route. Keep an eye on Brad Holt, a potentially fast mover from the 2008 draft whose curveball is improving.

18. Toronto Blue Jays: Two very good prospects up top, a handful of back-end starter types in the middle and a fair amount of promising but higher-risk prospects in low-A and below. The change in approach to allow high school hitters has helped the system, but the Blue Jays need to consider high school arms as well, even if the criteria are strict, as only Brett Cecil projects as better than a fourth starter among current pitching prospects.

19. San Diego Padres: It's all depth with almost no ceiling other than Matt Latos, who has a lengthy history of run-ins with coaches. And a lot of the depth guys project as average or fringe-average regulars. However, with the addition of that depth, the system has made huge strides in the past two years, and the Padres should be able to fill some spots internally in 2010 and 2011, spots they now have to fill externally via mediocre free agents.

20. Los Angeles Dodgers: They have hit a lull after years of graduating very good players to the big leagues, including Clayton Kershaw in 2008. Their top pick in 2007, Chris Withrow, now has thrown 13 innings in two years due to elbow trouble and had a little bit of "The Thing" this past summer, walking six in his four innings of actual game work.

21. Minnesota Twins: The Twins take an idiosyncratic approach to the draft, but it has worked well for them over the past decade; their shocking selection of Ben Revere in 2007's first round has worked out so far. Beyond their top four or five guys, their system is full of players who don't fit any conventional molds and have to prove it in the high minors or majors before other teams will buy into them. Carlos Gomez's early promotion and Deolis Guerra's step backward also hurt the system.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates: Improving, and, no, the two kids from India don't really count. Jose Tabata's return to form, if it's real, gives the Pirates three potential impact guys (Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez are the other two), but they're extremely light on pitching. Their willingness to spend money in the draft is a welcome change from the past 15 years of toeing the line.

23. Chicago White Sox: In the bottom five before this winter's trades and the signing of Dayan Viciedo; although I wasn't sure how much weight to give the Cuban third baseman in the rankings, I settled on 300 pounds. A very questionable draft this year after Gordon Beckham won't do much to boost their system.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks: The trade for Dan Haren really gutted their system, and a number of high-profile college arms taken earlier in the decade haven't panned out. The Diamondbacks took two very good high school arms -- Daniel Webb and Danny Hultzen -- in 2008 who fell for signability reasons, but signed neither of them, unfortunately.

25. Los Angeles Angels: Years of lost draft picks finally are catching up to the Halos, whose system seems to be reaching the end of a long period of productivity. They will have a bounty of extra picks in 2009, and given the state of their system, it's probably their most important draft this decade.

26. Cincinnati Reds: It's hard to graduate Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto from your system in one year and not drop toward the bottom of these rankings. The poor first full season from 2007 first-rounder Devin Mesoraco doesn't help.

27. Chicago Cubs: Josh Vitters and a few hard-throwing relievers, and that's about it. The Cubs had some really atrocious drafts in the mid-2000s -- it's a fair bet that the 2005 draft class will fail to produce a big leauger other than Donald Veal, who was lost in the Rule 5 draft last month and has done absolutely nothing to earn a big league shot this April.

28. Detroit Tigers: The Tigers gutted their system during their three-year run of contention -- a valid reason to trade prospects -- but a 2008 draft heavy on college relievers didn't do much to restock it, and they have not had much luck recently in Latin America. When Cale Iorg is one of your top three or four prospects, your system is down.

29. Washington Nationals: Ross Detwiler and Josh Smoker, two of their top three prospects at this time in 2008, took huge steps backward this past season, and the Nationals' botched negotiations with first-round pick Aaron Crow were just more of the same from Jim Bowden's reign of error. The consistent failure to convert veteran big leaguers into any sort of prospects and questions about their practices in Latin America will leave them stuck down here even if they have a successful draft in 2009.

30. Houston Astros: Houston's farm system looks like General Sherman marched through it, then turned around and marched through it again just to be sure the job was done. The Astros' 2007 draft class might turn out to be one of the worst in history: They had no picks in the first round (for Carlos Lee) or second round (for the now-retired Woody Williams), and they failed to sign either their third- or fourth-round pick (one of whom, Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich, looks like a sure top-50 pick for 2010). Two of the top six players they did sign were released in October, and their top signed pick, Colin Dellome, just posted a .305 OBP in high-A at age 22. Their 2008 draft was better -- not that it could have been worse -- with two promising high school arms in Ross Seaton and Jordan Lyles and one solid catching prospect in Jason Castro. The organization's decision to turn its back on Venezuela might reflect the nation's political instability, but it also leaves the Astros among the least-advanced teams in international scouting. There are lean times ahead in Houston, and even a massive shift toward rebuilding won't stop the oncoming drought.
Top 100 prospects list will be up tomorrow... He slipped up and put it on there for a couple of hours today, and the way he has it formattedit'll be a pain to post, but I'll try to throw a list together of names only while I'm sitting in class tomorrow... I'll just post his commentson players you guys ask for...

 

[GreenNGold89]

I'll take third.

But damn I heard that Ranger's farm system is STACKED

. 23 days until pitchers and catchers report.

 

[GreenNGold89]

Anyone here going to be at the WBC?? I'll be there for the finals in LA.