Martin Perez, Manny Banuelos, and the ARL Dilemma
Yesterday, I looked at Reds outfield prospect Yorman Rodriguez through the lens of examining comparables for his age, level, and overall performance. Today, I’m going to do a similar thing with...
View ArticleSeedlings to Stars “Visits” Mets Merized Online
Shortly after we published our New York Mets Team Prospect List, Joe – from Mets Merized Online – asked if Nathaniel and I would be willing to answer some questions about the Mets minor leagues. We...
View ArticleMinors BABIP Musings: Part 1
In sabermetric circles, we often discuss batting average on balls in play (BABIP) as a function of luck that regresses to the mean for pitchers. It is commonly accepted in saber theory that hitters...
View ArticleMexican League Prospect: Alan Guerrero
Many people tend to forget – or perhaps don’t know – that, yes, the Mexican League is a sanctioned Triple-A league. None of the teams, however, are affiliated with any Major League ball club. In that...
View ArticleReflecting on Top 100 Lists, Part 1
Obviously, I try to know my stuff as well as possible when I present it to you, my readers. But there’s no question that I can always improve, as can really anyone. Baseball is a funny, unpredictable...
View ArticleMexican League Prospect: Sergio Perez
Yesterday, in the Mexican League Prospects miniseries we looked at Alan Guerrero, a 24-year-old right-handed reliever who finished second in the league with 20 saves, and his strikeout rate, 9.3 K/9,...
View ArticleMinors BABIP Musings, Part 2
In the first installment of this series, I discussed how there seems to be a significant difference between the majors and minors in terms of how difficult it is for a batter to post an elevated...
View ArticleReflecting on Top 100 Lists, Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I took a look at players on my pre-2011 top 100 prospect list that I ranked aggressively. In Part 2, I’m going to focus on the opposite–the players I was down on. As I...
View ArticleMexican League Prospect: Luis Terrero
In the first couple installments in the Mexican League miniseries we looked at both Alan Guerrero and Sergio Perez, two right-handed pitchers. Plus the analysis on Leonardo Heras, the league’s top...
View ArticleReflecting On Top 100 Lists, Part 3
In the first two parts of this series, I discussed my pre-2011 top 100 list and the results of some of my more audacious placements on that list. Now, I’m going to turn my attention to this year’s...
View ArticleMinors BABIP Musings, Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, I discussed how it is much easier for batters to achieve very high batting averages on balls in play in the minors than the majors, with BABIPs above .350 being three times as...
View ArticleReflecting on Top 100 Lists, Part 4
Thus far in this series, I’ve looked at my 2011 list and I’ve revisited some of my more aggressive rankings from the 2012 list. Now, to conclude the series, I’m going to look at 17 players that I seem...
View ArticleThe 20-80 Report: Ep. 7: The Top 100 Blowout
The 20-80 Report podcast returns after a week off to discuss various top 100 prospect lists around the internet, including my own. This episode is much more freeform than normal, and we figured it...
View ArticleThe 20-80 Report, Ep. 8: Cespedes, Catricala, Lavarnway, and More!
It’s time for another episode of The 20-80 Report. This time, we stay mostly on the major league side of things, but also discuss a few prospects. A’s and Red Sox fans, in particular, won’t want to...
View ArticleThe Future of Arizona’s Young Aces
The Arizona Diamondbacks are loaded with young, highly talented arms that will likely put them at the top of the NL West for at least the next 5-6 years. They have a young, budding star in Justin Upton...
View ArticleThe 20-80 Report, Ep. 9: Molina/McCutchen Extensions, Teheran’s Struggles,...
We’re back for Episode 9 of the 20-80 Report, with some slight formatting alterations and our usual large gamut of topics from around the majors and minors. Episode 9: Recorded 3/6/12 Runtime: 74:22...
View ArticleAndrelton Simmons To The Big Leagues? Let’s Slow Down A Bit
At this late point in the spring, the roster pictures for the 30 MLB teams are starting to take some semblance of shape. Many top prospects have already been sent down, even those that have impressed,...
View ArticleThe 20-80 Report, Ep. 10: Jays Pitchers, Yelich, Ozuna, Corcino, and More!
We’re back for Episode 10 of the 20-80 Report, with some slight formatting alterations and our usual large gamut of topics from around the majors and minors. Episode 10: Recorded 3/13/12 Runtime: 63:50...
View ArticleTheo’s Gotta Start Somewhere—Is That Somewhere Soler?
In an otherwise dismal season for the Chicago Cubs, boy wonder GM Theo Epstein decided to pull the lever on a move that should get the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field buzzing again. This past week,...
View ArticleFriday DraftStreet Fantasy Freeroll (Sponsored Post)
If you frequent a fair number of baseball sites (Call to the Pen, MLB Trade Rumors, MetsBlog.com, etc.), you’ve no doubt heard of DraftStreet and if you’ve heard of them you’re probably aware that they...
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