Fanhouse Top 100 prospects

[AZ_]

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/01/25/the-top...ncid=webmaildl4

16. Carlos Santana - Not a bad guy to get in return for Casey Blake, is he? Santana has been outstanding in the Cleveland system and has easily emerged as its catcher of the future. He projects to have 25-homer power at the next level, and can handle the defensive side of things.

68. Lonnie Chisenhall

93. Nick Hagadone

 

[Chris]

Only 3?

Well this fluctuates every year, some of the younger guys can maybe move in.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

Only 3?

Well this fluctuates every year, some of the younger guys can maybe move in.

I am guessing LaPorta and Brantley would be on there but maybe they aren't counting players in the majors already?

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

Here is the top overall farm systems from that site as well....

5. Cleveland Indians | Players in Top 100: 3
Headlined by Carlos Santana, the Indians boast a very strong farm system born in large part by some outstanding trades. That includes the deal that brought Santana to Cleveland for Casey Blake. Other arms like Alex White, Carlos Carrasco and Nick Hagadone help form one of the deepest crops of talent in baseball.

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/2010-farm-system-rankings/

#5 is a big improvement from where we were a year or 2 ago (I think in 20's). But that should be expected considering all of our major league talent is gone.

 

[Chris]

Yeah, totally forgot about LaPorta...he would definitely be on there. Not sure about Brantley...would he be?

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

Yeah, totally forgot about LaPorta...he would definitely be on there. Not sure about Brantley...would he be?

Just found this after a quick google search.... Looks like Brantley probably wouldn't be in the top 100.
http://clippers.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/cleveland_indians_top_prospect.html

Baseball America has released its' 2010 Indians top prospects and awards lists. Enjoy!

Top Ten Prospects
1. Carlos Santana, C
2. Lonnie Chisenhall, SS
3. Nick Hagadone, LHP
4. Jason Knapp, RHP
5. Michael Brantley, OF
6. Nick Weglarz, OF
7. Hector Rondon, RHP
8. Carlos Carrasco, RHP
9. Alex White, RHP
10. Jason Kipnis 2B/OF

Best Tools
Best Hitter for Average: Michael Brantley
Best Power Hitter: Nick Weglarz
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Carlos Santana
Fastest Baserunner: Delvi Cid
Best Athlete: Michael Brantley
Best Fastball: Nick Hagadone
Best Curveball: Alexander Perez
Best Slider: Nick Hagadone
Best Changeup: Carlos Carrasco
Best Control: Hector Rondon
Best Defensive Catcher: Carlos Santana
Best Defensive Infielder: Jason Donald
Best Infield Arm: Carlos Rivero
Best Defensive Outfielder: Jordan Henry
Best Outfield Arm: Matt Brown

 

[AZ_]

I'm assuming they count LaPorta, Huff and Brantley as graduated prospects.

 

[macbdog]

Ah, prospect lists- one of the few things baseball fans have to get them from November to the day pitchers and catchers report.

I find this guy's rankings to be kind of odd. I can understand ranking Montero as high as he did, but to then rank Santana 16th? Santana has out-OPSed Montero the last two years. Granted he is older, but +900 OPS is a +900 OPS. Santana is going to stick at C while Montero is going to end up as a 1B or DH. Santana switch-hits (with identical splits) while Montero is strictly a righty. Santana has a batting eye that scouts drool over, while Montero has Jeff Francouer's OB skills. Is this guy stuck in 2001's sabrmetics? Defense has been better quantified and counts for something these days. I just don't see the trade off between Montero's better power potential and age vs. Santana's Abreuesque batting eye and defensive potential to be worthy that kind of split.

/end pointless rant about very subjective prospect rankings

Other than that... always a fun read. They are even more fun to look up lists from 3-4 years ago and see who made it and who didn't; who the surprises where and who where the duds.

 

[di0p]

ESPN prospect rankings came out today, and they have our prospects much higher.

3. Carlos Santana C CLE

Santana could be the Victor Martinez who can actually catch -- a switch-hitter with legitimate plate discipline and power with good receiving skills and an above-average arm. Cleveland swiped Santana from the Dodgers in the Casey Blake deal because they were willing to send L.A. the $2 million required to pay Blake's salary the rest of the way; in other words, they paid roughly what the ninth or 10th pick in a typical Rule 4 draft gets and ended up with the third-best prospect in baseball, a return on investment that Indians GM Mark Shapiro probably would take eight days a week. At the plate, Santana does start his hands a little deep, but he uses that to create great leverage in his swing as he explodes from his loaded position to the ball, with both hard contact and good loft when he squares a pitch up -- something he does quite often with an approach one Cleveland executive called "selective-aggressive," meaning Santana works the count but is more than happy to jump on a pitch he can hit early in an at-bat. He's a good athlete and runs well for a backstop. Santana has good hands behind the plate and arm strength, and he has shown progress in the one deficiency in his catching, his ability to handle a staff and work with pitchers. Lou Marson might be the starting catcher this April in Cleveland, but the job should be Santana's by September.

26. Lonnie Chisenhall 3B CLE

Chisenhall has one of the best swings in the minors, a classic left-hander's swing with good hip rotation and raw power to right and right-center, which was already on display in the 22 home runs he hit between high-A and Double-A in 2009. He played the entire year at the age of 20 and showed the ability to make contact and control the bat in and around the zone, while his walk rate, through not great, was adequate and also reflected the ease with which he makes contact. A miscast shortstop in college, Chisenhall has settled in at third base and made his body leaner, giving him a good chance to stay at the position and even end up a little above-average there. Chisenhall's history, for those who don't know it, includes expulsion from South Carolina for his involvement in a burglary, for which he pleaded guilty and received probation, but he's kept his nose clean since signing with Cleveland and looks like he'll move up the ladder quickly.

51. Hector Rondon P CLE

Rondon arrived on the scene at the 2008 Futures Game and followed up that strong season with an even better one despite two promotions that brought him to the cusp of the big leagues. He won't turn 22 for another month, but he has already shown an unusual ability (for someone so young) to pitch with his fastball, commanding it in and around the zone; it's 91-94 mph with great life. His best off-speed pitch is his changeup, above-average at times at 83-84 with good action and arm speed. He's still working on his slider, which remains inconsistent and often has an early break. His control is superb -- he's walked 101 in 480 pro innings, and just 29 in a full minor league season in 2009. He's shown that even on nights when he doesn't have the consistent slider or his best changeup, he can pitch with his fastball. Pitchers without great breaking balls often have lower ceilings as starters, but Rondon's ability to throw strikes, soak up innings and command the fastball give him a chance to exceed that limitation.

71. Michael Brantley OF CLE

Brantley has some of the best bat control of anyone on this list, with an improving eye at the plate and above-average speed that all plays up because of his feel for the game. He keeps his hands back incredibly well, letting the ball travel and then ripping the bat through the zone and showing the ability to shoot an outside pitch down the left field line. He can run but, more importantly, is a very high-percentage base stealer who reads pitchers well, stealing on over 81 percent of attempts in his minor league career. He's a good center fielder who could probably play center every day for a number of teams, but won't get that chance in Cleveland unless Grady Sizemore gets hurt again. Brantley's main liability is lack of power, which may limit his ability to play in an outfield corner unless he hits and reaches base at the top end of his abilities -- which he might very well do given his instincts and ability to square up so many pitches.

100. Nick Hagadone

Hagadone had an eventful year in 2009, coming back from Tommy John surgery only to find himself traded 25 innings into his return in the Victor Martinez deal. He has an electric arm, sitting in the mid-90s and touching the upper 90s with good life, and his slider is above-average to plus. Left-handed hitters are just 12-for-71 off Hagadone in pro ball, with no extra-base hits, and he's been a strong ground-ball pitcher across his three partial seasons in the minors. He drops in the rankings from last year because the probability of him holding up as a starter seems a lot lower now than it did last year, when he was still recovering from the surgery and we could talk about best-case scenarios for the recovery. In relief, however, a lefty with two plus pitches and a usable changeup is a potentially dominant weapon in any inning because of his ability to miss left-handed bats without a major platoon split.