Top 25 Prospects « The Diamond Cutter

Personally Maybin is overrated. I’d switch Maybin and Rasmus. Maybin only hit 26 linedrives the whole season along with 70 flyballs. Maybin hit over 125 groundballs and more than half of hits were infield singles and in the majors most of those will be outs. Rasmus hit a ton of linedrives and flyballs all over the field and had a strong linedrive % of 23 while Maybin’s was a meager 10%.

By: Mike on December 2, 2007
at 12:41 am

I agree, Rasmus is a helluva ball player and can drive the ball well to all fields. I just like the make up of Maybin better. Plus as an overall player, I think Maybin is better player.

Maybin has a lot of raw power and is better in the field and on the bases than Rasmus. Maybin has a strong feel of Eric Davis about him and I just think he will continue to blossom more and more into a player like him.

By: Diamond Cutter on December 3, 2007
at 7:12 pm

I like the list, but I’m not as crazy about Kennedy as you are. I’m not sure if his fastball tops out at 94. My understanding was it topped out around 92, usually sits 88-90. I like his command but I can’t see him outperforming Homer Bailey or Jacob McGee. I’m thinking mid-rotation big league starter, somewhere between Brad Radke at best and Paul Byrd at worst.

By: Alan Hull on January 23, 2008
at 4:25 pm

Thanks for the comment Alan. I’ve actually had a couple of people comment about Kennedy and my high ranking for him. I really like this kid and think he will be a strong number two starter some time down the road.

He is very often overlooked with the Hughes hype before last season and the Joba-fever that people have after his great run in 2007. I’m not saying he will be better than the two of them, but he is a very smooth pitcher and doesn’t over exert in his delivery. I think this will help him stay healthy for a long time and be productive much like your Brad Radke comparison.

As far as where he falls in my rankings, I may end up adjusting him down a little bit as we go forward (especially with McGee).

By: Diamond Cutter on January 23, 2008
at 5:49 pm

Personally I see Maybin as the next Corey Patterson with a few more walks. I see Rasmus as the next Grady Sizemore with more potential than Sizemore. Bruce I still have mixed feelings about, because he’s really has to work on his strikezone judgement. Do you really want a guy starting the whole season walking around 50 times and striking out 150+ times.

By: Mike on January 23, 2008
at 7:32 pm

DC, you bring up a good point about his mechanics and health. One can’t discount that.

Mike, I’m not sure Rasmus is going to be better than Sizemore–you’re talking about one of the best players in baseball here–but he’s a definite talent.

Bruce is legit and he hasn’t controlled the strikezone because he’s never had to. Given a few seasons in the bigs, you’re going to steadily see the walks improve and the strikeouts diminish. Even then, A-Rod strikes out a lot too. Big deal.

By: Alan on January 25, 2008
at 5:18 pm

Rasmus has put up superior numbers in the minors compared to what Sizemore did. He also runs smarter than Sizemore and is a better fielder than Sizemore right now. He is a true 5 tool player while Bruce is a 4 tool player because he was below average in steal numbers.

By: Mike on January 27, 2008
at 11:01 am

I don’t know about you guys, but I honestly really like Maybin. He has a lil bit of everything, five tools some might say. He’s got just what MLB needs right now, a player with a good mixture of speed and power. I honestly put him as my top prospect.

Talking about Rasmus, yeah, no kidding! He’s great, and hopefully he’ll be able to take over ole Jimmy Edmonds ground in center field in a couple years.

I don’t honestly understand why EVERYBODY is putting Jay Bruce on top of there prospect list. I mean, I’ll give him this; he’s definitely an INCREDIBLE player and had a better year in 2007 than any other minor league player. But I think its strange that the players with the best seasons as the top prospect. Look at 2005, Brandon Wood had a great season, and was considered by some as the top player. Look at 2006, Alex Gordon had a great season, and was considered by some to be the top prospect. I think the same thing is happening with Bruce.

But overall, I definitely agree with your list!
K.B.
BaseballYakker.com

By: KB on February 15, 2008
at 9:20 pm

Yours is the only Top 25 list I have seen that does not have Matt Wieters on it. Any reason why? Do you believe Clement will make a better catcher than Wieters?

By: Ed Nicholson on March 6, 2008
at 9:42 pm

Hey Ed, that is an EXCELLENT question. My previous list (running with 2007) did not include Wieters in the top 25.

However I will give you a sneak peak at the new top 25 list that I will be unveiling on March 14 for the 2008 season and tell you that Matt Wieters is definitely going to be in the top 25 and well above Jeff Clement (who sadly won’t be making a return visit).

I was able to study Wieters a lot more this past off season and couldn’t keep him out of the top 25 thanks to his tremendous bat.

By: Diamond Cutter on March 6, 2008
at 10:24 pm

I dont think that Jacoby Ellsbury deserves to be in the top 25. He might be a good leadoff hitter that will hit .280 and have 30 SB. But he wont hit HR which makes him a incomplete hitter. Which makes him unworthy of being called a top tier prospect.

By: Anthony on March 13, 2008
at 11:44 am

Hey Anthony, I just have to disagree with you. How rare is it to find a real leadoff hitter nowadays? Plus I see Ellsbury hitting a little higher near .300 with an OBP among the best in baseball (especially among leadoff hitters).

Plus it looks like Colby Rasmus will end up only hitting in the .260-.280 range (not that he can’t hit higher but that’s where he projects). Does that mean he’s not a top tier prospect too?

The way I see it just because a guy doesn’t hit home runs doesnt make him any less valuable especially when he always is getting on base and can steal 40-50 bags a year. Plus Ellsbury does have the ability to hit 15-20 homers a year which is just about Jose Reyes territory and I dont think anyone will say he’s not one of the best players in the game.

By: Diamond Cutter on March 15, 2008
at 7:11 am

Hey, Matthew. Excited for another year of baseball and prospects. Always learn a lot from your top 25, and I like the way you have it laid out.

By: Extra P. on March 24, 2008
at 10:39 am

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