[情報] Top 20 San Diego Padres Prospects
Source: MadFriars.com
1. Kyle Blanks, 1B
Blanks is an offensive dynamo who hits and hits for power. He tightened up
his strike zone a bit in 2008, although his second-half numbers (16 BB, 54
SO) weren’t as strong as his first-half numbers (35 BB, 36 SO). Still,
anyone who posts a .404 OBP in the Texas League at age 21 must be doing
something right.
2. Kellen Kulbacki, RF
Kulbacki is the prototypical Grady Fuson prospect. He isn’t built like
Adonis and people like to focus on what he cannot do, but the guy just goes
out and produces. Kulbacki finished fifth in the California League with 20
homers in 2008 despite playing in just 84 of his team’s 140 games. He should
advance quickly and be ready for the big leagues some time in 2010.
3. Cedric Hunter, CF
Hunter doesn’t possess any single overwhelming tool, but he does a lot of
things well. He is a line-drive machine who controls the strike zone, flashes
occasional power, and uses his speed well on the bases and in the outfield.
Hunter is young and shouldn’t be rushed. He probably won’t be a star, but
he should be a solid regular within the next 3-4 years.
4. Jaff Decker, CF
Similar to Kulbacki in many respects, Decker is a pure hitter. He’s young
and he has less professional experience, but his upside might be higher than
Kulbacki’s. Although I don’t like to place a lot of stock in Arizona League
stats, what Decker did there in his debut is pretty sick. He split time
between center and left in ’08, but with a Brian Giles/Matt Stairs body
type, he’ll end up on a corner.
5. Matt Antonelli, 2B
A lot of folks jumped off the Antonelli bandwagon based on one bad season. He
’s young and he should rebound. I still like him as a top-of-the-order
option in the mold of former Astros second baseman Bill Doran.
6. Mat Latos, RHP
On talent alone, Latos could be higher on this list. He’s been dominant when
healthy, but injuries have limited him to just 112 innings over two pro
seasons. Latos is one of the few pitchers in the system that could emerge as
a dominant front-line starter, but he’s a long way from reaching that
potential. The first step is to get in a full season’s worth of work so he
can continue his development.
7. Yefri Carvajal, LF
Carvajal is one of my projectable picks. I like him more than the numbers say
I should. His lack of plate discipline is a real concern that needs to be
addressed. Still, he is physically gifted player who held his own in the
Midwest League as a teenager. It’s going to be a slow road, and there may be
bumps along the way, but I like his upside.
8. Allan Dykstra, 1B
Dykstra has serious power potential and showed excellent strike-zone judgment
during his career at Wake Forest. It’s impossible to evaluate a guy based on
seven professional games, but assuming the old hip injury that kept him from
signing until mid-August is no longer a concern, he should advance quickly.
9. Will Inman, RHP
Almost everyone I’ve talked to who has seen Inman pitch is less impressed
than you might expect from a guy who puts up the kinds of numbers he does.
Unburdened as I am by such visual evidence, I look at the statistical record
and see a pitcher who has been able to put the ball past hitters at every
level.
10. Jonathan Galvez, SS
This is another speculative pick. I hear good things from sources that I
consider reliable and hope they are right. We may not know for a while.
11. Drew Cumberland, SS
I keep flip-flopping Galvez and Cumberland. My suspicion is that one of these
guys is going to be pretty good, but I’m not sure which one. Cumberland got
off to a horrible start in his full-season debut, then caught fire, then got
hurt. I like what he did in the Midwest League, but I need to see him play a
full season before getting too excited.
12. Wade LeBlanc, LHP
There’s no way to put a positive spin on LeBlanc’s 5.32 ERA at Portland or
the ugly numbers he put up in his September stint with the big club. On the
bright side, he did strikeout a batter an inning and keep his
strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 3-to-1 in his first Triple-A experience.
The guess here is that, as a guy who relies on changing speeds and moving the
ball around, LeBlanc may run into a few more bumps before he settles in at
the back of a big-league rotation.
13. Eric Sogard, 2B
A sexier pick than Antonelli right now because he hasn’t struggled yet,
Sogard has an intriguing skill set. Like Blanks, he saw his plate discipline
slip as the season unfolded (42 BB, 20 SO through May; 37 BB, 42 SO the rest
of the way). Sogard led the California League with 42 doubles and handled
southpaws well. His overall offensive game calls to mind guys like Todd
Walker and Warren Morris. I’m interested to see what he does at higher
levels.
14. Mitch Canham, C
Canham is a line-drive hitter with – stop me if you’ve heard this before –
good knowledge of the strike zone and gap power. He draws praise for his
leadership abilities, but his defensive numbers at Lake Elsinore (21 passed
balls, threw out 18.7% of potential base stealers) left a bit to be desired.
Canham reminds me of Scott Hatteberg, which is great if he can stay behind
the plate, but not terribly exciting otherwise.
15. Will Venable, CF
Before the 2008 season I thought Venable might be a passable fourth
outfielder; now I think he might be a good fourth outfielder and passable
starter in center. He looks better in person than his numbers suggest.
Venable is a gifted athlete with wiry strength and fluid strides on the
basepaths and in the outfield. He’s a bit old for someone just getting his
first taste of the big leagues, but I’m beginning to think I’ve
underestimated him.
16. Sawyer Carroll, RF
The reports say Carroll can hit, and so do the numbers. He tore through the
Northwest League before ending his pro debut with 18 games at Fort Wayne.
Yes, he struggled at the higher level, but the fact that he was there at all
speaks volumes. As with the next three guys on my list, we’ll need to see
how he does over the course of a full season, but the early returns are
encouraging.
17. James Darnell, 3B
Darnell has serious power potential, and he’s shown it with a wood bat,
knocking eight homers in the Cape Cod League in 2007. There are questions
about Darnell’s ability to hit for average and whether he’ll remain at
third base, but his power should play anywhere.
18. Logan Forsythe, 3B
Forsythe is another prototypical Fuson draftee who hits doubles and draws
walks. A hand injury limited Forsythe to 12 games in his professional debut,
so it’s hard to glean much from the numbers. We’ll learn more when he plays
full-season ball in 2009.
19. Cole Figueroa, SS
Hits doubles? Check. Draws walks? Check. Figueroa’s father played in the big
leagues, so he shouldn’t be intimidated by the professional game. There is
some question as to which side of second base best suits him. Either way,
legitimate middle infielders with legitimate hitting ability are scarce in
this organization. Figueroa could advance quickly.
20. Chad Huffman, LF
The final spot on my list came down to left-hander Steve Garrison,
right-hander Wynn Pelzer, and Huffman. If Garrison hadn’t gotten hurt toward
the end of the season, he’d be here (or possibly a little higher). Pelzer’s
power arsenal intrigues me, but he is fairly new
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