Weekly MiLB Discussion: Ranking the Draftees

Brooks

I didn't include the 2015 draftees into our rankings because I wanted to discuss how they would slot in with a discussion.

So, the question is, where would some of the top draftees slot into your personal top 30? About what range and who would you have directly above and below them?

Brian

I'll put Bregman first. As of right now you could argue for Velasquez, but personally I'm not quite as high on him as others, and he's almost guaranteed to lose rookie eligibility by the end of the season anyway, so he won't be on the off-season list. I believe in Bregman's bat, and his intangibles allowing the other areas of his game to play up. I like the Pedroia comp. Pedroia is a second baseman, sure, but he's one of the elite ones over the last decade, and could probably handle shortstop range-wise, so I don't view that as an indictment on Bregman's defensive future.

Tucker ranks 4th for me, after Musgrove and Reed. I love the hit tool, and I'm willing to buy a hit tool and let the rest fill in around it. He has probably the highest ceiling of anyone in the system right now. I like his ceiling more than the other high tool guys like Fisher, Appel and so on. I just need to see something in full-season ball and in a decent sample size before I shoot him right to the top past some of the guys above him.

Cameron I like, and I'm glad to have him, but he has more question marks in my mind than Tucker (and Tucker is far from a sure thing himself). I'm not convinced he'll be as good as his dad, which isn't a negative thing, considering Mike is a borderline Hall of Famer in my book. But I do wonder how his baserunning will hold up as he ages and fills out. If it takes a hit, and most especially if he has to move out of center, his value takes a huge knock, as I doubt he develops top-shelf power. For those reasons, as well as the same small-sample-in-rookie-ball reason I gave for Tucker above, I'm going conservative initially and spotting him at #8.

My Top 10, as of this moment:

1. Alex Bregman
2. Joe Musgrove
3. A.J. Reed
4. Kyle Tucker
5. Michael Feliz
6. Derek Fisher
7. Colin Moran
8. Daz Cameron
9. Mark Appel
10. Francis Martes

Alex

I'd have Bregman first, definitely, because he's got a very legit hit tool and seems to be able to play shortstop quite well (especially for someone supposed to move to second). I don't know that much about his intangibles, and his power doesn't seem to be a big tool, but if he can have 3 or 4 above-average-to-plus tools, he'll be an All-Star, especially at an offense-starved position.
VV would be second since he still qualifies (AFAIK) and has shown an ability to start at the major league level and hold his own. Plus, injuries haven't been much of an issue for him.
A.J. Reed ranks third on my list due to his plus-plus power and decent hit tool. His defense may hold him back (he doesn't move well from side-to-side) but he can get on base and keep his strikeouts under Chris Carter levels. His floor is an everyday first baseman in my opinion.
Next is Joe Musgrove, who doesn't need much introduction: He has a good arsenal, swing-and-miss stuff, and top-notch control. There's always an injury risk with him, but it may very well be in the past.
Fifth is Mike Feliz, who can be a top-of-the-rotation starter (but probably won't) due to his high-quality pitches and strikeout ability.
Sixth is Daz Cameron and seventh is Kyle Tucker. I know people compare Tucker to Ted Williams, who he most definitely is not, but his hit tool is plus and should get him to the majors. I just feel that Daz has a higher potential due to his speed and the fact that he plays an up-the-middle position well. His power should develop in due time and his hit tool shouldn't be ignored as it is above-average.
My top 10:
1. Bregman
2. VV
3. Reed
4. Musgrove
5. Feliz
6. Cameron
7. Tucker
8. Appel
9. Fisher
10. Martes
11. Jason Martin (I know I said 10, but he needs respect)

Blake

I built my list and it is so close to Brian's that I just going to go with that.  I will say that after seeing all the promotions and trading off favorites like the Maverick and Sheriff, I am feeling a bit down on our minors.  Maybe it is that some players should have taken more steps forward like T. Hernandez and he would have been the trade piece instead of Phillips.  Kemmer has really come forward this year, he is more of a sleeper to have continued success but I like him.  White also deserves notice.

1. Alex Bregman
2. Joe Musgrove
3. A.J. Reed
4. Kyle Tucker
5. Michael Feliz
6. Derek Fisher
7. Colin Moran
8. Daz Cameron
9. Mark Appel
10. Francis Martes

HM: Kemmer, White (might be a bit old to be a prospect but still deserves praise), Martin, T. Hernandez, Ramsay

forgot Kemp who is probably 9-10 for me, so maybe that pushes Martes off, although he is killing it.

Brooks

Two things we have to discuss here some and the first is Cameron vs. Tucker. We've got two for Tucker higher and one for Cameron higher. I think this is definitely something to discuss.

So let's do some grades on the 20/80 scale:

Hit:

Power:

Fielding:

Speed:

Arm:

Overall:

The other is Appel being so low. Defend.

Brian

I'm not exactly sure what grades I'd place on them both, but Tucker would win the hit tool showdown, and that's a big key for me. Give me a hit tool, worry about the rest later. But with Tucker, I'd probably also give him the higher power grade, too.

As for Appel, he's just too inconsistent. He has front line stuff, and he just can't figure out how to use it, apparently. There's no excuses left for him. He should have dominated AA this year. His overall repertoire grades better than McCullers and Velasquez's did, yet they dominated and made it to the show, and looked good there. Meanwhile, as I type this, Appel has coughed up nine runs to New Orleans, the worst offensive club in the entire PCL. This is a team with Reid Brignac hitting second for them. 31-year-old Kila Ka'aihue is their cleanup man and hitting under .200. Appel has given up nine runs against them. Nope, I'm done waiting for Appel to figure it out. After losing J.D. Martinez and Delino DeShields and getting absolutely nothing out of either of them, Mark Appel might be the biggest black eye on the Luhnow front office. Heck, I might want to switch Martes and Appel on my list now.

Blake

I would say ditto on the Tucker vs Cameron argument.  Cameron is trade fodder for me much like I thought DDJ would have been.

Appel...  I really want him to dominate and earn his spot.  I don't think he has really deserved any promotion yet, which is sad.  Sack up and get pissed or mean, you throw in the upper 90's dude.  That and you slider should be enough to annihilate most of your competition.  Stop getting cute and f-ing let it fly, challenge and get ahead.