BA's 2004 League Top 20 Prospects

[Fungo]

Baseball America is doing it's annual breakdown of the League Top 20 Prospects. I'll try to keep it updated with any noteable Sox farmhands
Here is the schedule for those interested (those in bold indicate Leagues with White Sox affiliates)...

Sept. 20 Arizona League
Sept. 20 Gulf Coast League

Sept. 21 Appalachian League

Sept. 22 Pioneer League

Sept. 23 New York-Penn League

Sept. 24 Northwest League

Sept. 27 Midwest League

Sept. 28 South Atlantic League

Sept. 29 California League

Sept. 30 Carolina League

Oct. 1 Florida State League

Oct. 4 Eastern League

Oct. 5 Southern League

Oct. 6 Texas League

Oct. 7 International League

Oct. 8 Pacific Coast League

[Fungo]

From the Appy League...

1. Mitch Einertson, of, Greeneville
2. Francisco Hernandez, c, Bristol
3. Kyle Waldrop, rhp, Elizabethton
4. Reid Brignac, ss, Princeton
5. Gio Gonzalez, lhp, Bristol
6. Trevor Plouffe, ss, Elizabethton
7. Yuber Rodriguez, of, Pulaski
8. Brandon Yarbrough, c, Johnson City
9. Alexander Smit, lhp, Elizabethton
10. Troy Patton, lhp, Greeneville
11. Matt Fox, rhp, Elizabethton
12. Juan Gutierrez, rhp, Greeneville
13. Jordan Parraz, of, Greeneville
14. Van Pope, 3b, Danville
15. Frank Mata, rhp Elizabethton
16. J.C. Holt, 2b, Danville
17. Javier Castillo, ss, Bristol
18. Juan Valdes, of, Burlington
19. Jose Delgado, 2b, Johnson City
20. Deacon Burns, of, Elizabethton

FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ
Few catchers put forth better defensive showings than Hernandez, who displayed a knack for handling pitchers and calling games that belied his 18 years of age. He also receives and blocks balls well.

Hernandez needs to work on his transfer and release, but his arm is strong enough to control the running game despite those inefficiencies. He ranked second among Appy regulars by erasing 33 percent of basestealers.

Hernandez' abilities at the plate make his ability to play behind it even more appealing. He began the year batting eighth in Bristol's lineup and finished in the No. 3 hole—and also second in the league batting race at .326. He crushes pitches thrown in the strike zone and sometimes will chase after bad offerings, but often makes adjustments in his next at-bat.

"He has a very good swing from both sides," Kendall said. "He's very aggressive, but he has very good barrel accuracy."

GIO GONZALEZ

Gonzalez stopped briefly in the Appy League before moving up to the low Class A South Atlantic League, where he continued to succeed despite being 18. No opposing manager was sad to see him go, not when he showed a fastball that reached 92-93 mph with good movement and a sharp, slurvy breaking ball to complement it.

Gonzalez' feel for pitching was as important to his success as his repertoire. He sometimes fell victim to trying to be too fine early in the count, but often was able to work out of bad counts because of his two plus pitches.

"He's ahead of his years pitching-wise," Bogar said. "He's got a good idea of what he's doing out there. He can locate well and has the kind of stuff to back it up."

JAVIER CASTILLO

Castillo has a big, strong build at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds but plays a smooth shortstop despite his size. There's a chance he could outgrow the position, but the White Sox won't move him to third base until it's necessary.

"You can see a lot of potential in him," Hairston said. "He's big, strong and has some pop. He's got good range for a big guy and shows a good arm for a shortstop."

Castillo reminded some managers of fellow Panamanian Carlos Lee for his strength and power potential at the plate. Like Lee, controlling the strike zone will be the key to Castillo's progression. He's a little shaky against breaking balls, but shows the ability to at least foul them off until he gets a pitch he can handle better.

One other of note is 3B Van Pope at #14. A DFE in 2003 by the White Sox, he attended Meridian (Miss.) JC , but was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 2004 draft in the 5th round. I know Randar and myself were hoping the Sox would grab this guy again in 2004.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Fungo

One other of note is 3B Van Pope at #14. A DFE in 2003 by the White Sox, he attended Meridian (Miss.) JC , but was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 2004 draft in the 5th round. I know Randar and myself were hoping the Sox would grab this guy again in 2004.

Yep, Van Pope was one of the best DFE candidates still unsigned heading into the June draft.

Hernandez is the real deal, as I've been saying since late July or early August. A man among boys at 18 years old at catcher, very rare. Castillo is a bit of a more confusing pick, IMO. He is a terrific fielder, very smooth and refined, something extremely rare for his age and background. But, when I saw him, he was tentative and couldn't cover the inner-half of the plate to save his life. Some at-bats he'd look good and make hard solid contact, others he'd look like he'd never held a bat before in his life. Jose de Los Santos looked like a better hitting prospect to me, but he is more of a 2B than a 3B, where he played most of this year and is much more raw in the field...

[maurice]

It will be interesting to see Castillo and De Los Santos play. As Randar noted, De Los Santos played all over the IF (and DHed), while Castillo was the every-day SS. In about the same number of ABs, Castillo had three times more Ks than De Los Santos . . . but six times more BBs and more power. Stats courtesy of BA:

Castillo - .272 AVE, .374 OBP, .408 SLG, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 30 BB, 58 SO
De Los Santos - .315 AVE, .336 OBP, .375 SLG, 10 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 21 SO

How did Tartaglia look in person? His AVE plummeted late in the season, but he still finished with a .412 OBP and 19 SBs.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by maurice

It will be interesting to see Castillo and De Los Santos play. As Randar noted, De Los Santos played all over the IF (and DHed), while Castillo was the every-day SS. In about the same number of ABs, Castillo had three times more Ks than De Los Santos . . . but six times more BBs and more power. Stats courtesy of BA:

Castillo - .272 AVE, .374 OBP, .408 SLG, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 30 BB, 58 SO
De Los Santos - .315 AVE, .336 OBP, .375 SLG, 10 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 21 SO

How did Tartaglia look in person? His AVE plummeted late in the season, but he still finished with a .412 OBP and 19 SBs.

I don't have my notes in front of me about Tartaglia, but he didn't stand out to me. Keep in mind that he K'd more than 20% of his PA's, and despite 18 SB's, he was caught 9 times. That's pretty abysmal considering the catchers and pitchers he's up against usually aren't very sound with their pick-off moves or getting the ball down to second base. That won't translate to full-season leagues as well as it might appear from the SB #'s alone.

[MRKARNO]

Originally Posted by Randar68

Some at-bats he'd look good and make hard solid contact, others he'd look like he'd never held a bat before in his life. .

Sounds a lot like the catcher we just traded to Seattle.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by MRKARNO

Sounds a lot like the catcher we just traded to Seattle.

To be clear, I was talking about Javier Castillo, not Francisco Hernandez.

[shagar69]

wow, i didnt know that hernadez was thought of this highly. id have never thought of him as a better prospect than gio. BTW, who do the scouts(randar, daver, etc) see as the C with the higher ceiling and better chance to make it to the majors? lucy or hernadez

[California Sox]

Pioneer list is up on BA's site. Ray Liotta is at number 5. No one else made the list. At this point, I'd have a hard time considering Lucy a better prospect than Hernandez. Granted, he's less experienced than a lot of college juniors because his development was stalled by Garko, but he's almost three years older than Hernandez and having less success at a comparable level. It will be interesting to see who will be the Kanny catcher next season.

[Fungo]

From the Pioneer League...

1. Chris Nelson, ss, Casper
2. Blake DeWitt, 3b, Ogden
3. Sean Rodriguez, ss, Provo
4. Billy Butler, 3b, Idaho Falls
5. Ray Liotta, lhp, Great Falls
6. Scott Elbert, lhp, Ogden
7. Cory Dunlap, 1b, Ogden
8. Sam Deduno, rhp, Casper
9. Luis Cota, rhp, Idaho Falls
10. Seth Smith, of, Casper
11. Josh Wahpepah, rhp, Helena
12. B.J. Szymanski, of, Billings
13. Billy Buckner, rhp, Idaho Falls
14. Brian McFall, of, Idaho Falls
15. Mitchell Arnold, rhp, Provo
16. Andrew Toussaint, 3b/dh, Provo
17. Blake Johnson, rhp, Ogden
18. J.P. Howell, lhp, Idaho Falls
19. Franklin Morales, lhp, Casper
20. Craig Tatum, c, Billings

Ray Liotta
Liotta transferred from Tulane to Gulf Coast (Fla.) CC so he could enter the 2004 draft as a sophomore, a move that paid off with the White Sox drafting him in the second round. He easily won the league ERA title at 2.54, thanks to a live, low-90s fastball and an improving curveball.
Unlike most first-year players in the PL, Liotta repeats his delivery and has sound mechanics. Scouts love his strong 6-foot-3, 220-pound build. He struggled getting pitches in on righthanders early in the year, and he's still working on his rudimentary changeup.

The only other noteable is Szymanski at #12. I know some where high on him and upset when he was passed over by the White Sox in June.

[Fungo]

From yesterday's online chat with Will Kimmey on the APPY League...


Q: Mike from Chicago asks:

Does Francisco Hernandez project as a strting catcher in the majors? If so do you think he will be an offensive force as well as good defensively?



A: Will Kimmey: Certainly. He's a guy whose biggest shortcomings now should evaporate as he becomes more experienced. He's a fine hitter for his age and shows some pop for his small stature. He's not going to get a ton bigger, but he should still be a solid offensive player, especially at catcher. Maybe Padres C Ramon Hernandez is a decent comparison here.



Q: Lloyd from Seattle, WA asks:

Who would be a good major league comparison for White Sox lefty Gio Gonzalez?



A: Will Kimmey: Comparisons are often hard and unfair because of expectations and the fact that few players are exactly alike. With that caution, I sort of think Astros-era Mike Hampton here. A sub-6-footer with good command, the ability to work off his fastball and throw his breaking ball for strikes.



Q: Randar from Chicago, IL asks:

Will, does Bristol's Javier Castillo make this list on defense alone? He was tentative at the plate and while he takes a good share of walks, he seems to have no grasp of the inner half of the plate. As your capsule also indicated, he has a tough time with breaking pitches. Is his ranking based on his slick-fielding despite just average numbers at the plate at age 21, or his bat more projectible in the eyes of Appy managers andor scouts than I'm giving him credit for?



A: Will Kimmey: His defense was key, but there's projetion given his size and strength for enough power to possibly handle a move to third base. His plate discipline and potential to display power and make adjustments lead to him having a chance to be an average hitter with solid power. Really on this list, the big cut off happened near the 15 or 16 mark. The last four slots can be really interchangable, but you can't have a 10-way tie for the last several spots.

Entire transcript can be found at http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/chat/040921wk.html

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Fungo

From the Pioneer League...

1. Chris Nelson, ss, Casper
2. Blake DeWitt, 3b, Ogden
3. Sean Rodriguez, ss, Provo
4. Billy Butler, 3b, Idaho Falls
5. Ray Liotta, lhp, Great Falls
6. Scott Elbert, lhp, Ogden
7. Cory Dunlap, 1b, Ogden
8. Sam Deduno, rhp, Casper
9. Luis Cota, rhp, Idaho Falls
10. Seth Smith, of, Casper
11. Josh Wahpepah, rhp, Helena
12. B.J. Szymanski, of, Billings
13. Billy Buckner, rhp, Idaho Falls
14. Brian McFall, of, Idaho Falls
15. Mitchell Arnold, rhp, Provo
16. Andrew Toussaint, 3b/dh, Provo
17. Blake Johnson, rhp, Ogden
18. J.P. Howell, lhp, Idaho Falls
19. Franklin Morales, lhp, Casper
20. Craig Tatum, c, Billings

Some other tidbits...

Sean Rodriguez was the SS at Robert Valido's HS, (Coral Park High) who transferred because Valido had beat him out for the SS job. He was drafted higher than Valido, and this was his second stint in short-season baseball. Now the Angels are going to work him at catcher in Instructs...

DAMN THAT WHITE SOX SCOUTING DEPARTMENT!

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Fungo

The only other noteable is Szymanski at #12. I know some where high on him and upset when he was passed over by the White Sox in June.

The Sox send their college guys to the Pioneer league, so a lot of them won't be looked at as "prospects" until they can repeat success at full-season levels.

They had a lot of projectible arms there and a bunch of "grinders", so we'll see how things shake out next year for most of those guys.

[fuzzy_patters]

His defense was key, but there's projetion given his size and strength for enough power to possibly handle a move to third base. His plate discipline and potential to display power and make adjustments lead to him having a chance to be an average hitter with solid power.

This quote sounds like Vinny Castilla. Castilla was a good fielding shortstop at Oklahoma State before growing into a mediocre average hitter with above average power.

[jeremyb1]

The biggest problem with Castillo from my standpoint is that at 21 he's no spring chicken to be playing rookie ball. His walks are impressive but his power doesn't standout. If he was 18 or 19, I'd be a lot more impressed by realistically I suppose there aren't a ton of top notch prospects in rookie ball since the best of the best will skip rookie ball all together or advance quickly as was the case with Gio.