Every year people think the AL is much better, yet the NL was the last two all star games and world series. It is true that the NL had all of the best 1st baseman and then they all decided to go to the AL. Joey Votto is going to be the starting 1st baseman for the NL all star game every year now.
If I were to rank divisions it would go something like this:
- AL East
- AL West
- NL East
- AL Central
5 NL Central - NL West
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Ryan Braun is facing a 50 game suspension, who knows what numbers he’ll be able to put up whenever he returns.
Albert Pujols is an Angel
Prince Fielder is a Tiger.
There already was a significant disparity in talent between the two leagues. It just got a whole lot worse.
I’m trying to think. Now that the Cards no longer have Pujols, who is the best offensive team in the NL?
Reds? Rockies?
None of those lineups look very intimidating.[/quote]
Phils and Marlins have good lineups.
No national league offense looks intimidating when youre only looking at 8 hitters and one of them tends to hover around the mendoza line. then add the pitcher lol.
2012 World Series prediction
Rangers vs [insert suprise team that makes the playoffs on the last day of the season and becomes the team of destiny]
Team of destiny in 6 (marlins? or dare I say…cubs?.. no that is a bit much
[quote]Maiden3.16 wrote:
2012 World Series prediction
Rangers vs [insert suprise team that makes the playoffs on the last day of the season and becomes the team of destiny]
Team of destiny in 6 (marlins? or dare I say…cubs?.. no that is a bit much[/quote]
lol - and what spurred this pessimism in February of all months?
The Ron Washington extension?
Think Yu Darvish is a fraud?
ESPN writer and former Major League Scout Keith Law released his rankings of MLB farm systems. He’s basically the only baseball writer I like, he generally gives great insight on prospects.
*Rankings as follows:
- SAN DIEGO
- Tampa Bay
- TORONTO
- St. Louis
- Kansas City
- Arizona
- TEXAS
- Pittsburgh
- Oakland
- NEW YORK Yankees
~ - SAN FRANCISCO
*BTW this list excludes players that have lost their rookie status. So no Bret Lawrie but includes Mike Trout and Jesus Montero.
So you guys are looking like you will be in good shape for a long time to come, reinforcements are on the way. I’d be VERY happy with the direction the Rangers are going. They have arguably the best GM in baseball.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]Maiden3.16 wrote:
2012 World Series prediction
Rangers vs [insert suprise team that makes the playoffs on the last day of the season and becomes the team of destiny]
Team of destiny in 6 (marlins? or dare I say…cubs?.. no that is a bit much[/quote]
lol - and what spurred this pessimism in February of all months?
The Ron Washington extension?
Think Yu Darvish is a fraud?
ESPN writer and former Major League Scout Keith Law released his rankings of MLB farm systems. He’s basically the only baseball writer I like, he generally gives great insight on prospects.
*Rankings as follows:
- SAN DIEGO
- Tampa Bay
- TORONTO
- St. Louis
- Kansas City
- Arizona
- TEXAS
- Pittsburgh
- Oakland
- NEW YORK Yankees
~ - SAN FRANCISCO
*BTW this list excludes players that have lost their rookie status. So no Bret Lawrie but includes Mike Trout and Jesus Montero.
So you guys are looking like you will be in good shape for a long time to come, reinforcements are on the way. I’d be VERY happy with the direction the Rangers are going. They have arguably the best GM in baseball.
[/quote]
I like how you listed them 1-10 and then BOOM #26 Giants. Wonder who you were trying to bait with that one…
I agree though, their system is dogshit. Never should have traded Zach Wheeler either.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
I like how you listed them 1-10 and then BOOM #26 Giants. Wonder who you were trying to bait with that one…
I agree though, their system is dogshit. Never should have traded Zach Wheeler either. [/quote]
Everyone else who follows this thread has their team listed in the top 10.
I was actually being courteous.
I guess you could say the NL West although relatively low on talent is the most competitive.
I had no idea San Diego had such a deep farm system.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
I like how you listed them 1-10 and then BOOM #26 Giants. Wonder who you were trying to bait with that one…
I agree though, their system is dogshit. Never should have traded Zach Wheeler either. [/quote]
Everyone else who follows this thread has their team listed in the top 10.
I was actually being courteous.[/quote]
I wonder how long the Rangers can continue to spend the way they are and remain profitable. I understand that this infusion of cash they’ve had with the new ownership group has given them some latitude, but where exactly did it come from? How did they go from a team on the verge of bankruptcy to the major player on the free agent market this winter?
As far as the Giants go, their system is fucked because they’ve generally been good the last 15 years and haven’t had a lot of high picks and Sabean hasn’t put any money into developing talent. But they’ve drafted well recently and rebuilt the nucleus of the team thru the draft. Lincecum, Cain, Sandoval, Posey, Wilson, Bumgarner, Belt, Schierholtz, Crawford and even Vogelsong are all Giants draft picks who will start or play/throw a lot of innings for the Giants this year.
They just don’t have anything other than Joe Panik and Gary Brown coming down the pipeline anytime soon. Their recent first round picks have been really good ones though: Cain, Lincecum, Posey, Bumgarner and Zach Wheeler and Gary Brown both look like legit prospects who should make an impact. But they have no depth. They don’t find elite talent at all in the lower rounds outside of a couple players. It seems like the Braves, for instance, are always churning out pitcher after pitcher and they get drafted in all sorts of rounds and they all look like they’re really talented.
I believe Texas signed a HUGE TV contract. Looking it up, that’s what it was.
“Credit new ownership, as well as a TV contract signed last year with Fox Sports Southwest worth roughly $1.6 billion over 20 years. The deal doubled the Rangers? previous take from local TV.”
BTW, Belt doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot in 2012. If I were Giants fan, that would annoy the hell out of me.
Law directly refutes what you said in regards to your evaluation of Giants drafting. He writes:
“The Giants don’t go much over MLB’s recommended draft bonuses, never seem to acquire any prospects in trades and haven’t had success on the international front yet. Their amateur staff has done a great job finding value in later rounds without going over budget, including Brandon Belt and Heath Hembree.”
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Law directly refutes what you said in regards to your evaluation of Giants drafting. He writes:
“The Giants don’t go much over MLB’s recommended draft bonuses, never seem to acquire any prospects in trades and haven’t had success on the international front yet. Their amateur staff has done a great job finding value in later rounds without going over budget, including Brandon Belt and Heath Hembree.”[/quote]
First of all, I specifically said that Sabean doesn’t spend much on player development, which obviously includes larger signing bonuses to acquire better talent to begin with. Secondly, I never said a single thing about trades other than that they should NOT have traded away a top prospect in Wheeler. Thirdly, I also never said anything about going after international players at all. I wouldn’t call Belt value in a later round since he was drafted in the second fucking round. Hardly a later round. As for Hembree, he’s a 24 y/o who hasn’t pitched above Double A and isn’t one of the Giants’ top 5 prospects by most accounts. From what I’ve heard, he sounds like he might be legit, but he hasn’t come close to earning an opportunity to prove it yet. The only late-round talent I can think of who’s made a lasting impact for the Giants recently is Jonathan Sanchez, Wilson and Sandoval.
So I don’t see one thing your boy here directly refutes other than the quality of their late-round talent/success, which he is obviously wrong about. What exactly did you see that he directly refutes? He’s wrong about their later round success and I should think that the rankings you posted bear that out to a large extent considering they’re ranked 26th despite a lot of first round success lately.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
I believe Texas signed a HUGE TV contract. Looking it up, that’s what it was.
“Credit new ownership, as well as a TV contract signed last year with Fox Sports Southwest worth roughly $1.6 billion over 20 years. The deal doubled the Rangers? previous take from local TV.”
BTW, Belt doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot in 2012. If I were Giants fan, that would annoy the hell out of me.
[/quote]
That’s simply an economic decision. Unless he comes out and goes 0-for-spring training he’ll be on the 25-man roster. He’s already on the 40-man as it is no matter what happens.
Yeah I was talking about the late round quality comment.
He also released his top 100 prospects today:
1 CF Mike Trout L.A. Angels 6-1 217 20
2 RF Bryce Harper Washington 6-2 245 19
3 LHP Matt Moore Tampa Bay 6-2 205 22
4 SS Manny Machado Baltimore 6-3 185 19
5 RHP Shelby Miller St. Louis 6-3 195 21
6 C Travis d’Arnaud Toronto 6-2 195 22
7 SS Jurickson Profar Texas 5-11165 18
8 C Devin Mesoraco Cincinnati 6-1 220 23
9 DH/C Jesus Montero Seattle 6-3 235 22
10 RHP Gerrit Cole Pittsburgh 6-4 220 21
11 RHP Dylan Bundy Baltimore 6-1 200 19
12 SS Hak-Ju Lee Tampa Bay 6-2 170 21
13 OF Wil Myers Kansas City 6-3 205 21
14 RHP Arodys Vizcaino Atlanta 6-0 190 21
15 OF Bubba Starling Kansas City 6-4 180 19
16 RHP Jameson Taillon Pittsburgh 6-6 225 20
17 3B Anthony Rendon Washington 6-0 190 21
18 RHP Julio Teheran Atlanta 6-2 175 21
19 RHP Archie Bradley Arizona 6-4 225 19
20 LHP Martin Perez Texas 6-0 180 20
21 RHP Trevor Bauer Arizona 6-1 175 21
22 RHP Carlos Martinez St. Louis 6-0 165 20
23 LHP Manny Banuelos N.Y. Yankees 5-11 155 20
24 RHP Taijuan Walker Seattle 6-4 195 19
25 LHP Tyler Skaggs Arizona 6-4 195 20
26 3B Nolan Arenado Colorado 6-1 205 20
27 RHP Zack Wheeler N.Y. Mets 6-4 185 21
28 3B Miguel Sano Minnesota 6-3 195 18
29 RHP Jacob Turner Detroit 6-5 210 20
30 LHP Danny Hultzen Seattle 6-3 200 22
31 RHP Jarrod Parker Oakland 6-1 195 23
32 RHP Casey Kelly San Diego 6-3 195 22
33 RHP A.J. Cole Oakland 6-4 180 20
34 OF Mason Williams N.Y. Yankees 6-0 150 20
35 SS Francisco Lindor Cleveland 5-11 175 18
36 1B Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs 6-3 220 22
37 3B Nick Castellanos Detroit 6-4 195 19
38 RHP Matt Harvey N.Y. Mets 6-4 210 22
39 RHP Wily Peralta Milwaukee 6-4 240 22
40 OF Rymer Liriano San Diego 6-0 211 20
41 RHP Zach Lee L.A. Dodgers 6-4 190 20
42 RHP Drew Hutchison Toronto 6-2 165 21
43 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Kansas City 6-1 190 19
44 SS Jean Segura L.A. Angels 5-11 160 21
45 LHP Drew Pomeranz Colorado 6-5 230 23
46 1B/LF Jonathan Singleton Houston 6-2 215 20
47 OF Jake Marisnick Toronto 6-4 200 20
48 OF Christian Yelich Miami 6-4 189 20
49 RHP Joe Ross San Diego 6-3 185 18
50 OF Eddie Rosario Minnesota 6-0 170 20
51 LHP James Paxton Seattle 6-4 220 23
52 LHP Mike Montgomery Kansas City 6-4 185 22
53 OF Oscar Taveras St. Louis 6-2 180 19
54 RHP Daniel Corcino Cincinnati 5-11 165 21
55 C Gary Sanchez N.Y. Yankees 6-2 220 19
56 3B Jonathan Schoop Baltimore 6-1 187 20
57 SS Nick Franklin Seattle 6-1 175 20
58 RHP Taylor Jungmann Milwaukee 6-6 220 22
59 OF Anthony Gose Toronto 6-1 190 21
60 OF George Springer Houston 6-3 205 22
61 RHP Allen Webster L.A. Dodgers 6-3 185 22
62 SS Xander Bogaerts Boston 6-3 185 19
63 RHP Chris Archer Tampa Bay 6-3 185 23
64 SS Billy Hamilton Cincinnati 6-1 160 21
65 C Yasmani Grandal San Diego 6-2 205 23
66 3B Zack Cox St. Louis 6-0 215 22
67 OF Josh Bell Pittsburgh 6-4 195 19
68 CF Gary Brown San Francisco 6-1 190 23
69 1B Yonder Alonso San Diego 6-2 240 24
70 RHP Garrett Richards L.A. Angels 6-3 215 23
71 RHP Jake Odorizzi Kansas City 6-2 175 21
72 OF Starling Marte Pittsburgh 6-1 170 23
73 RHP Sonny Gray Oakland 5-11 200 22
74 RHP Tyrell Jenkins St. Louis 6-4 180 19
75 3B Mike Olt Texas 6-2 210 23
76 RHP Trevor May Philadelphia 6-5 215 22
77 OF Michael Choice Oakland 6-0 215 22
78 RHP Jarred Cosart Houston 6-3 180 21
79 RHP Nate Eovaldi L.A. Dodgers 6-3 195 21
80 OF Aaron Hicks Minnesota 6-2 185 22
81 RHP John Hellweg L.A. Angels 6-9 210 23
82 3B Matt Davidson Arizona 6-3 225 20
83 RHP Dellin Betances N.Y. Yankees 6-8 260 23
84 LHP Enny Romero Tampa Bay 6-3 165 21
85 OF Oswaldo Arcia Minnesota 6-0 210 20
86 OF Robbie Grossman Pittsburgh 6-1 190 22
87 OF Mikie Mahtook Tampa Bay 6-1 200 22
88 RHP Taylor Guerrieri Tampa Bay 6-3 195 19
89 CF Brett Jackson Chicago Cubs 6-2 210 23
90 3B Jedd Gyorko San Diego 5-10 195 23
91 RHP Chad Bettis Colorado 6-1 195 22
92 RHP Jordan Swagerty St. Louis 6-2 175 22
93 C Derek Norris Oakland 6-0 210 22
94 C Christian Bethancourt Atlanta 6-2 190 20
95 SS Javier Baez Chicago Cubs 6-0 180 19
96 RHP Aaron Sanchez Toronto 6-4 190 19
97 RHP Addison Reed Chicago White Sox 6-4 215 23
98 RHP Randall Delgado Atlanta 6-3 200 22
99 RHP Neil Ramirez Texas 6-3 185 22
100 C Blake Swihart Boston 6-1 175 19
Damn, had no idea Zach Wheeler was a borderline top 25 prospect.
Highest prospects:
Jays: 6) Travis d’Arnaud
Giants: 68) Gary Brown
Yankees 23) Manny Banuelos
Rangers 7) Jurickson Profar
Padres 32) Casey Kelly
One thing I really dislike is how we have no choice but to take prospect discussion on faith. I haven’t seen any of the Jays prospects on that list play, only heard their names over and over from writers and reporters.
Take for instance Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Before Montero was traded, I kept hearing how the Yankees had two great catching prospects in their system. For that reason I assumed they’d be roughly around the same talent level. Looking at this list, Montero is ranked 7th while Romine isn’t even on the top 100 list.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
I like how you listed them 1-10 and then BOOM #26 Giants. Wonder who you were trying to bait with that one…
I agree though, their system is dogshit. Never should have traded Zach Wheeler either. [/quote]
Everyone else who follows this thread has their team listed in the top 10.
I was actually being courteous.[/quote]
No they don’t… 
My team hasn’t done shit and won’t do shit until Liberty Media does us the kind courtesy of selling us.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Highest prospects:
Jays: 6) Travis d’Arnaud
Giants: 68) Gary Brown
Yankees 23) Manny Banuelos
Rangers 7) Jurickson Profar
Padres 32) Casey Kelly[/quote]
I am actually shocked that the Yankees have a prospect. The rest of the MLB is their farm system.