Ruf was better than Howard because he cost $600K, not $25M.
That was the point a lot of us were making, plus Howard was really bad defensively as well.
Scouting reports are usually very dated, and 2-3 years later have little meaning, compared to how the player is actually performing, which is not just statistics, but also WHY they're putting up numbers - often because they've improved some aspect of their game. I mean throw Moniak's old scouting report out the window with his new body, now the question is whether he can adjust to that body. Unless you have access to the Phillies' internal reports, it's hard to find out what's happening with most of their players - and one game reports on the Internet are the ultimate SSS.
I don't think Listi is a prospect right now because he only started hitting at a high level as a college senior, now it may have been because the light went on, or because he was just older and more experienced than his competition - but it was a big jump. The fact that he's continued to hit is a good sign, but I want to see him promoted and continue to hit at Reading (especially road games) - at that point something interesting may be happening. But he's far more interesting to me to watch than Martin, a 5th rd pick, who probably had better "scouting reports" but who quickly made it clear in his minor league career he's not a good hitter.
Canelo and Grullon were young at almost every level, and Canelo needed to physically mature (he's developed real pop, unlike Tocci) and Grullon is a catcher, a position where offense often comes late. Grullon isn't repeating a level, he had a cup of coffee in AA last year, the only level he repeated was Lakewood at 19 and 20 - given that most HS players don't get to Lakewood until 20, that's no big deal. Now both hitters have a big Reading bump, so I won't take their season seriously until they have 200 road PA and put up good numbers - home hitter stats at Reading have become a joke the last few years.
Hall on the other hand, only played one season of major college ball, excelled, and has hit since he hit the minors. So my suspicion is the scouts missed something because he didn't have a long track record - maybe they thought his deficiencies couldn't be corrected, but that requires a longer track record against good competition to see if the player develops or stagnates. A full season at Clearwater is a good test, he's young enough that he doesn't have to be rushed to Reading.
