Phillies Prospect Lists

[andyb]

Again, you miss the point. It is the high number 3 ranking I question. Kilome never ranked that high either. You justify his high ranking based in part on performance that does not mean that much.

[Austinfan]

I didn't justify anything, i just noted that Howard has a unique development path because he didn't get a lot of innings in college, and is more like an old HS or JC draft pick.

[Taudawg]

Top 36 Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies | FanGraphs Baseball

[bigegypt0417]

Interesting list...3 of the top 4 are pitchers and righties.

[phillychuck]

Notable omissions from their top 36 who will be on other top-30 lists:

Logan O'Hoppe C GCL
Deivi Grullon C AA
Logan Simmons, SS GCL
Carlos De La Cruz RF GCL
Johrdany Mezquita LHP NYPL
Drew Anderson, RHP AAA
Connor Seabold, RHP A+
Cole Irvin, LHP AAA
J.D. Hammer, RHRP AA

Overall, a very positive take on the system from Fangraphs.

[andyb]

Definitely an interesting list. They are clearly in the Spencer Howard camp based on stuff though they rightly point out the lack of command and low innings total that probably helped him. I just think the ranking this high is a little speculative if you discount the performance. He is definitely a prospect with a high upside though.

They are also really high on Muzziotti which also seems a little speculative to me. Would rather see a little more performance to put him ahead of a Moniak for instance. They guy they don't like is Deivy Grullon. I don't think he is a top 20 guy personally, but not in the top 36 seems a bit extreme if the defense is plus. At some point proximity does matter even if his upside is limited athletically.

[phillychuck]

They say Grullon is a slow-twitch catcher who is a 20 runner. Imply that he's a below average receiver but good thrower. I think he should be about 25-30, but they surely don't...they even say he's more of a 3rd/rotation catcher than a true back-up.

[andyb]

That just seemed low to me. The ability to throw and hit 20 HRs has made the career of lots of backup catchers. Rupp for instance. And some success in AA means you have to think there is more than a nominal chance of him improving enough in the next few years to make that happen.

[phillychuck]

I agree with you, Andy, but I'm known to be overly optimistic about our prospects...

[zambonir]

Don't you think - even though the one has nothing to do with each other - that once a player goes unprotected and unclaimed in the Rule V their prospect status drops?

[andyb]

It is probably a confirmation to us non-scouts of what MLB clubs think of their tools. So yes, but that status is really their public status and not their MLB prospect status. It probably is more definitive if they are in AA or higher.

[allentown]

That just seemed low to me. The ability to throw and hit 20 HRs has made the career of lots of backup catchers. Rupp for instance. And some success in AA means you have to think there is more than a nominal chance of him improving enough in the next few years to make that happen.

He hit at Reading last year. That less than half a season is the only time in his career that he has hit. I think Rupp is a good, upside comparison. Rupp had two decent seasons with the bat in Philly, with a reliance on power rather than OPS. Not much more than 600 AB in that decent period and now he seems to have little value. Grullon likely gets some MLB time as a backup catcher, maybe starting for a team in dire need of catching.

[Philsmania]

The writer has some semblance of hope for Moniak and suggests that maybe, just maybe a light went on in the second half and better minor league instruction may unlock is talents.

[bigegypt0417]

The writer has some semblance of hope for Moniak and suggests that maybe, just maybe a light went on in the second half and better minor league instruction may unlock is talents.

his 2nd half was certainly promising. Let's hope that progress carries to reading.

He'll start the season as a 20 year old in AA so I'm hoping it isn't a long adjustment.

[phillychuck]

Many of the write-ups were optimistic about a change in minor league hitting philosophy and instruction. Is this just a reflexive support of change, or do the writers know something about former poor instruction or the pending ideas being good?

[allentown]

Many of the write-ups were optimistic about a change in minor league hitting philosophy and instruction. Is this just a reflexive support of change, or do the writers know something about former poor instruction or the pending ideas being good?

Which is a strange view for them to take when coupled with the firing of most of the hitting instructional staff and hiring a new hitting guru last week. So what are they actually saying? Hitting instruction turned a corner last season and we shouldn't have churned that staff? I think it's a misguided comment which the Phillies would disagree with.

[fish]

S

Many of the write-ups were optimistic about a change in minor league hitting philosophy and instruction. Is this just a reflexive support of change, or do the writers know something about former poor instruction or the pending ideas being good?

Which is a strange view for them to take when coupled with the firing of most of the hitting instructional staff and hiring a new hitting guru last week. So what are they actually saying? Hitting instruction turned a corner last season and we shouldn't have churned that staff? I think it's a misguided comment which the Phillies would disagree with.

Maybe I read it differently, but I took the comments about the potential benefits of the new hitting philosophy would be to unlock power in guys like Haseley and Moniak next year- ie, angle, balance or whatever the driveline guy’s focus is. Not that hitting instruction improved last season.

[zambonir]

Yeah I would assume the Fangraphs guys are fans of Bonifay and the Driveline hire.

[phillychuck]

Sure seems like it, doesn't it? Do we trust the opinion of a bunch of fantasy league gurus on hitting instruction technique?

[el-pietro]

Are you suggesting that the Fangraphs guys are fantasy guys? Kiley McDaniels and Eric Longenhagen (who by the way is from the Philadelphia area and used to write for one of the Phillies blogs before moving to Arizona to focus on minor leagues for Fangraphs full time) put these lists together and they are far more than fantasy guys. They go and see many of these players and speak to scouts and coaches in each organisation to get their opinions too in order to properly value individual players.

The New FanGraphs Scouting Primer | FanGraphs Baseball

This post explains what information they use to value players. I would recommend reading it in full to get a better idea of how this list is put together and why they rank certain players ahead of others.

What information drives your opinions on prospects?

We see a lot of players ourselves. We talk to scouts from amateur, pro, and international departments about players they’ve seen. We talk to in-office analysts, front-office executives, and people in player development. We also use publicly available data we think is relevant. Some combination of these things fuels each player’s evaluation.