Most of the players in the next group have seen their stocks drop over the last year.  A group of prospects that once looked like they may have a larger role now appear to be a collection of role players.

#15. Adam Reifer
Age – 23
Stats
Individual Rankings – azruavatar – 17, Jeff Roman – 14, erik – 15
Player Comments -

Can I explain his .362 BABIP away with just dumb luck? I don’t know. I was expecting more K’s, less hits and more…hatred. I don’t know what happened here, but I’m willing to give Reifer a little benefit of the doubt given his ability. -erik

The purported stuff of Reifer has never matched his results. He’s another power arm that struggles to put hitters away consistently.  The Cardinals have seen too many of these players flame out in recent seasons. -azruavatar

#14. Pete Kozma
Age – 22
Stats
Individual Rankings – azruavatar – 13, Jeff Roman – 13, erik – 19
Player Comments –

Kozma has never done anything to deserve to be ranked this low in the Cardinals rankings, but he has never done anything to deserve to be ranked higher than this.  He’s above average at every tool, but has never had great results.  He’s a milk toast SS. - Jeff Roman

I normally am the Kozmanaut apologist, but now I see I’m lower on the Koz than my compatriots. He was moved too fast, didn’t hit and struggled a bit defensively.  If he can play solid defense, he doesn’t have to be the world’s greatest hitter. His ability to stick at short is his only saving grace for me at the moment.  -erik

This was the worst draft pick to date for Jeff Luhnow and Co. Widely derided at the time, it’s yet to come to the fruition they had hoped for. -azruavatar

#13. Bryan Anderson
Age – 23
Stats
Individual Rankings – azruavatar – 7, Jeff Roman – 18, erik – 14
Player Comments -

Anderson is suffering from Jason Kendall-itis way too soon in his career. He did have some injuries that set him back. I keep hearing Anderson needs to hit for power. That would be gravy, but he doesn’t need to. He just needs to go back to being Bryan Anderson at the plate.  And he has to improve on defense. Anderson doesn’t have to be Mike Matheny, he just needs to not be a big, fat minus. An average hitter (.330 wOBA) that can play catcher (the most demanding position) is an above average player. Anderson was one of the younger players in the PCL last year, let’s also not forget that. -erik

The shoulder gives me cause for concern but, to me, there’s some bandwagon downgrading of Anderson going on.  The obsession with “power” and the team’s reluctance to give him regular and primary catching responsibilities at Memphis have cast a pall on a player who was part of the top 5 in most rankings last year.  Anderson deserves to be marked down for another lackluster season but the precipitous decline strikes me as too reactionary and ignores the positives of why he was drafted and what he’s done to date.  At 23, he has a couple years before his physical attributes and skillset are done developing; it’s too soon to officially pull the plug on his prospect status. -azruavatar

I’m worried a bit about Anderson, he hasn’t caught regularly in a while and he lost the last part of 2009 to an injury.  I’m cautiously optimistic about Anderson, but I’ll believe it when I see it. - Jeff Roman

#12. Jon Jay
Age – 25
Stats
Individual Rankings – azruavatar – 15, Jeff Roman – 9, erik – 11
Player Comments –

Jon Jay could play any outfield position right now in the bigs defensively. - Jeff Roman

While his bat went down the tubes for several months this year, he’s stopped nosediving and his outfield range is solid. Jay for 4th OF! -erik

#11. Tyler Henley
Age – 25
Stats
Individual Rankings – azruavatar – 8, Jeff Roman – 11, erik – 12
Player Comments -

Can Henley hit at the Triple-A level like he did in Springfield? He strikes me as one with a bit of a tweener skillset, this is one ranking I’m sort of having #hpgf remorse on. If he can hit at the Triple-A level next year, then color me a believer. -erik

Henley makes his way into my top 10 as a player we’ve never had to make excuses for; there’s no lost season that has to be explained away.  He plays solid defense; he’s hit for average and moderate power without the unsustainable BABIPs that other prospects have shown.  As a jack of all trades and master of none, he’s going to disappoint people looking for a standout skill.  He’s also on the wrong team as a left handed hitting outfielder who can play a capable CF blocked by Colby Rasmus and competing with Jon Jay/Daryl Jones.  He’s got a shot at being an everyday outfielder in the majors but the more likely result is a bench role with significant plate appearances. -azruavatar

Tyler Henley is a character who has never been hyped (except by AZ) and who has continually put up numbers in each level.  He doesn’t hit for a lot of power, or hit for a huge average, but he’s a solid player who has continually produced in the minors.  Those aren’t that easy to come by in the Cards system. – Jeff Roman

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Prospect rankings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.