It’s here. It’s really here. We’ve got the top 20 for 2012 running over the next several days. There was a great deal of consensus between my list and Jeff’s with just 4 players appearing on only one list — two of which, you’ve already read about in Adron Chambers and Tyler Rahmatulla.
#20. Boone Whiting
Stats
18th Round of 2010 Draft
Ranked: jeff – NA, azruavatar – 18
Player Comments:
Whiting is going to have to prove detractors wrong on an annual basis. There’s legitimate reasons to doubt him including the similarities to former prospects like Trey Hearne and P.J. Walters who carved up the low minors with command and a below average velocity fastball. Whiting has a little more speed on his fastball and he has a true out pitch with his change-up, something that I was never convinced of with Walters. Skepticism is warranted but Whiting’s combination of exceptional command, a fastball that gets over the 90mph mark (if barely) and a noteworthy changeup is enough to crack the top 20. -azruavatar
#19. Brandon Dickson
Stats
Undrafted Free Agent
Ranked: jeff – 18, azruavatar – NA
Player Comments:
Brandon Dickson is the definition of a low-ceiling, but he continues to rise in the ranks and continues to put up surprisingly good numbers at each stop despite less than fantastic stuff. Last year in Memphis, he had a 19% strikeout rate to only a 5.5% walk rate. He’s going into his age 27 season, so his prospect timer has just about dinged, but Dickson could have great value in the major leagues as a back of the rotation innings-eating starter. -jeff
#18. Tommy Pham
Stats
16th Round of 2006 Draft
Ranked: jeff – 20, azruavatar – 17
Player Comments:
Pham has been around, seemingly, forever but is just 24 years of age. He enticed analysts early with his athleticism and tools, which are still very apparent when watching him play, but finally started to make some noise two years ago in Spring Training. That carried over into a successful 2010 and 2011 though Hammon’s field tends to exacerbate power output and he was lucky on balls in play. Injuries factored into 2010 but especially 2011 when he logged just 40 games prior to a wrist injury. He’s improved his approach at the plate attributed to eye surgery he had in the offseason. After 6 years in the system, prospect fatigue is setting in but Pham still has the capability of breaking out but he has to stay healthy to do so. -azruavatar
#17. Charlie Tilson
Stats
2nd Round of 2011 Draft
Ranked: jeff – 15, azruavatar – 20
Player Comments:
Tilson is here for his projection more than anything else, having just been drafted last year. He’s a speedy center-field prospect, who has the batting projection to become a starting center-fielder in the majors. He’s more speed than power at this point, but the power projection is there. After only 8 games this season in the minors after signing late, this year will be interesting for Tilson, both with where the Cardinals place him and how well he plays. -jeff
#16. Adam Reifer
Stats
11th Round of 2007 Draft
Ranked: jeff – 16, azruavatar – 16
Player Comments:
In just his 5th appearance of 2011 on April 17th, Adam Reifer blew out his knee ending his season. The primary difference between his early professional career and his more recent efforts had been improved command leading to fewer walks and fewer hits. The pure stuff was still good and should still be there: a mid-90s fastball with a wipeout slider. Reifer will have a prominent role in a bullpen (setup or closer) for 2012 and will, obviously, be looking to recapture 2010 while staying healthy. With the exception of Eduardo Sanchez, Reifer is the most advanced and, arguably, best pure relief prospect left in the farm system. -azruavatar
(Note: In the case of a tie, FR 2011 ranks were used to determine who would be listed higher.)
Entries (RSS)
Make or break year for mr. Pham…kinda hoping they start him out at AAA
I also meant to say this: WOOHOOOOO! Prospect list! Thanks guys
I really hope Reifer can bounce back. He’s got the ability to pitch in high-leverage situations late in the ballgame. If he’s healthy and pitching well, he should be able to challenge for a spot on the 25-man roster throughout the season.
Booher had an article about Pham. Guess he had corrective eye surgery this offseason. http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120109/SPORTS02/201090348/Springfield-Cardinals-Tommy-Pham?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
this post is sort of the island of misfit prospects.
Interestingly, however, I suspect that all 5 will have major league playing time before their days are done. It probably takes Dickson away from St Louis, unless he’s the chosen one next year to accompany Miller to the Bigs.
I guess I could only see that happening if he gets tossed into service this year due to an injury.
I think Dickson has already pitched in the big leagues
He has, with no great distinction but also without complete catastrophe. He got knocked around in his one start (9/1, 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER) but the team won the game. He got guys out in three relief appearances, one also in September and two during the period in July when TLR was looking for an arm, any arm, to prop up the bleeding bullpen.
He wouldn’t be on my personal top 20, but that’s actually something of a comment on the state of the system rather than a slight against Dickson.
Are Lance Lynn and Eduardo Sanchez eligible for the list? Seems they would be under the most common prospect eligibility standard (< 50 innings pitched w/o regard to service time).
I'm trying to think of the prospect that will be the biggest surprise for NOT making the list – I'll guess John Gast.
Lynn & Sanchez are both eligible. We use the rookie criteria minus the service time element for eligibility.
I’d probably move Charlie Tilson up a little bit higher. He’s in that 12-16 range for me. While the sample size is extremely small (30 PA), you’ve got to be encouraged by the results and scouting report seems to match his talents.
He needs to prove that on the field.
Prospect List time is one of the most wonderful times of the year!
What is the rationale for claiming Tilson will be a power hitter?
No one said Tilson will be a power hitter, just that he projects for some power
Tilson has the potential to be a young Skip Schumacker.
I think Tilson is a bit faster than the Skipster…..
It’d be a closer race than most people would think between Yadi and Skip from what ive seen
Skip is the slowest leadoff hitter ive ever seen
Except the throws left handed, so no move to the IF.
What a terrible thing to say about a valued prospect. :-)
Pretty funny….
Weird Tilson stat (from the Baseball American 2012 Almanac): In 7 total games for JC and the GCL Cards, he was credited with 3 outfield assists. He also had 2 errors for JC, so there’s that. Still, he must have some kind of arm to throw out 3 guys in his first 7 pro games.
2 errors in the outfield in 7 games? That’s horrific. Let’s hope is was just a matter of him not being used to balls hit at him that hard……….
I hope it was nerves. At JC he was thrown onto the field for a championship team a couple weeks after signing his first pro contract. He had all of 3 games in the GCL to get calibrated. So I’m not surprised that he dropped a couple (or however he erred). But 3 outfield assists in his first 7 pro appearances is pretty amazing.
Well you expect a team to test a newbie and his converting is indeed promising. I hope they weren’t drops – that’s scary, but not fielding a bouncer cleanly doesn’t surprise me or maybe an overthrow where he was adrenaline infused.