Friday, April 11, 2008

Baseball America Hot Sheet!

It's time for the Hot Sheets to start rolling out, and the first one this year has all your favorite prospects! Here's a quick look at this week's list:

  1. Tommy Hanson, RHP, Braves -- As a Braves fan, I'm excited to see a Braves pitching prospect top the list, but I'm not overly optimistic about a 21 year old pitching a few solid innings in High A ball. Hanson is a decent pitcher, but I don't expect great things from him for several years.
  2. Justin Masterson, RHP, Red Sox -- Masterson is also a little old for his level, but his control is really nice, as well as his sinker. Once again, I don't see great things in the near future for Masterson unless he comes out of the pen for the Sox.
  3. Todd Frazier, SS, Reds -- Frazier is another older player in a low level situation (22 years old in low A ball), but I like his approach at the plate and he plays well at his position. I'll be interested to see if his success continues at higher levels.
  4. Homer Bailey, RHP, Reds -- While Johnny Cueto has stolen the spotlight in Cincinnati, Bailey is slowly building his confidence at AAA ball. I expect him to be back with the major league team before too long.
  5. Brett Anderson, LHP, Athletics -- Anderson's stats on paper look nice, but when you consider that he has yet to give up a run in the California League, while striking out 13 hitters in 12 innings, it's easy to understand why he's on this list. Too bad Baseball America doesn't include ground ball stats.
  6. Cameron Maybin, CF, Marlins -- I'm really happy to see that the Marlins are taking their time with Maybin, as evidenced by his start at AA ball this year. He just turned 21, and he needs to regain his confidence and comfort level after his rough 2nd half with the Tigers last year.
  7. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles -- We all knew this guy could hit, but he missed a lot of playing time last year, so it's nice to see him get off to a fast start. He's another older guy at a lower level, but should move up quickly.
  8. Ian Stewart, 3B, Rockies -- It looks like Stewart's power numbers are catching up to expectations, but he's also playing in a hitter's league. If he can find his way back to the major league level and put some zip on the ball, he could give the Rockies a boost come later this summer.
  9. Rick Porcello, RHP, Tigers -- Porcello's eventual signing with the Tigers came with a lot of publicity, and his start at High A ball surprised me a bit. But then I looked back at the way the Tigers treated Cameron Maybin, and it didn't seem so extreme to bring Porcello up so fast. He's shown good control with the ability to miss bats, so maybe we'll see him at AA or even AAA soon (although, with the way the Tigers are playing right now, they might get desperate enough to throw him in the majors and see what happens).
  10. Dexter Fowler, CF, Rockies -- I really hope Fowler gets a cool nickname soon, because Dexter just doesn't sound very intimidating, but his numbers right now are really all that matters. 3 triples, 2 homers, and a slugging percentage of .742.
  11. David Purcey, RHP, Blue Jays -- I was really disappointed to see a 26 year old pitcher on the Hot Sheet, especially when all he did was 12 innings without embarrassing himself. Cole Hamels, Scott Kazmir, Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez, and Fausto Carmona are all several years younger and way more talented than this guy, so why all the excitement?
  12. Gerardo Parra, CF, Diamondbacks -- Poor Parra. No matter what he does, there just isn't room for him in the Arizona outfield.
  13. Sean Rodriguz, 2B, Angels -- Rodriguez is another blocked prospect, and I honestly don't believe he has the talent to take over for the Angels in the near future at any position.

The Not So Hot List:

  1. Mike Moustakas, SS, Royals -- Slow starts happen, but Moustakas better turn it around fast if he wants to maintain his reputation.
  2. Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays -- So Longoria has just 5 singles and 4 walks his first week. Big friggin' deal. I'd take Longoria over every single player on the Hot List right now.
  3. Barry Enright, RHP, Diamondbacks -- Shouldn't you make it somewhere near the Hot List before you can officially be put on the Not So Hot List? Maybe Enright should be put on the Not So Talented List. 7 IP, 5 BBs, 3 Ks.

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