Top 30 PuRPs polling thread

1. Christian Friedrich
2. Jhoulys Chacin
3. Tyler Matzek
4. Rex Brothers
5. Wilin Rosario
6. Hector Gomez
7. Tim Wheeler
8. Michael McKenry
9. Esmil Rogers
10. Nolan Arenado
11. Eric Young Jr.
12. Juan Nicasio
13. Charlie Blackmon
14. Samuel Deduno
15. Chris Balcom-Miller
16. Delta Cleary
17. Chaz Roe
18. Jordan Pacheco
19. Kiel Roling
20. Darin Holcomb
21. Chris Nelson
22. Casey Weathers
23. Matt Reynolds
24. Shane Lindsay
25. Cole Garner
26. Eliezer Mesa
27. Parker Frazier
28. Matt Miller
29. Charlie Ruiz
30. Ethan Hollingsworth

The bottom ten are still a work in progress.

1. Christian Friedrich
2. Tyler Matzek – has thrown as many pitches as Tim Tebow this year, and he’s a lefty
3. Jhoulys Chacin
4. Sam Deduno
5. Nolan Arenado
6. Ethan Hollingsworth – 20:1 strikeout to walk ratio this year
7. Esmil Rogers
8. Rex Brothers
9. Chris Balcom-Miller
10. Charlie Blackmon
11. Hector Gomez
12. Tim Wheeler
13. Brian Rike
14. Scott Beerer – will inspire the next Disney sports movie
15. Juan Nicasio
16. Andrew Johnston – righthanded RP with a 0.00 ERA vs lefties and a 6:1 K/BB ratio this year
17. Mike McKenry – hitting .353 vs lefties, only .167 vs righties
18. Willin Rosario – hitting .400 vs lefties, only .182 vs righties
19. Jordan Pacheco
20. Kent Matthes
21. Cory Riordan
22. Matt Reynolds
23. EY Jr – I’m a member of his twamily
24. Kiel Roling
25. Darin Holcomb
26. Johendi Jiminian
27. Eliezer Mesa – Has 10 doubles already with an OPS of 1.059
28. Delta Cleary
29. Ben Paulsen
30. James Cesario – 2B with a 1.139 OPS

Why only 48 hrs to post?? If someone left this morning for a weekend baseball tourney for their kid and doesn’t get back until late Sunday they would have no idea the poll was open. Why are they penalized?

I put these prospects into a tiered system. My list is pretty pitching and projection-heavy (yes, TINSTAAPP), including several young Latin American players:

Tier I — Elite
1. Tyler Matzek
2. Christian Friedrich
3. Jhoulys Chacin
4. Willin Rosario

Tier II — Highly Projectable
5. Esmil Rogers
6. Juan Nicasio
7. Tim Wheeler
8. Hector Gomez
9. Chris Nelson — I still believe

Tier III — Solid
9. Samuel Deduno
10. Rex Brothers
11. Charlie Blackmon
12. Nolan Arenado
13. Chris Balcom-Miller
14. Mike McKenry
15. Eric Young Jr.

Tier IV — Prospects
16. Delta Cleary
17. Chaz Roe
18. Shane Lindsay
19. Kiel Roling
20. Casey Weathers
21. Rossmel Herrera
22. Edgmer Escalona
23. Matt Reynolds
24. Jordan Pacheco
25. Mike Zuanich
26. Alving Mejias
27. Darin Holcomb
28. Johendi Jiminian
29. Eliezer Mesa
30. Juan Gonzalez

Names coming close to inclusion: Cole Garner, Ethan Hollingsworth, Alberto Albuquerque, Brian Rike, Parker Frazier

1. Christian Friedrich, LHP
Friedrich is the best balance between MLB level relevant and top ceiling, hence his position on this list. Upcoming likely absences from DLR and Francis may put Friedrich on a faster track to make the rotation, moving him past Chacin as the heir apparent to a rotation slot. He has excelled at each level so far, is showing good control, and doesn’t have any serious blemishes in his professional career.

2. Jhoulys Chacin, RHP
Chacin drops below Friedrich mostly because there is less room for him at the MLB level right now. Despite his average at best introduction last year, something which must be expected from any rookie no matter the talent, doesn’t affect this ranking at all. Control is a bit more of an issue for Chacin than Friedrich, especially last year, but it’s not too worrisome. He’s still on pace to make an impact at the MLB level, but from a depth perspective, he’ll have to usurp a spot voided by either a trade or a pitcher pitching himself out of the rotation, as no natural spots look to be open in 2011 for him.

3. Tyler Matzek, LHP
Matzek is a hype pick. He has yet to throw an official pitch for our organization, but we’ve seen how much talent he has from his school career. If he hits the ground running professionally, he may rise to the top of my list. If he struggles a bit, he’ll drop a bit. 3 is a placeholder spot for him, based on perceived talent alone.

4. Esmil Rogers, RHP
He doesn’t have the consistent developmental ascent that Friedrich or Chacin have, but Rogers is close enough to big league decision time that he slides into this spot. Rogers fate with the team will be decided by next Spring. He has used up his final option year this season, and may be headed for the 2011 Rockies bullpen. His brief stint with the team this season did help raise my confidence that he could be a successful bullpen component. As of now, he’s still working out of the role of a starter.

5. Michael McKenry, C
6. Wilin Rosario, C
McKenry and Rosario together represent two young catchers with very solid defensive numbers through their minor league careers, both with offensive potential. Rosario is widely considered to be the better offensive prospect, especially after a very strong 2008 with Casper. McKenry is ranked above Rosario only because he’s much closer to making an impact with the team, probably as a backup catcher. Both players receive a boost simply due to being catching prospects. Otherwise, I’d probably have them a bit lower.

7. Rex Brothers, LHP
Brothers is on a fast track to the majors, appearing in the fourth level of the minors at Modesto after only 17 games in lower levels. His strikeout rates are encouraging in the limited time thus far, and he’s the kind of player who could wind up in the big leagues as an effective reliever after just 2-3 years of minor league seasoning. I have a feeling he’ll be the first player from the 2009 draft to reach the Colorado Rockies.

8. Hector Gomez, SS
It’s a bit hard to put Gomez this high with his history of injury, especially considering how strongly I’ve punished Chris Nelson for the same thing, but I still believe Gomez represents the best middle infield prospect in the organization. He’s still got some holes in his game, and is also further risking his status as a top prospect every day he sits on the DL, but my faith is still there. Gomez is probably the favorite organizational piece to replace Barmes at second base by 2012, but Gomez is still being treated more as a shortstop.

9. Samuel Deduno, RHP
Deduno’s career in the organization started off as nothing particularly special, but he has developed himself into a B grade pitching prospect who is on pace for regular MLB contributions.in 2012. He’s still got control problems to iron out, but he’s successfully shown the organization that he has what it takes in there somewhere. He’s not MLB ready, but can be.

10. Cole Garner, OF
Garner has cut his ugly K rate down in the past few years, and it shows. His improved offensive game, his continued advancement through the system, and his strong response to getting the chance to show off in Spring Training have made me very excited for him. He’d be lower on the list had he not gotten promoted to AAA.

11. Tim Wheeler, OF
Too undeveloped thus far to be the top ranked OF on my list, Wheeler is a player with potential to develop multiple exciting tools. He can run, defend, and hit for average, though which will translate professionally remains to be seen. Wheeler skipped Asheville, and they clearly want him in the upper OFs in the minors as soon as he finds himself.

12. Chris Nelson, SS/2B
Similar to Gomez, Nelson is what would be a top tier middle infield prospect if it weren’t for injuries delaying progress. Also similar to Gomez, Nelson still has holes in his game he must patch up before he can continue on his way up the ladder. Unlike Gomez, I don’t believe Nelson is likely to return to his offensive peak in 2007. With Gomez ahead of him in middle IF positioning, and Tulo blocking SS, Nelson’s best shot at becoming a starting infielder with our team is getting healthy before Gomez does.

13. Charles Blackmon, OF
Blackmon has, in my opinion, the widest range of developed tools of any outfielder in the system. After two professional years, he’s been consistently hitting for average, stealing bases, and avoiding the K, which if I recall was a concern about him at draft time. He’s not yet gotten the chance to start his 2010 season, but I think he can continue to perform up the ranks.

14. Matt Reynolds, LHP
Reynolds has improved his game every season of his professional career, and has become the relief pitcher prospect closest to making the team since mid last year. Reynolds will be one of the first people considered for a callup this year if a left handed pitcher is injured.

15. Eric Young, Jr., 2B/CF
I am not as high on Young as many others are. His tools alone put him at this spot on the list, but I still believe he profiles more as a utility player than anything. It doesn’t help that so far, the only position he’s shown he can really handle at all is 2B, and even the defense there is shaky. It’s hard to be a utility player when you can only play one position. Unfortunately, despite his family history with the team, I can’t see Young being more to our team than an occasional utility player, called up whe there’s an injury. He’ll have a chance at the starting 2B job if Gomez and Nelson can’t get it together, but both would make better starting second basemen.

16. Kiel Roling, 1B
Roling will continue to forge an identity as the top corner infielder in the organization, and has now become possibly the most likely player to be the first 1B not blocked by Todd Helton. We won’t have to protect him from the Rule 5 draft until after the 2011 season, meaning including option years, he’s five years away from being committed to MLB playing time. He’s off to a slow start in Tulsa this season, but he can become power+average combination, with decent defense.

17. Chris Balcom-Miller, RHP
Another player with too limited professional experience to commit to, B-M has the pitching style to become a top starting pitching prospect in the next generation of them. He could also quickly sink off this list if he doesn’t continue to play to his strengths.

18. Nolan Arenado, 3B
His first professional season was interesting. On one hand, he didn’t have the power many people expected. However, he also proved himself to be a a pretty incredible contact hitter. He’s another player whose presence on the list is simply interpretive of perceived talent, and further years will determine which direction he moves from here.

19. Matt Miller, OF
Certain to be among my more controversial picks, Miller has performed beyond expectations at every level he has played. Miller is often snubbed on this list due to not being a favorite based upon prospect rankings or perceived talent, but I believe Miller has more than earned a chance to become a utility outfielder. Miller may be the best non-roster player in terms of being ready to handle the MLB level, even if he’s never going to be a star player.

20. Casey Weathers, RHP
It’s been long enough now that worry about Weathers’ future is more than legitimate. If he doesn’t play this season, he may even drop off the list entirely for me. Brothers has replaced Weathers as the exciting fast tracked reliever, and it’s up to him to come back and regain some traction in the system before moving on. This could be a very sad story.

21. Juan Nicasio, RHP
Nicasio has found a special spot over his past two seasons, but a slow start to his professional career has put him behind many others already on the clock in terms of development. Still in the A level systems, he’s far from too old to be considered dead in the water, but he could very easily price himself out of options before he’s ready. I can very easily see Nicasio as a trade chip to another team for a midseason acquisition.

22. Jordan Pacheco, C
Pacheco surged into the spotlight in 2009. After an incredible 2010 spring training as an NRI, a repeat in 2010 will put him up higher. He’s not as developed defensively as McKenry or Rosario, but he could get there. Keep an eye open for a continued rise here.

23. Edgmer Escalona, RHP
Quietly succeeding up the organization, Escalona is a good season in AAA (which hasn’t started that way) from being considered for a big league relief spot. I have a good feeling about Escalona’s chances in the next couple years of breaking in, but it’s too early to put him amongst the elite. He remains in the “potential impact” category.

24. Shane Lindsay, RHP
Lindsay’s had a chaotic history of good years, bad years, and injured years. It’s difficult to measure exactly where he stands in any sense but MLB time. He needs to be ready to go by 2012, or he’s gone. He did well in his first year as a reliever in 2009, but it amounted to only 27 games due to injury.

25. Chaz Roe, RHP
An average-above average pitching prospect lost in a sea of better ones. Toss him in the “likely traded for MLB ready players” category

26. Andrew Johnston, RHP
Not to be confused with Alan Johnson, please. His ascent has not been the fastest, but he’s been bred level by level as a closer, and is fitting at AAA quite nicely so far. I think he has a chance of finding a spot in the pen in the next couple years.

27. Craig Baker, RHP
One step behind Johnston, Craig Baker follows in the organizational closer chain. He’s also hit every level pitch perfectly, and has some good control.

28. Eliezer Mesa, OF
A late addition to my list, his lack of advancement last year kept him off my radar until his performances thus far this year.

29. Scott Beerer, OF
A heck of a reinvention, it’s hard putting him here after just one year as a position player when I could be putting younger players with similar experience here. That said, his 2009, while not a full season, was one of the best in the organization. He at least deserves one eye on him.

30. Mike Paulk, 1B
Paulk is a rank climber as of late, and he’s being bred into a 1B/OF utility role. Not at all on my radar before this last spring training, a look at his stats suggests a capable utility player.

Not too many changes to the last PuRP list I submitted – I don’t think two weeks is enough to do a lot of moving and shaking, and I really liked my last list.

1. T. Matzek
2. C. Friedrich
3. J. Chacin
4. E. Rogers
5. W. Rosario
6. H. Gomez
7. E. Young Jr.
8. C. Balcom-Miller
9. T. Wheeler
10. N. Arenado
11. R. Brothers
12. M. McKenry
13. J. Nicasio
14. C. Roe
15. S. Deduno
16. C. Nelson
17. C. Weathers
18. B. Paulsen
19. C. Blackmon
20. J. Pacheco
21. C. Garner
22. E. Hollingsworth
23. D. Cleary
24. E. Mesa
25. R. Scahill
26. K. Roling
27. K. Clark
28. A. Barnes
29. J. Cesario
30. S. Lindsay

1 Tyler Matzek
2 Christian Friedrich
3 Jhoulys Chacin
4 Esmil Rogers
5 Wilin Rosario
6 Mike McKenry
7 Rex Brothers
8 Eric Young Jr
9 Hector Gomez
10 Samuel Deduno
11 Chris Nelson
12 Charlie Blackmon
13 Tim Wheeler
14 Chris Balcom-Miller
15 Nolan Arenado
16 Juan Nicasio
17 Cole Garner
18 Casey Weathers
19 Chaz Roe
20 Kiel Roling
21 Delta Cleary
22Parker Frazier
23 Ben Paulsen
24 Darin Holcomb
25 Jared Clark
26 Jordan Pacheco
27 Eliezer Mesa
28 Ethan Hollingsworth
29 Edgmer Escalona
30 Matt Reynolds

weekend baseball camp bloc after all. I know it destroys freedom, but I think we’ll extend the voting for another day or two.

1. Tyler Matzek
2. Christian Friedrich
3. Jhoulys Chacin
4. Esmil Rogers
5. Tim Wheeler
6. Wilin Rosario
7. Rex Brothers
8. Michael McKenry
9. Samuel Deduno
10. Hector Gomez
11. Chris Nelson
12. Cole Garner
13. Chris Balcom-Miller
14. Charlie Blackmon
15. Eric Young Jr.
16. Matt Reynolds
17. Nolan Arenado
18. Kiel Roling
19. Casey Weathers
20. Chaz Roe
21. Juan Nicasio
22. Ben Paulsen
23. Shane Lindsay
24. Eliezer Mesa
25. Ethan Hollingsworth
26. Alan Johnston
27. Edgmer Escalona
28. Jordan Pacheco
29. Delta Cleary
30. Al Albuquerque

1. Friedrich
2. Matzek
3. Chacin
4. Rosario
5. Rogers
6. Young
7. Gomez
8. Brothers
9. Wheeler
10. Blackmon
11. Deduno
12. McKenry
13. Roe
14. Roling
15. Balcom-Miller
16. Arenado
17. Cleary.
18. Mesa
19. M. Reynolds
20. Nelson
21. Weathers
22. Pacheco
23. Johnston
24. Alburquerque
25. Escalona
26. Garner
27. Musick
28. Beerer
29. Hollingsworth
30. Matthes

1. Christian Friedrich
2. Tyler Matzek
3. Jhoulys Chacin
4. Wilin Rosario
5. Esmil Rogers
6. Juan Nicasio
7. Hector Gomez
8. Tim Wheeler
9. Eric Young Jr.
10. Samuel Deduno
11. Rex Brothers
12. Charlie Blackmon
13. Nolan Arenado
14. Chris Balcom-Miller
15. Mike McKenry
16. Chris Nelson
17. Delta Cleary
18. Chaz Roe
19. Shane Lindsay
20. Kiel Roling
21. Cole Garner
22. Casey Weathers
23. Edgmer Escalona
24. Matt Reynolds
25. Jordan Pacheco
26. Ethan Hollingsworth
27. Bruce Billings
28. Darin Holcomb
29. Eliezer Mesa
30. Al Alburquerque

At the risk of bringing down America from having been unable to compile & post a list over the weekend (it’s not really work computer issues that limit some of us in accessing PR on the weekends — it’s family commitments, yardwork, church & such things), here’s my list. Since those posting after Sunday have been termed terrorists anyway, I might as well be subversive. My list is highly weighted toward minor league performance, and only slightly influenced by projections at draft time. Thus, until I see what Tyler Matzek does in real minor league game competition, I’m just not going to put him at the top of my list. I’ve seen too many “can’t miss” No. 1 draft picks miss to give that much weight to scouts’ & internet experts’ opinions. So:

1. J. Chacin
2. C. Friedrich
3. E. Young Jr.
4. E. Rogers.
5. W. Rosario
6. N. Arenado
7. T. Matzek
8. M. Reynolds
9. N. Arenado
10. J. Nicasio
11. Ching Lo
12. J. Cesario
13. S. Deduno
14. M. McKenry
15. R. Brothers
16. H. Gomez
17. T. Field
18. J. Pacheco
19. C. Balcom-Miller
20. T. Wheeler
21. J. Clark.
22. E. Hollingsworth
23. E. Mesa
24. A. Nina
25. M. Marbry
26. K. Yack9
27. M. Zuanich
28. K. Roling
29. M. Miller
30. I. Froneberger

1. Christian Friedrich
2. Jhoulys Chacin
3. Tyler Matzek
4. Esmil Rogers
5. Willin Rosario
6. Eric Young Jr
7. Tim Wheeler
8. Rex Brothers
9. Hector Gomez
10. Nolan Arenado
11. Juan Nicasio
12. Mike McKenry
13. Charlie Blackmon
14. Chris Balcolm-Miller
15. Sam Deduno
16. Delta Cleary
17. Chaz Roe
18. Kiel Roling
19. Parker Frazier
20. Eliezer Mesa
21. Jordan Pacheco
22. Jared Clark
23. Casey Weathers
24. Matt Reynolds
25. Shane Lindsay
26. Edgmer Escalona
27. Chris Nelson
28. Cole Garner
29. Ethan Hollingsworth
30. Al Albuquerque