So…. how about that baseball last night?! Wild. Simply wild. My skin was hurting from the goosebumps. I must admit, I am a Rays fan. I was wearing my Rays hat all night.
Baseball America will be releasing its California League Top 20 prospects this morning/early afternoon. If Yasmani Grandal qualifies, you have to imagine that he makes it. Outside chance for guys like Sulbaran or Rodriguez at the back end of the list. If Grandal doesn’t qualify, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Reds were to get shut out on the list. I will be back around 12:30 to post more on the list when it comes out.
The Hardball Times has released parts 2 and 3 of their Fantasy Top 100 prospects. Yasmani Grandal came in at #41 on the list.
41: Yasmani Grandal/C/Cincinnati Reds/11-8-88/ETA: 2013
Forecast Notes: Two good years. Peak .249/.326/.411 with 12-15 HRs.
Current Level: Double-A
Scouting Notes: Grandal’s surface numbers are more impressive than Rosario’s, but the ceiling isn’t described as being as high by most scouting outlets. He’s also behind Mesoraco, further hurting his ranking. That said, he’s a switch hitting catcher with the potential for plus offensive contributions. Catchers have a wide variety of skills they need to hone in the minors, so they develop at different speeds. He may not take the same leap fellow Reds prospect Mesoraco made because of lesser tools, but even a slight jump in production would be reason for excitement.
Billy Hamilton came in at #61 on the list.
61: Billy Hamilton/SS/Cincinnati Reds/9-9-90/ETA: 2014
Forecast Notes: Great steals, good glove, no bat, lots of strikeouts.
Current Level: Single-A
Scouting Notes: Baseball Prospectus’ Jason Parks has described his speed as a 90 on the 20-to-80 scale—quite high praise. He’s raw and developing, and he’ll need to continue to improve making contact, but his plus-plus speed tool and insane stolen base upside at shortstop make him worth a gamble. He’s unlikely to bring any power, but young Jose Reyes-type steal numbers would look quite nice if he’s able to hit enough to reach the majors.
I think both guys will be Top 100 prospects elsewhere in the offseason. Grandal seems in roughly the right spot for a non fantasy based list. I will stand by my guns and say that Hamilton isn’t a Top 100 prospect right now. He is simply too much of a risk to me.
With the season decided, the draft order is now good to go. The Reds will be drafting 14th in the 2012 MLB Draft. It is also a protected draft pick, so the Reds could sign a type A free agent and not lose their first round pick. That suggests to me that they could go after a good reliever without worry of losing a premium pick (would lose their 2nd rounder).
Now that the season is officially over, we know who still has their prospect eligibility. Only three prospects lost their eligibility this season: Juan Francisco, Aroldis Chapman and Sam LeCure.