As mentioned in my previous post, the hope was that by the time I got back from my trip, I’d have at least two of the three books I’d ordered for this season. As the pic shows, I’ve got ’em all.
You’ll forgive me for going for the lowest-hanging fruit, but I figure I’d start with Rob Gordon and Jeremy DeLoney’s 2011 Minor League Baseball Analyst and their Top 15 14 Prospects overall. Why 14? Well, as you might have already guessed, the list includes the traded-away Michael Burgess. (Last year’s ranking for the Nationals in parentheses where applicable).
1. Bryce Harper, OF
2. Danny Espinosa, SS (5)
3. Wilson Ramos, C
4. A.J. Cole, RHP
5. Derek Norris, C (3)
6. Michael Burgess, OF (7)
7. Chris Marrero, 1B (4)
8. Sammy Solis, LHP
9. Eury Perez, OF
10. Destin Hood, OF
11. Tyler Moore, 1B
12. Brad Meyers, RHP (14)
13. Rick Hague, SS
14. Jeff Kobernus, 2B (11)
15. Steve Lombardozzi, 2B
If you’re a bit puzzled by these picks… you’re not alone. For starters, it’s a bit odd to me that a 25-year-old that was hurt most of the year can move up in the rankings. This is the second year that these two have done the book (Deric McKamey did the first four before being going to work for the St. Louis Cardinals) but after looking over the some of the player capsules, it’s evident that the emphasis on stats is stronger than the scouting, which appears to be secondary, if not secondhand.