While the participation wasn’t what I hoped it would be, it was enough to assemble a semi-decent Top 10 list.
One interesting trend is that youth seems to be getting served by virtue of Jakson Reetz as well as Dominican imports Wilmer Difo and Rafael Bautista, both of whom had breakout seasons with Hagerstown, with the former being added to the Nats 40-man roster.
Of course, some of that is attributable to three of last year’s Top 10 bats being traded away (Billy Burns, Zach Walters) or taken in the Rule 5 Draft (Adrian Nieto). And some of that is attributable to the “girl-watching” nature of prospect following (the prettiest one is the one that just walked by).
Anyway, a total of 15 players were named on the eight ballots received or submitted, which does include mine. I don’t find the 15 number all that disturbing since, as some put it, the bottom part of the list isn’t as clear-cut as the top, which was a near tie (77 points to 75 points) with Steve Souza the top pick on five.
And with that “said,” I present the list:
1. Steve Souza
2. Michael Taylor
3. Wilmer Difo
4. Drew Ward
5. Jakson Reetz
6. Brian Goodwin
7. Matt Skole
8. Spencer Kieboom
9. Rafael Bautista
10. Pedro Severino
Others receiving votes: Tony Renda, Drew Vettleson, John Wooten, Stephen Perez, Raudy Read
I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that half of these names won’t be on this list next year, given proximity to the majors, age, or “trade baitiness.” It’s tempting to conclude that that means we’re about to swing Broadway backward, but if past is prologue, those that move on will be replaced with players who had breakout seasons.
Next up: The pitchers, which always leads to much more discussion (dissension?)…