Vote For Your Favorite Bats
Since this is a popular feature — and it’s rather quiet on the minor-league front, unless you’re into start times and hot stove guests — let’s do this again.
For those unfamiliar with the drill (and obviously good at brushing and flossing), send me your Top 10 list of minor-league position players (40-man guys are eligible as long as they have rookie status) to enfieldmass-top10bats[at]yahoo[dot]com (link will open your preferred email client) or submit them in comments.
After I get enough submissions to work with, I’ll update this post to close the polls and weight the lists in reverse order (#1 = 10 points, #2 = 9 points, yada yada yada, #10 = 1 point).
Then, I’ll present the fifth annual NationalsProspects.com Top 10 Bats. Now, bear in mind that I use the term “bat” as a shorthand for a position player. As we all know too well, some folks will make it to the majors despite being poor on defense. Nevertheless, I would like you to consider both offense and defense in your selections, if for no other reason than the National League still does not have the designated hitter [insert troll remark here].
In addition to being an exercise that reinforces our sense of community on this site, I think it also produces a better list than if I were to pick it myself, which I did the first year. While there are some obvious exceptions, this is based on the “Wisdom of Crowds” theory that the collective opinions of many is usually more accurate than the opinion of one, which is an old idea (think Aristotle) that’s been given new life by a 2004 business book by James Surowiecki.
If nothing else, it’ll give us something to discuss until the Winter Meetings begin tomorrow.
UPDATE: I’m calling it and writing the next post.
Struggled after #7…
Souza
Taylor
Difo
Reetz
Ward
Goodwin
Skole
Kieboom
Vettleson
Kobernus
I agree with Andrew s top ten but I have to
Insert Wooten ahead of half those guys
. 15 should show a year in which Estarlin
Finally hits some home runs and miller time
Stays healthy. Jeff Gardner could do some nice
Mashing once the temps warm up in Hagerstown.
Plus hopefully a couple other guys with him
Up from auburn
We have all thought which kids Auburn
/ GCL will breAk out on 2015 in conjunction
With the bats list.
Read @ Hagerstown another
1. Taylor
2. Souza
3. Ward
4. Reetz
5. Difo
6. Goodwin
7. Severino
8. Renda
9. Bautista
10. Kieboom
Honorable Mention: Skole, S. Perez
Missed Bautista and would stick him at 8 before Kieboom on my list (if I’m allowed to change).
Taylor
Souza
Goodwin
Skole
Ward
Vettleson
Difo
Reetz
Severino
Renda
Bautista
1. Taylor 2. Souza 3. Difo 4. Reetz 5. Severino 6. Goodwin 7. Bautista 8. Ward 9. Kieboom 10. Skole
Souza
Taylor
Difo
Ward
Bautista
Skole
Kieboom
Renda
Read
Wooten
What a wake up call for Brandon laird
After his 2014 campaign. Japanese ball.
Good for him, parlaying a .840+ OPS in AAA into a good payday.
Pretty good for a 27th rounder.