Top 100 Prospects Review (70-61)
70. C John Jaso (Tampa Bay Rays)
Year In Review: For whatever reason, the Rays decided Jaso’s .316/.408/.484 season last year didn’t earn a promotion to AAA. No matter why, it seems it was the right decision, as his newfound power of last season has disappeared, leading to a disappointing .253/.385/.369 line.
Prospect Status: Way down.
69. RHSP Chris Tillman (Seattle Mariners)
Year In Review: Only turning 20 two weeks into the season, Tillman has put up an impressive showing at AA, striking out 1/4 of the batters he’s faced. The command is not there yet, as he’s walked half of that number. However, that number is similar to what pitchers like Neftali Feliz and Clayton Kershaw put up last year, and there’s ample reason to believe that Tillman’s control will improve. The ceiling is definitely worth a little uncertainty on that front.
Prospect Status: Up.
68. LHSP Zach Braddock (Milwaukee Brewers)
Year In Review: Braddock is in a similar situation to Tillman, but with a different prognosis. After a tremendous showing last year, Braddock’s walks have shot up, handing out 27 free passes in 43.2 innings. Braddock isn’t exactly a soft-tossing lefty, and has fine stuff that can even be called electric at times, but it is not up to the level of a Feliz, Kershaw or Tillman. Braddock’s control is more important to his success than theirs, and if it is fixed his ceiling isn’t as high either, so…
Prospect Status: Down.
67. RHSP Justin Masterson (Boston Red Sox)
Year In Review: Masterson put up a nice showing in AA and one AAA start, with 41 strikeouts and 17 walks in 44.1 combined innings, and a GB:FB ratio of nearly 3:1. Masterson’s major league peripherals say that his excellent start will not continue, but he is conforming exactly to expectations and should be roughly a 4th starter on a good team or a 2nd/3rd starter on a bad team.
Prospect Status: Neutral, will likely be graduated when the updated top 100 prospect list is completed.
66. OF Jose Tabata (New York Yankees)
Year In Review: The dream is likely dead. He is still only 19, but there is no longer the unbridled optimism of the past. Tabata’s only offensive skill at the moment is his contact, and according to Kevin Goldstein, scouts are no longer nearly as impressed as they used to be. Tabata may still be a productive major leaguer, but he has a long way to go and the ceiling is no longer as high as it used to be.
Prospect Status: Way Down.
65. OF Carlos Gonzalez (Oakland Athletics)
Year In Review: Still somehow only 22, Gonzalez put up a decent showing in AAA, although nothing spectacular. Most promising is the fact that his contact rate has gone from questionable to 30 in 174 plate appearances. Gonzalez’s plate discipline is still pretty non-existent and most of his power this year has been to the gaps, so his overall offensive game isn’t there yet to complement his defense.
Prospect Status: Neutral.
64. SS Brandon Wood (Los Angeles Angels)
Year In Review: At 23 now, I think it’s time to admit that his plate approach is what it is, and he won’t be an all-around offensive stud. He’ll just hit for power… a lot of power. The bigger question is his position. He spent most of last year at 3B, most of this year in SS, but played 3B in the majors. He’s a decent 3B or a very good SS.
Prospect Status: Slightly up, graduated.
63. 1B Steven Pearce (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Year In Review: Pearce’s season looks pretty bad, but hope is not completely lost. He is still making contact and hitting excellent extra base hits at an excellent rate. The biggest difference between this year and last is that a lower number of those extra base hits are going out of the park; if that can be rectified some, he can still be a good major league hitter.
Prospect Status: Down.
62. RHSP James Simmons (Oakland A’s)
Year In Review: Simmons continues to do what he was projected to do when he was drafted: throw strikes. The home runs are a bit of a concern, but he is in the Texas League, so it doesn’t take much variance for a flyball pitcher to give up some unlucky home runs. There is no mystery with Simmons.
Prospect Status: Neutral.
61. 1B Beau Mills (Cleveland Indians)
Year In Review: Mills is a hitter, plain and simple. He makes good contact (18.5 K%), walks a lot (11.7%) and gets a lot of extra base hits (45.3% of hits have gone for extra bases). At the moment, most of those XBH are doubles, but at 6′2″-3″ and 220 lbs with a lot of natural raw power, it is safe to assume that the home runs will come.
Prospect Status: Way up.
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