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Would Hanley Ramirez or Anibal Sanchez figure into the Marlins Top 10 Prospects list? Where would they be ranked?

 

Paul Dumond

Madawaska, Maine

 

Where would Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez rank in the Marlins Top 10 now that the trade for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell looks to be going through?

 

Steve Liddell

Orlando

 

If you didn't have to figure in positional needs or salary, just overall value, who would you rather have? Hank Blalock and John Danks/Thomas Diamond; or Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and Jesus Delgado?

 

Thom Gentz

Ann Arbor, Mich.

 

We haven't written up the deal at Trade Central yet because it's pending the players passing physicals, but barring a surprise, the Red Sox will acquire Beckett and Lowell from the Marlins for Ramirez, Sanchez and Delgado. Additionally, physicals are all that's holding up another Florida trade that would send Carlos Delgado to the Mets for Yusmeiro Petit and Mike Jacobs. Needless to say, you'll see a very revamped Marlins Top 10 in the 2006 Prospect Handbook.

 

We're still sorting it all out, but here's how I'd line up Florida's Top 10:

 

1. Jeremy Hermida, of

The game's No. 2 outfield prospect, behind only Delmon Young

2. Hanley Ramirez, ss (from Red Sox)

Impressive tools but has yet to have a breakout season to match

3. Anibal Sanchez, rhp (from Red Sox)

Gets the nod over Olsen because he's closer to having three big league pitches

4. Scott Olsen, lhp

One of the better lefty pitching prospects in the entire minors

5. Yusmeiro Petit, rhp (from Mets)

Stats are more spectacular than his stuff, but has proven himself through Double-A

6. Josh Johnson, rhp

Though relatively unheralded, could crack Florida's rotation in spring training

7. Chris Volstad, rhp

The first and best of five pitchers the Marlins drafted before the second round in 2005

8. Aaron Thompson, lhp

Three-pitch lefty is extremely polished for a pitcher just out of high school

9. Josh Willingham, c/1b

Can't catch regularly in majors but should get more playing time with Carlos Delgado gone

10. Mike Jacobs, 1b/c

Ranked No. 4 on Mets list after hitting 11 homers in 100 big league at-bats

 

From a pure talent standpoint, I'd take Blalock and Danks, but you have to remember that trades aren't made in a vaccum where positional needs and salaries don't exist. Blalock will make $14 million over the next three seasons when the Marlins are looking to save money, and he plays third base, where Florida wants to move Miguel Cabrera to create room for Hermida in the outfield. Blalock's production also has leveled off, and while he's good he's not as promising as he looked in 2003.

 

The Marlins had a huge hole at shortstop, and there wasn't a better shortstop on the market than Ramirez. The Angels aren't trading Brandon Wood, the Diamondbacks aren't dealing Stephen Drew and the Dodgers' Joel Guzman will have to change positions. Ramirez fills a need better and is much cheaper than Blalock, while Sanchez and Jesus Delgado are quality arms.

very cool to see where the new guys rank in the system.

 

The downside is that on that list is probably the Marlins' starting RF, SS, 1B, LF and possible 4 of 5 SPs. :lol

Good stuff, thanks Quick. That's how many of us felt about Blalock too, still a good player but perhaps not with as high a ceiling as was thought a couple of years ago.

 

I think Jesus Delgado quietly could turn out to be a great piece from these deals too.

 

very cool to see where the new guys rank in the system.

 

The downside is that on that list is probably the Marlins' starting RF, SS, 1B, LF and possible 4 of 5 SPs. :lol

 

 

 

:lol ver true.

 

But at least next year there won't be any cries of "why don't we ever play the kids??"

Good stuff, thanks Quick. That's how many of us felt about Blalock too, still a good player but perhaps not with as high a ceiling as was thought a couple of years ago.

 

I think Jesus Delgado quietly could turn out to be a great piece from these deals too.

 

 

very cool to see where the new guys rank in the system.

 

The downside is that on that list is probably the Marlins' starting RF, SS, 1B, LF and possible 4 of 5 SPs. :lol

 

 

 

:lol ver true.

 

But at least next year there won't be any cries of "why don't we ever play the kids??"

 

 

yea, your right about that one. :whistle

I take it Vargas was not included in the list because he played enough last year not to be a prospect and Andino just sucks compared to these guys?

this was posted 4 days ago.

Volstad will probably be in BA's top 100 prospects list and Thompson might as well. That means we could have as many as 7-8 prospects in the top 100. Last year Petit was ranked about 45 or so... if he didn't slip, then we'll have at least 5 in the top 50. There's a chance Josh Johnson sneaks into the top 50 as well. That's a stacked system. Of course, as a few others have said, 3-4 of those guys will be on the opening day roster.

We look great for the future but the sad thing is the future is right now and a lot of those guy are gonna need to step up and be major leaguers right now.

Does anyone think Volstad will make it to double-A this year? The way he dominated in his short time last year I could see it, with a trip to the majors possibly in his future in 2007 Josh Beckett Style...

Does anyone think Volstad will make it to double-A this year? The way he dominated in his short time last year I could see it, with a trip to the majors possibly in his future in 2007 Josh Beckett Style...

 

 

Hopefully Volstad will be an everyday player by mid-2007...

We look great for the future but the sad thing is the future is right now and a lot of those guy are gonna need to step up and be major leaguers right now.

 

 

2007 and beyond will be good, next year might be painful.

Does anyone think Volstad will make it to double-A this year? The way he dominated in his short time last year I could see it, with a trip to the majors possibly in his future in 2007 Josh Beckett Style...

 

 

Beckett made the call up to the big leagues in his first full professional season. He was much more dominating than Volstad in his first season in professional ball (he held out for a long while before agreeing to terms with the Marlins the following season... he was 20 when he started pro ball). He had a 2.12 ERA 9.25K/9IP and WHIP of 1. The strike out numbers were much better for Josh than for Chris. I guess we can partly attribute that to Josh being older. Volstad doesn't have the same ceiling as Josh. Here are Josh's career minor league numbers: 1.97 11.59K/9IP 0.97 WHIP. Hard for anyone to match that. In fact, only Dontrelle comes close (except the strike out numbers).

 

Volstad makes the team as a 21 year old in 2008. Perhaps a 2007 september call up.

beckett throws harder than volstad, which is why he had more K's in the minors.

 

volstad tops supposedly tops out around 92-94 i think

Volstad's WHIP last year wasn't nearly as good as Josh's, though. Volstad will make it to the big leagues, barring injury, fairly quickly. But talents like Josh and Dontrelle don't come around very often. We have been blessed the last few years.

Volstad doesn't have the breaking ball that Beckett had

This rush to bring players up to the bigs is just insane.

 

Before you start throwing back Miggy, he and to a lesser degree Dontrelle, are exceptions to the rule. Most of these kids, Ramirez included, probably need at least another year and maybe two in the case of most of the pitchers before they are physically ready and mentally prepared to compete against in the bigs.

 

Of course baseball is different today than when I grew up with the sport, but when I read Sickels and Callis and other minor league mavens talking about 25 year old guys being too old to be considered prospects, I want to scream at my computer screen.

 

Stick potential in your pipe and smoke it. Give me a guy, and Willingham might be an example, who has played a few hundred professional games.

 

Personally I'd like to see Fulchino get a starting nod (if he shows he deserves one in spring training) over some of the kids being touted as starters in '06. The guy had 29 starts last season and pitched more innings than Beckett. Olsen on the otherhand started 18 games between Carolina and here and threw only a hundred innings combined before injuries ended his season.

 

If we're going to reap the benefits of the trades we've made, keep them in the minors for another season and let's some adults take the field in '06.

I agree with you, 2003. We shouldn't rush the kids. And I also agree that it is ridiculous to say that a 25 or 26 year old is too old to be a prospect. Look at the Phillies' Howard... he got his chance when he was 25 (or was he 26?) and he tore it up. I think Willingham would do great in LF next season. Jacobs is 25, so he's mature enough for the big leagues. And I think Aguila's a pretty good player, too. If we don't have JP, let's put him at CF.

 

Having said that, I believe that if pitchers like Petit and Johnson do well in Spring Training they should be in the rotation. Petit has been very good at every level (except AAA, where he only pitched like 12 innings). His numbers are very similar to Dontrelle's numbers at a similar age (except Dontrelle's ERA was better in AA, albeit as a 21 year old).

25/26 with college experience is one thing. However 25/26 and repeating year after year of minor league level before supposedly putting it all together suggests the player is not very good and/or would have a hard time adjusting to the majors.

Willingham played three years of college ball at North Alabama. Jacobs played two at a Junior College in California. Aguila jumped straight to pro ball.

25/26 with college experience is one thing. However 25/26 and repeating year after year of minor league level before supposedly putting it all together suggests the player is not very good and/or would have a hard time adjusting to the majors.

 

 

I know what you're getting at but there are so many variables, for example if a player is blocked from moving up, which is often the case. There's also a question maturity. Some people, regardless of their occupation or circumstance, mature more quickly than others.

 

Now I do agree, with few exceptions, by the time a guy is 28-29-30, if he can't make his way into the bigs, the problems are probably with his game. But then again, look at a guy like LoDuca who's been an all-star how many times, and he was drafted in '93 but didn't become a regular until the 2001 season.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is there really isn't any hard and fast rule, it's really about the individual.

You might want to check the books on Beckett again re: his major league call-up. He graduated from high school in 1998 and went 2nd behind Josh Hamilton (Tampa would love to do that over again). I think he threw a couple of years at least in the minors before his ascension to the majors. I know he played in the Midwest League and also the Eastern League in Portland, Maine.

He was drafted in June 1999 but didn't sign until after the rookie league season was over. So he played his first year of professional ball in 2000. He was called up in September of 2001. :plain So he played a little under two full seasons of pro ball before he was called up.

 

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/josh-beckett.shtml :plain

Chris Volstad completely dominated every high school team he played last year....

 

He would've gone to the U if he wasnt drafted in the 1st round....

 

He will be a stud in the majors by 2008....