I agree there is some value in DSL results, but there is unquestionably more risk involved. Anyone remember Malcom Nunez and his 1.271 OPS, 13 HR and 59 RBI in 44 DSL games six years ago? He is the most recent DSL Cards hitter to make these kind of waves.
In contrast, the top US high schoolers most often have participated in various showcases so there is almost always more information about them than a 16-year-old from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, for example. We knew plenty about high schoolers Carlson, Gorman, Walker, Winn, Hence, etc. the day they were drafted. Sure, there was still risk, but less so.
I respect BA but I can get more aggressive when I see the players with my own eyes and informally ask coaches about them. I have an extended stay ahead at this spring training and two guys I will be seeking out are Rodriguez and Ramirez. Maybe Padilla will be in Jupiter, too. In the meantime, I am not ranking them overly aggressively. I would rather they earn their way up than to have to drop them because I was reaching based on others’ opinions. I use our monthly in-season rankings for the very purpose of making regular adjustments, rather than re-ranking just once or twice a year.
There is a prominent site that has been known to place a totally unexpected guy at #10 in their team rankings. I think they do it for the attention it gets them. Being first to “discover” a hot new prospect really matters to some, and later on, no one notices when almost all the time, the guy turns out not to be top 10-worthy.
Of course, these ratings are yours, not mine. But since mine were mentioned, I thought I would share my view directly.
Rank on!