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With 15 votes, Matthew Liberatore shuts out the competition and slots in at #3 in the TCN 2022 Prospect List!
Voting for #4 is now OPEN. Voting will end at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST on 11/17.
Masyn Winn. My pick for #4 prospect.
This is the post I have been waiting to write. There is a term in the financial world stated long ago called “Irrational exuberance.” It means to be extremely joyous or enthusiastic about something without sufficient enough cause. That’s me and Masyn Winn. Every so often, in my 50 years of fandom, I get this way about a prospect. My last favorite before Winn was Harrison Bader. My first one came as a 14 year old with a pitcher named Scipio Spinks. There’s been a few more in between.
Winn is a one-of-a-kind prospect. A unicorn. Baseball America said of him, Pound for pound, Winn could be the most purely talented player in the 2020 draft. Now we have a year’s worth of stats on him. Starting at Low-A as a 19 year old, he was not overwhelmed. A promotion to High-A for 36 games was a little tougher for him, but didn’t hurt his prospect status.
So many great things are being said about him. Two way player. Great speed. A true shortstop. A great arm that throws up to a 98 MPH fastball.
You are spot on with Winn; there is a lot lurking just below the surface when you factor league to age.
My first minor league crush was Leon Durham. I say crush because look where he went.
There was a left-handed catcher named Orlando Sanchez, who I got all excited over a .287 batting average. His name and history were a cautionary tale about BA that I didn’t recognize for 30 years.Is anyone else very unsure as to where to rank Yepez? With his numbers in the minors then in the AZFL he has to be in the top 10 I’d think…..
In an effort to stem the tide a little, Ivan Herrera is my #4. People love Winn and for good reason; he’s an exciting young prospect at a position we will need in a couple years. He’s fast with a powerful arm and a quick bat; and he excelled at low A at age 19.
I would posit, however, that besides the speed, all those attributes also apply to one Ivan Herrera. People will say that he “stalled” with the bat this year at Springfield. If stalling is putting up a 104 wRC+ with an unusually low BABIP, then sign me up. Ivan was literally weeks away from this being his age 20 year and he had a very respectable 13.7% walk rate, 22% K rate and 17 homers, all while playing the most demanding position on the diamond. His previous wRC+ were better at the same age and level than Winn in 2019. By all reports, his defense is good and improving to where you are hearing that he will probably be an average or better defender at the big league level.
That tips the scale in favor of Ivan over Masyn for me. I think our catcher of the next 6-10 years will be starting in Memphis and ready by season’s end.
I agree with stlcard25. Masyn is very exciting to watch and will be a fine player in the future as he gets experience and maturity. Right now though, #4 for me is Ivan Herrera.
You are spot on with Winn; there is a lot lurking just below the surface when you factor league to age.
Hey NigelT…is this your vote? I just want to be sure before I count you at #4, as this sounds like an endorsement but I’m not sure if it’s your vote.
Is anyone else very unsure as to where to rank Yepez? With his numbers in the minors then in the AZFL he has to be in the top 10 I’d think…..
I wouldn’t say “very unsure,” but his bat is top 3-5 easily and the rest of his game is more iffy. He’s in my top 10 for sure. He will play a role in St Louis in 2022.
I’m not unsure, ChiTown. I’ll vote for Yepez at #4. I was intrigued with him after this year’s AAA season. And when I was able to tune in to the AFL All Star game and see him hit there, it was really impressive. I truly believe he’s the surest thing we have in the system behind the top 3.
I think I’m like most here in that I started formulating my Top 50 list early on. I’ve shuffled a few players around since July, but my Top 5 has been rock solid since Independence Day. Then at the 12th hour, in prances Mr. Bob Cobb with a most compelling case for Masyn Winn. And the possible change has my head a spinning, as this potentially threatens a wholesale reshuffling of my Top 14. I have a very busy day on the docket here at work, but I need to chew on things awhile. Glad we have until 7p to register our selection.
I am going with Juan Yepez at #4. What he accomplished at AA and AAA and the AFL in 2021 was mesmerizing to me. A .969 OPS, seriously? He has the makings of a significant big league contributor for years to come.
Very close vote thus far for #4, so with StlCard25’s blessing, let’s update the tally shall we:
Herrera-4
Winn-4
Yepez-2*Nigel needs to clarify matters before his vote can be officially tabulated. Thank you very much.
#4 Juan Yepez – I’ll go with the less risk guy here. Yepez has been young for every league he’s ever been in and demolished it. Here are his respective wRC+ numbers before promotion each year: 2018-198 / 2019-147 / 2021-153. He was able to start hitting some of those hard hit balls for HRs tis year as well. He’s continued to hit in the AFL as well. I think his power will certainly translate at the big league level even if his average dips to the .250-.260 area. Those are good numbers for a corner OF. The only problem will be finding consistent playing time. If he can play a utility role/DH role for this team I think he’s a good fit for the opening day roster with no FA signings. Otherwise he will continue to be quality depth on the farm.
Really wanted to go with Winn as a high ceiling bet here, but went with Yepez as a relatively safer prospect albeit with a bit lower ceiling.
We’ve had as many as 16 vote in a round, so there’s still some time to separate out our three contenders. Every vote could be the deciding tally, so get your votes in!
Was mere inches away from going with “The Kid” (Masyn Winn), but have decided to stick with “Pez”. So at Prospect #4 my vote goes to Juan David Yepez. We’re now looking at a 3-way tie. This should be a wild finish. On a hunch, I’m predicting Herrera wins this #4 slot in walk-off fashion.
From what I have seen from the prospects right now, I also vote for Yepez at #4. Winn is promising, but I also think Burleson had a great year. He’s not ready yet, but looks very competent as a hitter so far! Interested to see where he will land on this list!
Winn @ No. 4. I think Winn has the highest ceiling of any of our prospects. If it turns out that he can’t hit the curveball, he has the stuff to be a top tier pitcher.
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