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Another prospect I would like to know more about is Cesar Prieto. At the end of 2023, MLB had him ranked at #14, above Crooks, Bedell, and Kloffenstein (and Rajic). I really don’t know much about him, but it looks like he can hit!
There is something to be said for heading into AAA already on the 40 man roster. But I am hesitant. Pages’s ‘breakout’ came in a return to AA after having spent half of the previous year in AAA. He is 25 and very thoroughly blocked. His chance is likely to be when Herrera starts getting expensive and/or Contreras’s contract pays down and is way less upside down. Crooks is 22 and looking at a year in AA and then hopefully AAA after that, so its not an issue for him yet.
Somewhere somebody mentioned Prieto, who is 14th on the Cardinals list. Infield UT type who played 2B and 3B at Memphis. I know nothing but his stat lines. IMO, a guy with little power needs to do way better than .314 OBP, whatever is BA is. Anyone have thoughts about him?
I really haven’t watched much of Prieto, but everyone agrees that he can hit well. The question marks on him are that he expands the strike zone too much to chase pitches and that he doesn’t play very good defense and that he’s more limited to 2B/3B. I thought about listing him with my suggestions for the next group (along with Baez and Mejia) but I felt like he was just a little below that group. That’s my opinion though, which isn’t worth much.
Speaking of my opinion, I really want to know why Hansen? He’s old for his age group and way behind Kloffenstein and some others. Sure, he put up solid numbers. But that was against guys a couple years younger. And, he doesn’t really have any elite stuff. This just feels really early to be placing Hansen. So why better than Kloffenstein, Mautz, or Showalter (or even Rom or Paniagua)?
13. Crooks
14. ChoI like Cho as a top 200-250 overall prospect right now, with an excellent chance to move into the 100-150 range this year thanks to his balanced skillset and sturdy plate discipline markers. With good health and a little better contact or power, he could be a Nootbaar type by the time he’s 23, 24 years old. (Cho’s father instructed him years ago to concentrate on controlling the strikezone and letting power develop organically, in its own time. Smart father. Very smart.)
Also, thanks for the kind words, Pugs!
This was Hansen’s first pro season on the mound after being a 3rd round draft pick last year, so its not as if he has wasted time dawdling. His line at PB was perfectly fine. The rub is he is a pitchability guy without explosive stuff. From the season opening top 50 article: “He throws five pitches – sinker, four-seamer, slider, curveball, and changeup. He commands each of these pitches well with a clean low effort delivery”.
I note that he place #16 on TCN season opening list, worked his way up to #12 and then was knocked down to #15 when deadline guys slid in above. I personally have no issue placing him is this part of the list. Let him pitch his way down if he is going to move down. I do agree that we need to see him against higher level competition. If he fails to get an in season promotion again despite good results, I will have to wonder why. But then, being in AA at the end of his second year on the mound would be moving briskly.
Hjerpe, Mautz and Hansen were taken in the first three rounds in 2022. All three saw their first game action this year. Hansen and Mautz had very similar results in PB over a full starters work load, with Hansen having a slight edge in H/9 and SO/W and Mautz a significant advantage in HR/9.
Hjerpe’s debut, a level above the other two, was interupted after eight starts when he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove ‘loose bodies’ in his pitching elbow. With a pitching elbow, loose bodies means bone chips, which are bone spurs, that form on the bone at the back of the elbow and that have broken off. Bone spurs do not form spontaneously for no reason. They form due to stress and have been likened to skin callus which forms due to the tissue being stressed by wear. This stress which causes the spur on the bone at the back of the elbow is often due to some situation involving the UCL, which is also at the back of the elbow. It is this factor which means a red flag must be hoisted over Hjerpe, at least for now. Here is a brief article from a well known baseball orthopedic surgeon, who has been an MLB team doctor, which describes what I am talking about.
Hjerpe made a couple brief cameos at the end of the season, so we have yet to see how his elbow holds up under a work load. It is a clear risk element with him that did not exist heading into this past season. It is a risk element not present with Hansen and Mautz.
Great information, Bling! Thanks for sharing! Maybe the Cardinal staff can help Hjerpe develop a different delivery to avoid further problems.
12 Cho / 11 Kloffenstein / 9 Crooks / 6 Hansen / 3 Pages / 3 Bedell / 2 Showalter / 1 Rom / 1 Mautz
Cho is our #13 and Kloffenstein is our #14.
1. Winn
2. Saggese
3. Hence
4. Roby
5. Scott
6. Hjerpe
7. Graceffo
8. McGreevey
9. Davis
10. Bernal
11. Rajcic
12. Robberse
13. Cho
14. KloffensteinVoting is now open for #15 and #16!
#15 Showalter
#16 Honeyman15. Pages
16. BedellGranillo needs to be ranked. Bullpen pitchers are just as important for the win as anybody else. No reason to penalize them because they only work an inning or two at a time. A primo reliever will take the mound at least 3 times for every start each rotation guy gets.
15. Pedro Pages
16. Ian BedellI’m a bit leery of Bedell, but most of the other guys have the same limitations (far away from the bigs, not a long track record, etc). I know many were high on Bedell out of college and I think he’s just started to fulfill some of that expectation.
If one snoozes, they do indeed lose. This was certainly the case with me letting time slip away and not getting my votes for prospects #13(Win-Big Cho) and #14(Jimmy Dale Crooks)lodged. This will not happen here with picks 15-16. We could possibly have ourselves a legitimate gem on our hands here with ex-Baltimore farmhand Zack Showalter. Though his limited stats won’t necessarily reveal it, this 19 year old is certainly not adverse to dishing out a little intentional chin music to batters. He’s not like a Genesis (properly pronounced “Hen-asis”) “Cabby” Cabrera, whom dishes out more than his fair share of chin music as well, but with “Cabby’s” high chin grazing heat being the case of wildness. Just imagine the likes of a “Cabby”, but with superb control of his pitches. It kind of sends an exciting shiver right on down the spine doesn’t it? That’s what we could be dealing with here with Mr. Showalter. So my picks are as follows:
15. Jimmy Dale Crooks
16. Zachary Bryce ShowalterOur continued thanks to our esteemed sheriff, Mr. Nevel.
What do you all see in Showalter? I don’t see him above some of these more established starters. Thought he was more of a lottery ticket in the Flaherty trade.
Also, I don’t see the seperation between Mautz and Hansen. They are really similar. Mautz is younger, taller, was drafted higher, and throws harder, but Hansen has gotten better results.
#15 – Ian Bedell
#16 – Brycen Mautz
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