Prospects have never been more important to Major League Baseball than they have been over the past few seasons. The prospects inside your farm system are either used for cheap talent to keep your team relevant and under the luxury tax threshold, they are used when one of your big stars goes down to injury or they are used via trade to bring in what you hope is the final piece to the puzzle. A slew of prospects were traded this winter already including the four that were sent from the New York Yankees in the Aroldis Chapman trade with the Cincinnat Reds and Baseball America looked at those prospects in a little bit of a different way. Baseball American actually ranked the prospects who were traded this winter in a sort of top prospects list and at least two of the former Yankees farm hands made the cut.
For the entire write up CLICK HERE to see the BA post but I will sample the Yankees related material below and the general list that is topped by Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.
- Rookie Davis was ranked 14th while Eric Jagielo was ranked 17th coincidentally. I finally found someone else who thinks higher of Davis than Jagielo. Refreshing.
- Luis Cessa was 23rd, he was one of the two prospects the Yankees received from the Detroit Tigers in the Justin Wilson trade.
- Caleb Cotham is the last prospect on the list ranked at #25.
Damn, I forgot Cotham was in that trade, not a good move, but one has to give up to get...I guess. Cotham could become a good BP pitcher for them. As they say; "he is only a prospect" which I say is stupid, IF said player is in AA or AAA ball. When one has the tools he has or some others have, I believe you keep them until they show their talent will not fill your needs...guys like Tyler Wade have very good tools but will never beat out guys like, Mateo or Avelino (IF they were in AA).
ReplyDeleteCotham was the lowest ranked prospect that we used out of the bullpen last season. He was easily replaced, the most easily actually, and never projected to be much anyway. If he makes something of his career I will be VERY surprised.
DeleteI liked what I saw of him in as much as the problems he does have are correctable. But, then one never knows
DeleteHis problems were that he was never that good. He was never really a starter for the Yankees and moved to relief because of concerns, he's been a reliever basically his entire time in the Yankees system. I'm not discounting what you saw, I just never saw much out of him.
DeleteSorry I put the wrong guy down Daniel, should have been Coshow a 26 year-old RHP Big time fastball and tough slider. His change is ok but still needs work and the best part is...he throws strikes. They say he is built much like CC and would wear down as a starter. Put him in the BP...with his FB and slider we would have the four headed monster and give some help to Dellin as he could go more than one inning also.
DeleteHe needs a few more innings to get in shape.