Baseball America
Ask BA: How Do Draft’s Top Bats Stack Up?
We’re putting the finishing touches on our first of our two Draft Preview issues, which means that our steady flow of draft information will become an avalanche by week’s end, [...]
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Ask BA: The Ideal 25-Man Prospect Roster
The Baseball Hall of Fame is set to unveil a fascinating exhibit honoring scouts. With the support of the Scout of the Year Foundation, “Diamond Mines” will open on May [...]
Ask BA: A 2008 Draft Do-Over
The more I talk to scouts, the more I’m told that college righthanders Mark Appel (Stanford) and Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma) are establishing themselves as the top two prospects in this [...]
Ask BA: Does Fernandez’s Promotion Make Sense?
Happy Opening Day, everyone! The season actually started last evening, and the Astros currently have baseball’s best record and the big league saves leader in Erik Bedard. I don’t expect [...]
Ask BA: How Much Does Spring Training Matter?
Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports asked me an interesting question over the weekend. He noted that the Cardinals were No. 1 in our evaluation of minor league talent—those rankings [...]
Ask BA: Does Clint Frazier Draw Mike Trout Comps?
Could Loganville (Ga.) HS outfielder Clint Frazier be the next Mike Trout and/or the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft? Where would Rubby de la Rosa rank among Red Sox prospects if he were eligible? How did the Royals take Luke Hochevar with the top choice in the 2006 draft?
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Which prospects will headline the 2014 Top 100 Prospects list? Which farm systems will have the most Top 100 Prospects next year? Who are the best prospects slated to play in the low Class A South Atlantic League this season?
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What does the voting breakdown look like for the players who made the Top 100 Prospects? Where would Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima fit on an updated Athletics Top 10 Prospects list? What did Jim Callis' three-years-in-advance predictions look like for 2012 and 2013?
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Which prospects also received votes for the Top 100 list, and what were their highest rankings? Which players are poised to make the biggest leaps from within and outside the Top 100 a year from now? Why is Tigers third baseman/outfielder Nick Castellanos ranked so far ahead of Orioles middle infielder Jonathan Schoop?
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Who are the five best amateur prospects? Which colleges have the most players on Top 10 Prospects lists? Can a team avoid free-agent compensation by signing Kyle Lohse to a minor league contract?
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Have teams gotten better at drafting over the years? How do Kevin Gausman (Orioles) and Kyle Zimmer (Royals), the top college pitchers drafted in 2012, compare? Is Zimmer's BA Grade of 70/Low in the Prospect Handbook a mistake?
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Did BA Grades decrease from the 2012 to 2013 Prospect Handbooks? What should we make of Cubs third baseman Josh Vitters? Is Mets infielder Wilmer Flores comparable to Manny Machado?
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What are the many ramifications of the Justin Upton trade, and did the Mariners offer more than the Braves gave up? Is a one-year ban really much of a punishment for Aledmys Diaz if the Cuban defector has falsified his age? Should the Mets' No. 11 overall pick be protected if they sign compensation free agent Michael Bourn?
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What should we expect from the 2013 draft? Who would make a Top 10 Prospects list from Jim Callis' annual hypothetical drafts? What's the track record of minor league home run leaders succeeding in the majors?
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Why isn't the Padres farm system ranked higher? Could the Yankees make a three-way Justin Upton trade work with Curtis Granderson? Who are the best remaining minor league free agents?
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Who has the best farm systems? After their two blockbuster trades, what would a revised Blue Jays Top 10 Prospects list look like? Where do righthanders Austin Kubitza (Rice) and Michael Wagner (San Diego) fit in the 2013 draft?
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Where would catcher Travis d'Arnaud and righthander Noah Syndergaard fit on an updated Mets Top 10 Prospect list? What's the unpublished scouting report on new Indians righthander Trevor Bauer? Who replaces outfielder/third baseman Wil Myers and righthander Jake Odorizzi on the Royals Top 10 after they went to Tampa Bay in the James Shields trade? Would middle infielder Brock Holt crack the Red Sox Top 30?
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Where do newly acquired prospects Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard fit on the Rays Top 30 Prospects list? How about Alex Meyer and Trevor May with the Twins? What rules apply to major league Rule 5 draft picks who get traded?
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Where will blockbuster trade acquisitions rank on the Marlins Top 10? What shape is the Blue Jays system in after the deal? Could Anthony Rendon crack the Nationals lineup in 2013 if he stays healthy?
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Which young shortstop prospect has the most offensive upside: Carlos Correa (Astros), Adalberto Mondesi (Royals), Roman Quinn (Phillies), Addison Russell (Athletics) or Corey Seager (Dodgers)? Could the Cardinals or Blue Jays put together a package to entice the Rangers to trade Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar? How good is Padres righthander Kevin Quackenbush?
