Alan Matthews: Welcome to another Minor League Top 20 chat. Fresh off two weeks in MLB's scout development program in Phoenix, I'm primed for some discussion on the EL, which offered some good pitching prospects this season.

Alan Matthews: I would assume that he would have a chance on making the rotation, based mostly on his stuff, although he does need more experience and has some things to work on--most notably his breaking ball and command of the strike zone. Now that P.J. Martinez' health is a serious concern, the Mets might not have the luxury of allowing Pelfrey top open the season in Triple-A, although one would hope that the organization would make the best decision based on the player's development, as opposed to the big league club's immediate needs.

Alan Matthews: Players and coaches complain about the poor lighting and hitting backgrounds at a few of the EL parks, but Clevlen's poor plate discipline was more likely the more legitimate culprit of his .230.313.357 season at Erie. His arm and power are his two best tools, but he didn't get to his power (11 HR) often, in part because he fell behind in counts and failed to make consistent contact (138 strikeouts in 395 at-bats).

Alan Matthews: His pure stuff is better. What makes Wang so effective is his sinker and willingness to pitch to contact. Hughes has a looser, easier arm action and his offspeed stuff could potentially be much better than Wang's. Given Hughes pitch and innings limit enforced by the Yankees late this season, it would be a surprise if he spent signifant time in their rotation in 2007. Could he handle it? Probably. But he needs to work on his fastball command and Yankee Stadium probably isn't the best place for a youg, developing player to clean up imperfections. He'd be better served opening the season in Triple-A.

Alan Matthews: Both players qualified. Purcey's well below-avg command really makes it tough for him to succeed at the higher levels. Romero has better command of better, harder stuff. He was in the mix for a spot in the Top 20, but really struggled with his breaking ball, and fell into predictable pitch sequences with his FB and CH in the EL. He got better as the season wound down, however, and has the stuff and makeup to pitch in a big league rotation. The combination of his poor performance and a deep pitching league made it difficult to justify his inclusion in the Top 20.

Alan Matthews: I like Moss, and believe he'll contribute in the big leagues. Unfortunately, despite the stats and his age (he's closer to two years younger than Casto) Moss isn't the pure hitter Casto is. He improved over the course of the season, which was a checkmark in his corner. He's an aggressive hitter with a good swing. Moss needs to stick with his best approach to hitting--taking the ball up the middle and driving it to the opposite field alley. When he gears up for power, he's less efficient, and because his power is not an above-average tool, it's tough to profile him as an everyday corner outfielder.

Alan Matthews: Whenever we write a summary of a player, we include his strengths and weaknesses, even when those weaknesses might be picky. Hughes has above-avg command. However, just about every scout I spoke to this summer who saw Hughes, pointed out that he would not get away with leaving the ball up in the zone in the majors like he has in the minors. It's not a major concern, just something Hughes will need to work on.

Alan Matthews: Didn't mean to ignore the question about Hughes' spot in the Top 100 . . . I would estimate he would be no higher than No. 4 and no lower than 9 or 10 in the Top 100 list.

Alan Matthews: Thigpen was the only other Fisher Cat to receive any consistent support during interviews with managers and scouts. his catch and throw skills are rudimentary, and some scouts pointed out questions about his feel for the game. He remains the Jays best catching prospect, ahead of '06 draftee Brian Jeroloman.

Alan Matthews: I'm in my fourth year on staff here at BA, and over the year's I have tried to maintain a philosophy when ranking players that puts on emphasis on the player's ceiling. That said, we try to incorporate performance slightly more heavily in some of our League Top 20 lists. Loewen could develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter, but his stuff and command, at least up to this point in his career, don't appear to be the stuff of a MLB ace.

Alan Matthews: Binghamton has an interesting mix of pitchers. Of course, most of you are familiar with Matt Lindstrom and his 100 mph heat. The Mets reliever made strides this season in his pitchability, but still hasn't mastered an ability to miss bats. He's trying to learn how to change grips and finger pressure to improve his movement. I love Henry Owens' story, and while his delivery isn't pretty, he has power stuff and was effective in a relief role this season at Binghamton. He was also considered for the Top 20. Philip Humber did not qualify, but would have ranked in the Top 20 if he had pitched enough innings.

Alan Matthews: Given his experience, his performance should be expected at a Double-A level. He makes good contact, but lacks the bat speed and power to repeat that production at higher levels, especially the majors.

Alan Matthews: Adam is referring to a sound that Liz' shoulder makes during his release. It clicks, and sometimes can be heard from the dugout or even in the stands. It's not a concern, just more of an idiosyncrasy. If he can't improve his command, he'll likely wind up in the bullpen, but that won't happen before the Orioles continue to try to iron out his game.

Alan Matthews: His future, as well as prospect status, could hinge on his slider. It's a below-average pitch that doesn't get many empty swings. His command is a plus and his velocity was better than expected this season.

Alan Matthews: 'Not sure what you're getting at with that comp., but Clippard has a chance to be a middle-of-the-rotation guy with an average fastball and plus breaking ball. His curveball isn't comparable to Zito's. What makes Clippard's curve so good is his ability to command it, spotting it anywhere in or out of the strike zone, not it's shape or break. He has much better as the season went on, and in fact was probably one bad start from being demoted to the FSL when he figured things out in the EL. He improved his fastball command, began working ahead int he count and turned a corner. He can throw three pitches for strikes.

Alan Matthews: I happen to believe Reyes is going to be a perennial all-star for the Mets, so I wouldn't be willing to say that about Gomez just yet. However, in terms of being a high-energy, sparkplug type, yes the analogy can be made. Gomez has outstanding bat speed, which yields power. 30? Might be high, but he could steal 40 bases and hit 20 home runs if he tones down his approach a notch.

Alan Matthews: Trenton manager Billy Masse said that Gardner was one of the top three base stealers and instinctive base runners he's managed. Bu Gardner needs to improve his approach at the plate and make more contact. Better pitching could really give him trouble as he climbs the minor league ladder.

Alan Matthews: Cox didn't make the cut--although he was considered seriously--based mostly on his profile. His stuff, command and velocity is probably short for a closer, especially on a contending team like the Yankees. I see him more as Steve Reed type of situational reliever or setup man. He was dominant at times in the EL, but needs to improve his command, which won't be easily done give his arm slot and delivery.

Alan Matthews: Casto probably plays LF. His bat is his ticket to the majors, and he's not going to make a ton of plays other than the routine ones in the outfield, but the Nats might find a spot for his bat in the lineup sometime next year.

Alan Matthews: Olson's more polished with less impressive stuff. If Liz improves his command and secondary stuff, he could become another Daniel Cabrera, whereas Olson's ceiling is a No. 4 or 5 starter.

Alan Matthews: Schierholtz was in the 23-27 range once the list was finalized. His hit and power tools are both potential pluses, but he didn't make enough hard contact this year to warrant a spot in the Top 20. There's no reason to believe he can't continue to improve and begin helping the big league club in two years.

Alan Matthews: Thanks Max. Sometimes we throw around scouting vernacular assuming all of our readers understand, and we are actually compiling a scouting dictionary that we are going to publish for cases such as this. Fade from a righthanded pitcher is to his arm side, meaning, into a righthanded hitter. When a righthander cuts his fastball, he is trying to get movement to the other side of the plate, or away from a righthanded hitter.

Alan Matthews: I don't think that changing organization had anything to do with Gonzalez' lackluster performance, and honestly, from conversations with managers, it sounded like he really ran out of gas as the season drug on. He was young for the league, and he has an above-avg pitch in his curve. But he struggles to get movement on his fb because of his arm slot and height.

Alan Matthews: Tiger Wang or Brandon Claussen. John Smoltz. 2008. Craig McMurtry. 2007. See you at the Cafe.

Alan Matthews: No. 3? We like him a lot. He needs to improve his command and secondary stuff to become a top 10 overall prospect in the minors, but he is a top 10 pitching prospect.

Alan Matthews: It's tough to be quite as excited about him as Mets fans might have been a year ago. He really struggled against better pitching and his power dipped precipitously.

Alan Matthews: I would opt for Bailey, based on a slightly better breaking ball and a better track record of maintaining his health (although Hughes avoided any setbacks this season). Hughes has a better feel for pitching, so it many ways, this is a personal preference question and less about the player's status. They are both impact guys with good deliveries and plus, plus fastballs.

Alan Matthews: I get tons of Red Sox and Yankees questions. Sorry I can't answer them all. They're usually pretty good questions. Garza is a front-of-the-rotation starter. He has good stuff, outstanding feel for pitching and all the intangiles. It was a tough call to rank Hughes over Garza.

Alan Matthews: He has better bat speed, a better arm and is more than two years younger than Crowe. His production was impressive, actaully, considering his lack of experience. You're right about his walks, he needs to improve his plate discipline, but his ceiling is higher than Crowe's, thus the ranking. Sanchez has better command of better stuff than Gio, Liz and Olson.

Alan Matthews: Resident Indians expert Chris Kline covered the CL for us this season, and delivers an assist on the tape, Jeremy Roenick style, on this question . . .

Moderator: Improved pitch recognition helped Goleski big time in 2006. Barton was one of the breakthrough stories in the minors showing power and speed to go along with off-the-chart instincts, and Snyder struggled until late in the year bc the Indians were trying to tone down some of his aggressiveness and get him to work deeper counts to improve his two-strike approach. Snyder broke out in August when he went back to jumping on the first fastball he saw--which means he might be a guy who will always strike out a lot and the Indians might have to live with that. In terms of upside, Barton is tough to read bc there is no track record, Goleski will go as far as his bat takes him and Snyder took a step backward this year, but he's one of the best athletes in the system.

Alan Matthews: Ishikawa, whose best tool is his defense.

Alan Matthews: Thanks for coming by, and for all the good questions.