Chris Kline: Greetings and salutations everyone . . . In a way I feel fortunate to kick off our Top 20s, so let's get right after it.

Chris Kline: You're right, Luke, that is way off topic. But we get blown up with tons of e-mails on Salcedo, which is one of the reasons we decided to give you all an update on the site today. No news; really, other than his price seems to be going through the roof.

Chris Kline: Laird was definitely in the mix--no question about it. Big power, plus arm and has good lateral movement. There are going to be guys that are inevitably left off this list that will have an impact and Laird is one of those guys. This was an extremely deep league despite the lack of performance--to give you some indication I think when I started, I had over 90 players to make 20. So that leads me to your question about Heredia . . . if you made the top 20, you ARE highly regarded. He's legit, but there are also so many bats with upside and that's why he landed where he did.

Chris Kline: There's another one. And please remember that this list isn't just me. When doing any of these top 20 lists, we talk to as many sources as possible to get a feel for tools and performance. Yes, Vineyard throws three pitches for strikes and yes he pounded the zone. But he was also hit pretty good, and was somewhat susceptible to home runs. He elevated with the fastball at times and needed to be more under control in repeating his delivery. He was close to making it, and I like the overall tools, but after Year 1 I'd take any of those bats and Scott Moviel over him.

Chris Kline: Yes. And a full report on him is in our 2007 Prospect Handbook, where he ranked 28th in the Phillies' system coming into this season. Intriguing overall package and advanced maturity for his age. Correa pitches at 90-92 mph with his fastball, touching some 94s. His breaking ball improved steadily and his changeup has above-average potential.

Chris Kline: Detroit's club was a little older, and the closest player to make it was righthander Brandon Hamilton, the Tigers' supplemental first-rounder in June.

Chris Kline: Other than controlling the strike zone a little better, there are no red flags. That Toronto team was pretty loaded, and nearly everyone I talked to wanted to talk Tolisano first . . . Chavez was a little further down on the list. The only real tool lacking is foot speed, and the arm is average. No question his bat is going to be the ticket; but he needs to prove he can use the whole field more consistently too. Much of his power now is straight pull.

Chris Kline: Interesting question, and I think while Tejeda will rank higher in the system next year, Lin was the better guy in this league this season. Both are middle-of-the-diamond talents with big upside; I ranked Lin where I did based on how well he did a little bit of everything. He's more of a pull conscious guy than Tejeda right now, but that'll change as he gets more experience. Both guys proved they weren't as raw as a lot of people thought they were, which is impressive given the ages and the performances. If Tejeda stays at SS, he has bigger upside. If not, it's pretty even.

Chris Kline: If Heyward had enough ABs to qualify, he probably would have been No. 1 regardless of numbers. They're very similar, I just like Heyward's power a little better.

Chris Kline: Do people call you Thor? Between Tejeda and Triunfel, I think Triunfel has better actions and shows more complete range than Tejeda. But I like Tejeda's bat more. Have to give it some more time before ranking one over the other, but I do know that neither guy is the No. 1 prospect in the minors. Not yet anyway.

Chris Kline: I think both are fair assessments. And I definitely see Revere as being a whole lot more than Denard Span. A whole lot more.

Chris Kline: I guess .208.250.333 in August is technically better than the .177.246.194 Oliveras put up in July, but it's be a crime to say that was 'improving immensely.' The Reds like the lefthanded bat, but their ninth-rounder this year wasn't ever in serious contention for this list.

Chris Kline: Really like Abraham, and Zolio's interesting too. Abe has more upside--he's a 65-70 runner with a cannon. I want to say he had something like five OF assists in CF over the last two weeks of the season. He's a small, stocky switch-hitter that some in the Yankees organization compare to a young Tim Raines. Zolio doesn't run nearly as well and profiles as a RF, but the bat is definitely intriguing.

Chris Kline: Montero. Several clubs who had him in for workouts before he signed last year slapped 80 power on him. And it's legit.

Chris Kline: Close, but I couldn't bring myself to ranking the top 20 GCL Yankees . . . that club seriously had at least eight players who were in the mix to make it late and Barreda was one.

Chris Kline: Yeah . . . nine innings just isn't going to get it done though. I was disappointed I didn't get to write him up, especially after he sat 92-94 mph with his fastball in the playoffs and lit up 98 several times.

Chris Kline: Thanks, JB. We appreciate it very much. Gonzalez qualified; showed good plate discipline and better defense. Scouts just really question how much he'll hit at this point--which was also a question before he signed.

Chris Kline: Jon Gilmore, Freddy Freeman and 6-foot-5 lefty Santos Rodriguez. I like Rodriguez a lot--touches 93 with good feel for secondary stuff. Could be a sleeper with a live arm. He struggled with command, but he has considerable upside.

Chris Kline: I don't think you'll be disgruntled forever, Clay. I forsee Texas making a huge leap in our 2008 talent rankings, and not just based on the deals they made, but how well they've identified talent internationally. Wilmer Font is for real. And so is Beltre, though he sells out with his swing a little too much. Check back tomorrow so John Manuel can dispense his Beltre diatribe when he rolls over the AZL.

Chris Kline: It's still early, and Lambo needs to keep it together off the field, but the swing is legit. He's going to hit--he might rack up a lot of fines, maybe a few suspensions as he moves up the ladder, but he'll do it in the middle of the order while driving in a ton of runs. This is a guy who's a little off-center, but that sometimes plays into his advantage. He wants to be out there with the game on the line, he never stops talking, and he wants to win.

Chris Kline: His ability to catch. If he stays back there, his value is huge.

Chris Kline: Again, they were a little older for the most part and manager Tom Prince had a ridiculously huge roster of position players to mix in every day so a lot of guys didn't come close to qualifying . . . but even then, the one guy who was in the mix was CF Quincy Latimore. If Latimore can stay in CF, then his upside is a lot better than if he slows down as he grows into his frame and is relegated to a corner. He runs OK and takes good routes in CF now and the Pirates are going to allow him to stay there for the time being.

Chris Kline: I gave Jim bad information yesterday, which he and I cleared up last night before he blanked me, 49ers 21, Rams 0, in Madden. Salcedo can sign whenever. My bad, and I apologize for the misinformation. Now I really have to work on my running game. Steven Jackson was brutal.

Chris Kline: Mattair and D'Arnaud, as well as Correa. Mattair gets compared to Scott Rolen (of course)--good defender with a strong build. He struggled with wood bats early, but he's got bat speed with power. He's a potential plus defender with an above-average arm.

Chris Kline: Not sure on any mechanical adjustments he might have made, but Hooker was very close to making the list. He throws from a steep, downhill plane anywhere from 90-94 mph that he commands to both sides of the plate and has an above-average 12-to-6 curveball. Changeup still coming, and an effective third pitch will be key to dictate future success.

Chris Kline: Blue Jays fans blowing me up! I feel a little like Matt Eddy. Jackson performed well defenisvely and he has a solid, repeatable swing. But he's all pull right now and really needs to stay centered toward the middle of the diamond and use the back side of the field more often to really unlock his offensive potential. Fuenmayor . . . not very good. Not very good adjustments, really struggles with pitch recognition and breaking balls are a killer. His arm at third is average and there's really nothing pretty about the way he moves at third base.

Chris Kline: I really like De La Cruz. I might be out on an island right now with this, but I really think he's going to blossom. It's all in the report, but he improved defensively and scouts say there is power in the bat.

Chris Kline: Baez and Lambo have more upside despite the numbers. Silverio is an average runner relegated to a corner OF spot, and his bat is going to have to continue to speak as he moves up. Regardless of how well he hit in the GCL, there are questions about his offensive ceiling. He pulls everything and struggles with balls soft away.

Chris Kline: At this level, it's certainly geared more toward tools and age for the level than numbers. Especially this year, when there weren't many performances that really blow you away. It's definitely a balance of everything, but after you talk to a ton of scouts, field staff and front-office guys, you get and initial feel for what a certain player is and what he could become. As you start writing the reports, the order kind of falls together. And then there's Jim Callis, who pretty much runs checks and balances.

Chris Kline: Hmmmm. I'll go Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Red Sox, Twins. In that order.

Chris Kline: Too funny.

Chris Kline: Thanks for all the great questions--I expect nothing less from all of you. Have a great weekend and I'll be back around for the Carolina League, where A) there is no Yankees affiliate and B) Tyler Clippard didn't make the list.