Chris Kline: Hope everyone's New Year is off to a good start . . . iPod on shuffle and the Black Angels are kicking things off, which bodes well for my energy level on this unusually cold Wednesday here at the BA International Headquarters.

Chris Kline: Mike, Gio came in just where he was last year--at No. 2. Several scouts are still down on him for his size and durability questions, but Gonzalez answered the bell on the latter in 2006. Say what you want about the numbers--though the home runs were a little disturbing--but he held his own at age 20 in Double-A. On top of that, he didn't miss a start and pitched into November in the Arizona Fall League. I don't know about a No. 1 though. For me, he could be a 2 or 3.

Chris Kline: He is, Gary. And he had a great season power-wise in the Florida State League. But I dropped him out of the 10 because scouts I talked to both inside and outside the organization were very split on what his ultimate ceiling is. There were reports of him taking ABs off; or that he only turned it up when things mattered--i.e. runners on base, full house in the stands. He's also still very pull-oriented, and needs to use the whole field now. The organization pulled him aside and used Ryan Howard as an example of going the other way with power, and that talk seemed to do Costanzo some good. He finished the month of August hitting .327 (nearly 100 points higher than any other month), hit four of his 14 bombs, and drove in 24.

Chris Kline: Isn't that title already taken by Milton Bradley? I might be in the minority, but I think Drabek is going to be fine once he gets in a daily routine and becomes a witness to how tough the grind is in the minor leagues. He just needs some kind of structure and discipline, and if he doesn't take to that, it's going to be a rude awakening.

Chris Kline: Karl of Delaware, Marson didn't take off with the bat, but just look at what he was able to do defensively. He caught the best group of arms in the system, and his game-calling and blocking skills flourished. He's going to be fine--and regardless of what he did at the plate in 2006, it was more important for what he did behind it. And yes, he's still in the top 30.

Chris Kline: Harman more than Mitchinson at this point, but Mitchinson needs to prove he can stay healthy long term. Too many minor injuries have cost him time. Harman was brutal at the plate in 2006, but imagine how you'd be if you were from Australia, just 20 years old and in Clearwater and found out your mother had passed away. He gets a pass for a lot of reasons. The defense is there, and the Phillies believe he can hit for a high average. He probably goes back to the FSL to start.

Chris Kline: Jake, good Q. First, Carrasco's is much more consistent both in command and control, and it also has more finish; that is, a lot of late life, late explosion at the plate. Both of those aspects push his above Drabek's . . . for now.

Chris Kline: Man, I spent a lot of summer days watching both Jackson and Taylor play while growing up in Reading, PA. So believe me, I think I uttered the sentence, "Frank Thomas went three picks AFTER Jackson! Are you kidding?" countless times after the 1989 draft. (And I guess that's technically two sentences). . . Anyway, to answer your question, yes, Myers was voted most likely to succeed, but I still like Golson--and Williams and Warren a lot. On the down-low, Dominic Brown might be my favorite of that entire group.

Chris Kline: Kutztown represent! Look to the two Venezuelans for the highest ceiling among those four. Monasterios throws a very heavy fastball that was topping out at 95 for Pastora in the Venezuelan Winter League this winter, but still needs a lot of polish with his secondary stuff. Very raw. Same thing goes for Sanchez, who has plus tools defensively, but is short on power and is inconsistent with his approach. But love the athleticism from both. Smith is what he is--a lefty specialist; and Henry is OK, but is more projection than performance at this point. The tools are there, but they have yet to translate. He's expected to return to Clearwater this year and faces a move to third base, which was inevitable anyway. Hopefully that move will help him because there's a lot to like in the tools and the body.

Chris Kline: I hope so, just to begin his quest in backing up that wacky blogger from last year saying that Hamels would be better than Steve Carlton and they'd re-name the Cy Young the Cole Hamels Award. I think I sent that to everyone I know. There is still hope, and I think he's the biggest guy in the system--very imposing standing next to him. Huge raw power, but a heel problem limited him severely--he even had trouble walking at times. Needs more ABs to get a clear read. Here's to a healthy Durant in 2007 (cue the sound of clinking glasses).

Chris Kline: Dan, As I mentioned before, Smith's strength is versus lefthanders, but the Phillies are comfortable with him against righties as well. But with the influx of righthanded arms--namely Joe Bisenius and Rule 5 pick Jim Ed Warden--those two guys could steal some of those innings and limit Smith to what he does best.

Chris Kline: Mark, Close, but not that close. In terms of potential, the edge has to go to Carrasco based on track record, maturity and makeup.

Chris Kline: He might lack 95-plus, but he was up to 92-93 mph in the Arizona Fall League--with the typical above-average to plus secondary stuff. He is Randy Wolf-like, and his deception is killer. He's got an outside shot at filling a bullpen role in the big leagues, but it's more likely he goes to Triple-A and pitches the majority of the year in the rotation. He could be a guy that goes up and down a lot when they need a spot starter in Philly.

Chris Kline: Erik, Cardenas won't last long at short. He'll move to second and then likely to the outfield. He has all the tools--and makeup--to be an everyday corner OF that will hit for a high average with some pop.

Chris Kline: Tom, I don't know about him being too risky for the 10, but like I said, it was worrisome to have so many scouts that split on him--some loved him and some hated him. The only guy I came across in 2006 that was remotely close to eliciting that kind of response was Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold. Both guys can really polarize scouts' opinions. Costanzo will get every opportunity to succeed, however, and I think he puts up a big year playing in front of a packed house in Reading every night.

Chris Kline: Sal, Let's say 2009.

Chris Kline: Yeah! An N.C. State question! Here's what I have on Walls: Originally a starter in the Wolfpack rotation, Walls moved to the pen full-time last spring. He started using a cutter in the summer of 2004 and the pitch blossomed. He'll use it against lefties and righties, and studied hours of video of Mariano Rivera to learn how to better attack hitters with it. He's not Rivera by any stretch of the imagination, but he could fill a role in the pen down the road. He's 88-91 with his fastball and will mix in an average curveball at times. Needs to maintain his mechanics more consistently, as his front side has the tendency to fly open when he leads with his upper body. He leads with his elbow and his arm drags behind as a result.

Chris Kline: In the words of one Phillies front office official: "let's just say he found out real quick that people could turn around 97 (mph) pretty good."

Chris Kline: In the 30, and he's going to get a long look in big league camp with an outside shot of making the club. More likely he heads to the Triple-A rotation, but it won't be because of a lack of opportunity.

Chris Kline: Well Sherri Allison, if he hadn't gotten hurt he probably wouldn't be eligible for this list--he would have logged too many innings in the big leagues (maybe). But if he'd still qualified AND he didn't have Tommy John surgery? Probably in the top 3. And it is entirely possible Mathieson will be back by May. He's been rehabbing and has had no setbacks so far (knock wood). He's one of the hardest workers in the system, so if there's anyone driven to get back as quickly as possible while taking proper care of his body, it's him.

Chris Kline: Much better, particularly with the sheer volume of arms. Position players? Now that's another story.

Chris Kline: Wit, A lot of questions with Baez, starting with his ability to handle pressure. He's been at his best during instructional league the last two years, which is kind of scary. He started off slowly last year and everything snowballed on him. The tools are there--and he and Costanzo are probably 1, 1a. in terms of defensive third basemen--it's just a matter of performing, which he hasn't been able to do consistently unless it's in a six-week league where they sometimes keep stats.

Chris Kline: I put him in the teens. Not much to go on with the pro numbers because they shut him down so early, but he's got quality stuff. Fastball in the low-90s with good life and command, above-average to plus slider and a workable changeup. And you're right--a lot of polish. This is a guy who should move quickly.

Chris Kline: I think Warden has a better shot at sticking that Simon--Simon was absolutely brutal in the Giants' system last year. And on top of that, there were rumors around the Rule 5 draft that he was actually hurt, though there is no verification to that and the Phillies say he's healthy--so take what you will out of that piece of information. But I'm very familiar with Warden, and early on in his career he got hit hard as a starter. The Indians moved him down to a low three-quarters arm angle, and he was able to maintain velocity (fastball tops at 93) and command. The biggest development last year in Double-A was Warden's changeup, which just has nasty depth to it. He throws it with the same arm speed as his fastball, and also throws a slider that rates as average to above. I hope they can keep him. The biggest question mark will be Warden's confidence level, which has wavered sometimes in the past. But if automatically being placed on the 25-man roster isn't a confidence booster, then I don't know what is.

Chris Kline: NYC, I think he'll be OK--he's worked enough on defense, but the consistently quick transfer and release still haunts him at times. With the bat, the one thing that everyone in the organization kept saying was how he always seemed to deliver with runners on base. Clutch hitter.

Chris Kline: Depends on what happens with Aaron Rowand, but he deserves a chance to play every day. And that's going to be the only way to know for sure what you have at this point.

Chris Kline: D-Mac, First of all, let Jeff Garcia see the formations on the sidelines first this week, please. Myers is a five-tool player that should hit for power as he develops and grows into his body. He drips center field tools. Great pick in the fourth round by Marti Wolever and the scouting staff.

Chris Kline: No he didn't, Billy Mac. Like the bat, not so much on the defense. Scouts ran him under the bus defensively in the Arizona Fall League. He's a below-average receiver with an average arm.

Chris Kline: Lightning round--hate to do it, but I have to run . . .

Chris Kline: Williamsport is the likely destination.

Chris Kline: Bisenius and Happ have better stuff, but all three can get MLB hitters out, yes.

Chris Kline: Michael, Still serious . . . or at least semi-serious. Golson really needs to perform this year--this is probably his biggest season in terms of dictating is future with the organization. And aside from the K-BB ratio, ask yourself why the alleged fastest player in the organization has yet to show that speed can play on the bases consistently?

Chris Kline: Most improved arm in the system last year.

Chris Kline: Bisenius: fastball up to 94-95 mph with a hammer curveball (which he calls a slider). And the hammer is plus.

Chris Kline: This is not a question for the lightning round--at least with me--but Floyd struggled when he was moved to the bullpen in the big leagues in 2005, then was essentially lost mentally in terms of mechanics for two seasons. He's a classic change-of-scenery guy, and after talking to White Sox GM Ken Williams--who saw him a ton in the AFL--they think he's the frontrunner for the No. 5 spot in Chicago's rotation.

Chris Kline: He's got the mentality and the fastballslider mix. I think if you turn that guy loose over a short stint where he can just be super-aggressive, the sky's the limit.

Chris Kline: I have, but back in 2001 and 2002 in the Carolina League.

Chris Kline: Phillies believe he can stay at short, and his arm strength is a tick better than Harman's. He starts at Lakewood.

Chris Kline: Welcome aboard! Bourn's scouting report is in the top 10 prospects, and Daniel Haigwood is with the Rangers. The report on Bourn will give you some insight into my opinion. No sure if Haigwood made the Rangers' 30 or not . . .

Moderator: Thanks for coming out--and for all the great questions. It was tough to take over for Will Kimmey, but an honor to do this top 30 and to take the time to hang out with you all. Have a great rest of the week, and FLY, EAGLES, FLY!!!!!