March, 2017

2017 BDBL Farm Report

There's a new sheriff in town. After three straight years of dominating the Farm Report, the St. Louis Apostles are no longer the King of the Hill. Also, after fourteen years of dominance, the Los Altos Undertakers have finally exhausted their endless supply of top prospects. It's nice to see the winds of change blow in a different direction every once in awhile. Maybe it's just me, but this seems like an off year for prospects. I look at every player in the minor leagues, and I don't see the next Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, or Mike Trout. I don't see the next Stephen Strasburg or Clayton Kershaw, either. If you had to choose a year in which to have a crappy farm system, this would be it.

For the newbies, this is the official annual BDBL Farm Report. I take the top-100 prospect lists from a "panel of experts", assign 100 points to the #1-ranked player, 99 points to #2, and so on. Then I add up all the points to determine which BDBL team has the best farm system. This year, our panel includes Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, and ESPN's Keith Law. Granted, many farm players in the BDBL are not eligible for these lists, so take these rankings with a grain of salt. This is merely a snapshot of the players who ARE eligible at this time.

Without further ado...

#1 Akron Ryche
Ranked prospects: Dansby Swanson (2), Josh Bell (24), Mitch Keller (26), Francisco Mejia (27), Corey Ray (32), Josh Hader (35), Ronald Acuna (54), Dominic Smith (60), Luis Ortiz (70), Luke Weaver (84), Ariel Jurado (89), Franklyn Kilome (109), Brett Phillips (112), Brandon Woodruff (117), Jeimer Candelario (139)
Unranked prospects: Gavin Cecchini, Ramon Laureano, Austin Riley, Dan Vogelbach, Phil Bickford, Hunter Wood

I admit I double-checked my numbers when the Akron Ryche came out on top of this year's Farm Report. This farm club really snuck up on me, I guess. This is the first #1 ranking for the Ryche franchise in eighteen years, and only the seventh time they've ranked among the top ten. This farm club has both quality and quantity, with fifteen ranked players -- four more than any other team in the league. Swanson is the easy choice for this team's top prospect, and was ranked among the top four prospects in the game by each one of our panel of experts. With roughly a full season (494 AB) of professional playing time under his belt, we know what to expect from Swanson: good plate discipline, good defense (despite his "Fr" rating in DMB), and a little bit of pop (with potential for more down the road.)

Five Ryche farmhands are ranked in the 24-35 range. We got our first look at Bell during last summer's BDBL Weekend when he made his MLB debut in a big, big way. He's a big boy who not only has power, but knows his way around the strike zone. Keller didn't look like much of a prospect until his breakout year last year. He now looks like a potential frontline ace-in-the-making. Mejia also turned around a lackluster pro career with a breakthrough 2016 season. He was ranked as high as #18 by Keith Law. Ray got off to a slow start in his pro debut last year, but finished strong, and could be a breakout candidate in 2017.

Ray is only one of the five Milwaukee Brewers top ten prospects (as determined by BA) owned by the Ryche. Another is Hader, who has the greatest hair in baseball now that Clint Frazier was forced to cut his strawberry dreadlocks. Acuna had a monster winter and could move up the prospect ranking quickly this year. Smith is yet another Ryche farmhand who had a breakout year in 2016 and finished the year very strong.

I could continue mentioning every name on the ranked list, but my hands are sore from typing and I have a lot more prospects to cover.

#2 Niagara Locks
Ranked prospects: Victor Robles (9), Tyler Glasnow (16), Lewis Brinson (21), Francis Martes (23), Vladimir Guerrero (41), Carson Kelly (55), Kevin Maitan (63), David Paulino (71), Robert Gsellman (73), Delvin Perez (81), Robert Stephenson (123)
Unranked prospects: Gabriel Guerrero, Wander Javier, Khalil Lee, Chad McClanahan, Leonardo Molina, Christian Pache, Jesus Sanchez, Bobby Witt, Jorge Lopez

For the sixth year in a row, the Locks' farm ranks among the top four in the BDBL. No other franchise in the league -- not even the vaunted Los Altos Undertakers -- can claim to have ever accomplished this feat. Incredibly, the Locks managed to stay at the top of this ranking despite the MLB graduation of their top prospect from last year, Byron Buxton. Robles, who was acquired in a blockbuster Bear Country deal last summer, now claims the distinction of being Niagara's number one prospect. He was nearly a unanimous selection as the top prospect in the Southern Atlantic League last summer. His game is all about speed. He posted a .405 OBP in the Sally League thanks to a league-high 34 hit-by-pitches. Although he hasn't shown much power in his game yet, scouts believe there is some potential there.

Glasnow has recorded big-time strikeout numbers (11.6 K/9) throughout his minor league career, and he carried that reputation into his MLB debut last year, whiffing 24 batters in 23+ innings. Unfortunately, he also carried his penchant for walking batters. He averaged over 4.4 walks per nine in the bush leagues, and will need to tame that beast if he is to ever have MLB success.

Brinson and Martes were ranked #10 and #3, respectively, in the Double-A Texas League rankings, but our panel of experts gave the edge to Brinson. Martes is another Locks pitcher who throws hard (touching 100mph), but struggles with control. Brinson is a classic swing-from-the-heels slugger. It speaks volumes that scouts think highly enough of him to rank him among the top 25 prospects in baseball despite posting a .237/.280/.431 slash line in Double-A last year.

Guerrero, son of the BDBL Hall of Famer with the same name, was named the #1 prospect in the Appalachian League by its managers. Like many young sluggers, he strikes out a lot, but he also draws a fair number of walks. It looks like he might stick at third base, although the jury is still out on that. Kelly was potentially a steal in the 21st round of the draft, where it's rare to find a #55-ranked prospect.

Ranney loves 16-year-old (or younger) Latin American prospects almost as much as his predecessor, Steve Osbourne, liked Japanese prospects. Maitan was the youngest player ever drafted in the BDBL, and he makes his debut at #63 on our Farm Report before he's even recorded a single professional at-bat. He was ranked as high as #32 (by MLB.com.)

I nearly didn't include Baseball Prospectus in our panel of experts this year for their ranking of Gsellman alone. While Guerrero didn't even make their top 100, Gsellman inexplicably was ranked #17. This smells of a low-risk/high-reward publicity stunt to me. If Gsellman tanks, BP could simply point out that many top-20-ranked prospects tank. If he surprises the baseball world this year, BP can say they knew it from the beginning, point to their top prospects list, and watch their subscriber base grow. It's a can't-lose proposition!

#3 St. Louis Apostles
Ranked prospects: Alex Reyes (3), Gleyber Torres (6), Lucas Giolito (13), Yadier Alvarez (31), Franklin Barreto (39), Triston McKenzie (61), Bradley Zimmer (62), Sean Newcomb (69), A.J. Puk (79), Alex Kirilloff (133), Alec Hansen (140)
Unranked prospects: Dylan Cozens, Jeren Kendall, Luis Robert, Luken Baker, Joe Jimenez, Josh Staumont

After three straight years of ranking at the top of this list, the St. Louis farm system has finally lost a bit of steam. It lost quite a bit more when it was recently announced that their top prospect, Reyes, will need season-ending surgery. He had been ranked as the number one prospect in baseball by both Baseball Prospectus and some writer for the FantasyPros website. With a fastball that touches 100mph and a curve that grades 70 on the 20-80 scale, it's easy to see why Reyes is the next great Cardinals pitcher to emerge from that system. We'll just have to wait another year for that to happen.

Torres is one of four shortstops ranked among the top seven prospects in the game. Known primarily for his defense, the Heir to Jeter's Throne hasn't shown a lot of power in his minor league career, but the scouting reports suggest it's coming eventually. Giolito was the #3 prospect in baseball a year ago, but his reputation seemed to take a hit after his lackluster MLB debut, where he walked more batters than he whiffed. It was a small, 21-inning, sample size, though. Now a member of the rebuilding White Sox, he should get a full season of MLB experience this year.

Alvarez posted some eyebrow-raising numbers in his US debut last year (59+ IP, 40 H, 1 HR, 21 BB, 81 K, 2.12 ERA), and looks to be every bit as good as advertised. Barreto mastered the Double-A level at age 20 last year with little difficulty, and should get a full season in Triple-A this coming season.

Keep an eye on Kirilloff, who could rise in this ranking over the next year. Of the unranked prospects, Baker is a solid bet to be selected among the top 10-15 picks in the upcoming MLB draft, and Robert's scouting reports suggest that he's the next (and maybe last?) great Cuban sensation to come to the US.

#4 Southern Cal Slyme
Ranked prospects: Yoan Moncada (5), Brendan Rodgers (14), Anderson Espinoza (19), Kolby Allard (37), Jorge Alfaro (38), Riley Pint (49), Isan Diaz (58), Sean Reid-Foley (74), Willie Calhoun (107), Lourdes Gurriel (107)
Unranked prospects: Harrison Bader, Seth Beer, Joe Gray, Jr., Jarred Kelenic, Alex Faedo, Jackson Kowar, Kumar Rocker

The Slyme's top four prospects have all been acquired in trade since The Great Rebuilding began two years ago. Moncada was ranked as the #2 prospect in baseball by both Baseball America and MLB.com, but his overall ranking was dragged down by an inexplicable #17 ranking by Keith Law. Now playing with the rebuilding Chicago White Sox, Moncada should get a full season in MLB this year. Rodgers had a terrific sophomore season in pro ball, and looks like he's next in line to become the next great power-hitting Rockies shortstop. Espinoza was ranked among the top 25 by every one of our experts.

Allard and Calhoun both came to the Slyme in a December trade with the Undertakers. Allard was ranked as high as #32 (Law) and as low as #67 (Baseball Prospectus.) Calhoun (27 HR at Double-A last year) hits for more power than you would expect from a Hobbit.

Of the unranked group, Bob Sylvester has done his best to attempt to corner the market for the 2018 draft. Rocker (the #1 overall pick in this year's draft), Beer (the #1 overall pick in last summer's farm draft), Kelenic, and Kower are all eligible for the 2018 draft. Of that group, Beer appears to be most likely to be selected #1 overall.

#5 Charlotte Mustangs
Ranked prospects: Manny Margot (18), Mickey Moniak (28), Jeff Hoffman (49), Braxton Garrett (53), Hunter Renfroe (68), Albert Almora (81), Juan Soto (97), Sixto Sanchez (115)
Unranked prospects: Greg Allen, Michael Gettys, Oscar de la Cruz, Kevin Gowdy, Conner Greene, Nick Neidert

This is the first time Tony Chamra's franchise has ranked among the top five since 2005 -- way back when he was GM of the present-day Saskatoon Sasquatch franchise. Margot profiles as a speedy leadoff hitter with excellent defense in center field. Moniak, the #1 overall pick in the MLB draft last year and the top prospect in the Gulf Coast League, has a similar profile.

Hoffman struggled a bit in his MLB debut, but showed flashes of his potential as well. He should get a full season in Colorado this year. Garrett hasn't even thrown a single professional pitch yet, but was ranked #53 overall, and as high as #42 (by Keith Law) based on his scouting reports. Those reports suggest he will be a "crafty lefty" with a plus curveball and low-90's fastball.

The opinions were a split on Renfroe, who ranked in the top 50 for both Baseball America and MLB.com, but was ranked at #91 by Baseball Prospectus and went unranked by Law. Renfroe slugged 30 homers in Triple-A last year while playing in one of the league's best hitter's parks. A quick glance at his splits shows that he hit .365/.394/.654 at home and only .247/.276/.461 on the road. Those look like Blazers stats.

#6 Kansas Law Dogs
Ranked prospects: Cody Bellinger (11), Nick Senzel (15), Reynaldo Lopez (42), Leody Taveras (44), Tyler Beede (90), Sandy Alcantara (91)
Unranked prospects: Luis Almanzar, Gabriel Arias, Dustin Fowler, Victor Garcia, Brayan Hernandez, Jonatan Machado, Mark Vientos, Hagen Danner, Kyle Zimmer

The Dodgers' farm system seems to crank out a new all-star hitter every season. Cory Seager, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig...on and on the factory churns them out. Bellinger looks like the latest in that assembly line. Two years ago, he was an unknown fourth round draft pick. Then, out of nowhere, he slugged 30 home runs. He then followed that performance by hitting .263/.359/.484 with 23 homers at Double-A -- while playing as one of the youngest players in the league. He was ranked #6 by Law and #7 by Baseball America. Baseball Prospectus once again played the role of the Russian judge with their ranking of #26.

Senzel was the grand prize in this winter's trade with the Kansas City Boulevards. The second overall pick of last year's MLB draft, he had a phenomenal debut (.329/.415/.567 at Low-A) and should move very quickly through the bush leagues. Taveras, Kansas' last (fourth round) pick in the 2016 farm draft, was rated as the top prospect in the Arizona League last year. Despite hitting only one home run last year, he draws comparisons to Carlos Beltran for some reason.

GM Chris Luhning appears to have attempted to corner the market on teenaged Latin American prospects. Almanzar, Arias, Garcia, Hernandez, and Machado were all among the top-ranked international prospects signed last July.

#7 Flagstaff Outlaws
Ranked prospects: J.P. Crawford (7), Kyle Tucker (33), Aaron Judge (57), Fernando Tatis, Jr. (94), Dylan Cease (98), Fernando Romero (100), Derek Fisher (119), Trevor Clifton (125)
Unranked prospects: Jorge Bonifacio, Stone Garrett, Andrew Knapp, Ryan O'Hearn, Matt Olson, Harold Ramirez, Andrew Stevenson, Ian Clarkin, Dane Dunning, Fernando Romero

Flagstaff's rebuilding effort netted this team's top three prospects this past winter, giving this franchise their highest Farm Report ranking since 2011. Crawford should join Paul Goldschmidt in the Flagstaff infield next season, and will probably remain teammates with him through the 2021 season. His game is all about defense and contact hitting. The same can be said for Tucker, although with a little more power, a little more speed, and a little less defense. Judge, on the other hand, is all about power-hitting. He finally managed to translate his "70" power to actual game results last year, although he struggled (to put it mildly) in his short MLB stint. He has needed a brief adjustment period at every level, and MLB requires the most difficult adjustment of them all.

Tatis, Romero, and Clifton were all drafted in this year's farm draft. It's an incredible accomplishment to draft three ranked players in a farm draft these days. Kudos for that. Of that trio, Tatis seems most likely to advance into the top 50 a year from now. He was ranked as the #10 prospect in the Arizona League last year despite playing the entire season as a 17-year-old. His father owns a lifetime OPS of .809 in the BDBL, so there's that.

#8 Saskatoon Sasquatch
Ranked prospects: Austin Meadows (8), Nick Gordon (45), Raimel Tapia (56), Justus Sheffield (80), Jahmai Jones (102), Yusniel Diaz (129)
Unranked prospects: Will Banfield, Lucius Fox, Joshua Lowe, Drew Mendoza, J.J. Schwarz, Jacob Heatherly, Dillon Tate, Kyle Wright

Meadows hit just .214 at the Triple-A level last season, yet is ranked among the top ten prospects in the game. That speaks volumes about his scouting reports. On the numbers alone, he looks like a slap hitter with middling speed and a questionable eye at the plate. The scouting reports suggest that a hamstring injury (one of many injuries he's suffered throughout his professional career) contributed to his poor Triple-A performance. Baseball America calls him "an elite prospect" when healthy, who is an above-average runner with raw power. I don't see it in the numbers, so I guess we'll have to take their word for it.

Likewise, Gordon hasn't displayed much power in his professional career, and has similar issues with strike zone management. If he can stick at shortstop (which is still in question), he could hit enough to be useful at that position. Tapia is another prospect who fails to excite me. He's a gap hitter with a little bit of speed and shaky plate discipline. Meh.

I'm much more excited by Saskatoon's unranked prospects. Wright could be a very early draft pick this coming June. He looks like a top-of-the-rotation power pitcher. Mendoza may be the best player in the college freshman class this year. Schwarz has shown enough ability at Florida to become a quality MLB catcher. I also believe Lowe has a better than average chance of becoming a ranked player a year from now.

#9 Myrtle Beach Hitmen
Ranked prospects: Blake Rutherford (34), Kyle Lewis (40), Tyler O'Neill (51), Jesse Winker (83), Nick Williams (96), Forrest Whitley (99), Carson Fulmer (105), Justin Dunn (119)
Unranked prospects: Jordan Adell, Carter Kieboom, Josh Naylor, Magneuris Sierra, Brice Turang, Chance Adams, Cody Sedlock

From last place in this report two years in a row to a top-ten ranking. It's amazing how quickly a franchise can turn itself around after a change in management. All five of this franchise's top five prospects were acquired by this new management team this past winter. Rutherford hit the ground running in his professional debut. After he was selected with the 18th overall pick in last year's MLB draft, he hit .351/.415/.570 at two rookie league levels. The same can be said of this team's #2 prospect, Lewis. He was selected seven picks ahead of Rutherford and went on to post a .915 OPS in his professional debut.

O'Neill came out of nowhere last year and suddenly discovered some plate discipline to go with his raw power. Although he was ranked as high as #38 (Baseball America), he didn't make the cut for Keith Law's list. Winker has hit at every level throughout his five-year minor league career. At age 23, he looks as though he's ready for a big league trial.

In the unranked group, you have to wonder what Adams has to do to make a top prospects list. In his two year career, he's posted a 2.21 ERA in 162+ innings, with a 48/189 BB/K ratio. I suppose that Corey Kluber, Jacob deGrom, and Dallas Keuchel were never mentioned on any top prospect lists, either, so he's in good company.

#10 South Loop Furies
Ranked prospects: Jose De Leon (36), Kevin Newman (46), Amir Garrett (48), Erick Fedde (65), Matt Manning (77)
Unranked prospects: Lazaro Armenteros, Will Benson, Greg Bird, Andy Ibanez, Cole Tucker, Riley Ferrell, A.J. Minter, Cionel Perez, Duane Underwood, Joey Wentz

Newman was the tenth player selected in this winter's farm draft. At #46, he's the highest ranked player in that draft. He's one of those low-risk/low-reward type of prospects. He'll hit for a good average, get on base at a decent clip, maybe hit a few doubles to the gap, steal a handful of bases, and play decent defense. He does everything well, but does nothing great. He reminds me a little of Joe Panik, which isn't a bad thing.

South Loop's #1 prospect, De Leon, was traded to Tampa Bay in MLB in exchange for the ever-boring Logan Forsythe. Given the numbers De Leon has posted throughout his minor league career, it seem as though the Dodgers were robbed. He has averaged more than twelve strikeouts per nine innings in his career. Opinions seem to vary on Garrett, whose rankings range from 32 (Baseball Prospectus) to 81 (Baseball America) and everywhere in between.

The unranked list reads like a "Whatever Happened To" clickbait article. The controversial Armenteros was the #1 overall selection a year ago, and I haven't seen a single word written about him since then. Bird missed nearly the entire 2016 season with an injury. Ibanez was advertised as an MLB-ready commodity when he defected from Cuba, but has spent the past two seasons riding buses in the bush leagues. The other guys all sound vaguely familiar, but I couldn't tell you a thing about them.

#11 Granite State Lightning
Ranked prospects: Amed Rosario (4), Jason Groome (29), Jorge Mateo (66), Adrian Morejon (113), Kohl Stewart (125), Christian Arroyo (128)
Unranked prospects: Randy Arrozarena, Jose Miguel Fernandez, Luis Yander La O, Jorge Ona, Daniel Palka, Cornelius Randolph, Forrest Wall, Shintaro Fujinami, Norge Ruiz

The Lightning franchise has reached the top eleven in this annual report only three other times in their nineteen year history. They reached that distinction this year primarily because of the addition of Rosario, who is the highest-ranked prospect this franchise has ever owned. In fact, aside from Jerome Williams in 2003, the Lightning franchise has never owned a top ten prospect until now. Rosario has always been known for his glove, which is said to have been "Major League ready" since he broke into the professional ranks. Until last year, it seemed that his bat had a long way to go in order to catch up to his glove. Scouting reports consistently maintained that the bat would come. Sure enough, he hit .309/.359/.442 in the first half of the season at the High-A level. He was then promoted to Double-A, making him one of the youngest players in the league, and he increased his offensive production, hitting .341/.392/.481. Although he hit only five home runs combined at the two levels, scouts insist that there is 15-20 home run potential in his bat.

Granite State acquired all three of their top three prospects in trades this winter. Groome was considered to be a candidate for the first overall pick in last year's draft, but fell to pick number twelve due to concerns about his signing bonus. The Red Sox snatched him up, gave him a $3.65 million bonus, and watched him carve up opposing batters in two Gulf Coast League games. The odds are greater than 50/50 that he will be ranked higher than #29 a year from now.

Mateo had a disappointing year (on and off the field) in 2016, and saw his ranking fall from #43 to #66. Still, there is no reason to believe he won't bounce back and recapture his elite prospect status. With Gleyber Torres now cemented as the Yankees' Shortstop of the Future, Mateo will likely end up in center field, where he can become a Trea Turner clone.

Ryan's fascination with Cuban players is finally beginning to pay dividends. Morejon hasn't thrown a single professional pitch yet, but was ranked by two of our experts (Baseball America and Keith Law.) Arrozarena, Fernandez, La O, Ona, and Ruiz have all defected and signed with various MLB teams. All are expected to play a full season of minor league ball, so a year from now, we'll have a better idea what dividends Ryan's Cuban strategy has sown. Once Shohei Otani finally leaves Japan to play in the US, Fujinami will arguably become the best player in Japan. The problem for Lightning fans is that Fujinami is still just 23 years old and won't become a free agent until 2021. That's a long time to wait for any prospect.

#12 Western Kansas Buffalos
Ranked prospects: Willy Adames (21), Ian Happ (42), James Kaprielian (52), Grant Holmes (92), Stephen Gonsalves (115), Jack Flaherty (119), Matt Chapman (132), Bobby Bradley (136), Tyler Jay (141)
Unranked prospects: Luis Alexander Basabe, Ryan McMahon, Matt Thaiss, Brady Aiken, Mark Appel, Zack Burdi

Adames displayed so much improvement with his power and plate discipline last year that Baseball America ranked him among the top ten prospects in the game. If he continues to improve, he'll be manning shortstop in Tampa Bay sooner than later. Happ has shown power, patience, and speed in his minor league career, but has to break through into a very crowded Chicago Cubs infield. He will likely spend this entire season in Triple-A.

Kaprielian threw only 18 innings last year, and has tossed just 29+ innings in his professional career so far, and yet our panel of experts has seen enough to consider him a borderline top fifty prospect. Keith Law even ranked him among the top thirty.

It wasn't that long ago that Aiken and Appel were considered to be the overwhelming favorites to become the #1 overall pick in the MLB draft, and commanded sky-high signing bonuses. Today, neither pitcher is worthy of being ranked by any of our experts. How quickly pitching stars can fall.

#13 Salem Cowtippers
Ranked prospects: Andrew Benintendi (1), Rafael Devers (12), Lucas Erceg (104)
Unranked prospects: Aristides Aquino, Triston Casas, Jhailyn Ortiz, Adrian Rondon, Tristan Beck, J.B. Bukauskas, Ryan Castellani, Buck Farmer, Vladimir Gutierrez, Jonathan Holder, Phil Maton, Shohei Otani, Henry Owens, Brady Singer

This is the fourth time the Cowtippers have owned the #1 prospect in baseball (Mark Teixeira, Jay Bruce, and Stephen Strasburg were the others -- and frankly, Kris Bryant was robbed.) Benintendi's bat was recently compared to Don Mattingly's by the guys on the MLB Network, and that seems like an appropriate comparison. I've compared him in the past to Alex Gordon, which seems like a better comparison overall, as it includes his defense and speed. Regardless, Benintendi should be the centerpiece of the Salem lineup for many years to come. Devers began the year slowly, but made up for it in the second half. He has always had great potential as a hitter, but last year he made significant strides defensively as well.

The best prospect on this roster isn't even ranked, as the world still waits for Otani to make the inevitable jump to the US. When he does, it will be interesting to see if he is allowed to hit on the days when he isn't pitching. Castellani is the only prospect named as the best prospect in his league who was not ranked by our experts. Bukauskas and (if he can overcome his early injury) Beck are two candidates to be selected within the first ten picks of the upcoming MLB amateur draft. Casas recently announced that he is accelerating his high school career, and will be eligible for the 2018 draft along with Singer.

In case you're wondering (I know I was), if I hadn't traded Amed Rosario, Corey Ray, Blake Rutherford, Jeff Hoffman, Aaron Judge, Dominic Smith, and Jorge Mateo this winter, the Cowtippers would have ranked #1 in this report.

#14 South Carolina Sea Cats
Ranked prospects: Ozzie Albies (17), Chance Sisco (76), German Marquez (86), A.J. Reed (106), Frankie Montas (124), Anthony Banda (127), Richard Urena (133)
Unranked prospects: Hanser Alberto, Drew Jackson, Domingo Acevedo, Marcos Diplan, Chris Ellis, Alex Lange, Ben Lively, Antonio Senzatela

This is only the second time in the last ten years that the South Carolina farm system has ranked outside of the top ten. After the graduations of Julio Urias and Blake Snell to the big leagues last year, the Sea Cats farm cupboard is pretty much bare. Albies looks like a switch-hitting Jose Altuve. He's short, he hits for a high average (with a career .310 average in the minors), he has excellent speed, and he plays good defense. He should be South Carolina's leadoff hitter for many years to come.

I'm less excited by the rest of the South Carolina farm. The highest ranking that any of the other prospects received was #53 (Baseball American's ranking for Marquez.) Marquez had a breakthrough season last year, but he will now have to overcome the challenge of pitching in Coors. Sisco is a pure hitter, but doesn't have much power potential and has a lot of work to do behind the plate.

I can't help but wonder if some of the names on the unranked list are just taking up space that could be filled by better prospects. Ellis posted a 6.52 ERA at Triple-A last year. Diplan posted a 4.98 ERA at High-A. Alberto owns a career minor league OPS of .694. These guys are just taking up space, it seems.

#15 Chicago Black Sox
Ranked prospects: Eloy Jimenez (10), Ian Anderson (75), Trenton Clark (100), Casey Gillaspie (109)
Unranked prospects: Phillip Ervin, Nolan Jones, Gavin Lux, Billy McKinney, Garrett Mitchell, Chris Okey, Chris Shaw, Tyler Stephenson, Spencer Adams, D.L. Hall, Pierce Johnson

The problem with drafting sixteen year olds is that it is very easy to lose patience while waiting for them to develop. Jimenez was considered to be the top 16-year-old international prospect on the market when he signed in 2013. Six months after he signed, the Granite State Lightning selected him with their sixth pick in the 2014 winter farm draft. He hit just .227 in his professional debut, which led Ryan to trade him to the Kansas City Boulevards the next winter in exchange for Shaun Marcum...who was released a few days later on Cutdown Day. The Boulevards held onto Jimenez until the all-star break, and then released him. He posted a .284/.328/.418 batting line in that 2015 season, which led John Gill to take a flier on him the following winter. Gill selected Jimenez with his first pick (16th overall) in the 2016 winter farm draft. And that is how the Chicago Black Sox acquired the #10 prospect in baseball.

Anderson was the third overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft. He had an impressive pro debut, but didn't pitch enough to warrant a ranking in either the Gulf Coast League or Appy League. He was ranked by all four of our panel of experts, however. Clark was highly-coveted in high school, but had a disastrous year last year (.231/.346/.344, with 68 K's in 221 AB.) As a former first round pick, he'll get plenty of rope with which to hang himself. Gillaspie is another former first-rounder who should see some MLB playing time this year. His career triple-slash line of .270/.367.462 and decent plate discipline suggests he can be a successful big leaguer.

#16 New Milford Blazers
Ranked prospects: Michael Kopech (19), Yohander Mendez (64), Max Fried (95)
Unranked prospects: JaCoby Jones, Chad Pinder, Anthony Santander, Max Schrock, Garrett Stubbs, Luis Urias, Jose Albertos, Dan Altavilla, Tomohiro Anraku, Chih-Wei Hu, Nick Kingham, Dinelson Lamet, Kodi Medeiros, Austin Voth

Give New Milford props for consistency. This is the third year in a row they've ranked #16 in the Farm Report. Kopech rose from #80 a year ago to the top 20 this year mostly because he threw a 110-mph pitch (with a running start) on YouTube. In 135 career minor league innings, he has averaged 4.6 walks per nine and 11.5 strikeouts per nine. That tells you pretty much everything you need to know.

The BDBL gave Anthony Peburn a gift when they let Mendez slide to the 17th pick in Round 16 of the free agent draft this winter. (Note to Ryan: if Nick Hundley doesn't become more valuable than Mendez, you'll be sleeping in the streets.) Mendez wasn't much of a prospect until last year, and he did post an ugly 4.6/6.3 BB/K ratio in Triple-A, so there is hope that he will flop. Fried also wasn't much of a prospect until last year. Even then, he averaged over four walks per nine, and posted an ugly ERA over 6.00 in August and September. Meh.

I don't know who most of the guys are on the unranked list are, but I'm sure they're all budding superstars.

#17 Ravenswood Infidels
Ranked prospects: Brent Honeywell (30), Anthony Alford (67), Walker Buehler (86)
Unranked prospects: Jake Burger, K.J. Harrison, Dilson Herrera, Gilbert Lara, Renato Nunez, Isaac Paredes, Heath Quinn, Bryan Reynolds, Pavin Smith, Marco Gonzales, Jack Leathersich, Nick Lodolo

The league's longest streak of finishing outside of the top ten in the annual Farm Report continues for another year. To put it in perspective, the last time this franchise's farm ranked in the top ten, Bill Clinton was president. The highest ranking achieved by any Infidels prospect this year was Baseball Prospectus' ranking of Honeywell at #22. I have a negative bias against Honeywell because his name reminds me of Rick Honeycutt, who pitched for the Zoots back in the early 90's. I just read a scouting report on Honeywell, however, where a story was told of him making a special trip to the clubhouse while on the disabled list to greet his teammates off the bus at 2:00am. He seems like a good guy.

Alford is a top athlete with a great skillset, but he strikes out a little too often (117 times in 339 AB last year) for my taste. The whiffs would be more tolerable if he showed more power, but he slugged only .378 last year. I can't see Buehler's name without hearing Ben Stein's voice. It's impossible. A first-round pick in 2015, Buehler ("...anyone?...") missed the entire 2015 season due to injury, and then pitched only five innings last year. Yet, he made the top 100 on three of our four lists.

#18 Cleveland Rocks
Ranked prospects: Clint Frazier (25), Mike Soroka (72)
Unranked prospects: Gilberto Celestino, Paul DeJong, Juan DeLeon, Travis Demeritte, Yandy Diaz, Andres Gimenez, Ha-Seong Kim, Eddy Julio Martinez, Colin Moran, Tetsudo Yamada, Ryan Hensley, Brandon Koch, Brendan McKay, Matt Strahm

Mike Stein portrays an odd sort of pride about his low ranking in this annual report. In eighteen years, the highest ranking the Rocks' farm club has ever achieved is #10 -- which they reached twice. They have now ranked #18 or below a dozen times. Yet, Stein will be the first to remind you that the Rocks ranked #4 in the All-Time Farm Analysis that I compiled for our tenth year anniversary -- a ranking that was higher than the Salem Cowtippers.

Since his trade to the Yankees, Frazier no longer holds the title of Best Hair in Baseball. As mentioned in the Akron report, that title now belongs to Josh Hader. Yet more fuel for that bitter Akron/Cleveland rivalry. Frazier hit just .230 at the Triple-A level last year, so he will likely need another full year at that level before we see him in a Rocks uniform.

Soroka reminds me of Mike Sirotka, who pitched for the Cowtippers back in 2001 and posted a 5.17 ERA for me. I hated Mike Sirotka, so I'm inclined to hate Mike Soroka as well. Soroka was the seventh ranked prospect in the South Atlantic League last year, ahead of Phil Bickford, who also has great hair. His scouting report suggests that he is a pitcher rather than a thrower. He has good command and control, and pitches intelligently and efficiently. I like Mike Soroka better than Mike Sirotka.

#19 Kansas City Boulevards
Ranked prospects: Cal Quantrill (59), Franklin Perez (77), Ke'Bran Hayes (109)
Unranked prospects: Royce Lewis, Buddy Reed, Charlie Tilson, Luis Torrens, Taylor Trammell, Blayne Enlow, Hunter Greene, Hunter Harvey, Colton Hock, Mike Matuella

The Boulevards fell ten spots in this ranking after the graduation of Max Kepler. Quantrill takes his place as the top-ranked Kansas City prospect. The rankings for Quantrill were all over the map. Baseball America and MLB.com were in agreement, ranking him #96 and #97, respectively. Baseball Prospectus ranked him fifty places higher at #45. And Keith Law ranked him all the way up at #23. I think the reason for the disparity is that Quantrill hardly pitched at all last year. He missed his entire junior year at Stanford with an injury, and then pitched only 37 innings as a pro. He looked good in those 37 innings, sporting a high-90's fastball and a curve that grades 70 on the 20-80 scale. He whiffed 46 batters and only walked eight.

There are three Franklin Perezes in minor league baseball, so I'm going to have to assume that Kansas City owns the good one. That one posted a 2.84 ERA in 67 innings last year, with a nifty 19/75 BB/K ratio, and he did it all while pitching the entire season at age 18. If he can repeat that performance at the next level, he will undoubtedly rank higher on this list a year from now. Hayes was ranked as the #14 prospect in the Sally League. A first round pick in 2015 out of high school, he batted .263/.319/.393 last year. Meh.

By all accounts, we should see the list of ranked Boulevards prospects expand by at least three names next year. Greene is considered to be the best high school prospect in the 2017 class, and Lewis and Enlow are highly-regarded prep prospects as well.

#20 Buckingham Sovereigns
Ranked prospects: Alex Verdugo (47), Jake Bauers (93), Anderson Tejada (136), Rowdy Tellez (136)
Unranked prospects: Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Wilkerman Garcia, Starling Heredia, Tyler Wade, Rookie Davis, Drew Finley, Kyle Funkhouser, Jordan Hicks, Tony Santillan

Baseball America describes Verdugo's swing as "unorthodox." I'd let you judge for yourself if only Jerry Narron would get the F out of the way. From a numbers perspective, he looks like he gets the job done. He owns a career batting line of .302/.352/.439, averages around a dozen home runs per year, and walks and strikes out at an acceptable rate.

When he's not hunting terrorists for CTU, Bauers is raking in the minor leagues. Unlike Verdugo, Baseball America describes Bauers' swing as a "pure lefthanded batting stroke to excite even jaded baseball men." I can almost picture some grizzled old scouts perking up like children waking up on Christmas morning whenever Bauers steps to the plate. In his four year career, Bauers has hit .280/.360/.413 while demonstrating some power and excellent plate discipline.

Tejada was ranked as the #11 prospect in the short-season Arizona League. Like Bauers, he is described as a "pure hitter." Just 18 years old, he's a long way from The Show. Tellez has one of the greatest names in baseball, as do Rookie Davis and Kyle Funkhouser.

#21 Las Vegas Flamingos
Ranked prospects: Zack Collins (85), Cody Reed (103), Luiz Gohara (114), Jharel Cotton (122), Sam Travis (141)
Unranked prospects: Jacob Nottingham, Boog Powell, Tomas Telis, Beau Burrows, Anthony Kay, Eric Lauer, Adalberto Mejia, Dillon Peters, Cole Ragans, Chris Stratton

The Flamingos practically live at the bottom of this annual report. This is the eighth time their farm system has ranked among the bottom five. Looking at the list above, 2018 doesn't look much more encouraging. Johnny Bo adopted the patented Doyle Strategy during last summer's farm draft by running his finger down the list of first round MLB draft picks and taking the first names available. All four of Vegas' farm picks in that draft -- Collins, Lauer, Ragans, and Kay -- were first round selections last June.

Collins looked good in his pro debut, hitting for power and walking almost as often as he struck out. He was ranked the 13th best prospect in the Single-A Carolina League. Reed's MLB debut last year was downright fugly: 0-7, with a 7.36 ERA in 47+ innings, with a dozen home runs allowed. It's probably safe to say his performance will improve this year.

Looking at the unranked group, I realize that I make the same comment about this farm club year after year. J.B. never heeds my advice, but I'll give it again: it's time to prune those dead branches, man. Boog Powell? Seriously? Jacob of Nottingham? Adalberto Mejia? Were these guys ever prospects? Time to clean house!

#22 Bear Country Jamboree
Ranked prospects: Thomas Szapucki (88), Christin Stewart (131), Luis Castillo (133)
Unranked prospects: Allen Cordoba, Rhys Hoskins, Logan Allen, Sam Coonrod, Will Craig, Jacob Faria, Kendry Flores, Koda Glover, Jon Harris, Trevor Hildenberger, Tanner Houck, Keury Mella, Alex Young

Not one Jamboree prospect was ranked by all four experts, and no Jamboree prospect was ranked by either Baseball America or MLB.com. Szapucki posted some interesting numbers last year. He struck out fifteen batters per nine while pitching at two different rookie levels. Keith Law was impressed enough to rank him as the #60 prospect in baseball. This coming year will prove whether Szapucki really is that dominant on the mound or if rookie-level hitters just suck that badly.

Looking at the unranked group, other than Houck, I can't help but ask: who the hell are these guys?! Sam Coonrod? Koda Glover? Trevor Hildenberger? By the time I get this far into the Farm Report, I'm too tired to look them up.

#23 Los Altos Undertakers
Ranked prospects: Albert Abreu (118)
Unranked prospects: Bo Bichette, Travis Blankenhorn, Ronald Guzman, Tyler Hill, Desmond Lindsay, Seuly Matias, Victor Mesa, Alex Toral, Justin Williams, Mark Zagunis, Junior Fernandez, Daniel Gossett, Touki Toussaint, Patrick Weigel

Well, well, well! What do we have here? The endless assembly line of Los Altos superstar prospects seems to have hit a snag! For fourteen out of eighteen years, the Los Altos farm has ranked among the top six in this report. Yet, here they are at the bottom of the stack. Of course, the end result of cleaning out the farm cupboard has been two BDBL championships (and counting), so it was a small price to pay.

There is only one ranked prospect to talk about this year, and that prospect was only ranked by one of our experts (Baseball Prospectus at #82.) Abreu was acquired by the Yankees in the Brian McCann deal this winter. He's 21 years old, has a power arm, and has yet to pitch above the High-A level. In other words, it'll be a few years before we ever see him pitching for Los Altos (or any other club.)

There are plenty of candidates in the unranked group that could make the leap into the ranked a year from now. Bichette and Lindsay are probably the most likely to rise. What is really odd is that the Undertakers don't have that next wave of college and prep prospects ready to reclaim the throne from the previous wave. Los Altos has always had a monopoly on top amateur talent. This year, it seems that Toral (a 2017 graduate) is the only one. Maybe Jeff has grown bored with winning so often. Who could blame him?

#24 Great Lakes Sphinx
Ranked prospects: Zero
Unranked prospects: Victor Caratini, Jasrado Chisholm, Bobby Dalbec, Donnie Dewees, Courtney Hawkins, Domingo Leyba, Dawel Lugo, Rio Ruiz, D.J. Wilson, Chesny Young, Kyle Crick, Dakota Hudson, Carson Sands, Jen-Ho Tseng

Not only wasn't a single Great Lakes prospect ranked by any of our four experts, but not a single prospect appeared on any of Baseball America's minor league top 20 lists. When there are 320 prospects included in those 20 lists, and there are 360 farm prospects in the BDBL, that is an extremely difficult accomplishment! It wouldn't be so bad if Great Lakes' prospects simply weren't eligible for any of these lists. If the unranked group included a bunch of college or high school prospects, or players from Cuba or Japan, or 15/16-year-old Latin Americans, then you could make the argument that this farm system isn't as bad as it appears. But no. This is bad. Really, really, bad.

Or, as our nation's illustrious and eloquent leader would say: "SAD!"