MLB's Top 120 Prospects, via John Sickels

by Travis G on Feb 27, 2012 9:00 PM EST in Minors

SBN's resident prospect expert, John Sickels, released his top 120 prospects (because 100 just doesn't cover it) for 2012.

Four Yankees made the list: LHP Manny Banuelos at 45, C Gary Sanchez at 61, OF Mason Williams at 92 and RHP Dellin Betances at 103. A couple more made the "also considered" group: 3B Dante Bichette and RHP Jose Campos.

The top five overall go as such: OF Bryce Harper (Wash.), LHP Matt Moore (Tampa), OF Mike Trout (Anaheim), RHP Yu Darvish and SS Jurickson Profar (both Texas). FYI, Jesus Montero ranked ninth.

As for the Yankees, 45 is the lowest I've seen Banuelos ranked. MLB.com had him 13th overall. I think Sickels is underrating Manny. The Yankees are notorious for being conservative with prospects. For Manny to reach Triple-A at the tender age of 20 is almost unheard of with the Yanks. In fact, he was the youngest player in the International League (and the second youngest in all Triple-A; only 17-year-old Dutchman Rodney Daal, who had all of one PA, qualified as younger). For a player that young to hold his own against much older competition (34.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, 8.1 K/9) is very impressive. He allowed too many hits and walks, but he was also dealing with a velocity spike that may have contributed to his poor control. Regardless, I believe Sickels is putting too much weight on the walks, which only really plagued him in 2011. In his previous three seasons, his walk rate was about 3/9 IP. Too many are focusing on the cons of Manny without seeing the pros: southpaw, fastball into the mid-90s, quality secondary pitches, smooth, repeatable delivery, and the aforementioned ARL (age relative to league).

Take Arizona's RHP Trevor Bauer for instance (ranked seventh overall). He was an incredible college pitcher, but between Hi- and Double-A, he struggled (25.2 IP, 5.96 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). He had an incredible K rate (15/9 IP) coming off a long college season, so I understand the higher ranking, but he was pitching at lower levels and with his right hand; are there really 19 pitchers that separate the two?

It's also odd to see Campos so low. Some think he'll eventually be the best player involved in the Pineda-Montero trade. FanGraphs ranked him the Yanks second best prospect, ahead of Sanchez, Williams and Betances.

With all that said, I think the other rankings are pretty fair. What do you think?

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Comments

I can't think, I'm dancin'!

Other than that, I agree with you about ManBan being ranked a bit low.

A baseball park is the one place where a man's wife doesn't mind his getting excited over somebody else's curves.

by david d on Feb 27, 2012 9:07 PM EST reply actions

Ban is ranked way too low.

He should be in the mid 20’s at least.

Linning and Winning!

by Joe21 on Feb 27, 2012 9:13 PM EST reply actions

haters gonna hate

by JerseyGuy77 on Feb 27, 2012 11:09 PM EST reply actions

I don't know why I bother linking to this, but...

LOL

"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth

by Andrew GM on Feb 28, 2012 12:54 AM EST reply actions

I hate that you just made me give them a page view.

Tweets / PSA Podcasts
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains"

by WhatwouldJeterdo on Feb 28, 2012 12:58 AM EST up reply actions

I hovered over the link before clicking on it!

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
ImNotAHRHitter
Pinstripe Alley Podcast

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Feb 28, 2012 1:10 AM EST up reply actions

Safari doesn’t tell me anything when I hover over the link. Sigh.

Tweets / PSA Podcasts
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains"

by WhatwouldJeterdo on Feb 28, 2012 1:11 AM EST up reply actions

That's tragic.

"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth

by Andrew GM on Feb 28, 2012 1:42 AM EST up reply actions

Google Chrome it, sister!

by jetanumba2 on Feb 28, 2012 7:28 AM EST up reply actions

Jones

That’s the first picture of Jones that I’ve seen where he isn’t smiling. He must have been constipated.

by alouishes on Feb 28, 2012 9:18 AM EST up reply actions

the only thing a left hand offers

is the fact that he is guaranteed a chance in the majors

by jetanumba2 on Feb 28, 2012 7:29 AM EST reply actions

He has ManBan ranked 24th among pitchers

That is probably right. Right now, there is a very stacked top for pitching prospects, especially after last year’s pitching-heavy draft. I think the highest you could argue for him is 16th for pitchers/29th overall, where James Paxton is, but there are only two I feel he should definitely be ahead of, and that is Addison Reed at 23/44, and Randall Delgado at 22/41.

by cookiedabookie on Feb 28, 2012 8:15 AM EST reply actions

when those guys actually reach AAA (if they can)

or actually throw a pro inning then we can talk About some those guys being better, Sickels is a very firm believer in the false idea that “size matters” he is not a big fan of smaller pitchers. If Banuelos walks are a big red flag; despite being so young; then so should Teheran’s stupidly low career GB%, and his low punchout rate in AAA, same for Martin Perez or any of the really young pitchers in AAA.

Sickels is over 16 spots lower on Manny than the next lowest prospect ranking…if every other reputable scouting site seems to like Manny enough to rank him in the top 30 (and in more than a few cases the top 20) then chances are he probably is a really good prospect.

by Yankees199 on Feb 28, 2012 10:12 AM EST up reply actions

What is your proof of Sickels' bias against short pitchers?

Having followed him for years, I don’t remember seeing it.
Also, saying that someone has to throw professional innings at AAA to be better than Manny is ridiculous. When Stephen Strasburg was drafted, he didn’t need to prove he was the best pitching prospect – that was something you could see with your own eyes.
Manny is a very good SP prospect, but to act like anything lower than top 20 is an insult is hyperbolic. He is a top 25 pitching prospect, but has a weak argument of being higher than about 20th for pitchers. Combined with positional players, any spot in the 40-50 range is reasonable.

by cookiedabookie on Feb 28, 2012 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

So its fair claiming

that someone who never threw against the same competition is better than someone who for all intents and purposes hasn’t done a damn thing yet?

Did I say he should be in the top 20 ? No, so don’t put words in my mouth, I believe it is wrong to rank a player that low based on results when there are more than a few ranked higher that have performed similar or worse at lower levels, while also being older.

I do think its interesting that Sickels is the only one who sees Banuelos as 45th. Sickels prefers the “classic pitchers build” he always has; so have many others. I don’t blame him for that because most people follow that idea that height=durability which isn’t true.

by Yankees199 on Feb 28, 2012 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

I can't help but root for Bichette Jr.

The draft prognosticators were so sure the Yankees reached when they picked him, yet his numbers bared out that they might have been right. And he’s still an afterthought, despite his awesome numbers. It’s not often you get a Yankee underdog (much less one that is MLB progeny), but I’m pulling for him as much as any Yank prospect.

by Chuck Burly on Feb 28, 2012 9:29 AM EST reply actions

me too

For all those reasons, plus, if he develops on schedule, he’ll actually get the big leagues about the time we’ll need a 3b/1b/corner outfielder, so maybe he won’t be stuck in the minors and then get traded, not that such a thing ever happened to us recently.

by long time listener on Feb 28, 2012 10:53 AM EST up reply actions