Loading ...Prospect guru Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) has issued his top 10 list for the Reds. It’s subscription-only, but I can give you the highlights:
Excellent Prospects
1. Homer Bailey, RHP
2. Jay Bruce, RF
Very Good Prospects
3. Joey Votto, 1B
Good Prospects
4. Drew Stubbs, CF
5. Johnny Cueto, RHP
6. Travis Wood, LHP
7. Sean Watson, LHP
Average Prospects
8. Milton Loo, SS/3B
9. Chris Valaika, SS
10. Paul Janish, SS
He goes on to rank all under-25 players in the system, which comes out with Bailey and Bruce ahead of Encarnacion (who he likes a lot), then Votto, Stubbs, Brandon Phillips and Bill Bray. The list then picks up with Cueto, etc.
Goldstein writes that Baily/Bruce are arguably the best hitter/pitcher prospect duo in baseball, but the Reds system is still below average.
Seems like the Reds farm system is improving but still a long ways to go to get back to where we were in the late 60’s- early 70’s.
I don’t hear a lot og mention about Luis BOlivar on here. I dont think that he gets enought credit for how talented he is. I think that he is definatly someone to keep your eye on. He is making some impressive numbers in Venezuela this of season. I think he will be someone to talk about soon when no one is expecting it. We should give him some more credit!!! I am certainly keeping an eye on his stats for the next few months!!!
I think it’s improving just because the injuries haven’t been as constant the last year or two (knock on wood) but at the same time it looks as though Kriv was cleaning house of any remnants of the former regime. Granted I don’t think we lost any great prospect last year, although the jury is out on Ward, you still need a certain amount of depth. Hopefully we can see the same success in the minors with multiple teams making the playoffs.
I definitely agree that Krivsky’s been removing most traces of Dan O’Brien’s presence. My question is whether that’s necessarily wise, at least in the minor leagues. O’Brien drafted Bailey and Bruce. Krivsky took Drew Stubbs, over some very legitimate players. I’m definitely still of an open mind as to his talent assessment.
I think the minor league system is improving, but right now, other than Bailey and Votto, all the real talent seems to be low in the minors and some believe the Reds are not pushing it along fast enough.