Basketball Jesus wrote:*This has doubly hurt the team by not only not developing any kind of cost-efficient frontline talent to help the parent club but also by not developing the kind of secondary prospect that would enable to make them a player on the trade market.
Are things that bad on the farm? Seems like a good time to review the future of the franchise. Going position by position:
P - There is some front-line talent here, but most of those players are at least a few years away: Tillman, Butler, Aumont. The system has recently sent some good second-tier bullpen prospects, and one potential front-line starting prospect (Morrow), to the majors. There are some more secondary prospects in the pipeline who are probably ready for the Show now or will be very soon: Kameron Mickolio, Justin Thomas, Travis Chick, Andy Barb, Andrew Baldwin, Robert Rorbaugh. Of course, what we'd like most is top-tier starters who are close to the majors, and that's what we lack, unless you put Morrow in that category.
C - Clement is going to be on the roster in '08 and looks like the catcher of the future after being virtually written off early this season. Adam Moore also is impressive. Rob Johnson's star has dimmed considrably; he could still make it, but as a career backup.
1B - Not much here, except maybe future pinch-hitter Bryan Lahair. Or one of our 3B prospects could eventually move there.
2B - Yung-Chi Chen isn't healthy and is probably only a second-tier prospect even at 100%. He'll hit better than Lopez, at least.
SS - Here's where the jewel of the farm system sits: Carlos Triunfel. Could he be ready by 2009? Oswaldo Navarro is a good-glove, no-hit utility player, but I see that role going to Jose Lopez. Mike Morse is probably out of our plans.
3B - I really like Matt Mangini. He's my kind of player, a lefty hitter who already has more plate discipline than most players on the major league roster, and has the kind of line drive power that will enable him to do some damage in Safeco field. At the other end of the spectrum is Mario Martinez, a toolsy kid who hasn't done much of anything yet, but is still 18 and has lots of upside. People also seem to like Alex Liddi, though I can't figure out why; he strikes out at a frightening rate, doesn't walk much and has shown little power. Maybe Liddi's tall, lanky frame has room to put on some muscle and turn him into a legit power hitter, but it hasn't happened yet. Finally, Matt Tuiasosopo is still alive, and at just 21 still has a chance to turn into a role player, especially if he can play multiple positions.
OF - Jones is here and he's a starting outfielder. Balentien is here and if he's not a starting outfielder, then he's trade bait for someone like Jason Bay. The other outfielder of the future is Ichiro, now that he's signed for another half a decade. Greg Halman could be in the mix as well, although he struggled badly in High-A.
So, is the farm system in such bad shape? You can pencil in a potentially outstanding pitching staff and pretty solid lineup in two or three years. And once the team gets a little focus in the front office, it will be able to spend the big bucks to fill holes at 1B and DH... big boppers in the middle of the lineup, the kind who are worth the $15 million salaries we'll be able to shell out once we get rid of excess contractual baggage. Maybe a top starting pitcher as well, or a better second baseman, and we'll be good.
