BA Blue Jays Top 10 up, already obsolete

[-MetA4-]

If I had to guess a top 3...

1) RHP Zach Stewart
2) RHP Chad Jenkins
3) RHP Henderson Alvarez

Heard that BA doesn't think overly highly of OF Moisses Sierra.

[-MetA4-]

I also think BA will have Jake Marisnick somewhere in the Top 10, despite him not being ranked anywhere near as high on the BattersBox list.

[Schad]

That would be my expectation of their top three as well, with an outside chance that they rank Jenkins over Stewart. Marisnick is probably a lock to be ranked, and I would think that Carlos Perez will find his way on to the bottom third of the list owing to our lack of top prospects.

If I were guessing, I'd say that the list would consist of (in no particular order):

Stewart, Jenkins, Alvarez, Marisnick, Perez, Sierra, Pastornicky, Arencibia, Chavez, and Cooper, with Farquhar or Mills making the list if they're really down on any of the above.

Of the '09 crew, four graduated (Snider, Romero, Cecil, and Zip), two stagnated (Arencibia, Cooper), two missed a tonne of time to injury (Jackson, Mills), and two just plain sucked (Emaus, Ahrens).

[Schad]

Heh, we were both way off:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/pr ... 69273.html

1. Stewart
2. Arencibia
3. Jenkins
4. Cooper
5. Alvarez
6. Marisnick
7. Roenicke
8. Mills
9. Jackson
10. Perez

I have to say, they're quite a bit higher on Arencibia and Cooper than I am, and quite a bit lower on Sierra/Chavez. Plus, no one loves Justin Jackson as much as I do, yet I wouldn't be able to list him in our top-10 after major surgery. Nor would I consider a 27 year old a list-worthy prospect in any event.

[-MetA4-]

I dont see why they'd even throw this out when the Halladay trade will be complete by tomorrow at the latest. Semms pretty stupid that they couldn't just wait another day.

[The_Hater]

I dont see why they'd even throw this out when the Halladay trade will be complete by tomorrow at the latest. Semms pretty stupid that they couldn't just wait another day.

I would assume that the list has already gone to press for their magazine so updating it wouldn't change that.

[Schad]

With the new acquisitions, I'm guessing that it would look something like:

1. Drabek
2. Wallace
3. Stewart
4. Arencibia
5. Jenkins
6. D'Arnaud
7. Cooper
8. Alvarez
9. Marisnick
10. Roenicke

Though the BA chat later today should cast more light on that (which is my way of asking that you post anything and everything of interest from it, Met).

[-MetA4-]

With the new acquisitions, I'm guessing that it would look something like:

1. Drabek
2. Wallace
3. Stewart
4. Arencibia
5. Jenkins
6. D'Arnaud
7. Cooper
8. Alvarez
9. Marisnick
10. Roenicke

Though the BA chat later today should cast more light on that (which is my way of asking that you post anything and everything of interest from it, Met).

d'Arnaud would be 4th behind Stewart IMO.

I dont have a BA subscription BTW. Any premium info I've posted from there before has been stuff I've mooched off of other sites or gotten through other people who have BA accounts.

[Hoopstarr]

Interesting that they have Ahrens as the best infield arm and not Jackson.

[Schad]

Interesting that they have Ahrens as the best infield arm and not Jackson.

My guess is that they're hedging, given Jackson's labrum surgery. It kills pitching velocity, so I'd imagine it would do a number on his arm strength, as well.

[SharoneWright]

Thanks for the link. Nice summary.

[Relentless88]

Is there any hope for Cooper? What's his deal....that list pre-halladay looks pretty awful.

[Avenger]

Is there any hope for Cooper? What's his deal....that list pre-halladay looks pretty awful.

He was pretty average last year coming off a great debut season. His plate discipline has improved a bit and you can make a case for him being a bit unlucky with his BABIP. You can also probably make a case for him being promoted too aggressively, there is still some hope with him.

[-MetA4-]

Its still early to give up on Cooper but even if he succeeds he is a Lyle Overbay type 1B. The acquisition of Wallace pretty much makes him obsolete, unless Wallace magically becomes a competant 3B, but even then Cooper isn't anything to write home about defensively so you'd have the worst corner infield defence in the league.

[Relentless88]

Are they going to update this after the trade. I think the 3 prospects we got back are our top 3 right? Drabek, Wallace, D'Arnaud? Maybe Stewart's ahead of D'Arnaud.

[-MetA4-]

Mike Newman's (scoutingthesally.com) full scouting report on Travis d'Arnaud:

Scouting Report, Travis D'Arnaud, Toronto Blue Jays
In hearing Travis D'Arnaud may be involved in the Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee swap, it brought me back to the Lakewood series here in Savannah where D'Arnaud looked like a star in the making. With power to all fields, excellent athleticism behind the plate, and impressive game management skills, he ranked as the best "Sally" positional prospect I saw during the 2009 season.

Physique and Athleticism: Listed at 6'2", 195 lbs., D'Arnaud has a strong lower half with evenly proportioned upper body. His wide shoulders and size through the quadriceps lead me to believe he should be able to add another 15-20 pounds of muscle without losing too much athleticism.

For a catcher, D'Arnaud's is an impressive athlete. Not only does he move well enough behind the plate for him to remain at the position, but his fluid load and swing project for more power as he matures. He was the most athletic catcher I have seen come through the "Sally" since Jackson Williams of the San Francisco Giants.

Offense: When able to extend his hands, D'Arnaud shows considerable power to all fields as exemplified by his 52 extra base hits in spite of a BABIP of only .279. After lofting a double off of the right-field wall and then driving a fly ball 395 feed to center field off of his front foot, I tweeted I hadn't seen such easy power in the "Sally" since watching A's prospect Chris Carter in 2007 when he was still property of the White Sox. . Also impressive was his ability to work deep counts as exemplified by a double-digit pitch walk where he fouled off what seemed to be at least a half dozen pitches.

His lone weakness was exploited by Mets prospect Kyle Allen as who worked him inside with a number of hard fastballs which D'Arnaud was unable to turn and lift. As he adds strength, and continues to work on driving the bat head to inside pitches, I expect to see a number of his doubles become home runs.

Defense: Quick and agile behind the plate, I saw no visible holes in his all-around defensive game. With the Sand Gnats boasting little in terms of speed, D'Arnaud's arm went relatively untested. Where the young catcher excelled was in his ability to handle his pitching staff. D'Arnaud's body language and actions demanded respect and he received it from his staff. He was an integral part of Matthew Way dominating for eight scoreless innings and used stellar game management skills to help Heitor Correa fight through five innings of one run baseball. As a former catcher viewing from the stands, I always find myself finding moments where the game is mismanaged behind the plate. With D'Arnaud, this did not happen.

Speed: D'Arnaud is not going to win games with his legs, but he will not cost a team many runs early on in his career either. With the wear and tear of the position seriously cutting into a catchers speed over time, D'Arnaud is at least able to boast average speed at present and could even approach double-digit steals before his speed inevitably diminishes.

At his peak, I would not be surprised to see D'Arnaud surface as a .270-.285 hitter with 18-25 home run power while contributing above average defense and plus game management skills. Among the current catching crop, this would place him in the same company as Geovany Soto, and Miguel Montero who profile as above average regulars, if not occasional all-star calibur players. Select company indeed, but D'Arnaud has the tools and projection to reach those heights. Prospect analysts who regard him as little more than a throw in are seriously undercutting his ability. The Blue Jays gained an excellent prospect.

[swift_ioi]

^ wow that is really nice to hear, sounds like a better prospect then i thought he was... nice work AA

[Relentless88]

^ wow that is really nice to hear, sounds like a better prospect then i thought he was... nice work AA

Agreed, hopefully his development goes well, and we'll see him catch for us down the road.

[Test of Wills]

Add Brandon Morrow to that list.

[Schad]

Add Brandon Morrow to that list.

He has too much ML experience to make the list.