Who are your top 10 AA/AAA prospects heading into 2018?

[HeyNowHK]

I actually think this is a better group than generally being given credit for. It's the group below this: A+, A, A- that looks weak at the moment.

Is there a single regular in your list? Thats why its being mocked.

The best guy in there is a non-entity in the NL unless we get the DH. The probable only chance at an "impact" guy at his position is the reliever (Bashlor).

Agree that the group below stinks for the most part too. But I just think its a dead system throughout. And I think the consensus top 3 prospects in the system all reside below AA so hard to claim the lower levels are the bigger problem.

Alonso and possibly Evans. Flex and Oswalt are possibly back end SPers. Nido a backup C. Cheech a UT player. RPs. It's an unheralded group for sure.

After Peterson and Gimemez, who is in the group below? Dunn and Lindsay are huge question marks now and looking like 40s anyway. Injuries to Puck and Humphries otherwise level this whole group. Who else is there? Crismatt? Brodey? Some other RPs? Right now, unless I'm missing someone else not destined for the pen, it's a relative disaster.

[MarkJohnson>You]

I actually think this is a better group than generally being given credit for. It's the group below this: A+, A, A- that looks weak at the moment.

Is there a single regular in your list? Thats why its being mocked.

The best guy in there is a non-entity in the NL unless we get the DH. The probable only chance at an "impact" guy at his position is the reliever (Bashlor).

Agree that the group below stinks for the most part too. But I just think its a dead system throughout. And I think the consensus top 3 prospects in the system all reside below AA so hard to claim the lower levels are the bigger problem.

Alonso and possibly Evans. Flex and Oswalt are possibly back end SPers. Nido a backup C. Cheech a UT player. RPs. It's an unheralded group for sure.

After Peterson and Gimemez, who is in the group below? Dunn and Lindsay are huge question marks now and looking like 40s anyway. Injuries to Puck and Humphries otherwise level this whole group. Who else is there? Crismatt? Brodey? Some other RPs? Right now, unless I'm missing someone else not destined for the pen, it's a relative disaster.

Vientos. Who's probably the #1 guy in the system if not now, then by mid-year next year.

[MarkJohnson>You]

Look, I know you're high man on Evans, but this is a kid who couldn't put up a league average line in Vegas. Now he's maybe a ML regular? And is Cheech REALLY a utility player is he's 2B-only? How many teams carry that?

[HeyNowHK]

Is there a single regular in your list? Thats why its being mocked.

The best guy in there is a non-entity in the NL unless we get the DH. The probable only chance at an "impact" guy at his position is the reliever (Bashlor).

Agree that the group below stinks for the most part too. But I just think its a dead system throughout. And I think the consensus top 3 prospects in the system all reside below AA so hard to claim the lower levels are the bigger problem.

Alonso and possibly Evans. Flex and Oswalt are possibly back end SPers. Nido a backup C. Cheech a UT player. RPs. It's an unheralded group for sure.

After Peterson and Gimemez, who is in the group below? Dunn and Lindsay are huge question marks now and looking like 40s anyway. Injuries to Puck and Humphries otherwise level this whole group. Who else is there? Crismatt? Brodey? Some other RPs? Right now, unless I'm missing someone else not destined for the pen, it's a relative disaster.

Vientos. Who's probably the #1 guy in the system if not now, then by mid-year next year.

Sure. See him in 4 yrs...

But I wasn't even looking at the group below Brooklyn. It actually starts to get a little interesting again when you drop down to rookie ball.

[HeyNowHK]

Look, I know you're high man on Evans, but this is a kid who couldn't put up a league average line in Vegas. Now he's maybe a ML regular? And is Cheech REALLY a utility player is he's 2B-only? How many teams carry that?

As a role player, he'll be SS viable. This is the payoff for having spent 4 minor league seasons as a SS. Heck, Terry apparently wants to have Evans start a game at SS too. Seems like they are taking the Evans audition for a 2018 role even more seriously than for Cheech.

[Hot Takes]

Evans a regular? What?

Where do you see a carrying tool? Even if you're higher than most on his hit tool, he'd have to hit .290+ with the rest of his profile to be a regular.

TJR hasn't gotten a chance as a full regular and he's a heckuva better hitter than Evans.

[LTKfRGM]

Evans a regular? What?

Where do you see a carrying tool? Even if you're higher than most on his hit tool, he'd have to hit .290+ with the rest of his profile to be a regular.

TJR hasn't gotten a chance as a full regular and he's a heckuva better hitter than Evans.

I think Evans has a clearly better glove than TJR. If his bat holds up at 260, he's as valuable as TJR is if TJR hits .290. (or at least something close). I'm not saying I believe in Evans, but he's looks like a major league player at least so far. Some weak dribblers, two of his hits were slow bouncers to 3rd base - that's not making good contact), but a lot of his hits are good line drives. I think Evans has a shot at being a bench player, possibly taking the Matt Reynolds role next year.

[LTKfRGM]

Vientos. Who's probably the #1 guy in the system if not now, then by mid-year next year.

HeyNow did specify Brooklyn-St. Lucie, so Vientos isn't in that category. Still, if you look at GCL/Kingsport, after Vientos there's not much there either. There might be a few sleepers, but no exciting talent after him. It's been years since the system was this barren.

[MarkJohnson>You]

Look, I know you're high man on Evans, but this is a kid who couldn't put up a league average line in Vegas. Now he's maybe a ML regular? And is Cheech REALLY a utility player is he's 2B-only? How many teams carry that?

As a role player, he'll be SS viable. This is the payoff for having spent 4 minor league seasons as a SS. Heck, Terry apparently wants to have Evans start a game at SS too. Seems like they are taking the Evans audition for a 2018 role even more seriously than for Cheech.

Isn't this inconsistent with your Wilmer Flores complaints? Its like the same defensive profile.

In any event, if September is really being used for 2018 auditions (not really sure this is true, which is why I can't even muster up fuax outrage that Gavin Cecchini is not being given a chance to show his stuff), the only ones that are really doing much for their cases to shift the pre-"tank" thinking is Reyes and Cabrera. Pretty certain everything else has already been set in stone (catcher, Dom is playing 1st next year, Rosario is playing SS next year, etc.)

[HeyNowHK]

Look, I know you're high man on Evans, but this is a kid who couldn't put up a league average line in Vegas. Now he's maybe a ML regular? And is Cheech REALLY a utility player is he's 2B-only? How many teams carry that?

As a role player, he'll be SS viable. This is the payoff for having spent 4 minor league seasons as a SS. Heck, Terry apparently wants to have Evans start a game at SS too. Seems like they are taking the Evans audition for a 2018 role even more seriously than for Cheech.

Isn't this inconsistent with your Wilmer Flores complaints? Its like the same defensive profile.

In only the most superficial way. Cheech is far more athletic than Flo. Not going to lie about Cheech.... he's going to have to have a big 2018 assuming in AAA in order to get himself more opportunities. If he doesn't get traded, I assume he'll be on the shuttle. He's a fine option for that role for now. Just 24 next yr.

[acerimusdux]

I actually think this is a better group than generally being given credit for. It's the group below this: A+, A, A- that looks weak at the moment.

Is there a single regular in your list? Thats why its being mocked.

Well I think the upper level guys who were expected to become regulars have already been promoted. Mainly Rosario and Smith. You don't get that many of those. I think the system as a whole is weak in the top 10 right now, for a lack of a couple more guys like that. But I think that is a decent list of B-/C+ type guys in AA/AAA who still have a shot to be regulars.

Remember, guys like Murphy, Duda, and Turner were those type of guys, who many people said weren't supposed to be regulars. Sometimes they turn into regulars, anyway.

There's a couple of guys on HeyNow's list, mainly Boyd and McNeil, who I doubt have sufficient tools for that breakout to happen. But I think Guillorme, Cecchini, Evans, Nido, and Thompson all have legit MLB tools, it's just a matter of whether they perform or not going forward. None seem to have star tools, but all 5 of those guys have enough talent to have a shot.

On the pitching side, Molina may still have the talent to be a starter, if he can stay healthy. The other guys are mostly guys with pen potential. Flexen and Oswalt probably won't make it as SP, other than back end/spot starting, but sometimes those guys end up useful in the pen as well.

[MarkJohnson>You]

I actually think this is a better group than generally being given credit for. It's the group below this: A+, A, A- that looks weak at the moment.

Is there a single regular in your list? Thats why its being mocked.

Well I think the upper level guys who were expected to become regulars have already been promoted. Mainly Rosario and Smith. You don't get that many of those. I think the system as a whole is weak in the top 10 right now, for a lack of a couple more guys like that. But I think that is a decent list of B-/C+ type guys in AA/AAA who still have a shot to be regulars.

Remember, guys like Murphy, Duda, and Turner were those type of guys, who many people said weren't supposed to be regulars. Sometimes they turn into regulars, anyway.

There's a couple of guys on HeyNow's list, mainly Boyd and McNeil, who I doubt have sufficient tools for that breakout to happen. But I think Guillorme, Cecchini, Evans, Nido, and Thompson all have legit MLB tools, it's just a matter of whether they perform or not going forward. None seem to have star tools, but all 5 of those guys have enough talent to have a shot.

On the pitching side, Molina may still have the talent to be a starter, if he can stay healthy. The other guys are mostly guys with pen potential. Flexen and Oswalt probably won't make it as SP, other than back end/spot starting, but sometimes those guys end up useful in the pen as well.

As underwhelming as Thompson has been to date, he's probably the one guy you put in that Duda/Murphy category. Agree, sort of overlooked that.

I still think most teams have a few guys at AA/AAA you can dream on being contributors. Most of those look like a song and a prayer for even that to happen. Realistic value-adds off that list are probably:

Alonso as a bench bat we try to square peg/round hole for a bit before trading; Nido as a glove-first backup C, Bashlor as a back-end arm and a few guys who ride the AAA/MLB shuttle in the Matt Reynolds/Erik Goeddel-vein, in that we're probably all wishing for guys behind them to get the call before long.