Baseball America Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: Lots of questions in already, so let’s get started.

J (Boston): With all of the promotions this year what is your "way too early top 5" prospect list for next season?
Ben Badler: JP Crawford, Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Lucas Giolito and Alex Reyes are all in that mix, presuming players like Urias, Arcia and others lose their eligibility.

Roger (Greenville, SC): Would you rather have the Braves' July 2 class or the Padres'?
Ben Badler: I really like what the Padres have done. Even setting aside the Cuban players, they will probably end up landing at least three of the 10 best players out there and a bunch of other good ones at a lower tier too. They’ve really transformed their international scouting since AJ Preller and Chris Kemp took over.

Sam (Bama): Rank: Snell, Urias & Giolito. Who does each's upside compare to?
Ben Badler: Urias, Giolito, Snell. Urias and Giolito could both be aces.

David B. (St. Paul, MN): Willy Adames has impressive numbers with a good approach at the plate. Is he the total package, and is there a chance he impacts the Rays this year?
Ben Badler: He won’t be up in Tampa Bay this year, but Adames has been extremely impressive. He’s shown improvement in just about every area this season. His hitting is better, he’s showing a more refined approach and more power, all while jumping up to Double-A as a 20-year-old. There’s still a mixed camp among scouts about whether he sticks at shortstop, but his stock is definitely up overall.

Jose (Washington, DC): Heard some reports that Ozzie Albies' arm seems strained at SS. If you had to pick between him and Swanson at SS, who would you choose?
Ben Badler: Watch him fire a laser to first base from the hole. It’s a plus arm. The Braves could put either one of them at shortstop and feel comfortable. It might just end up coming down to who’s ready first and seizes the job.

Mike (Virginia): Given the MLB's current "investigation" of the Red Sox 2015-2016 international signings, do you think this will be an extremely quiet J2 for Boston? Probably won't get a well-named talent like Guaimaro or Muzziotti, right?
Ben Badler: The Red Sox are still going to be very active again, at least within their $300,000 limit, especially in Venezuela. Nobody at the level of Albert Guaimaro, but they’re going to end up with some good players.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): Has Cody Reed clearly established himself as the Reds top prospect at this point?
Ben Badler: I’d take him over anyone else in that system, yes.

Warren (Texas): Any hope for Derek Hill? I am assuming his studly defense and speed will get him to MLB, but there doesn't seem to be much to the bat. is there hope? Thanks for the chat!
Ben Badler: Hope, yes, because you don’t want to give up on that type of athleticism, but his bat is just raw, probably a lot more so than people expected, and he hasn’t shown much power either. I’m not optimistic.

Joe Myers (Canton, Ohio): Does Alex Reyes still project to be a top of the rotation guy and when might we expect him to pitch for the Cardinals ?
Ben Badler: Yes. Very, very few pitchers have a fastball/curveball combination like Reyes. He needs to throw more strikes, but between his athleticism, delivery and still being 21, I think he’s going to figure out.

Tim (Texas): Who do you like more long term, Benintendi or Brinson?
Ben Badler: Benintendi. I love Brinson’s ceiling and I still think he’s a great prospect, but Benintendi’s bat could be special and comes with less overall risk than Brinson.

Frank K (Philadelphia): Appreciate the July 2 info you've provided thus far. Do you plan to provide similar info for teams not busting the spending limit, e.g. the Phillies? Thanks
Ben Badler: Thank you. Yes, we will have forecasts for all 30 teams and a whole bunch more preview stories leading up to July 2. The Phillies won’t spend most of their pool money on one player like they did last year, but they have been very active this year, especially in Venezuela.

Stephen (Philadelphia): How much of a concern are Nick Williams splits and K to BB ratio? Understand he's far from a finished product, but he hasn't really shown improvement in pitch recognition in his career.
Ben Badler: It’s part of the risk with Williams, but his pitch recognition and chase tendencies are way better than they were earlier in his career, when his approach was non-existent. He’s never going to be a .400 OBP guy, but between his hand speed, hitting actions, big raw power and the strides he has shown with his approach, I think he’s going to figure it out and be an above-average regular, even if there might be an adjustment period once he does get to the big leagues.

George (Kalamazoo): Where would Kevin Maitan rank among the draft prospects? How would you grade his tools/fv? Thanks for the too notch coverage!
Ben Badler: He would go in the first round, which I’d rarely say about even the top 16-year-old prospects for July 2. We’ll have a much more in-depth story breaking him down in detail for BA subscribers, but right now I’d bet a 60-Extreme BA grade on him for the 2017 Prospect Handbook.

David Lapidus (Pittsburgh): What is Austin Meadows ETA / should they trade him with no place for him in the pirate outfield?
Ben Badler: I’m a big believer in Meadows, but yeah, he’s not cracking that outfield any time soon. He’s a prime trade candidate.

Willie (NYC): If there is no international draft next year do you expect the Yankees to go over again
Ben Badler: It depends what the new rules are. If it’s bonus pools that you’re allowed to exceed and the penalties aren’t too severe, then yes, expect the Yankees, Red Sox and other teams to smash through their pools again. But I would imagine, if there’s no draft, MLB will come up with a system where teams either aren’t allowed to go over their pool or has much harsher penalties for teams that do go over.

Matt (Los Angeles): Victor Robles= Mike Trout with more natural hitting ability immho(in my most humble opinion), thoughts?
Ben Badler: If you’re going to say any prospect/active player is a BETTER version of Mike Trout, we’re going to disagree a billion percent of the time.

Tom (Madison, WI): Dan Vogelbach has been with in the Cubs organization since being drafted in 2011, has hit every step of the way and has an OPS of roughly .900 right now for the AAA Iowa Cubs. He also has absolutely nowhere to go in the Cubs organization, even the 'lefty pinch hitter' role is filled by La Stella. How much value does a lefty slugger who draws walks but can't play defense have? In a move for a power bullpen arm is he a secondary piece? A tertiary piece?
Ben Badler: I hope he gets a chance with an American League team, but that profile with his defensive limitations doesn’t tend to fetch much in trades. But if you’re just looking for a rental/short-term reliever or someone to add in as part of a larger prospect package, that could be a fit for him.

Steve (Chi Town): #1 prospect in 2018?
Ben Badler: Brendan Rodgers.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): With basketball slowing his development for several years is it understandable that Amir Garrett is still in AA at age 24, or should the Reds start to get a little more aggressive with his assignment given his increasingly dominant performance and age?
Ben Badler: A little bit of both. The age for his level I don’t care too much about because it fits within the context of his background, but he only has 10 starts at Double-A, so I understand why he hasn’t been bumped up yet. That said, I don’t expect him to spend too much more time in that league.

Donny (Indy): Is Maitan far and away the best July 2 prospect?
Ben Badler: It’s not unanimous, bust most scouts I’ve talked to have said he’s the No. 1 player this year. The combination of size, athleticism, tools, hitting ability and overall game awareness is rare to find at that age.

Warren (Texas): Does Ray Black ever impact MLB, or does he just become another MiLB legend? Thanks for the chat!
Ben Badler: You can’t give up on that type of fastball, but he’s way more thrower than pitcher. The control is just too rudimentary to see it working in MLB.

Ryan (Atlanta): Margot is on a tear at AAA, and it seemed like most thought that was very aggressive to start him there. Everything I saw said a 2017 ETA, but he might force SD's hand. When might we see him in SD for extended look?
Ben Badler: Could be up in the second half or at least as a September call-up since he’s on the 40-man roster already, but if I were them, looking at a major league team that’s going nowhere in 2016, I might just leave him in Triple-A all season to develop there. I still think he’s one of the game’s best prospects and he should be ready to take over as their everyday center fielder next year.

Ben Badler: Busy time of year for us at BA, so I’ve got to get back to some July 2 calls now. Thanks as always for all the questions.