Brown tops Baseball America's list of Phillies prospects
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Brown tops Baseball America's list of Phillies prospects
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Domonic Brown was named the Phillies' top prospect by Baseball America. (David M Warren/Staff Photographer)
Baseball America released its list of top 10 Phillies prospects on its web site (baseballamerica.com) Monday and gave a flattering review to the team's farm system.
Domonic Brown topped that list for the second straight year and was followed by Jonathan Singleton, the Lakewood first baseman who is expected to move to the outfield next season, probably at single-A Clearwater.
The remaining names on the BA list with position and their 2010 team: 3. Brody Colvin, P, Lakewood; 4. Jarred Cosart, P, Lakewood; 5. Trevor May, P, Clearwater and Lakewood; 6. Sebastian Valle, C, Lakewood; 7. Jiwan James, OF, Lakewood; 8. Jesse Biddle, P, Gulf Coast League and Williamsport; 9. Domingo Santana, OF, Lakewood and Williamsport; 10. Aaron Altherr, OF, Gulf Coast League and Williamsport.
One scout was quoted by Baseball America as saying the Phillies have more talent at the A-ball level than any team in baseball. A major-league scouting director told BA that it's possible the Phillies will go on "a Braves-like run of division titles." The Phillies' string of N.L. East titles is already at four.
Seven of the 10 players on Baseball America's top prospect list were the same as the top 10 list published by the Inquirer in Sunday's edition.
The three differences in the BA list were James, Santana and Altherr, three outfielders who played at the A-ball level last season. The Inquirer list included pitchers Vance Worley and Justin DeFratus and first baseman Matt Rizzotti.
Comments (52)
first— BringBackBowa- BROWN BLOWS LOL— RoboHobo
- Is it just me or are the Phillies set with some top prospects in pitching? Once Oswalt, Halladay and possibly Hamels are gone you're looking at possibly 4 guys who are top of the rotation guys. Even if only 2 of them pan out that's pretty encouraging for a nice string of success.— krupps58
If Justin De Fratus doesn't make your top 10 prospects - you're stacked. Does look like the whole list with exception of Brown wouldn't be in majors until 2013.— bird11- They definitely are set. I think they will resign Hamels long term very soon though before he gets too full of himself. Cosart and Colvin are two guys that project to be 1st or 2nd starters and could be ready as early as 2012, which would set up very nicely going forward. On a side note, I'm glad BA gave Jiwan James some props. He was a guy that started out pitching for us and made the switch to OF. He's got very good tools and is the main reason why we let Gose go.— robm0202
- no way they know more then the trolls on here...ludicrous to assume so.— spittooncj
Comment removed.- I love how BA and other experts claim the farm system is heavy with top prospects, but RAJ said he needed to re-stock, which is why we traded away Lee. But yet those players he got for Lee, are not listed in the top 10.
Also how many of these top players would KC want for Greinke? Or now suddenly (or in reality) is our farm system weak and we do not have what it would take to get Greinke?— lds272 - krupps - they are set at pitching and OF (prob the biggest reason why Werth is expendable). Unfortantely, there isn't anyone in the system who projects at either middle IF position or 3B, and Valle is the only decent C prospect!— themadhacker2000
- Comment removed.
- @ themadhacker2000: Right on. That's also why a trade with KC is a little tough for us w/out a 3rd team. KC is reportedly looking for middle infield players.— DennyP
- themadhacker - True enough. Hopefully with cheap, young pitching and outfielders you can spend some money on the middle infield and 3rd base. Freddy Galvis has the glove and arm but his hitting is less than desired.— krupps58
- Why the obsession with Greinke? He hasn't demonstrated sufficient consistency to make him worth the Phils' top prospects.— Mike P
- Why do the Phillies need Greinke? I'd love to have him on the team but trading Brown is crazy. I have a feeling that at some point this season you are gonne see a Francisco Victorino Brown outfield that puts up pretty respectable numbers. Ryan Howard will mash the ball to go along with a high K rate, and Rollins will continue to play poorly. Expect better things from Chooch this year than last year. Grienke is a luxury, not a necessity. If your gonna trade Brown its gotta be for a stud outfielder not a pitcher.— Raaaaauuuulllll
- baseball is over until March. Worry about the Eagles and Flyers...
- any lefty relievers or short stops in that group?— Cranapple
I guess that makes me feel a little better...I guess.- idiots. greinke has a list of 15 teams he'd go to and the Phils ain't one of them. get a clue.— spittooncj
- Oh, I guess we shouldn't comment because it's December... our bad.— Philly_Geoff
- Count me on the 'why exactly do we need Greinke?' list. Our rotation is pretty set (and pretty good). Not sure why we'd need to trade away the farm to upgrade the rotation from Awesome, to Really Awesome. It takes more than starting pitchers to fill out a roster (not to mention, to actually HIT good pitching come playoff time. See Phillies 2009, 2010 playoff exits)
- And we needed to "restock" our farm system just a year ago.— BobbyD
- lds272, a quick education: a) RAJ wanted to stock the higher levels of their minor league system (aka AA and AAA), as unsuccessful as the move was. Most of the prospects on this list are in A-ball. Not to mention, many on this list just emerged in 2010 (Biddle, for example, wasn't even a drafted yet when Lee was traded) b) The Royals want MLB ready prospects for Greinke according to just about every report that I've read (here's one: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5915164). More specifically, up the middle position prospects that are MLB ready (up the middle means 2B, SS, and CF - I shouldn't have to point that out, but reading your post makes me believe I should). The only blue chip, MLB ready prospect the Phils have right now is Brown. Cliff Lee is gone, stop crying about it. You people that still cry about the Cliff Lee trade are annoying!— CLIFF LEE IS GONE...STOP WHINING!
- notice how none of the guys we got for cliff lee are on this list..pathetic trade— NoShoes
- No way a pitcher gets even a 5yr contract with this team, so we know how the Cliff Lee/Amaro negotiations went last year.— escapedcamden4monterey
- NoShoes- part of the reason is that Baseball America rates these players based on potential. Everybody on that list other than Brown was in Single A or lower. A lot of these young guys may not continue to develop as expected.
That being said if you want to evaluate the Lee trade today it was awful. If Gillies can keep his head on straight he does have a legitimate shot to replace Victorino when he becomes a FA. Aumont's head is probably ready to explode at this point with everything that has happened with his career - he's still very young (21) but if he doesn't take a major leap forward this year than you can right him off.
Let's hope Singleton can learn quickly how the play the OF. If he has a repeat of last year at the plate, he may be our starting LF come 2012 after Raul leaves!— themadhacker2000 - For those still whining about trading Lee, agreed it doesn't look like we got the best package in return, but Amaro was clearly right when he suspected he couldn't resign him for a reasonable contract.— rakno11
- to andyreidsmustache: go get flyered up you loser!
to rakno11: the cliff lee trade was the worst in phillies history if not baseball history, roy oswalt or not, you are a RAJ apologist!— XPHAT - Stop with the Greinke stuff. What last year proved is that they need to hit better, which means bringing in some offensive firepower. Pitching is not a problem for this team.— Hemingway
Brown is your future in left or right. He has to stay on the team if you want to continue to compete beyond 2012.
In three years the rotation will be Hamels, Cosart, Colvin and maybe even Halladay if he agrees to resign to a 2-year deal (Oswalt will be retired and Blanton will be gone).
Now the need is to bring in young blood to eventually replace Polanco and Rollins in the infield.— jpk- IDS272, Amaro's comments about restocking the farm were accurate. Most of the players on this list weren't on the radar when the Phil's traded Lee. Since the deal, they have drafted significantly well, and went way over slot to convince Colvin to bail on his LSU scholarship. If they had kept Lee, they wouldn't have the cash to keep Oswalt or pony up the extra cash in the draft to acquire over slot players for the future. It's easy to bash my friend, but takes a little effort to see the big picture.— woodyinc
- Apparently those people who think trading Cliff Lee was the worst move the Phils have ever made aren't old enough to remember trading for the great Cubs' shortstop Ivan DeJesus! All the Phils gave up to get him was Larry Bowa and a throw in named Ryne Sandberg. Or maybe getting 34 year old Larry Jackson and 37 year old Bob Buhl for a 21 year old pitcher named Ferguson Jenkins.— HisWhiteness
- 32nd!— dbone
- Baseball America top prospects, who cares? They are wrong about guy's talents for years and years. My favorite quote from the article is,
"One scout was quoted by Baseball America as saying the Phillies have more talent at the A-ball level than any team in baseball. A major-league scouting director told BA that it's possible the Phillies will go on "a Braves-like run of division titles."
Wow, what expert reporting. How exactly do we know that is a true statement? Hate stories with " SOURCES", just say the guy/scouts name or dont report it. If the scout doesn't want his name used for saying that, than it's bull! For all we know, it was a phillies scout.
— twpman1 - To XPHAT, I'm not an Amaro apologist, but I'm not a mindless basher like many here (like you seem to be). As others have pointed out, the Phillies have made far worse trades than that. Even the recent HOF GM (Gillick) made worse in his tenure. Remember giving the Gavin Floyd trade?— rakno11
- Sure they are the best farm system in all of baseball. ...Maybe even all of the world, and once we go there...all of the universe! When was the last time someone from our farm system came up and impressed us? Hamels? What a joke.— justacarpenter
- @spittooncj...Greinke said he would go to Phlly if given the opportunity. Even though the Phils may not be on the written list, he has the right to say where he would want to go and Philly he would go to.
— ESFjellin - Greinke isn't worth giving up Brown...— Clee Liff
- You are correct HisWhiteness those were the 2 worst trades in Phillies history and both times it was the Cubs who picked our pocket, redemption was the Carlton trade where we put one over the Cards.— MichaelMore
- Where are all those prospects we restocked with when we gave Lee away, the next $100+ MM player. Seems like we are willing to give up major league talent to get players, but don't get back value when we want to trade away players. That does catch up to you and then holds you down for many years. Good to hear they are having some success in the draft.— bjphilfan
Hemingway- what last year proved to me is if the Phillies score 4 runs a game...they will win a lot of games with their pitching staff. Hitting comes, and goes. Sometimes, a catalyst acquired in July, or even August, can literally put a team over the top....provided they have a top-notch pitching rotation. That's what last season taught me.— road515- You know all those high-priced FA position players everyone has been drooling over the last week or so? Well, You get the "Fantastic Four" aces on the Phillies staff.....and those guys get SHUT DOWN for a series.— road515
- The Phillies organization deserves credit for not only bringing stars here, but manufacturing players and building for the future. Most of the guys mentioned won't pan out, but to think that some will work out when we need youth is encouraging. Especially if we develop our own arms. Pitching is so expensive it is far better to develop your own.— hawk18
- justacarpenter - are you serious? How about Utley, Howard, Rollins, and Madson? Heck I will throw in Chooch.
TWPMAN1 - the Phils Low A team in Lakewood and the Gulf Coast Phils rookie team both won their respective league's championship. Most scouts and national baseball writers have been very high on the Phillies farm system since 2008, and this was the primary reason why they were always considered the favorite to land Halladay/Oswalt. The Phillies scored big with some hard to sign draft picks the last few years by overpaying MLB set slot values (not so much in the 2010 draft, but definitely the few years prior to 2010). That being said, they busted big time on Hewitt, traded their two big catching prospects and are down to Valle who is a long way off, and have no legit infield prospects.— dankil13 - @esfjellin dude, do your research. he's not interested. as of today that is. maybe you spoke with him, don't know.— spittooncj
- Comment removed.
He's Baack Cliff Lee is back WOW OH YEA RAJ U DE MAAN- from worst trade to best signing! 4 aces is a winning hand! RAJ you are an enigma ha ha great day— NoShoes
- To CLIFF LEE IS GONE STOP WHINING, How's the shoe taste?— JamesJ
- Comment removed.
- Many of the prospects are at Lakewood. Few in Allentown. Heavy on the A, light on the AA and AAA.— TheHammer
- spittooncj Dude do your research lol. Greinke has a list of teams that he cannot be traded to. Not a list of teams he can be traded to. And the Phillies are not on the list of teams he can't be traded to. In addition he said in an interview that he would have no problem playing for the Phillies. Of course now it is moot. Unless they can get him for Dominick Brown and flip Greinke and whatever other lesser prospects needed to make the deals happen for Justin Upton. Now that would cement Amaro as a certified genius.— bigfootnells
- jet3to you have to "catch on" with the majors by the time you are 24 or you are a bust lol. 3 keys to the Phillies World Series win weren't in the majors for good by the time they turned 24. Ryan Howard was a few weeks from turning 25 by the time he made his major league debut. Chase Utley didn't make his debut until after he was 24 and was back and forth from the minors until he was 26. Shane Victorino only played 56 games in the majors before he was 26 years. 30 some games in 2003 with the Padres. Minors the entire 2004 and 20 some games in 2005. So obviously that is not the case.— bigfootnells
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
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Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
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