Top 100 Chat Today

[Brandon_Webb]

Anyone gonna ask anything about the rankings etc.?

 

[AZZenny]

Question of the day: Where would Weaver and Drew land on this list if they were eligible?

A: John Manuel: I can only speak for myself here . . . I like Drew better as a prospect than Weaver personally; I'd rank him around 25, after polished prospects such as Francis and Nick Swisher, ahead of Chris Nelson at 26, though I really like Nelson. My only question on Drew is he hasn't hit with wood bats in competition since his East Cobb days, to my knowledge.

Q: What's the reasoning behind Carlos Quentin being a 20-some higher prospect than Connor Jackson? Is Jackson more polished and has about the same ceiling? If an outfield spot opens up who would the diamondbacks call up first? THanks.

A: John Manuel: Shad, thanks for the kind words. Quentin plays right field and plays it well; Jackson's probably going to be a 1B, and if he's a 1B, he better flat mash, and I mean home runs, not doubles. That's the biggest reason for the disparity. Quentin's defense makes him much more likely to be called up first.

Q: Does Erick Aybar really have a higher ceiling than Sergio Santos?

A: John Manuel: Actually, I'd say Santos' ceiling is higher because he could be a 30-homer shortstop. But the likelihood of him reaching that ceiling is what gives me pause--can he play shortstop and will his offseason shoulder surgery really solve this nagging injury he has dealt with? I don't know that we've seen the real Sergio Santos, and 2005 will really tell us more about who has the higher ceiling. I'm comfortable ranking Aybar higher because of his athleticism at shortstop and I think we know more about the kind of player he is going to be. (btw - I have lusted after Aybar.)

I guess the often-asked question about Conor vs. Carlos has been flogged to death, and it comes down largely to glove and throw. Their bats are very similar, though Conor is actually more disciplined - a big chunk of Carlos' OBP is hit-by-pitch, which in theory will drop with more skilled pitchers at higher levels. Neither is especially speedy.

Conor started as a corner IF, we moved him to OF thinking we were jammed at the corners, now he's at 1st. Given these move, I really doubt we'll see him called up this year before Sept.

My predictions for 2005 rising prospects - watch Jon Zeringue and pitcher Enrique Gonzalez. Maybe C. Phil Avlas, 3B D'Antona, pitchers S. Lizarraga, J. Wechsler.