To complete the minor league week here on Batters Box let's look at the movement in the top 30 lists from 2008 to 2009. Five players graduated to the major leagues, replaced by five players who are new to the organization since last season. Thirteen players dropped off the list from 2008 and thirteen players made it on to the lists despite being overlooked last year.
Graduates:
Travis Snider, #1 in 2008
Brett Cecil, #2
Ricky Romero, #9
Marc Rzepczynski, #10
Scott Richmond, #16
Newcomers:
Zach Stewart, #1 in 2009
Chad Jenkins, #4
Sean Ochinko, #19
Ryan Schimpf, #25
Jake Marisnik, #29
Dropped:
Kevin Ahrens, #5 in 2008
Scott Campbell, #8
Brian Jeroloman, #12
Eric Eiland, #13
Balbino Fuenmayor, #15
Kyle Ginley, #19
Zack Dials, #21
Davis Romero, #22
Jon Talley, #23
Kenny Wilson, #24
Mark Sobolewski, #26
Joel Carreno, #27
Marcus Brisker, #30
Added:
Henderson Alvarez, #3 in 2009
Carlos Perez, #8
Danny Farquhar, #9
Yohermyn Chavez, #12
Brian Dopirak, #15
Gustavo Pierre, #16
Bobby Bell, #17
Darin Mastroianni, #18
Eric Thames, #20
Luis Perez, #21
Reidier Gonzalez, #27
Trystan Magnuson, #28
Chuck Huggins, #30
Are there any themes evident here? Most of the players dropped were ranked in 2008 based on potential. Players such as Ahrens, Jeroloman, Eiland, Wilson, Brisker and Sobolewski were newly drafted and ranked highly based on their draft positioning. They had not yet delivered great results but that would come in year two or three. Well in most cases it still hasn't come and now they have to show us.
Injuries also played a part, Ginley missed most of the year and Dials, Sobolewski and Wilson missed a good part of the year with injuries. Of these players I would pick Kenny Wilson as the most likely to turn it around in 2010, he has the speed and he was just starting to produce in 2009 when he was injured.
More than 50% of the newcomers were players whose first season, or part season, was in 2008 and we did not get a good read on them last year. Alvarez, Perez and Pierre played in the GCL last season while Farquhar, Bell, Thames and Huggins were 2008 draft picks. Chavez, Mastroianni and Magnuson had much better years in 2009 than they did in 2008.
Who just missed?
The next five were:
Scott Campbell
Yan Gomes
Kevin Ahrens
Carlos Pina
Kenny Wilson
Who made the biggest move up?
Moises Sierra, up 23 spots
Andrew Liebel, up 16
Tyler Pastornicky, up 13
Tim Collins, up 7
All four had good years
Who dropped the most?
John Tolisano, down 15 spots
Bobby Ray, down 9
Justin Jackson, down 7
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20091008122223672