The best young core in baseball?

by mvhsbball on Jun 20, 2009 12:04 AM EDT Comment 23 comments

So im totally hijacking this from MLB Trade Rumors, but i thought it was a great discussion. The question: Which team has the best young core in baseball. Im guessing young core includes all prospects and players with less than 3 or 4 years of ML experience. Sound good?

Here are some candidates:

Braves: You guys know em; Hanson, Medlen, McCann, Heyward, Freeman, Schafer, Jurrjens, C. Johnson, Esco and Jeff Francoeur (JUST KIDDING.)

Dodgers: Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Clayton Kershaw, Russell Martin

Rays: Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, Evan Longoria, Dioner Navarro, David Price, BJ Upton

Dbacks: Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Jarrod Parker, Chris Young, Max Scherzer, Chris Schnider

Red Sox: Dan Bard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson, Dustin Pedroia

And there are a few more teams such as the Rangers, Rockies and Marlins with some not to shabby youngsters as well.

I gotta go with the Dodgers in first by a pretty good margin. That team is stacked and will be the next 5 years. 2nd goes to a tie between the Red Sox and Rays. And i gotta like our Braves at 3rd. If our big 3 at Myrtle Beach really turn it on the rest of the season, maybe we slide into that 2nd place slot.

What do you guys think? Which team has the best young core of players?

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I don't know if C. Johnson fits into our core

but the Braves definitely deserve to be in the conversation, just they can’t touch the dodgers (no one really can)

by was385 on Jun 20, 2009 12:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

your mistake in this is that the guys mentioned for the other teams are already in the majors (save Jarrod Parker). In your Braves list you name 4 players in the minors and three still in a ball. Sorry the Braves core in the majors isn’t as good as those other teams. Next year? Maybe. Year after? Sure.

by yondaime4 on Jun 20, 2009 12:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

But if you go by the potential of all the players in both the minors and major leagues, I’ll take the Braves 3rd. Having the best RH pitching prospect and best overall prospect in the minors, heyward, counts for something in my book.

P.s. Besides the Braves and Dbacks, they player lists came from MLBTR. If you have any suggestions to the list of prospects, be sure to post it

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 20, 2009 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heyward as #1 overall might be a bit of a reach, too.

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 20, 2009 2:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

#1. Weiters – GONE
#2. Price – GONE
#3. Rasmus – GONE
#4. Hanson – GONE
#5. Heyward – Still in the minors.

Sooo unless my thinking is wrong, he’s the new #1 as of right now, right?

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 20, 2009 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, I was going to say that I don’t see why he wouldn’t be, but unless Stephen Strasburg signs and uses up all of his rookie eligibility, he’s probably gonna be the number 1.

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Jun 20, 2009 4:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK I get it now. So if you change the rules that were laid down in the original post then you can almost make a case for the Braves! I still take the dodgers because all of those guys (save kershaw) have been doing it for a couple of seasons now.

by yondaime4 on Jun 20, 2009 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

woah,

can’t count the Braves prospects, you didn’t include prospects for the other team.

Dodgers would be my vote.

by Andy Braves Fan on Jun 20, 2009 1:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Like I said on the reply above your post

If you have players to add to the list go ahead and suggest them. I was going to look at BAs top 100 but my computer won’t let me access the page? Kinda weird

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 20, 2009 2:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The people on mlbtr who said it was the braves, are retards.

by esadb on Jun 20, 2009 2:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

mostly

people just made the argument that the Braves had one of the best young cores. In the top5 or so. totally reasonable

by sunking1056 on Jun 20, 2009 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Def the Dodgers mainly because all of those guys are beasting at the Major League Level

by drumzalicious on Jun 20, 2009 3:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

what i would do for that young outfield right now, i just couldnt tell you.

horrible, unforgivable things.

by mrsoprano on Jun 20, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

how about the giants?

Pitching – Lincecum, cain, bumgarner, alderson

Hitting – Sandoval, Posey, villalona

That’s the best rotation in the bigs and at least 2 difference making bats.

by B_Agate on Jun 20, 2009 10:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Dodgers have a ~25 win core already producing in the major leagues; they win. I also like the Rays a lot too, but the risk is spread over fewer players.

I’d also not forget the Orioles with Wieters, Markakis, Jones, Reimold, and all that ridiculous pitching depth.

by 17843 on Jun 20, 2009 12:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like the O's too

If I were them, I would trade away Huff, Scott, Sherill and any other player of that type and get some nice prospects in return. Then by 2011, at the latest, they would be in a situation close to what the Rays had last year. Weiters, jones, markakis and roberts are all-star candidates, and with some role guys and a bullpen arm or two, they could be pretty good in a year or two

AB: Jeff Francoeur
Pitching: Any pitcher in MLB
Runners: Escobar at 3rd, Chipper at 2nd, McCann at 1st.

Pitch 1: In play, out(s)

by mvhsbball on Jun 20, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brewers and Reds have pretty nice cores as well.

The Braves have a nice core, with Jurrjens, Hanson, and McCann as great pieces- and Escobar and McClouth nice young players. This isn’t a farm system ranking, so lets leave those A ball kids out of it, after all, who knows what they’ll turn out to be. Its a nice core, but McCann is our only elite young talent (Hanson just isn’t there yet), so lets hold off on calling this a great core.

by krsracker on Jun 20, 2009 3:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How come no one is bringin up the Rangers seriously… The pithcin gis lacking but the hitting is certainly not

Ill include some prospects along with the ML players (and for the love of God if u bring up Feliz and the Braves Ill do everything I can to get Roy to ban ur ass)

Hamilton, Kinsler, Cruz, Davis, Salty, Teagarden, Andrus, Holland, Feliz, Frank Francisco, and Max Ramirez.

I would say they have a very solid core… they are in first int he division and theyve gotten almost nothing from Hamilton this year.

I gotta take the Rangers as the best young core (even if u dont let me take the three pitchers they are a top 3 team in this discussion)

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Jun 20, 2009 4:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm confused. I recognize some of those names, but they're not on the Rangers' 25-man.

Do I read too much Baseball America?

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 20, 2009 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

which ones arent? I recognize all of the names…but then again, I am living an hour and 45 away from arlington right now…

"Actually, Justin was right."
by bigjoe on May 15, 2009 9:04 AM PDT

by justincredubil02 on Jun 20, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha...Feliz and Ramirez.

it was a round-about way of whining they’re not in our system anymore.

Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.

by MichaelProcton on Jun 21, 2009 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That depends on how you define young. Are 28 year olds part of the young core? 27 year olds? 29 year olds? I tend to lean towards defining young as under 27 for hitters and under 29 for pitchers, using the pre-peak definition.

As an aside, I lean more towards looking at which teams have the most talent under contract 2, 3, or 4 years into the future. That’s much more predictive than which young players are on your team now and removes the need to define “young”. I mean, the Marlins have a pretty solid young core anchored around Uggla, Hanley, Johnson, etc, but they’re hitting free agency after 2011 while Baltimore has Markakis, Jones, and Wieters under control all for the next five plus years.

by 17843 on Jun 20, 2009 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that "young core" shouldn't be about experience

But rather age. I consider a ball player to be young before he has hit his prime (Roughly 27 or 28). But yeah, I agree with your rankings, but I don’t know if I agree with the Sox having a better young core than the Braves…

Nice post though. I enjoyed reading it.

SubParr

by nick9314 on Jun 21, 2009 1:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs