Prospect Insider - M's Mid-season Top 30

M's Mid-season Top 30

By Jason A. Churchill

By 06-30-2011

It's mid-season in the minor leagues which means it's time for the Seattle Mariners mid-season Top 30 Prospect Report. This year I have changed things a little bit.

Rather than offer a short write-up of each player ranked, we'll have a chat for all of that Thursday night at 7 PM PT. The chat is FREE for everyone and can be accessed by clicking here.

Subscribers can click here for the Top 30 Prospect Rankings and click here for a breakdown Top 5s; Top 5 prospects at each level, top 5 pitchers, top 5 corner bats, etc.

If you are not yet a subscriber and would like access to the mid-season Top 30 on top of the regular benefits of premium access, click here.

We'll cover the question of where the draft picks would rank should they sign in the chat.

m\'s-mid-season-top-30

Comments
The following 29 comment(s) for this article are shown below:

1. By: relocated206native on 06-30-2011 19:07:28
Great stuff as usual Jason. Where will Hultzen rank if and when he signs? Will any other recent draft picks crack the top 30?

2. By: relocated206native on 06-30-2011 19:08:37
Should have read that last sentence before I wrote my comment...my bad.

3. By: dawgncarolina on 06-30-2011 19:09:40
I'm not going to be able to make the chat, at least not the beginning of it. Will the transcript be available afterwards?

4. By: dawgncarolina on 06-30-2011 19:15:04
Any reason you didn't list Phillips Castillo with the corner bats or Triunfel with the middle infielders?

5. By: Jason A. Churchill on 06-30-2011 19:19:32
Yes, dawg, it will.

And Castillo's just a bit too raw overall to make that list right now. Upside gets him higher on the 30, though. And in the end I don't believe Triunfel is a middle infielder. Has all the physical tools but you can't make 21 errors in 70 games in AA at age 21 and induce a lot of confidence.

6. By: dawgncarolina on 06-30-2011 19:21:14
Awesome, thanks Jason.

I should add, thanks for the list. Been dying to see this. Great stuff man.

Martin Peguero's impressed me so far with his approach. Decent pop, good on base skills, not striking out a ton. As you say, he seems to profile as a potential AS 2B. I'm assuming he's 4 or 5 years away at this point.

7. By: Jason A. Churchill on 06-30-2011 19:26:02
Yes, long-term guy. Not sure on the defensive spot.

8. By: slamcactus on 06-30-2011 19:35:37
Can you give us a sense of where you'd slot this year's draftees? I'm guessing Hultzen #1, Miller #8, Cron somewhere around 14-15, and Capps in the mid-20s, with nobody else cracking the 30. How close am I?

9. By: slamcactus on 06-30-2011 19:42:34
whups, if Hultzen's #1, I'd revise my placement of Miller to #9, Cron to 15-16, etc.

10. By: Jason A. Churchill on 06-30-2011 20:11:41
We'll chat about the draft picks, slam. And you're pretty darn close to what I'd do, except I'm a little higher on Cron and not as high on Miller.

Marlette might make the top 30, and if Marder signs, he'd have a shot, too. He slipped due to signability, otherwise a top 300 talent.

11. By: everblue77 on 06-30-2011 20:41:40
Excellent stuff! Jason, I know you're not a big believer in ranking relief arms and didn't have in your top 5's. How far out is Bischoff & how far has Fields fallen? Care to list an impromtu top 5 relief? Thanks for all the info. Greatly appreciated.

12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 06-30-2011 20:48:40
Most good relievers come from failed starters.

After Cortes and Lueke, I'g toss Snow and Maurer in there, probably ahead of Fields because he's hurt so often. If healthy, I like Hensley in a relief role, too.

But some of these other starters, like Snow and Maurer, such as Mieses, could be legit setup or closer options down the road.

13. By: Urbannaja on 06-30-2011 21:29:06
I know you mention that you don't see Truinfel at an IF position, but why do you have him so high in the overall ranking but not in the top 5 of either IF or corners? If he's a corner, is he a top 5 prospect still?

14. By: Jason A. Churchill on 06-30-2011 23:10:33
I didn't say that, I said I don;t think he sticks in the MI. Third base I can see. And he's a top 5 prospect in an org light in the system right now, partially because two legit top 20 MLB prospects in Ackley and Pineda have been called up to the bigs.

15. By: FWBrodie on 07-01-2011 02:39:13
So... Triunfel is in positional-top-5 purgatory?

We can obviously place him among the others based on the overall rankings, but I wanted a blurb damnit.

16. By: Jerry on 07-01-2011 10:34:02
Thanks Jason. Great info.

17. By: km4_1999 on 07-01-2011 13:13:39
Jason - I know you have mentioned the M's potentially not being big players in the Intl market this year - you hearing any specific players linked to us as likely signs?

18. By: slamcactus on 07-01-2011 13:55:51
Badler's reporting Elier Hernandez to the Royals as all but a done deal. He's usually pretty accurate with these, so I take it the Ms cooled off of the pursuit there?

19. By: slamcactus on 07-01-2011 13:58:24
km4: same report says Mariners are the heavy favorite to land the top pitcher in this year's class, Venezuelan righty Victor Sanchez, and are the heaviest in pursuit of a Dominican OF named Helsin Martinez (same trainer who brought us Phillips Castillo last July 2).

20. By: Jason A. Churchill on 07-01-2011 14:02:44
Seems the M's have cooled on a half-dozen others, too. Money got out of hand. They won't pay more than they feel the player is worth. Never have, never will.

21. By: JoshuaGMill on 07-02-2011 04:45:55
Seems like the Mariners got Martinez for 2 mill

http://www.ussmariner.com/2011/07/01/mariners-sign-dominican-of-helsin-martinez/

22. By: slamcactus on 07-02-2011 12:47:12
According to Venezuelan reporter Ismael Granadillo, they've also signed Venezuelan OF Jose Leal for something close to $2 million, and are close on a $2.5 million agreement with Sanchez.

23. By: rjfrik on 07-02-2011 12:59:09
Found this blurb on Helsin Martinez from International Prospect League.

"Probably has the most raw power anyone has ever seen in a 16 year old kid. He also carries plus arm strength from the outfield that should not go unnoticed. A future Power Corner Outfielder!"

Probably has the most raw power anyone has EVER SEEN in a 16 year old kid...umm yes please, may I have another.

24. By: dawgncarolina on 07-02-2011 15:02:16
Sanchez at $2.5 M would be the steal of this IFA market. Really hope they can make that happen.

25. By: slamcactus on 07-02-2011 15:26:09
"Probably has the most raw power anyone has EVER SEEN in a 16 year old kid...umm yes please, may I have another."

Keep in mind, the IPL is run by the trainers of the kids who participate (as in, the guys who will be taking a big cut of these signing bonuses). They're not exactly an objective source of information.

26. By: bcsimons on 07-02-2011 16:19:27
Badler was high on him as well

"One of them is Helsin Martinez, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound corner outfielder whose raw power ranks among the best in Latin America. Martinez, 16, has played in played in several leagues, including the Dominican Prospect League, Major League Baseball's new league El Torneo Supremo, and most recently the International Prospect League. He won the DPL's home run derby in May, no surprise to many scouts.

"He's got crazy power," said one Latin American director. "It's a quick bat, and when he extends his arms, the ball goes far. Even just in (batting practice), he'll put on a show."

While scouts love Martinez's frame and raw power, his biggest question mark is whether he can take his power to the game. His swing has a hitch that causes him to get under the ball and struggle against better velocity, so he'll have to make adjustments to become more than just a pull hitter."

27. By: slamcactus on 07-02-2011 17:22:00
BA also said that Nomar Mazara has the best raw power of the Latin American kids this year.

I'm not saying the kid doesn't have power, but statements like "best ever" that come from a source that's basically a mouthpiece for his trainer are almost certainly hyperbole.

"Best power anyone's ever seen" is almost certainly an absurd overstatement.

28. By: km4_1999 on 07-02-2011 18:29:08
M's apparently not players this year huh??? If all3 signings are accurate they have already spent more than last year. So amusing that Leal isn't in BAs top 40 propzpects yet gets 2mil. Love putting these young guys behind others.

29. By: dawgncarolina on 07-03-2011 08:22:19
Looks like no Van Helsin after all. This is discouraging.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/mariners-say-no-deal-with-helsin-martinez/

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