Baseball Prospectus reveals its top-100 prospects
/Like MLB dot com and Keith Law have done recently, today Baseball Prospectus released its list of the top 101 prospects in MLB in 2015. Texas, whose farm system has been represented well this offseason, doesn't disappoint on this list, either.
Below are BP's rankings of where various Ranger farmhands landed:
15. Joey Gallo
29. Chi-Chi Gonzalez
31. Jorge Alfaro
40. Nomar Mazara
47. Jake Thompson
71. Nick Williams
Most surprisingly, I think, is how highly they regard Gonzalez. By nearly every account I've seen over the last couple seasons (since he was drafted with a first round pick out of Oral Roberts), Chi-Chi's value lies in being a safe bet to be a longterm #3 starter -- something more significant than the MORP label implies. Being ranked 29th overall suggests Prospectus views him closer to a number two.
Likewise, Nick Williams's inclusion on the list is somewhat of a surprise. There isn't a more polarizing prospect in the Rangers farm system, as some view him like BP -- a potential everyday corner outfielder -- while others cite his putrid plate discipline as reasoning for why he'll inevitably wash out. In nearly 1,200 plate appearances spread across three levels and two stints in winter ball, Williams has been issued a total of 54 unintentional walks. Needless to say, Nick has some serious work to do in order to one day make it to the big leagues, but he still has his believers.
Otherwise, none of the others mentioned are serious surprises. Gallo ranks 9th and 11th on MLB and Law's lists, respectively, while Alfaro (45,35), Mazara (54,31) and Thompson (83, 52) each appear more or less in the same range.
Anyway, prospects are fun. Check 'em out.