2008 Nationals Top 20 Prospects by John Sickels

John Sickels, a very well respected ‘baseball mind’, released his list of the, 2008 Top 20 Prospects in the Washington Nationals organization. I’ve been reading John’s list of prospects for several years and always look forward to his rankings. At times he seems to grade pretty tough but he is normally pretty accurate. From Sickels list of 2008 prospects, seven players (in Bold) appeared in Senators uniform, at some point in their career.

John Lannan (left) and Collin Balester (Right)

Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2008
All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.

1. Chris Marrero, 1B-OF, Grade B+
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP, Grade B+
3. Michael Burgess, OF, Grade B+
4. Justin Maxwell, OF, Grade B
5. Jordan Zimmerman, RHP, Grade B
6. Collin Balester, RHP, Grade B-
7. Josh Smoker, LHP, Grade B-(for some reason I really love this guy)
8. Adam Carr, RHP, Grade B-
9. John Lannan, LHP, Grade B- (too high?)
10. Glenn Gibson, LHP, Grade C+ (borderline B-)
11. Colton Willems, RHP, Grade C+
12. Ian Desmond, SS, Grade C+
13. Jack McGeary, LHP, Grade C+
14. Jake Smolinski, OF, Grade C+
15. Jon Albaladejo, RHP, Grade C+
16. Adrian Alaniz, RHP, Grade C+
17. Shairon Martis, RHP, Grade C+
18. Jhonny Nunez, RHP, Grade C+
19. Kory Casto, OF-3B, Grade C+
20. Josh Whitesell, 1B, Grade C

There are 15 other players in the book. Again, I emphasize that all these
grades are preliminary, and that the Grade C+/C guys are close to interchangeable.

There is a lot of Potential pitching depth in this system, and many of those Grade C+ guys have the ability to end up as Grade B/B+ prospects a year from now, once we see them at higher levels and have more data to work with. Overall the Nats have done a good job adding more depth to the system.

John’s grading system brakes down like this:

GRADES AND WHAT THEY MEAN
Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a good chance of becoming stars or superstars. Almost all Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or other problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.

Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.

Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Many end up as role players or bench guys. Some don't make it at all.

A major point to remember is that grades for pitchers do NOT correspond directly to grades for hitters. Many Grade A pitching prospects fail to develop, often due to injuries. Some Grade C pitching prospects turn out much better than expected.

Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader;
Grade C+ is actually good praise coming from me, and some C+ prospects turn out
very well indeed. Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You
have to read the full comment in the book for my full opinion about a player,
the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could
end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely
just a future role player.

This is my thoughts on John’s list. As with any list a person can sit down a pick apart players that should not be on the list. John’s list is a little harder to do that with but there are a few. There are a few obvious prospects in the organization like Marrero, Smoker and Detwiler. There are even a few players that could be moved up or down (Lannan or Desmond). Then there are players like Albaladejo, Casto and Whitesell, that in my opinion should not be on this list.

Jon Albaladejo (left) and Kory Casto (Right)

Albaladejo, Casto and Whitesell (shown above from left to right) are all fine players that should get a chance to contribute at the MLB level at some point. Casto, who turns 26 in two weeks, is coming off the worst season of his pro career. I also have questions regarding which position will he play? Has he reached his ceiling as a Triple-A player? I saw Albaladejo pitch in Harrisburg in 07 and he didn’t really impress me. He has pitched well at Triple-A Columbus, also with the Nats and in the Venezuela Winter League. I guess that is the reason he is on John’s list. As I wrote in my profile of Whitesell I think he can contribute in DC this year. He is coming off his best season as a pro. I’m concerned about his injury’s and he was a little old for Double-A.

Players I think should fill the spots of Albaladejo, Casto and Whitesell are Zech Zinicola, Stephen King, Esmailyn Gonzalez. All three are younger and have more of an upside.

I will ordering his book to see the final rankings, read his thoughts on each player and see who the other 15 players are. You can pre-order your copy here: http://www.mastersball.com/sickels/