My Review of Sickels 2009 Top 20

Last week I posted a detailed analysis of Sickels 2008 list .

With the recent release of the 09 list I figured it would be a good idea to review the list and give my thoughts and analysis on the players. I also want to provide some back ground on the new comers, take a look at who is no longer on the list and give my 2 cents on the prospects.

Who’s Out
10 of the 20 players on the 08 list have graduated, were traded or removed from the list. Those that graduated to the MLB level from the 08 list are Collin Balester (ranked 6th with a B-) and John Lannan (ranked 9th with a B-).

Moved On
Moved on to another team for various reasons are Glenn Gibson (ranked 10th C+), Jake Smolinski (ranked 14th C+), Jon Albaladejo (ranked 15th with a C+), Jhonny Nunez (ranked 18th with a C+), Josh Whitesell (ranked 20th with a C).

Kicked Off
Players still in the Nats system that were removed for various reasons are Adam Carr (8th with a B-), Adrian Alaniz (16th with a C+) and Kory Casto (19th with a C+). Carr is probably due to his rocky performance in 08. Casto is probably because of age, service time at the MLB level and overall performance.

That means there are 10 newcomers to the list. 4 were acquired via the 2008 Draft. The remaining 6 are players in the organization who moved up based on performance

The 08 Draft Picks
OF Destin Hood ranks 9th with a C+ grade. He was a High School draft pick that signed a scholarship to play wide receiver at the University of Alabama but passed it up to sign with the Nationals and begin his professional baseball career. GM Jim Bowden once compared Hood's vision with that of Barry Bonds, his bat speed with that of Vladimir Guerrero. Hood hit .256 with 18 runs scored in 25 games with the GCL Nationals in 2008.

MiLB did the work for my on #12 Ranked, C+, Catcher Adrian Nieto. Visit the 2008 MiLB Draft Report on Nieto for more information. He hit .217 in 8 games for the GCL Nationals in 2008.

Coming in at #17 on Sickels list is pitcher Paul Demny, which was graded at C+. According to scouting reports Demny throws in the low to mid 90’s with plus fastball life and a nasty slider. He had some command issues in High School and in JR. College. He was 4-0, 2.50 ERA, 40 strike outs and 14 walks in 11 games with the GCL Nationals.

Last of the draft picks ranked on Sickels list is outfield prospect #18 JP Ramirez, graded at C+. I searched and couldn’t find much in the way of scouting reports. He signed with the Nationals right before the dead line so he saw limited action in the GCL. He hit .364 with 8 RBI’s in only 5 games for the GCL Nationals.

Organizational Movers
New to the list are: Ranked at #5 with a B- is pitcher Garrett Mock, not sure how or why he was off last years list. SS, Esmaily Gonzalez is ranked at #8 with a C+ grade. Roger Bernadina ranks at #11 with a C+ grade. C, Derek Norris comes in at #13 with a C+ grade. Marvin Lowrance also gets a C+ grade and ranks at #16. Tyler Clippard comes in at #19 with a C grade.

Missing
Like Sickels said any of the players from 8 down are interchangeable based on need. Players that are listed as "others" that I think could have been moved up at little are Mike Daniel, Leonard Davis, Mike Hinckley, Stephen King or Yunio Novoa.

I'm not sold on Clippard at 19, dispite the fact that he threw a no-hitter vs Harrisburg in 2007. I just don't think he can deliver at the MLB level. Any of the guys I named above could be put in Clippard's place.

Summary
The Nats have no grade A prospects which essentially means they are can’t miss prospects that will have an impact at the MLB level. 6 players have grade B’s (Zimmermann, Burgess, Marrero, Detwiler, Mock and McGeary). The other 14 are grade C’s prospects. The Nats are in the rebuilding process and are trying to stock the farm with talented young players who could possibly contribute at the MLB level at some point or become trade bait. Some of the younger players with C grades could see an increase in grading next year as more stats and prospect reports come in on them. The 4 players on this list I’m most interested in following are Burgess, McGeary, Hood and Demny. Burgess could see time in Harrisburg at some point next season but guess he will spend most if not all of next season at Potomac. While the other 3 might be few years or more away from the Double-A level.

Players graded in the top 20 that I think might appear in Harrisburg during the 09 season are: Burgess, Marrero, Detwiler, Maxwell, Lowrance, and Desmond. These guesses are really early and there are a lot of variables that come into play when assigning players.

It seems as thought the Nationals are headed in the right direction, at least they seem to have a game play when attempting to acquire players (via the Draft, Trades, or Free Agency). This is a big step in the right direction compared to a few years ago when the organization seemed hopeless. Some players have taken steps backwards and others have had injury issues; this will always be the case. I like the direction the Nationals are headed but like Sickels said it’s going to take a better effort on the international front.

Next up, Baseball America will announce their Top 10 Nationals Prospects on January 7, 2009.