Down On the Farm: MLB's Future

With the way things are run now in the minors, college, high school, and little league, it seems as if up-and-coming talent is getting better and better.

Unlike the past, young pitchers are now being heavily restricted on their pitch count in every level of play. Little league and high school actually have rules on how many pitches a player can have per day, and per week.

For those who don’t pitch, and put their focus toward hitting, the ways have also changed. Do you think Ralph Kiner had all those contraptions that them kids have these days? NO. They just hit the baseball. These days, there are millions of shindigs you can buy to “improve your game.”

Maybe that is the reason for all the freakin’ prodigy ball players out there. Steroids maybe be the leading reason for stars in the MLB, but you can hardly say it is the reason for the freak players ranging from all levels, little leagues-minor leagues.

Let’s take a look at those “freaks” we have roaming the farm:
*These are players that play in the minors, not MLB rookies (i.e. no David Price)

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Most know him as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 MLB draft, but few actually know his game. He is the part of the reason I think that the Rays will DOMINATE the next 10 years. There are tons of players like this in Tampa’s farm leagues. He is an amazing athlete with A+ speed, excellent defense, and a bat to go along.

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles
He is arguably the top player in the minor leagues. He is virtually the complete package. He has Y. Molina defense to go along with McCann offense. He absolutely crushes the ball, and may be one of the best offensive catchers in the game already! Between A and AA ball – mostly AA - last year, he hit .355/27/95. He will likely play MLB ball in ’09, but not until the second half.

Aaron Hicks, CF, Minnesota Twins
He was the Twins’ top pick in this most decent draft, and he deserved it. He was one of the best five-tool players in the draft. He has speed, defense, and a bat. He can make an impact on every single part of the game. In rookie ball, he batted .317 and 12 steals.

Matt LaPorta, OF-1B, Cleveland Indians
Yes, Cleveland does have something to look forward to. Surprising, I know. He is regarded by most as the guy directly behind Wieters on this list, with a similar game. He has fantastic power, which is the bright spot in his overall game. He totaled 22 homers last year in AA.

Gordon Beckham, SS, Chicago White Sox
The other Beckham. He was another stud in the 2008 draft, and yes, it was an extremely good draft. He has some rare power for a great middle-infielder who plays baseball like Physco T plays basketball. He puts 115% of his heart into his game, and wouldn’t even think about giving in. He batted .312 in Class A last season.

Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Washington Nationals
He may be the best starting pitcher the Minors has to offer. He put together an incredible season last year when he gathered 10 wins and only 3 losses, 2.80 ERA, and averaged 9.3 SOs per nine innings. Most of that with the AA Nats’ team.

Colby Rasmus, CF, St. Louis Cardinals
Last year was thought to be his breakthrough year, but when injury struck, he spend all of 2008 in AAA. He is without a doubt the most experienced player on this list, and the only one that spend last year in the AAA. Most of last year’s prospects that hung out in AAA, are on the MLB team this season. But with a deep STL outfield, he has been kinda screwed. He is a five-tooler that will soon destroy the MLB.

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
This former Golden Spikes Award winner, is right up there with Wieters and LaPorta if you ask me. He is an athletic catcher with outstanding defense and possesses moderate power and ability to hit for average.

Kyle Blanks, 1B, San Diego Padres

There is only one word to describe. Mammoth. A prototypical firstbaseman, he stands 6’6” and weighs an impressive 280 lbs. He simply bashes the ball. He is the next 40 HR guy to enter the MLB, not a question. In AA last year, he hit .325/20/107 and got on base 42% of the time! Just not fair.


None of these guys will likely see the bigs until the second half of the season. But when they do, they will begin to dominate… and they will continue to dominate. The cool thing about it is, there are players on this list that won’t even see the MLB, but there are also a few players on this list that are future first ballot Hall of Famers!