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!

Ken Griffey Jr.: Welcome Home!

Ah, yes… A good day just got a little better. 19 minutes ago, I received a text stating, “Ken Griffey Jr. is headed back to Seattle after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Mariners.” Is that awesome or what?

The former soon-to-be homerun king will go back to the city that had him on track to being one of – or THE - best players to ever lace up the cleats. With all this A-Rod, and performance-enhancing drugs in general, talk, you can only imagine what it would have been like to watch Griffey bash #755.

He would have too. With the Mariners, KGJ hit a total of 398 homeruns in 11 years (an avg of 37/year). He is going into his 20th season this year, and – at his SEA pace – he would be at #704. If he played a total of 25 years, which is possible without injury, he would have hit 904 home runs… a number that would likely never be touched. He was on pace to set some staggering career numbers, even other than HRs. In 25 seasons, he would have ended up with .297 average, 904 homers (all-time record), 2620 RBIs (atr), 380 steals, etc, etc, etc. The two most prestigious batting records, and then the crazy base running numbers, would make him the best player to ever play the game. All in good ole’ Seattle.

Junior is going back to the place that made him a household name forever. The city that scored him nine MVP awards (five in a row), nine all-stars, seven-time silver-slugger award winner, and 10 gold gloves. Can you say freak?

While there has always been talk of Griffey going back to Seattle, tonight the rumor goes true. Griffey was being actively courted by the Mariners and the Atlanta Braves, and ultimately decided with the Mariners after agonizing over the decision. Griffey was motivated by sentimental reasons toward Seattle, where he received an emotional hero's welcome when he last played there as a Cincinnati Red in 2007, and towards Atlanta for its proximity to home and the desire to be with his family during the season. While he has a better opportunity to win in the ATL, I wanted nothing more than him to return as a Mariner.


As this whole A-Rod BS continues to roll out, we see a good thing with Seattle & Griffey but there are still some interesting things yet to work their selves out.

Manny Ramirez-
It looks as if he will probably remain with the Dodgers. He is asking for a ridiculous amount of money considering his age, but I feel LA will realize they are nothing without him. Others interested include nobody.

Orlando Hudson-
This guy has clearly gone under the radar. It seems like nobody even realizes that he is a FA. He could be a steal for which ever team accquires him. Hudson will start to get desparate and worried now that Spring Training is nearing and I see him being signed very cheap. Arizona has shown no interest in him, so I see him landing in Kansas City or St. Louis.

Orlando Cabrera-
He may be aging, but I expect a few more good years from him. I would say he is a better pick-up than Hudson, but they are both potential risks. It appears as if the White Sox are no longer in need of him and will let him go. The Oakland A’s have shown some serious interest, along with Florida and Toronto.

Ben Sheets-
When he is healthy, he is one of the best pitchers the game has to offer… but come on, it’s Ben Sheets. He spends more time icing his arm than he does icing MLB ball players. He does have some serious stuff, however, and somebody will gladly take him. He says no way Jose to Milwaukee, and I anticipate him signing with Texas within this coming weekend.



Justin Hulsey
StLDieHard24@gmail.com
FANdemoniumsports.blogspot.com