Do the Bombers own the best farm system in the NKFBL? Their certainly can be an argument made that they do. Jason Heyward, Buster Posey, Ryan Westmoreland and Fernando Martinez are all highly regarded, and give the Bombers the balance of top prospects and depth that is hard to achieve.
The Bombers prospects should translate well to fantasy. Jason Heyward seems to be as can’t miss a prospect as you can find despite being so young. As a 19 yr old he posted an unreal line of .352/.446/.611 in 47 games in Double-A ball to go along with a 28/19 walks to k’s ratio. Barring injuries Heyward should be a fixture in the Bombers outfield along with Justin Upton and Nick Markakis for many seasons to come.
Buster Posey should also arrive in 2010/2011 and take over everyday catching duties for the Bombers. While it’s still up for debate how much power Posey will hit for in the future, he seems like a lock for a high average and 12/15 hr’s yearly. Splitting time between AA/AAA Posey batted .325 with 18 hr’s (13 in the Cal league) and an impressive 62/68 walks to k’s ratio. Needless to say the Bombers will probably draft Jorge Posada for one last season until Posey is ready.
Younger prospects such as Westmoreland, Martinez and Michael Ynoa could also develop into useful fantasy players. Despite being injured last season like all former Rhode Island High School baseball prospects (Baldelli, Rainville, insert Hendricken joke here Lester), Westmorland was still able to put together an impressive debut. In only 60 games he put 7 hr’s, 19sb’s and a .401 obp, showing all the skills/tools to devlop into a Jacoby Ellsbury/Grady Sizemore type of player. Him and Fernando Martinez will both hope for an injury free 2010 season. Martinez is seemingly injured every season and has yet to live up to all of the hype. While he is no longer the Mets number 1 prospect, he still will only be 21 years old and has already seen some AB’s in the MLB. While in AAA as a 20 yr old he did put up an OPS of .877 over 45 games and has shown at least some reason why he was so highly regarded. Lastly, Miguel Santos errr Michael Ynoa was one of the Bombers big selections of last year’s prospect draft. His value is on hype and scouting reports alone, as he has yet to throw a professional pitch. The 6’7” 210 lb Ynoa (JRad will most likely trade for a pitcher with that height – although he isn’t white) could turn into a future ace for the Bombers, he is still only 18 yr’s old and is most likely 4/5 years away from making any sort of impact.
These players will likely join the young and talented group that Erik has already put together. Farm system graduates Joey Votto, Billy Butler, Troy Tulowitzki, Clayton Kershaw and Travis Snider will all be big parts of the Bombers 2010 team.
The Bombers scouting department has done a incredible job drafting in the past. Take a look back at 2007 where Erik drafted: Homer Bailey, Butler, FMart, Jacob McGee, Travis Snider, Dexter Fowler, Elijah Dukes, Angel Villalona, Michael Bowden and Wade Davis with his first 10 picks. Besides the one top prospect currently marinating in jail (Villalona), all of the players Erik drafted have turned out to be good prospects and seen some time in the MLB.
If just a few of the Bombers talented prospects develop the team should battle the Brew Crew for first place in the National League and be a yearly playoff team. The team already has assembled one of the best (if not the best) pitching staffs in the league, to go with good set of young hitters such as Dustin Pedroia and Justin Upton. Look for the Bombers to continue adding young talent in the upcoming prospect draft where they own five overall picks, including two first rounder’s.
Top 5 Prospects:
1. Jason Heyward OF ATL
2. Buster Posey C SF
3. Ryan Westmoreland OF BOS
4. Fernando Martinez OF NYM
5. Michael Ynoa SP OAK
Top 5 Graduated Prospects:
1. Troy Tulowitzki 2007 Rd 2 (Trade)
2. Clayton Kershaw 2007 Rd 3 (Trade)
3. Joey Voto 2007 Rd 3 (Trade)
4. Billy Butler 2007 Rd 2
5. Dexter Fowler 2007 Rd 6
YES!!! #1 farm system, atleast I have something going for me. I expect a glowing review of the Smoke Monsters tomorrow. Especially Mike Stanton God's gift to baseball.
ReplyDeleteI sure did like that 2007 draft. Also traded for/drafted Justin Upton (2nd), Dustin Pedroia (7th), Alex Gordon (1st) and Ubaldo Jiminez (10th). 9 of my starting 18 are from that prospect draft if you count Snider.
ReplyDeleteAlso picked up Markakis (1st) and BJ Upton (2nd, Trade) in the MLB portion, giving me 11 out of 18 total and potentially 9 out of my 11 offensive starters.