System Rankings #6 - Ballyhooly Ballers of Cork

By John Radzinski

After the statistical anomaly that was 2008, The Ballyhooly Ballers of Cork fell back to the middle of the NKFBL pack in 2009. Part of the reason Eamonn Hartnett’s squad never really got going was because of the injury bug that hit star players Jose Reyes —lost for the season—and Grady Sizemore. When he was in the lineup, Sizemore didn’t do much to impress, putting up only a .247 avg., though he did manage to hit 18 homers and steal 13 bases, but the season was certainly a massive disappointment.

Bright spots however came in the form of Aaron Hill (.286, 36, 108), and fan favorites, Jason Kubel (.299, 28, 103) and Michael Cuddyer (.275, 32, 94). Hunter Pence (.282, 25, 72, 14 SB) also continues to prove to be one of the better 2007 draft value-picks as he continues to be a regular in the Astros/Ballers lineup.

Of course the brightest star is the former best prospect in team history, Evan Longoria who followed up his 2008 rookie campaign by improving his numbers across the board blasting 33 HR, scoring 100 runs, knocking in 113, and hitting a very respectable .280. He even added nine SBs. Look for those numbers to only get better as he enters this season only at age 24. Longoria was acquired in a trade with the Carbombs for Joe Mauer, a rare deal that works out extremely well for both parties.

The Ballers have been quiet this off season on the trade market hoping they will once again draft well and begin to reap the benefits of their farm system led by the A’s 1B/OF Chris Carter**, O’s pitcher Brian Matusz, and Marlins 1B Logan Morrison.

In my humble opinion, in terms of fantasy, Carter is as exciting as anyone in the minors right now. He’s always been regarded as a robust power hitter, but was knocked as an all-or-nothing type. That changed last season as he made major strides in AA. In 490 AB Carter posted 24 HR, 101 RBI, and hit .337. Although he still struck out plenty (119 times), he did walk a bunch too, (82) which helped his OBP reach .435. He also slugged .576. Detractors point to the fact that those were AA stats. Fair criticism, but did reduce strikeouts, walked more, and hit for higher average in better competition, which speaks volumes to Carter’s ability to make adjustments. Bottom line is, you have to respect the improvement.

He’ll most likely get his chance to prove what he can do coming out of spring training. As good as former Baller Daric Barton is, I’m fairly certain the A’s will likely go with Carter at 1B. Oakland needs power bats more than anyone, and without a true 1B on the roster, the Ballers are loving the idea of getting a potential 25-homerun slugger up to the big leagues via the farm.
On the pitching end the Corkers have one of the more highly touted prospects in baseball in Brian Matusz. The lefty doesn’t get high marks for his stuff, but what he lacks in velocity he makes up for with terrific command, intelligence, and feel. The comparisons bring up images of Cliff Lee or perhaps even Tom Glavine, though that’s hardly fair to expect that.

He went 5-2 in a brief stint last season (luckily for Eamonn it was only 45 innings worth), but his ERA sat at 4.63 and opponents hit .292, evidence that the 23-year old needs to spot his pitches even better. Luckily, there’s a good enough rotation in Baltimore that he can pitch in the back end of the rotation and not be relied upon to go up against other ace pitchers, especially in the AL East.

Beyond Matusz and Carter, the Ballers boast another good 1B prospect, Logan Morrison. Morrison has tons of raw power, but didn’t show too much of it last season. This could be because of a broken bone in his hand he suffered, or it could be that he’s a nub. Most likely the former than the latter. Besides having a great hitting upside, the good people at Baseball America point out, “he has the best patience in the Marlins system,” certainly always a good sign. At his best he looks to be a terrific no. 3 hitter who can hit for power and average. At worst: See Casey Kotchman.

Morrison could be a potential June call-up, but more than likely we’ll get our first look at him in September. Many would argue that Morrison is better than Carter, but the fact that Carter appears ready to contribute big power numbers now gives him the nod for me.

Newly re-acquired, “I’m too good for two T’s” Mat Gamel rounds out a solid top-4. Gamel was poised to be a future stud several years ago for the Brewers, but Gamel did not make the most of his chances. A surprising campaign from rookie Casey McGahee has put Gamel in a bad spot to have to fight for playing time once again in 2010.

That’s where the positives end as the rest of the team appears to be “organizational depth.” “I spell my name with two T’s, but should spell it with one cuz I’m a total nub” Matt Antonelli flopped his way down to #27 in the Padres system last season. He could rebound, but he looked out of his league in AAA, not good, and certainly disappointing considering he was the 12th overall selection in the 2008 prospect draft. Matt Dominguez has some promise, but Baseball America quoting a Marlins scout saying they “hope he can become like Jeff Cirillo” doesn’t speak to him having much of a fantasy impact.

Top 5 Prospects:
1. Brian Matusz — Rd. 1 2009
2. Chris Carter — Rd. 12, 2009
3. Logan Morrison — Rd. 1 2009
4. Mat Gamel — Rd. 5 2008
5. Matt Dominguez — Rd. 2 2009

Top 5 Graduated Prospects:
1. Evan Longoria (Acquired via trade) — Rd. 2, 2007
2. Hunter Pence — Rd. 4, 2007
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka — Rd 1, 2007
4. Kevin Slowey — Rd. 8, 2007
5. Erick Aybar? — Rd. 6, 2007
** The Ballers GM leads the league in # of Chris Carters owned, two, and toes, 11.