This article is part of our John Sickels' Column series.
Last week I posted an update on the Top 100 Prospect list. As always, this generated a lot of response, both in the comments section and via email, so let's answer some questions.
Clark T. from Phoenix asked:"Why isn't Jon Singleton on the list?"
John replies: Several people asked about this, and that was a production error on the list: Phillies prospect Singleton was supposed to be listed at No. 51, but somehow in the cut-and-pasting process between my rough draft and my submitted article, he got cut off and I didn't notice it until it was too late.
I'm quite high on Singleton. He's dominating the South Atlantic League with a .347/.435/.613 mark for Lakewood, with 28 walks and 32 strikeouts in 173 at-bats. . .a high walk rate with a reasonable K-rate combined with this sort of power production is excellent. Sally League scouts are full of praise for his bat speed and refined approach. He was just an eighth-round pick last year out of high school in Long Beach, California. He was well-known to scouts as an amateur, but his stocked was hampered by an erratic senior year and a strong college commitment to Long Beach State. It looks like the Phillies got a bargain.
If the statistics and scouting reports remain as positive as they currently are, he will be a Top-20 candidate for the end-of-season list. Some evaluators would already place him that high, but I try to avoid wild swings from list to
Last week I posted an update on the Top 100 Prospect list. As always, this generated a lot of response, both in the comments section and via email, so let's answer some questions.
Clark T. from Phoenix asked:"Why isn't Jon Singleton on the list?"
John replies: Several people asked about this, and that was a production error on the list: Phillies prospect Singleton was supposed to be listed at No. 51, but somehow in the cut-and-pasting process between my rough draft and my submitted article, he got cut off and I didn't notice it until it was too late.
I'm quite high on Singleton. He's dominating the South Atlantic League with a .347/.435/.613 mark for Lakewood, with 28 walks and 32 strikeouts in 173 at-bats. . .a high walk rate with a reasonable K-rate combined with this sort of power production is excellent. Sally League scouts are full of praise for his bat speed and refined approach. He was just an eighth-round pick last year out of high school in Long Beach, California. He was well-known to scouts as an amateur, but his stocked was hampered by an erratic senior year and a strong college commitment to Long Beach State. It looks like the Phillies got a bargain.
If the statistics and scouting reports remain as positive as they currently are, he will be a Top-20 candidate for the end-of-season list. Some evaluators would already place him that high, but I try to avoid wild swings from list to list, to avoid over or under-reacting to streaks.
R.D. writes:"What about Arizona prospect Jarrod Parker? How is his injury rehab coming?"
John replies: This was another question that a lot of people asked, via email and on the comment list.
I should probably have put Parker in the "others to consider" section, but I don't see him as a Top 100 guy until we know exactly how his recovery goes from Tommy John surgery. Rehab has reportedly gone well and he's expected to take the mound sometime in August, but you never know what will happen. Tommy John is NOT an automatic success, and not all pitchers get their stuff and command back. As a result, I am conservative about placement of injury guys on prospect lists until we actually see what happens.
If he's healthy and looks good at the end of the year, he would certainly be a strong candidate to get back on the list, probably in the 80-100 range until his innings build up and we see how his stamina and stuff play out. If fully healthy, he can certainly get back in the Top-20 range eventually.
Morgan from Arlington, Texas, asks:"Do you think Royals catcher Wil Myers could end up in the Top 10 by the end of the season?"
John answers: It's possible, and I have him at 29 right now, but I think it more likely that he would be a Top 20 guy, not a Top 10. I'm very impressed with the offense: he was hitting .289/.408/.500 in 68 games for Low-A Burlington before his recent promotion to High-A Wilmington, where so far he's 8-for-19. Midwest League sources are very high on his bat; he has power to all field as well as good plate discipline, and if he hits well in the Carolina League he will likely push into the Top 20.
What could keep him out of the Top 10 later this year is his defense, which is still quite rough. He's got a good arm and is effective against baserunners, but his other defensive skills still need a lot of work, and there is still some chance he ends up in the outfield eventually. I don't THINK that will happen; I think the glove will improve enough for him to remain behind the plate, but I'd like to see a bit more progress.
Overall he's an excellent prospect, though, just 19 years old and already in the Carolina League.
Dave from Long Island writes:"I think you are too high on Desmond Jennings. I wouldn't even have him in my Top 50 at this point."
John answers: I had him at Number 16. You can make a case to drop him a little lower than that, into the early 20s, but I think he still has to be in the Top 50 and that you're being too harsh on him. He got off to a slow start this year due to wrist and shoulder injuries, but he's been hot lately, hitting .353/.407/.549 in June and .361 in his last 10 games, as he gets further away from the injury pain. His overall line of .296/.371/.423 with 20 steals in 22 attempts is impressive for a player that has had just one healthy month. His plate discipline remains good and he's a terror on the bases. The only negative I see is lack of big home run power, but remember that my list leaned in a fantasy direction, where Jennings' undoubted speed skills will be quite valuable.
