Phils Prospect Roundup: "Gio and Cole, and then a big hole"

(Hey, they can't all be gold.)

Our SBN sister site minorleagueball.com, the estimable John Sickels, proprietor, has released its list of top 20 Phillies prospects. John's overall assessment probably could be described thusly: "Man, did this system suck before the Thome trade, and it's still not all that good." The young lefty swag from that deal, Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood, are Sickels' #2 and #3 Phillies prospects. Though Josh Kroeger, acquired off waivers later in the winter, is not included in the list, Sickels pegs him as the team's #13 prospect in response to a user comment below. He does hat-tip the Phils' increasing activity in Australia, citing Oz-native infielders Brad Harman and Tim Kennelly as players to watch.

As March dawns and young players await reassignment to minor-league camp, minorleagueball.com isn't the only outlet focusing on the Boys of Spring. Scout.com has its own list of the top 50 Phillies prospects , with Gio Gonzalez as top dog and a nice piece detailing their methodology.

Finally, there are the big national lists: the Baseball Prospectus top 50 prospects, and Baseball America's top 100. The Phils didn't crack BP's grouping--though both Hamels and Gonzalez earned honorable mention--and only placed two farmhands in the back half of BA's. Who were they? Say it with me: Hamels (at #68) and Gonzalez (at #73).