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The Rankings:
- Jesmuel Valentin
- Andrew Pullin
- Carlos Alonso
- Drew Stankiewicz
- Olvy Marte
- Tim Zier
- Derek Campbell
- Albert Cartwright
- Robinson Torres
- Angelo Mora
The Reasoning:
This list likely begins and ends with the first two names. Jesmuel Valentin (along with Victor Arano) was obtained in the Roberto Hernandez trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His most recent accolades include being named to Baseball America's top 20 Midwest League prospects (ranked #12). He is ranked only behind players like Alex Reyes, Brandon Shipley, Trea Turner, Kohl Stewart and Clint Frazier. That is mighty good company. With this acquisition he became the defacto top second base prospect in the organization. His bloodlines are solid, being the son of former major leaguer Jose Valentin. Jesmuel (a switch hitter) possesses great bat speed, deceiving power and decent speed on the base-paths. He is average to above-average defensively at second, having been converted from a shortstop. He is still only 20 years old and was having a very good season for Great Lakes prior to the trade. The Phillies will have a decision to make concerning his placement as he is ready for a full season at Clearwater, but so is #2 on this list.
Andrew Pullin, a converted outfielder, got his first season of full-season A ball in 2014. There were improvements in his defensive game, but still committed an unsightly 26 errors in 123 games. Pullin broke out offensively this season after a disappointing Williamsport campaign in 2013. He hit 9 homeruns and slashed .270/.332/.706 in 544 plate appearances. He saw both his BB% rise significantly and his K% remain steady (17%). He runs into the unfortunate situation of being on the same path as Valentin, who has a better overall game. This is not to say Pullin can't come out as the better player in the end, but I'm curious as to what they do with him going forward.
Carlos Alonso, as a 26 year old, had a breakout season in Reading where he showed he could adequately play both 2B and 3B, hit for power and add a little speed. He saw the classic "Reading bump" in offensive output, but the lack of strikeouts and his patience at the plate bodes well for him to get a full season order at 2B for Lehigh Valley. Drew Stankiewicz is the other signifcant name of the list. He is a 21 year old 2014 11th rounder out of ASU who saw time at Williamsport and Lakewood splitting time between SS and 2B. He likely sticks at 2B and begins the 2015 season at Lakewood.