Minor League Ball: Preliminary Orioles Prospect List

John Sickels at Minor League Ball, who used to write the "Down on the Farm" column for ESPN.com, just posted his "preliminary" Orioles prospect list. It's his first-take on the Oriole's top 36 minor league prospects, a list which he'll refine quite a bit and include in his 2011 Baseball Prospect Book.

I decided to go one step further. Here are the 36 players he listed, which are not yet in any paticular order. He only had their names and positions, but I've added their age as of opening day 2011, the highest level they've played at to date, some commentary, and a link to each player's Baseball Reference minor league page:

• Ryan Adams (23), 2B/3B, Double-A - crushed the ball last year at Bowie (.298/.365/.464), with 43 doubles, 15 homers.
• Xavier Avery (21), OF, Double-A - still a "toolsy" prospect, but made strides last year with his OBP and SLG, and jumped two levels, all the way to AA. My opinion of him jumped, too.
• Jesse Beal (20), RHP, Low-A - very much a command and control guy, not sure what his celiing is. Pitched pretty well at Delmarva (7-6, 3.86), but doesn't miss many bats.
• Ryan Berry (22), RHP, High-A - 2009 9th round pick. Breezed through 2 levels in his first pro season.
• Tim Berry (19), LHP, Rookie- 50th round draft pick out of high-school in 2009, posted a 1.35 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in rookie ball in 2010. Long way to go.
• Parker Bridwell (19), RHP, Low-A - 9th rounder last year, got a small taste @ Aberdeen after signing.
• Zach Britton (23), LHP, Triple-A - in my humble opinion, the best prospect in the ogranization right now. Ground-ball machine who will pitch in the big leagues sometime this year.
• Bobby Bundy (21), RHP, Low-A - '09 8th rounder; a starter who improved a lot in 2010.
• Matt Bywater (21), LHP, College- 7th rounder last year out of Pepperdine, didn't sign in time to pitch as a pro. Went 6-5, 2.40 last year in college, but didn't strike out a ton.
• Cam Coffey (20), RHP, Rookie - O's got him cheap(ish) in the draft in '09, knowing he needed surgery. Struggled last year coming back, but a big-time arm.
• Brandon Cooney (25), RHP, Double-A - drafted back in '04 by the ChiSox, getting a little long in the tooth for a AA prospect. Doesn't have huge stuff.
• Oliver Drake (23), RHP, High-A- nothing extraordinary about Drake, except that he went to college at Navy, and was born in Gardner, MA, where my mother-in-law lives. Probably one of the bottom 2-3 players on this list.
• Jaime Esquivel (18), RHP, High-School - he didn't pitch in the pros last season, so it's hard to get any data on Esquivel, except that he's a 28th round high school pick, out of South Houston, TX.
• Pedro Florimon (24), SS, Double-A - probably my least favorite perennial prospect. He was too old for High-A, but hit .283 in half a season there last year, then just .183 in 37 games at Bowie. Kicks the ball around a lot, too (27 errors).
• Eddie Gamboa (26), RHP, Double-A - getting old to be a real prospect. Can start or relieve, decent ratio numbers. Might get a shot at some point.
• Mychal Givens (20), SS, High-A - one of the O's best prospects, 2nd round pick in '09. Got hurt (hand) last year, but came back strong and hit the ball hard at Aberdeen. Walked a lot for a guy with this many tools.
• Randy Henry (20), RHP, Low-A - 4th rounder in '09, only threw 23 innings last year, and gave up a lot of hits (28), but didn't walk many (5) or give up HRs (1), and struck out a ton (30, or 12.1 K/9).
• Matt Hobgood (20), RHP, Low-A - I have this sinking feeling that the O's are going to regret this 1st round pick ('09) for a long time. But who knows?
• L.J. Hoes (21), 2B, Double-A - the team expects a lot from him, and he has all the tools. Results last year were ok (.278/.375/.368), as more power could certainly develop, and you have to like the patience: 53 walks in just 353 ABs at Frederick. Was actually born in Bowie, MD.
• Brett Jacobson (24), RHP, High-A - again, too old for the level he's playing at, and gave up almost as many unearned runs as earned ones... danger sign.
• Caleb Joseph (24), C, Double-A - poor year offensively in '10 (.235/.301/.368), but supposedly a gym rat, and dedicated defensively. Needs to show more.
• Dan Klein (22), RHP, Low-A - the O's obviously like this guy, as they've drafted him twice ('07 & '10). Reliever with power stuff, was dominant his junior year in college at UCLA. Pitched well in in a handful of pro appearances with Aberdeen.
• Manny Machado (18), SS, High-School - Drew comparisons to ARod as an amateur; obviously has a very positive skill set, and a long ways to go. Performed well in a 30+ at bat pro debut at Low-A (.345/.406/.448).
• Joseph Mahoney (24), 1B, Double-A - made a huge leap last year, which I talked about at-length in a previous post. Has significantly raised his prospect status as a result.
• Jarrett Martin (21), LHP, Rookie - showed strikeout stuff in his pro debut at Bluefield. 18th round draft in '09, but already 21.
• Kam Mickolio (26), RHP, MLB - Traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the package for Mark Reynolds. We'll miss the 98+ mph fastballs, but had a terrible year in 2010. Hope he makes it.
• Trent Mummey (22), OF, Low-A - power/speed combo center-fielder, drafted high out of Auburn last year. Power hasn't translated yet. Played in the Cape League in 2009, and impressed scouts.
• Connor Narron (20), SS, Low-A - another high SS draft, struggled in his pro debut this year at Aberdeen.
• Wynn Pelzer (24), RHP, Double-A - acquired from San Diego in the Tejada trade. Has power-pitcher potential, but hasn't lived up to his billing so far. Command is really the question, not stuff.
• Jonathan Schoop (20), SS, High-A - made big improvments last year, mostly at the rookie level, but made it as high as Frederick... probably more because of the influx of shortstops than anything else. He's from Curacao, and his offensive skillset includes some power and speed.
• Clay Schrader (20), RHP, Low-A - 10th round JC draftee, pitched pretty well and showed strikeout potential in a late-season debut with Aberdeen and Delmarva.
• Ashur Tolliver (23), LHP, Low-A - skinny lefty that throws hard, even if the 2010 stats don't support that. More potential than it may seem.
• Sebastian Vader (18), RHP, Rookie - typical 18 year-old reliever profile: young, tall, throws hard, shitty command.
• Brandon Waring (25), 3B/1B, Double-A - had an ok year at Bowie after a solid '09, lots of power, but has a hard time with the other stuff. Career minor league stat line of .270/.351/.504, which is solid.
• Brenden Webb (21), OF, Low-A - 30th round pick in '09, out of a JC in California. Hit .227 at Low-A last year. Stands out because he walks a ton (.348 OBP), and has (a little) power.
• Aaron Wirsch (21), LHP - Low-A - 2010 was a complete throw-away year for him; he's already 21 and still in Low-A, but lefties who can throw hard are considered prospects forever.