Talking Chop

John put up his top 20 list over at Minor League Ball today. Here are the first 10 from that list...

Atlanta Braves Top 20 Prospects

1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Grade A-
   
2. Chuck James, LHP, B+
   
3. Elvis Andrus, SS, B
   
4. Joey Devine, RHP, B      
   
5. Yunel Escobar, SS, B      
   
6. Max Ramirez, C, B
   
7. Eric Campbell, 3B, B
   
8. Brandon Jones, OF, B
   
9. Beau Jones, LHP, B
   
10. Anthony Lerew, RHP, B-

I have seen quite a few of these guys and have spoken to a bunch of people within the Atlanta organization. In general, I think this list is a fairly accurate portrayal of the Braves system, but I do have to disagree with John on a few of these players.

The first player who jumps out at me is Anthony Lerew. Ok, maybe it's not so much that he is a B- prospect. I can live with that. But 10th behind Brandon Jones, Beau Jones, and Eric Campbell? Lerew has a legitimate shot at a rotation spot and soon. His stuff is real good even if it's still developing.

I'd also love to believe this ranking, but there's just no way Max Ramirez is the team's 6th rated prospect...at least at this point in time. Sure, his bat looks solid and he's performed in each of the past three short seasons, but remember, he's also a 21 year-old converted catcher who has yet to reach Rome. While his walk percentage is strong, he tends to strikeout quite a bit (50 in 204 at bats in 2004 and 41 in 239 at bats in 2005). I agree he can be a steady player, just not the Braves 6th rated prospect.

Finally...John admittedly is a big fan of Chuck James. I'm not quite as high on the lefthander as Mr. Sickels. Something about James scares me. I'm not sure what it is exactly. The numbers support his climb up the charts. That's for sure. But I wonder how James will react to his first taste of adversity. Will his pitching repertoire be enough to overcome the difficulties he may encounter? I'm not so sure.