No-one, I think, is in your tree, Professor. Excellent article again

Any thoughts on Rosell Herrera? Was he anywhere near the list?

I like the new format, after adjustment on my part, and recognize the amount of information packed into each profile. On your ETA's (recognizing it is an "estimate", after all), one quick question. Are they based at all on the MLB depth chart of the parent team ? Or is it on a "ML ready is MLB ready" basis ? There is no right or wrong way, of course, I just wondering how you appraoch the topic. Thanks.

This is down in the weeds, but Arenado (with all the emerging flaws & doubts as detailed above .. and still in the minors) is ranked above Wilin Rosario on the <25 listing?

With Matzek's stuff, shouldn't his ceiling be even higher? Albeit with more risk.

One more, if that's OK. How would Story's bat play at 2nd or 3rd if the Rockies move him eventually because of Tulo? Or would they do better trading Story to someone who needs a shortstop?

Could the 2015 Rockies infield look something like Arenado at 3B, Story at SS, Rutledge at 2B, Tulo at 1B, and Rosario behind the plate? Or do you see them sticking with Tulo at SS, Arenado at 3B, Story at 2B, and possibly Rosario at 1B?...it would seem that with all the problems Rosario had behind the plate this year, that maybe he profiles as 1B. I know he played a handful of innings at 3B(and was apparently awful), and if im not mistaken, 1B as well. I guess my question is where do you see Story, Tulo, Rutledge, Arenado and Rosario ending up in say...4 years? Will they look to move someone? Tulo for SP after his next monster season? I know I've seen this idea floated around, but it seems difficult to justify trading Tulo...

My other question concerns the OFs...with Cargo, Fowler, EYJr, Tim Wheeler, Dahl, Cuddeyer, etc., it would seem the Rockies have a plethora of guys that are either already good enough to be major league regulars, or cerainly have the make-up and potential to become regulars in the next few years. Would you see them ever trading Cargo? Its going to be hard to move Cuddeyer's contract, and I dont think you would get much for Fowler(given his home/away splits), or EYJr(given the overall perception about his abilities in general)...seeing as that Cargo, Fowler, Dahl, Parker, and Wheeler are all relatively young, what do you see happening out there?

The Rockies are an interesting team in terms of their major league needs and the depth they have on the farm. It would appear that SP isnt neccessarily the strength of their farm team, and its clearly the massive weakness of their major league team. Do other teams recognize such a glaring hole at both levels, and therefore use such as leverage in a potential trade? In other words, will other GMs attempt to "low-ball" them, knowing the desperate need for pitching and the overflow of talent in the OF and IF positions?

Sorry for the novel. I've been visiting BP for awhile now, but finally decided to pay for the prospect coverage. While I liked last year's to some extent(based on looking back over them the last few days), I don't think people are giving you enough credit for the immense quantity of data, information, and projections you've done for every player in the top 10. There are certainly a lot of sites that simply list the guys, and maybe add a little blurb if you are lucky. These are easily the most in-depth rankings i have seen, and far surpass others in terms of quality. Thanks.

DARIN RUF FOR LF IN PHILLY 2013!

Loved the article Professor. One question about David Dahl. Can you explain how Dahl is both polished for his age, and a long way off from his ceiling. Does his polish mean that he has a relatively high floor in addition to his high ceiling? Or is he just polished for his level/age which that doesn't have any bearing on his floor or ceiling?
Thanks

Minor correction: Zach Putnam was claimed by the Cubs last week, so he's no longer a Rockie.

Thanks. Makes more sense now. Also "healthy chunk of 18 year olds" should be the name of a punk band.

Just wondering, with a 7 fastball and an easy 6 borderline 7 slider why is Chad Bettis' OFP only a 6. What is stopping him from having closer upside?

I can't speak for the BP crew but for me a career-threatening injury does change a player's potential. From the primer:

"OFP (Overall Future Potential): The measure of all tool futures based on the projected growth and maturity of those tools. The individual grades are calculated and assigned proper weight, and the result of that division is the player’s OFP, or projected ceiling."

Bettis' plus-plus fastball is his calling card and velocity is the biggest component affected by a shoulder injury, thus hurting "measure of all tool futures"...in my humble opinion.

Jason,

Thank you for the write-up on Pomeranz. I was interested in your take on him.

I was also interested in your thoughts about Juan Nicasio. Of course, we were very lucky to see him be able to walk out onto the mound this year, much less be able to pitch.

But, in the baseball world, the view becomes rougher. He was much more hittable upon his return. Now he has to respond to the microfracture surgery on his knee.

I know he's 26 and no longer a prospect, but what are your thoughts about his future? An organizational guy, or a guy that still might be a rotational fixture?

Thanks for all of your responses to the posts!

Hmm.. regarding the Top 10 25 and Under, I think I liked the methodology where major league success would have somewhat more weight than minor league potential.. in other words, I'd slot Rosario over Arrendo and bump Chacin up a few slots.