What happend to Brandon Hamilton, he still can throw in the high 90's and he dominanted after he got demoted.

If Wilkin Ramirez continues to hit in Toledo I think it's far more likely that Guillen will be moved to DH in 2010 (after Sheffield's contract expires) to make room for Ramirez in LF.

Yeah, Hamilton should be on here. This is a terrible system and he's definitely one of their top 11 guys. He was probably a little rushed when he was in the MWL to start the year, but seemed to be much better in the GCL. He's probably more ready for the MWL now than he was a year ago.

"I still believe in Edwin Jackson, and I think that the Tigers got a real steal here."

How do you mean this? Are you simply saying that Jackson may turn into a fine pitcher or that Jackson is more valuable to the Tigers than Joyce would have been, or are you saying that trading Joyce to get him was a steal for the Tigers because Joyce is not very likely to succeed?

Porcello doesn't seem to get many Ks. Is he projected to be more a strike out pitcher as he matures, or is he always gonna be low on the K-rate?

Was Clete Thomas considered?

Hey Kevin - is there a reason Jeff Larish is included on the Top 11 and Top 10 U-25 lists? I was under the impression that there was a hard age limit of 25 for both lists, yet as you mention in your write up he is 26.

I would like to pursue the Jackson comment a bit further. I am curious why you remain so optimistic. I realize he won 14 games in 2008 and that he improved his BB rate (although it was still not particularly good) and ERA. But just about every other indicator either showed no improvement or showed decline.

His K rate declined dramatically and his K/BB rate also declined. He gave up more line drives and fly balls while his BABIP was lower than it usually has been which may account for the perceived improvement rather than actual improvement in his pitching. He also gave up home runs at a worse rate than in the past.

If you review Rich Lederer's graph of K & GB rates at Baseball Analysts, Edwin appears in the southwest (worst) quadrant, and his rates are not particularly close to average which bodes poorly for his performance going forward.

I am not so much disagreeing with your view as wondering on what it is based. I watched him a lot this past year and did think he showed more mound presence, so perhaps that is a reason to think he is ready to break out, but are there any other signs?

Dusty Ryan "has a chance to become the first player ever drafted out of [Merced College] to hit a home run in the major leagues"? Didn't he already do that with his first MLB hit on 9/7/2008?

Hey,

Just out of curisoity why was Kibler not listed? Was it age compared to level? He has posted solid rates at every stop.