I could write a paragraph summary of each system and why they rank where they do, but at the same time, you have 3,000 words or so on each team's system on the individual Top 11s, so why rehash things when the under-utilized but economical haiku will do? Links to each team's Top 11 are here for you to click through and review.
1. Kansas City Royals
The best, it's not close
Moose, Hosmer, tons of lefties
Tim Collins is small
2. Tampa Bay Rays
Always among best
A million draft picks coming
Wish one was Posey
3. Atlanta Braves
I am The Freeman
Latino arms cause envy
Julio this year?
4. New York Yankees
Slugger with no glove
The B's need to prove themselves
Yankees or trade bait?
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Bad one year ago
Alex builds through trades and draft
Still have a J.P.
6. Los Angeles Angels
Much more than just Trout
Free agents are for suckers!
OK, we messed up
7. Cleveland Indians
Few stars, crazy depth
Big-league infield: horrible
Kip, Lonnie are close
8. Philadelphia Phillies
Yin and Yang past Brown
Could explode, both directions
Always bet on tools
9. Cincinnati Reds
Triple-digit heat
Now wasted in the bullpen?
Many to catch him
10. Texas Rangers
Bevy of young arms
Please just let Scheppers relieve
We need hitters, too?
11. San Diego Padres
Lone slugger departs
Star prospects arrive in tow
Can't win without runs
12. Washington Nationals
Harper is a beast
Abandoning the eye black?
Fastballs to the back
13. Seattle Mariners
Ackley gets on base
But is there more to his game?
Sorry, not really.
14. Colorado Rockies
Matzek still waffles
Ace one day, mortal the next
Throw more strikes, lefty
15. Minnesota Twins
Strike-throwers en masse
That's a lot of outfielders!
The German lies low
16. Oakland Athletics
Fat walkers are gone
Replaced with tools and upside
Why is Carter blocked?
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
Yes, still digging out
Turnaround looms with huge arms?
Will still take some time
18. Los Angeles Dodgers
First-round pick is mocked
Yet signs, as divorce lies low
Eat something, Gordon
19. Boston Red Sox
Many steps backward
A-Gonz takes away the depth
Money will fix that
20. Arizona Diamondbacks
Dan Haren departs
To show for it: not enough
Parker must bounce back
21. St. Louis Cardinals
Working their way up
One stud arm, surprising depth
Big-league deal for Cox?
22. San Francisco Giants
Rings over rankings
Posey and MadBum excuse
Little beyond Belt
23. Chicago Cubs
Garza plunders depth
Wasn't so good to start with
Sign more football stars!
24. New York Mets
Spending low in draft
Over-slot deals? Never, sir!
Blame it on Madoff?
25. Chicago White Sox
Needs bulk, lit’rally
Sale's invisible sideways
Wading-pool shallow
26. Baltimore Orioles
One stud pitcher looms
Top shortstop pick, far away
But really, that's it
27. Detroit Tigers
Rush those big pitchers!
Rush those athletic hitters!
Too bad they're not good
28. Houston Astros
That's all you can get?
For Roy Oswalt and Berkman?
Old, bad, no help soon.
29. Florida Marlins
Why play Dominguez?
Not ready, not gonna win
And who will see him?
30. Milwaukee Brewers
We got Zack Greinke!
No! Seriously! Greinke!
Zack Friggin' Greinke!
Thank you for reading
This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.
Subscribe now
Each time someone reminds me
Rays passed on Posey
Some of these are brilliant,
Some are just one star.
I find this list depressing
But it could be worse
Are favored to win this year;
Crap! No, they are not.
Either a quirky putout
Or nice article
Hanley sprains ankle on field
Logan saves the play
Can a flag fly forever?
The future is sad...
No prizes for have the best
farm
Could entire podcast be
Spoken in this form?
no no no no no no no
no no no no no
keying error. My entry
was supposed to read:
What a fun idea!
Some of these are brilliant,
Some are just one star.
Ponder your syllable count,
Haikus - so complex.
But this is infectious
D'oh! Gone too far now.
Sergio Mitre will pitch
Prepare for homers
When they say "no overslot"
F-Mart to DL?
Less clever than it appears
Next year: limericks
K G's finest work ever
Uncultured dumb butt
fun fun fun fun fun fun fun
don't be sensitive :)
Don't swear. Don't be sensitive.
The thread's back on track.
Even the comments posted
Are all in haiku
Lots to get done not much time
This site will end career
Clicked on "plus," went more minus.
Admins, please debug!
(for serious, I saw his comment was rated very negative and didn't think that was appropriate, so I clicked the + sign and it went from -11 to -12. I tried again on Mr. Cthulu a few posts later and he went from -13 to -15)
faster than you could click plus.
Life's like that some days.
To hide all non-hauki posts,
Succeed? YES WE CAN.
Ridiculous response? Yes
Our readers? Insane
to baseball? Football gods will
surely get revenge
Especially this morning,
Welcome break from Sheen
No wonder Buffum and Kev
Get along so well
To value based ranking?
Correlation high.
(correlation: 0.92 vs. http://redsminorleagues.com/2011/01/07/john-sickels-farm-system-rankings/)
Break your heart. Still need to dream.
Spring is almost here.
Rated this haiku below
The viewing threshold
Sultans of pork smoke and brew
Hamrahi can smile
That all the non-haiku posts
Are getting minused
Got to Canada Tuesday.
Sooner next year, please.
Mine came to Toronto on
Friday last. Progress.
My copy arrived last Thursday
For my earlier typo
Please see correction:
My fellow canucks
My copy arrived last Thursday
All move to Calgary
I bought in store at Chapters.
Stupid move by me.
The best comment thread ever?
Keep it up, you freaks
Or Idols or Knives or Kahrl's prose?
But can it beat Joe?
There was no dang way
I could fit that link into
five-seven-five form
Poem was a one-off from work.
Still, thanks for the link.
Some Moose on Hosmer action
Prospect slash fiction
I had been disappointed
By the lack of stars
http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2010/04/24/haiku-california/
(Yeah, I'm a bit of a loon)
Link is appreciated
Describe in haiku
KG permits me to link.
I'll do so forthwith.
Yes I did not phrase in form
Of a Haiku, sigh
Val Kilmer rides his bison
My God I love him
But without payroll and youth?
Wait until next year
Deposed Egyptian Leader?
No, Royals corner hope!
Especially their shortstop
Named Dalek Jeter!
Could never love the Empire
Don't besmirch his name!
Yes, I'm a Mets fan
Ashamed and in torment from
Years of Minaya
Wishing for TARDIS
To fix Mets draft history
Wishcasting now done
Three times more than is correct
For proper haiku
You'd think Chicago would have
Something coming, no?
Is a dangerous question
For Professor Parks
Just no 4 Loko, thank you
Constitution's weak
Chavez in stripes - Crosby a snake
I am still so sad
if you had used proper form
but still was funny
as Josh Vitters hacks away,
lost in the tall weeds
Why no love for Prospect X?
KG hates Team Y
Minors has no star power
Need a new GM
Except for Houston Astros
Eternally bad
With yearly futility
OBP still sucks.
Has earned a vacation
But take your big hat!
Crushes winter delusions
This Mets fan is sad
Endless winter nearly gone
Somewhere Santo smiles
Rays, Braves, Yanks, Reds, Phils, Rangers
Can others break through?
GMDM on the job
Future nearly here
Plus glove, plus plus speed, can't hit
Fun to watch anyway
y old dude, but ya gotta
hand it to him, no?
Then come right back here for more
Prospectus Haikus
But I have no real talent.
Much like the Cubbies.
Or just cash in Wrigley's bucks?
Fans come regardless.
Yet I still got a chuckle
But I wept inside.
What are they drinking, you ask?
November champagne.
Is his defense improving?
Or just small sample?
Jason Kendall plays real hard
Old catcher grounds out
but can't pass up the chance to
use English degree
Never in a million years!
There is always time.
--------------------------------
Can't wait for a chance
to see A Gonz in the Fens.
Trade was so worth it.
a 3 WARP second baseman
eventually
Now: "what can Brown do for you?"
Phils win 1-0-2
Forty homers? Then the strikes
are "all in the game"
Podcast, articles, fun, beer
Why I love BP!
Anyway, it was certainly NOT meant to be insulting or inappropriate, and I'm sorry if that's how some viewed it.
That is not in haiku form
Has been downrated.
Neg the non haiku away.
Not personal, K?
friend, was not going five
to seven to five!
All is well! Despair
not, all will love you, just write:
Prospect, I dream you!
My count in line 2 above:
Haiku Lords forgive?
The comments make me laugh. I
Hope for no lost job.
now obsessed with 5-7-5
Will patients survive?
Distracts from everything
But today, haiku!
me forget Charlie Sheen is
still alive. Crazy.
Charlie Sheen is still alive?
I CAN'T PROCESS IT!
Too long to fit in haiku
Major League Two stunk
Jesus Christ can't hit curveball.
Curveball, bats are 'fraid.
Billy Butler's time up?
Release the Hosmer!
a mediocrity with
young ace shortstop? Tree!
Thoughts now stuck in same pattern
Gonna be long day
With no unions or prospects
They deserve better
have an actual question,
but can't write haikus?
out of luck unless you can
make a poem, friend.
Bridge of death must haiku to
Thee these questions three.
Language has limitations
Wait for the next chat?
It's all been downhill since.
Damn you, Ponzi scheme!!!
It's all been downhill since then.
Damn you, Ponzi scheme!!!
[sorry, forgot the "then"]
Prospects higher in hundred
And org rank lower?
Difference appears
To be what? Tate? Depth that good?
Read into too much?
Depth don't count unless there is
An East Coast bias.
...
D'OH!
Double Dactyls instead, please
Still, the haikus rock!
But important change of pace
New podcast is up!
In Haiku format as well.
Oh yes, how unique!
After ten minutes,
It would get extremely old.
My brain would 'asplode.
with three of the top five farms.
Poor Orioles fans.
Hope that Miley will come through
Can Hudson continue?
Reynolds- Baltimore
Laroche to the Nationals
Where'd the KOs go?
Our bench is loaded
With abunch of average vets
No star to be found
Upton must explode
Or the Diamondback future
Looks quite bleak indeed
Sofia Vergara share?
A love for Man-ny!
You please find a position
Orange and blue wait
At least we have Bryce Harper
September callup?
will they each have Tommy John
or will flags fly high?
be too much of a good thing?
Fuhgettaboudit.
is esoteric knowledge
shared playfully
Dumbledore, Methuselah:
Yankees rotation.
And which one's Methuselah?
Nova and Colon?
Love of baseball and haiku.
Subscriber base rocks.
still rostered? Divorce decree?
Die carrot top, die!
Why do haikus hurt my head?
From Haikus on monitor:
Read them, sans headbutt.
Below the threshold is odd
That's the way it goes
Baseball fans in spring
Will be a whole lot saner
Than in late winter
My Baseball Prospectus code
Or a Yes album name?
Drink shot for non-overslot
Blackout by Brad Holt.
Mets Top Twenty:
Drink shot for non-overslot
Blackout at Brad Holt.
Drink shot for non-overslot
Blackout at Brad Holt.
Parents, don't let your children haiku running on 24 hours with no sleep.
But I like his username
Infrancouergible
Not sure whether to re-up
Now a no brainer
Montero now more agile?
Killer B’s buzzing
Not quite sure why we do, but
get writing, people.
Is a good way not to work
Here comes dismissal!
Impressively creative
Are BP readers
Should have haikued the podcast
Use that Harvard ed.
Stayed for the haiku-a-thon
It is almost Spring.