This index is meant to help you navigate through all of the minor league previews from both this season and last season. All of the reports from last year are already linked, including the preseason and midseason Top 50 fantasy prospect lists. Links to this year’s previews will go live as each report is published, beginning with the Phillies and ending with the Cardinals (we’re using the 2016 MLB draft order as our guide this year). By the spring, this index should make it easy for you find a specific team’s preview and compare the changes from year to year in both the organizational and overall prospect rankings.
2016 Minor League Preview Index
| PHILLIES | 2015 | 2016 | INDIANS | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REDS | 2015 | 2016 | TWINS | 2015 | 2016 |
| BRAVES | 2015 | 2016 | NATIONALS | 2015 | 2016 |
| ROCKIES | 2015 | 2016 | GIANTS | 2015 | 2016 |
| BREWERS | 2015 | 2016 | ANGELS | 2015 | 2016 |
| ATHLETICS | 2015 | 2016 | ASTROS | 2015 | 2016 |
| MARLINS | 2015 | 2016 | YANKEES | 2015 | 2016 |
| PADRES | 2015 | 2016 | RANGERS | 2015 | 2016 |
| TIGERS | 2015 | 2016 | METS | 2015 | 2016 |
| WHITE SOX | 2015 | 2016 | DODGERS | 2015 | 2016 |
| MARINERS | 2015 | 2016 | BLUE JAYS | 2015 | 2016 |
| RED SOX | 2015 | 2016 | ROYALS | 2015 | 2016 |
| DIAMONDBACKS | 2015 | 2016 | CUBS | 2015 | 2016 |
| RAYS | 2015 | 2016 | PIRATES | 2015 | 2016 |
| ORIOLES | 2015 | 2016 | CARDINALS | 2015 | 2016 |
| 2015 Preseason Top 50 | 2016 Preseason Top 50 | ||||
| 2015 Midseason Top 50 | 2016 Midseason Top 50 | ||||
| Top 25 Dynasty League Signees | |||||
Thanks for doing these Mike. Did u want to start with the Phillies just to give yourself some hope? Longtime suffering cub fan here so I get it! Thanks for the link setup, it was cool to have a good way to go back and check them out!
I am getting used to reading RB’s minor league review of the Cubs in late spring, but still anxious to read your thoughts!
anytime Gray
haha yeah it was all an elaborate ploy to start with the Phils!
I’ve been rooting for your Cubbies!
Thanks, Mike.
no problem
Bookmarked and ready to roll. Nice format Mike, you’ve made solid improvements for this coming season.
thanks Matt! now I just have to write the darn things lol
Thanks Mike!
Early thoughts on who to use my minor league keeper slot on?
Giolito
Judge
Moncada
anytime…I’d go with Moncada
Sweet, thanks! Bookmarked here, too.
no problem :)
Can’t wait! When does Philly drop?
putting it together now, so they’ll start rolling out either Sunday or a week from today
@Mike: Eggcellent news Mike-L. Sadly my Rockies will be soon to follow. At least the Phillies can actually say they are in a rebuild… We are in a nonbuild, even kept our lousy manager
nice…yeah I don’t really “get” the Rockies for lack of a better word
@Mike: ugh
seems like position player wise thay’ve got a ton of talent both in the bigs and on the farm. Mayber they have a hard time getting FA pitchers to come to them? I have no idea
@Mike: Yep totally, and since ’05 or so, they have valued having “good guys” and clubhouse guys more than they should, more than is sane. I mean come on, they intentionally started the year with Hawkins as their closer… They play underwater reverse moneyball and instead of OBP they look for who can slap a good towel in the shower… hmm that didn’t sound right… If only we had kept Jason Hammel and countless other pitchers that had some success here… 2007 and 2009 was about good-enough pitching. Didn’t hurt to have Ubaldo at the time too. I do think Gray and Bettis could be good-enough to keep them in plenty of games though. Ottavino’s injury was the death of their season
word…they had it cookin in 07. I always forget how money Ubaldo was
@Mike: I was at game 3 NLDS when they swept your Phils, got to game 3 and 4 of NLCS sweep too and WS game 4 reverse sweep :(
oh nice! I was at Game 1!
@Ra’zbahl Al Ghul: Nice! Phils were no joke in ’07 too. When the Phils went on to win it all in ’08 it gave me condolence pride that we kept em down in ’07
ah, the good ole days when I was still living in Jersey and the Phils were in the playoffs haha
@Ra’zbahl Al Ghul: oh yeah, with ottavino they’d have done very well for themselves, one better closer would certainly have really fixed that team.
Hey Mike,
Thanks for this. Also quick question. In top prospect lists, how high up do you think AJ Reed will end up being on them? I have the 7th pick in my minor league draft and I am praying he will be available for me to take. Keep in mind that every team can have 3 minor leaguers, so a bunch of minor leaguers are already off the board.
Thanks!
@claw dog: Reed looks like he could be a future monster for sure
@Ra’zbahl Al Ghul: Yea I’m thinking so too. My current 1B in my keeper league is Encarnacion and I think Reed may be the perfect replacement. Then hopefully I could get something in return for E5
anytime…I had him in the back half of the midseason top 50 for fantasy. Traditional lists might ding him for defense (1B/DH type) but I don’t see any way he’s not a Top 50 guy everywhere entering 2016
I really want to see where Alfaro ends up on the Phils list. He really is a crazy guy to rank. The tools like one of the best for a catcher in the minors (if not the best), but he was hurt all of last year, and the numbers before were not really showing off what he can really do.
With that, I live near the AA Os affiliate, and they played the Phils in the Eastern league Finals. It was nutty to realize that the Phils basically had traded for a ton of the star power on that team for the playoffs. I had never really thought of mid season trades, and how they really do reshape the minor league clubs in the process. (Baysox ended up winning, but that team has no decent prospects- Mancini, Gunkel and Yasermetski are the highest upsides of that group- and that is basically a 1b only prospect with limited power, a tail end of the rotation guy and a 4th OF).
The Phils may be a 99 loss team, but they are clearly a top end farm system now. JP Crawford is a good centerpiece on any farm, and they picked up 3 more top 50 type guys dealing Hamels, not to mention Roman Quinn and his amazing speed (if he has not lost it). The system does need arms (Biddle is still one of their top 5 or so arms- and he has almost all but washed out)
I’ve got Alfaro in the first tier (although behind Crawford,Williams)
totally agree on the Phils…farm is a strength now and it runs deep. Shame on Biddle, TJS was the last thing he needed. Kilome was a nice surprise this year in the pitching department, but he’s still got a ways to go
@Mike:
the last thing he needed was another hail storm, at least he avoided that…. I have never seen a more freak injury mess a player up so badly
With all the players the Phillies got via trade this year I would think it would be a three part series
for real…there’s a bunch
@Mike: I wouldnt be opposed with some teams getting more than one or an expanded look
right on
@Mike:
The Phillies should almost get 3. One for their own drafted and grown players, one for the guys they traded for, and one for the guys who are now just hitting the bigs they gave away chasing the dream