2019 Post-season Farm Rankings - Group 1
Welcome to the post season 2019 MSB Farm System Rankings.
This is not meant to be a one-sided article, but an all-inclusive discussion and debate. I have compiled prospect rankings, team reports and my personal overall system rankings that will be revealed as we go, but my hope is that this will stimulate discussion and debate. Prospects are very volatile in and of themselves, so any ranking of any sort concerning them will inevitably have several differing opinions.
Over the next couple weeks, I will publish my team reports in small groups. As each grouping is revealed there will be a poll for all to participate in and an open discussion concerning each group. I will compile a consensus list of the leagues rankings from the polls as we go and continue to update that ranking after each grouping.
To start, here is how I have compiled my reports and lists, and a little background as to my philosophy on prospects. Using twelve of the more well known prospect rankings lists (headlined by John Sickels, Baseball America, Fangraphs, and Baseball Prospectus), I have complied each organizations top prospect list. From those player rankings, I have ranked each organizations farm system and compiled my own MSB Farm System Rankings.
My personal philosophy on prospects centers more on potential and upside than closeness to the majors. I will rank a higher potential, lower minors player higher than I will a utility, major league roster filler type who is closer to the bigs. Sometimes that ends up biting me on the tookus, as we’re all aware of the TINSTAAPP principal and the rate of flameout for some, but in general the process tends to work well. I also value positional talent a little higher than I do pitching (again . . . . TINSTAAPP…) unless there is a clear reason to value the arm highly, but that is quite rare. Just look at the top pitching prospects over the past few seasons and you’ll see why I hold to this philosophy. Injury, flameout, or a general lack of anything more than mediocre performance is more the rule than the exception. Every once in a while an Aaron Nola or Noah Syndergaard slips through, but even then (as in Syndergaard) there is still injury concern. Very few and far between are the highly ranked pitching prospects that actually pan out into reliable, middle to top of the rotation arms.
The first article with the first group of reports has been published on the Mutiny site and those teams prospect lists have been attached here.
Rank the four teams in a reply and I'll tabulate the consensus rankings.
Thanks for participating.