With the regular season rapidly coming to a close, now is the time to acknowledge that 29 of Major League Baseball’s franchises will end the campaign looking towards the future, waiting anxiously for next year to begin. Created as a collaborative effort then delegated amongst our staff for even further analysis, Project Prospect is proud to bring you the first installment of our 30-part, team-by-team Top 5 Prospect Rankings.
| Our Top 5 Washington Nationals Prospects at the end of the 2007 Season | ||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos | Notes | Age | Level | |||||
| 1 | Chris Marrero | LF | 06's 15th overall pick slugged 23 HR (.484 SLG) across two levels this year | 19 | A+ | |||||
| 2 | Ross Detwiler | LHP | Electric arm, high-end upside; needs to find command to realize potential | 21 | MLB | |||||
| 3 | Michael Burgess | RF | Swinging like a high school junior again: .318/.421/.561 to start pro career | 18 | SS | |||||
| 4 | Esmailyn Gonzalez | SS | Prized international signee boasts .382 OBP (19:18 BB to K) but 0 career HR | 17 | R | |||||
| 5 | Jack McGeary | LHP | 1st-round talent; polished high schooler stolen from Stanford for $1.8 million | 18 | HS | |||||
| * Ages are as of 9/18/07 | ||||||||||
| ** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||
| *** Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||
| <<< Discuss these rankings | ||||||||||
1. Chris Marrero, LF (7/2/88)
There’s nothing exciting about a slugging, No. 15 overall pick hitting zero home runs in his first professional campaign. Jacking 23 HR as a second-year player? That’s better. After pushing through the South Atlantic League to the tune of a .293/.337/.545 vital, Marrero cooled back down to .259/.338/.431 in the Carolina League. Despite coming back to earth at an advanced level, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has continued to show promise in other facets; Marrero doubled his walk rate (14 BB in 222 Low-A at-bats vs. 32 BB in 255 High-A at-bats), maintaining a stagnant OBP clip despite the slide in batting average. If he continues to develop a keen eye to match his natural power stroke, Chris Marrero will entrench himself among the Top 25 prospects in the game come mid-2008.
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP (3/6/86)
In theory, needing a meager 33.1 frames of work before earning your first big league call-up could be a very positive thing. But the fact that Ross Detwiler currently has a WHIP just north of 1.50 is sure to suggest otherwise. Being rushed to the Majors or not, there are plenty of positives to be drawn up with regard to the Missouri State product, who posted a 1.15 WHIP and 35.5% K rate as the ace of the Bears’ rotation. The lanky 6-foot-5, 185-pound lefty boasts an electric arm with as much upside as any in the 2007 class, similar to Andrew Miller in 2006. If Ross Detwiler can find the command on the hill to start living in a world that rivals his natural abilities, his name could be tossed in among the best lefthanded pitching prospects around in due time.
3. Michael Burgess, RF (10/20/88)
All Michael Burgess needed to do as a high school senior was not fall off the face of the planet to realize his Top 15 overall potential for the 2007 MLB Draft. Burgess, however, did just that, pressing at the plate and miring in a season long slump because of it. A 5-foot-11, 195-pounder, Burgess is once again hearing his name mentioned in the same sentence as Gary Sheffield for more reasons than Hillsborough (Fla.) H.S. connections, reversing fortune with a stellar start to his pro career. The aspiring lefthanded slugger started his pro career by going .318/.421/.561 across two levels, launching 11 HR in his first 198 at-bats. By pairing a stellar start with the chip of being selected No. 49 overall on his shoulder, Burgess could to continue to send his stock soaring up the boards in the future.
4. Esmailyn Gonzalez, SS (9/21/89)
One of the most exciting prospects landed in last season’s international signing session, 17-year-old Esmailyn Gonzalez is already earning a good chunk of his $1.4 million bonus on the playing field. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Gonzalez is showing patience well beyond his years in the Gulf Coast league. Gonzalez has nearly as many walks (19:18 BB to K) as he does hits (26) in his first 33 pro contests, yielding a .245/.382/.311 line. Holding a wiry 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, the jury is still out with regards to Gonzalez’s power potential (zero HR in 106 at-bats), but there’s little doubt that the slick-fielding, switch-hitting shortstop has the skill set to continue to impress as he advances to higher and higher MiLB grounds.
5. Jack McGeary, LHP (3/19/89)
Kudos to the Nationals’ brass for pulling off a two-prong highway robbery: stealing heralded prep lefty Jack McGeary from both Stanford University and the 29 other MLB franchises in signability fashion with their sixth round selection. A polished high schooler with excellent command and surefire first-round ability, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder tabbed a $1.8 million bonus to forgo the storied Sunken Diamond in favor of the prolonged bus rides. With an advanced arsenal on the hill and a very high ceiling, Jack McGeary should make the Washington Nationals’ decision to break the bank with the No. 190 overall pick into a sound investment.
Honorable Mentions:
Furthering the depth of an already strong 2007 draft class, Washington also picked up Josh Smoker (LHP, 11/12/88) with the first selection in the sandwich round. A 6-foot-2, 195-pounder with a vast array of pitches, Smoker profiles as a heart of the rotation, inning-eating type. In a roller coaster ride of a 2007 campaign, Collin Balester (RHP, 6/6/86) has gone from sketchy to sketchier, where crucial vitals have hit the fan in Triple-A: 1.74 K/BB, 34% GB, and 17.7% strikeout rates. Balester earns his honorable slot on potential alone. Meanwhile, despite only advancing through short-season A-ball, Glenn Gibson (LHP, 9/21/87) lands his for excellent numbers (3.87 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP) this campaign. Jordan Zimmerman (RHP, 5/23/86), the team’s 2007 2nd rounder, is also someone to keep an eye on.
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.