BA's NWL Top 20 Prospects

[Ajax68]

Fabio Castillo, Tommy Hunter, and Jacob Brigham all made it. Main and Feliz didn't qualify, but Alan Mathews said that Main would have been #1, and Feliz would have been in the top ten.

5. Fabio Castillo, rhp, Spokane Indians (Rangers)
B-T: R-R Ht: 6-3 Wt: 220 Age: 18 Signed: Rangers FA '05
Spokane had the league's best collection of pitchers, and Castillo has the most upside. He has a durable frame and an easy delivery, producing fastballs that sit at 92-93 mph with heavy sink and occasional boring action. His breaking ball is a hard, short-breaking slider that parks at 83 mph and peaks at 86.

Castillo's changeup is a rudimentary third pitch. He has below-average command because he doesn't repeat his delivery and tends to fly open, causing his elbow to drag and his stuff to flatten out. But his arm works well and there were few NWL arms who could match the life on his fastball.

"He was the best guy they had," said the second AL scout of Castillo's stock among Spokane's stable of arms. "His fastball was solid with plus-plus life, and he was a real (tough guy to face). And he was around the plate with surprising feel for an 18-year-old to locate."

7. Tommy Hunter, rhp, Spokane Indians (Rangers)
B-T: R-R Ht: 6-4 Wt: 250 Age: 21 Drafted: Rangers '07 (1S)
At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Hunter doesn't look like much a prospect, but he has two plus pitches and solid command. A two-time junior Olympic champion in judo, he also has much more athleticism than his figure suggests.

Hunter has a low-90s fastball, and though Spokane used him judiciously as a reliever, he showed the ability to maintain his velocity late into outings as a starter in college. His curveball comes in at 82-84 and at times has power and hard, tight spin. He tends to get around it, causing it to flatten out, but it has put-away potential.

"His curveball is what sets him apart. It's one of the best in the league with good angle and depth," Spokane manager Tim Hullet said.

20. Jake Brigham, rhp, Spokane Indians (Rangers)
B-T: B-R Ht: 6-3 Wt: 195 Age: 19 Drafted: Rangers '06 (6)
Brigham has the components necessary to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter. He has a durable, athletic build and a clean, simple delivery that he can repeat. His fastball ranges from 90-94 mph and it jumps on hitters thanks to some deception in his delivery. He holds his velocity deep into games.

He doesn't have tremendous arm speed, so Brigham will have to improve his command in order to achieve his ceiling. His breaking ball shows plus break with three-quarters tilt, though it's inconsistent. He'll mix in a cutter against lefthanders and has rudimentary feel for his changeup.

[Ajax68]

Ranger highlights from the chat are listed below. In short: Castillo has trouble repeating his delivery right now. Andrew Laughter throws 94 with a sharp slider and is a "very interesting guy." Ryan Falcon put up great stats but has fringy stuff. Again, Main would have been #1 if he had qualified. Jonathan Greene has above-average raw power but is not a real catcher.

Q: Rich Minford from Boone, NC asks:
I want to ask about the prospect status of Spokane catcher, Jonathan Greene, who was drafted in the 8th round this year by Texas. Interestingly after playing catcher in high school,Greene played 3rd and OF at Western Carolina which speaks for his versatility. At the HS level,he was a legit 5 tool guy and a very tough competitor, so I'm curious how he stacks up in pro ball. After hitting 11 home runs at Spokane,Greene was invited to Ranger instructs.

A:
Alan Matthews: Greene was a topic of conversation with some managers, but when the scouts graded out his toolset, he came up short. His versatility might be a product of the Rangers trying to maximize his value. He is not a real strong defensive catcher, and his bat is going to have to carry him. He has above-average raw power and managers appreciated the way he went about his work.

Q: Adam J. Morris from Houston, Texas asks:
I'm guessing Michael Main and Neftali Feliz didn't have enough time in the NWL to qualify for the top 20. Would they have cracked the list, and what are your thoughts on the future for those two Rangers prospects?

A:
Alan Matthews: Neither Main nor Feliz qualified. They would have both ranked in the top 10. Main would have been No 1. He's got a quick, clean arm action, and began to make some adjustments in his approach to pitching. He has a power breaking ball with tight spin, more than just feel for his changeup. He's been up to 97 mph in the past, and was checking in with 93s and 94s in the NWL. One scout compared him to Mike Mussina with a slightly firmer fastball, and don't forget that Mussina could bring it in his prime, too. Feliz is less polished, but as one of the players the Rangers received from Atlanta in the Saltalamacchia trade this summer, he figures to add some depth to the Rangers system. He needs to work on his secondary stuff, but has big tools and a fastball that has been up to 98.

Q: Todd from Chattanooga asks:
Thanks for the time Alan! Quick question about Juan Ramirez. Do you really believe this kid has something more than just potential? I realize that he is only 19, but do you really feel he'll fair better against stiffer competition in higher level ball? Is it just a matter of him getting his control together? Mechanics seem strong but averaging 5 walks per nine!

A:
Alan Matthews: I was skeptical as I was interviewing scouts, and the numbers of both Ramirez and Fabio Castillo are underwhelming, for sure. At times, both pitchers lose their release point and have a hard time finding it again. But that's something that was said about dozens of pitchers who are cashing big league paychecks right now, so I tried to take into account the entire package on these guys. They have clean deliveries, arm speed, can spin a breaking ball--even if it doesn't wind up where they always want--and create plane. The ingredients are there, it's just going to take time.

Q: Dave Cline's Baseball Camp from NC asks:
Alan, Where did Dave Cline's alum Rayn Falcon (who attended your alma matter Northern High School) fit in in the NWL mix? He had a stellar 2.68 ERA.

A:
Alan Matthews: And the leader among deep-cut questions thus far, this one might even be hidden-track material. . . Falcon was one of two Dave Cline's Baseball Camp alumni in the league, along with Yakima righthander Jason Neighborgall. Of course, Neighborgall continues to struggle with his command, whereas Falcon just pounded the zone with fringy stuff. He turned some heads because of his aggressive approach and willingness to pitch to contact, two traits I believe I worked on with him when he was a 13-year-old camper, but with a fastball that was sitting at 83-86 mph, he didn't make the cut.

Q: Bob from Spokane, Wa asks:
Do either of Spokane's most reliable relievers this summer, Ryan Falcon and Andrew Laughter have any chance of moving throught the system?

A:
Alan Matthews: We have already touched on Falcon, but Laughter was another guy who drew lots of interest and contended for a spot on this list. He might have been the most consistent pitcher of the year for Spokane, although he's almost 23. He has a sharp, short-breaking slider that got lots of empty swings. His fastball was up to 94, and he also throws a changeup. He hides the ball well, and it has good sink. Very interesting guy.

[Ajax68]

I wish I could have asked why Evan Reed wasn't on the list.

[uthornfan]

Reed didn't throw enough innings. In the chat yesterday, they explained that there are two ways for a pitcher to be eligible. Here is what Aaron Fitt said.

"It's kind of a screwy little quirk of the qualification system -- in short-season leagues, a starting pitcher needs to throw one-third as many innings as his team's games played, and a reliever needs to make 10 appearances."

Reed, if classified a starter, would have needed 24 innings and he only had 17 2/3. If he was classified as a reliever, he would have needed 10 appearances and he only had nine. Same with Feliz who threw 15 innings over eight appearances.

Hunter was used solely in relief and had 10 appearances so he was eligible.