Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570973
EAN num: 9780945164050
ISBN number: 094516405X
Label: Baseball America
Manufacturer: Baseball America
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 370
Printing Date: March 15, 2002
Publishing house: Baseball America
Sale Popularity Level: 1163709
Studio: Baseball America
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Rated by buyers -
This book is the best out there, by far, on evaluating a team's farm system. While 30 players certainly isn't comprehensive, almost all worthwhile prospects are in there (though it depends on how many legitimate prospects a team has). In the front, they rank teams on their overall farm system, and then have a series of Top 50 prospect lists (with several of their writers each having a say). I'm writing this well into the season, but its still worth picking up (I think they dropped the price several times, now its pretty cheap)-or if you're reading this deciding whether to get the 2003 edition when it comes out (should be more of the same).
There are plenty of things to like in the team sections. They give a good run-down of the organization's condition and what the future may hold. The prospect reports contain a lot of good stuff, including reports from instructional league and accurate scouting info. BA tops the statheads, who aren't really in the same league. I can remember a few years back, people looking at spreadsheets and calculators claimed Torii Hunter would never hit...slap hitter at best...would fight for a 4th outfield job...good defensively. It was BA that kept ranking him high, even as he hit .230 in AA. Turns out: Gold Glove, 27 homers last year, looking at 30+ this year, MVP candidate, etc. Tools matter.
There are a few things I found to be a bit off. First of all, they put more weight on pitchers than I would like. There are very few impact pitchers in the Bigs, but if you read this prospect book on its own, you would think there's about 100 more on the way. Obviously thats not the case...injuries take a toll and many simply don't pan out (or don't meet expectations). Then there's unheralded guys who come through...position players are much more projectable and thus should recieve more benefit of the doubt. One slight complaint: I would like a bit more draft info, maybe a list of all players that signed and the level they are expected to start at (there is a brief draft review for each team already).
Rated by buyers -
If the kid is a prospect, he's in this book. Detailed scouting reports of the top 30 prospects of each team. Also contains an analysis of each team's farm system and projections for the future. If you want to find the stars of tomorrow, start here.
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