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THE NON-PROSPECT RANKINGS by Jason Martinez posted 6/13/08 Minor league farm systems are divided by players that are considered "prospects", young players who project to be quality-to-superstar caliber major leaguers, and "non-prospects", players who project to be major league role players, at best. Considering there are far more of the "non-prospect" types, there is no shame in being the 'best of the rest'. Here it goes: 1. BRIAN MYROW, 1B, AAA PORTLAND: This 31 year-old 1st baseman is at least 7 years removed from the last time he was considered a "prospect". But even in the hitter-friendly PCL, a .356 BA/ 482 OBP/.584 SLG is pretty damn impressive. The left-handed batter will probably never get a chance to be an everyday first baseman in the big leagues but he's proving that he could probably help someone as a DH in the American League or coming off of the bench for a team like the Padres. 2. GREG BURKE, RHP, AA SAN ANTONIO: After bouncing back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen in his first two seasons with the Padres, the 25 year-old right-hander has finally settled in as the closer for the Missions in 2008. And he's been real good, posting a 1.30 ERA with 6 saves and 51 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched. The reason I think he'll be a major league pitcher: only 9 walks in '08. In 284.2 innings pitched in the minors, he's issued just 56 walks. 3. CHIP AMBRES, OF, AAA PORTLAND: Ambres is 28 years -old and has had all of 148 major league at bats. In 2005, he batted .241 with 4 HR's, 9 RBI's, and 3 SB's in 53 games with Kansas City. He had an RBI single in three AB's with the Mets last season. Not much of a chance to prove he belongs, huh? Still, Ambres is enjoying his finest season as a pro, batting .308 with 13 HR's, 50 RBI's, 18 2B's, 3 3B's, and 7 SB's. I would love to see him get a chance with the Padres, although that likely won't happen unless there's an injury. Maybe we'll get to see him when the rosters expand in September. 4. STEPHEN FARIS, RHP, AA SAN ANTONIO: Like Josh Geer and Cesar Ramos in 2007, this 23 year-old right-hander is proving that you don't need to throw very hard to get AA batters out. Take away one disaster of a start on May 1st (IP, 9 ER, 6 BB), and Faris has been terrific, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.76 ERA, 13 BB's, and 45 strikeouts in 52.2 innings of work. 5. PETER CIOFRONE, OF, AAA PORTLAND: Ciofrone, 25, doesn't hit for a lot of power or steal bases, but he's the kind of guy that could end up playing in the majors because he can hit. I compare him to a poor man's Frank Catalanotto, another left-handed hitting converted second baseman, who has a .293 career batting average and 83 HR's in parts of 12 big league seasons. |