Monday Morning Ten Pack

Prospects to Watch in the AFL

by BP Prospect Staff

Francellis Montas, RHP, White Sox (Glendale Desert Dogs)

Montas dealt with a knee injury that limited him to only 81 innings during the season, so his assignment in the Arizona Fall League is mostly about getting him some more work to finish out the year. The big right-hander’s main draw is a monster fastball that works 96-99 mph, with the ability to touch triple digits, and an 88-90 mph slider that has consistently been tightening over the last couple of seasons. While Montas has been working as a starter for the White Sox, I see the overall package playing out of the bullpen over the long-haul due to a max effort delivery and an arsenal that points more towards two viable pitches. His changeup does lag considerably behind the other two offerings. This is an arm that, if everything breaks right, can line up as a closer at the highest level. I’m intrigued to see Montas square off against the high caliber competition of this type of setting. The fastball and slider are likely to draw some rave reviews from evaluators in attendance, with the overall buzz on the arm having a good chance to swell heading into the offseason. –Chris Mellen

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

SS Tim Anderson (White Sox)
The hype of the prospect world is heavily centered around the game's current top-ranked prospect, Byron Buxton. Anderson is cut from the same cloth, gifted with a fast twitch trigger that allows him to accelerate his hands with jaw-dropping quickness and generate plus bat speed with relative ease. The swing is fast and loose, though the live-bodied 21-year-old lacks the muscle mass that is typically associated with power hitters. Much like Buxton, Anderson’s highly concentrated muscle density, particularly in the forearms, works with the barrel speed to generate above-average present power. He's a premium athlete defensively and on the basepaths. That athleticism, combined with the fact that he's not a completely natural shortstop at this stage, does lead to the temptation to move him to center field to speed his climb to the majors. But his first-step quickness and arm strength on quick releases allow him to compensate for some of his current puppy phase sloppiness at short and as he continues to gain experience. Anyway, the plate approach is still a ways from becoming major-league ready. If the bat was already major-league ready a move to the outfield for a 2015 debut would make sense, but given his location on the development curve the best action seems to be giving him another year to hone his craft at short and mature as a hitter. If he can develop even marginal on-base skills and improve his defense, Anderson has a realistic chance to become an impact asset for the White Sox. Alexei Ramirez is under contract for 2015 with a club option for 2016, Anderson's development will play a large role in their decision on that option

aw this guy must have a fountain of bullshit spewing in his back yard.

BP AFL Notes:

RHP Francellis Montas (White Sox)
He's been a starter for almost his entire career, and if the White Sox are hell-bent on developing him into a major-league starter then he's still a long way off. But if they are willing to shift him to the bullpen his stuff is ready. He sat 97-99 and touched 100 mph several times in his start against Salt River. His 89-92 mph slider has obvious power and the 87-90 mph changeup is a solid change of pace. He lacks the command to be a starter in the short term and there is very little deception to the delivery. The White Sox have pushed their prospects as aggressively as any organization, and if they are willing to move him to the bullpen then Montas' stuff should be ready for the South Side on opening day this year. When he gets hit, he'll get hit hard, but he should be able to blow away a significant number of hitters, too, and has a three-true-outcomes type of profile.

It's not a first choice it's the only choice.

Baseball Prospectus Top 101:
39. Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox
41. Carlos Rodon, LHP, Chicago White Sox

They don't like Rodon?

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

Wouldn't just about everybody in the baseball world be shocked if Tim Anderson turns out to be a more valuable/better player than Rodon?

That said, we can all agree Kris Bryant is the best prospect of all time.

How can you really compare an infielder to a pitcher anyway? People treat these ratings like some kind of gospel. It's really just fodder for conversation. No different than "The Year's Best Albums". That said, we can all agree Kris Bryant is the best prospect of all time.

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

Bigger than Kevin Maas?

You're right about the difficulties in comparing pitchers to infielders from a generic perspective. But in this case, it seems like Rodon is going to be bringing some top-end stuff to the majors very soon whereas Anderson's reputation seems to rest on his "athleticism" rather than his ability to play baseball.

The problem of comparing different positions is solved by using OFP (overall future potential). A scout grades a players tools based on the 20-80 scale and divides by 5. The scout then has 5 points he can add or subtract based on intangibles like makeup or position Let's say my OFP on Rodon is 58 and my OFP on Anderson is 55. That means I think Rodon has a higher future potential and is a better "prospect."

Anderson has shown he has a good feel for the game and is considered more than just an athlete.

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

was Kevin Maas a touted prospect? Thought he just had a surprise year in the bigs...

I don't waste my time with the Cubs.

Then the chances are one of these two never make it and the other one has a one in three chance of making it... worse then a coin flip.... so don't worry about Sox prospects...they have only a .167% chance of making it.(MAYBE).

Using JORR prospect chances of making it algorithm ... if 2 out of 7 Might make it as a starter (MAYBE).

Then the chances are one of these two never make it and the other one has a one in three chance of making it... worse then a coin flip.... so don't worry about Sox prospects...they have only a .167% chance of making it.(MAYBE).

I hope you enjoyed your three (and counting) years of losing