Guzman, LA SS; Jackson, ARI OF/1B; Quentin, ARI OF; Encarnacion, CIN 3B
These are the top four prospects to draft in my league this year (excluding pitchers, whom I don't waste a draft pick on). Pretty thin, huh? Anyway, all the "can't-miss"es were taken last year (with yours truly having the distinction of drafting Franklin Gutierrez in an NL-only league, only to have him traded to Cleveland a week later). If anyone has seen these guys, please toss in your two cents worth. Thanks.
Guzman - He is pretty raw as far as top prospects go, but has lots of talent. Needs to work more on his plate discipline, which right now is about the only thing that should stop him from becoming very good down the line. Also like a few have said, he is almost a lock to move to 3B or OF ... he's going to be just to big.
Quentin - Has a good bat and power. He can be pretty agressive at the plate, but he has good plate discipine and doesn't strike out much. Profiles as a proto-typical RF in the majors.
Encarnacion - I haven't been that big on him lately, but I liked what I saw from him during ST. Has some quick hands and I think his best is yet to come.
Jackson - Most would probably view him as higher then Encarnacion, but I'm not that high on him. From everything I hear he is going to be a 1B in the future, cause his LF defense is pretty bad. That hurts him a bit in my eyes, while he does have a good bat ... he doesn't have the power to be a great option at 1B.
I agree with Hybrid's rankings. Of Guzman,Quentin,Encarnacion and Jackson. Guzman is going to be a great hitter but there is his positional question. Quentin has great upside but suffers from a case of the injury bug. So if he stays healthy he'll be a top player. Encarnacion is still a question in my opinion, and I own him in a league im in. He has great potential in all 5 tools, but he doesnt stand out in particular in any one of them, leading you to believe that he will be a solid to avg. player. But I do think he will keep improving and be generally better than expected. He is also a great defender. Jackson is an enigma as well, more write-ups are done on Quentin. I know Jackson has great power but i havent heard much else that makes him special, and he has the positional problem as well. Anyways just my two cents.
What about the question of Guzman eventually ending up playing in Chavez Ravine? Wouldn't an above-average Arizona prospect be more valuable than an exceptional Los Angeles prospect? And the same would apply to Cincinnati, the new launching pad of the east? Thanks for all your inputs.
To put it simply, no. You can make the case that Guzman is right up there with the best raw power prospects in the minors, also should play a thinner position at 3B (once he is moved off SS).
Encarnacion isn't really close to the prospect Guzman is right now, Guzman has a substantionally bigger upside. Also according to "Bill James Handbook", the Reds ball park isn't as hitter friendly as you would think.
you shouldn't take into account where a prospect plays TOO much because of the possibility of a trade or some other unknown factor... these guys are good examples because Chavez Ravine is currently undergoing renovations and Arizona has a glut of outfielders. who knows where Quentin or Jackson will even be next year (probly still in Az, but you never know) .. same goes for Encarnacion, Ian Stewart, anybody
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by GarnerPhils » Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:03 pm 
