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September 23, 2004

The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #11-20

The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #21-30
The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #31-40
The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #41-50

11. Kelly Johnson, of
After spending the majority of his minor league career as a shortstop, Johnson moved to the outfield full time in 2004, and was asked to repeat at Greenville to get used to the switch. He responded with one of his best offensive seasons to date, hitting .282/.350/.468 with 16 homers and tied for the franchise lead in doubles with 35. He strikes out a decent amount, but his K/BB ratio is 2.08, so I'm not too concerned. He made eleven errors in the field, which should improve with time. Johnson should move into the Richmond outfield in 2005, with an eye on making some noise in spring training.

12. Adam Stern, of
Not quite out of nowhere, but pretty darn close, Stern put up a very impressive year for Double-A Greenville. The former 3rd round pick (2001) out of the University of Nebraska battled back from an injury-plagued 2003 campaign to hit .322/.378/.480 in 394 at-bats for the G-Braves, including eight homers, 26 doubles, six triples, and 27 stolen bases (10 CS). He also spent most of August participating in the Olympics for Team Canada. At 24, he is a touch old to be considered a top prospect at Double-A, but considering this is only his second professional season with more than 150 AB's, he is moving along just fine.

13. Wilson Betemit, 3b
Betemit's back was up against the wall from the get-go this season, and he responded with the type of year that at least gives you a glimmer of hope that the former top prospect can be a contributor at the major league level in some way, shape, or form. He got off to a poor start in April - .555 OPS for the month - but had improved to a .824 OPS by the end of June, and actually joined the big club for a brief, yet unsuccessful, stint in May. He still strikes out too much (99 K/32 BB in 356 Triple-A at-bats), but his SEC of .280 was 3% greater than the IL average, and his OPS of .802 was 5% greater, all of this during his age 23 season. He may never reach the potential that many praised him with in the past, but I'd say he has a more than fair shot at earning a top reserve spot in the majors, which is ok in my book.

14. Billy McCarthy, of
When did we all of a sudden become healthy with outfield prospects? McCarthy started out strong at Greenville in 2004, hitting .300/.375/.485 in 233 at-bats before getting the call to Richmond in the second half of the season. He took no time at all to adjust, cranking out six homers and 13 doubles while hitting .354/.407/.539 in his 178 Triple-A at-bats. On top of that, he made just four errors in 108 games in the outfield between the two stops. The only drawback here is that he will be 25 when next season starts, so we are getting down to the nitty gritty in terms of productive years for McCarthy going forward.

15. Macay McBride, lhp
I liked Macay McBride a lot heading into the 2004 season. Heck, I had him as my #3 overall prospect in last years list, so of course I was disappointed to see him struggle this year. He had a tough time as a starter at the beginning of the season, but once he was moved into the bullpen, things started to click. He fanned nearly one batter per inning, so if he can cut down on the hits and walks just a bit (113 H, 46 BB in 103.1 IP), he could really entrench himself as the top lefty reliever in the organization, expediting his ascent to the majors.

16. Zach Miner, rhp
Miner got off to a hideous start in Greenville this season. In his first five games, four of which were starts, he gave up 27 runs - 22 earned - on 35 hits, 16 strikeouts, and seven walks in just 16 1/3 innings. That was good for an 0-3 record and a 12.12 ERA. Knowing that the season was still young, Zach battled the rest of the way and came away a better pitcher at the end of the season than at the beginning. He did have a bit of gopheritis - 14 HR allowed, most on the team - but the rest of the peripheral stats were ok: 2.02 K/BB, 7.74 K/9, 3.83 BB/9, 9.20 H/9. If his last start of the season is any indication (6.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 SO), Miner learned a lot this season that should carry over to 2005.

17. Scott Thorman, 1b
Thorman started out the season repeating Myrtle Beach after a poor 2003, but a hot start put him in Greenville after just 43 games with the Pelicans. He struggled with Double-A for the longest time, but things finally started coming together for him late in the season. Between the two stops, Thorman combined to hit .267/.344/.423 in 499 at-bats, with 15 homers and 25 doubles. He showed good strike zone judgment with a 1.80 K/BB ratio. Greenville looks to be his first stop next season, but he could work his way up to Richmond with another hot start.

18. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
Jarrod did everything you could ask for from a 19 year-old in his first year of full-season ball. He battled through a wrist injury in the middle of the season, and then had to shut it down near the end of the year with a hamstring tweak, but still managed to hit .272/.348/.437 in 323 at-bats, with 10 homers and 19 doubles. His OPS of .785 was 6% greater than the league average - especially impressive given his age and experience level. All indicators point to Jarrod continuing to progress as he moves up the ladder next season.

19. Blaine Boyer, rhp
Boyer had a very good year for the Pelicans, going 10-10 with a 2.98 ERA in 154 innings, fanning 95 and walking 49. He was a bit inconsistent at times, but invariably followed any poor start with a good performance the next time out. His strikeouts are a bit low for a guy who can bring it in the mid-90's, but I think it is just the continual process of learning how to pitch. He doesn't give up a lot of hits (8.06 K/9), so if he can widen the gap between his strikeouts and walks next season, his stock should really take off.

20. Gregor Blanco, of
Repeating Myrtle Beach in 2004 turned out similar numbers for Blanco nearly across the board:
2003: .271/.357/.375, 461 AB, 19 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 114 SO, 54 BB, 34 SB, 16 CS
2004: .266/.339/.401, 436 AB, 17 2B, 9 3B, 8 HR, 114 SO, 47 BB, 25 SB, 9 SB
Obviously, you would like to see more improvement in the second year, but Blanco will still only be 21 next season, hopefully in Double-A Greenville, so there still may be a chance he can contribute further down the line.

Posted by Brad Dowdy at September 23, 2004 07:46 AM

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Posted by: fan at September 23, 2004 09:03 AM

Posted by: Brad Dowdy at September 23, 2004 10:07 AM

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