FanPost

AZ Prospect watch

Dayn Perry just finished his top 100 Prospects at foxsports.com: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5395268
It's another reason for optimism for D-Backs fans.  
Here is the breakdown in terms of #s of prospects in the top 66 (#66 is the worst rated D-Backs prospect in the top 100, and I got too tired to continue counting).  

  1. D-Backs
  2. Dodgers
  3. Marlins
  4. Angels, Red Sox
  5. Royals, Indians, Pirates
  6. Twins, Nationals, Brewers, Orioles, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers, Padres
  7. D-Rays, Yankees, Cardinals, Braves, Rockies, Giants, Mets, Cubs, A's, White Sox
  8. Reds, Astros
Of course this is just one man's opinion, but it certainly is nothing but good news for D-Backs fans.  And with the likes of AZ and LA on the rise, it looks like the NL West might not be the laughing stock of the MLB in a few years.  A few notes about the D-Backs and then the NL West in his rankings.  First, he ranks Chris Young, our best prospect at #3 (!) and says he should be the next coming of Eric Davis.  That's music to my ears, as Eric Davis was my favorite player in my youth.  Justin Upton comes in at 12, Drew at 23, Quentin at 34, Carlos Gonzales at 26, Dustin Nippert at 48, Conor Jackson at 56 and Garret Mock at 66.  Very nice.  For all the issues those in this Snake Pit had with Garagiola's dealings, his handling of the draft certainly shouldn't be questioned.  In fact, it seems that while his trading savvy decreased over time, his savvy on draft day (er... week) increased.  From this fan: thanks Joe.  Oh, and to spread a little more love to the new GM, it certainly seems more and more that the Javier Vazquez deal with the White Sox was pretty darn good as well.  
This paints an interesting picture in the NL West in the near future as well.  The Padres have two in the top 66.  One of whom is Josh Barfield (53) who will get the starting 2B job this year, and the other Cesar Carillo (62) a RHP.  With their offensive stars quickly aging (Giles, Klesko, Castilla, Cameron, Roberts, Piazza), as well as their rock in the bullpen, Hoffman.  That certainly can't be good news for Padres fans.  The Giants picture is just as bleak, with only one player cracking the top 66, pitcher Matt Cain (21) who came up last year and joined the big club.  And finding a young guy on this club is like finding a young guy in Sun City: Bonds, Finley, Alou, Vizquel, Durham, and Matheny are all ancient.  Finally, the saddest team of the bunch is the Rockies.  The Rockies amaze me.  I know the MLB club is already young, but ONE guy in the top 66?  Oh boy.  If you're a Rockies fan, you're going to be waiting a long time to see the top of the NL West.