Retro Mack - 2008 - So... Just How Accurate is Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect List?

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2008

As most of you know, BA comes out with the, so-called, ‘ultimate’ prospect list each year, ranking the top 100 kiddies in all of baseball. This isn’t done by a Mets fan, or someone who can only get his list printed free on a blog site (sic). No, this is the real deal, guys and girls, and BA can’t be wrong, right?
Well, here are all the Mets prospects listed over the 10 year period of 1991-2000. Let’s see all the superstars the Mets had predicted by BA:
2000:
34. Alex Escobar, OF - Also named #11 in 1999, and #34 in 1997. I’m pretty sick and tired of hearing how sad it is that this guy’s career never happened. Sad, my ass. He got hurt, players get hurt, and have to come back from it. Escobar hasn’t and he’s a bust. Period.
78. Pat Strange, RHP – Remember 2000 at St. Lucie? 10-1? The future King of Queens? Forgettaboutit… It was “stranger” even listing this lemon on a prospect list.
84. Grant Roberts, RHP – Also named #79 in 1999, and #29 in 1998. The smoking lamp is lit. Actually made it to the Mets for part of 5 seasons, the last being 2004 (0-0, 17.36). Last pitched in the Eastern League in 2005, and is probably Bogarting someone’s joint somehere in his home state of (where else) California.
1999:
No one new.
1998:
60. Ed Yarnall, LHP - Yawn. How the hell did this banana-head get on anybody’s list? Ed Yarnall? You gotta be friggin kidding me…
70. Preston Wilson, OF – Also named #94 in 1996, #43 in 1994, and #93 in 1993. Boy, what a disappointment this guy has turned out to be. Has batted .264/.329/.486 over the past 10 MLB seasons, but there won’t be a bust of him in Cooperstown someday.
96. Geoff Goetz, LHP – Boy, here’s a household name. Banged around minors for 8 years and never pitched a single pitch in the majors.
1997:
63. Terrence Long, OF - did play parts of 8 seasons for the Mets, Oakland, San Diego (batted .295 in 2004), KC, and the Yanks, but never put together any kind of career worth remembering.
1996:
2. Paul Wilson, RHP – Also ranked #16 in 1995 – One of the “famous future rotation” along with Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, and Juan Acevedo (pulled that name out of ass, didn’t I?).
17. Rey Ordonez, SS – Also ranked #20 in 1995 – Was Rey a ‘prospect’? I think he was, but did his career prove his value? 9 major league seasons, 3,115 at bats, and a lifetime hitting stats of .246/.289/.310/599… no, this was not a successful career and he had 9 years to prove me wrong.
21. Jay Payton, OF - Also ranked #96 in 1995 – My thoughts here are the same I had for Alex Escobar. Don’t care how hurt he was. Tough shit. He’s been a journeyman outfielder at best and a bust when it comes to a potential star baseball player. Fuk Jay Payton.
43. Alex Ochoa, OF – Boy I’m starting to really hate this dipshit list. How do we rate a ballplayer who has played the last 4 years for Chunichi and Hiroshima? Defintely not ever, never, a prospect, though he did have a decent journeyman career for 8 MLB seasons.
1995:
12. Bill Pulsipher, LHP – Also ranked #21 in 1994 – Ha ha ha… I could spend hours on this dude… simply put, no Bill, you’re not getting a trip to Hollywood for the next level on American Idol.
31. Edgardo Alfonzo, 3B – Also ranked #74 in 1994 – In 1997, came in 13th in NL MVP voting… was named in 1999 the Mets Player of the Year and won the NL Silver Slugger Award (2B)… also came in 8th in the NL MVP voting that year… played in the 2000 All-Star game. Was BA correct in listing the Fonz… yes! Is he a future HOFer? No.
37. Jason Isringhausen, RHSP – Another ‘can’t miss’ Mets SP… didn’t happen, though he did turn that into an all-star career as a closer. Did he make the BA list because of his ‘closer’ potential? Hell no, so, in fact, this is a total bust when it comes to why he made the list in the first place.
95. Carl Everett, OF – Everett has had a very successful 14 year MLB career (.271/.341/.462/803, 202 HRs, 792 RBIs), but the last time I looked, he only played in 2 MLB all-star games. In my book, that’s not a prospect.
1994:
59. Kirk Presley, RHP – And you thought Ed Yarnall was a stretch? This jerk never got out of A ball. Please, find me one year’s worth of minor league stats under this guy’s name that warranted being put on the BA list.
70. Butch Huskey, 3B – Also, #92 in 1993, and #54 in 1992. – Okay, I can understand why this guy got on a list or 2… a member of the Double-A All-Star team… a member of the Eastern League All-Star team… a member of the Triple-A All-Star team… and named the International League Most Valuable Player But that’s it. Huskey was a another big-time Mets OF bust.
1993:
28. Bobby Jones, RHP – Which one? Bobby Jones!!!??? I gotta go to the bathroom…
61. Jeromy Burnitz, OF – Also ranked #50 in 1992 – Talk about a guy no one ever seemed to want to keep on his team… in his defense, has hit 315 homers and knocked in 981 runners over a 14 season career… but never hit .290+ in his career. Another big-time journeyman.
64. Brook Fordyce, C - Also ranked #47 in 1991. - Who? Frankly, I had to look this one up. Hmm… batted ,327 at K-Port in 1989.. and .278 for the B-Mets in 1992… but the Mets put him on waivers the following year… yeah, here’s a real top notch prospect…
74. Al Shirley, of, Mets – See, now here’s the perfect example of some child being allowed to work and speculate on a prospect list of so-called national importance. Shirley batted only 99 times in 1992 for K-Port, but hit .313/.457/.576/1033. So, why not put him on some prospect list instead of waiting to see what he does in a full season? You got it… 1993: around a .160 BA in 373 at bats… 1994: .213 in 437 at bats… 1998: thankfully, out of baseball. Oh yeah… Shirley had 23 homers in that 437 at bats for A-Columbia in 1994… he also had 208 strike outs!!!!!
1992:
18. Todd Hundley, C – Also #59 in 1991. - Those of us around in those days knew this guy was a juicer… had 71 HRs for the Mets in 1996-1997, and only hit 131 more over a 14 year MLB career. Give me a break. The best thing he did was become a cog in the Piazza deal.
55. Anthony Young, RHP – Also #26 in 1991. – I fully understand why this guy got on the 1991 list. Went 15-3, 1.65 in 23 starts for AA-Jackson in 1990. The problem is he went 3-30 for the Mets over the 1992-93 seasons. I would have made the same mistake here, but the fact remains, it’s a mistake.
92. Julian Vasquez, RHP - Can’t make any sense out of this one. Had a remarkable season for St. Lucie in 1991 (3-2, 0.28 ERA… that’s right, only 2 earned runs in 56 IP), but one minor league season as a relief pitcher doesn’t make you a prospect. He faded fast and was eventually traded in 1992 for Dick Schofield. Another premature listing.
99. D.J. Dozier, OF – Also #44 in 1991 – Now, here’s a dud (not a dude… a dud) I really don’t want to spend any time on.
1991
33. Pete Schourek, lhp, Mets – This list is getting hilarious. Pete Schourek a prospect… yeah, and I can flap my ears and fly to the moon.
98. Julio Valera, rhp, Mets - Another busterino who’s claim to fame was being traded with dipshit Vasquez for Schofield.
So, there you have it.
27 ballplayers listed over a 10 year period on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospect List.
# of players that made the majors: 19
# of players considered having an excellent career: 1 (Alfonzo)
# of players going to Cooperstown: 0
Good job, guys!
Mack

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