15)   Beau Jones -- 21 YO LHP  (2007 Trade acquisition from Atlanta)

As often as not, some relatively anonymous name from the low minors gets tagged on to a bigger trade.   At the time, they don't seem to be terribly significant.  Years later, however, the once anonymous name might turn into Aaron Harang or Edwin Encarnacion (both of whom previous Rangers regimes tacked on to the back end of bigger deals).   

A few years from now, any mention of the name Beau Jones, who was a last-minute addition to the Mark Teixeira deal, might very well  haunt Braves fans the way that any mention of  the name Aaron Harang contines to make me verklempt.

A true power lefty  who can bring his cheese in the mid-90's, Jones suffered from woeful command in his first professional season in the Braves system.   During his 2006 low-A Sally League season, Jones walked 83 in 110 innings of work.  In 2007 he improved immensely, doling out 24 freebies in 76.1 combined low-A frames between Rome (where he posted a 2.96 ERA out of the bullpen) and Clinton (2.70 ERA while starting in five of six appearances).   

Jones compliments his fastball with a changeup, which he regards has his second most reliable pitch, and a still inconsistent slurve.    He should return to Clinton in 2007.   MWL observers I talked to were excited by the potential of this young man, as lefties with his power potential don't come along very often. 

14)  Luis Alonso Rodriguez Mendoza -- 24 YO RHP (2006 Trade Acquisition)

I hate Adam Eaton as a player.  I'm sure he's a good guy and all, but I've always hated him as a player.    But 6'3" right hander Luis Mendoza has a chance to change that someday.   Because if not for Eaton, Mendoza would never have found his way into the Rangers organization.   

Days before the beginning of the 2006 season, the Rangers took a flyer on a minor league free agent pitcher named Bryan Corey.   A small, thin fireballer who had kicked around through the Tigers, D-Backs, A's, Padres, Dodgers, Cubs and Marlins organizations, Corey ascended to the the bigs after hugely successful swims through the Frisco and OKC bullpens during the summer of 2006,  but in spite of solid work in relief for the Rangers, he was the odd man out when Eaton returned from his annual stint on the 60-day DL, so he was designated for assignment and subsequently traded to Boston.

Here's the rule:  when taking a flyer on a marginal prospect in a minor deal, always -- always -- take the arm in return.   Not Rick Asadoorian.  Not Josh McKinley.  Not Chris Stewart or Rashad Eldridge or Fast Freddie or Enrique Cruz (not that there's anything wrong with those guys...).   

Get the arm.   Get Chris Young (in the Einar Diaz salary dump) and see what you can do with him.   Make Atlanta throw Beau Jones on the back end of the Teixiera deal.  Pick Luis Mendoza's name out of a hat when you have to unload Bryan Corey and see what he's got. 

It turns out he's got something.   Mendoza, a native of Mexico, was busy getting his rear end handed to him by double-A Eastern League hitters (6.38 ERA;  .356 opponents average)  during his second stint in the Red Sox organization (they had initially signed him as a 16 year old) when Texas acquired him and he was no better after arriving in Frisco (7.75 ERA;  .333 opponents average), but he experienced an epiphany during the 2007 season.

At first, it appeared that Mendoza was more lucky than good.  Yes, he went 8-0 for the Riders before the all-star break, but his ERA was still a relatively unsightly 5.35, primarily the result of extreme inconsistency.   Then Mendoza found his groove with the slider he added to his repertoire before the season and and by the end of the year, it was arguably the best of his five offerings (two-seam, four-seam, change, curve, slider).

In spite of the winning record, 2007 was a tale of two seasons for Mendoza, who made 26 starts for Frisco last season.   Only two of his first 13 starts qualified as quality starts while only three of his last 13 failed to meet the requirements of a QS.    Before the all-star break Mendoza's ERA was 5.35.   After the break, it was 2.59.   In 72.1 innings before the break, he had fanned 40 and walked 29, in 76.1 innings after the break, he fanned 54 and walked 19.

During July, Mendoza delivered the most consistent string of outings in his career, putting together a 1.51 ERA in six starts spanning 41.2 innings (for an average of a fraction under seven innings per start).   

When on his game, Mendoza works quickly and confidently, pitches to contact and keeps the ball down in the zone.   He is much more successful against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .235 / .315 / .336 line while lefties got to him at a .278 / .331 / .411 clip.

Teammates and opponents are very bullish on Mendoza, but I'm reserving judgment until I see more consistency out of the young man.   On his best day, he's a big leaguer.    I just want to see something close to his best day far more often than not and other than his overwhelming July run, I haven't seen it yet.

13) Zach Phillips -- 21 YO LHP  (2004 23rd Round DFE Signee May 2005)

Arguably the most underrated young arm in the system right now.  Perhaps the most notable thing about Zach Phillips in 2006 was his lack of consistency.  There were flashes of brilliance, but just as often he struggled mightily.   Repeating the MWL in 2007, however, Phillips emerged as one of the league's best, most underrated, and -- yes -- most consistent starters.

Phillips allowed four or more runs in just five of his 27 starts, never allowed more than five runs in a start, posted an ERA below 3.50 every month of the season (leading to a season ERA of 2.91, third best in the league), posted a 2.84 ERA in 13 starts before the all-star break and a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts after the break.

The 6'1" lefty racked up more strikeouts in his full MWL season (157 in 151 innings) than Eric Hurley did in his (152 in 157 innings) and he surrendered just six dingers all year while posting a 1.71 G/F ratio.   In spite of his high strikeout rates, he's become a more efficient pitcher, averaging just 2.55 BB's per 9 IP (after averaging 4.20 per 9 IP in 2006).

Phillips, who turned 21 after the season ended,  brings a 90ish sinker, a big droopy yakker and an improving change that allowed him to erect identical splits in 2007  (.255 / .309 / .322 vs. lefties and .244 / .303 / .312 vs. right-handed hitters).   

League observers are notably lukewarm about Phillips in spite of his very impressive stats.

It will be interesting to see what Phillips does in the hitter-friendly Cal League, but given his ability to keep the ball in the yard and on the ground more often than not, he figures to be a good bet to fare well and creep a little further up prospect lists.

12)  Raymond Thomas Hunter III -- 21 YO RHP  (2007 Supplemental 1st Round)

A couple of years ago, I would have been much more dismissive of Tommy Hunter than I can afford to be right now and that's because these days it's much harder to criticize the Rangers' judgment when it comes to finding and developing talent than it was earlier in this decade.

The last of the Rangers' five first round selections in the 2007 draft, big (6'5",  260 lbs.) Tommy Hunter is a guy the Rangers appear to have liked quite a bit more than their 29 MLB competitors.   

Baseball America pegged Hunter as a fourth rounder and Texas had been in close enough contact with him last spring that the Indianapolis native had no doubt that he would be a Rangers selection on draft day.   

Put differently, Texas scouts saw something in Hunter that everyone else must have missed.   That, or they were willing to overlook a flaw that no one else could bring themselves to ignore.

And to be a Hunter fan,  as the Rangers scouting and development people seem to be, this is what you have to ignore:  a doughy, ill-proportioned body;  not as much power coming out of the right arm on that frame as you'd expect, and -- as a college guy coming from a premier conference (the SEC) -- probably not a lot of projectability.

But the Rangers not only like what Hunter brings to the table, but they seem to think that they can bring more out of the big fella with a little tweaking.   Rick Adair has tweaked Hunter's delivery to improve his leverage,  get more of his heft behind the ball, increase his velocity and give his change more tumble.   

A power slurve remains his money pitch, but if Adair can help Hunter add a couple of MPH on his fastball (as he's succeeded in doing with many others over the past few years, including several more advanced college guys such as Doug Mathis and Kea Kometani), and improve his change (the focus of Hunter's fall instructional league tenure), then the Rangers "reach" to take Hunter with the 54th overall pick last June will be quickly justified.

Hunter was outstanding in relief for Spokane this summer (2.55 ERA;  13 K's and one walk in 17.2 innings of work), but he'll almost certainly find himself in a 2008 full-season rotation, his bullpen role with Spokane having been dictated by his heavy workload for the Bama Tide in the spring of 2007 (107 IP).

Hunter is a strike thrower with a track record of consistently going late into games and the book on him says that his velocity and stuff improve the longer he stays out there.   He led Alabama in innings pitched in each of his two seasons. 

Clinton's rotation figures to include Hunter at the front of the rotation.   I suspect the Rangers would like to see him pitch his way out of the MWL before the end of the summer.

11)  Omar Poveda -- 20 YO RHP (2004 International Free Agent Signee)

Before the Rangers truly began to mine latin american talent in earnest, they picked up Poveda and his story bodes well for the likes of Fabio Castillo, Wilmer Font, Wilfredo Boscan and the other talented young arms who have come into the system from the Caribbean over the past two years. 

Poveda's physical and mental improvements over the past three years suggest that the developmental people in the organization will know what to do with all of the raw material A.J. Preller and Don Welke continue to hand them.

Repeating the Midwest League as a 19 year old (and still one of the youngest players on that circuit),  Poveda established himself as one of the league's most dominant starters, posting a 2.79 ERA and racking up just under one K per 9 while walking just 32 in 125.2 innings of work.   His WHIP in Clinton was an ungodly 1.00.

Poveda pounds the strike zone with an average (but improving) fastball that has increased in velocity over the past 18 months (up from high-80's to 92ish, touching 94 on occasion), a fast-improving slider and one of the dirtiest changeups in the system.

In 2006, Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Rick Adair was concerned with Poveda's over-reliance on his changeup, but emphasized that the big (6'4", 200 lbs.) Venezuelan had plenty of room and time for improvement.   

Poveda had suffered from a deviated septum which had hindered his physical development and, prior to the 2006 season, the club arranged for the young man to have surgery to correct the problem.   It had an immediate impact on his development.   He finally began to get adequate sleep and added good weight to his then 180 lb. frame.  With that, came additional power.   

Poveda also made strides with his slider, and after posting dramatically unbalanced reverse splits in 2006  (.255 / .292 / .370 vs. LH and .307 / .355 / .486 vs. RH), he wielded equal dominance over both righties and lefties in 2007 (.205 / .254 / .330 vs. LH and .211 / .272 / .327 vs. RH).   The difference in the splits supports the more subjective assertions that both his fastball and slider and improved significantly since the 2006 season.

An August promotion to the Cal League was predictably rough and it appears that Poveda once again relied too heavily on his dirty changeup, as he posted the severe reverse splits that had marred his 2006 campaign (.210 / .279 / .371 vs. LH hitters and .304 / .400 / .457 vs. RH hitters).   One-third of the 62 at-bats Cal League hitters had against Poveda ended with a K.

Poveda, who won't turn 21 until next September, will return to Bakersfield in 2007, but should find his way to Frisco by August if he continues to demonstrate the capacity to learn and improve that he's demonstrated thus far in his brief career.  As always, I'll be watching his splits carefully to see where he's going.

20)   Jake Brigham -- 20 YO RHP  (2006 6th Round)

Brigham's draft status slipped in the weeks leading up to the 2006 draft and he fell to the sixth round.  The Rangers stepped up and gave him fourth round money to bring him into the fold out of a small Florida high school.    As a first year player in the AZL, Brigham posted a 3.70 ERA, fanning 58 in as many innings, but also walking 19 and hitting five batters.   This year, he was much the same pitcher in the NWL though slightly worse in most categories (3.16 ERA;  65 K's;  34 BBs;  11 plunks in 77 innings).   

Moroever, the league seemed to catch up to him.   After coming out of the chute strong with a 1.80 ERA in two June outings and a 2.03 in six July appearances (he held NWL hitters to a .176 average during the month), Brigham's ERA shot up to 4.40 in his final six starts during which the league hit .309 against him.   

In other words, I'm not seeing strong evidence that Brigham is improving.  To the contrary.  He seems to be stagnating.

But Brigham has talent and that was recognized by Baseball America which ranked him as the 20th best prospect in the NWL this year, stating that Brigham "has the components necessary to be a middle of the rotation starter."    Brigham has a 90-94 mph fastball (his velocity increased this year) that he offers from clean but deceptive delivery, a developing slider and a cutter.  His change lags.  The 6'3"  righty is no more hittable against lefties, but his control problems are more than twice as evident against southpaws.

At this point, Brigham still appears to be more of a raw athlete than a pitcher, but by all accounts he's got the natural ability to make a huge leap forward once he figures it all out.    He gets high marks for his character and leadership qualities, so he's a good bet to do so.  We'll be keeping a close eye on his control in 2008 to see where he's at and where he's going.

19)  Aramando Galarraga -- 26 YO RHP  (2006 Trade Acquisition)

An enigma.    Big and talented but inconsistent and ultimately frustrating. 

The pitcher the Rangers acquired from Washington in the Alfonso Soriano trade before the 2006 season came to Texas completely worn out.   A year removed from Tommy John surgery, Galarraga was pressed for 150 innings of minor league work in 2005 and then went home to fire off another 50 frames in Venezuelan Winter League play.   With virtually no break, he showed up in Rangers camp and was assigned to Frisco to begin the 2006 campaign, but it was immediately evident that he was too tired to compete.    After a couple of months of consistently poor outings, he was shut down for the year and reappeared in the Texas League refreshed for the 2007 season.

Galarraga  was reported to be a power fastball / slider guy when he came to Texas, but he generally topped out at 86 mph in 2006.   His fastball velocity returned in 2007 (90-94 mph) as did the sink, and the bite on his slider was there as often as not, but he was maddeningly inconsistent.   When dialed in,  Galarraga looks like he could be any kind, but just when you are ready to hop on board as a true beleiver he looks disinterested or confused and delivers an uninspired performance.

It was during July when Galarraga finally showed the Rangers what he is capable of, erecting a 1.58 ERA over six starts (including two complete games) spanning 40 innings.   During that run, Galarraga fanned 42 and walked 11 while holding the opposition to a .156 batting average.  He returned to his up-and-down ways in two August starts for the Riders (one quality start, one woeful) before moving on to OKC where he promptly delivered two brilliant outings (and one atrocious start) before getting the call to Arlington.

Galarraga figures to spend the bulk of 2008 in Oklahoma City where he must demonstrate more consistency and perhaps more intensity in order to put himself in the running for a shot at the back half of the Rangers rotation, should the opportunity arise.  His two strong relief outings at the big league level last September may be a hint of his future role.

18)   Derek Holland -- 21 YO LHP  (2006 25th Round -- DFE signee May 2007)

The Rangers haven't had the best of luck with DFE pitchers lately, but I really like Holland to reverse the trend.    A 6'2" lefty out of an Alabama JUCO, Holland signed for early fourth round money just before the 2007 draft and then went on to miss a lot of bats in his first professional season, posting an 11.15 K/9 and holding the NWL to a .224 average.

Holland works off an 89-93 mph fastball  with late life and augments that pitch with an 80 mph slider that improved this summer after some tweaking from Rangers coaches.   A developing change is his third pitch. 

An interesting stat:   Southpaws hit .245 against Holland while righties were held to a .218 average, but all seven dingers he surrendered this summer were launched by right handed hitters.    One imagines that as his change continues to develop, that notable ***** in Holland's armor will shrink.

17)   Doug Mathis -- 24 YO RHP  (2005 13th Round)

The Rangers have tried to fast-track the 6'3" sinkerball specialist more than any other pitcher who has come into the fold in the past three years.   Coming out of the University of Missouri, Mathis was sent to the college-dominated NWL, but in 2006 he jumped Clinton  and went straight to Bakersfield.   Perhaps the biggest shocker among 2007 opening day assignments was the appearance of Mathis on the Oklahoma roster.   Clearly, the Rangers want to get to the point on Mathis as soon as possible.

In part, most likely, Mathis is being pushed so fast because he is an extremely bright and mature young man with tremendous poise and strong leadership skills.   He pitches with a plan and doesn't rattle.   Which is not to say that Mathis was not or is not a guy capable of change or improvement.    Mathis has gained velocity since joining the system and he's added a curveball which gives him four legit offerings.  Though he lacks the electric stuff of a lot of pitchers on this list, he's arguably the most complete, well-rounded guy in the system.

His early assignment to OKC didn't go very well and his season was marred by back problems that ultimately shut him down for a spell in the middle of the season, but his first eight and especially his last six starts with the Riders (2.29 ERA;  33 K's and 8 BBs in 39 IP;  .217 opponents average) were enough to leave you thinking that this is a guy who could creep into the back end of the Rangers rotation at some point in 2008.

16)   Michael Schlact -- 21 YO RHP  (2004 3rd Round)

An intelligent, disciplined student who still isn't anywhere near finding his physical maturity.    At 6'8" and 200 lbs., Schlact is also still finding out what kind of pitcher he can be, but in spite of all of that, he finished the season as the youngest starter in the Texas League.

After watching Schlact handle the MWL in 2005, improving in every meaningful statistical category every month of the season, the Rangers sent him to Bakersfield in 2006 and essentially took his best pitch away from him.   Schlact was asked to abandon his sinker in order to develop his four-seamer and begin working on a new slider.   The box scores weren't pretty, but Schlact stuck with the plan through that season and the next, ultimately finding that he had a fast improving slider and a more powerful fastball. 

Mixing his sinker, 90-92 mph four-seamer, an improving slider and an occasional change, Schlact showed what he was capable of in four of his first six Texas League starts.    He was especially impressive in an eight-frame outing against Midland on August 27 when he surrendered just four hits and one walk while setting five down on strikes.

Schlact will return to the Frisco rotation in 2008 and should spend the entire year in the Texas League where it will become more important for him to produce results.   Don't expect to see the best out of this young man for another couple of years when his physical maturity catches up with his mental and emotional maturity.

These highly subjective rankings are based on a nebulous blend of factors, including perceived upside, on-field performance, scouting reports, and personal observations.   Obviously, I haven't seen all of these players in person.  In some instances, I have seen only scouting videos and in others, I rely solely on what others have seen.   Your mileage may vary, as they say.

Those familiar with my previous rankings (which can be found by clicking this link --  http://www.newbergreport.com/minordetails/ -- and then clicking on "The Newberg Report Archives") will note that I place a high value on a player's proven ability to adapt and adjust as I believe that this skill ultimately separates the men from the boys at the highest levels.   With most first year and many second year players (who dominate these lists this year more than ever), it's generally impossible to identify this skill, so they are generally given the benefit of the doubt.   

We'll kick things off with starting pitchers #21-25 (in reverse order).  After the fifth installment of starting pitchers, we'll move on to the top five catchers, top five middle infielders, top five corner infielders and top ten outfielders before winding things up with the top five relief prospects in the system.

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25)   Jorge Quintero -- 20 YO RHP  (2006 International FA signee)

The oldest member of A.J. Preller's heralded 2006 Latin America haul, Quintero shot from the DSL to the Cal League in his first professional season.  He probably lacks the pure talent and upside of Wilmer Font, Carlos Pimentel, Geuris Grullon and Wilfredo Boscan, but he's clearly the most advanced, as he should be.   

Quintero features a heavy 90ish fastball as well as a developing curveball and change that took him all the way from the DSL to the Cal League in one season.   He's a pitch-to-contact guy who gets a lot of bad swings and ground balls.   Though he fanned just 22 hitters in 28 AZL innings, the league hit a mere .168 and scored just four runs against him.    In three Cal League appearances spanning 9.1 innings, Quintero fanned five and walked seven.

Noteworthy stat:    Left-handed hitters went 2 - 47 against the right-handed Quintero in 2007. 

24)   Geuris Grullon -- 17 YO LHP  (2006 International FA signee)

A 6'5" lefty who turned 17 in December, 2006, Grullon was challenged with an AZL assignment and he struggled mightily (8.14 ERA) but showed some postive signs (10.71 K/9 & 2.64 G/F ratio).   

23)   Wilfredo Boscan -- 18 YO RHP    (2006 International FA signee)

The 6'2",  165 lb. Venezuelan scorched the DSL, posting a 1.75 ERA and fanning 61 while walking just 13 in 56.2 innings of work.   Along with all of that, Boscan put up another stat one rarely sees in a pitcher who averages better than 10 K's per 9 IP:  his 4.00 grounder-to-fly ratio.    Boscan, who earned an assignment to fall instructional league, held the DSL to a .210 batting average and allowed fewer than one baserunner per inning pitched.    He was especially ruthless against right handed hitters whom he held to a .155 / .225 / .194 line.

22)    Kyle Ocampo -- 18 YO RHP  (2007 13th Round)

The Rangers went ten rounds above slot to ink this Cal State  Fullerton recruit from Riverside (CA) Poly HS who ended his senior year with a 8-0 with a 1.83 ERA.   Perfect Game ranked the  projectable 6'3",  185 lb.  righty as the #26 pitching prospect in the nation  after good showings in national showcases such as the Cape Cod Classic and the Perfect Game National showcase in Fayetteville, AR (where Blake Beavan stole the show).   Ocampo was one of 35 pitchers named a Lousiville Slugger All-America in 2007 and going into his senior season,  Baseball America ranked him as the 42nd best prep prospect in the nation.

According to available reports, Ocampo features a 92-94 mph fastball with armside run and sink that he brings from a high three-quarters slot.   His arm is long and loose and he pitches downhill with excellent arm speed and leverage.  Ocampo delivers breaking balls at different speeds ranging from 70-79 mph with "plus spin and hard downward bite."   Perfect Game scouts believed that he "showed good feel of his 81 mph change-up that has nice fading action. All of his stuff has movement and late life, making Ocampo one of the more interesting pitchers in this high school draft class."

21)   Carlos Pimentel --  17 YO RHP  (2006 International FA signee)

Carlos Pimentel turned 17 in December and a little more than six months later, he was pitching in the Arizona Rookie League.   More likely than not, he would have been a high school junior this year had he been born in the United States.   Instead, he was pitching along side guys like Michael Main, nearly two years older and seasoned by high-level national and international tournament play and top prospect showcase competition.   

Pimentel's final 5.53 ERA was a bit unsightly, but he he went into his final two starts with a 3.50 ERA.   Yeah, he was hittable (.270 opponents average) and he walked too many, but what you need to think about is this:   

Pimentel averaged 12.54 strikeouts per nine innings  this year.   

The loose-armed 6'3" Pimentel pitches downhill from a high three-quarters slot, and gets good late movement on a low-to-mid 90's fastball.  He throttled the AZL's right-handed hitters, holding them to a .227 average, but was lit up by lefties who posted a .358 average.    He'll need to improve his command and develop his secondary pitches  (especially his change) to reach his considerable potential.