MCB Mid-Season Top 30: Just Missed

With the top 30 right around the corner, I wanted to give you all a list of guys that I have just off of the list. As with any list of this nature, it will be subjective, and compiled from multiple sources. I essentially have done the list off of the top of my head, so if I miss someone, let me know. As always, feel free to ask me questions about any of the guys on the list, and I will try and answer. Or at least try and find the answer.

Here we go…five guys that just missed my list.

1. Dean Green (DH)

Green is known for one thing, and one thing only. Hitting. He does hit for both average and power, able to barrel baseballs up all over the zone, and hit the ball to any part of the field. Given the state of the Tigers system, I would assume that some believe he should be a little higher. He is hitting .306 in West Michigan this season, with an OPS of .883. Nice numbers, but he looks like a DH all the way. That simply hurts his overall positional value, though I do like the bat enough that this does represent a jump in the rankings for him since the spring. Green turns 23 in a few days, and is currently on the disabled list. It would be nice to see if he could take some at-bats in Lakeland before the season is over.

2. Hernan Perez (2B)

Perez is still a young player. At just 21 years old in high A ball, he still has plenty of time to continue to develop. I like his athleticism, his frame, and the fact he doesn’t strike out a ton. I don’t like that he never walks, has seen a drop off in his power numbers, and appears to be streaky. He is already on the 40 man roster, and will get to claim something that not a lot of players get to do, and that is say he got a major league hit. I do believe he could be a major leaguer someday, but it’s most likely as a utility guy, at least until he learns how to control the strike zone better.

3. Edgar De La Rosa (SP)

De La Rosa is another guy who is projectable, and some of that projection is beginning to start to be realized. He ranks ahead of Briceno because of the fact his secondary stuff is a little bit better and more consistent. It still has a ways to go, and his fastball still could get some more on it, but at 6’6″, there is a lot to like about De La Rosa. He currently resides in the low 90’s with his fastball and has a curve and change. He is 21 years old, and will be 22 at the end of the year, so we have to see some advancement in the next year or two. Command is a little bit of an issue at this point as well, but it’s not terrible considering he is still growing into his body.

4. Tyler Stohr (RP)

I am going to get this out right now. I don’t like ranking relievers all that highly at all. I would rather take the ceiling of a raw player over a reliever any day. However, with the Tigers system, a few relievers are going to sneak in there. Stohr is one, and I think he fits nicely in this range. His stuff isn’t great, but he does attack hitters with all he has, and he has done a pretty good job of getting outs in his career so far. He has had injury issues, going through Tommy John, and having some time off this season as well, but he could be a 7th inning sort if all works out.

5. Kyle Ryan (SP)

There are plenty of things to like about the 20 year old Ryan. One, he is a lefty. Two, he is projectable, and three, he doesn’t really walk batters. In 92 innings this season, he has walked just 15 guys. There are issues though. Ryan is extremely hittable. There isn’t much deception there, and he hasn’t taken a step forward yet with his stuff. That could happen at any point, but it might never come as well. His performance while repeating West Michigan this season isn’t really an improvement over last year. I imagine he will get pushed to Lakeland next year, and I think next season is an important year in his development in whether or not Ryan is a pretender or a real prospect.