*This is where the rankings get tough, because starting with the Cubs, these systems are very good to elite. I have gone back and forth on multiple scenarios, but hey, it’s not life and death, it’s just some pretty awesome farm system rankings.

Top Ten:

1. Zack Wheeler(SP)- Wheeler has the repertoire to be a top of the rotation starter. He owns a mid 90′s fastball, a solid change, and throws both a slider and a curve which flash above average. Has bettered his command and should see some time in New York in 2013.

July 9, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2. Travis d’Arnaud (C)- One of, if not the best catching prospects in the game along with Mike Zunino of the Mariners. d’Arnaud has a chance to be an above average offensive and defensive catcher, which is pretty rare in the baseball world.

3. Noah Syndergaard (SP)- Syndergaard pairs a heavy low to mid 90′s sinking fastball with a good change and at times hammer curve. He also is big, strong, and pretty athletic, leading many to think he will have real good command as well. Number two ceiling.

4. Gabriel Ynoa (SP)- Ynoa is projectable, but his stuff is already pretty good. He sits comfortably in the low 90′s with a smooth delivery that allows him to show better than average command. His breaking ball and change up are solid offerings as well, and with a bit more development, he could easily have three above average pitches and the command to go with it.

5. Michael Fulmer (SP)- There are some questions about Fulmer’s mechanics, however, he does have a really good fastball and slider. Just needs to develop the change a bit and strengthen his command.

6. Gavin Cecchini (SS)- Cecchini looks like a kid that is going to be able to stick at shortstop, and in the long run could be an above average defender there. Offensively, some believe he is going to be able to hit for average, but lacks pop. Good intangibles.

7. Rafael Montero (SP)- Montero has a solid three pitch mix, but doesn’t have an eye popping arsenal. Montero has plus command of his low 90′s fastball and pairs that with a good slider and change up. He is able to throw any pitch in his arsenal in any count.

8. Brandon Nimmo (OF)- Nimmo was considered a much above average athlete when the Mets drafted him, but reports on that has toned down quite a bit. Now seen as an average runner at best, Nimmo is going to have to live up to his power projection to fit in either LF or RF. Shows good patience at the plate, and because of rawness has trouble recognizing pitches at times.

9. Domingo Tapia (SP)- Tapia is probably an average breaking ball away from being a mid rotation starter. And he still might get there on the strength of his mid 90′s sinker and above average change up. Tapia has some projection remaining on that frame as well.

10. Luis Mateo (SP)- Mateo has about as much buzz about him as any Mets prospect. He shows excellent command of a low to mid 90′s fastball that shows some movement. He possesses a plus slider that has good sharp break. He lacks a change up though, and needs to move quickly.

Just Missed The List:

Wilmer Flores (?), Hansel Robles (SP), Jeurys Familia (P), and Vicente Lupo (OF)

Flores is a skilled hitter, but he doesn’t have a defensive home as far as I can tell, and maybe doesn’t have the power to work at first base. Robles has a similar profile to Montero, but his secondaries aren’t as good quite yet. Familia has a fantastic arm and a chance for two plus pitches, but could battle injury and command issues often, ultimately projecting as a reliever. Lupo put up impressive numbers in the DSL, which is good, because reports on his power potential and hit tool were impressive.

Sleepers:

Luis Cessa (SP) and Rainy Lara (SP)

Cessa is a guy that doesn’t get talked about too much, but was impressive in Brooklyn last season, owns a projectable frame and a solid repertoire already. A bit of an uptick on his fastball will put him on par with the other Latin pitchers. Lara is much in the same boat as Cessa but is a year older.

Summary:

I have a feeling that some Mets fans might take issue with my rankings. I likely am going to be one of the few that have Flores outside of their top 10. His bat has potential obviously, but I don’t know if it is the kind of bat yet that will allow subpar defensive play regularly. I also ranked Mateo pretty low as well. While he could very well develop a change, it’s tough to say given that he is 22 already. At the very least, he should be a potentially dominating reliever.

Taking a quick glance, this system is obviously leans more heavily on pitching. There are even guys I didn’t even mention yet like Cory Mazzoni, Jake DeGrom, and Logan Verrett. Steven Matz has a plus arm from the left side, but in general the Mets don’t have many southpaw starting candidates worth being excited about.

Offensively, there is some potential, but most of it is in the lower levels. At least the higher end talent. Lupo and Wuilmer Bucerra offer quite a bit of upside as does SS Ahmed Rosario. Phillip Evans could be a power hitting 2nd baseman down the road. And the Mets always have guys like Cesar Puello and Aderlin Rodriguez that had/have considerable ceilings but haven’t developed yet.

From Brooklyn to St. Lucie, it is going to be interesting following the Mets pitching. Ultimately though, I think it’s the positional prospects that will either help advance or stagnate this system going forward. With a ranking of 11, I clearly believe it’s a strong system.

Feb 21, 2012; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski during spring training at Joker Merchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Unless something major pops up in the next 24+ hours, the Tigers will be done making trades.  The past few years, they have been active using the waiver wire in August, so we might see action there.  That would likely require adding some more payroll though.  With the budget situation as it is, I can only imagine that happening if the Tigers continue to play well and make a push towards the playoffs or an injury of significance occurs (The former over the latter…if I have any say).

Dave Dombrowksi told Jason Beck that the Tigers were “set at this point“.  Granted, given that this is Dombrowksi we are talking about, he could have literally meant “at this point” and 2 minutes later, with it not being “this point” any longer, he was once again looking at trade possibilities.  It will be interesting to see what rumors pop up in the next 24 hours.  I have to think, with Dirks on the road to recovery, the real question will surround the possible impact of the forgotten Tiger, Victor Martinez.  If he can come back and contribute down the stretch it would be (offensively speaking) just as big as any name I have seen thrown around.

Three On The Way Up:

1. New York Mets

The Mets farm system has been one that has been middling for years. One of the cheaper teams on an annual basis, the Mets actually went out and spent some money last season. Of course, with the new spending restrictions, they won’t be able to do so anymore, but they got a nice class last year. But that isn’t what is necessarily improving their stock so far this season. It’s their existing guys that have started strong. The St. Lucie team has plenty of talent and is getting results.

Wilmer Flores, Wilfredo Tovar, Danny Muno, and Corey Vaughn have all started strongly in a pitchers friendly league. Flores and Tovar in particular are bright young talents at just 20 years old to continue to watch moving forward. OF Cesar Puello, who is just 21, has had a pretty good start as well. Jefry Marte, who is just 20 as well in AA Binghamton, has also hit well so far this season, though he hasn’t shown a ton of power.

Pitching wise, the Mets farm system has been led by Zach Wheeler who has been dominant. In 5 starts in AA, Wheeler has an ERA of 1.75 and 30 K’s in 25 innings. Other strong performances have come from Armando Rodriguez, Domingo Tapia, Jack Leathersich, Tyler Pill, Michael Fullmer, and Corey Mazzoni. Matt Harvey has also shown some flashes of brilliance in 2012 as well.

The Mets farm system might have dealt with too high of expectations last season, especially with regards to their young Latin players. So far, it seems this farm system is taking a step forward, and could push it’s way into the top 15.

2. Cleveland Indians

Not many people thought much of Cleveland’s system coming into the 2012 season. In fact, most seem to consider it a bottom 5 system in all of baseball. And while they might not move up much if rankings were done today, I believe they would probably jump a few spots. It’s due in large part to their Lake County squad, who have a couple potential stars there in my opinion. Francisco Lindor and Luigi Rodriguez are a big part of the offense, that also has LeVon Washington who is looking for a bounce back season, and the young Robel Garcia, who is really talented, but has improvements to make. Bryson Myles can hit, and catcher Alex Lavisky is a quality catching prospect. Pitching wise, Lake County boasts the electric arms of Elvis Araujo and Felix Sterling, both of whom are off to strong starts.

In high A, Tyler Holt is off to a strong start, and Giovanny Urshela is making a little progress. AA pitchers, T.J. McFarland and Giovanni Soto are both off to strong starts as well.

3. Detroit Tigers

I don’t think it can be denied, the Tigers farm system is off to a strong start this season. For the most part. While pitching was considered the strength, and Drew Smyly certainly has shown extremely well, it’s been the position guys doing it for the Tigers. I still don’t think the Tigers are a top 20 system yet, but they are getting close. Nick Castellanos, Avisail Garcia, Rob Brantly, and James McCann have all been pretty darn good for top 10 prospects. Even better than good. They have also gotten guys like Steven Moya and Eugenio Suarez to emerge as well, and all of these guys are either young for their league, or age appropriate.

May 4, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Drew Smyly (33) pitches during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Pitching wise, Jacob Turner just came back from injury, so besides Smyly, nobody has taken a big step forward. Casey Crosby and Andy Oliver have been about as advertised, while guys like Brian Flynn, Alex Burgos, Tommy Collier, Josue Carreno, and Kyle Ryan have been solid.

Three On The Way Down:

1. San Diego Padres

When you are ranked in the top 3 by many services, sometimes a slow start can make your status drop a little. San Diego has gotten some slow starts from some of it’s top prospects. Yonder Alonso hasn’t really been tearing up the bigs, and while Yasmani Grandal has been pretty good, guys like Rhymer Liriano, Donavan Tate, Edison Rincon, Jed Gyorko, and Cory Spangenberg have struggled quite a bit. Couple that with a Casey Kelly injury, who looked like he was making strikes, and you have a farm system that is on the way down.

2. Washington Nationals

I imagine people wouldn’t expect to see this team on this side of the list, after all, they have Bryce Harper. However, one man does not a system make, and the Nats system has taken a hit with some injuries. Brian Goodwin and Anthony Rendon haven’t been playing after getting hurt. Matt Purke isn’t pitching in games yet and Alex Meyer isn’t dominating low A by any stretch. Injuries haven’t allowed us to see what these guys can do, so for that reason, this system is trending downward.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers entire strength of their system is built on their pitching, and while the results often matter little in player development, it’s been a rough start for many of the Dodgers best pitching prospects. Besides Ethan Martin and Chris Reed, the struggles have been widespread. Over the course of the year, I would expect guys like Zach Lee, Garret Gould, Allen Webster, and Aaron Miller to do a little bit better.