Keith Law Farm System Ranking Analysis
By Jason Mast
Jul 14, 2013; Flushing , NY, USA; USA players look out from the dugout during the 2013 All Star Futures Game at Citi Field. USA defeated World 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, Keith Law of ESPN released his annual ranking of the every farm system in baseball. You’ll need an insider account to access the whole list, but here are just a few of the noteworthy details.
The Astros came out on top, which comes as little surprise. They have spent the last three years been stockpiling prospects through the trade and the draft, and their farm system has more depth and elite prospects than any other in baseball. Heading their farm system are first overall picks Carlos Correa and Mark Appel, who ranked 8th and 17th, respectively. After them, they had six more players ranked among MLB.com’s top 100 prospect, three more on Baseball Prospectus’s list. Houston will probably lose more than 95 games again this year, but they could be dangerous in the not too distant future.
The Red Sox and Rockies both made huge leaps from last season, with the Rockies jumping up 15 spots from last seasons rankings and the Red Sox moving up twelve. Both of their climbs are largely a result of their strong young pitching. Third overall pick Jonathan Gray and 2012 first round pick Eddie Butler top Colorado’s system, each of them easily sitting in the mid-90’s with their fastball and looking to make debuts by the end of this season. Boston has four near-ready pitching prospects in Henry Owens, Allen Webster, Matt Barnes, and Anthony Ranaudo. Of course, they have shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley as well.
As Boston and Colorado rose, St. Louis fell, although I doubt they’re too worked up about it. The Cardinals dropped from 1st on the 2013 list to 12th on this year’s, but that is just because they graduated top prospects Matt Adams Shelby Miller, Michael Wacha and Trevor Rosenthal, all of whom contributed heavily to their World Series effort. The fact that they can even maintain a ranking this high after losing so many valuable players is a testament to their strong drafting and international presence.
Lastly, if any Brewers fans are wondering why their team has struggled over the last few seasons, look no further than Keith Law’s annual rankings. Milwaukee has been listed as having the worst or second worst farm system in baseball in three of the last four seasons, including this one, and haven’t finished above 23rd overall since 2009, the first year this list was published.
If you have an insider, be sure to check out the list on ESPN.com. It’s a fair ranking and Law offers a concise but comprehensive analysis of each farm system.