2010 Projected Roster: Erie SeaWolves (AA)

Each day this week (through Thursday), I will post my 2010 projected rosters for the Detroit Tigers and their full-season minor league affiliates, along with some commentary.  Of course, this is all mere speculation on my part; it is mostly an exercise intended to enhance my knowledge (and hopefully the reader's) of the Tigers' prospects and farm system.  In doing this, I have been heavily reliant on both baseball-reference and Matt Wallace's Take 75 North (which you should subscribe to, if you don't already), as well as demondeaconsbaseball's previous depth chart posts.  (Don't forget to vote in the poll at the end!)

2010 Erie SeaWolves (AA) projected roster:

C              Max St. Pierre

1B            Jordan Lennerton

2B            Danny Worth

3B            Mike Bertram

SS            Audy Ciriaco

RF            Kody Kaiser

CF            Andy Dirks

LF            Deik Scram

DH           Billy Nowlin

C              Jeff Kunkel

IF              Santo De Leon

IF              Alden Carrithers

IF/OF        Maxwell Leon

OF            Josh Workman

SP            Charles Furbush

SP            L. J. Gagnier

SP            Andrew Hess

SP           Jon Kibler

SP           Luke Putkonen

SP           Thad Weber

SP/RP     Luis Marte

SP/RP     Phil Dumatrait

RP           Lester Oliveros

RP           Josh Rainwater

RP           Brett Jensen

RP           Jared Gayhart

RP           Scott Green

RP           Brendan Wise

RP           Ryan Ketchner

DL           Duane Below (Tommy John surgery)

Unemployed:  Michael Hollimon, Pat Stanley, Sam Narron, Ramon Garcia

Before we get to the grades, let me just note that my knowledge of the system breaks down a bit at this level.  As a result, I cheated a little bit with the number of players on the roster.  With that said, let's give this a try.

The Lineup: D+

The SeaWolves lineup looks to be composed of players who are new to the level (Lennerton, Ciriaco, Kaiser, Nowlin) and guys who have had very little success at this level (St. Pierre, Worth, Dirks).  While Lennerton, Bertram, Nowlin, and Scram were all above average hitters last, none of them were standouts, and all of them were a little old for their level.  The only true prospect in the bunch seems to be Audy Ciriaco, who the Tigers seem to like quite a bit.

The Bench: C

Another typical minor league bench full of former prospects and organizational soldiers.

The Starters: C-

Looking over these names, I come a way completely underwhelmed.  There are probably at least seven guys that will filter in and out of the rotation.  Luis Marte probably has the highest ceiling, but there are some serious concerns about his health and endurance.  Most of them will probably top out at this level, or maybe AAA.  I would be surprised if any of them ever see more than a cup of coffee as a swingman for the Tigers.

The Bullpen: B

Lester Oliveros (who won't turn 22 until May), Scott Green, and Jared Gayhart have the highest ceilings, but the rest aren't too shabby either.  Jensen and Rainwater (both in their mid-twenties) could easily be included in the AAA pen if it weren't for a dozen other relievers that already claim those spots.

Conclusion:

This is by far my least favorite roster in the Tigers system.  If you were a serious Tigers prospect in 2009, Erie was probably where you were (with the obvious exception of Casey Crosby).  Now that those players have graduated to the higher levels, the cupboard is left pretty bare.  There is some exciting talent in AAA (Strieby, Boesch, Wells, and Ramirez) and even more in the low minors (Crosby, Turner, Oliver, and Fields), but frankly, there is no one on this team (as I have it projected) that I am excited about.  Ciriaco is probably the only one with an outside chance at being an effective big league regular.

Bonus poll:

Where will Rawley Bishop and James Robbins start in 2010?  Both were drafted in 2009 and played first base for their respective teams.  Bishop was the starting first baseman for the Oneonta Tigers and was one of the best hitters on the team.  He was drafted as a third baseman but moved to first to accommodate Wade Gaynor.  He's also 24.  Will the Tigers challenge him with the starting 1B for Lakeland?  Or will he begin the year in West Michigan?  James Robbins received an above-slot bonus after being drafted in the 30th round in 2009.  He had about 40 PA for the GCL Tigers and absolutely punished the ball in that short span.  Will he get a shot at West Michigan, or return to short season ball?