Over at Minor League Ball, John Sickels has gone over the top 20 Tigers prospects. Pretty interesting read, and one that must be checked out by any Tigers follower.
Here are a couple of snippets of it concerning the prospects who were recently promoted to the 40-man roster:
Tommy John surgery. Missed the season.
5) Joel Zumaya, RHP
Excellent season in Double-A and Triple-A, 9-5, 2.72 ERA, 199 strikeouts in 151 innings. His control still needs considerable work, but in terms of physical ceiling he is right there with Verlander.
13) Humberto Sanchez, RHP
5.57 ERA in 65 innings for Erie, 65/27 K/BB, 72 hits allowed. Too many hits for a guy who can throw in the mid-90s. Went on the DL with muscle spasms, but pitched well in the Arizona Fall League.
14) Brent Clevlen, OF
Hit .302/.387/.484 with 28 doubles, 18 homers, 14 steals for Lakeland. Excellent rebound season after poor '04 campaign. His status as a good prospect is restored.
15) Eulogio de la Cruz, RHP
Good year as swingman for Lakeland, 3.39 ERA, 97/36 K/BB in 96 innings, started 10 games, relieved 30, saved five. An underrated prospect who should get more attention.
Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson, and Tony Giarratano are the top 3 on the list. Don Kelly, Kody Kirkland & Jordan Tata were added to the 40-man roster recently, but did not make the top 20. There is a lot of youth on this 40-man, showing that the organization has faith in its young guys, and they are taking up the spots that were reserved for players that really had no chance of making an impact in the past.
Feel free to post any comments regarding Tigers rumors you hear this weekend. I will be pretty busy tomorrow, as I will be attending the big Florida-Florida State rivalry, and more than likely will not be posting anything.
Go Tigers.