:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29146871/20131121_mjr_su5_073.0.jpg)
The big top 100 lists may be completed, but we've still got some top 10 lists filtering in. Fangraphs' March Hulet's is the latest, featuring an unusually high fourth-place finish for Mookie Betts. You can check out the complete list, featuring scouting reports and projections, but here's the order for reference:
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackie Bradley Jr., OF
- Garin Cecchini, 3B
- Mookie Betts, 2B
- Blake Swihart, C
- Henry Owens, LHP
- Matt Barnes, RHP
- Trey Ball, LHP
- Allen Webster, RHP
- Christian Vazquez, C
It's not surprising that Fangraphs--a statistically-oriented site--would be the one to push Betts higher in their rankings. With a line of .314/.417/.506, Betts arguably had the best statistical season in the system in 2013, trailing only Alex Hassan in OPS (while having more than twice the number of at bats).
Must Reads
It's certainly nice to see Betts so high, and Hulet is definitely not alone in believing the young infielder is the real deal, but it is a surprise seeing him placed above Henry Owens, particularly with Hulet singling out high-ceiling starting pitching as Boston's biggest weakness in an otherwise stacked system.
Probably the other most noteworthy ranking is Trey Ball coming in at number eight. There Hulet expects Ball's shift away from being a two-way player will help speed along his development
Hulet's honorable mentions also brings up a name that we've heard surprisingly little of since he was drafted: Jonathan Denney. Eleventh on Hulet's list, Denney was at one point expected to be a first round pick before dropping to the Red Sox in the third round of last year's draft, ultimately signing for an above-slot but eminently reasonable $875,000 bonus. That, combined with a hit-and-miss debut in the GCL and a crowded system has resulted in Denney falling off the radar for many, but not for Hulet.