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A second vote didn't do much to separate Trey Ball and Anthony Ranaudo, but it did do enough. Trey Ball, by all of two votes, takes the tenth spot in our rankings, with Ranaudo coming in behind him at eleventh.
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
- Garin Cecchini, 3B
- Henry Owens, LHP
- Matt Barnes, RHP
- Blake Swihart, C
- Allen Webster, RHP
- Brandon Workman, RHP
- Mookie Betts, 2B
- Trey Ball, LHP
- Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
Ranaudo and Ball pose the age-old question of potential vs. proximity. In many ways, Ranaudo is Ball, just a few years further down the line. Both entered the system with plenty of hype at a high price (in terms of both draft position and bonus). While Ball has not had much chance to prove himself (his very limited innings in the GCL this year don't count for much at all), Ranaudo has had a few years now to show he can perform as a professional. The results have been mixed.
On the one hand, unlike with Ball, we have proof that Ranaudo can perform as high as Portland, and he even put up some strong innings in Triple-A this year. In fact, his performances this year were the kind expected of him when he was first drafted. But any excitement that might have stirred up is dampened by the injury issues Ranaudo has dealt with in recent years. There's certainly still the chance that Ranaudo winds up every bit as good of a starter as originally hoped, but the possibility that he ends up either in the bullpen or on the disabled list is a bit too front-and-center in fans' minds.
Not so for Trey Ball, for whom the sky remains the limit. But the promise that being five months shy of 20 brings doesn't come without risks. Those injury issues Ranaudo has dealt with could wind up hurting Ball as well, and there's no guarantee that Ball will manage the same promising results. Today, however, those risks were not deemed significant enough to counteract Ball's significant potential, and so he takes the #10 spot.
Now it's time to move on to #12.
By now you all know how this works: I'll name candidates in the comments below, and you rec the comment of the player you want to vote for. For those unfamiliar with how to go about that, just click "actions" underneath the comment and then "rec." Nice and easy, though you do have to be a member to join in.
On the off chance I forget or otherwise leave someone out, you are free to start your own voting thread for that player. I'll even give it a rec of my own to make up for your vote. As for rules, please stick to just the one vote. That's about it.
Vote away!