Photo by Logan Barer, MMO
John Sickels may have recently had an exodus from Vox Media, but that hasn’t slowed down the prospect guru, also known as the internet’s golden nugget for accessible information, and rankings, on minor league prospects.
While not officially having a new home yet (hints at general direction of The Athletic), Sickels has been posting his prospect rankings and write-ups on his Twitter account. Just this week, he got to your New York Mets.
Sickels top 20 rankings and ratings are as follows:
- Andres Gimenez, SS, B+
- Peter Alonso, 1B, B+
- Mark Vientos, 3B, B-/B
- Ronny Mauricio, SS, B-/B
- Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP, B-/B
- Shervyen Newton, SS, B-
- David Peterson, LHP, B-
- Anthony Kay, LHP, B-
- Franklyn Kilome, RHP, C+
- Thomas Szapucki, LHP, C+
- Luis Santana, 2B, C+
- Gavin Cecchini, INF, C+
- Tony Dibrell, RHP, C+
- Will Toffey, 3B, C+
- Adrian Hernandez, OF, C+
- Luis Guillorme, INF, C+
- Desmond Lindsay, OF, C+
- Francisco Alvarez, OF, C+
- Freddy Valdez, OF, C+
- Ali Sanchez, C, C+
Among the top 10 of Sickel’s list are the names we’ve all come to expect. The order is not a shock, but we see that he has held somewhat high regard for guys like Simeon Woods-Richardson and Shervyen Newton, even calling Woods-Richardson one of his “favorite young pitchers for long-term investment.”
Mentioned as his breakout candidate is Mark Vientos, noting improvements, not only to his approach, but also his swing mechanics.
Sticking out of his rankings are his descriptions for both David Peterson and Anthony Kay. Sickels writes that they both first-round college product left-handers project as #3 starters, slating both with a 2020 ETA.
Familiar names like Cecchini and Guillorme draw intrigue from Sickels, calling the former once overrated, and now underrated, and saying that the latter could surprise with the bat in his later 20’s. Sickels notes that he is in the minority of such an idea on Guillorme’s bat.
What strikes as odd as one reads his descriptions is how he feels about Desmond Lindsay’s tools, but how low he ranked him.Injuries and troubles with eyesight have deterred his career a bit, but Sickels believes Lindsay deserves one more year benefit of the doubt.
Adrian Hernandez is seen as, by Sickels, to have 60 raw power. While his raw power has been noted, it’s the first time it’s been seen officially ranked as high as 60.
Sickels was also not shy to rank some of this years IFA signings in guys like Francisco, Alvarez, and Freddy Valdez, calling them both high-ceiling talents.
All in all, there’s always a lot to take from anything SIckels puts out, but this time, in particular, it’s more a labor of love, as well as searching for a new home. Best of luck to John, from all of us here on MMO.
