NotGraphs OOTP Fantasy: Year 3! Full Rankings!

December 3, 2013

So here we are. A new year. The third year. When we began this little adventure through OOTP, things were looking good, things were coming up all Bradley. John Donne had just ranked No. 2 in the No. 1 in the prospect lists, and I was looking like a prospect genius.

But I think now we can agree, but clearly this game has many flaws. The first of which allow me to illuminate:

I believe on the merit of that very clearly flawed assessment of Yuniesky Betancourt we can deign to assume John Donne is still probably the best prospect of this whole system, if not of all time.but I am honorbound to play the game according to the rules. And as such I will offer henceforth a prospect list that utilizes the rating systems projection systems of OOTP, even if it is very apparent to me that justice has been usurped and genius has been restrained.

Here are the ratings for our dear 17 prospects:

And here is our statistical report (across all league levels) for the hitters:

And our two pitchers:

Enough with the preamble.

Top 17 NotGraphs Prospects

1. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (23 potential)

San Francisco’s mistake is Kansas City’s gain. The Giants released Wiggin midway through the 2015 season, and Royals snapped him within the month. Wiggin then jumped to Single-A where he hit .298/.381/.546 with 6 homers through 141 PA. Of the hitter prospects not named John Donne, Wiggin attained to the highest level of competition and — unlike Donne — he acquitted himself well.

He will be 24 in 2016, so the time for him to make big strides is now. If he is not at least in Triple-A by the end of next season, he could be yet another bust in this increasingly-disappointing basket of prospects.

2. Alexander “The Great” of Macedon (33 potential)

His defensive abilities still wow every scout that sits behind him. In 2015, he had a 50% CS rate to go with a 1.009 OPS in the Rookie level. Which is where the problem begins: Alexander reached Single-A in 2014 — albeit only for a game — but after spending the previous mostly in Short-A, a return to the Rookie league does not signify the form of progress we wanted.

That said, 10 homers in 177 PA is good for any 19-year-old. Time is on his side — and so is his backup catcher floor — so it’s fair to expect big things from Alexander.

3. Andrew “Swede” Osborn (74 potential)

Swede had a solid 2015, showing plus defense at second base and continuing to develop his wait-and-slap hitting style. If Osborn makes it in the majors, it will be as a Arismendy Alcantara replacement — a cheaper, lesser replacement. So, barring a trade, Osborn will likely incubate in the minors until Alcantara — who is a better hitter and comparable hitter — either leaves or struggles.

4. Jerry “Juice” Loose (91 potential)

Loose was the only prospect to spend the entire season in the majors, though he missed almost the whole year (8 months) with a torn labrum. He entered the season as the league’s No. 5 prospect (according to OOTP), but he’s still just a reliever, and given his early injury issues, reliever looks like the ceiling for him.

Granted, he has the stuff and strikeout numbers to potentially make for a Fernando Rodney closer type.

5. George “The Logician” Perrywinkle (29 potential)

He’s a gold glove first baseman with killer patience, but that’s about where the praise brickwalls. He’s 23; he has almost no power potential; he has no contact skill; he’s an awful base runner. But he have 4.3 WAR through a combined 310 PA.

But this is the state of our 17, our sad, fading 17.