Let me just paint a plausible scenario to explain the T-wolves reasoning for taking both Rubio and Flynn. There are a couple of factors at play- some hypothetical and other's more concrete- so it is important to first list them, then attempt to connect the dots.

1. Ricki Rubio was not expected to last til the 5th pick (a given)

2. Given that Rubio wasn't expected to last til the 5th pick- the t-wolves were expecting either Tyreke Evans or James Harden to be available at the 5th pick.

3. Given that they expected to be choosing between Harden, a 2-guard, and T. Evans, who they probably viewed as more of a 2-guard; They had Flynn, a pure pg, locked in as their 6th pick. (Hypothetical)

4. Once Rubio suprisingly fell in their lap, they had to take him with the 5th pick. (a given)

5. After selecting Rubio, they were faced with a dilemma; they had Flynn rated much higher than any other player left on the board, including S. Curry.

6. Given this dilemma- and given the fact that they were under time pressure- they simply took the best player available (on their board).


Under this reasoning it goes 1. Griffin 2. Thabeet or Rubio 3. Harden or Rubio 4. Evans or Rubio. Due to the fact that the kings were in desperate need for a pure point guard, it was probably assumed that Rubio wouldn't last past the 4th pick.

Cardinals top prospects

C
catchers:
1. Kurt Suzuki
2. Max Stassi- (if he signs)
3. Josh Donaldson
4. Josh Leyland- (if he signs)
5. Petey Paramore

First base:
1. Chris Carter
2. Sean Doolittle
3. Daric Barton

Second Base:
1. Adrian Cardenas
2. Jemile Weeks
3. Eric Patterson
4. Nino Leyja
5. Cliff Pennington

Third Base:
1. Michael Spina
2. Stephen Parker
Christian Vitters

Short Stop:
1. Grant Green
2. Dusty Coleman
3. Josh Horton
4. Jason Christian
Cliff Pennington
5. Gregorio Petit
6. Leonardo Gil

Corner OF:
1. Aaron Cunningham
2. Travis Buck
3. Rashun Dixon
4. Jeremy Barfield
5. Matt Spencer
6. Matt Sulentic
7. Robin Rosario

CF:
1. Ryan Sweeney
2. Corey Brown
3. Grant Desme
4. Archie Gilbert
5. Chris Berroa

SP:
1. Vin Mazzaro
2. Trevor Cahill
3. Brett Anderson
4. Dallas Braden
5. Gio Gonzalez
7. Michael Ynoa
8. Sean Gallagher
9. James Simmons
10. Dana Eveland
11. Ben Hornbeck
Travis Banwart
12. Carlos Hernandez
13. Anthony Capra
14. Ryan Webb
15. Kenny Smalley


RP:
1. Andrew Bailey
2. Henry Rodriguez
3. Sam Demel
Jeremy Blevins
4. Arnold Leon
5. Jared Lansford
Ronny Morla
Justin Friend
Mickey Storey

HR/HR Pitchers:
1. Fautino De Los Santos
2. Brett Hunter
3. Sam Dyson
4. Craig Italiano
5. Tyson Ross
6. Daniel Thomas
7. Chad Lee

Interesting Prospects:
1. Jorge Pena 6'6 220 age: 20 STK Ports
2. Omar Duran 6'3 209 age: 19 AZL Athletics
3. Daniel Strailly 6'2 220 age: 20 VAN
4. Kelvin Rojas CF 6'2 188 DSL Athletics
5. Miguel Marte C 6'2 230 DSL Athletics
6. Jonesy Zarraga LF 6'1 170 '92 DSL Athletics
7. Luis Baez SS 6'3 165 Born '91

Legitimate Players By Position: 25 and Younger

Catcher:
1. Kurt Suzuki
2. Josh Donaldson
4. Petey Paramore


First Base
1. Daric Barton
2. Sean Doolittle
3. Chris Carter
4. Matt Spencer
5. Carlos Hernandez

Second Base:
1. Jemile Weeks
2. Eric Patterson
3. Nino Leyja
4. Cliff Pennington

Third Base:
1. Jeff Baisley

Shortstop:
1. Adrian Cardenas
2. Dustin Coleman
3. Jason Christian
4. Gregorio Petit

Outfield:
1. Ryan Sweeney
2. Travis Buck
3. Aaron Cunningham
4. Rashun Dixon
5. Corey Brown
6. Matt Sulentic
7. Robin Rosario
8. Grant Desme
9. Jeremy Barfield
10. Tyreace House

Left-Handed Starting Pitchers:
1. Greg Smith
2. Gio Gonzalez
3. Brett Anderson
4. Dana Eveland
5. Josh Outman
6. Dallas Braden

Right-Handed Starting Pitchers:
1. Trevor Cahill
2. Sean Gallagher
3. Michel Inoa
4. Vince Mazzaro
5. James Simmons
6. Brett Hunter
7. Fautino De Los Santos
8. Craig Italiano
9. Tyson Ross
10. Daniel Thomas

Relief Pitchers:
1. Joe Devine
2. Henry Rodriguez
3. Jerry Blevins
4. Sam Demel
5. Andrew Carignan
6. Jared Lansford

A's Top 10 Players: Age 25 or Younger

1. Brett Anderson
2. Trevor Cahill
3. Joe Devine
4. Kurt Suzuki
5. Sean Gallagher
6. Ryan Sweeney
7. Travis Buck
8. Daric Barton
9. Michel Inoa
10. Chris Carter

Oakland A's Top 20 Prospects:

1. Brett Anderson SP
2. Trevor Cahill SP
3. Michael Inoa SP
4. Chris Carter 1B/3B
5. Sean Doolittle 1B/OF
6. Gio Gonzalez SP
7. Aaron Cunningham OF
8. Adrian Cardenas 2B/SS
9. James Simmons SP
10. Jemile Weeks 2B/OF
11. Vin Mazzaro SP
12. Rashun Dixon OF
13. Josh Donaldson C/1B/3B
14. Henry Rodriguez RP
15. Andrew Carignan RP
16. Arnold Leon RP
17. Brett Hunter SP/RP
18. Corey Brown OF
19. Fautino De Los Santos SP/RP
20. Sam Demel RP

Person I can't believe I left off- Josh Outman.

Where the A's should go from here

In:
Matt Holiday

Out:
Carlos Gonzalez
Greg Smith
Huston Street

Projected Lineup:
C- Kurt Suzuki
1B- Daric Barton
2B- Mark Ellis
3B- Eric Chavez/ Jeff Baisley
SS- Bobby Crosby/ Gregorio Petit
RF- Matt Holiday
CF- Ryan Sweeney
LF- Travis Buck/ Aaron Cunningham
DH- Jack Cust

Projected Pitching Staff:
1. Justin Duchcsherer
2. Sean Gallagher
3. Dana Eveland
4. Gio Gonzalez
5. Dallas Braden/ Josh Outman
Wildcards- Vince Mazzaro, Brett Anderson, James Simmons, Trevor Cahill

Setup- Brad Ziegler
Closer- Joe Devine

Positional Outlook/ Possible Upgrades:

Catcher: Kurt Suzuki
- One of the few positions where we should be set for the short-term as well as the future. Suzuki provides great leadership, above-average defense, and solid skill set offensively that should allow him to develop into an above-average catcher with the chance at making a few all-star games.

First Base: Daric Barton
- This is a big question mark coming into the season and the A's would be well served to have viable back up plans should Barton continue to be underwhelming offensively at first base. The good news is that Barton showed better than expected defensive skills at first and essentially proved that he will not be limited to a DH role. The bad news is that the part that previously made Barton a top prospect his bat, simply did not produce. It was expected that he wouldn't put up eye popping home run totals. However, he was expected to hit a lot of doubles in addition to hitting for a high average and posting a high OBP- which he didn't. Internally the A's have two above-average first base prospects in Sean Doolittle and Chris Carter, but neither will be ready to contribute by the start of the season. The A's should look to other options via FA to at least set up back up options in the event Barton doesn't develop.

- Possible Upgrades- 1) Jason Giambi 2) Russel Branyon 3) Pat Burrell 4) Adam Dunn

Second Base: Mark Ellis
- Pretty secure here. Ellis just signed an extension with the A's. He provides excellent defense and should bounce back offensively. We have a couple of future options- but ellis should be our starting 2b for at least the next 2 years.

Third Base: Eric Chavez
- Another huge question mark. When Healthy Eric Chavez provides gold glove caliber defense with 30+ HR potential. However, it remains to be seen whether his body is capable of ever being able to play third over the course of an entire season. The A's need to set up better backup options in order to avoid having another year of jack hanahan type miserable production. Internally, a solid option may be available in Jeff Baisley who showed a solid all-around offensive game at AAA last year. Other than that they will have to look carefully through the FA class in order to target and possibly find a diamond in the rough.

Possible FA's: Russell Branyan- he is the guy I would target b/c he can back up 1st and 3rd and play either position capably. In addition to that he provides massive power and a strong ability to draw walks which falls in line with the A's offensive philosophy. He should also come at a very reasonable price.

ShortStop: Bobby Crosby
- It appears the A's have grown tired with him and seem destined to replace the dissapointing SS. The main target is Rafael Furcal. Though he is old and would require a 4 yr contract the A's should sign him because of the significant upgrade he provides both offensively and defensively. The A's lacked a consistant top of the order bat and adding him would create a whole new dynamic to the A's offense that, coupled with the Matt Holiday acquisition, could make them potentially explosive. Even if the A's don't sign Furcal they will look extensively at other options.

Other Options: Gregorio Petit, Cliff Pennington, Edgar Rentaria
- I personally would rather allow Crosby another chance to redeem himself than sign Rentaria.

Right Field: Matt Holiday
- Set and Set... At least until we trade him in July or he walks at the end of the year. But right now, he is expected to be the rock in the middle of our lineup and help transform the offense to one that, well, doesn't suck so much. Beyond that, we could look to prospects such as Cunningham, Doolittle, maybe Corey Brown as in-house replacements or look for a more reasonably priced long-term FA (Jason Bay?) at the end of the season. But for now, lets just be thankful we have Matt on this Holiday.

Center Field: Ryan Sweeney
- Sweeney appears to be comfortably penciled in at cf next season and his play last year certainly warrants the nod. He may not be the longterm solution as his range is somewhat limited by his huge frame (6'4 220) but he is a very good athlete and can handle the position for at least the next year or two. For all the skills that Sweeney possesses, the real question is will he ever develop 25-30 hr type power- because if he does he could become an allstar. If not, well he is an over-size singles hitter who could be subject to getting weeded out of the starting lineup by other accomplished A's OF prospects. I could be wrong but I have a feeling Beane could have replaced Sweeney with Holiday and still gotten the deal done for Holiday. However, Beane feels more comfortable holding on to sweeney- and I think thats because he feels Sweeney has a better chance of developing power than Gonzalez has of developing solid pitch recognition. Long-term Jemile Weeks, if he doesn't become the second baseman, might be the longterm answer in center.

Left Field: Travis Buck
- Buck on last year- "I don't want to talk about it." Seriously, he just needs to erase last year from his memory bank and work hard to come back in a big way in 2009. I think, despite last year, the A's no what type of player he is capable of being, and are suprisingly confident he will return to that player next year. He does have some things to work on other than just getting his head strait. he had an ugly part of his swing in which he used a little bat whirl as a timing mechanism right before the pitch- it clearly didn't work. But, despite that he is a player who is capable of hitting for a high average in addition to posting a solid OBP and hitting 20 to 25 hr's. Here's to hoping he takes a big step towards that in '09. If for some reason he doesn't recover from last year, top prospect Aaron Cunningham is right there to fill the void. And you've always got old reliable, Jack Cust.

DH: Jack Cust
- Done and Done. Unless he is forced into the field. Outside shot of Jason Giambi being the DH in 09.

Christmas comes early: A's trade for Holiday

A's receive:
Matt Holiday

Rockies receive:
1. Carlos Gonzalez
2. Greg Smith
3. Huston Street

2009 Projected Lineup:
C- Kurt Suzuki
1B- Daric Barton
2B- Mark Ellis
3B-
SS-
LF- Matt Holiday
CF- Ryan Sweeney
RF- Travis Buck
DH- Jack Cust

SP:
1. Justin Duchscerer
2. Sean Gallagher
3. Dana Eveland
4. Gio Gonzalez
5.

Closer:
1. Joe Devine

Possible Aquisitions:
1. Jason Giambi
2. Rafael Furcal

1. Rafael Furcal
2. Ryan Sweeney
3. Matt Holiday
4. Jason Giambi
5. Jack Cust
6. Mark Ellis
7. Kurt Suzuki
8. Travis Buck
9. 3B

Mock Trade Series: Greg Smith

A's Receive:
1. Kevin Kouzmanoff

Padres Receive:
1. Greg Smith
2. Matt Murton

Top Power Hitting Prospects: Double A

Eastern League:
1. Nolan Reimold BAL OF 24- 19hr's.
2. Travis Snyder TOR OF 20- 17hr's
3. Nick Evans NYM 1B 22- 14 hr's 18 2b 296ab's
4. Dan Murphy NYM 3B 23- 26 2b 13 hr's in AA just got moved up to AAA.
5. Wes Hodges CLE 3B 23- 13hrs 21 2b's
6. Austin Jackson NYY CF 21- 9hr's 28 2b's.
7. Matt Wieters BAL C 22- 21 hr's between HA/AA. Statistically has no flaws. If he can stick at C he's got my vote as the best player in the minor's. More walks than SO's. Hits for great average. 6'5 220. Stud.
8. Pablo Sandoval SF C 21- 18hr's between HA/AA. Not terribly patient at the plate. Questionable whether he can stick behind the plate which would greatly diminish his value if he had to move to 1B.
9. Fernando Martinez NYM OF 19- 5hr's 12 2b's. All projection with F-Mart. I don't think it makes much sense to have him in AA at this point but the mets seem to consistantly push their prospects. His power potential, along with his other tools, are huge. Plate discipline is currently lacking.

Southern League:
1. Matt Laporta CLE 1B 23- 21 hr's
2. Mat Gamel MIL 3B/OF 23- 16hr's 34 2b's.
3. Gaby Sanchez FLO 1B 24- 14 hr's 36 2b's
4. Angel Salome MIL C 22- 9hr's 24 2b's 291 ab's. Good looking catcher all around. Very short and compact at 5'7 195. Keeps K's in check but could stand to draw a few more walks.
5. Michael Saunders SEA OF 22- 11 hr's 22 2b's. More projection than production power wise for him. However, he has a big frame at 6'4 205 and could still probably add more muscle. Hits for a decent average, draws a fair amount of walks. SO totals might be somewhat of a concern.
6. Brandon Allen CHW 1B 22- 29 2b 20 hr between A/AA. Has shown pretty good power the last 2 seasons. Is hitting for a decent average and showing good plate discipline. Strikes out too much, but still might make it to the big leagues as long as he continues to hit for power and draw walks. A decent prospect, nothing to get excited about, but solid.

Texas League:
1. Kila Haaihue KC 1B 24- 29hr's 11 2b between AA/AAA- Huge power potential. Hits for average and draws a rediculious amount of walks. He also strikes out at a very low rate for a power hitter. Though he's semi-old, he has very impressive numbers and seems like Beane's kind of Slugger.
2. Tommy Everidge OAK 1B 25- 20hr's. Barely a prospect at 25 but if he ever gets a shot in Oak maybe he has a chance to be a decent power hitter. Doubt it though.
3. Allan Craig STL 3B 23- 19hr's 27 2b's. This is a player, some A's fans have started to take note of as an underrated 3B who could be a find if swiftly plucked via a trade with STL. His all around offensive numbers are very solid. He doesn't excel in one particular offensive catagory, but he seems to be performing above-average in every one.

Top Power Hitting Prospects: High A

California League:
1. Chris Carter- OAK 1B/3B 22- 29hr's.
2. Corey Brown- OAK CF 22- 20hr's between A/HA
3. Josh Donaldson- OAK C 22- 12hr's between A/HA
4. Mark Trumbo LAA 22- 26hrs. terrible OBP will probably restrict him from being considered an upper echelon 1B prospect.
5. Greg Halman- 21 SEA- 26 hrs on the year. steals bases. can't take a walk. currently in AA. Great tools but might never refine them enough to capitalize on his considerable potential.
6. Josh Reddick BOS 21- 19hrs. Doesn't strikeout too much en route to hitting for good power. Hits for a high average but doesn't draw many walks.
7. Lars Anderson BOS 1B 20- 13hr's 19 2b- Has not hit as many hr's as expected considering he plays in a very hitter friendly ballpark in the California league. However, he is still young and everything else looks very good and he doesn't strikeout much for a power hitter. IMO, it's only a matter of time until he starts really tapping into that great power potential. He is argueable the best overall 1b prospect in the minors.
8. Hank Conger- C LAA 20- 8 hrs 180 ab's- Was injured at the start of the year. Very good power for a C prospect. Doesn't appear to draw too many walks. Angels blahh.
9. Luis Esposito- BOS C 21- 19hr's between A/HA. Haven't heard anything about him before. Maybe he is not expected to stick at C b/c of the fact that their is a lot of talk about how the Sox lack any type of heir apparent to Varitek in their system. Decent average but doesn't draw many walks.
10. Austin Gallagher- LAD 19 3B/1B- 31 2b 5 hr's. This one isn't as apparent as some of the others because he has only belted 5hr's in a hitters league. However, there is a couple of strong indicators that he will develop into a very good power hitter. First is the fact that he is only 19 in the california league and has smacked 31 2b's- which should turn into hr's as he grows older. He is 6'5 210 so he definatly has the frame to add muscle to assist in turning those 2b's into hr's. He also is hitting for a very good average and doesn't SO at an alarming rate. The one negative about Gallagher is the fact that he doesn't appear to draw many walks. However, that could just be b/c of his age, and something he needs to learn, as well as a tendancy, for a CAL league player, to try to put the ball in play as much as possible.


FSL:
1. Juan Francisco CIN 21 3B- huge raw power but not very polished otherwise
2. Logan Morrison FL 20- 13hrs 34 2b's- Is establishing himself firmly in the upper echolon of 1b prospects. Hits for a good average. HAs kept his SO total well in check. Could stand to draws some more walks in order to become a complete hitter.
3. Todd Frazier CIN 3b/SS 22- 17hr's between A/HA. Good average and OBP. Keeps SO totals in check. Looks like a very good all around hitter with 20-25 hr potential. Doubtful he can stick at SS, but if he can, he could put up all-star quality numbers for that position.
4. Neftali Soto CIN 3b/SS 19- 7hr's 17 2b's 176ab's between A/HA. Hitting .341 also. Arguably CIN top prospect. Hasn't shown the ability to draw much walks but still very young.
5. J.P. Arencibia C TOR 22 A/AA- 23hr's between the 2 leagues. Hits for average. Doesn't strike out much. Doesn't draw many walks. Seems like a very good C prospect except for the fact that his walk totals are atrocious.
6. Ryan Royster TB OF 22- Having a terrible year and clearly not showing the type of leap forward, power or otherwise, that was expected of him. However, 30 hr's in low A last year was very promising and a bounce back year, next year, could put him back in the upper echelon of power hitters in the minors.
7. Jonathan Lucroy C MIL 22- 16 hr's between low and high A. Maybe not quite an upper echelon power hitter. However, plays a premium position. has posted almost a 1/1 walk to strikeout ratio. Hits for a good average and posts a good OBP. Just turned 22.

Carolina League:
1. Beau Mills- 1B CLE 22- 17 hr's. Drafted in 07 in the first round and promptly moved from 3rd to 1st. hitting for decent average and draws walks. Strikeouts not too alarming, especially for a power hitter.
2. Brandon Hicks- SS ATL- 17hr's. Displays very good power for a SS. Just got moved up to AA. Only hitting .232 but hit for .285 last year and also displays very good patience. Strikeouts a good amount this year but last year didn't strikeout that much. Overall very interesting prospect who seems like he has the potential to put it all together and become an upper echelon prospect at a premium position.
3. Brandon Snyder- BAL 1B- 11hrs 25 2b. Was a pretty good power hitting prospect coming into the season. 22 in HA. Not too impressed with only 11 hr's.
4. Chris Marrero WAS 1b 20- 11 hr's 15 2b 25ab's. Hitting .250 .326 25/55 BB/SO ratio. Very good 1b prospect coming into the year. I have heard a lot of gripe about him having a down year. I think he has started to come around as of late. The numbers certainly aren't eye popping but for a 20yr old player in high A these are not damning numbers by any stretch. I expect him to repeat HA next year and mash.
5. Nick Weglarz- CLE OF/1B 20yr- 10hr 20 2b. hits for a decent, not great, average but displays great plate patience with .400 OBP. Like Marrero, young for HA but doing a great job of holding his own and is expected to become an elite power hitting prospect sooner rather than later. If he can't stick in the outfield. A possible logjam could develop in CLE with Mills, Laporta, and Weglarz. Could create an opp. for beane to steal one of them.
6. Carlos Santana- CLE C 22- 34 2b 14 hr. Shows great all-around number's and even has 10 more walks than SO's on the year. Is clearly establishing himself as an upper-echolon catching prospect. A move to AA soon would probably be good considering his age.

Projected winter deals: Duke

A's receive:
1. Tommy Hanson
2. Freddrick Freeman
3. Brandon Hicks

Braves Receive:
1. Justin Duchscherer

Top Power Hitting Prospects: Class A

In sight of the fact that the only thing the A's lack in their system is a lot of good power hitting prospects, minus Chris Carter, I thought it would be worth while to examine the top power hitting prospects around the minors. This is not a loo at the most complete hitters in the minors because I am not interested in that. I am only interested in one tool- and that is these players ability to repeatedly hit the long ball. I will look at their other stats to consider if they have the supporting stats to have a chance to make in to the big leagues. I also will take age and level into consideration in order to determine whether they are legit prospects. Let's Examine.

MIDWEST LEAGUE:
1. Ian Gac Tex HA 22- 25hrs between A/HA. Also sports a good average and patience. The only thing is he is almost 23- so a little old. Might be a player worth keeping an eye on b/c he has almost zero chance of being the 1b/DH for texas with the presence of Davis and Smoak.
2. Brandon Waring Cin- 17hrs.
3. Andrew Lambo LAD- 15hrs
4. Mike Moustakas- 15hrs
5. Jonathan Green Tex A 22- 19hrs
6. Chris Parmelee Min- 14hrs 226ab's
7. Brett Wallace STL 22

SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE:
1. Mike Stanton FLA OF 18- 27hrs- He is simply destroying the ball at 18 yrs old in LA. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the top power hitting prospects at any level in the minors. Average is decent at .274 and he draws a fair amount of walks. The only alarming thing is how much he strikes out. However, he is super young for the league and has a lot of time to improve and cut down on the K's. Jason Heyward receives tons of notoriety, and maybe overall he is a more complete player than Stanton. However, Stanton is younger and definatly seems to belong in the conversation.
2. Bryan Peterson FLA OF 22- 22hrs spread out over 3 levels but now at HA. LA is by far his biggest sample size for the year. In LA, he displayed a well rounded offensive game hitting for average and drawing walks. Hitting for power and not striking out too much, as well as, swiping 15 bags. It will be interesting to see how he fairs in HA and AA.
3. Michael Burgess WAS 19yrs- 18hrs. Has upside comparable to almost everyone on this list. The power potential is huge at 19yrs old. The average is not great, at .260, but he draws a lot of walks, .343 OBP. He's got the tools and a little more progress and refinement should truely establish him as an elite prospect.
4. Fredrick Freeman 1B ATL 18yrs 6'5 220- 410ab's .315 .373 17hrs 29 2B's 66so's- Personally I don't get how these numbers aren't garnering him more national notoriety from the experts. He is a month younger than Heyward, has an identical avg. and obp, has hit for much more power and strikes out at a very low rate compared to the average power hitter. Their seems to be know flaws in his offensive game and he is doing it at such a young age. I officially have professed my love for this prospect and here's to the hope that Beane engineers a trade that brings him to the A's. Cause by all accounts this kid is gonna be special.
5. Jason Heyward ATL 18yrs 6'4 220- 383ab's .313 .376 20 2b 5 3b 9 hr 69 so 15/16 sb- Heyward's numbers are also sterling. He's only belted 9 hr's. However, the power will come and come in a big way. Probably one of the most untouchable prospects in the minor leagues right now. Heyward is said to have MVP type potential.
6. Jesus Montero NYY- 12hr's- if he can stick at catcher he should put up enough offensive stats to be in all-star consideration every year. If not, he still should be a decent all around 1b who projects to have power in the 25-30 hr range.
7. Steffan Wilson MIL 3B 22- 16hr's- good all around numbers. Numbers suggest he could be an underrated prospect. Could stand to draw a few more walks, .278 avg .337 obp, but everything else is solid.
8. Cody Johnson ATL 19- 16hrs- good power but he has a rediculous amount of SO's on the year, 152, and is not very patient at the plate. He is young though, and if he can raise his average and draw more walks he should have a chance to become a very good player.
9. Angel Villalona SF 1B 17- 13hrs. It's crazy that he is a 17 yr old putting up respectable numbers in LA. He has a line of .250 .300 .415. I have heard a lot of talk about how his prospect stock is slightly down and is no longer the giants top prospect. However, you simply can't downgrade a kid who is holding his own at 17 in Low A.
10. Darin Holcolm Col 22- 40 2b 13hr- Good power, avg, and obp. Has more walks than SO's on the season. About to turn 23, so he needs to start moving up the prospect later quickly or else he will quickly find him self to be a nonprospect. Numbers suggest he should be moving up right about now.

Interesting Prospects: Twins

1. Tyler Robertson HA 20
2. Aaron Hicks R
3. Ben Revere LA
4. Chris Parmelee A 20 22ab's 14hr
5. David Bromberg A 20 115ip 127so

Interesting Players Under 25: Marlins

Catcher:
1. Kyle Skipworth Rookie

Firstbase:
1. Gaby Sanchez 24 AA
2. Logan Morrison 20 LA

Secondbase:
1. Chris Coghlan 23 AA

Thirdbase:
1. Matt Dominguez

Shortstop:
1. Hanley Ramirez 24

Outfield:
1. Jeremy Hermida 24
2. Cameron Maybin 21 AA
3. Mike Stanton
4. John Raynor 24 AA
5. Bryan Peterson 22 AA

Starting Pitching:
1. Ricky Nolasco 25
2. Josh Johnson 24
3. Anibal Sanchez 24
4. Chris Volstad 21
5. Andrew Miller 23
6. Ryan Tucker
7. Scott Olsen 24
8. Brett Sinkbeil 23
9. Sean West 22

Relief Pitching:
1.

Interesting Prospects: Rockies

1. Hector Gomez SS LA 20- Young and supremely talented. Has no stats for the season. Excellent Glove. Power potential. Blocked by Tulo.
2. Dexter Fowler CF- Should hit for average and displays great patience. Steals plenty of bases. An excellent defender who glides to the ball with long strides. Only question is how much power he will develop but he is starting to show some this year.
3. Ian Stewart 3B- Very good power potential. should hit for decent average and has good plate discipline. Average defensively at 3B.
4. Eric Young 2B- Fast. decent average and plate discipline. Not much power.
5. Chris Nelson SS- Horrendous stats this season in AA after posting phenomenal stats in HA last yr. Still possesses great all around tools with power potential, good speed, and a solid glove. Alright but not great plate discipline.
6. Casey Weathers RP- potential closer with mid 90's FB and plus power slider.

Interesting Prospects: Reds

1. Todd Frazier 3B 22 HA- Plays SS, but will be a 3B by the time he reaches the majors. One of the Reds top 3 prospects. Hits for good power, average, shows good plate dicipline. The only negative is a little old for his age.
2. Neftali Soto 3B 19 HA- Another SS who will probably be moved to 3B. Young for High A, has shown decent power and probably profiles as a guy who will hit 25-30 hrs. Hasn't shown much plate discipline, but still very young.
3. Zach Cozart SS 22 HA- Decent numbers. Seems to be a true short stop with some power and plate discipline. A little old for his level.
4. Kyle Lotzkar P 18 HA Very young for his level. Still sports a decent ERA at 3.89 with very good peripherals. Doesn't sport a good Flyout/groundout ratio. Mechanics have some effort which could lead to injuries down the road.
5. Juan Francisco 3B 21 LA- Very good power potential. But old for level. Won't hit for a high average and has zero plate discipline. Great arm at 3rd but not much range.
6. Matt Maloney AAA- Classic number 5 starter who will serve as an innings eater.
7. Josh Roenicke AAA - Old even for AAA. However, has a great fastball and could still develop as a closer.
8. Alex Buchholtz SS SSA 20 82 AB's 9 2B 3 HR .366AVG .453OBP

Duke to the Dodgers:

A's Receive:
1. Andy LaRoche 3B
2. James McDonald SP
3. Ivan DeJesus SS
4. Austin Gallagher 3B/1B


Dodgers Receive:
1. Justin Duchscherer SP
2. Bobby Crosby SS


Breakdown:
1. Justin Duchscherer for Andy LaRoche, James McDonald, Austin Gallagher

2. Bobby Crosby for Ivan DeJesus

The All "Under 21" Team

C- Ramon Soto
1B- Franklin Hernandez
2B- Adrian Cardenas
SS- Nino Leyja
3B- Leonardo Gil
LF- Matt Sulentic
CF- Rashun Dixon
RF- Robin Rosario

1. Brett Anderson
2. Trevor Cahill
3. Michel Inoa
4. Ronny Morla
5. Jose Guzman

Mock Trade Series: Huston Street

Many teams are reportedly in pursuit of Street. Given his recent poor outings, I have to believe Beane is being more aggressive in shopping Street, as opposed to teams actively pursuing him. Nonetheless if teams have real interest in Street and convince themselves that his recent outings is just a blip cause by extraneous factors (maybe trade talks are affecting his head?), as opposed to an indicator of future success or injury- then they should be prepared to give up at least 2 high quality prospects to get him. Without further ado, let's run through the rumor teams, rank the likelyhood, and look at the possible returns.

1. Chicago White Sox
Reason- Ken Williams and Beane seem to mesh well when it comes to making trades. While Chicago has a poor farm system and the White Sox already have a closer- They still have a need for at least a setup man and have a just enough interesting prospects left in their barren farm system to make a deal possible.

Return: Josh Fields, Aaron Poreda

2. Tampa Bay Rays
Reason: While there isn't much of a transaction history between Beane and Friedman, given the Rays strong farm system, it's very easy to see Beane targeting the Rays as a team he wants to trade with. I hate to say it, but Street's recent performances have pretty much ruled out the chances of him being able to pry a prospect of the caliber of a Hellickson or Davis. Regardless, the rays have enough other interesting prospects to create a match.

Return: Reid Brignac, Nick Barnese, Mitch Talbot

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Reason: I think this is a perfect match- except for the fact that Beane will have to deal with GM Ned Colleti- who simply should not be a GM. Maybe this is the year Colleti wakes up and realizes his team is one solid trade away from making the playoffs and finally pulls the trigger. The team has strangely soured on 24 yr old 3rd basemen Andy LaRoche- strangely because they haven't given him enough AB's at the major league level to determine anything. The A's should be poised to pry him away from the Dodgers ala Ryan Sweeney (who wasn't given a chance prior to coming to the A's).

Return: Andy LaRoche, Joe Meloan

4. Boston Red Sox
Reason: It is believed that Street is being shopped to the Red Sox. However, I just don't see them biting. They certainly have the prospects to pull off a deal- but I feel Epstein would be weary of Beane pulling too much talent from his system and, as a result, be very stingy in his offer.

Return: Michael Bowden, Josh Reddick, Daniel Bard

5. Cincinnati Reds
Reason: Not much reson other than the fact that there is a report that the reds are interested. This is the only team that would not acquire Street for a playoff push this year. However, you can still see the logic in a non-contending team trading for street given that he is only 24 yrs old. Still it seems like a longshot that a deal would get done.

Return- Todd Frazier, Homer Bailey or Neftali Soto, Joe Roenicke, Matt Maloney