Houston Astros

Director of Player Development: Ricky Bennett

The Astros have been building inventory in the last few years, and taking in a few promising trades that are on retread. We like prospects like Nieve, Astacio, Patton and Pence, and think that hurlers like Duckworth and Gallo can have value. The minor league development under Ricky Bennett has been excellent. The major league club needs to communicate with its rookies better, in our opinion. Too many come back to the minors with too little understanding of how they have pleased or offended, impressed or underwhelmed the major league staff. It's hard to rise to expectations when you don't know what they are. Moves by the club to bring its AAA team to Austin (Round Rock) and expand into Corpus Christi, especially under the umbrella of the Texas Baseball God (Nolan Ryan) whose family owns both franchises, makes the Astros' Super Market a growing force in Texas.

Articles on this Farm System:
Through the Eye
Wedging open the needle through which precious few farmhands pass to the toughtest roster in the majors, the Atlanta Braves, is no easy feat. [Article]

Atlanta Braves

Director of Player Development: Dayton Moore

The Braves may be guilty of doing things too well. The team has dominated as much because of its powerful farm system as it has from smart trades. Our only slight dings on the club are that, with so many bright lights in the depth chart, frustration can build, and, while it's a problem most other clubs would be envious to have, they don't always deal with it well. Further, short-look call-ups are produce or perish events that don't always prime a player not making the Braves very high standards for a trade or for future improvement. Originators of the Super Market, with a super station and dominating brand placement of their minor league franchises in the South, they are the kinds of the concept.

Milwaukee Brewers

Director of Player Development: Reid Nichols

Knowing that you're not in the richest market in the majors makes you a bit leaner and meaner. The Brew Crew's farm system is hot, pushing along a very good to excellent crop of players upon which they seem destined to design a build-your-own major league club that is largely free-agent-free. The farm does little for the Brewers as a Super Market to build team support, spread as it is to the four winds like so much chaff from the wheat.

St. Louis Cardinals

Director of Player Development: Bruce Manno

The Cardinals have had a few good farm hands move along, like hurler Brad Thompson. The farm doesn't seem to have much of a focus in 2005. The team had a good 2004 draft and a decent 2005, but it will be a season or two before the benefits of any of that become more apparent. We're not impressed with the development of the FAs and the lesser light signings. Usually these should produce a few pleasant surprises. The club's mood could be described as "tense" coming into Spring of 2005 on the heels of a World Series performance that, it would seem, pretty much everyone would like a shot at improving upon this season. The team has some great markets, but none of them in the greater broadcasting areas that provide regional Super Markets.

Chicago Cubs

Director of Player Development: Oneri Fleita

While big ticket trades have depleted the upper ranks of the Cubs' farm system, Oneri Fleita still runs one of the best developmental programs in the game. Even the Cubbies lulls in the farm's production are just that. We continue to be impressed by the level of talent and the quality of communication that keeps them on track. The team's assets are dispersed, but the WGN super-station and the large numbers of expat Chicagoans around the country make the Cubs the no. 4 top Super Market.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Director of Player Development: Bob Miller

For a team that reportedly struggles with the finances of high-dollar acquisitions, the farm should be a much more integral part of the overall club program. They have a few good prospects, and probably will deliver enough pitchers and outfielders of reasonable quality, but there is little sizzle under the Arizona sun these days. The Tucson market makes for a nice super-metro area, beyond that though the Diamondbacks struggle with the Texas teams and the Colorado Rockies for control of the Southwest Super Market.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Director of Player Development: Terry Collins

The Dodgers farm system structurally is unrivalled by any of its peers. Decades of investment are hard to unwind, even when the Fox people did their best. In the new regime, though, Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta has recognized both the financial and pragmatic power of the farm. Trades have never been the Dodgers' long suit. The farm has a crop of good players, a few who may have become stagnant from waiting in the wings too long. The Dodgers Vegas farm club is in need of relocation either to the 'Burbs of Sin City or to a town that isn't under the delusion that it's going to get major league baseball. Given how much of the Dodgers minor operations are in Florida, they might be wiser to look that way.

San Francisco Giants

Director of Player Development: Dick Tidrow

The Giants have traded off a lot of their prime prospects, particularly in pitching. They have a number of promising infielders, and some pitching at lower levels that looks encouraging. The system itself needs some tweaking, as we've heard from more than a few players that feedback is erratic at various levels of the farm system. The San Jose club provides some major market pull down into the Central Coast, and Fresno reaches out to fans in the Northwest of the greater San Francisco metro area. The Athletics are also pulling for the same market, but the Giants rule both the airwaves and the markets.

Florida Marlins

Director of Player Development: Brian Chattin

The Marlins have one of the best developmental systems in baseball. They do more, communicate better, instruct well year-round, and take lots of interesting small chances beyond the draft to see what overlooked gems might pop up. The farm was a bit drained this year after a few call-ups and trades at the higher levels, but we continue to like what we see coming from the hatchery down at the lower levels of the fish farm. With the exception of their AAA club, which is quite successful but very far away, the Marlins have a good Super Market stretching from Florida to the Carolinas to the Dominican Republic.

New York Mets

Director of Player Development: Kevin Morgan

In the town where most fans think perfection was invented, it is very easy to under-estimate the Mets farm system. Many of the big ticket names that were the buzz of the farm are playing in Shea now, with others like Milledge not far behind. Still there is some evidence that the lower ranks of the Mets farm will have some promise coming into 2005. We'd love to tell you more but our scouts were prohibited by the Mets PR department from doing our assessments. Perhaps they have some secret weapon they don't want anyone to know about. Kevin Morgan has an exceptional staff and has brought in many great names from the past to help coach and motivate. The Mets have a good placement in Brooklyn, but their bite of the Big Apple seems to always be a bit smaller than the chunk taken of the ultimate Super Market by the boys from da Bronx.

Washington Nationals

Director of Player Development: Adam Wogan

When Major League Baseball finally parted the waters of the Atlantic and allowed the wandering tribe of Expos to cross back into the United States and find a home in DC, it had storybook build up of almost Biblical proportions. Unfortunately the Expos weren't the lost tribe of Israel: They were the Donner party. Trapped in the Twilight Zone for three years with little direction and lousy deals, they began cannibalizing their own farm system. Now very little remains, although the 2005 draft leaves some indications that the Nationals are going to try to be a contending team and not fall into the post-love-fest malaise that usually strikes DC clubs. We would hope to see more aggressive movement to build up the farm over the winter. There are a lot of quality free agents coming due who are hungry for a shot at a better spot on a depth chart. If the Nationals don't go after them, they may not have enough in house to keep the pipeline full with the kind of players that justify bond issues and new stadium construction. The Nationals have a great Super Market that would be even better if the Orioles weren't down the way. The O's implosions, however, may give the Nationals a shot at not becoming the DC Mets.

San Diego Padres

Director of Player Development: Tye Waller

It could be that one of the many military contractors in San Diego accidentally sent a self-destruct button to the Padres rather than the US Navy. There is no one quite as gifted at frittering away a farm as the Bayside Boys. Josh Barfield remains their best prospect. J.J Furmaniak, who had promise as a utility infielder is now with the Pirates. Click. BOOM. While the Pads have a western swing to their market, the Lake Elsinore franchise gives them little lift and trading with the Dodgers the AAA Las Vegas locale for Portland, while historic, is a dud in Super Market theory.

Philadelphia Phillies

Director of Player Development: Mike Arbuckle

The Phillies have a few guys in the depth chart that are exciting to watch mature. The follow-up is a bit less clear in the old crystal ball, though. Even though Mike Arbuckle and his crew do a good job bringing the Phils great prospects, and the fans, often known for being tough on their own, have been pretty good. We hear, though, more about the use of the mushroom theory of management (keep 'em in the dark) in the Phils dugout. That has dinged more than a couple of promising prospects some of whom are seeking greener pastures with other clubs and could have helped Philly. The Phils have one of the best organic Super Markets, stretching from Pennsylvania to Florida, with a great concentration around their home state and into New Jersey.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Director of Player Development: Brian Graham

Ranking: 8.5/10

Super Market : 4/5

There's buried treasure in the Pirates farm. The map that is their depth chart is for swabbies and schoolgirls to follow. If ya look careful, you'll see that the Bucs have been bucking their bad rap for being a bit tight with the doubloons by making some good trades and shining up a few oily prospects and getting a bit more for them at market. Zach Duke and Ian Snell are the real deal. The Bucs Raided the Padres locker to come up with J. J. Furmaniak, who has turned it on to prove that he's worthy of making the crew setting sail in 2006.

Class	League	Team
AAA	IL	Indianapolis Indians
AA	EL	Altoona Curve
A	SAL	Hickory Crawdads
A	CAR	Lynchburg HillCats
Short A	NYP	Williamsport Crosscutters
Rookie	GCL	Bradenton Pirates
Rookie	DSL	San Pedro de Macoris Pirates
Rookie	VSL	Chivacoa Pirates

 

Cincinnati Reds

Director of Player Development: Tim Naehring

This is not your father's Reds. The once-mighty Big Red Machine needs a lot of oil, and a restocking of the farm for spare parts. The 2004 and 2005 drafts have delivered a few new bats and fresh arms, but they won't be ripe for the calling-up for a couple of years down the road. The placement of minor league clubs gives the Reds a big lift regionally.

Colorado Rockies

Director of Player Development: Bill Geivett

The Rockies have smart baseball guys in the front office. Farmer Bill Geivett is a good judge of talent and he runs a well organized, good communicating and fair shop. While the touts are hot on their current crop of prospects, what is most notable about the Rockies is that they deliver a consistent batch of good young hopefuls year after year. Their High-A Modesto team is a contender in 2005 that should make a few Triple-A careers next season. Their clubs in nearby Colorado Springs, Tulsa and Casper help command a presence for the club straight down into New Mexico and East into Montana, and Wyoming.