Oh, I definitely agree with that. That said, there are a lot of other comps in there who were pretty highly regarded by scouts and evaluators.jim wrote:I don't know what the expectations were from evaluators for those other players, but that has to carry some weight as well. I realize proof is in the pudding, but I'm one who thinks that if evaluators are consistently giving top marks to a player, there is a valid reason and it should be taken into account. In other words, Luis Matos who topped out at the #11 prospect in the Orioles organization and a 10th round draft pick isn't necessarily a perfect comp to Buxton. He simply did not have the raw talent and tools to work with.
Baez was #5 on the BA top 100 list as recently as 2014, Andujar Cedeno was #2 in 1991, Carlos Gonzalez was #22 in 2008 and #18 in 2007, Minty Fresh was #82 in 2011, Newfield made every BA top 100 from 1991 to 1995 (topping out at 17th in 1992)...
Berra, Andres Thomas, and Matt Williams all pre-date the top 100 lists, but Thomas got as high as #4 on the Braves' list (and was in their top 10 three years in a row), and Matt Williams was the Giants' #1 prospect in 1987 and 1988. It's safe to say that Williams would've been a top 100 had the list existed at that time. Thomas... is a little murkier.
Basically Matos (and possibly Berra) is the only one on either comp list who wasn't beloved by scouts and evaluators at the time. Of the 9 that I listed, 5 made the BA top 100, 4 were in the top 20, and one more would have made that list had it existed at the time. Another was probably right on the cusp (Thomas).