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It’s okay to let go.
It was about 6:15 when I headed up to the women’s bathroom on the eighth floor. In the past few weeks it had become a Friday afternoon ritual. Staying late until everyone else had left the fifth floor for the weekend, looking like a diligent employee just working ahead on the next week’s projects. And then after the door was closed for the last time, slipping back to Murray’s office for a small withdrawal from the petty cash drawer to…well, work ahead on the only project for the next week that really seemed to matter. Murray was the office manager, but he also had issues with booze and gambling, and in the three years since his wife left him, he’d really gone off the rails. Last April I noticed him dipping into the cash box before ducking out at two, but at the time I’d just filed the information away as a potentially useful nugget if I ever got in a jam or needed leverage. Then three months ago I started hanging out with a crowd that snorted powder on the regular—ne’er do well types that were way more interesting than the ex-boyfriend that had introduced me to them. At first I joined in on the coke to be sociable, then because it made everything brighter and sharper and more fun. Now? Now I was stealing petty cash, drifting in the wake of a fifty year-old alky gambler, all so I was topped off the next week to buy some more booger sugar. Murray would probably never catch on, and even if he did, what could he do that wouldn’t implicate himself? Still, the risk was always there if there was ever a department audit, and it wasn’t like I wasn’t taking a bit more every time. It was becoming a very expensive hobby, and I was having trouble convincing myself that the ritual was optional anymore. But that was negative thinking, and I didn’t need to spoil my favorite time of the week with negative thinking. It was already six o’clock, and the guards usually started their evening check of the floors around seven. They wouldn’t care I was still in the building, but I’d rather not have them notice me lurking around the bathrooms three floors up from where I worked. But after the cash box, I had to hit the stairwell. The unfrequented, uncameraed stairwell that had a dark recess behind the first floor stairs. It hadn’t been cleaned or even looked at in years, and no one was going to find the little baggie I kept duct-taped into the shadows there. Even if they did, I tried to wipe off any prints when I remembered. That was the big takeaway from my time with Joseph—he of the perpetual unemployment and expensive drug habit who had cooler friends than he deserved. You never hide your stash on you or where you stay. The only way someone was going to catch me with drugs was if I had a blood test or very bad luck, and that’s what I had my ritual for. I puffed back up the stairs, past the fifth floor and on to the eighth, the little bag of powder feeling warm in my pocket. I was already getting excited, and the sweat at my armpits wasn’t just from a few flights of stairs. Shit, how deep into this did I really want to go? How long before the hobby went from habit to ritual to something worse? Shaking away the thought, I pushed open the door to the bathroom and went in, looking for any feet under the stalls before going to the handicapped stall at the far end. This was one of the perks of the even-numbered floors. Spacious handicapped stalls with their own mirrors and sinks. No chance of coming out with white smudges on my nose or looking more fucked up than I could handle. I could ride out the initial rocket holding onto the thoughtfully placed metal railing beside the toilet and then do another small courtesy bump once I knew I was handling my shit and could go down to hail a cab. Another necessary expense—you don’t drive when you’re fucked up on cocaine. I put the seat down on the toilet—first for the line and then for my ass, but always in that order, especially now, when my skin was starting to crawl and my stomach was twisting, telling me I was behind schedule. I opened the bag and tapped out half into a single rail. I already had the tube of my favorite ballpoint pen ready in my purse, and once I fished it out, it was off to the… “But…but I don’t want to.” I froze. The voice had come from two stalls down—a woman’s voice, watery with tears. What the fuck? How hadn’t I seen her when I came in? Was she standing on the damn toilet? And no one had come in since I’d gotten here, I was sure of it. I looked down skeptically at the line on the toilet seat and then the tiny clear jeweler’s bag that held the rest. No, I wasn’t fucked up, at least not yet. I hadn’t taken some and forgotten, and it had never made me forget stuff anyway. But what should I do? My internal plan had always been that I would flush anything I had if anyone ever came into the bathroom during my Friday evening party for one, but now that I was faced with it…it was such a waste. And I really wanted it. Maybe she would just leave in a second. “I know you’re right, but maybe things will get better. I-I can try to make them better, can’t I?” Who was she talking to? Maybe she was on the phone? I crept over to the far wall of the stall so I could hear better. The woman was sniffling, and I almost thought I could hear another voice, but it was very faint. The strange thing was that the second voice didn’t have the clipped, tinny quality I’d expect from the other side of a phone call. It was soft, but it sounded natural—present. Frowning, I bent down to look under the stalls again. I could see the woman’s feet now—scuffed black flats wrapped around pale feet going up into shapeless ankles pinpricked with black stubble. Maybe what the girl didn’t want to do was shave. Covering my mouth, I let out a small snicker as I caught a glimpse of red scab on her calf. Damn. Looked like she needed more practice too. I looked back at the toilet seat. Shit, why wouldn’t she just leave? Or should I just hit it and go? Leave Moaning Myrtle in here to do whatever she… “It’s okay to let go.” My eyes went wide and I looked under the stalls again. That voice—it was a different voice, a male voice, and it wasn’t on a phone. It was in here with us. But there was no sign of another person anywhere, just her white feet shuffling as she let out another sob. “I-I know…I…thank you…Just…you’ll stay with me, won’t you?” “Of course I will. I won’t leave you.” “Okay…I…Okay.” The woman’s feet shuffled again and then I saw something dripping onto them, a red stream onto the left foot and then the right. What the fuck? That looked like blood. Had she cut herself? As I watched, the woman slumped down to the floor with a thump, a brown skirt covered in more blood coming into view under the stalls as one bloody arm fell down to her side. The cut was away from my direction, but I could still see a steady flow of red dripping out onto the tile floor. Fuck me. “Ma’am? Are you okay, ma’am?” Dumb fucking question, but I really didn’t want to get involved with this bullshit if I could avoid it. On the other hand, I’d rather not hate myself for totally ignoring someone that needed help, so asking once seemed like a good middle ground. If she told me she was fine, I’d leave her to her business, whatever that might be. I waited a few seconds, but no response. She was still moving around, so she was conscious, and while she was still bleeding out, it was slow. She had time to ask for help if she really wanted it. “It hurts…It hurts a lot.” Grimacing, I sat back up. Did that count as asking for help? Her whispering that cutting her fucking arm hurts? No shit it hurts. But did that mean I had some duty to… “I know, Shelly. I know. But it will stop soon. And you know you deserve the pain, don’t you?” My heart started thudding. The blood had made me forget about the mystery voice for a moment, but it was still there, louder than before. Who the fuck was that? “I-I know I do. Thank you. I’m just scared.” “It’s alright to be scared. I’ve been scared for weeks you wouldn’t do the right thing, but here you are. And I’m so proud. So proud, and I love you. Just relax and let go.” Fuck this. Standing up, I opened the door and headed for the woman’s stall. I was about to knock on it when I noticed the blood creeping out onto the floor outside of her little cubicle. Whatever was going on, I really didn’t want to be stepping in blood or leaving evidence I was here unless I really decided I had to stay. And who knew what was actually going on in there? Maybe it was just a great sounding phone and it wasn’t blood at all? Or maybe there was some killer in there with her. I just needed to get a better peek before I decided what to do. Holding my breath, I eased open the door of the stall next to hers, tense for any movement or sound from the other side of the wall. The toilet lid squeaked as I put it down, and then again as I stepped up on it so I could look over into the woman’s stall. What I saw first was her—a few years younger than me, she was chubby and red-faced from crying, but still prettier than I’d ever be. Her green, red-rimmed eyes found mine immediately, but there was a dazed look to them. She was fading, and the lines of red going up her inner arms were still pulsing the rest of her life out onto the bathroom floor. I was about to speak to her again, tell her that I’d get help or something, when motion caught my eye. There was something watching me from the toilet. I shuddered as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Something long, broad and white, almost like a fat snake or legless lizard, coiled in the bowl of the toilet and stared up at me. Its flat, triangular head was pocked with dozens of small black holes that seemed to shift and melt, forming and reforming into pits of dark on that ivory skin. Darkness that could see me. I stumble-fell off the toilet, banging into the door before flinging it open and bouncing off a sink on the way out the door. I had to get away. I had to get far away and I was sorry about that poor woman, but whatever she had done or it had done or it had made her do or whatever, I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t be connected with any of… The fucking cocaine. The fucking cocaine and my fucking purse. I stopped ten feet from the door to the stairwell. I couldn’t go back in there. I couldn’t. But I also couldn’t leave drugs and stuff with my name on it fifteen feet away from a dead body. Leaning against the wall, I felt my gorge rising. I had to go back in there. I…I hadn’t really seen some kind of fucking toilet monster in there. I was in shock, that was all. Or the coke was getting to me more than I’d been willing to admit. Either way, I need to get my shit out of there and then walk out of the building like nothing was wrong. I glanced down the hallway both ways. It could work. That was the other reason I’d picked the eighth floor, aside from the spacious end stall. Floors Seven through Ten didn’t have cameras in the hall. No record of me being up there at all, so long as I didn’t fuck up because of a hallucination or whatever. Just get in and out quick, that was the key. Forcing myself to take slower breaths, I walked back to the bathroom door and listened. Everything was quiet in there. Hell, maybe I’d open the door and nothing would be wrong at all. No snake monster, no dying woman, just some misfired synapse in my fucked-up brain. Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed the door back open. The woman was still there, the blood now pooling out halfway toward the sink. My eyes went everywhere as my heart began to hammer harder, but I saw no sign of the monster or anything else. Either way, I just needed to hurry up and get it done. Hopping over the blood, I went back to my stall. Pulling a paper towel from the dispenser, I raked the coke off into the towel and then flushed it and the baggie down, quickly dusting my hands off over the bowl for good measure. Grabbed my purse and opened the stall door, now I just had to make it out of the building normally, because there were cameras down in the lobby. Suddenly, all my plans fled as my eyes found the monster. It was out there, waiting. Just curled up with its head raised like a thoughtful cobra, gently swaying in some unfelt breeze from its spot under the fold-out baby changing station. My stomach dropped as I stopped in my tracks. Was it going to attack me? It was a good ten feet from the door, but snakes could strike really far, couldn’t they? And this thing wasn’t a snake, and whatever it was, I didn’t know what it could or might do. Still, waiting just gave it more time to decide. Gripping the handle of my purse so I could swing it, I stepped over the blood and eased slowly toward the door, keeping turned toward the thing as it watched me. The darkness on its head continued to swim in the soft, fluorescent lights overhead, and I found myself getting queasier as I looked at it. Reaching the door, I closed my eyes and shoved my way through, making it halfway down the hall before I looked back and slowed myself from a run. It wasn’t following. I’d gotten away. At least I had if I didn’t stand out in the hall like an idiot. My hands trembled on the railings as I went down the stairwell to the first floor, and I stuffed the free one in my pocket as I entered the lobby and passed through to the street. A couple of minutes later I was in a cab, and in half an hour I was at home, trying to convince myself it had all been some kind of bad dream. Luke called me the next day, which was unusual on the weekend. I already knew what he was going to tell me. “Did you hear about the woman on the eighth floor yesterday?” I tried to sound bored, but I could still hear a slight tremble in my voice. “No, what’d she do?” “Um, well, she killed herself. Some chick that works for that investment firm on eight slit her wrists in the bathroom up there. They didn’t find her until some time last night, and she’d already been dead a little while then.” Swallowing down bile, I waited a second before replying. “Shit. That’s terrible. Um, any idea why she did it? Did she leave a note or something?” “No, no note I don’t think. I’m buddies with Tom down in security, and he said they hadn’t found anything like that. Don’t say anything to anybody, but he told me one of the cops said she had little cuts all over though. Most in places people couldn’t see. Old cuts, like she’d been working up to…well, what she did I guess.” Luke cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, anyway, sorry to bother you on the weekend. Just thought you might want to know, and it was weird and I wanted someone to tell it to. And listen, if you ever want…” “Bye, Luke.” I hung up and tossed the phone onto the coffee table. Suddenly, I just wanted to sleep for a few days. Trudging back to my bed, I swallowed down a couple of pills before crawling back under the covers. It was dark when I heard the distant sound of water splashing. I was still groggy, and at first I wondered if I was having a dream that I was swimming or on a beach. But no, I was in my bed. And it was night? And the splashing in another room had been replaced by a soft thump. I wanted to look, but I was still so sleepy, and it was probably nothing. Just a fragment of a dream. I gave another token glance around the dark and then burrowed my head back down into my pillow, drifting back off immediately. My own yell woke me up as pain seared across my inner thigh. I reached down reflexively and felt my fingers bump against something hard and scaly as it moved away from a small, welling cut just above my knee. Yanking my legs up with a scream, I rolled out the other side of the bed and turned back to watch as a bulge shifted under my blanket. I turned on the closest lamp as the thing’s white head poked out from under the covers to stare at me from those ever-shifting voids. Stare at me and speak, its voice soft and oddly soothing as it moved closer to the edge of the bed. “I understand. I do. This must all be very confusing. Frightening even. But don’t worry. That will pass. It will pass and you will come to accept me. More importantly, to accept yourself.” I shook my head. “I…what are you? What do you want?” The creature swayed slightly, a small speck of red on its white skin the only sign of what it had done to my leg. I saw no mouth or nose, no real face at all. Just that same staring, swimming darkness that its pleasant voice seemed to come from as it responded. “I want to help you. Help you be honest with yourself. You try to lie and say you don’t hate yourself, but we both know that’s not true. You promise yourself you’ll do better, make those that love you proud, but it’s just another lie, isn’t it?” I felt tears come to my eyes as I nodded. “And why is it a lie, Justine?” My nose was starting to run as I sniffled my answer. “Because I never do. And because nobody really loves me.” The creature gave a slight nod. “That’s right. At least mostly right. Because I love you.” I felt my chest warming as I looked at him in disbelief. “You do? Do you really?” He nodded again. “I do. And I won’t ever leave you. Not until it’s over. It’ll take time for you to see things my way, I’m sure, but in then end you’ll see that it’s okay to hate yourself just as much as I love you. And eventually, you’ll understand.” The tears were streaming down my face now, my heart filled to bursting with both black despair and a burning sense of gratitude that he would love me and stay with me despite how terrible I was. Wanting to please him, I asked the only question that came to mind. “I’ll understand what?” He paused a moment before he responded, and I was afraid I’d made him angry. But when he did speak, his voice was so gentle and full of love that I started to cry even harder. “That it’s okay. It’s okay to let go.”
The Methodology 4 Of Our Great /OnTheFarm Mods Created Their Own Top 100 Lists And Combined We Came Up With A Formula To Fairly Average The 100 Out. We Feel This Was The Fairest Way To Come Up With A Communal List. A Huge Shoutout To Asroka, Tschirky4, And Gpratt283 Who Made This All Possible. And A Special Shoutout To Enjoyingcarp650 and Batman-and-Hobbes who Helped With Some Write-Ups! We Hope You Enjoy The Rankings! We thank all of you who have been reading these throughout the last 3 months. We put in a lot of hard work and we understand we aren't experts, but we try our best to put out quality content. I can't thank my fellow writers enough for helping out with this huge endeavor and I hope we can do it again next year! I hope this series has helped grow /OnTheFarm and we hope to see you guys throughout the 2018 season! So without further ado here are your Top 10 2018 Prospects. Note that we DID include Ohtani as a prospect, I know some people aren't "counting" him as a prospect, but we decided that he is a prospect and he is technically eligible to win ROTY(like Ichiro did). Previous Rankings100-9190-8180-7170-6160-5150-4140-3130-2120-11 We will be posting a General /OnTheFarm Top 100 Discussion Tomorrow TL;DR 10) SS Fernando Tatis Jr., SD 9) OF Kyle Tucker, HOU 8) 3B Nick Senzel, CIN 7) SS Brendan Rodgers, COL 6) SS Gleyber Torres, NYY 5) OF Eloy Jimenez, CWS 4) OF Victor Robles, WAS 3) 3B Vlad Guerrero Jr., TOR 2) OF Ronald Acuna, ATL 1) RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, LAA 10) Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres – 359 Tschirky4 6-foot-3 | 185 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 431 AB at A: .281/.390/.520; 21 HR, 29 SB 55 AB at AA: .255/.281/.327; 1 HR, 3 SB Hang in there White Sox fans, this ones gonna sting. Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic for $700,000 in 2015, Tatis Jr. was traded from the White Sox to the Padres for James Shields the following season. Yea… James Shields. And while Shields has been busy collecting a 6.31 ERA over 234 innings for the Sox, Tatis Jr. has been lighting the world on fire in the minors, climbing all the way up to being a consensus top 10 prospect. While he might never hit 2 grand slams in the same inning like his dad, Tatis Jr. has shown the skills so far in his career to suggest he could become a superstar. He showed some promise at the rookie level league in 2016, slashing .273/.312/.426 with 4 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 176 AB’s, but that would pale in comparison to his 2017 season. He hit .278/.379/.498 with 22 home runs and 32 steals in 486 AB’s, striking out at a reasonable 24.5% rate and leading the Midwest league with 75 walks on his way to a 13.4% walk rate. He did struggle with a late season promotion to AA where he .255 with 17 K’s and 2 BB’s in 55 AB’s, but that small sample size hasn’t soured us off of him yet and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do over a full season at AA. As a SS, I’ve seen comparisons to Carlos Correa, and it makes total sense. While tall and somewhat limited in his movement, he has good instincts and is athletic enough to stick at short. However, my favorite Tatis Jr. comparison I’ve seen is Manny Machado. This is assuming that the Friars move him to Third where his cannon of an arm will play up and he can be a defensive wizard. Whichever position he plays, the bat will play and then some. Tatis Jr. has already shown an advanced approach and a knack for barreling balls, and while he was seen as a pull power hitter when he was signed, he has shown the ability and strength to go up the middle or the other way and still get balls into the seats. His stolen bases are a bit of a mirage, and you can clearly see that if you look at his 15 CS and his 68% success rate. He is expected to fill in his 6’3 frame even more and in doing so stands to lose even more speed. He still has good enough instincts to swipe 10 bags in his prime, but I wouldn’t count on that. Petco isn’t the most hitter friendly park out there, but recent studies have shown it isn’t as bad as it used to be and that bodes well for Tatis Jr’s future. If he tears up AA pitching to start the year, I expect him to move to AAA towards the end of the year and be knocking on San Diego’s door by 2019. Whether it be as a gold glove caliber 3B or an average defensive SS, Tatis Jr’s bat will make him a superstar no matter what position he plays. The Correa/Machado comps make too much sense, and a .300 hitter with 30 HR’s a season is certainly in the realm of possibilities. We’re looking at a potential perennial all star and possibly even MVP candidate. Not a bad haul for James Freaking Shields. Highest: 5; Lowest: 24 9) Kyler Tucker, OF, Houston Astros – 361 asroka 6-foot-4 | 190 pounds | Bats: L; Throws: R 177 AB at A+: .288/.379/.554; 9 HR, 13 SB 287 AB at AA: .265/.325/.512; 16 HR, 8 SB Statistically, Kyle Tucker is truly one of the most prolific offensive forces in the minors, given his age and production. Tucker turned 21-years old just 29 days ago and yet, he has 318 career Double-A plate appearances on his résumé. The Astros have protected their budding star outfielder from just about every proposed trade rumor that has made its way to our Twitter feeds. Last offseason, with Chris Sale on the table, the Astros seemed to refuse the inclusion of Tucker in their conversations. Peter Gammons reported that a White Sox offer that included Tucker, Francis Martes, and Joe Musgrove was denied by the Astros. The Astros, then, were viewed as an ace away from being authentic World Series contenders but even still were reluctant to trade away the fifth-overall pick back in 2015’s draft. That’s how much they believe in Tucker. That belief was rewarded when Tucker added to his explosive start in the organization’s High-A affiliate to close out 2016 and for the first 48 games of 2017. Even though he was striking out more than we’d become accustomed to seeing, the Astros decided to promote him to their Double-A squad as a 20-year old. He went on to spend the final 72 games (318 plate appearances) in Double-A where he was challenged produced nonetheless. At Corpus Christi, Tucker slashed .265/.325/.512 and walloped 16 homers, too. His defense is mostly average -- he’s a corner outfielder who’s fit for either left or right field -- either way, it shouldn’t be a liability. In addition to his offensive numbers, Tucker is fun to cheer for because of his old school setup, compact swing, and batting gloves-free look. He’ll probably re-introduce himself to the pitchers of the Texas League in Double-A for much of 2018. A strong showing could get him a taste of Triple-A, too, near the end of the year. Highest: 7; Lowest: 20 8) Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds – 365 - u/enjoyingcarp650 6-foot-1 | 205 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 246 AB at A+: .305/.371/.476; 4 HR, 9 SB 209 AB at AA: .340/.413/.560; 10 HR, 5 SB The Cincinnati Reds couldn't have asked for more from Nick Senzel in 2017. The 2016 first round pick from Tennessee used his first full season of pro-ball to put on a clinic. Senzel hit 14 home runs, hit over .300, played excellent defense at the hot corner, and he stole 14 bases, just because he could. The tools have always been there but scouts also rave about Senzel’s intangibles; he plays smart, takes extra bases, grinds out at bats, and is a natural leader. This great mentality and his advanced approach have made Senzel one of the top prospects in the game. Senzel’s advanced approach is what really makes him a special player. He’s able to hit the ball to all fields, and has multiple home runs to center and right field. This ability to move the ball around the field is so important for young players as it makes it harder for pitchers to beat them and infield shifts cannot be used. The plate discipline is also advanced. He controls the strike zone well and is rarely fooled and doesn’t chase bad pitches. This batting eye paired with his compact swing results in him constantly barreling balls. There is more power to come here. There isn’t much Senzel can’t do. He hits, he mashes, he runs, and his a plus defender. There is a potential for a five tool player to develop here, and he has the right attitude to make it happen. There is no reason to rush Senzel to the show, with the emergence of Eugenio Suarez at the MLB level so expect Senzel to spend most of 2018 at AAA. There isn’t much he needs to improve on but I would look to see if he can repeat what he did against better competition and add more power. Unless he forces Cincinnati’s hand earlier or an injury, expect to see him called up in September. Highest: 9; Lowest: 17 7) Brendan Rodgers, SS/2B, Colorado Rockies – 367-patriotsfan543 6-foot-0 | 180 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 222 AB at A+: .387/.407/.671; 12 HR, 35:6 K-to-BB ratio 150 AB at AA: .260/.323/.413; 6 HR, 36:8 K-to-BB ratio Brendan Rodgers was drafted 3rd overall in the 2015 MLB Draft, behind 2 fellow shortstops in Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson who have already made impacts in the bigs. Even though those guys have made the earlier impacts, some people think that Brendan Rodgers has the highest potential out of all three of the shortstops. Rodgers made his pro debut after he was drafted in 2015 in rookie ball, but carried with him a couple of nagging injuries and only hit .273 that season in about 140 ABs. 2016 was Rodgers’ first full season in pro ball and he put up solid numbers, the biggest number that stood out was the amount of home runs. In 2016 at High-A, Rodgers slashed .281/..343/.483 with 19 HR and 73 RBI. Seeing a 19-year old shortstop hit 19 HR over a year in the low minor leagues is definitely something that will get people excited over his power potential. Injuries were a big theme again in 2017, suffering a hand injury early in the season and then a quad injury not too long after. Despite these injuries, he still played a good amount of games and put up solid numbers. He absolutely raked in High-A, slashing .387/.407/.671 with 12 HR. The one concern you can take from that stint is High-A is his lack of ability to take a walk, his BB% was only 2.5%. Rodgers was promoted to AA in June of last season, but struggled a bit in the promotion to Hartford...Rodgers only slashed .260/.323/.413 with 6 HR and again struggled in with the K/BB ratio. There is a lot to love about Brendan Rodgers and there is a reason he sits here at #7 on our list. The best tool that Rodgers brings to the table is his power and this is even more of a valuable commodity with him being a shortstop. Although his power is great, his hit tool has a ton of room for improvement and a lot of that has to do with taking more walks and limiting the strikeouts, but you have to remember he’s just 21 although this year should say a lot about what his future holds. Rodgers has average speed and won’t steal a ton of bases, but on the defensive side of things he can stay at Short as he is capable, but some scouts believe a move to 2B may be in his cards and he has a very strong arm to go with the average defense. As far as future goes, Rodgers should only be able to hit for more power as he gets older and the key to him becoming an all-star at the Major League level is his ability to hit for average which he displayed at the High-A level, but struggled a bit at AA. Rodgers’ main value comes from his heightened offense for a middle infielder with a lot of power potential. As of now, Rodgers is blocked at all infield positions he could theoretically play by Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and DJ Lemahieu although Story did fall off from his great rookie season. The Rockies can take their time with developing Rodgers and that may benefit Rodgers greatly. Rodgers got an invite to Major League camp this year so it should be interesting to see what he can do against Major League pitching. Expect Rodgers to at least start in AA this year and get to AAA by year’s end. A September call-up is very likely this year and if the Rockies suffer an injury or two to their infield I wouldn’t be surprised if Rodgers could make an early appearance in Colorado. As far as fantasy value goes, I would rate Rodgers very high, not only because of his position and the power he brings as a SS, but solely in the fact he’ll eventually be playing half his games at Coors Field. Highest: 5; Lowest: 19 6) Gleyber Torres, SS/3B, New York Yankees – 375- patriotsfan543 6-foot-1 | 175 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 121 AB at AA: .273/.367/.496; 5 HR, 2 SB 81 AB at AAA: .309/.406/.457; 5 HR, 2 SB Gleyber Torres was originally signed as an international free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 2013. He mainly played in rookie ball back in 2014 and hit for a .279 clip, not too bad for his first season in America. Gleyber spent almost all of 2015 in Low-A where he slashed .293/.353/.386 with 62 RBI, not too shabby for his first full season and this performance promptly got him promoted to High-A the following season. He had a great first half of the season, hitting .275 and had a career-high 9 home runs and was already considered a top prospect. In July of 2015 Gleyber would be involved in a blockbuster of a trade where he would be sent off to the Yankees in exchange for Aroldis Chapman and other pieces of the trade. Torres would only hit .252 the 2nd half of the year in the Yankees system, but only logged just over 100 at-bats. Expectations were high for Gleyber coming into the 2017 season and he did pretty good at the AA level in the beginning of the year slashing .273/.367/.496 over 121 AB before getting promoted to AAA. Torres was on fire at AAA, hitting over .300 until an unfortunate incident occurred, ending his season. As Torres was coming home to score on a hit, he slid headfirst into home plate and his arm got stuck on the catcher’s leg in an awkward angle and he ended up tearing his UCL, ending his season. As we enter 2018 Torres says that he is 100% and ready to make an impact this season and he will get a ton of playing time in Major League camp. In his stance, Gleyber is pretty active with the bat and his feet, but when the pitch is about to get delivered he calms down and is in a great hitter position. When he gets in his load, he brings his knee up pretty high towards his stomach, but has a very controlled swing. Gleyber has very quick hands and has some very good bat speed(not as good as Clint Frazier’s but above average). The biggest thing that stands out with Torres’ hit tool is his ability to go oppo with some power. Speaking of power, Gleyber doesn’t have a ton of it, but he doesn’t need to. Torres is more of a hit for average kind of guy than power, but he’ll probably be able to crank anywhere from 15-20 home runs at his peak, if not a little more. Torres plays okay defense and won’t blow you away with anything he does with the glove, but he is capable of playing shortstop if need be, but a position change to 2B seems to be in his cards as Didi Gregorious is there. Torres also is not a burner by any definition and is just an average runner although he did steal 20 bases in 2016, but was also caught 10 times. As for 2018, it is expected to be a big year for Gleyber Torres and a lot may be asked of him by the Yankees. He will have the opportunity to win the starting 2B job out of Spring Training and may very well be in the Opening Day lineup at Toronto. In my opinion, Torres is Major League-ready and he most likely would have been up in September if not for his elbow injury. The only thing stopping Gleyber from being a shoo-in right now would be the elbow injury and he has stated that he is feeling 100%, so if he’s fully healthy it is his job to lose. Whether it be on Opening Day or in May, Gleyber Torres will definitely be wearing the pinstripes in 2018. Highest: 2; Lowest: 10 5) Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox – 384 asroka 6-foot-4 | 205 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 265 AB at A+: .302/.373/.581; 16 HR, 56:30 K-to-BB ratio 68 AB at AA: .353/.397/.559; 3 HR, 16:5 K-to-BB ratio The man with the best raw power in the minor leagues, Eloy Jimenez. You’re probably familiar with his name since, by this point, he’s becoming an urban legend. The distance of his home runs still travel by word of mouth, he punishes light towers like Roy Hobbs, and he’s been dubbed by teammates as “The Bess.” He’s a lively and likeable character, the type baseball needs, in addition to being the trademark slugger this White Sox rebuild needs, too. One knock on Jimenez is his health -- he’s had a few bouts with various injuries here and there during his pro career -- he didn’t make his first start in 2017 until mid-May. Though, nothing notable enough to mention here that would warrant long-term concern about his ability to play 150-plus games a season. Apart from his health, Jimenez is a high-floor, high-ceiling player. He’s going to hit and hit for power and he takes enough pride in his defense to the point where he should be at least an average defender you can stick in corner spot without hesitation. And, even though he loves to hack, he’s a patient hitter, too. He’ll take his walks which conversely forces pitchers to throw him more strikes than they can often afford and that’s when Jimenez is at his “bess.” He made 174 plate appearances with the Cubs before they dealt him across dugouts to the White Sox affiliate -- literally. He was a member of the High-A Myrtle Beach affiliate during a series with the White Sox affiliate in Winston-Salem when the big league clubs made their trade. He hit eight homers with the Cubs in 42 games during a somewhat slow start for their top-ranked prospect at the time. When he was acquired by the White Sox, he heated up and smacked eight more homers in 13 fewer games, en route to a .682 slugging percentage during his time with the Dash. Numbers like that will hastily earn you a promotion, so the White Sox tested Jimenez with an assignment to Double-A Birmingham where he finished his season loudly -- three more home runs for him in 18 games. He’ll return to Birmingham where he’ll spend a good chunk of the season but he’ll be a quick mover. His rare patience-power approach will have him ticketed for Triple-A in no time and you can even squint and see a big league call-up in September if the White Sox are generous enough. And he only turned 21-years old at the end of November. Highest: 3; Lowest: 8 4) Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals – 385 asroka 6-foot | 185 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 291 AB at A+: .289/.377/.495; 7 HR, 16 SB 139 AB at AA: .324/.394/.489; 3 HR, 11 SB 24 AB at MLB: .250/.308/.458; 2 3B’s, 0 SB The closer to the top of the list you go, the more tools you see, and Victor Robles may be the most “five-tools” guy on the board. One of the few that projects to impact every game he plays in an all-around fashion, Robles is going to be tallying doubles and triples nightly, thanks to his excellent contact skills in conjunction with his speed. On defense, Robles will reuse that speed to play like an All-Star in center field. And as if that skillset wasn’t already electrifying, Robles has some power to his game, too, despite his relatively small stature. Unlike the prospects immediately before him on this list, Robles has earned this reputation on top of a Major League promotion. Last season, the Nationals called up their top prospect to help them down the stretch in an effort to shore up their outfield defense in September. Despite handling him carefully, the team promoted Robles to Washington even though he had played a grand total of 37 games above High-A in his young career, and none in Triple-A. What made him so special in the minors was his adept eye and approach. Robles failed to breach a strikeout percentage above 18.3 percent at any level in the minors, and most recently was striking out just under 14 percent of the time in his 158 Double-A plate appearances, while maintaining a 7.6 percent walk rate. Traits like that with a slugging percentage regularly hovering around .500 make him among the most rare commodities in the sport. The Washington Post reported earlier this offseason that Robles will return to the minors to start the 2018 season with an assignment to the team’s Triple-A affiliate. I can’t imagine he’ll spend too much time there, either. With a Bryce Harper departure in the back of everyone’s mind in Washington, the Nats might be baseball’s most win-now team. A player like Robles could help them earn a World Series before they need to reconsider their future as an organization. A longer preview at their next star in the making might ease the pain of the exit of Harper, if it comes to that. Highest: 4; Lowest: 5 3) Vlad Guerrero, Jr., 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays - 390 batman-and-hobbes 6-foot-1 | 200 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 269 AB at A: .316/.409/.480; 7 HR; 34:40 K-to-BB ratio 168 AB at A+: .333/.450/.494; 6 HR; 28:36 K-to-BB ratio Hey, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., the son of the soon-to-be-inducted Hall of Famer, made it to High-A ball this past season. It was his first full season of pro ball. Oh, and he’s 18-years old. In fact, he won’t turn 19 until mid-March. So, what could have possibly spurred the Blue Jays to promote a teenager in his first taste of full-season ball all the way up to advanced-A ball in the middle of the season? Well, quite simply, an advanced eye and a near .500 slugging percentage. Somehow stating his plate discipline and feel for the strike zone is advanced, especially for an 18-year old, is selling him a little short. Here it goes: Guerrero, across two levels in 2017, walked 76 times and struck out just 62 times. That’s good for a walk rate of like 15 percent and a strikeout rate of 11 percent in his 500-plus plate appearances last season. He’s doing this with supreme bat control, too, spraying doubles and homers all over the place. The comparisons between he and his father pretty much cease at their names. Unlike Dad Vlad, Junior is a corner infielder. An unfortunate knock on Guerrero Jr. is that he actually has a relatively poor frame that’s on track become too bulky for third base. He’s not much of a runner, already, and despite a good arm he’s probably destined for first base in the not-too-far-off future. He’s fine enough at third for now, though. Guerrero will hit enough to play first base easily, so the typical pressure added to the first base-only prospect doesn’t really burden his development. The Blue Jays traded prospects in February of 2015 for additional international slot money with one goal in mind: get Son of Vlad. The investment has paid dividends tenfold, even more. He spent his 2017 season terrorizing minor league pitching. In 71 games of Low- and High-A ball, he recorded an OPS above .900 and slugged 13 homers -- ridiculous feats for a player his age. Guerrero Jr. is going to progress as fast as his talents allow him to. He’ll probably spend a good portion of this season in Double-A, which is going to be exceptionally fun to watch. He might even make his MLB debut as a teenager, but more likely, look for him to break into the majors in 2019 and never look back. Highest: 1; Lowest: 3 2) Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves – 393-patriotsfan543 6-foot-0 | 180 pounds | Bats: R; Throws: R 115 AB at A+: .287/.336/.478; 3 HR, 14 SB 221 AB at AA: .326/.374/.520; 9 HR, 19 SB 221 AB at AAA: .344/.393/.548; 9 HR, 11 SB Ronald Acuna was signed out of Venezuela in July of 2014 by the Atlanta Braves for $100,000. Acuna started out in rookie ball when he was just 17 and did pretty decent for someone that age in his first season in pro ball(hitting .258). The breakout season came the following year where Acuna slashed .319/.396/.444 in Low-A in his first assignment past rookie ball and he did this at only 18 years old and not to mention helped the Rome Braves win a title. 2017 was a humongous year for Ronald Acuna and he played in 3 different levels, playing better in each one than the last. The season began for him at High-A where he hit .287 and after 115 AB the Braves wanted to see if he could handle AA. Acuna took the bull by the horns and dominated the AA pitching, slashing .326/.374/.520 with 9 HR and 19 SB, now people were really talking about Acuna and it was looking like the Braves may have the top prospect in the game.Acuna forced the Braves’ hand again in promotion and he got promoted to AAA. He slashed an absolutely ridiculous line at AAA over a very healthy sample size of 221 AB, he hit .344/.393.,548 with 9 HR and 11 SB. And to top it all off Acuna played in the Arizona Fall League where he won AFL MVP by slashing .325/.414/.639 with 7 HR and over 83 AB. Acuna’s 2017 campaign is up there with some of the most impressive seasons put together by any minor leaguer in recent memory. Ronald Acuna is a legitimate 5-tool player and he is good at almost everything he does on the field and he’s only going to get better. At the plate, Acuna is able to hit to all fields with ease and his bat speed is above average. It’s hard to say if he will be able to continue being over a .300 hitter in the Major Leagues, but .280 is more than reasonable. As far as power goes, he hasn’t shown a ton of pop in the minors, but it has been improving every season and he hit the most last season. He has the potential to hit 20+ HR consistently and I wouldn’t be surprised if he could hit over 30 at his peak. Despite being a potential .300 hitter, one of Acuna’s top tools, if not his best tool, is his speed. Scouts have rated his speed as a 60 on the 20-80 scale and he has stolen a total of 75 bags throughout his minor league career and only caught stealing 32 times. Acuna can flat out fly and that helps his defense out in the outfield where he is about an average fielders and to go with it he has an above average arm. He’s played the most games in Center Field, but has played the corners a good amount as well. Acuna got an invite to Major League camp with the Atlanta Braves and is expected to win the starting job in Left Field as Ender Inciarte is patrolling Center and Nick Markakis in Right. The only thing preventing Acuna from being in the Opening Day lineup would be the Super 2, where the Braves may keep him down until May, but there have been some indications that the Braves may just bring up early anyways. Acuna will definitely be in the Major League lineup this year and is the frontrunner for NL ROTY. Highest: 1; Lowest: 3 1) Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Los Angeles Angels - 398 - Tschirky4 6-foot-4 | 203 pounds | Bats: L; Throws: R Last healthy season: 2016: 140 IP in NPB: 1.86 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 11.22 K/9 323 AB in NPB: .322/.416/.588; 22 HR, 7 SB Thanks to a rule in the Japanese professional league, the NPB, we here in the U.S have had to wait 6 long years for Shohei Ohtani to finally make it stateside. Back in 2012, when Ohtani was 18 and graduating high school, he notified all teams in the NPB that he did not want to be drafted so he could pursue a career in the MLB. The Nippon-Ham Fighters took a gamble and signed him with the 1st overall pick, knowing that he may never play for them but also that he could not play in the MLB because they owned his rights. It paid off for them both in a big way, as he has dominated for them for the past 5 seasons and because they let him play both ways, something he most likely wouldn’t have been able to do over here, and thus began the legend of Shohei Ohtani. As a pitcher, Ohtani is the definition of a power arm. He hit 99 mph in high school and 102.5 mph in his 2016 season, both setting records for the levels in which he was playing at. His fastball sits in the upper 90’s and has late life to it and he is able to command the pitch better than previous NPB pitchers like Yu Darvish. Scouts have also said that it maintains its velocity deep into games. His next best pitch is his splitter, thrown in the low 90’s and said to drop off the table. He pairs that with a hard slider that is thrown with power and depth, and although he threw this less than the other two pitches, it is said to be a legitimate out pitch. He also toys around with a curveball, seen as a traditional and average but also good enough to get swings and misses. He really only uses this pitch to catch hitter off guard, and when he wants to strike them out he throws his slider or splitter. He also technically has a changeup, though scouts didn’t see to much of it overseas. Those who did see it said it was average at best, but also believe in his ability to turn it into an above average major league offering. His control with all of these offerings is seen as average with room for improvement, and as long as he is able to cut down on the walks, this is the type of arsenal that strikes fear into even the best major league hitters. Let’s not beat around the bush here, Ohtani’s future in the MLB is as a pitcher. I’m excited to see him pitch and hit and definitely hope he can pull it off, but odds are he has to put down the bat at some point down the road and strictly pitch. With that being said, he’s still no slouch with the bat in his hands. While his hit tool has seen below average to average grades, his power potential has little question to it. The NPB is a hitter friendly league, but Ohtani hit 22 home runs in just 323 at bats in 2016 and models his swing after Bryce Harper. He also has legitimate speed. He was hand clocked from home to first at 3.8 seconds, which is Dee Gordon’s average home to first time, and the timeframe of that report means at the time he was battling a sore hamstring. If the Angels can find him 400 AB’s and he can slim down his career 27% strikeout rate, it’s not crazy to think he can be a .260 hitter with 25/15. There’s some concern about Ohtani’s elbow, and while I won’t go into much detail about that, you can read a write up I did here that explains that it is much less serious that it sounds. It’s almost unfair to rank Ohtani #1 since he will never play in the minor leagues, but he is still considered a prospect so here he is. The guy has all the potential in the world to become baseballs next superstar and we here at /OnTheFarm are completely sold. Even if he doesn’t make it as a two-way player, he should be a star on the mound Highest: 1; Lowest: 2
2016 MLS SuperDraft class - Where are they now, plus a short analysis on how the MLS-USL relationship may benefit developing players
Below, you'll find a complete rundown of the 2016 SuperDraft, including the team a player was drafted onto, where they currently are, and how they've been doing this season. Further down, we'll see if we can make anything of it.
Some analysis: 65 of 75 drafted players are currently playing professionally. 50 have played in the USL. 34 have played for an MLS "2" team in the USL. 54 players still have a tie to an MLS club (contracted, on loan, or on a "2" team). Those are pretty impressive numbers, and speak volumes to how the relationship between MLS and USL can give players a second chance. I wondered, though, whether MLS clubs with "2" teams in the USL do a better job at it than ones without. Below are some numbers for comparison.
MLS clubs with USL "2" teams
Total players drafted: 44 Total pro games played: 371 Average pro games played: 8.43 Total pro minutes played: 23,788 Average pro minutes played: 540.6
MLS clubs without USL "2" teams
Total players drafted: 31 Total pro games played: 128 Average pro games played: 4.13 Total pro minutes played: 6623 Average pro minutes played: 213.6 Now, I don't know how well you can necessarily link correlation and causation here, but it is clear that players who were drafted by MLS clubs with "2" teams in the USL have played a lot more soccer in 2016. Since the beginning, the United Soccer Leagues have had the potential to catch future MLS players who could fall through the cracks initially. Looking through this list, it seems like it might be working.
We went over to /tennesseetitans to get a bit of information on the state of the team. How has Mariota been?
“Mariota has been great. His only real problems last year were with ball security and deep throws both of which were also a function of bad o line play and receivers not being able to run proper routes.” - PitTitan
Which rookies have stood out?
The general consensus of the sub is that the 2016 5th round Tajae Sharpe is looking promising. With injuries and lack of performances in the rest of the receiving corps, fans feel the starting receiver spot is his to lose.
“Tajae Sharpe. He went from 5th round rookie to basically #1 receiver on the depth chart as of now (since Kendall Wright is injured)” - WertyBurger
What are you most looking forward to this season?
“Of course excited about the rookies on offense, Tajae and Derrick in particular.” - PartysaurusRexx
Again, the fans are excited to see how the rookies, especially Tajae Sharpe, perform. Most agree that this is the best looking offense the Titans have put on the field lately.
Optimism or pessimism on the coaching?
With this being the first full season as a Titans coach for Mike Mularky, I wanted to know what the fans expected. * While most are not on the Mularky wagon, Titans fans are optimistic about the coordinaters.
What are your expectations for this season?
“7-9. Anything less than that is a failure (barring catastrophic injuries) and anything more than that is a success. Realistically I think we are a 7-9 team. If we get there I'll be happy.” - PitTitan
How do you feel about the DGB trade?
The fans are split on this one. Some love it. They feel he hasn’t been up to par lately, and most are hopeful that Tajae will be the better option. Others aren’t so happy about it. They believe there was still potential in Dorial.
HISTORY VS TENNESSEE
The Panthers have only played the Titans 5 times since entering the league in 1995. The first time these two teams met was in the Panthers' second season in 1996, a game that ended with a 31-6 victory over the Titans, the largest Panthers victory in the series. The next 3 meetings between the teams went in the Titans' favor, and quite emphatically so. The closest of the 3 games was a 20-7 loss for the Panthers in 2007, the other two being beatdowns to the tune of 37-17 in 2003 and 30-3 in 2011. The Panthers finally answered back last season in a controversial victory that ruffled a few feathers and elevated Carolina's record to 9-0.
In the Cam Newton era, the Panthers have split their 2 games with the Titans. The first game was a sound beating that saw the Panthers put up just 3 points. Cam Newton completed 23 passes on 40 attempts for 212 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. He was also sacked 5 times for 46 yards. The Titans' defense was just as effective against Carolina's running game, holding Newton to 55 yards on 7 rushes, DeAngelo Williams to 35 yards on 8 attempts and Jonathan Stewart to 23 yards on 4 attempts. The Panthers' defense would only register one sack that day by DT Andre Neblett and had the best play of the day for the Panthers with a Chris Gamble Interception.
The next time the two teams met was under far better circumstances for the Panthers. Several years of Dave Gettleman drafts led the Panthers to have a much more complete roster than they had in their first meeting. With the help of a competent defense, Cam Newton was able to lead the Panthers' offense with 21 completions on 25 attempts for 1 TD. Jonathan Stewart ran for 93 yards and 1 TD on 22 attempts and Greg Olsen hauled in 8 catches for 80 yards. Interestingly, the Panthers again gave up 5 sacks in this game thanks to Dick Lebeau's exotic blitzes that exposed some of the weaknesses of our offensive line.
Players to Watch: Panthers
Players to watch In episode 2 of Camp Confidential, Gettleman tells his coaches and scouts that they need to plug backups into the first string in order to test a players development. These are some players that are likely to be seen with the second strings but could get some work earlier. Cameron Artis-Payne / Brandon Wegher Game 1 was a let down for both CAP and Wegher with average yards per carry of 2.0 and 1.3 respectively. While most of the struggle can be attributed to the poor backup offensive line performance, these two don't have time for excuses. The backup running back battle features two players that need quality opportunities, and although it's unlikely, it would be great to cut to the chase and give Tolbert and Fozzy an easy night. Either way, expect a better game for both players with CAP being the first RB to rotate in by the third series and Wegher should get some touches late in the 2nd quarter. While both are capable of springing the big play, the job they're fighting to be Stewart's immediate backup so let's see if they can focus on consistently following their blocks for 4-5 yards rather than looking to break outside. CAP has the edge right now, but this battle should come down to final cuts. Ryan Delaire It's hard to say a player needs to redeem himself after one preseason game but Delaire was downright terrible. We were supposed to see a more consistent player after an off-season with the defensive coaches and also time to heal a torn labrum he played with most of last year. Instead we saw him get pushed over and run himself out of plays, finishing with 1 tackle on 35 snaps and allowed two big runs. ESPN credits him with a sack but it's tough to tell who got there first. The larger issue with Delaire's play is he allows QBs to escape after he runs by them which not only eliminates himself but it neutralizes the great DTs pushing up the middle. The reason coaches stuck with Jared Allen and his two sacks is because he plays with gap discipline in both phases. Collapsing the pocket is a choreographed team effort along the defensive line. Delaire needs to show he understands that on Saturday. Daryl Williams Daryl's first series wasn't exactly how he imagined it allowing a strip sack on the first series when he lined up at LT. While it put a damper on the hype train for him to start over Remmers it's important to remember that Williams has played RT his entire career and he did seem to rebound once he slid back to the right side. The Titans play a 3-4 zone blitz scheme under legendary (and fossil) defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau so this may be a good opportunity to see the offensive line versus more blitzes than a usual preseason game. If the backup runningbacks have a solid game, it's likely that Daryl Williams was a key factor in opening holes for them. Kevin Norwood Bersin crushed the first preseason game with 5 receptions for 63 yards and showed reliability we dream of having from a 5th WR. But he also took a nasty hit to the ribs and hasn't practiced since. This is Kevin Norwood's best opportunity to show what he can do since he arrived in Carolina nearly one year ago. When you watch Norwood, he looks the part of an NFL WR. He's big, runs smooth routes, has good hands but preseason and training camp are about showing potential he just hasn't come close to making fans ask,"who is that?" He might get some time with the starting lineup but it's probably safer to assume he'll get quality time with Derek Anderson. With the next game being the "dress rehearsal," now is the time for Norwood to impose himself on a 2nd string secondary like Bersin did last week. Damiere Byrd Byrd only caught one pass for 35 yards but what a catch it was. He also took a kickoff back to midfield and looked pretty good as a punt returner until he fumbled the last punt of the game. Byrd has come a long way from last year and is putting coaches in a similar position as Wegher put them in last year. Derek Anderson clearly likes Byrd as a WR so don't be surprised if he is the most targeted WR when those two are on the field. If Byrd does make the squad it will be because the Panthers decide they can't risk him on waivers and keep six receivers. Should he make the 53, he would probably be inactive for most games like Wegher in 2015 but with Ted Ginn's contract up after this year having a versatile deep threat waiting in the wings could be worth the roster spot. Tight Ends With Olsen having back spasms and Dickson dealing with a groin pull we should get a great look at the back up TEs. Last week, Marcus Lucas was the only other TE to catch a pass. Scott Simonson has been praised by Rivera for playing his way into a roster spot so we'll probably see him getting reps with the first team offense. Beau Sandland and Braxton Deaver came into camp with expectations that one could supplant Dickson but it's highly doubtful that will happen.
Throwaway because I'm not an all-star that can afford to offend people I'd love to get drafted by in the future. But, I've played competitive games with or against about 95% of the people that were drafted and think I have a solid understanding of most teams. These rankings ignore division/conference and rank on strait-up strength of team. In other words this is not a prediction of end of season W/L records so much as a who would beat who if they played. 1) WowSuchTeam / OR – WowSuchPro, Turbo, Dead Nan, Rambo (Arbybear, Chuggles) WowSuch won the draft. He landed an entire team of All-Star names and managed to reunite one of the best defensive pairings in tagpro lore. This team has to be the on-paper favorite to win it all this season, but they face some major challenges. 1) Chemistry may be an issue when there are multiple people used to being “the guy” on their prior teams. 2) Their conference (and division, even though that doesn't really matter) is stacked with talent, so very few wins will come easy. 3) Established talent is great, but they're going to face a lot of teams with “younger” players looking to prove themselves, so WST has a big target on their back as the preseason #1. 2) Ghostboosters – Mikero, Tpr, noblord, Gem (Halophile, JuicyJuke) Tpr and Noblord together will be scary. That's a top 5 flag carrier in the game beside THE best support guy. If they can work together as well as I expect this could be the best duo in the league this season. It will surprise me if they're not in the top 5 for caps. The real question here is Gem. She either employed some extremely questionable draft antics to fall to the team she wanted or she will have availability/internet issues this season. Assuming the former then this team is a title contender, albeit with some rage issues. Assuming the latter then its a big drop off in talent, or at least in experience, down to Halophile. But even in the worst case scenario Mikero is capable of coaching up a young player and being a serious threat. edit: It seems Gem really won't be active, so I would knock GB down a couple of spots to account for a rookie defender and no depth. 3) Tears for Spheres – Troball, grant, crosky, lukemoo (Bongo, DudeMcGuy) There were several oddly high and low draft prices, but crosky for only 11 is near the top of the list for “biggest steal”. Expect Troball and crosky to be efficient and methodical in their offense, but probably not too flashy. They should work very well together and score consistently enough to build up a lot of wins. Lukemoo proved himself last season. If he's the weakest link on your team then you're going to do very well. With Grant beside him they will lead the league in prevent. I predict this team will have the best record at the end of the season. Even though I'm ranking them third they're just miles better than most of the teams they'll be facing in the Western conference this season. Tears will once again be one of the most active and smartest teams in the league. 4) 30 Seconds to Mars Ball – Legman, jjpoole, ThePirate, Stann (Koala, khaleesii) I know I'm in the minority with this opinion, but Legman has assembled a beautifully complimentary team that has the potential to dominate. ThePirate going early in a bidding war may have been the surprise of the draft considering he is a relatively unproven minors player low on most boards. But Legman stated that he knew who he wanted for his offensive partner before the draft, and he paid up to get him, so expect these two s6 teammates to have instant chemistry. The play styles of Stann and jjpoole compliment each other perfectly. Expect Stann to have a breakout season much like Grant of s6. With two top players from the s6 Super Ball mentoring two rising stars this team may really surprise people. And this didn't even mention Koala, who is more than capable of stepping onto the field in either role at a MLTP level when needed. 5) Rektiles – Fez, Dino, uihiu, nub (eee, Ashmungashma) If this team actually practices, and manages to avoid availability issues, and doesn't have major personality clashes, and has stable ping, then the amount of talent makes them scary. But that's a lot of obstacles to avoid. This is a tough team to place for those reason, so there's just no telling where they might end up. 6) KGBallers – Stalin, im high, Raven, Nitro (Nebuchanezar?, Milk Steak) Stalin and im high will be great. The question for this team is going to be the defense. While Raven and Nitro are both fine players I think they're weaker than the majority of the offensive competition they'll be facing. So why are they rated 6th? Because Stalin got two of the best backups available in Milk Steak and a strange trade for Nebuchanezar. I think both of these guys can play at a majors level, Milk Steak on O or D in fact, and they have huge upside potential. Stalin has a tough job deciding who to play in what position, but he'll figure it out and this team will have too much talent to not do well. 7) 12 Angry Balls – Spiller, alvin, bad, teddybear (Butter Churn, coys) Alvin and bad are one of the few big-name offensive duos in the West, which puts this team at a big advantage. Teddybear on defense is probably the biggest question mark on this team, but Spiller should be able to provide the coaching and solid play they need to get into a groove. As a worst case scenario he could bring in coys – and that's just not a bad scenario. (edit: apparently plan A is coys on D anyway. Ranking stay the same.) Expect these guys to stomp the West and cruise into playoffs contending for #1 in their conference. 8) Lagprone – Ballymandias, DICK_LICKER, Gman8181, sidewalk (ludifisk, jaycmoney) DL was a steal at 46, Gman was reasonably priced at 36, and they have good backup talent in ludi and jayc if they need it. This is one of the handful of very good offensive pairings in the West, and I expect them to keep the flag out of base a lot. DL's big personality could be a problem. I'm sure this group will make playoffs and have a generally strong season, but I just can't see them developing great chemistry or being a serious title contender. 9) ALL CAPS – YOSSARIAN, HELEN KELLER, GRIEFSEEDS, BOWTIE, (JMART, BALLDONTLIE) This team is young and has an incredibly high ceiling. They also have a lot of potential problems. Intuitively I don't picture the styles of Helen and Bowtie complimenting each other well, but if they are able to develop some chemistry then they will be a force to be reckoned with. Griefseeds may be one of the most talented players in the league. He may also prefer a style of defense that just doesn't consistently help win games. Yossarian is a good compliment to his style that can keep the fc in front of him and slow things down, but ultimately I think this team's success will fall on griefseeds finding a way to be more intelligent with his aggression. I'm also skeptical of their backup picks, as jmart and balldontlie aren't guys I see exploding into majors, so the starting four all need to thrive. 10) Knights of Cap-a-Lot – SirDan, Canadsian, Jay, David Stern (Clutch, yiss) I might have this team criminally low, but David Stern is just too much of a question mark and I don't love their backup options. SirDan and Jay will be stellar. Canadsian will be worth every penny of his high auction value. David Stern couldn't have asked for a better situation to be in coming back to competitive tagpro either. Repeat Super Ball winner Canadsian is the perfect guy to be paired with while he gets his groove again, but from the little I've seen of DS I just haven't been impressed. And this team won't win games in their tough conference if they have a weak link. If he does turn out to be a strong majors defender then Cap-a-Lot is yet another title contender coming out of the NE division. (Good god NE is stacked) 11) Roll Models – Ballee Lama, MonteeBall, Dalek23, Matetricks (stu., lakeshow) Ballee was dominant last season, and he's brought back a couple of teammates, so they should have some instant chemistry to build upon. Expect the defense to keep the flag in base and put up very impressive numbers all season. The offense I'm less convinced about. Montee had a good season 6 and should be a solid addition, but Ballee must know something about Matetricks that I don't, because I didn't have him pegged as a $20 starting offender. This team may prove the mantra that “generic centra teams always win”, but I doubt it. They'll make playoffs, but won't turn any heads doing it. 12) Probots – RoughJustice, Swingman, Pnaoxt, Cripple (Walrus, wayne) Pnaoxt, Cripple, and Walrus are all rising star players that have excelled in lower leagues and have the potential to be real forces in majors. If a battle-seasoned elite defender were captaining this team I would have them near the top. But RoughJustice is an unproven captain with a mediocre reume, and Swingman is something of a question mark. These guys ended up near the middle simply because they could easily go either way. If everything goes well then Swingman will be reliable and the rookies will develop into strong majors players. If that happens this team could easily end up near the top of the West. But things are more likely to go the other way and they could struggle to make playoffs. 13) Capitalists – eagles., hulzy, Ballstar, CHECKNATE (ooo kill'em, dodsfall) If I had to predict which team that will make me regret where I ranked them it would be the Capitalists. Ballstar absolutely saved the FotP season 6, hulzy is one of the best flag carriers and communicators in the games, and eagles. is consistently solid in majors. But, I'm not sold on Checknate or their depth players and I don't think they're collectively good enough to cover up for a weak spot. With Ballstar's ability to play either role it surprised me eagles. didn't go for one of the more proven majors guys still on the board as a backup plan in the later rounds. But, eagles. is a wily veteran and probably knows something about his players that I don't. 14) Pi Rats – nlfn, CC, Trane, Tyrus (Jesus, trendygrub) This team has three solid majors defenders. I'm guessing this strategy comes from the fact that Trane may have some availability issues and nlfn saw the opportunity to grab a great 5th man for cheap. Pi Rats is well rounded and has great depth, but historically we just haven't seen depth win championships and they're lacking super-stars and big play makers. I'm sure they'll win some games and probably make it to playoffs, but it would surprise me if this team came out near the top. 15) Ballchimedes – Chalksy, TOJO, BilldaCat, Ebola (Syniikal?, shabba) Chalksy made a strange trade to give away Nebuchanezar that I don't quite understand. But he also managed to pick up Ebola for well under fair value, so I guess things worked out. I've putting this team firmly in the territory of mediocrity, as I don't think they'll be stellar on either side and they're pretty much locked in to their starting four. Billda has the potential to surprise me, in which case he and TOJO could do very well, but at best I think this team struggles to maintain a .500 record. 16) School of Hard Blocks – Xile, Nawse, 1Baller, Swerve? (?, ?) I'm not 100% sure how or if this trade is working, but I believe that Xile has successfully drafted his starting USC team. If that's true then they definitely get chemistry points for playing together so much and already being a cohesive team. But even so I think this is a collection of middle-of-the-road majors players mostly looking to have fun and they won't fair well against the smaller and more competitive league. 17) Rolling Golden Boulders – Capernicus, Ibis, Nqoba, PrivateMajor (sweep, tiza) All of these guys belong in majors, but the only one I would have in my top 50 is Ibis, and he won't be strong enough to carry this team. Unless PM has an exceptionally strong season AND Nqoba carries the offense I just don't see them winning many games. 18) The Myrtle Beach Merballs – Kpow, asdf, Guard, BG, Romulus, Espeluzante, Mr. Thot, Ball OON, Fuzz Ball I hardly know how to evaluate this team. I've heard good things about several of the nltp callup guys, and picking up asdf, Guard, and BG looks like good drafting. But, I'm betting that asdf, Guard, and BG will be 3 of their best 4 players. Even if they do develop a solid 4th and 5th man in there I just don't see this team being a powerful force. People are telling me I'm wrong, but I'm not on the hype train yet. They're going to need to go out and win a few games to make me a convert. 19) Cyber Ballies – Bull, Jet2, Sundown?, Felix? (?, ?) Again I'm unclear about what went on in the drafting or what trades are brewing here, so this team may end up better than I'm giving them credit for. As they stand at the moment though they'll be terrible just due to bad ping. I also know very little about the returning captain Bull, which makes this team extra hard to rank. Jet2 is great, hopefully the team comes together and I'm proven wrong. 20) The 4Os of the ApocEllipse – Jagdpanther, Jake From SF, Schweddys, ballparts, Crees, Jgibbs, Jukeballhero, RonSpawnson, Saundy The 4Os also suffer in these ranking because its so hard to know who they're going to play or even how good many of these guys are that I haven't seen play much. Jake was a great pick in the draft. They got a potential all-star for a big discount. And former captain Jgibbs is a gamble that might pay off big dividends if he renews his activity in tagpro and mentors the team. But, from what I've seen this is a team full of guys that would be well served by a season in minors under experience coaching and more time to develop. Even in a best case scenario they're going to struggle mightily.
Mount Atlanticus This place has two courses, it goes up maybe three stories, and if you can get a hole-in-one on the last hole, you get free mini-golf there for life.
This is a list to just get as much as everything in one place. I'll leave reviews/advice to the comment section. village_lunatic offers some good advice. If I left anything out, just post below and I'll add it up here.
Going on a golf weekend in Delaware. Anyone heard of or played these courses?
Friday: Bear Trap Dunes Link Saturday: The Rookery Golf Club Link Sunday: Old Landing Golf Course Link This is a trip we go on every year. In the past we've played in places such as Myrtle Beach (Fun, but the course quality can be a gamble at times), Pinehurst, NC (Look up Tobacco Road if you want to soil yourself), and different parts of the Maryland and Delaware area. If you've played these courses, let me know what you think! Thanks!
Help me travel the U.S... Advice, warnings, help? (Long story)
Hi reddit. After living for 20 years doing the same old crap that everyone does... I decided to just go for it. I want to go on a cross country tour of the United States. Here are the parameters... -I have about $800 to spend, with more in case of emergencies. -I'm pretty sure I'm getting a 30 day unlimited ride pass from greyhound for $556. -I'm starting from Minneapolis, MN -I want to travel through Madison Wisconsin, Chicago, Bloomington Indiana, Detroit, Syracuse, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, Miami, New Orleans, Lubbock Texas, Boulder Colorado, Flaggstaff Arizona, St. George Utah, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Portland Oregon, Olympia Washington, and end with a 3 day stay back in Minneapolis. -I'm bringing my Nikon D3100 DSLR, so looking for good photo locations. Also, Im bringing a tripod and at least one more camcorder for interviews and for vid journals. -I'm in very good health and very physically fit. I know how to handle myself in a bad situation and have never come across something I couldnt deal with. All in all, im not one to give up easy, if ever. -I plan on leaving early may and being gone for a full month. If I need more time... I can be gone up to two months but my ride pass from greyhound will expire. -I have no problem hitchhiking, except for the small threat of being in a dangerous situation, robbed, or killed. I'd like to avoid that as much as possible. -I'm in Acacia Fraternity, and therefore I can stay over at any active chapter's house. This is the list of our active chapters. http://acacia.org/about_chapters.php -I'm taking a very large hiking backpack for everything, major items include; laptop, DSLR, Camcorder, Tripod, journal, ID's, Food, 5 days worth of clothes, maps, kindle, cell phone. (Anything else to add?) -I'm going to stop at major locations such as Miami South Beach, grand canyon, Zion national park, east coast Oceanside, west coast Oceanside... what places do you suggest on this route? So I guess reddit... I just want to know... what would you want to see and do if you had my chance? (zion national park, grand canyon, bourbon street, times square) Where would you advise me to go? How should I dress? What else should I bring? Can I make such a long journey in a month? Do I have a chance of getting robbed? Should I skip some stops and/or add on others? Any books you advise me to read? (Hobo handbook?) Where can I stay for cheap? (couchsurfing?) Is this a terrible idea? (yes?) Am I going to run out of money or die? Wanna sponsor me and donate? ;) Also just so Reddit knows why i feel compelled to do this beyond it's gonna be fucking awesome... Im a film studies major, and I have always been bouncing ideas around for my portfolio. My motto is basically "If you want people to notice you, you have to go big and do something huge." I want to document this whole thing, and produce a 2 hour documentary on traveling the United States and all of the people I meet, the homeless people of New York, those addicted to gambling and prostitutes of Las Vegas, the failed movie stars of LA, all the sites and cities, the hell I will probably go through for this... On top of that, I've wanted to do this for years. But we all have work and school, its never possible. Im receiving about $4,000 from a no-fault motorcycle accident that caused a metal plate and 6 screws to now reside in my shoulder for the rest of my life, and put me literally a foot from death. Now that I have the money, I can save it, take off work for a month, and follow my dream of doing this solo. I feel like a lot of 18-25 year olds want to do this... follow their adventurous spirit and just go. But they dont. For fear of what people think, for fear of the unknown, for fear of giving up everything they've ever known... and because they believe they cant do it. Im gonna do it. Life is precious... I almost lost mine I know. So when i look back when im settled down and Im 40 years old, I want to be able to say "I did that. I fucking did that and I will have that forever. Everyone called me stupid, told me not to... and I did it anyways." Help me out Reddit. And remember... Do something every single day that you think might kill you... only then are you really gonna be living.
(Xpost from travel) I'm 20 and this summer im going to travel the U.S. coast to coast for a month. Help me plan and give me advice Reddit. (long story)
Hi reddit. After living for 20 years doing the same old crap that everyone does... I decided to just go for it. I want to go on a cross country tour of the United States. Here are the parameters... -I have about $800 to spend, with more in case of emergencies. -I'm pretty sure I'm getting a 30 day unlimited ride pass from greyhound for $556. -I'm starting from Minneapolis, MN -I want to travel through Madison Wisconsin, Chicago, Bloomington Indiana, Detroit, Syracuse, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, Miami, New Orleans, Lubbock Texas, Boulder Colorado, Flaggstaff Arizona, St. George Utah, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Portland Oregon, Olympia Washington, and end with a 3 day stay back in Minneapolis. -I'm bringing my Nikon D3100 DSLR, so looking for good photo locations. Also, Im bringing a tripod and at least one more camcorder for interviews and for vid journals. -I'm in very good health and very physically fit. I know how to handle myself in a bad situation and have never come across something I couldnt deal with. All in all, im not one to give up easy, if ever. -I plan on leaving early may and being gone for a full month. If I need more time... I can be gone up to two months but my ride pass from greyhound will expire. -I have no problem hitchhiking, except for the small threat of being in a dangerous situation, robbed, or killed. I'd like to avoid that as much as possible. -I'm in Acacia Fraternity, and therefore I can stay over at any active chapter's house. This is the list of our active chapters. [1] http://acacia.org/about_chapters.php -I'm taking a very large hiking backpack for everything, major items include; laptop, DSLR, Camcorder, Tripod, journal, ID's, Food, 5 days worth of clothes, maps, kindle, cell phone. (Anything else to add?)
-I'm going to stop at major locations such as Miami South Beach, grand canyon, Zion national park, east coast Oceanside, west coast Oceanside... what places do you suggest on this route?
So I guess reddit... I just want to know... what would you want to see and do if you had my chance? (zion national park, grand canyon, bourbon street, times square) Where would you advise me to go? How should I dress? What else should I bring? Can I make such a long journey in a month? Do I have a chance of getting robbed? Should I skip some stops and/or add on others? Any books you advise me to read? (Hobo handbook?) Where can I stay for cheap? (couchsurfing?) Is this a terrible idea? (yes?) Am I going to run out of money or die? Wanna sponsor me and donate? ;)
Also just so Reddit knows why i feel compelled to do this beyond it's gonna be fucking awesome... Im a film studies major, and I have always been bouncing ideas around for my portfolio. My motto is basically "If you want people to notice you, you have to go big and do something huge." I want to document this whole thing, and produce a 2 hour documentary on traveling the United States and all of the people I meet, the homeless people of New York, those addicted to gambling and prostitutes of Las Vegas, the failed movie stars of LA, all the sites and cities, the hell I will probably go through for this... On top of that, I've wanted to do this for years. But we all have work and school, its never possible. Im receiving about $4,000 from a no-fault motorcycle accident that caused a metal plate and 6 screws to now reside in my shoulder for the rest of my life, and put me literally a foot from death. Now that I have the money, I can save it, take off work for a month, and follow my dream of doing this solo. I feel like a lot of 18-25 year olds want to do this... follow their adventurous spirit and just go. But they dont. For fear of what people think, for fear of the unknown, for fear of giving up everything they've ever known... and because they believe they cant do it. Im gonna do it. Life is precious... I almost lost mine I know. So when i look back when im settled down and Im 40 years old, I want to be able to say "I did that. I fucking did that and I will have that forever. Everyone called me stupid, told me not to... and I did it anyways." Help me out Reddit. And remember... Do something every single day that you think might kill you... only then are you really gonna be living.
Many vacationers have found the gambling trips to be a fun excursion on their travels to the Myrtle Beach area. The Southern Elegance casino gambling boat was replaced by the Diamond Girl Two , which was more recently replaced by an even more beautiful vessel, the Big M Gambling Boat (pictured above returning to port), owned by Diamond These are the reasons behind the relaxed coastal living and exciting beach life enjoyed by so many people. Being one of the most attractive beaches in the world, the communities near Myrtle Beach appear to be the hottest place to buy a second home in the United States of America. Here, you can read some details about most Myrtle Beach communities. Myrtle beach is located in the state of South Carolina (United States). It is definitely a medium town, with a total figure 29000 locals. There's no casino in Myrtle beach and that is unlucky! But do not stress, there are some amazing gambling venues close by, like Little River The Big M Casino Ship I, Little River The Big M Casino Ship Ii and Myrtle Beach Dogs in public must be on a leash at all times. Dogs are permitted on the beach anytime from Labor Day through April 30. No dogs are allowed on the beach 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 1- Labor Day. Horses are not permitted in the City of Myrtle Beach. North Myrtle Beach Dogs in public must be on a leash at all times. No dogs are allowed on Out of all casinos in South Carolina you'll find Big M Casino Cruise II - Little River to be the biggest. It has 248 gaming machines and 14 table games. You can reach South Point Casino by phone at (843) 249-9811 or by clicking this link: Big M Casino Cruise II - Little River to see its information page. Who wants to go to Las Vegas when you can enjoy a Myrtle Beach vacation and gamble all you want just three miles offshore? Although there are no casinos on South Carolina soil, the Grand Strand serves as the port for two floating casinos that offer day and night cruises. SunCruz Casino and Big M Casino, both sailing out of the waterfront village of Little River, SC, bring casino-style gambling The way to gamble in South Carolina is on Myrtle Beach casino boats. In fact, the only place where you can legally gamble on casino boats is on the Atlantic outside of Myrtle Beach. For groups of friends traveling to Myrtle Beach and looking for a diversion or complement to the clubs and nightlife along the Grand Strand, There is a boat north of the city which sails into international waters twice daily. I am not sure of the name, but there are billboards for it as you drive to Myrtle Beach from the north. While you play and eat, you can also enjoy live entertainment on select cruises while headed out to sea and on the way back to port. Big “M” Casino cruises take place throughout the year, so no matter what season you are visiting the Myrtle Beach area, you can have a blast with Big “M”! Answer 1 of 21: Just wondering if there are any casino's in myrtle beach. Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach Tourism Myrtle Beach Hotels Myrtle Beach Bed and Breakfast Myrtle Beach Vacation Rentals You arent "required" to gamble if you board, the staff is pleasent and the entertainment that they offer on the way out and back can be decent.:)
North Myrtle Beach S.C. USA Surf Fishing - YouTube
Whether you are a tourist, historian, foodie, urban explorer or thinking of moving to the area, this channel is a one stop shop for all things Myrtle Beach, SC. I try to include a little bit of ... Can I walk my dog on the beach in Myrtle Beach?Yes, during certain times of the year the rules are different.If you bring Fido, you’ll need to know the laws ... In this video, we give out our favorite hangout spots at one of our favorite beaches: Myrtle Beach. Do you have a favorite activity that isn't included in ou... Fun and affordable, crabbing at Myrtle Beach State Park Pier is a favorite local activity! So grab your gear and we hope to see you at the Pier this Summer!... Orient beach is clothing optional (nude) Atlantic ocean beach on the French side of Saint-Martin island in the Caribbean 🇲🇫Please SUBSCRIBE & turn notifica... In this video, I will walk you through the inside of a Condo at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I will also show an aerial view of it... surf fishing on north myrtle beach usa Most of the finds shown at the end. A week's worth of detecting pull tabs and bottle caps at Myrtle Beach. I ended up at an oceanfront motel as it was too co... In this video we show you our picks for the top five best seafood buffets in Myrtle Beach! There are dozens of all you can eat seafood buffets in Myrtle Beac... DEAL ALERT - have you ever wondered what the best condos are for rental income? Or how you can make an investment in an oceanfront condo and make it pay for ...
![Orient Beach (Nude 🏖️) on Saint-Martin [HQ] - YouTube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3RWEZSxFZyE/default.jpg "In this video, I will walk you through the inside of a Condo at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I will also show an aerial view of it...")
