by Greg Johnsonson, Omaha Evening Wind

6/8/2011: OMAHA, NE – As the interns at Mack Stadium hang the “Now Under New Management” sign from the upper deck windows of the Omaha Cyclones front office for the second time this season, the organizational staff down on the farm gear up for their second set of introductory briefings for the new brass.  Hopefully they all kept their notes – they’ll have to bring another new front office up to speed on the current state of the minor league teams, prospects, and scouting reports.

In that same spirit, the staff at the Evening Wind has turned a critical eye once again on the Cyclones minor league system.  Overall, the Cyclones have an average system when compared to the rest of the PEBA.  The system is top-heavy on quality upper-level hitters, contains some interesting starting options at the upper levels, and virtually nothing of interest in the low minors.  There are no quality bullpen arms in the entire farm system (and, some cynics would argue, the entire franchise).

Here’s what we see, broken down by team.

AAA Lincoln Emancipation (25-36, 15 GB, 6^th place)

• Top Hitting Prospect: Martín Martínez (.340-1-14, 4 SB)
• Top Pitching Prospect: Félix Ortega (2-7, 4.58 ERA, 69 K)
• Sleeper: Henry Dodson (.276-1-24, 10 SB)

The Emancipation rank at (or near) the bottom of most team categories in the Rocky Mountain League.  After enjoying two playoff bids in 2008 and 2009, the Emancipation became a victim of their own success as they sent stars like José Robles, Harry Crabtree, Rick Mays and Jeff Andersen on to the parent club.  With little to no help arriving from the lower minors, the squad has floundered for the past two years.

Lincoln boasts two legitimate offensive prospects in outfielders José Camacho and Martín Martínez.  Martínez has missed the past four weeks with an oblique strain but is likely to be cleared for play this week.  Acquired in a 2009 deadline deal from Florida, Martínez projects as a premium corner bat.  Some scouts have rated him as the fasted prospect in the PEBA, and he has stolen 78 bases in his minor league career.  He lacks just enough power to prevent him from being considered a HR threat but maintains the potential to post 50 doubles in the PEBA.  His defense is his biggest weakness, and unless he makes significant strides he will have to be considered a liability in the outfield.  Depending on the course charted by new general manager Jason Warnke, Martínez could be in the majors within a month.

Camacho boasts equal speed and gap power to Martínez, but the similarities end there.  If Martínez can be considered one of the best base stealers in the minors, then Camacho is one of the best fielders.  He won a Glove Wizard in 2009 for his play in center at Cheyenne (Hi-A) after previously picking up the same honor during his sophomore season at UCONN.  Camacho’s big weakness is his bat.  Though the Texan shows promise with the stick, he still hasn’t managed to post an OPS above .700 during a full minor league season.  If he reaches his full potential, he could easily hit .300 in the PEBA.  Expect Camacho to compete for a spot on the big-league roster next spring.

Though Austin McKee is also currently on the AAA roster, the 20-year-old first baseman belongs at a much lower level.  After spending a year and a half at short-season Waikiki, McKee was over-promoted this season.  It shows – he’s currently hitting .136.  If progressed at a proper pace, the high school draft pick – who walked onto the team his senior year – could develop into a franchise player for the Cyclones.

Out on the mound, the Emancipation have only one legitimate prospect.  Starting pitcher Félix Ortega is a future PEBA star.  Boasting an intimidating four-pitch arsenal led by a 95 MPH fastball, the righty looks to have almost learned all he can from the coaches in Lincoln.  He’ll be pitching in Omaha at the start of 2012, if not before.

Our sleeper pick for Lincoln is shortstop Henry Dodson.  The name will no doubt sound familiar – Dodson played in Lincoln for parts of 2007, 2008, and 2009.  After struggling for two years in the majors, the Cyclones decided to send Dodson back to AAA for intensive one-on-one coaching designed to eliminate a hole in his swing.  Dodson’s star hasn’t burned out yet.  The notoriously temperamental prospect has too much talent to fade quietly away.  He’ll leave his mark on the PEBA yet.

AA Laval Islanders (39-22, – GB, 1^st place)

• Top Hitting Prospect: Jason Corbett (.220-0-5, 5 BB)
• Top Pitching Prospect: Brandon Morrison (6-2, 3.12 ERA, 68 K)
• Sleeper: José Zapata (0-1, 1.66 ERA, 15 K)

Laval has been enjoying their best-ever season this year.  The club is loaded with offensive talent but paper-thin on the mound.  Getting to their second playoff appearance will require the hitters to mask the poor play of the pitching staff.

The title of “best prospect” on the squad goes to catcher Jason Corbett in a landslide, who also enjoys the distinction of being Omaha’s highest-rated player by Baseball America.  Corbett’s defense is considered major-league ready, and could earn him a steady paycheck in the PEBA even if his bat never developed.  And indeed, his bat has a long way to go, as Corbett has struggled in his transition to professional baseball.  At 22, he has plenty of time to develop the premium talent locked inside his sturdy frame.

Every positional starter at Laval can be considered a prospect on some level.  They range from potential utility infielders (such as 25-year-old Dewey Blackwell, already a veteran of four organizations) to future starters (such as 22-year-old Will George, whose ability to draw walks has earned him comparisons to George Riley).

There are two pitchers of note currently playing for Laval.  The first is starter Brandon Morrison, the 37^th overall pick in the 2008 draft.  Morrison looks ready for AAA at age 24.  Morrison relies on a sharp sinker to induce a high number of ground balls, a strategy that has earned him 24 wins in the minors.  Shaky control has been his Achilles heel in previous seasons, but he appears to have made significant progress, lowering his BB/9 by a full 2.5 over last year.

The other pitcher is another starter, 20-year-old José Zapata.  He earns our “sleeper” award for sheer stubbornness.  Lacking a noteworthy fastball (his tops out at 90 MPH with a strong tailwind) Zapata instead uses a baffling array of six breaking pitches to challenge hitters.  He’s even been known to throw a knuckle-curve on occasion.  Though scouts have never thought highly of him (most project him as a AAAA player at best) Zapata has gone 20-15 in his professional career, with a splendid 3.05 ERA.  The crafty lefty may take several years to convince the organization to give him a chance, but he could find himself pitching in Mack Stadium, contrary to what most expect.

Hi-A Cheyenne Frontier (23-25, 9 GB, 4^th place)

• Top Hitting Prospect: José Villalobos (.333-0-1, 3 R)
• Top Pitching Prospect: Bill Smith (2-2, 4.28 ERA, 33 K)
• Sleeper: Andrew Morgan (.321-5-31, 21 2B)

Cheyenne’s play on the year defines mediocrity as well as the concepts of the placeholder prospect and organizational soldier.  With absolutely no prospects of note, the barren cupboard in Wyoming is enough to sink Omaha’s otherwise above-average farm system rating to a middle-of-the-road 11^th according to Baseball America.

José Villalobos, a 4^th round pick in 2009, wins the dubious distinction of being the best prospect in Cheyenne.  Though Villalobos rates reasonably well according to scouts, including intriguingly quick speed on the base paths, Villalobos has failed to turn his talent into on-field results so far in his admittedly short minor league career.  Personal problems prevented Villalobos from making his 2011 debut until late May.  He has plenty of time to try to figure out both his professional and personal issues, but until he shows results he looks like a career AAAA player.

Bill Smith, currently starting for Cheyenne, may have a future in the Cyclones bullpen.  Lacking a quality third pitch and prone to bouts of debilitating wildness – he has struck out more batters than he has walked in only half of his starts this year – Smith has his work cut out for him.

Our sleeper pick from the Frontier is second baseman Andrew Morgan.  Barely a prospect at 27, Morgan has led the Frontier this season with a dominating .321 AVG with 21 doubles and 5 home runs.  After spending the past two seasons in Cheyenne, it’s time for Omaha to find out how Morgan’s skills translate to the PEBA.  If he can make it there, Omaha may have a cheap placeholder in the majors to keep second base warm for the younger players.