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I’m in a couple of leagues that run their minor league draft after the MLB draft is finished. Here’s some thoughts for fantasy GMs in similar situations. (That’s telekinesis, Kyle!)

• Pedro Alvarez going to Pitt is good news for his value. He’s much more likely to stay at 3B now than it looked like earlier in the year when everyone thought he was going to Tampa. Of course, it’s not likely the Pirates’ lineup is going to be good anytime soon.
  
• Yonder Alonso to the Reds is a surprise pick, and it means that either he or Votto is likely to move to the outfield. Yonder (along with Alvarez) might be the most polished hitter in the draft, and should move quickly.
• I probably don’t need to say it, but Justin Smoak in Texas could be a monster. The team has to be thrilled that he dropped that far, as they’ve had some pretty good luck with switch-hitting slugger first basemen.
• I liked Jemile Weeks a lot as a guy to draft for fantasy leagues, as he’s polished, has a good bat at a thin position (2B), and can steal a lot of bases. I’m hoping that landing with the A’s won’t mean he’s going to be limited on the basepaths. Hope for an Ellsbury-esque SB% in the minors.
• Brett Wallace is an interesting choice for an NL team that has Albert Pujols playing first base. I think this pick might hurt his value in fantasy leagues, because nobody really believes he can play major league defense anywhere but 1B.
• The Brewers selected Brett Lawrie out of high school in Canada. I’m not going to talk about many high school players (I try to avoid drafting any of them in fantasy leagues unless the upside is huge) but the interesting thing is he was announced as a Catcher, which most teams think is a stretch. If the Brewers keep him there, he’s an impact bat at that position for sure.
• Josh Fields isn’t going to be much of a fantasy threat, but I wanted to take this opportunity to rip my favorite team the Mariners (I know, thanks for your sympathy) for a terrible pick. A team that needs to detonate and rebuild, and has shown their only organizational talent to be developing relief pitching, has no reason to pick a college reliever in the first round. Fields also has questionable control, and poor size and mechanics. Fantasy-wise, this is good news for Brandon Morrow owners, as it pretty much guarantees his move to the rotation. It’s where he should have been anyway, but again, it’s the Mariners.
• The Red Sox’ pick of Casey Kelly (another HS kid) is one of my favorite of the draft. He’s got a lot of athletic ability, and dropped to #30 because he has a football scholarship at Tennessee. It’d be hard for any young player to pass up guaranteed money for the best team in baseball though, and I’d keep an eye on his progress for fantasy leagues.

In 2006, some pretty big named hitters were among the top 10 in their AA leagues in the home run category. Ryan Braun (MIL), Alex Gordon (KC) and Hunter Pence (HOU) are three of those names that just bounce off of the page. Let’s look at the [tag]AA home run leaders from 2007[/tag] and see what we can find.

1.  Colby Rasmus | Texas League Springfield (STL) | 29 Home Runs
2. Jeffrey Larish | Eastern League Erie (DET) | 28 Home Runs
3. Michael Costanzo | Eastern League Reading (PHI) | 27 Home Runs
4. Brenden Katin | Southern League Huntsville (MIL)| 24 Home Runs
5. Ray Sadler | Texas League Corpus Christi (HOU) | 24 Home Runs
6. David Smith | Eastern League New Hampshire (TOR) | 24 Home Runs
7. Brett Harper | Eastern League Binghamton (NYM)| 24 Home Runs
8. Charlton Jimerson | Southern League Tacoma (SEA) | 23 Home Runs
9. German Duran | Texas League Frisco (TEX) | 22 Home Runs
10. Luis Antonio Jimenez | Eastern League Bowie (BAL) | 22 Home Runs

In 2006, players like Ryan Ludwick (STL), Carlos Pena (TB) and Jack Cust (OAK) were among the home run leaders in AAA. They went on to have productive MLB seasons in 2007. Well, here’s a look at the [tag]2007 minor league home run leaders[/tag] at the AAA level.

1. Valentino Pascucci | Albuquerque PCL | 34 home runs
2. Craig Brazell | Omaha PCL | 32 home runs
3. Rick Ankiel | Memphis PCL | 32 home runs
4. Scott Seabol | Albuquerque PCL | 32 home runs
5. Scott McClain | Fresno PCL | 31 home runs
6. Mike Hessman | Toledo IL | 31 home runs
7. Pete Laforest | Portland PCL | 29 home runs
8. Cody Ransom | Round Rock PCL | 26 home runs
9. Nate Gold | Oklahoma PCL | 26 home runs
10. Geovany Soto | Iowa PCL | 26 home runs

In response to a group writing project over at problogger, I wanted to put together a top 5 list of [tag]minor league ballplayers[/tag] who should get called up to the big leagues in ‘07, but who haven’t had their cup of coffee yet. Now, before I start getting e-mails about your favorite prospect and how I left them off this list (go ahead and fire off your email’s, I can take it), let me tell you that I am ranking this list on current statistics, not overall upside. These five guys have terrific upside, but they may not be the best prospects available. They’re just doing the best so far in 2007. Keep an eye on these guys and grab them when they come up. For those of you in really deep mixed leagues, some of these players are available now on Yahoo.

1. [tag]Ryan Braun[/tag] | AAA Nashville | Milwaukee Brewers - Braun is absolutely crushing the ball so far in ‘07. He’s averaging .358/.426/.716 with 8 home runs and 17 RBI with 3 stolen bases to boot. Braun’s bat has never been the question for the Brewers, it’s his glove. When his defense if MLB ready, you can expect he’ll find his way to the hot corner in Milwaukee.
2. [tag]Yovani Gallardo[/tag] | AAA Nashville | Milwaukee Brewers - It’s a race of sorts to see who the Brewers call up first, Gallardo or Braun (My guess is Gallardo). Gallardo is 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA so far. But these next numbers are what really impress me. His WHIP is 0.86 and he has a strikeout to walk ratio of 51:11. Wow!
3. [tag]Kevin Slowey[/tag] | AAA Rochester | Minnesota Twins - With a name like Slowey, you’d better be something special on the mound. Well, Kevin is just that. He’s 3-1 so far this year with a 1.38 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP and a 31:2 strikeout to walk ratio.
4. [tag]Adam Miller[/tag] | AAA Buffalo | Cleveland Indians - With the way Miller is hurling this year, the Tribe has been sending out trade feelers to the Yanks regarding Paul Byrd. Miller is 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. His strikeout to walk ratio is 37:13.
5. [tag]Evan Longoria[/tag] | AA Montgomery | Tampa Bay Devil Rays - With the emergence of Akinori Iwamura in Tampa, the team can give Longoria some extra time to develop in the minors. But, if he continues to kill AA pitching he’ll be promoted quickly. He’s hitting .315/.446/.541 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.