One of my off-season projects is to create a register of Blue Jays minor leaguers, for purposes of comparison, nostalgia, or timewasting. As part of this project, I want to try to estimate the Buzz Factor for every Jays prospect of note throughout the years.
The Buzz Factor is an unscientific measurement, from 0 (low) to 10 (high), of the hype surrounding a particular prospect as he makes his way up the ladder to fame and glory in Toronto. I am doing this because I am wondering whether buzz is an indicator of success or not (and also for purposes of comparison, nostalgia and timewasting).
So far, I have created register entries, and hence Buzz Factors, for most of the leading hitting prospects. Here's my list - could you all please feel free to revise it at will? Consensus is, after all, the best way to judge buzz! Also, please add anybody I've missed (I know I've forgotten a few people, including some interchangeable so-so middle infield gloves), and feel free to create Buzz Factors for pitching prospects. Don't forget, though - I don't want to rate players as to whether they were any good: I just want to know whether they were hyped as being good. This is why Sil Campusano, for example, has a high Buzz Factor.
Also, keep in mind that many of us know more about up-and-coming prospects than your average fan. Many people here can debate, intelligently, the merits of Brandon League versus Chad Pleiness, but the average ticket buyer hasn't heard of either of these guys yet.
Also note that I don't have Buzz Factors for some of the pre-1983 prospects, as that's when I started following baseball.
Have fun, and buzz buzz!
Jesse Barfield ??
Kevin Batiste 2
Derek Bell 7
George Bell ??
Geronimo Berroa 6
Pat Borders 5
Sil Campusano 9
Felipe Crespo 5
Carlos Delgado 10
Rob Ducey 8
Tom Evans 6
Junior Felix 7
Tony Fernandez 10
Cecil Fielder 8
Alex Gonzalez 8
Otis Green 0 (failed outfield prospect, included as baseline)
Shawn Green 9
Kelly Gruber 7
Glenallen Hill 7
Jeff Kent 5
Nelson Liriano 5
Sandy Martinez 3
Fred McGriff 8
Lloyd Moseby 9
Greg Myers 7
Jeff Patzke 2
Robert Perez 4
Tomas Perez 4
Jerry Schunk 1
Mike Sharperson 6
Ron Shepherd 5
Luis Sojo 3
Ed Sprague 8
Shannon Stewart 8
Lou Thornton 4
Mitch Webster 5
Mark Whiten 5
Eddie Zosky 7
Buzz Factors for the current crop of youngsters and prospects, by comparison:
Gabe Gross 8
Alexis Rios 8 (will go higher if he keeps this up)
(England Dan and) John-Ford Griffin 6
Guillermo Quiroz 7
Russ Adams 7
Dustin McGowan 7
David Bush 5
Jason Arnold 6
Josh Phelps 7
Chris Woodward 3
Orlando Hudson 6 (he suddenly surfaced)
Kevin Cash 7
Vernon Wells 9
Reed Johnson 4 (again, remember that this isn't a rating - who had heard of him before this year?)
Jayson Werth 6
Simon Pond 3
Jimmy Alvarez 2
It's too early for lower minors, but Hill is already about a 5 or 6, and Vito The Triple Crown Guy will rate at about a 5.
The Buzz Factor is an unscientific measurement, from 0 (low) to 10 (high), of the hype surrounding a particular prospect as he makes his way up the ladder to fame and glory in Toronto. I am doing this because I am wondering whether buzz is an indicator of success or not (and also for purposes of comparison, nostalgia and timewasting).
So far, I have created register entries, and hence Buzz Factors, for most of the leading hitting prospects. Here's my list - could you all please feel free to revise it at will? Consensus is, after all, the best way to judge buzz! Also, please add anybody I've missed (I know I've forgotten a few people, including some interchangeable so-so middle infield gloves), and feel free to create Buzz Factors for pitching prospects. Don't forget, though - I don't want to rate players as to whether they were any good: I just want to know whether they were hyped as being good. This is why Sil Campusano, for example, has a high Buzz Factor.
Also, keep in mind that many of us know more about up-and-coming prospects than your average fan. Many people here can debate, intelligently, the merits of Brandon League versus Chad Pleiness, but the average ticket buyer hasn't heard of either of these guys yet.
Also note that I don't have Buzz Factors for some of the pre-1983 prospects, as that's when I started following baseball.
Have fun, and buzz buzz!
Jesse Barfield ??
Kevin Batiste 2
Derek Bell 7
George Bell ??
Geronimo Berroa 6
Pat Borders 5
Sil Campusano 9
Felipe Crespo 5
Carlos Delgado 10
Rob Ducey 8
Tom Evans 6
Junior Felix 7
Tony Fernandez 10
Cecil Fielder 8
Alex Gonzalez 8
Otis Green 0 (failed outfield prospect, included as baseline)
Shawn Green 9
Kelly Gruber 7
Glenallen Hill 7
Jeff Kent 5
Nelson Liriano 5
Sandy Martinez 3
Fred McGriff 8
Lloyd Moseby 9
Greg Myers 7
Jeff Patzke 2
Robert Perez 4
Tomas Perez 4
Jerry Schunk 1
Mike Sharperson 6
Ron Shepherd 5
Luis Sojo 3
Ed Sprague 8
Shannon Stewart 8
Lou Thornton 4
Mitch Webster 5
Mark Whiten 5
Eddie Zosky 7
Buzz Factors for the current crop of youngsters and prospects, by comparison:
Gabe Gross 8
Alexis Rios 8 (will go higher if he keeps this up)
(England Dan and) John-Ford Griffin 6
Guillermo Quiroz 7
Russ Adams 7
Dustin McGowan 7
David Bush 5
Jason Arnold 6
Josh Phelps 7
Chris Woodward 3
Orlando Hudson 6 (he suddenly surfaced)
Kevin Cash 7
Vernon Wells 9
Reed Johnson 4 (again, remember that this isn't a rating - who had heard of him before this year?)
Jayson Werth 6
Simon Pond 3
Jimmy Alvarez 2
It's too early for lower minors, but Hill is already about a 5 or 6, and Vito The Triple Crown Guy will rate at about a 5.
