8) Robert Mosebach, 24 - RH RP, AA and AAA

4 wins, 2 losses. 66.2 IP, 1.49 ERA, 47 K/27 BB. +24 runs saved

Who knew Mosebach's first season in the 'pen was that good? He split time between two minor league levels and the major league club, obscuring the sum value of his contributions over the season, but he was the best performing reliever the Halos' system has seen Douglas Brandt in 2007 (who had the advantage of making a number of starts). A 60% groundball rate allowed him to shut down AA hitters despite the lack of K's. He regressed slightly against AAA opposition, but that means he was "just" a well-above-average reliever for Salt Lake. His major league debut wasn't pretty, but he's certainly not alone in that. I don't think he makes the Halos' pen out of spring training next year, and the lack of K's limits his upside, but Mosebach has the makings of a pretty good reliever. 

9) Dillon Baird, 21 - 1B, Advanced Rookie Pioneer League

.372/.454/.568 with 8 HR and 1 SB. +26 bat, +2 glove

Baird was the second Halos' prospect in as many years to win the Pioneer League batting title, showing some patience, pop and plus defense in his pro debut. Moreover, his power increased as the season wore on. He's got a beautiful left-handed stroke and will likely hit for average anywhere, but if he's confined to first base then he'll have to keep hitting for at least above average power. Whether or not he's able to do that in Cedar Rapids will tell us a lot.  I'm optimistic.  

I'll continue posting the top performances through next week.  Again, remember that this list is based entirely on statistical performance in 2009, and is not a traditional "best prospects" ranking.

10) Michael Kohn, 22 - RH RP, A-Ball and High A

6 Wins, 1 Loss, 9 Saves. 65.2 IP, 1.64 ERA, 103 SO/26 BB. +22 runs saved.

Kohn's numbers were even more ridiculously good after a promotion to High A. I saw both the Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga clubs play last year, yet still missed seeing him pitch, so I'll just rehash what we know from BA, John Sickles, and the Cedar Rapids Gazette: he pitches with deceptively short arm action, helping his mid 90's fastball to jump on hitters, and he's been working to establish consistency with a hard breaking ball. Everything looks good, though if we see him in the bigs before September of next year, something's likely gone very wrong in our pen. 

I'll continue posting the top performances through next week.  Again, remember that this list is based entirely on statistical performance in 2009, and is not a traditional "best prospects" ranking. 

20) Nate Sutton, 26 - Utility, AA

.305/.387/.391 with 2 HR's and 21 SB's. +8 bat, +0 glove

Sutton provided patience at the plate and a veteran presence in the field, which helped to balance an Arkansas club built around young, less polished players. My guess is that he'll start at 2nd base for the Bees next year, while Mount gives AA another go. That puts him just one or two injuries away from the big league club.

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How good, historically speaking, were our best prospect performances in 2009? The short answer is, pretty good. According to the stat OPS+, Halos position prospects Carlos Ramirez, Dillon Baird, and Alexia Amarista put up some of the best performances of the decade. Not bad for a system widely criticized as having left its best days behind.

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Trevor Reckling shut down the Chinese team over seven innings, helping Team USA to advance to round two of the tournament. 

Kernals' first baseman Gabe Jacobo hit .444/.500/.889 against Peoria, helping to push Cedar Rapids to the next playoff round. Game One against the Burlington Bees begins tonight.

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The Cedar Rapids Kernals swept rival Peoria in a best-of-three series to advance to the Midwest League semifinals, which begin today at 6:30 pm Central Time. The Kernals, who finished the regular season with a 78 and 60 record, will play the Burlington Bees, who finished the regular season with a 64 and 75 record.

Both contests against Peoria came down to an epic final inning of play. In Wednesday's game, the Kernels blew a ninth inning lead, only to come roaring back in the tenth to put Peoria away. Thursday's game was stranger: this time, it was the Kernels who entered the ninth trailing, but then scored 2 runs for a walk off victory when Peoria closer Chris Huseby issued 4 walks before plunking Mat Crawford with a slider to the ankle.

Heroes of the Peoria series include Gabe Jacobo, who went 4 for 9 with a double and a homerun; Angel Castillo, who went 3 for 8 with a homerun and 4 runs scored; Roberto Lopez, who went 3 for 8 with 2 doubles; and Will Smith, who won the initial game, giving up only 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 7. The Kernels' hereto middling offense posted a .299 team BA and scored 15 runs in the 2 game series.

The High A Quakes' road to the playoffs was among the most improbable in league history...

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