Sorry for the non-posting thus far this week, it's been a combination of writer's block, other WTNY work, other real work, and a busy time of year. Add all that up, and you just might have one week with all of two articles. But, in the spirit of the upcoming new year, and the "futuristic" principle this site was founded on, I want to throw some guesses at how the 2005 season will go for a bunch of my top prospects. This kind of stuff won't be on my top prospect list, which will be much more of a review, so I thought today would be a good day to start it.

No order is really being presented below, more of just whatever jumble of words enter my head:

Jeff Francoeur- Baseball America has started an argument that wasn't really thought of too much before yesterday: Francoeur or Andy Marte. There is no question the former has a bit more star potential, while Marte has a much, MUCH higher chance of reaching whatever ceiling he has. Francoeur's 2005 season, in my mind, will begin to make BA second-guess their choice. In the Southern League, I expect Francoeur to struggle a bit, as he did during his cup of coffee at year's end. Remember, the SL made a lot of real good prospects (Weeks, Loney, Fielder, Barfield) have poor seasons last year, and it is the worst hitter's league in the minors. I expect Francoeur to post a line not far from Fielder's, without the 65 walks. I'll say, .275/.320/.460.

Andy Marte- So then, what will his competitor do? Well, this largely depends on whether or not the Braves decide to send Marte back to AA, or challenge him with an International League promotion. Also, a position change to left field (as hinted to by John Schuerholz), could also prove an impact on his offensive numbers. But I keep feeling like one of these seasons Marte is going to put together all his offensive potential, and simply explode. This probably won't happen, but let's hope the Braves find out in the International League. How about this prediction: Chipper Jones gets injured in June, when the Braves call up Marte who is hitting .280/.360/.480. He finishes the season in the Majors playing third, with Chipper destined to move back to left in 2006.

Felix Hernandez- Talk about on the verge of putting it all together. Hernandez has been said to not even yet release his amazing slider, which will prove yet another piece in the "Next Great Player" puzzle. He just keeps on succeeding, but did not really dominate the Texas League in the second half of the season. Still, it sounds as if the Mariners will send him to the Pacific Coast League, where he won't last too long. Let's say they give him a Greinke-ish call with his PCL ERA somewhere between 2.75 and 3.50. In the Majors, he is jaw-dropping, even challenging Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher and the Oakland trio of pitchers for the AL Rookie of the Year.

Adam Miller- It shouldn't be shocking that the next person I think of after Felix Hernandez is Adam Miller. After a great playoffs in the Carolina League, if I were the Indians I would challenge Miller with a promotion to the Eastern League. But the organization is quite conservative, and I expect at least a few starts in the Carolina League. It won't take long to reach AA, where his ERA will be in the mid-to-high 3.00s. Look for a real slow start, with a finish that makes some wonder if he'll open 2006 in Jacobs Field.

Greg Miller- From one Miller to another, next season will be the second unveiling of Greg Miller to the minor leagues. With an arm that is apparently healthy, look for the Dodgers to send their prized lefty back to the Southern League. I think he'll finish with a decent ERA, after a start to the season that will make Logan White question his presence in AA. Look for him to come back at the end of the season, and possibly even contribute to either AAA or the big league team.

Chad Billingsley- He'll be Miller's mate in the Southern League rotation, which will also have prospects like Jonathan Broxton and Mike Megrew. Yikes, watch out for this club next year. I expect Billingsley to just absolutely crush this league in April and May, with a promotion to the PCL in June. He'll struggle there, posting numbers a shade better (with a much better K/9) than Joe Blanton's last season. He's much more likely to earn a September start than Miller, but an average Los Angeles team will probably be able to afford allowing both to see time.

Daric Barton- There is now a lot of pressure on Barton, who seems to have been a sticking point in the Mark Mulder trade. Instead of having to go to Palm Beach next year, Barton will end up in Modesto (could be worse!), which is much more of a hitter's haven. His numbers could be anywhere from average to ridiculous, with my guess as somewhere in the middle. His numbers should look pretty similar to Omar Quintanilla's there last year (.314/.370/.480), with an OBP in the low-.400s as my only real significant change.

Delmon Young- The star of the California League will not be Barton, but instead Delmon Young in his return home to Cali. Look for Young to post crazy-good numbers early on in the season, with the Devil Rays pushing him to AA with an OPS somewhere upwards of .900. He'll go back to modesty in Montgomery, with his first real test of professional pitching. My guess is he'll have an OPS of about .800 in the Southern League, leading to an internal debate on where he should begin the 2006 season. No matter what, he'll still be one of the game's top five prospects.

Chuck Tiffany- If you haven't yet heard of Chuck Tiffany, you will in 2005. Pitchers just simply seem to dominate in Vero Beach, and Tiffany will provide no exception to that rule. Expect him to post an ERA in the low-2.00s before being moved up to AA to take Billingsley's spot in the rotation. He'll become known as a better pitching prospect than Greg Miller, though I think time will prove the latter to be a bit stronger. Tiffany will undoubtedly pass the John Danks of the world, that's for sure.

Shin-Soo Choo- While I never thought too much of Choo last year, I'm beginning to like the guy as a prospect. Like, more than I do Jeremy Reed. I think he'll play great in the PCL next year, and should get to debut in Seattle by about July or August. I cannot say whether or not he has centerfield-quality defense, but a midseason Randy Winn trade could open up a spot for Choo in the outfield. By that time, let's say his 2005 PCL line reads about this: .320/.400/.495.

That's all for now, but I'm hardly done with this little project. Debate in the comments the merits of my points, the Francoeur over Marte, Reed over Choo, and Tiffany v. Miller arguments.