And, for the grand finale, Kevin's got the Padres preview. It's a system that's improved lately, and Kevin's got a pitcher relatively new to the organization for our final AJOMT:

Will Inman, RHP: There were some folks in the San Diego hierarchy that were unimpressed with what they say out of Will Inman after he joined the organization following the mid-season trade that brought him from Milwaukee. To point to his 3-3 record and 4.17 ERA in seven starts with San Antonio and say boy was that bland isn't being fair considering he was 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Huntsville before the deal. One scout I spoke to said Inman looked tired and that could have been the case. It's difficult to argue with his body of work prior to his Double-A meltdown. He was 20-5 in 47 Minor League appearances (38 starts) with a 1.77 ERA in 233 1/3 innings. He also had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly five-to-one. Perhaps he just needed some time adjusting to the better hitters in Double-A. Before anyone rushes to judgement, give Inman this season to see what everything is all about.

The penultimate (yes, I love that word) organization preview was my look at the Giants, which went up on Saturday. The system is vastly improved, largely by all the early picks the Giants had in last year's draft. As a result, that club in Augusta is going to be a lot of fun to watch.  For my last AJOMT (And Just One More  Thing), I'm going with a southpaw who called Augusta home last year.

Ben Snyder, LHP: The fourth-round pick from the 2006 draft out of Ball State, Snyder's brother Brad is an outfielder in the Cleveland Indians system. Snyder is the quintessential pitchability college lefty, with several pitches he can go to and throw for strikes. His stuff won't wow you, but he mixes it up well and has outstanding command. It certainly worked in the South Atlantic League as he finished second in the league in ERA, third in wins and tied for third in strikeouts, all while walking just 32 in 151 IP. He led the organization in wins, while finishing second in strikeouts and in ERA, finishing behind only the Minors' ERA leader, Kevin Pucetas. The jump to the California League (though Double-A is the true test) is always in interesting one for a guy who relies on command more than pure stuff. With another year like his first full season, Snyder will have to find his way onto the main preview a year from now.

My Dodgers preview is up today and boy, are there a lot of arms to talk about. Here's one more that didn't quite make it into the main story:

Justin Orenduff, RHP: A supplemental first-round pick in 2004, Orenduff came out of Virginia Commonwealth and moved quickly, reaching Double-A in his first full season and helping Jacksonville win the Southern League title in 2005. But he got hurt in 2006 and made just 10 starts, getting shut down for the rest of the year and requiring surgery. He made it back to throw 109 innings last year for Jacksonville in what was an up-and-down year performance-wise, though the important thing was that he made it through healthy. That makes 2008 a big one for him. He got some time in big-league camp and will head to Triple-A Vegas hoping to be the first guy who gets the call when there's a need. When he's on, he's able to work quickly and efficiently, keeping hitters off-balance with good command of his three-pitch mix. I saw him pitch back in 2004, in a much-ballyhooed meeting with Justin Verlander, then at Old Dominion. The game lived up to the hype. Orenduff struck out double-digits and lost. I don't know if he'll ever be THAT good, but here's hoping the '08 season shows he's able to be all the way back to pre-surgery form and able to help the Dodgers out at some point this season.

Once upon a time, the Arizona Diamondbacks had one of the best systems in baseball. They used that depth to trade for Dan Haren. Lisa writes in today's Diamondbacks preview that there's still talent, it's just in the lower levels of the system. That being said, here's an extra guy who should play his ball in the upper levels in 2008:

Chris Rahl, OF: Coming out of the Cal League can always be a bit of a shakeup for a hitter and it can take a little while for them to recover. So was the case for outfielder Chris Rahl, yet another member of the amazing crop of Chesapeake-area Virginia kids. A fifth-rounder out of William and Mary in 2005, Rahl raked in his full-season debut in 2006 when he hit .326 with 13 homers, 80 RBIs and 18 steals. In his promotion to Double-A Mobile, he hit .259 with eight homers, 51 RBIs and 15 steals. Look for an '08 closer to his '06 numbers than those of '07 in a likely move to Triple-A Tucson.

We all saw all those young Rockies help in the playoff push and into the World Series. Well, guess what? There's plenty more where that came from, as Lisa reports in her Rockies preview today. For her "just one more thing" subject, she's got yet another young, electric arm. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

Jhoulys Chacin, RHP: Normally I don't like to write about guys whose names I can't pronounce in case someone asks me to talk about them and I sound like an idiot (no comment, please) ... as long as I can spell it I'm good, right? But I'm making an exception for right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (go on, say it, I dare you). In his US debut in 2007 he shared the Pioneer League lead with 77 strikeouts in 92 innings, posting a 3.13 ERA. The 20-year-old has good command of a lively sinking fastball in the low 90s and some fine secondary offerings in his curveball and changeup.

Sorry to be a bit tardy with this one, but you know how it goes. Lisa's White Sox preview went up yesterday. They've traded away some talent of late, but there's still some there, particularly in the lower levels. For the ChiSox extra man, Lisa goes with an eye-witness account.

Salvador Sanchez, OF: Sometimes you see a player who just jumps out at you, even among a field -- or four fields -- of talented ballplayers. White Sox outfielder Salvador Sanchez is just such a player. At 6-foot-6 and a muscular but lanky 195 pounds, the 22-year-old Sanchez just looks like a ballplayer. And at short-season Great Falls in 2007 he played like one as well, hitting .343 with seven homers, 51 RBIs and 18 steals. It's undecided where he'll start '08 but don't be surprised to see him skip past Class A Kannapolis (where he hit .209 in 88 games in 2006) to Advanced A Winston-Salem to see how he fares against older pitching.

Kevin C. is up today with his penultimate preview on the Tigers. Even though they traded away a bunch of talent to the Marlins this offseason, there are still some intriguing players in their system. Here's one more who didn't quite make it into the preview:

CleteThomas, OF:  What's in a name, right? Well, there aren't many better baseball names than Clete. It's got that rugged sounding, I'll break your jaw if you cross me kind of connotation to it. Whether the Auburn product would ever pull a John Wayne and let into someone just because they looked at him sideways, well, that I don't know. But with a name like Clete, odds are that folks won't mess with him. I'm old enough to remember the tail end of Clete Boyer's career with the Braves back in the early 70s and I even had one or two of his baseball cards. So there is precedent for my admiration of the name. And several people who are near and dear to me are named Thomas, so it's a win-win all the way around. As for his ability on the field, Thomas had a solid season last year in Erie, hitting .280 with 53 RBIs. He'll be in Toledo this season and will benefit from having Larry Parrish as his skipper and Bull Durham as his hitting coach. Bull Durham, now there's a name...

Lisa's back with Sunday's Twins preview (sorry for the delay in posting this one -- you know, family obligations and all). They may have traded Johan Santana away, but there's still plenty to talk about down on the farm -- even more than usual because of the aforementioned traded. Here's Lisa's bonus coverage:

Tommy Watkins, INF: Can you hold elected office in two places at once? If so, Twins utility infielder Tommy Watkins might be able to get voted in as mayor in both Rochester, home of the Triple-A Red Wings, and Fort Myers, where he was born, raised and spends every year at Minnesota's Spring Training camp. Minor league games on the Fort Myers backfield are often a Watkins family affair with more vested fans than one usually sees at those events. 

There are few more popular players in the system with fans and teammates than the 27-year-old Watkins. That goes a long way to explaining why, when his promotion to the big leagues after eight-plus Minor League seasons was announced in the Rochester clubhouse last year by then-GM Terry Ryan, there was not a dry eye in the room.

In his nine seasons, the 5-foot-8 200-pounder has played every position except catcher, though he can most often be found in the middle infield. A 38th-round pick in 1998, he was hitting .272 with eight homers, 49 RBIs in 12 steals when promoted. He batted .357 in nine games with the Twins before ending the season on the DL.

Healthy now, he could make the big club as a backup or could go back to Rochester to start the year. Either way, you can be pretty sure that Watkins' long-term future in a Twins uniform in some capacity is pretty much a given.

Kevin is at it again, this time with the Royals preview. There's some real reason for optimism in KC-land these days. Here's an extra guy to ponder:

Tyler Chambliss, RHP: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was a guy named Chambliss who crushed the spirits of baseball fans in Kansas City. Sure, I'm dating myself on references to both Chris Chambliss and Star Wars. But there will be another Chambliss in the Royals future and his name is Tyler. The Royals selected the young right-hander in the 11th round of the 2006 draft and he's done a more than adequate job since, going 12-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 48 games (16 starts). He collected five saves last year in splitting time between Burlington and Wilmington and figures to get more opportunities to close things out in the Texas League this season at Northwest Arkansas. He's no Wookie, sorry, rookie, -- and why are we talking Star Wars here anyway -- at closing out games either. He was Florida State's closer in 2005 and collected 15 saves that season. Keep an eye on the kid, he may turn out to be something.

Kevin's got the Indians preview today. Still a pretty deep system, even if it doesn't have the elite prospects it once had. Here's Kevin's extra guy:

Joe Mahalic, RHP: Right-hander Joe Mahalic could have gone to Oregon State and played for the two-time defending national champion Beavers but opted to turn pro after the Tribe grabbed him in the 32nd round. He was arguably the best high school pitcher in the Pacific Northwest over the last two seasons and was also a solid basketball and football player. He rewarded Cleveland for its faith by going 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA in seven Gulf Coast League games. It's a small body of work to be sure but Mahalic showed promise. And, the people looking after him in Cleveland will take better care of his career than the folks at OSU. I've watched the last two College World Series tournaments and seen how head coach Pat Casey burns out his pitchers. With Cleveland he'll learn how to pitch. At OSU, he'd simply be fed into the machine in an effort to get the Beavers another title.

My Marlins preview is up as well today -- it's two-for-Thursday at MiLB.com. A lot of talk about all those young arms they have, so I figured I'd go position player here:

Jai Miller, OF: The Marlins drafted Miller back in the fourth round of the 2003 draft and have watched this top-notch athlete slowly develop into a real baseball player. Coming out of high school. the bright and personable Miller was recruited by Stanford for both football and basketball -- not exactly common -- but the Marlins convinced him to sign. He's made slow and steady progress and was in big-league camp this spring. He had a bit of a breakout season in 2007, raising his batting average more than 50 points while setting career highs in just about every other offensive category as well. He's the proverbial five-tool player still trying to sharpen all the tools. Even with the slow climb, he's ready for Triple-A at the ripe old age of 23.

Kevin weighs in with his Nationals preview. It's a system that's definitely on the rise thanks to some trades and outstanding drafting. Here's Kevin's extra man:

Stephen King, INF:  No mystery here, this King can play. He's got a bit of pop in his bat, probably enough to account for 15-20 homers a season. But he can't focus too much on hitting homers because it takes away from the rest of what he's trying to do at the plate. He hit 11 homers in 313 at-bats at three different levels last season, a healthy enough number. But the .180 he hit in 128 Sally League at-bats is what stands out the most. He also fanned once every 2.98 at-bats which is clearly a number no one wants to see. If he can figure out his place and not get too carried away with swinging for the fences, this third-round selection could be a nice addition someday in Washington

Lisa is back up today with the Phillies preview. Here's her choice for their bonus player:

Mike Zagurski, LHP: So Andrew Carpenter leads the Minors in wins with 17, going 17-6 with a 3.20 ERA at Clearwater. Josh Outman strikes out 151 batters, leading Phillies pitching prospects by nearly 30 whiffs. Carlos Carrasco continues to prevail as the system's most valued and coveted gem. So which of them was named Philadelphia's 2007 Minor League Pitcher of the Year?

None of them. That honor went to southpaw reliever Mike Zagurski. Sure he only tossed 32 1/3 innings at three levels of the Minors, but what he did in those 32 1/3 innings certainly opened some eyes: 15 hits, 12 walks and 62 strikeouts! A non-drafted free agent who signed in 2005 out of Kansas, Zagurski spent '06 at Class A Lakewood, posting a 3.51 ERA in 42 games in relief and making the logical progression to Advanced A Clearwater in '07. There his 1.10 ERA and five saves in 12 games earned him a bump to Double-A Reading where the ERA jumped just a tad to 1.29.

And it was at Reading that he got the call that he was heading to Philadelphia in late May when Brett Myers went on the DL. Zagurski spent two months in the Phillies bullpen, losing his rookie eligibility though overall in the bigs he only tossed 21 1/3 innings with a 5.91 ERA in 25 games. He also saw some time back at Triple-A Ottawa with a 2.00 ERA in seven games.

Our look at the NL East continues with Kevin's Braves preview today.

Tommy Hanson, RHP: Hanson is anotherof Atlanta's gifted young pitchers who will bear watching this season. He split last season between Rome and Myrtle Beach, putting up better numbers in the Sally League than in the Carolina League. He's a big kid at 6-foot-6 so it's not surprising that there are struggles from time to time. It's difficult getting all the parts in sync every on every delivery when you have so much more to move. Hanson would benefit more by using that size to intimidate, plunking a batter every now and then to let them know he's there. He allowed 10 homers in 60 Carolina League innings and 16 overall last season.

My Mets preview is up and running. The Mets will have you believe that it's not as barren as one would think, following the Santana trade. Only time will tell, but it's not exactly robust these days. That being said, there are some intriguing names, particularly lower in the system. With that in mind...

Richard Lucas, 3B: The best way for the Mets to rebuild is through scouting and signing young players, both through the draft and internationally. The Mets do deserve some kudos for taking some chances on high school guys in this last draft, something that a team who can afford to be patient should do. Lucas was nabbed in the fourth round and signed away from his commitment to Florida State. His numbers in the GCL don't say a whole lot, but the Mets are excited about his potential. He's got ability on both sides of the ball and should grow into enough power to stay at third. Defensively, he's fine there as well. It's not like Lucas will be rushing to compete with David Wright any time soon, but he's a guy who should be in the recesses of Mets' fans minds for the future.

Kevin's Rangers preview was posted on Sunday. Texas has put together one of the deepest systems in baseball, so he had no trouble coming up with an extra player to discuss.

Ben Henry, RHP: Ben Henry is an impressive kid. That the Rangers thought enough to draft him in the 30th round last season from a South Carolina High School should tell you what you need to know about him as an athlete. But what you don't see on the stat sheet is that he gave up an appointment to Annapolis in order to sign with Texas. That's right, the kid was going to the Naval Academy but decided to head to the Lone Star state instead. Actually, he went to Arizona, where he went 0-4 with a 7.07 ERA in 28 innings. Keep an eye on him, though. That he was willing to go to Annapolis, especially in a time of war, says something about him. That he opted not to go to the academy is neither here nor there. Simply being nominated and accepted is an accomplishment, one that can't be take lightly.

My Oakland preview is up and boy is that a fun system to talk about these days. After all those trades, it is chock full o' talent. There were quite a few names left out of the main preview, but I decided to go with one more guy new to the organization:

Greg Smith, LHP: The Diamondbacks drafted him out of LSU in the sixth round of the 2005 draft and he moved pretty quickly through their system, reaching Triple-A last year. A command lefty, Smith has a 1.19 WHIP as a pro to go along with a 3.27 ERA. He was extremely impressive in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League, posting a 2.61 ERA over 20 2/3 IP there, topped by a six-shutout inning performance in his last start. Clearly, the A's were watching and got the southpaw as part of the Dan Haren trade. He's kind of in the mix for that No. 5 starter job, but even if he ends up in Sacramento, he could be among the first guys called up to help out when there's a need.

Kevin's got the Mariners preview cranking this morning. They continue to do interesting things in the international scouting arena, but he weighs in with fourth-round pick from last year's draft.

Nolan Gallagher, RHP: I'll be curious to see if Nolan Gallagher is similar other pitchers I've encountered from Stanford. The latest Stanford product that I encountered was Greg Reynolds, who was Colorado's top pick last season. He was thoughtful and engaging, giving well-measured answered to all of my questions. The same can be said for Mike Mussina on the few occasions that he and I have had dealings. Gallagher, a right-hander whom Seattle drafted in the fourth round, would obviously be well served should he ultimately draw comparisons to either of the aforementioned pitchers. Whether or not that happens, we'll just have to wait and see. He had mixed results on the mound while splitting last year between Everett and Wisconsin. He's a Stanford guy, though, and they're smart, aren't they? He'll figure it out.

Jonathan's (that's me) Angels preview is up and running. Plenty of talent to go around, but I didn't get to mention:

Matthew Sweeney, 3B: Taken in the eighth round of the 2006 draft, Sweeney showed some glimpses of some serious talent in his first full season. A left-handed hitting third baseman, Sweeney played full-season ball in the Midwest League at age 19 and hit 18 homers and 29 doubles. Right now, most of his power is to the pull side, but he's working on using his strength to hit the ball with authority to all fields. Defensively, he's a work in progress and some think he'll have to move to first or DH eventually, but that's a conversation for another day. He'll turn 20 just as the 2008 season gets underway and he could put up some ridiculously good numbers in the hitting haven that is Rancho Cucamonga.

In addition to doing fine work touring the Grapefruit League, Lisa has been plugging away with the organization previews. Today, she had the Yankees preview. Boy, how things have changed. It used to be that it was a struggle to find anyone to talk about in the main preview. Finding an extra guy? Forget it. But now, there's plenty to talk about. Lisa chimes in with...

Francisco Cervelli, C: I'm gonna go with catcher Francisco Cervelli, which I am sure will make Jonathan happy because he also loves this kid (okay, almost kid ... he turns 22 March 6 ... Happy Birthday Francisco!!!). In most organizations, Cervelli would be the top catching prospect but the Yankees are loaded in that category with 18-year-old power prospect Jesus Montero and 2007 high-pick draftee Austin Romine. Cervelli skipped from short-season Staten Island, where he hit .309 in 2006, up to Advanced A Tampa in 2007, batting .279 in 89 games but saw his season end early after injuring his knee in a home plate collision. He also threw out 41 percent of opposing baserunners. Yes, 41 percent. He should start the year at Double-A Trenton and even if he's not specifically their top catching prospect, he's the closest of the trio to the bigs and deserves mention.

Lisa chimes in with her Blue Jays preview. I probably would have just written Travis Snider's 1000 times. But that's why Lisa is Lisa. She found plenty to talk about and then had enough left in her to come up with this:

Man, I love writing about the Red Sox system. Tons of talent, a scouting department not afraid to take risks (having the financial resources to make those risky decisions certainly helps. For my "just one more thing" subject, I'm going way off the radar, albeit with a familiar name.

Josh Papelbon, RHP : The younger brother (his twin is a reliever in the Cubs org anization) of the Pap closing in the big leagues has also been a closer in his year-plus pro career. Maybe this will be a "favor" pick done good. Josh was selected with the 1,443rd overall pick in the 48th round of the 2006 draft. Since then, he closed out a game in Fenway Park in the first annual Futures at Fenway doubleheader when he was reliever for Lowell, made the South Atlantic League All-Star team in his first full season in 2007 and has saved a total of 31 games. He's a submariner who won't be a closer as he moves up, but the fact that he's likely preparing for a move to Class A Advanced Lancaster means he's already exceeded expectations in many ways.

Lisa had the good fortune to write the Rays preview that's up now. It's maybe the best system in baseball, so there was plenty for her to choose from for this bonus feature:

Quinn Stewart, OF: In a loaded system, I’m going to a real downlow sleeper here, “The Mighty Quinn.” Outfielder Quinn Stewart signed with the Rays in 2006 as a fifth-year senior out of LSU, where he finished second in the NCAA in homers with 23, which led the SEC. Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics describes him as “a big strong kid with whack in his bat and athleticism.” In his first full season, he had a 20-20 year, hitting .258 with 21 homers and 21 steals in 112 games at Class A Columbus last year, posting a .466 slugging percentage but striking out 122 times. But he also hit .471 in the playoffs to help lead the Catfish to the Sally League title. His defense is still suspect and that’s one of the things the organization will be focusing on with him. This is a guy I am really looking forward to watching this season.

Go take a look at my Orioles preview. There's a lot more there these days than there's been a long time. Finding an extra player to talk about here wasn't all that difficult. I thought about going with Troy Patton, who is mentioned only in passing in the preview because of what could be impending shoulder surgery, but I didn't think that was in the spirit of this blog feature, which I think is meant more for sleepers and extra under the radar types. So, with that in mind, I give you...

Kyle Schmidt, RHP: Anyone for a late bloomer? The O's drafted Schmidt out of South Florida (he transferred there after two years at Georgia Tech) back in 2004. He scuffled along in Bluefield and Aberdeen for most of 2005 and much of '06 before making it to Delmarva for 10 outings in that 2006 season. He spent all of last year with the Shorebirds, at age 23, finishing third in the South Atlantic League in strikeouts with 145 (in 131 IP) and eighth in ERA (3.37). He's always done well in terms of K rates, with a 9.98 K/9 ratio since he began his career. There are a lot of arms in this system now, some of them pretty high-profile, so it'll be interesting to see if Schmidt can start making a name for himself at age 24 in 2008.