** Jim Callis - A Strat Player linked to MLB.com **

Jim:  I've been fortunate in that I've covered prospects for 25 years, so I have a nice network of contacts who help me with information. I talk to a lot of scouts and club officials, and I'm traveling more with MLB.com, so I'm seeing more players first-hand. When I'm doing a prospect list, I always try to find a balance between the player's ceiling and the likelihood that he reaches it. Physical tools, the ability to translate those into baseball skills and statistical performance all factor into those judgments.

Wolfman:  Jim, I did an analyst of the previous two top 100 Prospects list done in 2013 and 2014 and I see that basically the top 20-30 players listed do eventually get to go into the Major Leagues and stay with their teams with quite a few of these players becoming Stars? So whoever is doing these lists seems to know what they are talking about. But as we get poised for the 2015 MLB season - which of the prospects listed (and I know at the end of January you will have an updated list on MLB.com, probably including some of the foreign players that have been signed now) do you believe are going to have the greatest impact for their teams? Or in other words, which prospects are the Stars of the Future and tell us why you think so?

Jim:  We've been working on updating the MLBPipeline.com Top 100, which will be out at the end of January like you mentioned. I don't want to tip our hand but I can tell you that my personal prospect top five right now is (in order): Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and Cubs shortstop Addison Russell. All those guys are hitters, obviously, but my top three pitchers are Nationals right-hander Lucas Giolito, Dodgers lefty Julio Urias and Mets righty Noah Syndergaard. My picks for Rookies of the Year in 2015 are Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo and Syndergaard. I don't want to make this the world's longest answer by breaking down every one of those players, but I will say that Buxton could be the second coming of Mike Trout and Bryant is the best power-hitting prospect to come along in years.

Wolfman:  Now as you know Jim, quite a number of teams have become a believer of having a good farm system - the Cubs and Astros would be two of these teams I can think of (being a Cubs fan I am excited to see with all the young players they have, what can happen) - based on your experience and working with Prospects, do you think this is a good way to see success in the majors by having a lot of talented youth as it could take several years for these young players to develop and become consistent?

Jim:  The most efficient way to build a winning team is by signing and developing your own players. Yes, there will be growing pains and no, not every prospect pans out. But having to rely on signing free agents or killing it on the trade market is too difficult. The Cubs and Astros are doing a nice job of rebuilding their franchises, though I have more confidence in Chicago than I do in Houston right now.

Wolfman:  Who do you think will be the teams to beat in 2015? Will we see another team rise like the Royals did last year?

Jim:  The Nationals look like the best team on paper right now, and they'd be my pick to win the World Series. I'm not as sure as to whom they'll meet in the World Series, though I do think both the Rangers and Red Sox will rebound strongly in the American League this year. I'm not saying they'll follow the Royals all the way to the 2015 World Series, but the Cubs will be a lot better this year and could go from last place to the playoffs.

Wolfman:  Are there any other good young players we should watch for who don't appear in the list of top 100, maybe they are still in High School or College that we should be on the look out for?

Jim:  I'll give you a few ... Two guys who didn't quite make our Top 100 who could be very good are Astros outfielder Brett Phillips and Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes. As for this year's draft, the best players are Lake Mary (Fla.) High shortstop Brendan Rodgers, Duke right-hander Michael Matuella and lefty Brady Aiken. I really like Vanderbilt righty Walker Buehler a lot, too.

Wolfman:  And finally, as you know, since we are linked with the great game of Strat-o-matic - are you still playing the game and does it assist you in any way with your job at MLB.com? Might you write about Strat or mention it in some future article or blog post you write.

Jim:  I haven't played SOM in a few years but I played a lot growing up, and in college, and I was in a couple of leagues after that. I love the game -- no question in my mind that SOM is the best baseball board game. When I worked at STATS, Inc., I even contributed to the player ratings. Playing as much SOM as I did helped further my understanding of baseball, such as the importance of on-base percentage long before it became trendy. I also loved playing SOM hockey, football and basketball -- I played them all.

Wolfman:  If any of our members would like to read some of your posts, where is the best places to find them? And if a member wishes to contact you directly what would be the best way to do that?

Jim:  All of my work can be found at MLBPipeline.com or on my blog at jimcallis.mlblogs.com.  I also try to tweet links to all my stories and interact with fans at my Twitter account, @jimcallisMLB.

Wolfman:  Thank you Jim for allowing to chat again - all the best with your current job at MLB.com.

Jim:  Thanks. Glad to help.