Cincinnati Enquirer

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

NEW YORK — Let me start here — I consider USA Today’s Bob Nightengale a friend and mentor. I think he’s an outstanding baseball writer and a better guy.

That said, he’s wrong on one of his latest columns.

“This is the week contenders have to ask themselves whether they want a chance to be on the cover of Baseball America with the best farm system, or on the cover of Sports Illustrated celebrating a World Series championship?”

Why not do both?

And isn’t it easier to do the latter if you’ve done the former?

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So I checked. I went back through the last 10 years to see what the teams who have been on the cover of Baseball America as having the best farm system and what they’ve done after that.

Every team that has been had the top-ranked farm system from 2006 to 2015 has made the playoffs within three years. All but one has been in the playoffs in either the season they were named as having the best farm system or the next. The one that took three years? The 2011 Royals, a team that didn’t make the playoffs until 2014 when they went to the World Series and won it the next year.

The top farm system in 2015? The Cubs, the 2016 World Series champs. Not counting the Cubs since it’s been too recent — of all the teams with the top farm system, all but three have been in the playoffs at least three times within five years of being named the top farm system. Those three were the 2006 Diamondbacks, National League West winners in 2007 and 2011, the 2014 Pirates and the Kansas City Royals.

The top system in 2016, the Dodgers, made the playoffs last year and look to do so again this year. Baseball America’s top system this year was the Braves, and they probably won’t make the playoffs this year, but they’ve been surprisingly competitive. If history holds, they will be in the playoffs at least twice in the next five years, and they’ll do that because they have good, young talent.

There are people who will tell you a prospect means they haven’t done anything yet, while forgetting that yet is perhaps the most important word in that tired saying.

Baseball America’s top organizations (playoff appearances since being named the top organization)

2006 — Diamondbacks (2)

2007 — Tampa Bay Rays (5)

2008 — Tampa Bay Rays (5)

2009 — Texas Rangers (5)

2010 — Tampa Bay Rays (3)

2011 — Kansas City Royals (2)

2012 — Texas Rangers (3)

2013 — St. Louis Cardinals (3)

2014 — Pittsburgh Pirates (2)

2015 — Chicago Cubs (2)

2016 — Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

2017 — Atlanta Braves

• #HeyBARtender: Friday is mailbag day, so be sure to get your questions. I’ll be answering them with Zach in Miami. You can email me, contact me on Facebook or tweet at us with #HeyBARtender.

ICYMI

MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

Triple-A: Syracuse 4, Louisville 2: RHP Tyler Mahle allowed two runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. RHP Ariel Hernandez gave up two runs on a hit and three walks. SS Zach Vincej had three hits and C Chad Wallach hit his seventh homer of the season. [Box]

Double-A: Pensacola 4, Biloxi 1: The Blue Wahoos scored four two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead. 3B Nick Senzel reached on an error, scoring the tying run. 1B Gavin LaValley singled in the go-ahead run and LF Josh VanMeter doubled in two more. RHP Zack Weiss struck out two in a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the season. [Box]

High-A: Clearwater 3, Daytona 0: RHP Wendolyn Bautista gave up two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in six innings. 3B Luis Gonzalez was 2 for 3. [Box]

Low-A: Lansing 11, Dayton 7: Not only did OF Jose Siri extended his hitting streak to 31 games, he had two homers and a double. He now has 18 home runs on the season. 1B Bruce Yari hit his seventh homer of the season for the Dragons. [Box]

Rookie: Billings 9, Orem 9, 6 innings: Yep, a tie. The two were tied after six before rain came in. The Mustangs scored six in the first inning on two hit batters, two singles, a double, a triple and a passed ball. The Owlz overcame a 7-0 deficit, including four in the fifth. 3B Leonardo Santana hit his eighth homer of the year. [ Box]

THE ROTATION

1. Watch what Shohei Otani did to this baseball in his return from a leg injury

2. Adrian Beltre was ejected after he moved the on-deck circle to comply with umpire Jerry Davis' orders to get in the circle. [Yahoo]

3. What broadcasters eat when games go long. [SI.com]