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The annual release of the Top 101 prospects is a culmination of sorts. Months of discussion and writing and phone calls and gchats and “what the hell do we do with this guy?” email threads ultimately crescendo in a list—an oddly succinct final product for such a subjective and exhaustive labor.

Before he helped build the Astros into a World Series winner, our former prospect guru Kevin Goldstein referred to these lists as a “snapshot in time.” That holds true: the list would have looked different had we written it in August and would doubtlessly change if we circled the wagons again in April.

But more than that, the 101 reflects a series of choices, often from questions with no easy answers. How can one definitively separate an unknown quantity like Victor Victor Mesa from a battle-tested big-league backstop like Danny Jansen? Would you rather have Nate Pearson‘s practically unprecedented physical gifts or Mike Soroka‘s safer blend of competence and proximity?

A list must answer these questions without presenting the nuances that ultimately shaped the final product. Rest assured, there was plenty of passionate discussion this year, as there is every fall and winter. Each player on this list settled where they did only after considerable debate. Well, perhaps not the first guy; that part was pretty easy.

I should mention that, while the list itself is a difficult project, it’s also an exciting one. This isn’t science homework, after all; we’re ranking and talking about baseball players! If you’d like to hear even more about these players, Jeff is holding a chat later today, and he and Jarrett recorded a 101-specific podcast for your listening pleasure:

In the mean time, pull up a chair and grab a drink. Let’s have some fun.