Last week we posted the prospect rankings from PhillyBaseballNews.com. Since, we had a chance to talk to the man behind the rankings, Chuck Hixson in an exclusive Q&A.

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Question: How close was it between Carrasco and Marson at the top?

Chuck Hixson: You can go back and forth between the two. We just thought that Carrasco was a little bit better as a long term prospect for the Phillies. Carrasco is a bit ahead and pitching is more important. He’ll probably be ready in a few months, but he’s not ready [for the big leagues] yet. I think he’s better off pitching a half-season in Lehigh Valley.

Q: Thoughts on Marson?

CH: I really like him. I think he needs time in AAA but I think he’ll be a real good major league catcher. I’ve followed him from early on and I’m really impressed with him…The other thing to keep in mind is Travis D’Arnaud coming along. Some think he’ll be at least as good or maybe even better than Marson.

Q: You guys had Edgar Garcia in the top ten, while a few others have been dropping him. Why the top ten for Garcia?

CH: This is a big season for him. He’s gotta step up. We kind of erred on the side of optimisim with him. I know a lot of people dropped him down, but we’re still pretty high on him.

Q: Impressed with Kyle Drabek?

CH: Yes. I think they’ll start him slow and go from there. I think he’ll do what Carrasco did last year, get a few starts late in the season with AAA. I’m anxious to see how he comes back from the surgery, and people were surprised at how well he was throwing.

Q: Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, both BlueClaws last year. What were your impressions?

CH: Both are really good. That was one of the biggest discussions we had, which one was better. We gave a slight edge to Brown, but that’s a gut thing. There’s something about Brown that we thought he was going to be a bit better than Taylor, but I think they’re both really good ballplayers. To have two guys like that coming through the system, that’s great for the Phillies.

Q: How do you think the farm system is now compared to the last few years?

CH: It’s definately more talented. They’ve done a nice job drafting and developing these guys. One of the most important things, how to handle young players, when to push a guy, when to let a guy develop. The Phillies are very good at that.

Q: One guy to watch in the system?

CH: Sebastian Valle [catcher]. Guys are going to find out a lot more about this guy this year. He’s definatley someone to watch.

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