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Part 2 of 2 in Sensei John Kreese's interview with the Co-Editor in Chief of Baseball America, John Manuel (Part 1 available here)

SJK: Do Ericson Leonora and Yeico Calderon have a real shot at becoming top 100 prospects?

JM: Both guys were still in the DSL at age 17 and age 18. That's not a great sign for Latin prospects. Top 100 type of guys, in the Yanks system, typically are in the GCL or higher at those ages. Tabata was in the SAL at 17. There's a very big difference between the SAL and the DSL. Those guys are closer to Melky Mesa than they are to Jose Tabata.

SJK: Will Christian Garcia ever straighten things out, or is a move to the bullpen the more realistic scenario?

JM: The bullpen is hard, sometimes harder than starting, to come back and pitch and be able to do it on back-to-back nights. Moving to the bullpen isn't always a panacea for pitchers. He still has good stuff, and still has upside, but he's not a guy anyone should count on because to be counted on, you have to be healthy. I root for him, he's long been a personal fave, but objectively he's not really a great prospect yet.

SJK: David Adams put up some very nice numbers between A & A+ in 2009. And supposedly his 2B defense was good also. How does he project?

JM: He's got a shot to stay in the infield; he turns the double play well, but I wouldn't say he's a good defender because his range is a bit short of average at 2B. Good chance he moves to 3B and he profiles kind of as a David Bell kind of player, RH-hitting 2b/3b with some offensive upside.

SJK: And speaking of flashing leather, who are the best defenders in the system?

JM: Guys that I think Yankees fans are familiar with, such as Ramiro Pena, who hit better than anticipated last year but still profiles as a 25th guy on a roster for me; and Reegie Corona, a similar player with, I believe, a bit more offensive upside than Pena. He's not as good at SS as Pena, though.

Among younger players, watch out for Melky Mesa, who if he can hit enough could be an electric RF defensively in the majors. The hitting part is a big, big if though. And Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann is very capable defensively in all spots.

SJK: At less than 6 feet tall, Jonathan Ortiz has put up some crazy strikeout numbers (career 12.2 K/9, 7.6 K/BB in 2009). Could he be the next David Robertson?

JM: I don't see it because he doesn't have Robertson's caliber of arm. I try not to get too excited about performances below Double-A that are not joined by glowing scouting reports. Ortiz has a plus change but I think he's more Edwar Ramirez than David Robertson.

SJK: Yankees vs. Red Sox farm system - Who currently has the upper hand?

JM: I don't think it's much of a debate right now that Boston has more young talent in its farm system than New York does. That's the snapshot we're looking at right now. The advantage for New York is, Boston has no Jesus Montero. But the Red Sox have more athletes, more up-the-middle talent, and I would say equal pitching depth. No Yankees pitcher projects as well as Casey Kelly, who I'm extremely high on.

Boston's actually become much more high school and and international oriented the last couple of years, and its system reflects that -- more high-risk, high-reward players. The Yankees draft more conservatively than Boston right now.

SJK: What's the latest Baseball America project we should be paying attention to?

We're finishing the College Preview issue as we speak, which kicks off our 2010 draft coverage as well. College Top 100 prospects are in that issue, as well as top prospects for all 31 college D-I conferences, Junior College top prospects . . . it's a cornucopia of draft content and it's just the start. Top 100 Prospects issue follows after that, should be online two weeks from now as well.

Many thanks to John for all of this great information. We hope you enjoyed the interview as much as we did. Make sure you check out Baseball America on a regular basis.

*Props to Gary Wallace/Admiral Firmus Piett (our minor league correspondents), Marshall Seymour, Vizzini, Mick Shrimpton, and Louis Winthorpe III for also contributing to this interview.