Winning now

I am not a scout, and for that I am thankful.

A scout, looking at the Lugnuts' 4-0 shutout victory on Friday, might make a small note about Tyler Ybarra or scrawl a comment with regard to K.C. Hobson, but the game as a whole means nothing.

That game meant something to me.

The Lugnuts' Blake McFarland, Ybarra, and Brandon Berl, received by expert signal-caller Aaron Munoz, stared plainly in the face of the top scoring team in the league, a team that had steamrolled Aaron Sanchez and three relievers for 15 runs the previous day, and held their mighty offense scoreless.

This was a win.

Scouts perpetually ask who I believe are the top Lugnuts prospects; this is not the same at all as asking who are the top Lugnuts players.  They want to know who can impact a Major League roster, who would be worth trading for, and whether the Blue Jays are a team worth considering.

My answer to the scouts:  Sanchez, Noah Syndergaard, and Justin Nicolino.

As for the answer to my own question -- Who can the ailing Lugnuts count on if they are going to keep winning? -- I received a quartet of answers last night against Quad Cities, and I do not doubt that more answers will be provided in the upcoming weeks.

The scouts care about next year, two years from now, three years from now.

I care about 2012, and so do these Lugnuts.