Many Prospects for One Big Pitcher
CC is Traded, We Survey the Prospects Included
2008 is just entering those days when teams decide whether they're real competitors and become either buyers or sellers. The Milwaukee Brewers have made the biggest splash early by announcing the trade of four prospects to the Indians for pending free agent CC Sabathia. Everyone knows what CC represents, but since this is Scouting Book, we'll focus on the prospects who are on their way to Cleveland, and what they could mean to the Indians in the near future. More...
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In the NL, a Number of Closer Situations in Flux
After dealing with the AL last time, let's take a look at some of the more volatile, confusing, or just plain interesting closer situations in the Senior Circuit, starting with the nation's capital. More...
Closer... Closer...
A Number of AL Relievers are Almost Ready...
As the season hits its midpoint, the ever-volatile closer situation is showing no signs of settling down. Here's a quick look at a number of future AL closers who appear to be on the cusp of getting their shot. For more, bookmark our Closer Watch page for daily updates. More...
First Rounders of 2008, Face Front!
2008 draft's first picks are on the way...
The 2008 Amateur Draft is in full swing, and most of the early picks are as-expected. There were a few head scratchers, though. Here's a quick look at the top dozen players taken so far, so you can start to get used to reading about them while we get them added to our Prospects database. More...
First Rounders of 2008, Part II
We round out our survey of the first round with an eye to possible early impact
On Friday we looked at the top twelve players taken in the 2008 Amateur Draft and shared our notion of how valuable those players would turn out to be. Today we'll wrap up the rest of the first round.
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Top Five Closers of the Year... So Far
Who's Saved The Day Most Often This Year?
As the one third mark on the season passes this weekend, we hand out the prizes for baseball's Top Five Closers of the season so far. Which ninth inning artists have racked up the most saves to date? Unless you've been paying close attention, the answer might surprise you. More...
Twin Bear Cubs Fight for Early ROY
Fukudome and Soto are each monsters in their own way
It's hard to imagine two more different players than Kosuke 'F-Bomb' Fukudome and Geovany 'Go-Go' Soto. One's a rookie in name only, a seasoned professional meeting everyone's expectations after making the move across the ocean to compete in a new league. The other's a genuine rookie phenom who's had to prove and reprove himself to doubters who considered his early success to be a fluke. What they have in common, of course, is that they're both early Rookie of the Year candidates who are carrying the Cubs on their backs. Together, they'll be the key to the Cubs success or failure in 2008. More...
Prospects on Deck
Who Will Get the Next Phone Call?
Six weeks into the season, some of baseball's hottest prospects are already seeing major league action. But some of the most promising haven't seen the big leagues yet. Who's next, and when will they get their chance in The Big Show?
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AL Roundup: Junior League's Closers Burning Bright
Who's Glowing and Who's Fading in AL Bullpens
With the season creeping up on its sixth week, who are the closers worth their contracts, and who are near collapse? The AL might not be as crazy as the NL this season, but there are still a few closer situations in flux. More...
Mayday! Mayday! NL Bullpen Roundup
Who's On Fire, Who's on the Brink?
The season's only a month old, and already the business of closing is a messy, exciting business indeed. We sort out the early returns to see who's on fire... and who's flaming out. More...
Top Prospects: New York Mets
A Depleted System With Some Remaining Glitter
This last offseason, the New York Mets somehow managed to acquire the most-coveted pitcher in baseball when they captured Johan Santana in exchange for a small boat filled with prospects. What might be an even greater feat, though, is the way they did it without parting with either of their two best young athletes. The cream of the Mets prospect crop remains intact and ready to contribute as the club moves into swanky new digs for 2009.
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Early Returns Pt 2: AL Pitching Prospects Delivering
A quick look at AL pitching prospects already in the Majors
While the National League has been blessed with some stellar pitching debuts from the likes of Johnny Cueto and Hiroki Kuroda, the junior circuit has more than its share of big name freshmen. Here's a quick look at how this season's new arms are doing in the American League.
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Early Returns: NL Pitching Prospects Delivering
Two weeks into the season, some pitchers are already shining
With the 2008 season only a few weeks old, a number of young National League prospects are already making their presence felt on the mound. Here's a quick look at some of our spring prospects who are making it big in the majors already, or will be very soon if their hot minor league debuts are to be believed.
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Last Minute Fantasy Draft Bargains Pt 2
Sleeper Starters Will Be Big League Winners, Soon
If you play fantasy baseball and just finished drafting, it's a safe bet that all of baseball's best pitchers, those with proven track records, were snapped up in your league, leaving only aging ex-aces and unknowns available on your league's waiver wire.
But some of those young unknowns should be known, based on how good organizationsthey looked all spring, and how their are rumbling about their big-league readiness. Here's a quick look at some young starters who might get an early opportunity thanks to their hot springs, and who could make an impact in the majors this season. More...
Last Minute Fantasy Draft Bargains
Hot and Cold Starts Throw Wrenches into Fantasy Planning
If you're a fantasy baseball player drafting this weekend, you've probably already digested all of the websites, mock drafts, ADP lists and strategy guides you could find. But how much attention have you paid to when that information was published? Have you considered that a lot of early spring advice might already be out of date?
In the spirit of our prospect rankings (which are already updated every day), here's a position by position overview of which rookies, prospects and youngsters have looked the best and the worst this spring. More...
Top Prospects: Toronto Blue Jays
Sleeping with Giants, the Blue Jays Can Still Compete
For most of the last decade, the Blue Jays have seemed to be a team that was trying to play for an immediate this-year championship... but not working with the resources needed to get there. This year's team, heavy with expensive veterans, looks much the same, but there are some young guns and farm-hands ready to contribute very soon, and some of last year's rookies are poised to be solid players in 2008. If the Jays can skillfully mix their vets with some youth and talent, they could break through into the AL East's playoff club, but it'll be a tough fight. More...
Top Prospects: New York Yankees
Can the Mighty Yankees Be Rebuilders?
Imagine you're a baseball fan in the 90's. In a dream, you can see into the future. Imagine learning that the mighty Yankees, that massive baseball machine in the Bronx that swallows money and spits out championships, hadn't won the World Series for more than ten years. Imagine that your Yankees had watched as the Boston Red Sox, that most hated of teams, rolled over the Yanks twice on the way to world championships.
And then imagine learning that to fix this problem, your team, with the deepest payroll in baseball, those free-agent moneybags Yankees that you love, were entering 2008 counting on not just one rookie pitcher, but THREE, in order to get back on top.
You'd probably wake up screaming. And yet here we are...
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Pu-re boru!
Rising Sun, Opening Day, Play Ball!
It's the strangest location for an Opening Day in MLB's history, and even with all the hype it's probably about to take a lot of people by surprise this morning... but the 2008 Baseball Season has officially begun!
Some thoughts on today's game as a micro-version of the season to come...
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Top Prospects: Baltimore Orioles
Following Years of Misery, A New Plan Arises
Oh, you Orioles. You big-spending, big-market, big-budget, big-bust Orioles. Is there hope in the future? After years of trying to outspend the Yankees and Red Sox, and years of failing to acquire anyone not on the down-slope of their careers, the O's finally bit the bullet this winter and started to 'go young'. Will it be enough to save the team from the basement of the AL East, or are many more hard years ahead for the team of the Robinsons and Ripkens? More...
Top Prospects: Tampa Bay Rays
From Laughing Stock to Talent Rich. Are the Playoffs Next?
The Tampa Bay Rays are the saddest of baseball tales, but the story that comes to a head this spring ends on a note of hope. Tampa Bay, long the doormats of the American League East, today have the best crop of young players in all of baseball, including one of the very best hitting prospects in the game, and one of the game's top prospect pitchers... More...
Top Prospects: Washington Nationals
Slowly and Steadily, the Nationals Build a System
If any team has heard the word 'rebuilding' too much, it must be the Washington Nationals. The team has been crippled by poor management, hamstrung by low budgets, and just plain cursed by fate since their days as the Montreal Expos. The recent rebirth in Washington, though, complete with new stadium and new attitude, gives them some pretty serious hope for the future.
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Top Prospects: Florida Marlins
The Marlins are Back on the Rollercoaster, Now Rising
If any team represents baseball's modern business model, it's the binge and purge Florida Marlins, who have spent big to move fast, and dumped salary even faster in a cycle of win and rebuild, win and rebuild. Today's Marlins are in the upswing portion of that cycle, with a number of hot young stars just entering their prime and another pennant opportunity only a year or two away. More...
Top Prospects: Milwaukee Brewers
New Owners, New Plan Means New Success in Beertown
For a team founded by a car salesman, the Milwaukee Brewers have been reluctant to make many deals in pursuit of competence. Lucky for them, the team has enough local talent locked away for the future that it should do just fine without. More...
Updated Top Outfield Prospects for 2008
A deep pool of big bats will bring the hurt
Some years, pitching dominates the prospect lists. Other seasons, there seem to be shortstops bouncing around everywhere.
This year, though, might be the season of the outfield.
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Top Prospects: Colorado Rockies
A Rich Farm to Mine in the Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a very young team, but their story is already one of two different eras, the first based on traditional talent and offense, the second on new-world development and pitching.
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Top Prospects: Chicago Cubs
Chicago's Farm is Rich Soil for the Faithful
When it comes to prospects, it's like everything else in Wrigleyville: you just gotta believe. Cubs fans watched super prospects like Jeff Samardzija and Felix Pie disappoint last season, but they'll be even more reliant on youngsters in 2008. More...
Top Prospects: St Louis Cardinals
The Original Farmers Reopen the Faucet
For some, the St Louis Cardinals farm starts and ends with superprospect Colby Rasmus, who's expected to take over center field for the team in 2008. But while the toolsy outfielder is indeed the Cards' best youngster, the team that invented the farm system in the 1920's also has a number of other players who will be fun to watch in the years to come. More...
About ScoutingBook
Why and How We Do All This
ScoutingBook.com is the backyard toolshed of a handful of swell fellas who live, work, or breathe baseball, online gaming, or both. We use it as our own touchstone to collect and share our opinions, rankings, and ideas about baseball prospecting in a connected world. We're also sharing these opinions and rankings here for those who may be interested. More...
I'm Going... Where?
Mets Empty the Farm, Trade for Johan Santana
The biggest shoe in baseball finally dropped today, as the Minnesota Twins pulled the trigger on a deal to send their looming free-agent ace east for a rich package of prospects. But rather than take the sparkling offerings dangled by the Yankees, or the shiny toys the Red Sox waved, the Twins opted for a suite of lesser-known prospects from, of all places, the New York Mets.
Who are these prospects, how will they help the Twins, and what does their move to the heartland mean to their own career arcs? That's what ScoutingBook.com is all about! Let's take a very quick look...
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Third Base Prospects and Sleepers...
Not As Much Pop as Last Year, But Still Some Promise
UPDATED: If it seems like there are not many promising 3B prospects on our list this year, maybe that's because so many of them graduated to the majors in 2007. The remaining crop, though, is nothing to sneeze at. More...
Show Me The Nickels!
Shameless ScoutingBook Website Now Accepts Tips, Charity
Believe it or not, a reader actually requested this new 'feature' on our site. Really. We swear... and not just a Roger Clemens/Mike Wallace 'swear', either... a real one. So we've added a cute little 'donate' button to the site so that you can tip us a dollar or three whenever you like via nice, safe Paypal. More...
Barely-Legal Baseball Prospects Now Online
Up-to-the-Minute Ages Now in Profile
Here in the bowels of Scouting Book Mountain, the whirring, clacking, steam-powered mainframes are stuffed top to bottom with baseball data. Some of it is very valuable, some of it... not. Did you know, for example, that as a child growing up in Taco Taco, Cuba, White Sox prospect Alexei Ramirez used to make his own bats by breaking his poor mother's furniture, mops and brooms? More...
Baseball America Top 100 Released Today
No Big Surprises, But a Few Hmmms.....
Baseball America, granddaddy of all ranking systems, has released its 2008 Top 100 list, and we've added this data to our individual, list, and grid displays today. You can now compare six major ranking systems alongside our own predictions.
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Top Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies
Some Hot Arms Highlight an Otherwise Shallow System
The Phillies have a strong history of developing their own players, having identified a young shortstop named Mike Schmidt, targeting him in the 1971 draft, signing him, and subsequently building their entire franchise around his bat...
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Top Prospects: Atlanta Braves
The Factory That Made Pitchers, Retooled for Outfielders
If you're looking for a reason for Atlanta's consistent excellence in recent baseball seasons, the answer is in the serious work the team invests in their player development. The Atlanta Braves might be the only team that has been uniformly excellent in drafting and developing their own talent for more than three decades, and counting... More...
Super-Utility Players for 2008
NEW: Multi-Position Eligibility Calculator
Super-Subs. Utilitymen. Multi-Position Backups. The player who can play multiple positions in the major leagues is a manager's dream, because he makes roster construction and flexibility so much easier. Why carry a backup third baseman, shortstop and outfielder on your roster when you can get all three in one player? More...
Top Prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates
Some Glimmers of Hope Deep in the Pirate Cave
It must be tough to be a Pittsburgh fan these days. Once the pride of the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been a sad-sack franchise for very many years, and the way the team has run their farm system, it's almost as if they LIKE it that way. More...
Top Prospects: Cincinnati Reds
A New Machine Turns Out Young Talent
The Big Red Machine was a baseball monster, but when it comes to player development, Cincinnati has spent a lot of recent history being anything other than one of the league's best talent-production factories. Thankfully, that all turned around a few years ago, and today's Reds system is stacked with major league ready bats and arms. More...
Top Prospects: Houston Astros
The Astros Sold the Farm. What's Left?
It might be Houston, but based on the tumbleweeds blowing around the Astros farm system, you'd think you were deep in the desert. The Astros emptied their farm, wisely or not, to bring former all-star shortstop Miguel Tejada to the club on the eve of the Mitchell Report. How he performs in Houston will determine whether or not Astros management will be hung at high noon. With one exception, what's left on the Astros farm is barely worth mentioning.
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Show Me The Money!
Players in their 'Walk' Years Are Incented to Perform
There's a certain wisdom in baseball that says that certain 'money players' perform better when their backs are up against the cash machine. Which players might respond to their big money opportunities this season? More...
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RSS Feed Added to ScoutingBook.com
To address the overwhelming demand for an RSS feed of our postings, we've added a live feed to ScoutingBook.com. (Okay, full disclosure: only one reader asked for it, but he asked overwhelmingly.) More...
Top Prospects: San Diego Padres
The Padres Reinvent Seeding
Founded in 1969, the San Diego Padres have always been a scrappy young team. Despite playing in a large California market, they've never captured the big media spotlight, not even when fronted by uberhitter Tony Gwynn (drafted by the Padres in 1981), who worked as a quiet, home-town superstar for 20 years. More...
More Comparison Data Added
Now Showing: ESPN and Minor League Baseball
As astute readers have already noticed, we've added more comparison data to our prospect rankings. Now, in addition to Baseball Prospectus and the other ranking lists, you can also view any prospect's ranking from ESPN's Top 100 Prospects (2008 Season Preview) as well as the Top 50 2008 Look Ahead feature of Minor League Baseball's official site, MiLB.com. This new info is available on each prospect page, as well as on our quick-reference matrix. More...
Pitchers With 27 Candles...
Big and Not-so-big Name Pitchers Turn 27
Jake Peavy. CC Sabathia. Jonathan Papelbon. Dan Haren. Bobby Jenks. All superstar pitchers who just had career years. At least, career years so far. All of these pitchers will be 27 years old this season, which means (statistically) they might be on the way to still better things. More...
Top Prospects: San Francisco Giants
A Few Bright Spots by the Bay
There's really no nice way to say it: The San Francisco Giants, once the club of Mays and McCovey, Christy Mathewson and Leo Durocher... are now one of the saddest franchises in baseball.
The training staff set a record for Geritol orders last season. The pitching staff is made up of two young aces, one mercurial veteran, and ten forgettable jerseys. The lone free agent acquisition of the offseason, centerfielder Aaron Rowand, immediately becomes the team's main (only?) offensive weapon.
This is not a team that is built to win today, and the news doesn't get much better after that sinks in, either: a shortage of major-league-ready talent on the farm means that it's not a team that will be ready to win tomorrow, either.
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Baseball Prospectus Puts Out
Treasure Trove: BP's Top 100 Prospects 2008
As spring training approaches, baseball publications and websites are beginning to publish their own 'Prospect Lists' that review and rank the young players that they think are best (or most appealing, or highest-potential). Baseball Prospectus, one of the most respected brands in the 'baseball futures' business, published their Top 100 Prospects for 2008 List today, as researched and assembled by Kevin Goldstein. (The list is available online, and is expanded with additional info in their very fine publication.)
Since our own list here at Scouting Book is ever-changing and evolving, with players moving up and down daily, it's difficult to do a side-by-side comparison to any static or 'published' list, but whenever a new list is revealed, we can't resist diving in to see what other people think of our favorite kids.
The Baseball Prospectus list, in particular, is an intriguing study in expectations...
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Top Prospects: Arizona Diamondbacks
Strategically Depleted, But Gems Remain
You know that person on your shopping list who is impossible to buy for because she already has two of everything? That's the Arizona Diamondbacks.
When the Diamondbacks rocked the winter meetings in 2007 by trading not two or three but SIX of their best prospects for ace Dan Haren, the conventional wisdom was that they were mortgaging their future by selling most of their best young players.
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Top Prospects: L.A. Dodgers
Homemade or Imported, the Dodgers Know 'Grow'
If the Los Angeles Dodgers always seem to have one of the best farm systems in baseball, it's no wonder: Dodger GM Branch Rickey invented the modern farm system while working with the St Louis Cardinals in the 1930's. When Rickey moved to L.A. in 1942, he transplanted his idea to the Valley, and the major league farm system as we know it bloomed in full.
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Twenty Seven or Bust!
Will These Almost 27 Year Olds Shine?
Prospecting isn't always about rookies. Sometimes it's about sifting through the young veterans who are about to turn things up a notch. Historically, twenty-seven has been a magic age for ballplayer development, especially for hitters. More...
Big Gloves, Bigger Bats
A Thundering Crowd of First Basemen for 2008
Even though first baseman handle the ball more than most ball players, it's still a position known for offense, offense and offense. The 2008 crop of young first-basemen is a small one, but there are some very big bats in the mix. More...
Tools of Ignorance, Patience
Best Slugging Catchers Look to 2008 Breakouts
Catching is about defense, game-calling, handling a pitching staff, throwing out runners, and offense. Since there's only one of those categories in which excellence is likely to make a catcher a household name, genuine catching prospects are few and far between. More...
Japanese Imports Keep Coming
Fukudome, Kuroda Coming to America
Kobayashi is an Indian. Yasuhiko Yabuta signed with Kansas City. Fukudome will guard Wrigley's ivy, and now ace righthander Hiroki Kuroda has chosen prestige over yen by choosing the L.A. Dodgers for his American adventure. More...
Japan Brings Punch, Sizzle to Offseason
Top 12 Japanese Player Imports to Watch
Japanese imports have had mixed results in the land of baseball. While a few, like Hideki Matsui and Daisuke Matsuzaka have fluorished, others like Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa have taken a less glamorous turn. Some excel immediately, like rookie of the year Ichiro Suzuki, while others, like Kaz Matsui, seem to blossom only after an adjustment period.
While each of the last few years has featured a player or two, 2008 should see the debut of more big-name Japanese players than any other season. Since they're often excluded from rookie and prospect lists, we decided to take a quick look at each, just so you remember they exist.
These are the twelve Japanese ballplayers that every prospect-hound should know about, shown with their last-known mailing address. We're listing them here according to overall desirability: their ranking within our prospect matrix may change in the months to come, especially if they join an MLB club where they have a starting opportunity.
More...Kansas City Discovers Japan, and Vice Versa
Setup Specialist Yasuhiko Signs With Royals
The Kansas City Royals, who are most certainly not a contender for Most Glamorous Franchise, today signed Japanese setup man deluxe Yabuta Yasuhiko to a two-year contract for $6M plus incentives.
Yabuta was the primary setup man for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Pacific League, where his most recent manager was Bobby Valentine. The Royals new manager, Trey Hillman, is himself a recent veteran of the Japanese leagues, where he managed the Nippon Ham Fighters. Hillman's experience in Japan was a big factor in bringing in the coveted reliever. More...