Older Articles

Top LHP: Best Left-Handed Pitching Prospects for 2012

More Than Crafty, These Lefties Can Bring Heat, Too

The next few years will not be fun for left-handed hitters, especially in the American League.    Complete Article

New York Mets: Top 2012 Prospects

The Sound of Oncoming Hope... or the 7-Train?

It's so hard being a big market ballclub. Unfairly forced to compete on an uneven playing field while smaller teams scout, draft and moneyball all the good talent away. All the persecuted big market teams can do is burn suitcases full of money in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Royals and Rays.   Complete Article

Cleveland Indians: Top 2012 Prospects

Indians Retool After Cashing Out in 2011

The Indians are an enigma. Despite lacking enough talent to compete just yet, the team still made a huge move last year by trading away not just one, but two top pitching prospects for righthander Ubaldo Jimenez. While Jimenez is certainly a legitimate ace talent, it's hard to see how the Indians of the near-future would not have benefited more from the services of the now-departed Alex White and Drew Pomeranz for the next six or seven years.   Complete Article

Bigger. And Also Smaller.

New ScoutingBook 2.0 Website Should Fit Everyone

Did you ever start a home-renovation project that just got completely out of hand? At first, you think you're just repainting an old bathroom. And while you're at it, maybe fix that leaky shower head. And the crooked mirror. And... well, before you know it, you're digging under the foundation and running new sewer lines.
   Complete Article

L.A. Dodgers: Top 2012 Prospects

The Team With Heart and Courage Still Needs Brains

Pity the Dodgers, one of baseball's signature franchises now fallen on hard times. The club is stuck between gears, halfway in forward and half in idle, trying to win now as well as win later, all with a suspended budget, a lame duck owner and a desperation that's almost palpable. The headless franchise certainly looked it last season, trading away five-tool prospect Trayvon Robinson to the Red Sox for... not much.    Complete Article

Top OF: Best Outfield Prospects for 2012

Baseball's Biggest, Strongest, Fastest

Outfielders don't get enough love. They're responsible for the biggest parts of the field and need to make the longest and most difficult throws, all while dealing with blinding sun and unruly fans as they try to calculate the flight a ball that's only the size of a pin-head when it starts zooming toward them from three hundred feet away. And so how do we judge the best outfielders? By their bats, of course.   Complete Article

Top SS: Best Shortstop Prospects for 2012

Wherein We Throw Around Words Like 'Natural Athlete' a Lot

Along with centerfield, shortstop is baseball's glamor position. The best Little Leaguers slot in at shortstop, and as they grow bigger and stronger, the best ones stay there. By the time they're pushing out of their teens, anyone still playing shortstop is certainly one of baseball's best all-around players.   Complete Article

Los Angeles Angels: Top 2012 Prospects

Top to Bottom, a High-Class Operation

The Angels have always taken a balanced approach to teambuilding. Never afraid to open the checkbook for a big free agent, the team once again nabbed the best bat and the best starter available this offseason in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson.   Complete Article

Seattle Mariners: Top 2012 Prospects

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching... and a Bat!

The Mariners have been something of a laughing stock in recent years. The team, once high-flying Yankee rivals behind A-Rod, Griffey and the Big Unit, fell fast and far in the years since. Last year's Mariner team produced an offense so anemic, in fact, that it was one of the worst of the century.   Complete Article

Big in Japan. Bigger in Texas.

Darvish Finally Signs With Rangers

Kimochi ii. After a dramatic month of talks that went down to the wire, the Texas Rangers have finally secured the services of Japanese/Iranian phenom Yu Darvish. The Rangers, of course, outbid the rest of baseball back in December for the rights to even negotiate with Darvish in the first place.   Complete Article

Praise Jesus: How Montero Can Save Seattle

(And How They Could Afford Him)

Sometimes a baseball trade just makes so much sense, you wonder why you're surprised at all when it's announced. That's exactly the case in last night's huge prospect swap between New York and Seattle.   Complete Article

Whoa! Stats Kung-Fu Comes to Scouting Book

Now Online: Expanded Scouting Reports With Stats and Highlights

We told you new things were coming. Today, we're rolling out our new expanded prospect reports, with more details on each player and more complete reports on their likely futures. We're also showing their minor and international league pitching, fielding and batting statistics wherever possible, complete with remarkable highlights and worrisome trends helpfully flagged for your convenience.   Complete Article

Wait Until This Year!

2012 Data Now Online, Lots of New Features On the Way

Happy 2012, baseball fans. That next year you've been waiting for is finally here. In honor of the shiny new calendar, we've resynched our offline database with the website so you can enjoy, laugh at, or otherwise experience our updated prospect information with your morning coffee.    Complete Article

Winter Overhaul Underway

Stay Tuned for New Year Surprises!

We've (finally) started our 2012 overhaul, so get ready to follow the Miami Marlins and the rest of a new-look MLB here at Scouting Book, starting soon.    Complete Article

Say Goodbye to 2009

Prospect Cleanup Underway

We're overhauling our prospects database for 2010, so it's time to say goodbye to the rookies of 2009 and make room for next year's crop.   Complete Article

September is for Next Year, Pt II

September Callups, Part 2

Continuing last week's theme, this week we look at five of the most-anticipated callups in the National League, focusing especially on a group of young up-and-coming catchers and quasi-catchers.   Complete Article

September is for Next Year

September Callups, Part 1

Every September, MLB rosters expand from a restrictive twenty-five players to a robust forty. It's a time when contenders use the extra flexibility to rest their veterans and prepare for a playoff push. But for most teams, it's a chance to take a look at some of their top prospects, to get an idea whether they'll be ready for big-league action next spring.   Complete Article

Strasburg Signs!

Super-Prospect, Other Top Picks Sign Deadline Deals

Stephen Strasburg has finally signed a deal with the Washington Nationals for almost $16M, a new record for amateur draftees. The deal includes a $7.5M signing bonus and $7.6M over four years, as well as incentives. The deal was announced shortly after midnight.   Complete Article

A Not-So-Dirty Dozen Light Up the Draft Board

A First Look at the Top Twelve

Guess what? The Nationals selected some guy named Strasburg. The first round of the MLB draft brought few surprises, other than the Pirates following through on their way-reaching interest for catcher Tony Sanchez. Here's a quick roundup of the dozen who followed St. Stephen.   Complete Article

Arms Dominate Draft Choices

Strasburg and Others Will Go Early

It's been a few years since there's been as clear a #1 pick as this year's Stephen Strasburg, the 100mph wunderkind who everyone's grandmother knows is destined for Washington in the upcoming Amateur Draft. But there's no real consensus on who the rest of the best prospects are.   Complete Article

Nick Adenhart, 1986-2009

Angels Rookie Killed in Late-Night Hit-and-Run

Angels rookie Nick Adenhart was killed by a hit-and-run driver last night, immediately following the his season debut, in which he threw six shutout innings against the Athletics.   Complete Article

Fantasy Draft Help is Here

Ranking the Non-Prospects for 2009

More than a few readers have asked us for our advice on grown-up MLB player rankings, presumably to help them with their fantasy drafts. So here's a quick cheat sheet to the ScoutingBook combined rankings for each position.   Complete Article

BA Top 100 Prospects Released

Old School List Falls In Line

Baseball America, the Gray Lady of prospect publishing, recently shipped their 2009 Prospect Handbook, and today opened up a little more by allowing mere mortals inside their paywalled website -- or at least its foyer -- to view their selections for Baseball's Top 2009 Prospects. The BA list closely mirrors other lists already in the wild, with a few notable exexceptions.   Complete Article

Prospectus Toppus Hundredus

Big Gorilla Hauls In, Falls in Line

Baseball Prospectus (BP) announced their Top 100 Baseball Prospects for 2009 yesterday, and the list manages to include a few surprises despite its overall consensus-towing line.   Complete Article

Sporting News Adds Top 50 for 2009

Old Hands Join in With New List

The good old-fashioned Sporting News has jumped into the Prospect Rankings pool this year, and while their idea of a 'prospect' is a bit mathematically odd, the top of their chart fits into what's looking like a pretty familiar pattern by now.   Complete Article

ESPN Joins the Party

Glossy Mag Lays Down the Law with Top 100 for 2009

The ESPN/Scouts Inc Top 100 Prospects List for 2009 was released today, so as usual we've added their rankings to all our player profiles so you can get a second (third, fourth, fifth) opinion on what we think. Keith Law, under the Scouts Inc banner, is anointing Matt Wieters and David Price 1-2 for 2009, which is exactly where they've been on our charts for the past five or six months. But after that, he's got some surprises and head-scratchers.   Complete Article

Super Utility Players for 2009

Everyone wants a star-studded lineup, but when it comes down to the grind of August and September, a strong bench can make all the difference. A number of players appeared at two, three or even four different positions last season, and our popular multi-position qualifying tool will show you which 'super utility' players could be most valuable going into 2009.   Complete Article

Happy Birthday to (all of) You!

Our '27' Tool Helps You Track Possible 27-Year Old Breakouts

Mike Aviles celebrated the big 27 last year, and broke through into MLB in a big way. He spring training still at that magical age. We've updated our tracking tools to help you keep an eye on other ballplayers who could be hitting their genetic stride this season.   Complete Article

Shutting Down, Starting Up

Closing the Book on 2008 and Looking Ahead to Next Year

We've been a bit more lax than usual here at Scouting Book this month, as we soaked up post-season baseball and tried to unwind from a long season. But don't worry, big things are coming soon: we'll be going through a pretty hardcore overhaul during the winter, as we add more features and round out our existing data to 'expose' more of our internal data to you readers.

   Complete Article

Closing Time: Wait 'Til Next Year!

Seven Teams are Taking an Early Look at 2009 Closer Options

September is upon us, which means for a lot of teams, it's time to think about 2009, and nowhere is that more clear than in MLB bullpens. Today, we'll take a look at seven specific bullpen situations where a hot youngster is pushing hard enough to have a real chance at taking over in 2009. In some cases, the pressure is coming from two different players, adding an extra level of excitement and uncertainty.   Complete Article

Dunn Just Right for Prospects

Adam Dunn Traded for Dallas Buck, Others

After clearing waivers, Adam Dunn has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitching prospect Dallas Buck and two players to be named later.    Complete Article

And One More Thing...

Prospects, Relievers and Throw-ins are Often Keys to Deadline Deals

With big names like Mark Teixeira, Pudge Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr and even (gulp!) Manny Ramirez being thrown around this week, it's easy to miss the smaller names that often mean the most in the long run.   Complete Article

Batters Up!

As the Second Half Starts, New Top Prospects Emerge

As 2008's All Star Break fades into the rear view mirror, it's time to look ahead to find the prospects who could have second half breakouts in the Bigs, as well as the ones who will be Top of the Charts for 2009.
   Complete Article

Second Half Prospects for 2008 and 2009

Midseason Cleanup Underway for Second Half Prospects

It's the All-Star Break, which means it's time for our semi-annual cleanup. As a result of the Great Cull, more than sixty Prospects formerly in our rankings will graduate to MLB status and thus disappear from our list, leaving us with a nice clean slate of prospects for the second half.   Complete Article

Harden Traded for Prospects

In trading Rich Harden, the A's continue to load up on prospects

Less than two days after the Brewers sold the farm to land ace CC Sabathia, the rival Cubs have responded by sending off four of their own young guns for flame-thrower Rich Harden. Who are the prospects and how do they fit into a deep Athletics system?   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

First Rounders of 2008, Part II

First rounder with likely 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.
   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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.    Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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?
   Complete Article

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.
   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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...
   Complete Article

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.


   Complete Article

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.   Complete Article

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.    Complete Article

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?    Complete Article

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