Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, WAS
One of the best college pitchers of any class in memory, righthander Stephen Strasburg mixes a high-90's (and low-100's) fastball with a highly-effective (and unusual) curveball/slider type pitch for a devastating 1-2 punch. He wasn't a strikeout pitcher early in his college career, instead focusing on pitching to contact, but his K rate has been rising steadily since 2007. A few experts are concerned about his delivery, but it's important to take that with a big grain of salt: there was also a choir united about Mark Prior's 'perfect' mechanics, once, too.
More Scouting Book Info on Stephen Strasburg >
1
OF, ATL
Say Heyward, but don't say it just yet. A real treasure for the Braves as 2007's 14th overall pick, the left-handed Heyward has been lauded for his developing plate discipline and 30-homer power potential for a couple of years now.
More Scouting Book Info on Jason Heyward >
2
RHP, TEX
An eighteen year old Dominican whose fastball has been clocked at 98mph, Feliz was a sleeper deep in the Atlanta system, scooped by Texas as part of the prospect package that sent Mark Teixeira to the Braves. He's still raw, but when he's wild he's effectively wild.
More Scouting Book Info on Neftali Feliz >
3
OF, FLA
A high-school outfielder drafted 76th overall in 2007, Stanton went on to destroy high A Jupiter in 2009, raking at a .294/.390/.578 clip while adding 12 home runs in 50 games. His average suffered a bit after a promotion to AA Jacksonville, but his power remained (16 more home runs and a .455 slugging average.) A talented overall player with the tools to fit in at almost any position, he's being worked in right field at present, but could be moved almost anywhere else in the future. His plus power from the right side is aided by studious preparation and discipline beyond his young age. In the field, he has a plus arm, great range and a winning attitude. A rising star in Florida, don't be surprised to see him patrolling center or right for the Marlins as soon as late 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Mike Stanton >
4
OF, TB
Seen for a time as a raw talent that hadn't shown the polish or discipline to be mentioned along with other leading outfield prospects, Tampa outfielder Desmond Jennings is still lurking in the wings.
More Scouting Book Info on Desmond Jennings >
5
LHP, SF
Such a name. Such a talent. A tall, strong lefthander, Bumgarner is the Giant pitcher most ready to follow Cain and Lincecum to glory by the Bay.
More Scouting Book Info on Madison Bumgarner >
6
C, SF
Not much power but a team leader with a lot of batting smarts. That's the book on Gerald 'Buster' Posey. He's got baseball grit and hustle out the yin-yang, though, so in a draft class that was rich with good catchers, he was both the first off the board and one of the most likely to see early MLB action.
More Scouting Book Info on Buster Posey >
7
LHP, TEX
An undrafted free agent signing from Venezuela, teenage lefty Martin Perez might be one of the Rangers' best-kept secrets. He's not close to MLB yet, but Perez is already a shining star worth following. Making 15 short starts (only 62 innings) at Rookie-level Spokane, Martin went 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA and a 53:28 ratio of strikeouts to walks. The skinny 17 year old, who's breaking down doors with a plus 92mph fastball and a polished curve, turns into a wiry 18 year old this spring, and he should graduate from dazzling rookie league hitters to stumping A-ball hitters in Hickory. He's someone to keep a special eye on over the next few years.
More Scouting Book Info on Martin Perez >
8
1B, TEX
Smoak is part of a big class of mashing corner infielders (along with Alonso, LaPorta and Alvarez) pushing to break into the majors in the next year or two.
More Scouting Book Info on Justin Smoak >
9
3B, PIT
A left-handed power hitting third baseman, Alvarez has a very very high ceiling and is almost big-league ready. He could be a big part of a devastating future Pittsburgh lineup. He's recovering from a hamate bone he broke in 2007, but all reports are positive so his strength should be back soon.
More Scouting Book Info on Pedro Alvarez >
10
OF, MIN
A legitimate 5-tool prospect who the Twins should have the patience to develop, this is an Adam Jones / Carlos Gomez type prospect who's just a year or two behind that curve. Still very young, he needs seasoning, as his skills haven't yet caught up to his raw ability. Of course, the great Twins development machinery should take care of that, and we know they're not afraid to play the youngsters. While he's not a household name just yet, he could very well be making headlines as the new hot thing in Minnesota come 2010 or 2011, and he could be the best player on the Twins roster (yes, we mean that) by 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Aaron Hicks >
11
SS, MLW
The Brewer's top everyday prospect, shortstop Alcides Escobar shows plus speed and range, and has demonstrated a very strong throwing arm. His bat has always been iffy, but that's been improving quickly, and he looks to have a future as a solid impact hitter with real leadoff speed. With JJ Hardy out of the way, it looks like he'll have to stumble hard in order to miss the 2010 everyday roster.
More Scouting Book Info on Alcides Escobar >
12
LHP, BAL
One of the best left-handers available in the 2008 draft, Matusz is an experienced and clever strongman with four quality pitches. His fastball isn't overpowering, though, and his numbers showed some decline last season, so he won't be having a big impact on Baltimore's rotation anytime soon. It'll be fun watching his use his guile along with his stuff to go after better pro hitters, though. As a polished college candidate, his secondary pitches are very advanced for a prospect, and he should be one of the next Baltimore pitchers to break into MLB, probably this season.
More Scouting Book Info on Brian Matusz >
13
OF, SEA
A scout's wet dream, Dustin Ackley was one of the best college hitters of the 2009 class. After destroying ACC pitching as a freshman, he was taken second overall by the Seattle Mariners. While his speed and toolset might bump him up to the outfield, he's also competent at third as well as first base, a position he played in college while recovering from surgery for a full season, and the Mariners have recently experimented with playing him at second base in order to balance out their outfield-heavy farm. His defense won't make much difference, though, as it's his combination of plus contact and patience that's worth drooling about. He could replace Ichiro as Seattle's on-base machine in a few years.
More Scouting Book Info on Dustin Ackley >
14
RHP, BOS
Boston decided to push their phenom reliever hard last year, promoting him all the way to AA in his second pro season. Bard responded to the higher level play by striking out 64 hitters in 49 innings. His K/9 across the year was twelve and a half.
More Scouting Book Info on Daniel Bard >
15
RHP, TB
Jacob McGee's old rotation partner in the Midwest League, righthander Wade Davis might end up the more successful MLB player. And since Tampa runs its team on young pitchers, good luck and gasoline fumes, he's bound to get a shot sometime in 2010, though probably only in a limited way. We like him as a starter, but some may prefer the fastball in the pen, especially after how effective David Price was in a limited relief role last year before 'graduating' to the rotation the following season. Right now, Davis might have the highest upside of any pitcher not named Strasburg.
More Scouting Book Info on Wade Davis >
16
3B, KC
The prodigy of Chatsworth high-school was drafted as a shortstop in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft by Kansas City. Now a line-drive hitting third-baseman, Moose hit 16 homers as a 20 year old in the Carolina League in 2009. He's a bit blocked in KC, since they're stacked in young bats and already have premium rookie Alex Gordon at third, so look for him to arrive sometime in 2011, unless the Royals open up space by trading some of their other heralded prospects sooner than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Mike Moustakas >
17
C, CLE
When he was shipped to Cleveland as a piece in the Casey Blake trade of 2008, catcher Carlos Santana immediately became the Indians' top catching prospect, and the heir apparent to the Victor Martinez / Kelly Shoppach tandem. Well-regarded as a catch-and-throw man in the Dodger system, he busted out offensively last year, hitting .330 in a season split between the Dodgers' and Indians' high-A teams, and swatting 20 home runs in the process. The switch-hitting catcher with the musical name will open 2010 back in AA, where he'll likely be asked to keep sharpening his receiving and game-calling skills before he gets a shot at the Jake. He might get a late-season look in 2010 as a fill-in DH, though.
More Scouting Book Info on Carlos Santana >
18
RHP, BOS
The big, strong shortstop who also pitches has become the big, strong pitcher who used to play short. Young Casey Kelly is already 6-3 and 200lbs, with more size and strength to come as he fills out, and now that he's a full time mound monster, he can put all of that strength into his fastball.
More Scouting Book Info on Casey Kelly >
19
OF, DET
A young, toolsy prospect who's frustrated scouts by showing only flashes of his tremendous potential, Jackson looks to be the center-fielder of the very near future in Detroit.
More Scouting Book Info on Austin Jackson >
20
1. Stephen Strasburg
2. Jason Heyward
3. Neftali Feliz
4. Mike Stanton
5. Desmond Jennings
6. Madison Bumgarner
10. Pedro Alvarez
11. Aaron Hicks
12. Alcides Escobar
13. Brian Matusz
14. Dustin Ackley
15. Daniel Bard
17. Mike Moustakas
18. Carlos Santana
20. Austin Jackson
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