Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2012
Now updated for 2012's Top Prospects
Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is a Combined List, a calculated summary of the overall valuations of the entire prospect universe.
Remember: this page is the result of an automatic process that re-sorts and re-ranks players often.
If you think you have found a mistake, please read this blog entry before telling us. Then tell us.
It might look like a letter fell off the back of his jersey, but outfielder Oswaldo Arcia is actually a fully-named outfield prospect working in the backwoods of Minnesota. A legit power threat, the Venezuelan Arcia only needs to refine his plate approach enough that he can take a walk once and awhile, rather than swinging and missing at ball four day after day. He's already looking just fine in the outfield, and the Twins have had plenty of time to see him in all three slots, too.
Full Scouting Report for Oswaldo Arcia
SB 111BA SC 51BP SN ES ML
A shortstop who's probably better off at second or third, Curacao native Jonathan Schoop's second turn through high-A ball in the Oriole system was a lot more successful than his first. Schoop silenced critics by slashing .271/.329/.375 at Carolina after shredding the low-A Sally League with a .316/.376/.514 line in the spring. A high-contact hitter with developing power, Schoop is still adding bulk, which should help some of the 24 doubles he hit in 2011 turn into future homers. As it is, he still looks near ready for the bigs, with only another year or so of eyeball-training remaining. He should face the toughest pitching of his career in 2012, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds.
Full Scouting Report for Jon Schoop
SB 112BA SC 89BP SN ES ML
An offensive catcher who could finally give the Sox that young bat they've wanted behind the plate for years, Ryan Lavarnway is starting to look close to ready for Fenway, too. The Yale grad certainly has the smarts for game-calling, and after a great minor league season in 2011 (.284/.360/.510 at AA Portland, and an even better .295/.390/.612 at higher-level Pawtucket) he received a callup to Boston, where he popped two home runs in September, just so everyone would remember his name. He could be a great midseason fill-in for the Sox in 2012.
Full Scouting Report for Ryan Lavarnway
SB 113BA SC BP SN ES ML 93
A big Dominican outfielder with an even bigger bat from the left side, the Cardinals' Oscar Taveras was a little too much for A-level pitchers to handle in 2011, as he smashed to the tune of a 1.028 OPS (386 .444 .584) and eight homers in Quad Cities. Even scarier, his 27 doubles will probably grow into additional dingers as his young body fills out: he's still only 19. He really needs to be in high-A or even AA ball soon so that we can all find out if that big swing has any obvious holes.
Full Scouting Report for Oscar Taveras
SB 114BA SC 35BP SN ES ML
A college ace at Georgia Tech, lefthander Jedidiah Custer Bradley compiled a three year record of 18-11, 4.62, though it was his 7-3, 3.49 final season that got him a ticket to the first round of the MLB draft, when he was selected 15th overall by Milwaukee. While his 94mph heater isn't anything special, his advanced command of the changeup is what moved him to the highest levels of the draft, and it's that same change that will get him to MLB sooner or later. Probably sooner.
Full Scouting Report for Jed Bradley
SB 115BA SC 73BP SN ES ML 97
Acquired from the Blue Jays for shortstop-closer Sergio Santos, Nestor Molina is a slip of a Venezuelan righthander who might be the best prospect in the White Sox system. (Yes, that's a little like being the most-shy of the Kardashian sisters, but still.)
Full Scouting Report for Nestor Molina
SB 116BA SC 64BP SN ES ML
A big righthander in the Carlos Zambrano mold, the amusingly-named Trey McNutt cracked three levels of the minors in 2010, then spent all of 2011 quietly racking up starts in AA Tennessee. McNutt combines an overpowering fastball with a disorienting power curve. While a third pitch would be nice to have in his back pocket, those two existing choices are both serious plus offerings, so the only real thing he's wanting for is a 'show me' selection or two. Chicago covets McNutt highly: when Tampa Bay asked for nominal top prospect Chris Archer or McNutt in a trade for Matt Garza, the Cubs didn't hesitate, and sent Archer packing immediately. McNutt will spend most or all of 2012 in the AA Tennessee rotation once again, but if he continues to dominate hitters, a cup of coffee in Chicago is not out of the question. Heck, if the club follows through on rumors it may trade another of its big starters, it's not impossible McNutt will end the season in the Wrigley rotation.
Full Scouting Report for Trey McNutt
SB 117BA SC BP SN ES ML
A defensive star in the making, outfielder George Springer brings great range, a good glove and a powerful arm to the park. If his bat can catch up with the rest of his game, he'll be patrolling spacious centerfield in Minute Maid Park come 2014 or so.
Full Scouting Report for George Springer
SB 118BA SC 33BP SN ES ML 84
A big righthanded reliever from the glittering metropolis known as Cowpens, South Carolina, Giants pitcher Richard (Heath) Hembree is a low-glamor, low-maintenance and highly durable farmhand who would probably take the mound 162 times each season if his coach asked him to. He looked pretty darn good at AA Richmond last year, striking out 34 and walking only 13 in 28 one-inning appearances. Give him another half year and he'll be ready to chew through the middle innings in San Francisco, too.
Full Scouting Report for Heath Hembree
SB 119BA SC BP SN ES ML
A huge beast of a pitcher, the six foot eight Anthony Ranaudo is one of many premium righthanded arms from the 2010 Amateur Draft. The LSU alum works with a mid-90's fastball on an (obviously) downward plane, mixing in an average curve and changeup that will have to improve before he's MLB-worthy. He made 10 starts for A-level Greenville in 2011, and sixteen more for high-A Salem in the more hitter-friendly Carolina League. Across both teams, he went 9-6, 3.97, 1.27, striking out 117 hitters in 127 combined innings, which means he should continue to move up on schedule this eason. There are still some concerns with his mechanics, as is often the case with tall pitchers, and his slightly jerky delivery worries a few scouts. Despite those concerns, though, Ranaudo is a pitcher with significant upside that should be worth the risk the Sox took on him.
Full Scouting Report for Anthony Ranaudo
SB 120BA SC 63BP SN ES ML
The rare kind of lefty who can hit the upper 90's, Tigers prospect Casey Crosby has been blossoming in the shadow of super-prospect Rick Porcello, who gets most of the attention. Crosby has a live curve and a developing change, but his command isn't ready for the majors just yet, as evidenced by the iffy ratios he displayed in AA ball last season: 122 hits, 77 walks and 121 strikeouts in 132 innings. If he sharpens his touch a bit, he could step in as a strong number two or three in the Tigers rotation by the end of 2013. He already has good mound presence, great baseball smarts and instincts, and the competitiveness to succeed, so it really does look like a simple accumulation' of time and experience is all that's missing.
Full Scouting Report for Casey Crosby
SB 121BA SC BP SN ES ML
A dominating college closer drafted in the second round of 2008, ex-Boilermaker Josh Lindblom might still be a big-league starter, assuming the Dodgers make up their mind soon, rather than Elberting the youngster around for his entire career. He did look very good in nine relief appearances for the Dodgers in 2011 (2.73 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 30 innings), so he seems damn-near ready for 2012 bullpen work right now.
Full Scouting Report for Josh Lindblom
SB 122BA SC BP SN ES ML
Yes, he's still a prospect. The Mets may not have handled him in the best way possible, yanking him around between the bullpen and rotation as well as up and down the development ladder, but righthander Jenrry ('Henry') Meija seems to have survived the abuse well enough. An international signee who immediately jumped to the top of the Mets' pitching prospect chart, Meija is one of the few bright spots in a downtrodden farm system. The proud owner of easy heat in the form of a mid-90s fastball and a very good, deceptive change, he's still on the cusp of full-time usefulness in MLB. That means that once again, he'll probably get a shot at the Mets rotation in 2012, and if he can perform, he'll hold it for years to come.
Full Scouting Report for Jenrry Mejia
SB 123BA SC BP SN ES ML
A Dominican phenom who was hotly pursued by the Mariners and Yankees for several years, young Edward Salcedo finally signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves in the spring of 2010, more than making up for the team's absence of a first-round pick in the 2010 Draft. A big, strong infielder with soft hands and a very quick bat, Salcedo is currently a gap-to-gap line drive hitter, though his size and strength project out to significant power in the future, as scouts who compare him to Hanley Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez are applying only a little exaggeration.
Full Scouting Report for Edward Salcedo
SB 124BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Chicago Cubs made Vitters the third overall pick in the 2007 draft, and while he's not yet lived up to expectations, the hope in Hopeland is that he'll develop 25-homer power soon, because Theo really needs someone to replace the departed Aramis Ramirez. He's not a perfect prospect, though: in addition to wishy-washy discipline (he strikes out four times as often as he walks), one cause for concern is that he might need to move from third base to left field, but if he continues to maintain his overall offensive numbers at higher levels of play, the Cubs will find room for him somewhere.
Full Scouting Report for Josh Vitters
SB 125BA SC BP SN ES ML
An eighteenth round pick (!) of the Dodgers back in 2008, righthander Allen Webster has made the Dodger scouts look awfully clever since, as he's risen into the very top ranks of the system in the past three seasons. Splitting 2011 between the two cutest-named minor league cities in baseball, Webster followed up a 5-2 record and 1.24 WHIP in 9 starts at Rancho Cucamonga with a 6-3, 1.50 WHIP in 17 more at Chattanooga, his first test in AA ball.
Full Scouting Report for Allan Webster
SB 126BA SC 78BP SN ES ML 79
The 2009-10 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, Kaleb Cowart is a switch-hitting two-way player that the Angels have flip-flopped on a couple of times in the last year, and right now it looks like they want to see him as an infielder. That's a shame, because as a pitcher he's blessed with easy heat in the 92mph range and can also touch 95mph on occasion. His curve is of the tight and hard variety, and his change was last seen developing at the usual (slow) rate.
Full Scouting Report for Kaleb Cowart
SB 127BA SC 93BP SN ES ML
One of the key pieces of the trade that sent Roy Oswalt to the Phillies, Jon Villar is a well-rounded infielder who can probably stick as a big, strong shortstop, unless the Astros defer to the more-developed glove of Jio Meir in that spot. Villar spent most of the 2011 season at AA Corpus Christi, where he slashed a lukewarm .231/.301/.386, though he did look a bit better at the end of the year. He also sustained his above average speed and pop, and showed a good range in the field, despite his 23 errors in 83 games. He's learning.
Full Scouting Report for Jonathan Villar
SB 128BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big, strong strikeout artist with significant control issues, homegrown Phillies lefty Jesse Biddle still gets a very high nod thanks to his crazy-good stuff. He struck out a batter per inning at low-A Lakewood last year, which is enough to give him a pass (for now) on the fact that he also walked exactly one batter per odd inning. More positively, he proved durable over 24 starts, and should be ready for a high-A assignment in 2012.
Full Scouting Report for Jesse Biddle
SB 129BA SC BP SN ES ML 78
A line drive hitter with a clever eye and advanced approach at the plate, Nationals outfielder Brian Goodwin is a quality outfield prospect. He's got the range, speed and instincts to cover centerfield, which is probably where he's best-used, though his arm might be better showcased in right. No matter whether his power develops further or not (he looks like a 15-homer guy right now), he'll need to cut down on his strikeouts to get to the next level.
Full Scouting Report for Brian Goodwin
SB 130BA SC BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
111 to 130 of 525 Prospects
