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.
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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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on 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.
More Scouting Book Info on Brian Goodwin
SB 130BA SC BP SN ES ML
A frighteningly tall and thin righthander, Hisashi Iwakuma is one of the most polished import pitchers from Japan. Best known to western eyes from his performance in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Iwakuma's strength is his plus control. He works mainly from a sinking low 90's fastball that generates a very high ground ball percentage. He also throws a serviceable shuuto and splitter. While the Oakland A's secured the rights to Iwakuma prior to the 2011 season, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, returning the pitcher to Japan for one more season. The second time around, the Mariners won the blind auction and did not fail, signing Iwakuma to a one-year contract. He will compete for, and is expected to win, a rotation spot.
More Scouting Book Info on Hisashi Iwakuma
SB 131BA SC BP SN ES ML
Jack Cust, we hardly knew you. Vernon Christopher Carter is an all-or-nothing, power hitting first baseman from Redwood City, California. One of the busload of prospects Oakland acquired from Arizona in the trade that sent Dan Haren to the desert, he's often confused with the other first base prospect named Chris Carter. Oakland's version is the bigger, stronger, younger and much more right-handed version.
More Scouting Book Info on Chris Carter
SB 132BA SC 99BP SN ES ML
The Topps Player of the Year for the (A-level) Midwest League in 2011, outfielder Rymer Liriano is a five-tool talent on the fast-track to major league duty in San Diego. The Dominican native's award-winning season included 12 homers and 65 stolen bases to accompany a solid .319 average. He'll be 21 this year, and he should spend most of it in high-A ball, with a little AA toward the end of the summer if things go well.
More Scouting Book Info on Rymer Liriano
SB 133BA SC 100BP SN ES ML 60
The Blue Jays have a lot of pitching prospects that aren't wicked-nasty aces, but are smart, quality pitchers who could be just fine in the middle or back of an MLB rotation in the years to come. Righthander Drew Hutchison definitely fits into that category.
More Scouting Book Info on Drew Hutchison
SB 134BA SC 79BP SN ES ML
A thin, wiry righthander from the Dominican Republic, Reds prospect Daniel Corcino doesn't do anything fancy on the mound. He simply mixes a maxed-out 98mph heater with a quality breaking ball and gets hitters out. In a full year of A-ball at Dayton in 2011, Corcino went 11-7, 3.42, striking out 156 would-be hitters in only 139 innings of work. Perhaps most impressively for such a hot arm, he walked only 34. If his progress continues unabated, he'll start 2012 in high-A and end up in AA before the season is over. That puts him on track for a midseason callup in 2013.
More Scouting Book Info on Daniel Corcino
SB 135BA SC BP SN ES ML
Yet another promising lefthander in the Detroit system, University of Arkansas alum Drew Smyly has been impressing coaches since he signed back in 2010. A 4-3 record in his first sample of AA ball might not look like much, but that's why we have fancy sabermetrics these days: Smyly somehow went only 4-3 while notching a tiny 1.18 ERA and an even more ridiculous 1.03 WHIP. That's some bad luck.
More Scouting Book Info on Drew Smyly
SB 136BA SC BP SN ES ML 82
A well rounded outfielder with great tools and a dedicated commitment to improving his skills, Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario could be a big sleeper star for Minnesota by late 2013. He's only nineteen, but so was Andruw Jones, and Eddie's .337/.397/.670 Appy line (with 21 homers in 67 games) looks frighteningly good, doesn't it? Miguel Sano will get the lion's share of glowing press in the next few years, but Eddie Rosario could be right at home hitting behind him.
More Scouting Book Info on Eddie Rosario
SB 137BA SC BP SN ES ML
A good all-around athlete with superior baseball intelligence, infielder Tyler Pastornicky was an overlooked piece on the Yunel Escobar trade of 2011. His arm isn't the greatest, so he'd probably be better as a second baseman rather than a shortstop, and it isn't clear his on base skills are enough to bat high in the order, but he's got everything else necessary to be a tablesetter for the Atlanta lineup, including both raw speed and baserunning smarts. He's very likely to get a chance this Spring, as Atlanta doesn't have as many infield choices as years past. Rookie of the Year surprise or another kid pushed too fast? Tune in to TBS to find out.
More Scouting Book Info on Tyler Pastornicky
SB 138BA SC BP SN ES ML
A dominant closer at Texas Tech, Rockies righthander Chad Bettis is exactly the right kind of pitcher to survive at Coors Field. He mixes a heavy and loose fastball with just enough of an effective mid-80's slider that prevents hitters from making square contact... the scariest kind of contact.
More Scouting Book Info on Chad Bettis
SB 139BA SC BP SN ES ML 66
A slightly built lefty from Venezuela with powerful stuff, pitcher Alexander Torres made 27 starts for AAA Durham last year, ringing up a 9-7 record with a 3.08 ERA but a scary 1.49 WHIP. Still, his crazy strikeout rate (156 in 146) were enough to get attention, and he threw eight relief innings with the big club in September, giving up three earned runs. He's obviously short on polish, but he's a hot and rising prospect who 'only' lacks enough control to dominate at the highest levels of play.
More Scouting Book Info on Alex Torres
SB 140BA SC 72BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
121 to 140 of 525 Prospects
