Scouting Book: The Best Baseball Prospects for 2008 (Sleepers Too!)

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2008

Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is different than other prospect lists: we're not in a bubble, and we never sit still. We show you not just our own rankings, but also rankings from some of the other major ranking lists for each player. You can now sort, for example, by Baseball America's rankings, or view the top prospects as chosen by the wizards at Baseball Prospectus, or compare our rankings to those from Sports Illustrated. Also, unlike most lists, we don't publish a book! Our lists are updated often during the offseason, and updated daily during the pre-season to show the latest situations and adjusted for spring results. This means we're always a work in progress. We also think this means our lists are much more useful for fantasy draft purposes. If you notice a mistake or have a suggestion feel free to let us know by mailing mistakes (at) our domain name. For more on our methods, see this blog entry.

Baseball's Top Prospects for Spring 2008

131. Daniel Bard

RHP, BOS

Boston will be watching this college pitcher closely as he makes his pro debut. A 100mph fastball and some baseball smarts might be enough to dominate the low minors, making a midseason callup -- and his first real test -- a strong possibility.

More Scouting Book Info on Daniel Bard >

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132. Trevor Crowe

OF, CLE

A textbook CF, he'll need to find a new place to play in Cleveland since the arrival of Grady Sizemore.The best bet seems to be to place him in left and use him as a top of the order hitter. His good contact ability and good but not great speed make him a logical #2 hitter. While his power shortage may keep him from sticking in the corner spot for long, he has enough raw baseball talent to adapt to a new position easily. He may end up a super-utility player.

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133. Jeremy Jeffress

RHP, MLW

Another good thing/bad thing pitching prospect. Jeffress lights up radar guns with three-figure readings almost every night (that's a good thing), but needs work on his control (bad thing). He's also lacking solid pitches to combine with the heater, though coaches are working on that.

If you're one of those owners who must own every 100mph hurler, you should grab Jeffress now. The rest of us will wait until 2009 or 2010.

More Scouting Book Info on Jeremy Jeffress >

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SB #133 | BA n/a | BP #76 | ML #43 | SN unranked | ES unranked

134. Gerald Posey

C, SF

Not much power but a lot of batting smarts. That's the book on Buster. 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 the most likely to see early MLB action. The fact he was picked by a team that'll need a good young catcher soon is a bonus. And hey, if they ever need a closer, he can always take off his catching gear and pop out to the mound for an inning or two, the way he did in college.

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135. Delwyn Young

OF, LAD

The forgotten prospect in the rich Dodger outfield, Delwyn's still a talented, multi-tooled player who's looking at a long career, though probably not as the superstar that some scouts saw when LA signed him in 2002. He's more likely a bottom-of-order or platoon hitter.

Young hits for both power and average, with excellent bat-speed and good contact skills. He was outstanding in limited 2007 play with the Dodgers, decorating a .382 average with a couple of homers in 34 at bats.

Many scouts have penalized Young for his small frame (between 5-7 and 5-10, depending on which media guide you trust), which means he's got some potential as a sleeper. If he maintains his high level of performance in the spring, he might end up a regular.

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136. Eric Duncan

1B, NYY

The better-known but so-far less decorated cousin of Shelley and Chris Duncan, Eric has been the Yankees 1B of the future since his draft in 2002.

While 2008 is probably too soon, he does have the bat speed, left-handed power and overall baseball skills to play in the Bronx.

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137. Edwar Ramirez

RHP, NYY

He might be the scrawniest-looking player ever to take the mound, but the skeletal Ramirez is anything but weak. He works with a deceptive, darting fastball and a ridiculous changeup that hasn't been seen since Pedro in his prime. While he posted an ugly 8.3 ERA in 21 innings of work with the Yankees in 2007, he did strike out 31 hitters in those same 21 innings. And it's no fluke: as before that he struck out 178 in 135 minor league innings.

While he's likely to start the year in the minors again, Ramirez will be back in the bigs and mowing down hitters again once he's matured a bit... and maybe after he's eaten a few ham sandwiches.

More Scouting Book Info on Edwar Ramirez >

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138. Joe Koshansky

1B, COL

A big slugger with 35+ HR potential, he is also a little old for his level: 24 at AA. Visions of Kouzmanoff dance in your head when watching his massive, bone-rattling swings. As expected, though, he strikes out like a junior version of Adam Dunn.

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139. Kazuo Fukumori

RHP, TEX

The only closer the young Golden Eagles have ever had, Fukimori is an unusual closer, but a very successful one. Working with high control rather than overpowering heat, Fukumori's fastball won't break 90 often, but he mixes in an array of breaking pitches (forkball, knuckle-curve, shuuto) and keeps batters off balance.

Fukumori's 2007 season was mainly lost to injury. He had elbow surgery midseason. In his last full season (2006), though, he posted a 2.17 ERA in 58 innings. If the Rangers get anything close to that, they'll be very happy Rangers indeed.

He's a good fit in a modern major league bullpen. While he'll probably be used to set up at first, he'll be a looming presence or pressure, stepping in to assume closing duties if needed. He's an excellent sleeper for saves.

More Scouting Book Info on Kazuo Fukumori >

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140. Daniel Dorn

OF, CIN

Ah, Dorn. Sometimes the gods of baseball just make the names too good to be true.

While he's presently buried deep in the Reds system under some monster mashers like Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, Cal State's Danny Dorn is a respectable offensive prospect in his own right. The left-hander with the sweet swing split time last season between high A and double A (Sarasota and Chattanooga), and ended up with an OPS of 1.089 with the Lookouts.

Unless a shakeup reduces the number of big bats in the Reds outfield, Dorn's looking at another year or two in the minors. A couple of strategic trades or injuries, though, and he'll rise to the top of the Reds prospect board very quickly.