Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
3B, SD
The top third base prospect in the Padres system, James (JD) Darnell hit 20 home runs in 126 games at two A-level stops in 2009, slashing .311/.424/.536 between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinor. Perhaps more impressively, he struck out only 38 times in 269 plate appearances. A well-rounded hitter who's more than just corner pop, Darnell has doubles speed and good baserunning skills. His fielding is a work in progress for now, and it's possible that his training may be cut short with a move across the diamond to first base in the future, but for now he looks like a good long-term value for the Padres, and his work in AA will continue to focus on fielding drills and defense.
More Scouting Book Info on James Darnell >
141
OF, ARZ
A high contact line-drive hitter with decent speed and solid baseball fundamentals, Pollack is a solid but unspectacular outfielder, so his plus average will have to carry him to the Bigs. Of course, he's still learning his craft: Arizona converted him from shortstop.
More Scouting Book Info on A.J. Pollock >
142
LHP, LAD
If it seems like lefty Scott Elbert has been a prospect since the Golden Age, that's because he's been up and down the chart as much as he's been in and out of the doctor's office. But the Dodgers passed up Phil Hughes for Elbert (maybe foolishly, maybe not), and they did it for some good reasons. Still one of the minors' best left-handed pitchers, the first round pick Elbert has power stuff with an exploding 93-95 mph fastball and a sinker/slider that's best in class.
More Scouting Book Info on Scott Elbert >
143
C, COL
A real sleeper in the Colorado system, Dominican catcher Wilin Rosario was signed as an IFA with little fanfare in 2008. He went on to destroy the Pioneer League (.316/.371.532) at the age of 19, the best performance by a PL catcher since Russell Martin's debut. He looks like he will have the acumen and temperment to handle a pitching staff, and his catch-and-throw skills are developing rapidly. If he can remain a catcher, he could be a top prospect very soon, and it's hard not to drool a little thinking about his bat reaching Coors Field in 2013 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Wilin Rosario >
144
RF, TEX
A multitalented ballplayer who put up averages of .324, .331, .341 and .326 in four minor league stops that culminated at AA Frisco in 2009, Ranger corner prospect Mitchell Moreland is another Texas-sized monster in waiting. And while it's tough to imagine his powerful bat not playing at the highest levels, he could always fall back on his hobby as a lefthanded power pitcher.
More Scouting Book Info on Mitch Moreland >
145
RHP, NYM
A powerful righthander who slipped to the Mets in the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft, Brad Holt brings a big fastball from a big frame. A college pitcher whose shown good composure, he could factor into the shallow Mets rotation as early as 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Bradley Holt >
146
C, PHI
The most-likely catcher of the future in Philadelphia, Mexican prospect Sebastian Valle is a young offensive dynamo with plus bat control and a powerful swing that should play at any level. Already holding his own against much older competitors (.307/.335/.531 at high-A Williamsport at age 18), Valle will probably touch AA ball by the end of 2010. Give him another year or two to master the intricacies of handling a top-flight pitching staff, and he should be a fixture in Philly soon enough.
More Scouting Book Info on Sebastian Valle >
147
RHP, TB
A righthanded pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris, DR (his parents must have missed the shortstop delivery truck came by), Alexander Colome is a right-handed pitcher in the Rays system. He zipped onto the prospect radar last year after going 7-4 with a scintillating 1.66 ERA in fifteen starts for low-A Hudson Valley in the NY-Penn League, enough to land him the league MVP award. The definition of 'raw stuff', Colome out 94 and walked 32 in only 74 innings of work, working almost exclusively with his high-90's fastball. His second pitch is a power curve he's still learning to control, but even if he only half-masters it, he could see time in an MLB uniform before his 22nd birthday.
More Scouting Book Info on Alex Colome >
148
1B, ARZ
A hulking first baseman from Texas, Allen has serious pop in his bat. Drafted out of high school back in 2004, Allen has done nothing but grow bigger and hit baseballs farther and farther ever since. He hit .283/.337/.483 for Kannapolis in 2008, with 18 homers and 124 strikeouts in 516 ABs. While he struggled against lefties, he destroyed righthanders to the tune of a .656 slugging percentage. He squeaked out a meager .202 average in 202 at-bats with the Diamondbacks at the end of 2009, but his upside is much better than that. The four homers and seven doubles he hit in September are more indicative of his real ability.
More Scouting Book Info on Brandon Allen >
149
OF, BOS
Carlos Beltran's cousin from Puerto Rico, the lithe and wiry centerfielder shares a lot in common with his more famous relative. A plus defender who makes great reads and uses his plus plus speed to reach even the deepest gappers, Fuentes also brings a sharp and compact line-drive swing to the table. If he has weak spots, they're his lack of power and relatively weak throwing arm, but the highlight-reel catches he'll be making in Boston should make those shortcomings easy to overlook. He's on a quick track to a 2013 debut.
More Scouting Book Info on Reymond Fuentes >
150
141. James Darnell
142. A.J. Pollock
143. Scott Elbert
144. Wilin Rosario
145. Mitch Moreland
146. Bradley Holt
147. Sebastian Valle
148. Alex Colome
150. Reymond Fuentes
141 to 150 of 445
