Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, COL
Another live arm the Rockies signed out of Latin America, they found, Esmil Rogers is a whip-thin righthander from the Dominican with the usual attributes one finds in a hot young prospect: hyperactive fastball in the low to mid-nineties, crude but developing change, and a strikeout curve that he hasn't quite learned to control just yet. He'll take a bit more time than the more polished Jhoulys Chacin, but he'll be along soon enough.
More Scouting Book Info on Esmil Rogers >
151
RHP, NYY
Brackman was scouted by the Yankees since his days in a Cincinnati high school. The team snuck him in as the last pick of 2007's first round, signed him to a major-league contract, and promptly sent for Tommy John surgery to replace the ligament in his throwing elbow. Standing almost seven feet tall, tipping the scales at 245 and bringing a fastball that impressed the Yankees enough to take a huge chance on him, Brackman is a textbook example of a signing for raw potential. His return to pitching following a two-year hiatus didn't go well (2-12, 5.91 ERA, 1.71 WHIP in A-level Charleston), but that's almost to be expected given his long absence from the mount. He'll return to A-ball in 2010, and while he's just as high-ceilinged a prospect as ever, it's anyone's guess how much of the old stuff will ever come back.
More Scouting Book Info on Andrew Brackman >
152
1B, BOS
A gritty, strong first baseman, Rizzo defeated cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma) to return to action in 2009, Rizzo ended up swatting near .300 in the Sally and Carolina leagues, including a dozen home runs and 37 doubles. His terrific fundamentals and plus bat speed make him a tough out: he can make solid contact to all fields on anything close to the strike zone. He'll be 20 in 2010, but he's already zooming up the Sox depth chart. Lars Anderson might want to check his rear-view mirror.
More Scouting Book Info on Anthony Rizzo >
153
OF, SEA
A slow-rising prospect who finally appears to be on the verge of breaking into the top ranks, Mariner center-field prospect Greg Halman is a tall, slender athlete with plus speed, tantalizing raw power, and not even a whisper of plate discipline. Halman, drafted as a 16 year-old free agent from the Netherlands, was the Dutch Professional League's MVP at 18. Last year, he smashed 25 home runs at AA West Tennessee, which looks pretty darn impressive until you study the rest of his line. In 457 at bats (121 games), Halman struck out an unbelievable 183 times. Somewhere, Mark Reynolds is really pulling for this guy.
More Scouting Book Info on Greg Halman >
154
RHP, TB
Maybe Tampa overpaid for this one, but if he's shown anything, the young right-hander has been consistent and right on the fringes of what it takes to be a front-line MLB starter. With an already-potent 95mph fastball, he only needs a second top-flight pitch to succeed in Tampa, though the bullpen looks like his more likely destination right now.
More Scouting Book Info on Matt Walker >
155
SS, CHC
A big, powerful shortstop from Korea, Cubs prospect Hak-Ju Lee is a polished hitter (.330/.399/.420 as an 18 year old at low-A Boise) who seems to have the footwork and arm to stick at shortstop. His 25 steals in 68 games is also a highlight. He should move quickly, and could reach AA by the end of 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Hak-Ju Lee >
156
LHP, NYM
One of Japan's premium lefthanders, Hisanori Takahashi is an experienced pitcher with a good mix of stuff and guile. The Yomiuri Giants #1 draft pick back in 2000, Takahashi has a 3.80 career ERA earned across 159 starts in Japan, including a 10-6, 2.94 season in 2009. Like new Met Ryoto Igarashi, Takahashi turned down a chance to move to another NPB team in favor of MLB-eligibility at the end of the 2009 season. He was courted by several teams before signing with the Mets. While he's always been a starter in Japan, the Mets will try him out as a reliever. Of course, with the way the old strength and condition department operates in New York, he'll probably be called upon to take over in the rotation before the year is up.
More Scouting Book Info on Hisanori Takahashi >
157
RHP, PIT
Thanks to their thrifty nature, the Pittsburgh farm can be a confusing maze of not quite tip-top (but still useful) prospects. Every year they put half a dozen starters on the prospect lists, and every year some of them work out, while some of them don't. Here's one of the latest entries, righthander Brad Lincoln, complete with his 4:1 minor league K to BB ratio. He's performed well at every minor league stop, which means the rest of the world should get a look-see at what he can really do sometime in 2010. It's possible he could even break camp in the major league rotation.
More Scouting Book Info on Brad Lincoln >
158
LHP, LAA
An Angels' steal in the 8th round of the 2007 draft, pitcher Trevor Reckling is a deceptive lefty with strong 'pitchability' and baseball smarts. His low 90's fastball is nothing special, at least not until he follows it up with his very good changeup or the plus curve that might be the best deuce in the entire Angels' system. He's a very young talent who's still learning to work with his great stuff, of course, so don't expect immediate results, but if he keeps moving up the system at his current pace, he'll be lighting up the 'A' in no time.
More Scouting Book Info on Trevor Reckling >
159
RHP, TEX
A sleeper candidate who could zoom up the list at any time, Texas righthander Wilmer Font is yet another righthander in a potent Texas system. The big Venezuelan missed most of 2008 while nursing knee and shoulder problems, but neither proved serious and Font bounced back to an 8-3, 3.49 ERA season as a 19-year old at Sally League (A) Hickory. A broad-shouldered (and big-waisted) pitcher who can touch 96mph with his fastball, Font struck out 105 but walked 59, so his control isn't quite ready for the higher leagues just yet. Font mixes in a changeup that could be a plus pitch one day along with a so-so curve. While he could be a surprise bullpen arm soon, his real calling is as a Ranger starter somewhere in 2012 or 2013.
More Scouting Book Info on Wilmer Font >
160
151. Esmil Rogers
152. Andrew Brackman
153. Anthony Rizzo
154. Greg Halman
155. Matt Walker
156. Hak-Ju Lee
157. Hisanori Takahashi
158. Brad Lincoln
159. Trevor Reckling
160. Wilmer Font
151 to 160 of 445
