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

161. Dellin Betances

RHP, NYY

With a WHIP under 1 and a scary-good strikeout rate, Betances is one of the many secret weapons the Yankees are cooking up in their labs. While he won't likely have an impact this year, he is definitely one to watch, as guys with stuff this wicked find a way onto MLB rosters even before they have the secondary skills that coaches would prefer. A great sleeper for 2009, a longshot right now.

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162. Steve Garrison

LHP, SD

One of the endless parade of Padres pitching prospects, Steve Garrison came to San Diego in the same deal that landed Will Inman and Joe Thatcher. He's a notch above either of those pitchers, at least so far, thanks to his superior command of deceptive breaking stuff. He handles the entire strike zone with ease, and uses his plus curve and change with confidence and intelligence. A veteran mind inside a rookie body, Garrison could be a part of the Padres rotation as early as 2009, but 2010 is more likely.

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163. Matt Tuiasosopo

3B, SEA

Yes, Matt Tuiasosopo, the baseball player.

A third-round pick way back in the 2004 draft, Tuiasosopo has been developing slowly but steadily in the Mariner system. In his first season with the affiliated West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (AA), Matt the Batt produced a respectable .774 OPS while slugging .404. His strikeout rate remains high, though (113 in 550 PAs), which will prevent him from moving up very quickly. Still, he's on the radar in a deep Seattle system, and if he continues to grow, he'll have a shot at the big club for 2009.

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164. Brett Cecil

LHP, TOR

A lefthanded closer in college -- and a dominant one at that -- Cecil is nonetheless being developed as a possible starter in the Blue Jays system. While he's a long way away from MLB consideration, the early signs are good: while stretching him out in low A ball from single innings to an outing of seven (his longest), coaches were rewarded with a 1.28 ERA and a stunning 0.96 WHIP across 50 scattered innings.

Cecil works with a moving fastball in the mid 90's, mixing in an average change and using a plus slider as his strikeout pitch. As he transforms into a starter, the fastball will likely lose a few mph as he learns to use it with greater accuracy.

His next stop will be AA, and if he puts together a solid season in which he shows he can throw 120 innings or more, he's a good candidate to be tested for the Blue Jay rotation in 2009.

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165. Jensen Lewis

RHP, CLE

Drafted in the 3rd round of 2005 as a starter from Vanderbilt University, Lewis was converted into a full-time reliever in 2007 and responded very well to the move. His darting fastball, already a 93mph special, was topping out at 98 by midseason. He complements the heat with a plus change and a developing slider.

Lewis showed the confidence and composure to work out of the pen last season, and he's clearly got management's favor. The Indians will look to him often in 2008 as a setup man, with one eye toward a future where he may even assume closer duty.

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166. Engel Beltre

OF, TEX

Stolen from the Red Sox when the Rangers shipped Eric Gagne, Beltre is now one of the Rangers' best power prospects. Playing in rookie ball at 17, Beltre ate up opposing pitchers, homering nine times in only 209 at bats. He looked overmatched once promoted to Spokane (level A), however, with a small-sample line of .211/.250/.211. He's so young, though, that one can't read too much into his success or struggles just yet. His value comes from his raw toolset, which is substantial.

Beltre has a strong arm but only average range, making him a natural right-fielder. He has a smooth swing that might be a bit long, which means at higher levels, he may be vulnerable to tight fastballs or offspeed pitches away, but his power projects well and he has the right kind of attitude to keep learning and adjusting as he grows. He's a nice longshot slugger or deep keeper.

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SB #166 | BA n/a | BP #62 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #98

167. Brent Brewer

SS, MLW

The best overall athlete in the Milwaukee system, Brent Brewer turned down a football scholarship (wide receiver) for baseball when he was drafted by the Brewers in 2006's second round. He must have considered it fate.

Brewer is very young and strikes out way too much, but with plus power and plus-plus speed, Brewer could be a game-changer once he learns a little discipline Alcides Escobar is ahead of him on the chart right now, but that could change soon, especially if (as rumored), Brewer moves to center field.

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168. Tyler Clippard

RHP, WAS

The pride of the Yankees pitching system until his glow was overshadowed by the likes of Hughes and Chamberlain, Clippard was once thought of as the Next Great Yankee Pitcher. Having slipped down the depth chart of their plans, he was traded to the Nationals in the winter of 2007, where he'll take up the mantle of one of the Nationals best pitching prospects.

He won his major league debut for the Yanks last season, though the rest of his year was hit-and-miss. He works primarily with a 90-92mph fastball which he can locate well, and a plus changeup that can make some hitters look foolish. He's also got a two-seam fastball with movement and a curve, but neither of those is a plus pitch.

A strikeout king in the minors who racked up great numbers without overpowering stuff, Clippard is regarded as a clever pitcher who can make adjustments when necessary. Even though the Yankees wrote him off, he's still a promising prospect who is likely to turn into a reliable, middle of rotation starter in Washington.

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169. Danny Richar

2B, CHW

Once the 'shortstop of the future' in the Diamondbacks system, Richar went to Chicago in 2007 (for Aaron Cunningham), presumably because Arizona realized they already had Stephen Drew and Justin Upton under contract.

A strong hitter with superior bat-speed, the powerful young Dominican can also play the outfield. Richar looks best suited to second base now, though, and that happens to be a position where the White Sox are lacking depth.

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170. Taylor Teagarden

C, TEX

Born with a name that must have been playground hell, Teagarden is an offensive-minded catcher who won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns, when he was a teammate of Huston Street.

Teagarden missed most of 2006 due to an elbow injury that required TJ surgery, but appears to be fully recovered based on his monster 2007 numbers in high-A Bakersfield (.316/.449/608) and AA Frisco (.294/.357/.529). Texas seems intent on leaving him behind the plate, despite the 2007 acquisition of phenom Saltalamacchia.