Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, HOU
A raw gem of a righthander from Hartsville High School in South Carolina, Lyles is the sort of big strong power pitcher that the Astros always love to gamble on. And gamble they did when they took him so high in the 2008 draft (38th player overall). He's got incredible stuff, including a hot and lively fastball that should burn through the lower minor leagues, but he's going to need to improve his offspeed pitches to move beyond that. He has front-line starter potential, but it'll be a couple of years before we know how likely he is to reach it.
More Scouting Book Info on Jordan Lyles >
161
C, NYY
The younger brother of infielder Andrew, Austin Romine was a two way player in the Buster Posey fashion, acting as his high school closer as well as everyday catcher. As you might expect, he has one of the best cannons to second of any catcher in the minors today. At the plate he has doubles power and an easy swing, which looks projectable to 20-30 homer power someday. He's quite a way away from Yankee Stadium, but he's a hard worker with enough raw talent to get there sooner or later.
More Scouting Book Info on Austin Romine >
162
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 >
163
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 >
164
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 >
165
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 >
166
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 >
167
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 >
168
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 >
169
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 >
170
161. Jordan Lyles
162. Austin Romine
163. Hak-Ju Lee
164. A.J. Pollock
165. Wilin Rosario
166. Mitch Moreland
167. Sebastian Valle
168. Scott Elbert
169. Reymond Fuentes
161 to 170 of 484
