Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
3B, CIN
A powerful, compact switch hitter signed from the Dominican Republic back in 2006, Juan Francisco was the Reds' Minor League Hitter of the Year for 2008. The 21-year old Francisco hit 23 HR and 92 RBI while hitting .277 in 127 games at A-level Sarasota. Francisco has plus power and plus speed, but needs to learn the skills to go with those blessings: he strikes out far too much, and gets caught on the basepaths far too often. He looked good but raw in a September 2009 cup of coffee, so given another year or so, he could be a regular fixture in the Cincinnati lineup.
More Scouting Book Info on Juan Francisco >
161
LHP, DET
The Tigers second round pick in 2009, lefty Andy Oliver fits the pattern of big, intimidating power pitchers so loved by the Detroit brass. In his three years at OSU, he went 18-9 with a 4.02 ERA, striking out 235 hitters while walking 96. Oliver works with a 96mph fastball that blows away lesser hitters, with an above-average change to keep them honest. His breaking pitches aren't quite ready for prime time yet.
More Scouting Book Info on Andy Oliver >
162
OF, CLE
A smart, savvy hitter with strong arms and developing power, Weglarz uses very fast hands to work the bat through the zone quickly, with line-drive power to all fields. Despite his massive build, his swing lacks the loft of a true power-hitter, though that may come soon as he continues to fill out: In 2009 he produced 16 homers in 339 at-bats for AA Akron. A first-baseman in high school, the Indians have been using him in left field, though that experiment may soon end: his glove and arm are not better than average. While he continues to work on his power swing, his advanced plate discipline (78 strikeouts, 75 walks) indicates he's a Future Youkilis Junior Achiever just waiting to happen in Cleveland.
More Scouting Book Info on Nick Weglarz >
163
C, OAK
A tough, throwback-style catcher, Oakland prospect Max Stassi is one of the best defensive backstops in the minor leagues, with plus catch-and-throw skill and a work ethic that's helped him rise to the top of the prospect class. At the plate he's no slouch, either: his short, quick batting stroke gives him line-drive power to all fields, and his build and core strength are enough to help him reach the bleachers once and awhile, too. With a great knack for game calling and the leadership style to hold a team together, he's got all the makings of a major league captain... and probably a manager someday after that.
More Scouting Book Info on Max Stassi >
164
C, NYM
A squat, strong catcher who looks like a long-term asset in New York, Josh Thole is on the cusp of major league regulardom. He hit .328/.395/.422 at AA Birmingham in 2009, and showed he could handle major league pitching during his September callup. While his power hasn't developed (yet), he's still very young for a catcher, so it could come soon enough. Thole already shows advanced hitting for average, with decent pop from gap to gap. Behind the plate, he's reliable enough that the Mets have to be thinking about handing him the job to open 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Josh Thole >
165
LHP, BAL
A very big, sturdy lefthander from California, Hobgood is a fastball-curve pitching machine who projects as an innings-eating workhorse someday. He's a few years away, though, and he'll definitely need to develop a changeup before he can be set loose on advanced hitters.
More Scouting Book Info on Matt Hobgood >
166
OF, SD
The San Diego Padres third round pick of the 2006 MLB Draft, Hunter dominated the rookie league with a league-best .371 average immediately after signing. Moved up to the Midwest league the following year, he began to show off plus speed, both of the legs and wrists variety. He combines a preciously-good batting eye with gap-power and good outfield defense. A bump to high-A in 2008 did nothing to slow him down, either, as he put up a .318/.362/.442 line against the better pitching, adding a dozen steals and eleven homers just to salt things. AA did slow him down in 2009, though not to any great degree (.261/.294/.331, 13 steals in 16 attempts), which means another year of practice should have him lined up for possible MLB duty in 2011.
More Scouting Book Info on Cedric Hunter >
167
RHP, Japan
He's six foot five with a 94mph fastball and he's... Japanese? Well, half-Japanese, at least. Darvish, the Japanese/Iranian wunderkind who's half baseball star and half sex symbol, is Japan's best young pitcher. Playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish posted a 1.82 ERA over 26 starts while striking out 210. Again, that's 210 strikeouts in only twenty-six starts. at least as high as Daisuke Matsuzaka's, it's more than possible that the financially-strapped Carp will consider how much they could improve their team with, oh, an extra $100 million dollars or so. Despite the flirtatious comments he's made to the media about moving to America, he's committed to Japan for the next couple of years. But he remains a very big question mark for 2012, 2013, 2014...
More Scouting Book Info on Yu Darvish >
168
C, MLW
The Brewer's top catching prospect, Jon Lucroy is a well-rounded player with MLB-level skills on offense and defense. In addition to hitting .267/.380/.418 in his first taste of AA, he also threw out an impossible 40% of would-be base-stealers while posting a .991 fielding percentage.
More Scouting Book Info on Jonathan Lucroy >
169
LHP, COL
A strikeout machine with plus movement and superior velocity, lefthander Rex Brothers gets scant attention in a system with so many live lefty arms. But he should: the Shelbyville (TN) native chewed up A-ball in 2009, striking out 28 while walking only 8 in 22 innings. And lest you worry about the small sample size, that's in line with his NCAA performance, where over three seasons he struck out 322 college hitters over 286 innings while walking only 142 of them. He's a bit behind some of the other Rockies talent developmentally, but he's definitely got the stuff to be a front-line starter someday. Don't forget about him.
More Scouting Book Info on Rex Brothers >
170
161. Juan Francisco
162. Andy Oliver
163. Nick Weglarz
164. Max Stassi
165. Josh Thole
166. Matt Hobgood
167. Cedric Hunter
168. Yu Darvish
169. Jonathan Lucroy
170. Rex Brothers
161 to 170 of 445
