Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
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 >
161
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 >
162
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 >
163
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 >
164
C, KC
Nobody noticed in all the hubbub about Aaron Crow, but KC's third round pick in 2009 was another steal: the high-potential catcher William (Will) Myers. 'Wumbly' is a hard-nosed grinder who some call a throwback to a dirtier era, a ballplayer's ballplayer who can perform well at almost any position. He's being treated as a catcher so far, and he certainly has the smarts for it, but it's possible he moves to a position of greater need for a future Royals manager. If the projectability of his 6-3, 190lb body is worth anything, we can predict that he won't steal many bases, but he will launch a few moonshots in the years to come.
More Scouting Book Info on Wil Myers >
165
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 >
166
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 >
167
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 >
168
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 >
169
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 >
170
SS, HOU
The first round pick of the Houston Astros (21st overall) in 2009, Jiovanni James Mier was universally acclaimed as the best 'pure' shortstop in the draft class. A superior defender with good range, soft hands and a strong arm, he seems very likely to stick at the position. JJ's bat isn't quite as beyond question just yet, but he did hit .276 while launching 7 home runs in only 50 games for Rookie level Greeneville late in the year. He'll start working his way up the minor league ladder, and could be an everyday fixture in Houston as early as 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Jiovanni Mier >
171
LHP, NYM
A wiry left-hander with a deadly curve, Jon Niese is a dark-horse pitching prospect who has a shot at the Mets rotation in 2009. A graduate of the same high school as Chad Billingsley, Niese looked strong in AA last year, but was shellacked when he dipped his toes into the majors. Still, he has the maturity and guile to recover quickly. Niese features a nice fastball and a heavy sinker, but he needs another year, really, to refine his other pitches. If the Mets can be patient enough to let him develop a bit more, he might be a front-of-rotation starter, though they may be tempted to plug him into the bullpen or back-end immediately instead.
More Scouting Book Info on Jon Niese >
172
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 >
173
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 >
174
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 >
175
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 >
176
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 >
177
2B, DET
Since the Tigers emptied the farm for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in the winter of 2007, Scott Sizemore has risen to be one of the team's top remaining prospects.
More Scouting Book Info on Scott Sizemore >
178
SS, NYM
A successful shortstop in college whose range is a bit of a question in pro ball, South Carolina graduate David (Reese) Havens could make a heck of a second baseman for a future Mets infield that already includes two All Stars and the player picked just before him in the 2008 Draft, first baseman Ike Davis.
More Scouting Book Info on Reese Havens >
179
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 >
180
161. Wilin Rosario
162. Mitch Moreland
163. Sebastian Valle
164. Scott Elbert
165. Wil Myers
166. Reymond Fuentes
168. Andrew Brackman
170. Trevor Reckling
171. Jiovanni Mier
172. Jon Niese
173. Brandon Allen
174. Greg Halman
175. Matt Walker
177. Brad Lincoln
178. Scott Sizemore
180. Nick Weglarz
161 to 180 of 481
