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

171. Kyle Skipworth

C, FLA

Buster Posey got a lot of attention in the 2008 draft, but Skippy might be a better bet, especially offensively. A left-handed and more power-hitting type of catcher, he lags behind Posey in the defensive and especially game-calling parts of the game, which means he might end up a bigger star, but not right away. Of course, if his bat stays as hot as it's been in recent years, it'll be impossible to keep him in the minors for long.

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172. Kory Casto

OF, WAS

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173. Jose Arredondo

RHP, LAA

A hard thrower converted from third base, Arredondo could see some work in the Angels bullpen before the year is over. He's got a monster 98mph fastball and a nasty splitter, but no real pitching smarts. He could get by as an eighth inning guy on stuff alone, but it'll be two or three more years before he has a chance to be a real, well-rounded pitcher.

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174. Tim Alderson

RHP, SF

With Lincecum and Cain already toeing the rubber every fifth day, the title of best Giants pitching prospect falls to Alderson, the 6-7 righthander from Phoenix.

'Big Tim' has a plus-plus curveball and terrific control for such a young player. In his junior and senior high school year combined, he struck out 173 batters while walking only nine. His fastball is in the 89-92 range, though he has been clocked as high as 94, which is remarkable for a pitcher who does not have a windup: Alderson pitches exclusively from the stretch, and if he can really get close to 95 that way, it's hard to imagine the Giants will bother 'teaching' him anything new.

Still only 19, Alderson is unlikely to see significant action in San Francisco before 2009 at the soonest, but the Giants are determined to 'go young', Alderson will be a big part of that plan. Lincecum and Cain, after all, made their debuts at 20 and 21.

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SB #174 | BA #84 | BP unranked | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #59

175. Joel Guzman

3B, TB

A one-time Dodger hot prospect, Guzman was shipped to the Rays in the trade for Julio Lugo, which shows you how far he's fallen. While his bat still shows big-league pop, he's a long way away in the discipline department, and Tampa doesn't seem like the sort of place where he'll get much opportunity, either. On the other hand, it is the sort of organization that will leave him to 'develop' in the minors for the next few years, so maybe that'll be good for him, in a bitter pill sort of way.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Dominican has a body that screams 'corner', and the power bat to match, but he's actually adept enough at shortstop to be worth considering there too... if Tampa didn't already have two better prospects in their system.

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176. Chris Mason

RHP, TB

A second round pick from the 2005 draft, Chris Mason is a converted outfielder with a low-90's moving fastball and a nasty slider/curve, and a developing changeup.

The 23-year-old righthander spent almost the whole 2007 with the Montgomery Biscuits (AA), and led the Southern League with a 15-4 record and a 2.53 ERA in 2007. He ranked fourth with 132 strikeouts, enough to garner the League's Pitcher of the Year Award. The league's most consistent starter, Mason did not allow more than three runs in any of his 13 second-half starts for the Biscuits.

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177. Tommy Hanson

RHP, ATL

In a year split between A seasons at Rome and Myrtle Beach, Hanson zoomed up the Braves prospect chart by posting some pretty eye-popping numbers. The power righthander, already boasting a mid-90's fastball with movement, made 24 combined starts and struck out 154 batters, jostling for the early-season strikeout lead with Tim Lincecum. He did walk 58, though, and gave up 49 runs for an ERA of 3.32. He's likely to start 2008 in AA.

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178. Kevin Mulvey

RHP, MIN

A mid-range prospect in the Mets system for a few years, Mulvey made great leaps forward in 2007 at double-A Birmingham, where he made 26 starts and maintained a steady 3.32 ERA while striking out 110 in 152 innings of work. A callup to AAA New Orleans at the end of year gave a glimpse of an even higher potential, as he threw six shutout innings of two-hit ball in his lone start for the Zephyrs.

A four-pitch control guy with a low-90's fastball, a plus slider, and a good change and curve, Mulvey projects as a middle-of-rotation major leaguer in the near future. He already has good makeup, polish and composure, and manages to stay aggressive even when rattled.

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179. Tim Beckham

SS, TB

A classic 'tools' player, the 18 year old junior Beckham was a safe pick for Tampa Bay at the top of the 2008 draft. While he's quite a few years from breaking into the big leagues, there's no place for him to break in quicker than Tampa Bay. There's some question about whether he'll stick at shortstop, but even if he moves to a less premium position to take over for Carl Crawford a few seasons from now, he's still a premium talent to watch.

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180. Michel Inoa

RHP, OAK

Inoa, the son of two accomplished ballplayers, is a towering, flame throwing teenager who already has a mid-90s fastball and an advanced changeup. He's several years away from breaking into big-league ball, but he can stay healthy, he'll be something special come 2012 or so.