Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
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 >
171
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 >
172
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 >
173
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 >
174
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 >
175
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 >
176
OF, TOR
A two-way player in high school, the lefthanded Gose's electric breaking stuff enticed the Astros to try his luck on the mound, but as expected he played his way back into the outfield quickly. Moved to the Blue Jays before the summer trade deadline in 2010, Gose now projects as Toronto's long-term answer in center... assuming his bat can hold up.
More Scouting Book Info on Anthony Gose >
177
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 >
178
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 >
179
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 >
180
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 >
181
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 >
182
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 >
183
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 >
184
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 >
185
RHP, TEX
A sleeper candidate who could zoom up the list at any time, Texas righthander Wilmer Font is yet another righthander in a potent Texas system. The big Venezuelan missed most of 2008 while nursing knee and shoulder problems, but neither proved serious and Font bounced back to an 8-3, 3.49 ERA season as a 19-year old at Sally League (A) Hickory. A broad-shouldered (and big-waisted) pitcher who can touch 96mph with his fastball, Font struck out 105 but walked 59, so his control isn't quite ready for the higher leagues just yet. Font mixes in a changeup that could be a plus pitch one day along with a so-so curve. While he could be a surprise bullpen arm soon, his real calling is as a Ranger starter somewhere in 2012 or 2013.
More Scouting Book Info on Wilmer Font >
186
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 >
187
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 >
188
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 >
189
RHP, NYM
A powerful righthander who slipped to the Mets in the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft, Brad Holt brings a big fastball from a big frame. A college pitcher whose shown good composure, he could factor into the shallow Mets rotation as early as 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Bradley Holt >
190
171. Andrew Brackman
172. Anthony Rizzo
173. Trevor Reckling
174. Jiovanni Mier
175. Jon Niese
176. Brandon Allen
177. Anthony Gose
178. Greg Halman
179. Matt Walker
181. Brad Lincoln
182. Scott Sizemore
184. Nick Weglarz
186. Wilmer Font
187. Juan Francisco
189. Max Stassi
171 to 190 of 486
