Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2012
Now updated for 2012's Top Prospects
Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is a Combined List, a calculated summary of the overall valuations of the entire prospect universe.
Remember: this page is the result of an automatic process that re-sorts and re-ranks players often.
If you think you have found a mistake, please read this blog entry before telling us. Then tell us.
A very big kid from Texas with a pretty big arm, righthander Kyle Crick was the his district's 4A pitcher of the year in 2011. He brings a typical power heavy fastball from a high arm angle, and complements it with a slider that shows serious promise.
Full Scouting Report for Kyle Crick
SB 171BA SC BP SN ES ML
A textbook shortstop from Puerto Rico, Christian Colon is a plus contact hitter with good speed, excellent baseball instincts and soft hands. He won't hit 40 home runs in any league any time soon, but CC should be a good enough contributor at all other aspects of the game to bless the Royals rosters in the next couple of years.
Full Scouting Report for Christian Colon
SB 172BA SC BP SN ES ML
We see a lot of great names here at Scouting Book, but every once and awhile there's still one that makes us do a double-take. This offensive-minded infielder's name (nephew of Indians coach Rouglas) is really named Rougned (RYOO-nyed) Odor. We're hoping that was a little less teaseworthy for the kid growing up in Venezuela than it would have been in Lubbock.
Full Scouting Report for Rougned Odor
SB 173BA SC BP SN ES ML
A part of the trade that also sent Jarrod Parker from Arizona to Oakland, outfielder Collin Cowgill is a small-framed but solidly-built slugger. Hitting right and throwing left (yes, really) the potent corner slugger is probably best-known for swatting 10 home runs for low-A Yakima over a two-week period back in 2008. His power is real (16 more dingers in his first 500 AA at-bats) but he'll need to work on his defense and discipline before he's ready to play for real in high-level ball.
Full Scouting Report for Collin Cowgill
SB 174BA SC BP SN ES ML
A hot prospect before the 2008 draft, Scheppers fell to the Pirates (and, after not signing, the Rangers in 2009) due to concerns about an unusual (but non-structural) shoulder injury. He has big upside, but as he's older than most of his same-experienced peers now, his prospect status has taken a hit. He's still only a small step away from being useful in the majors right now, though, which means he's only a single good string of appearances away from Arlington.
Full Scouting Report for Tanner Scheppers
SB 175BA SC BP SN ES ML
An impressive outfield prospect in the Mets system, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is probably the organization's best true centerfielder. He needs a bit more work to polish his all-around game, but he's got the bat, glove and arm to contribute as a fourth outfielder right now. Of course, the Mets as a team have a whole lot of fourth outfielders already at the major league level. Hmm.
Full Scouting Report for Kirk Nieuwenhuis
SB 176BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year for 2008, DeJesus doesn't have much left to prove in the minors, especially after idling with a bubbling .310/.389/.432 during a full year of AAA parking-lot ball in 2011. When he makes contact, he's a hitter in the Howie Kendrick style: gap to gap line drives with excellent bat control. In the field, he has soft hands and excellent (inherited?) baseball instincts.
Full Scouting Report for Ivan DeJesus
SB 177BA SC BP SN ES ML
The best position player available from Japan in 2011, three-time batting champ Norichika Aoki could very well play every day for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012. His seven year average in Japan is .340, he's reliable for 20 steals, and he has a little pop that should translate into a dozen or so homers per year in MLB. Americans may remember him hitting .324 (12-for-37) in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He's adept enough to cover any outfield position, which should help the reorganizing Brewers a lot.
Full Scouting Report for Norichika Aoki
SB 178BA SC BP SN ES ML
Originally drafted by the Rangers, Righthander Joe Wieland is today a premium Padres pitching prospect with his sights set squarely on San Diego. A tall and thin kid with easy gas, Wieland works comfortably at 90-94mph, spiced with a genuine plus curve. Even his change shows above-average flash.
Full Scouting Report for Joe Wieland
SB 179BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Red Sox sure spent a lot of money on a pitcher who seems to be turning into a full-time reliever already. After struggling in the rotation, Tazawa seemed to blossom somewhat when moved to the bullpen, and his fastball finally started showing some of the sizzle that was expected when he moved stateside from Japan. He'll be 24 when 2012 breaks, so this is about the time that the Red Sox will need to commit to a path for the onetime rock star: bullpen ace, or rotation enigma?
Full Scouting Report for Junichi Tazawa
SB 180BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big, durable looking righty, Mets pitcher Jeurys Familia signed as an IFA from Dominica in 2007, and since then has been to visit every development guru on the East Coast, as scouts and coaches all tinker with his awkward delivery in the hope of adding some consistent location to his 96mph heater and stumbling slider. Everyone who's worked with Familia agrees that his control needs a great deal of work, but that's typical in a young player with such electric stuff. As with many such players, whether he ends up a starter or reliever will depend almost completely on whether he can learn to throw his raw change with consistency and deception. We won't really know for another year or two, here.
Full Scouting Report for Jeurys Familia
SB 181BA SC BP SN ES ML 90
A two-way player who was originally drafted by the Indians as a pitcher, Tennessee's Bryce Brentz should now be considered a full-time outfielder despite his early success on the mound.
Full Scouting Report for Bryce Brentz
SB 182BA SC BP SN ES ML 64
The 31st overall pick in the 2011 Draft, new Tampa Bay Ray prospect Michael Anthony Mahtook is a big, strong, fast centerfielder who starred at LSU. Mahtook hit .383 with 14 homers in his final year, and led the Southeast Conference with 39 steals. A scout's darling with good makeup and a great work ethic, Mahtook got all the tools needed to contribute to a major league offense, so it's possible he could rise to action in Tampa very, very soon.
Full Scouting Report for Mikie Mahtook
SB 183BA SC BP SN ES ML 96
A switch-hitting catcher of the type the Red Sox have kept on trying to develop for the last decade, Cleveland-native Blake Swihart has the tools necessary to succeed in the big leagues, assuming his game-calling head can develop as expected. Already blessed with solid contact ability from either side of the plate, (.448/.492/.845 for Team USA last year) he's also showing a strong and accurate throwing arm already.
Full Scouting Report for Blake Swihart
SB 184BA SC 67BP SN ES ML
An unsexy pickup by the Rangers at the bottom of the second round of the 2010 Draft, California righthander Cody Buckel was overlooked by many scouts due to his small stature, but he certainly shows pitching ability. It came through in A-level Hickory last year, to the tune of a 120:27 strikeout to ball ratio in 97 innings. Not bad for a 19-year old.
Full Scouting Report for Cody Buckel
SB 185BA SC BP SN ES ML
A workhorse lefty with a quality curveball, Holmberg was the 71st pick overall in the 2008 draft. He's not an overpowering pitcher, but he's pretty well-developed, setting up his almost MLB-ready hammer with a 90mph fastball that features tricksy late movement: it cuts in on righthanded hitters in an especially nasty way. He's a year or two away from everyday usefulness at an MLB level, but he should move quickly. He'll break more than his share of bats along the way.
Full Scouting Report for David Holmberg
SB 186BA SC BP SN ES ML
If the Pirates have collected one thing in the last few years, it's pitchers with high ceilings. The latest from a long line of lefthanders grown on the Atlanta farm, willowy Jeff Locke's 94mph fastball is a definite plus pitch, with late movement that he can command at will. His curve ball is also well under control and projects as a second plus pitch. Acquired by the pitching-poor Pirates in June 2009, 'The Redstone Rocket' has a terrific opportunity to step up as a rotation candidate in the very near future.
Full Scouting Report for Jeff Locke
SB 187BA SC BP SN ES ML
A smallish lefty drafted in 2009's third round and traded to San Diego in mid-2011, Erlin has risen very quickly through the farm system and could even get to the majors as early as 2012. Working through three levels of play in 2011, Erlin did the bulk of his work at AA Frisco after outclassing A hitters in the Carolina League. His AA numbers (5-2, 4.32, 1.20 and 61K in 67 innings) are nice but not great, but it was the 20 year old's first trip to AA, so give him some slack here.
Full Scouting Report for Robbie Erlin
SB 188BA SC 83BP SN ES ML
A high contact, line-drive hitter with decent speed and solid baseball fundamentals, Pollack is a quality outfield prospect currently developing in the Diamondback system. He has a little power, but it'll be his plus average that will have to carry him to the Bigs. Of course, he's still learning the outfield craft: Arizona converted him from shortstop to center.
Full Scouting Report for A.J. Pollock
SB 189BA SC BP SN ES ML
A lefty who can touch 96mph with a sizzling fastball, Toronto's Daniel Norris is a bit of a sleeper who should be gaining a lot more attention in the months and years to come. Norris already complements his heat with a hammer curve that can be devastating, and if he manages to get a third pitch up to even major-league average, he'll be an ace on a team known for discovering gems.
Full Scouting Report for Dan Norris
SB 190BA SC 90BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
171 to 190 of 525 Prospects
