Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
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 >
181
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 >
182
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 >
183
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 >
184
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 >
185
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 >
186
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 >
187
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 >
188
RHP, CLE
A big-bodied ace in waiting with a 98mph heater, ex-Phillies pitcher Jason Knapp is one of the many young prospects in a refreshed Indians system. He enters 2010 as a 19 year old, but he's already one of the three best pitchers in the Cleveland farm. Arthroscopic shoulder surgery in September 2009 went swimmingly, and he's expected to be at full strength for 2010. He'll probably start at high-A and end the year in AA. He's on target for full-on arrival in 2012 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Jason Knapp >
189
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 >
190
C, TOR
Until Travis D'Arnaud arrived, JP Arencibia looked like Toronto's clear-cut catcher of the future. Now that he has some competition, he'll need to step up his game to stay ahead.
More Scouting Book Info on J.P. Arencibia >
191
RHP, MIN
A tall, powerful strikeout artist, Guerra has been considered in both starting and bullpen roles for the last couple of years. He should be easy to lock up in the late rounds of a deep draft this year, but he promises to be much more attractive (and widely known) next year. With electric stuff but not much pro experience under his belt yet, Guerro could be one of those guys who blows through the league, Jared Weaver-like, at least once.
More Scouting Book Info on Deolis Guerra >
192
RHP, SEA
Near-forgotten since elbow problems sidelined him in 2008, Michael Pineda is a lanky Dominican righthander who is once again zooming up the prospect charts in Seattle. Some scouts have concerns about Pineda's delivery: at 6-5 his shoulders and hips don't always seem to be following the same gameplan, and he sometimes shows some scary snap-back on his follow-through. Despite those reservations, though, Pineda looks like an advanced pitcher for his age and bracket already, and is definitely one of the top two or three pitchers on the depleted Mariner farm. His fastball hovers around the 92mph mark, nothing special in itself, but it comes in with reliable, natural sink that can give hitters fits, and when he mixes in his above-average slider and change, he can be almost untouchable. Watch for him to threaten for a Mariner rotation spot in 2012 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Michael Pineda >
193
RHP, ATL
Righthander Randall Delgado is a wiry power pitcher with three quality pitches and developing control. His fastball, which can touch 95, lives more in the 92mph range with significant late movement. His control is about where you'd expect it to be in such a youngster: some days he can blow hitter away, while on other days he looks lost on the mound. He struggled a bit in his first full season of pro ball in 2009, but finished strong, with 141 strikeouts to balance against only 49 walks. There's no room for him at higher levels of the Atlanta system (the Braves farm is stacked in pitching) so he's likely to spend 2010 in class-A Rome, even though he's probably ready for a bigger challenge than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Randall Delgado >
194
OF, SD
A slugger who many downgrade because of his less-than-giant proportions, the small but mighty Kellen Kulbacki might get a little more attention now that Dustin Pedroia has blazed a trail for diminutive bashers. Kulbacki was drafted by San Diego in 2007's supplemental first round after hitting .464 in his junor year in college. He took a step back to a mere .300 in 2007 but looked like his old dominant self again in 2008, slashing .332/.428/.589 (that's a 1.017 OPS) at high A Lake Elsinore. Injuries held him back in 2009, but he should be back in business for 2010, and on the short list of possible impact bats the Padres may look to before the season is finished.
More Scouting Book Info on Kellen Kulbacki >
195
OF, PHI
Tyson Gillies is a Canadian center fielder who came as part of the wild winter trade of 2009. While most noticed him when he stole two bases in the Futures Game, he also put together a standout season overall, stealing 44 bases and batting .341/.430/.486 while playing for High Desert in the California League. His speed is off the charts, but that basestealing wasn't as good as it seems, since he was also thrown out 19 times. With a percentage that low, he won't get many green lights, so he'll need to work on the art of the steal before the tool becomes a real plus skill. Gillies will get his first taste of AA ball in 2010, with a shot at an MLB bench job for 2011. If he does make the majors as a reserve, he'll also provide an extra valuable benefit to the team: as a hearing-impaired player, he's an excellent lip-reader, which could come in awfully handy on the field.
More Scouting Book Info on Tyson Gillies >
196
RHP, STL
A fastball and slider specialist, Sanchez is a lights-out reliever simmering in the St. Louis system. The young Venezuelan ended his 2009 with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, and now projects as a nasty late-inning weapon for the Cardinals, perhaps as soon as 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Eduardo Sanchez >
197
OF, PIT
After a brief stint in the Atlanta system, onetime Tiger prospect Gorkys Hernandez was shipped to the Pirates for Nate McLouth in 2009 before ever getting a real shot with the Braves. Still, he's is a quality prospect who hit .316/.361/.387 with 10 steals for Double-A Mississippi (Braves) in 2009, followed by an adjustment-impacted .262/.312/.340 with 9 more swipes at Pittsburgh's own AA Altoona. He shows no real signs of power, at least not yet, but he's fast and talented with exceptional defensive range. He could get a look in Pittsburgh in 2010, though any significant impact should be in 2011 or later.
More Scouting Book Info on Gorkys Hernandez >
198
3B, CHW
A third-round pick in 2008, corner prospect Brent Morel is blessed with a potent power-speed combination that should play well in US Cellular sooner or later: In 2009, Morel hit .281/.335/.453 at high-A Winston-Salem while swatting 16 homers and swiping 25 bases. He's played both third base and the outfield in the minors, but the White Sox are looking at Morel as a corner outfielder for the moment.
More Scouting Book Info on Brent Morel >
199
RHP, MLW
A big right-hander who projects as an innings-eating workhorse down the road, Brewer prospect Eric Arnett throws a 94mph fastball with heavy sink, and complements it with a still-erratic low-80's slider. A still-developing splitter and changeup are also in the quiver, though he doesn't use either with confidence just yet.
More Scouting Book Info on Eric Arnett >
200
181. Josh Thole
182. Wilmer Font
183. Juan Francisco
184. Andy Oliver
185. Max Stassi
187. Matt Hobgood
188. Cedric Hunter
189. Jason Knapp
190. Rex Brothers
191. J.P. Arencibia
192. Deolis Guerra
193. Michael Pineda
194. Randall Delgado
196. Tyson Gillies
197. Eduardo Sanchez
198. Gorkys Hernandez
199. Brent Morel
200. Eric Arnett
181 to 200 of 481
