Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
OF, DET
A young, toolsy prospect who's frustrated scouts by showing only flashes of his tremendous potential, Jackson looks to be the center-fielder of the very near future in Detroit.
More Scouting Book Info on Austin Jackson >
21
RHP, BOS
The big, strong shortstop who also pitches has become the big, strong pitcher who used to play short. Young Casey Kelly is already 6-3 and 200lbs, with more size and strength to come as he fills out, and now that he's a full time mound monster, he can put all of that strength into his fastball.
More Scouting Book Info on Casey Kelly >
22
OF, PHI
Once the best raw talent in the Phillies system, centerfielder Domonic (sic) Brown draws comparisons to a young Grady Sizemore due to his tall, lanky frame, good speed, plus discipline and strong left arm. He's increased his OBP, K:BB ratio and stolen base success rate at each of his three minor league stops to date (including a .346/.456/.802 line in his first taste of AA ball in 2009), which means his ceiling isn't yet known. He's young, hasn't shown any real power yet, and won't be a factor for a couple more years, but he's one of the best outfield prospects the Phillies have right now, and he could be a future all-star.
More Scouting Book Info on Domonic Brown >
23
LHP, STL
The Cardinals stole Garcia in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft on the whim of a scout who saw his curve while watching a Mexican junior national team game. His fastball never leaves the low-90s, but the plus nature of his complementary pitches give him a good career potential. St. Louis is hungry for pitching, and good at developing it, so he could be moved up quickly.
More Scouting Book Info on Jaime Garcia >
24
1B, FLA
One of the last draft-and follow picks in baseball, hulking Logan Morrison is a graduate of Albert Pujol's old community college in Missouri. With a quick inside-out swing and plus power. He destroyed high-A Jupiter in 2008 but stumbled a bit when faced with better pitching at AA Jacksonville in 2009 (.277/.411/.442). He's got reasonable speed, but his lack of glovely finesse and some limited mobility have him locked at first base for now. That's a shame since he has a cannon arm that will go to waste there: we'd prefer seeing him in right field. Either way, though, expect Florida's own Weapon X to get a long, long look in the bigs as early as 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Logan Morrison >
25
RHP, BOS
Boston decided to push their phenom reliever hard last year, promoting him all the way to AA in his second pro season. Bard responded to the higher level play by striking out 64 hitters in 49 innings. His K/9 across the year was twelve and a half.
More Scouting Book Info on Daniel Bard >
26
1B, OAK
Jack Cust, we hardly knew you. Chris Carter is an all-or-nothing, power hitting first baseman from Redwood City, California. One of the busload of prospects Oakland acquired from Arizona in the trade that sent Dan Haren to the desert, he's often confused with the other first base prospect named Chris Carter. Oakland's version is the bigger, stronger, younger and much more right-handed version.
More Scouting Book Info on Chris Carter >
27
OF, MIN
A legitimate 5-tool prospect who the Twins should have the patience to develop, this is an Adam Jones / Carlos Gomez type prospect who's just a year or two behind that curve. Still very young, he needs seasoning, as his skills haven't yet caught up to his raw ability. Of course, the great Twins development machinery should take care of that, and we know they're not afraid to play the youngsters. While he's not a household name just yet, he could very well be making headlines as the new hot thing in Minnesota come 2010 or 2011, and he could be the best player on the Twins roster (yes, we mean that) by 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Aaron Hicks >
28
C, LAA
He's been on the radar for a couple of years now, but this year Angels catcher Hyun Choi 'Hank' Conger (we're assuming that 'Hammerin' Hyun Choi' did not exactly roll off the tongue) has officially arrived as an elite hitting prospect.
More Scouting Book Info on Hank Conger >
29
OF, OAK
A 6-6, 250lb monster back in high school, Taylor avoided an early draft by committing to Stanford. When he emerged from college, he was gobbled up by the Phillies in the same 5th round selection that netted them Ryan Howard six years earlier, and scouts see similar things in the two sluggers. After ditching his 'Stanford Swing' for a bigger and more wide open hammer, Taylor tore up the minors last year, slashing .361/.441/.554 at A-level Lakeland and .329/.380/.560 after a promotion to high-A Clearwater.
More Scouting Book Info on Michael Taylor >
30
3B, TOR
One of the most-traded young bats in the minors, Brett Wallace is a power hitter who's already been the third baseman of the future for the Cardinals and Athletics. Now he's a Blue Jay, and one good thing about that is that he's likely to get a shot sooner in Toronto. A nominal third baseman with slow feet, most scouts seem to think he'll need to be moved to first base sooner rather than later, but the A's certainly wouldn't mind a slugger at that corner, either. Some saw Wallace's bat better than any other hitter in the 2008 draft. The way he sliced through the Midwest and Texas leagues last year, he won't be idling in the minors much longer. With little left in his way, his big lumber should be an everyday fixture in Toronto before the end of 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Brett Wallace >
31
1B, CIN
In addition to having the best name in the 2008 draft class, Yonder Alonso is also one of the strongest power hitters of his generation, probably the premium 1B slugger in the minors right now. After he signed too late to play more than a few pro games in 2008, Alonso fans had to wait for Hawaiian winter ball to see his stuff. Alonso finished in the top ten in most offensive categories on the islands, and followed that up with a 2009 season that saw him reach as high as AA Carolina (an acceptable .295/.372/.457 in 29 games).
More Scouting Book Info on Yonder Alonso >
32
RHP, TOR
The Son of Drabek has sky high expectations but needs a year or two of seasoning before being thrown into the fire. A part of the Roy Halladay compensation bundle, he's now staring down the AL East as his future, which is a lot scarier than the NL version. Still, he has the talent, the pedigree and the work ethic. He will be ready sooner or later, and when he is he will be a good one.
More Scouting Book Info on Kyle Drabek >
33
RHP, ARZ
Jarrod Parker, one of the most highly-touted prospects in the 2007 draft, fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 9th overall pick, and they did not hesitate. While he's still young, he shows exceptional character and makeup, which means he may be destined for the big leagues sooner than most.
More Scouting Book Info on Jarrod Parker >
34
SS, TB
A classic 'tools' player, BA's 2007 Youth Player of the Year Tim Beckham was a safe pick for Tampa Bay as the #1 overall pick of the 2008 draft. While he's a couple of years from breaking into the big leagues, there should be no place for him to break in quicker than Tampa Bay. He shows the hands and footwork needed to stick at short, too, unless he physically outgrows the position. If that happens, though, his bat will carry him anyway: Beckham has very quick wrists and an effortless-looking swing that should translate to 'easy power' down the road.
More Scouting Book Info on Tim Beckham >
35
OF, NYM
A toolsy outfielder with a power stroke, F-Mart has been a top prospect for a few years, though his slow development and frequent injuries have cooled some of the early expectations. He still projects as an everyday centerfielder, though, and since he's only 20, he has room to grow. A premature outing with the MLB club in 2009 didn't go so well, but the youngster did manage to steal a few bases, hit his first home run, and generally show that he could play in a major league stadium when called upon to do so. While he still struggles with lefthanded pitching somewhat, he's also still got the great bat speed that got him noticed in the first place, not to mention a developing eye that should allow him to hit near .300 in the long-term. If he can keep on the field and off the DL, he'll still be a very high-ceiling option in New York come 2011 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Fernando Martinez >
36
LHP, COL
A smart value-pick from the 2008 draft by the Rockies, Friedrich was one of the two or three best lefthanders in the pool, as well as one of the best prep pitchers available, making him a steal at the 25th overall pick. He didn nothing but move up the charts in his first year of pro ball, either, finishing second in all of minor league baseball in strikeouts per nine innings with an obscene 12.0. In addition to crazy heat, Friedrich shows off a 12 to 6 curve and a hard, biting slider that could blossom into true plus pitches in the majors. If he has a weakness, it's his so-so changeup, but if he can refine that in the first half of 2010, he could be with the Rockies (as a backend starter or temporary relief help) before the end of the year.
More Scouting Book Info on Christian Friedrich >
37
RHP, BAL
A late 2007 signee who raised eyebrows around baseball with his Olympic performance in 2008, Arrieta put up some impressive Carolina numbers last year too, leading the league in ERA and finishing 4th in strikeouts. Like many raw talents, he's succeeded so far on the strength of an overpowering fastball, a 97mph darter, so he'll need to add and refine his secondary pitches before he's ready for anything more than a relief role in MLB. Since his closest thing right now is a slider, some are angling to move him into a bullpen role. If he can handle 150+ innings and his curve comes along to be passable, he'll be one of the team's best pitching prospects entering 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Jake Arrieta >
38
RHP, MIN
With stuff enough to be the ace of any college staff, Kyle Gibson was hidden behind Aaron Crow in Missouri. While he's still not a Crow-type talent, the big righthander is a workhorse with a high-command fastball and the determination to grind through opposing batters inning after inning. His fastball can reach 94-95mph, but he works mainly in the 91-92 range, relying on his plus slider and above-average change to beguile batters.
More Scouting Book Info on Kyle Gibson >
39
2B, MLW
It's a bit cheap comparing Canadian slugger Brett Lawrie to fellow Canucks Larry Walker and Justin Morneau, but in this case the comparison is about more than nationality: Lawrie can flat-out rake, though he does it from the right side of the plate and hasn't shown the power potential of those two other lumberjacks. An all-around baseball talent with no ceiling in sight, the fact that he's played both shortstop and catcher well enough to make it onto both position lists tells you something about the special youngster. With both of those positions pretty locked down in Milwaukee, he's also been asked to learn second base, which might be his quickest path to the majors right now.
More Scouting Book Info on Brett Lawrie >
40
21. Austin Jackson
22. Casey Kelly
23. Domonic Brown
24. Jaime Garcia
25. Logan Morrison
27. Chris Carter
28. Aaron Hicks
29. Hank Conger
31. Brett Wallace
32. Yonder Alonso
34. Jarrod Parker
35. Tim Beckham
36. Fernando Martinez
37. Christian Friedrich
38. Jake Arrieta
40. Brett Lawrie
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