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.

Chris Owings

SS

Currently

221

A slight shortstop with plus instincts, Arizona prospect Chris Owings could see a move to second base in the near future. Signed out of high school in South Carolina after being selected 41st overall in the 2009 draft, Owings is a gap-to-gap hitter with a bit of pop. He's decent defensively, and shows above average speed on the bases.

More Scouting Book Info on Chris Owings

SB 221BA SC BP SN ES ML

Steve Lombardozzi

2B

Currently

222

The son of the Twins/Astros second baseman, switch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi Junior is also a keystone fielder, one of the brighter prospects pushing up at the ceiling of the Nationals' minor league system. In a late-season callup last year, he logged innings at second base, third base and also shorstop, so it's clear the Nationals are still getting a sense of how he can best contribute.

While the .194/.219/.226 he tapped out in his first thirteen MLB games wasn't exactly impressive, that's a very small sample size. Lombo's .298/.369/.411 line in four minor leagues seasons is a better indicator of his value, and most important is to note that his performance actually improved as he moved up to more difficult levels of play: that's the classic sign of a long-term offensive asset, no matter where the suddenly-overstocked Nationals decide to deploy him.

More Scouting Book Info on Steve Lombardozzi

SB 222BA SC BP SN ES ML

Taylor Lindsey

2B

Currently

223

A strong infielder with a nice line-drive stroke and an eye that's beyond his young years, second base prospect Taylor Lindsey showed better glovework than expected in rookie ball, and will try to take his sparkplug style of play up to A-level in 2012. He's a couple of years away from scratching a living from the Anaheim dirt, but he's exactly the sort of scrappy, line-drive hitting middle infielder that the Angels are so good at drafting and developing. He's probably no superstar, but he will stick in MLB and play well when his time comes.

More Scouting Book Info on Taylor Lindsey

SB 223BA SC BP SN ES ML

Nick Delmonico

3B

Currently

224

A sixth round selection by the O's in 2011, catcher and third baseman Nick Delmonico probably has the best pure power bat in the Baltimore system, but it'll be a year or two before we know that for sure. Most intriguing is the reflection that his success in high school came mainly on the strength of his patience and selectivity at the plate: if that kind of discipline can be nurtured in pro ball, he could be a very powerful offensive force indeed. He's a few years away.

More Scouting Book Info on Nick Delmonico

SB 224BA SC BP SN ES ML

Austin Hedges

C

Currently

225

The number one catching prospect in the system until Yasmani Grandal came to town, Austin Hedges is still a top prospect in the San Diego system. He's also probably further from the majors than Grandal, as he's barely out of high school compared to the college-bred Cuban. So pencil him into the Padre lineup all you like, but please date that doodle 2017 to be safe.

More Scouting Book Info on Austin Hedges

SB 225BA SC BP SN ES ML

Domingo Santana

OF

Currently

226

Yet another spare part that came to the Astros via the Phillies farm system, Santana is tall, projectable hitter with a long but easy swing. An average runner and a strong-armed thrower, he's still learning to handle breaking pitches, but for such a young talent, he's already looking like one of the best athletes in the revitalized Houston system.

More Scouting Book Info on Domingo Santana

SB 226BA SC BP SN ES ML

Robert Stephenson

RHP

Currently

227

Selected by Cincinnati in the first round of the 2011 Draft (27th overall), righthander Robert Stephenson was a rare high-school choice from the usually conservative Reds franchise. The tall Californian overpowered his peers in his senior high school season, posting a 1.19 ERA in 76 innings that included not one but two no-hitters. A power pitcher in the classic mould, he can already top 98mph with his fastball. As always, though, it's how well his secondary pitches develop that will determine his fate in pro baseball.

More Scouting Book Info on Robert Stephenson

SB 227BA SC BP SN ES ML

Jordan Pacheco

C

Currently

228

A second baseman converted to catching in mid-2008, Rockies proto-bat Jordan Pacheco is a plus plus contact hitter still searching for a full-time occupation. While he has the bat speed and contact rate to hit .300, he lacks the feet for the middle infield, the glove for a corner or the arm for third base. He may end up a platoon C-1B-OF in the major leagues, but another year or two of experience behind the plate could also turn him into a serviceable regular. His bat is certainly ready: after smashing .278/.343/.377 at AAA Colorado Springs in 2011, he took 78 more at-bats for the MLB Rockies that were even better: .286/.318/.369, including a broken-bat home run that gave the young man his first taste of ESPN (and YouTube) fame.

More Scouting Book Info on Jordan Pacheco

SB 228BA SC BP SN ES ML

Francisco Peguero

OF

Currently

229

A speedy outfielder in the Giants' system, Dominican Francisco Peguero is a solid defender with developing on-base skills. A line drive hitter whose build doesn't suggest future power (he's shaped more or less like Eugenio Velez, though he hits exclusively from the right side), Peguero will have to keep reaching base at a high clip in order to contribute. He's got some distance to close, too: despite the nice batting average, his walk rate is too low, and he is getting caught stealing a frightfully high percentage of the time.

More Scouting Book Info on Francisco Peguero

SB 229BA SC BP SN ES ML 98

Trayvon Robinson

OF

Currently

230

A California boy drafted out of Crenshaw High Schools by the Dodgers in 2005, outfielder Trayvon Robinson came to Seattle as part of the Erik Bedard trade of 2011. Robinson is a pretty premium outfield prospect pushing at the gates of MLB. With a solid all-around game, the switch-hitting Robinson has a nice mix of plus speed and decent (if erratic) power that could play well with a rebuilding Mariners club, and he's got wheels and glove enough to cover Safeco's big greenspaces, too. Now in a system devoid of many offensive gems, Robinson should shand out: he probably won't make the spring roster, but you should expect to see him in the big leagues by September.

More Scouting Book Info on Trayvon Robinson

SB 230BA SC BP SN ES ML

221 to 230 of 525 Prospects

Top Prospects 2012

Combined Ranking

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1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
C	LHP	RHP	Matrix

Prospect Notes

Recent Player News

Roman Hernandez, KC

2/7/2012: Roman Hernandez has signed with the Royals, and will be sending a half-million dollar signing bonus back to his family in Cuba, one way or the other. Hernandez projects as a bench player with some power right now, and looks best in a corner outfield slot. At only 23, he still has room to grow, too.
More on Hernandez >

Also In The News...

Top Prospects 2012

Combined Ranking

1+	10	20	30	40
50	60	70	80	90
100	110	120	130	140
150	160	170	180	190
200	210	220	230	240
250	260	270	280	290
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400	410	420	430	440
450	460	470	480	490

1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
C	LHP	RHP	Matrix

CloserWatch Notes

Recent Closer News

Update: SEA: 2/6/2012

Seattle took a flier on the sometimes dominant lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo today, signing him to an incentive-laden 1-year deal. Kuo, one of baseball's best lefthanders the last decade or so, struggled with both physical and emotional turmoil in his last year as a Dodger.

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Scouting Book

Tools and Lists for Finding Better Baseball Prospects, Closers and More!

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2012

Now updated for 2012's Top Prospects

SS

Currently

221

2B

Currently

222

2B

Currently

223

3B

Currently

224

C

Currently

225

OF

Currently

226

RHP

Currently

227

C

Currently

228

OF

Currently

229

OF

Currently

230

Top Prospects 2012

Prospect Notes

Also In The News...

Top Prospects 2012

CloserWatch Notes

Update: SEA: 2/6/2012

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350	360	370	380	390
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