Scouting Book: The Best Baseball Prospects for 2008-2009 (Sleepers Too!)

Baseball Prospect Rankings for Late 2008 and 2009

Now updated for 2009's Most Likely Top Prospects

Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is different than other prospect lists: we're not in a bubble, and we never sit still. We show you not just our own rankings, but also rankings from some of the other major ranking lists for each player. You can now sort, for example, by Baseball America's rankings, or view the top prospects as chosen by the wizards at Baseball Prospectus, or compare our rankings to those from Sports Illustrated. Also, unlike most lists, we don't publish a book! Our lists are updated often during the offseason, and updated daily during the pre-season to show the latest situations and adjusted for spring results. This means we're always a work in progress. We also think this means our lists are much more useful for fantasy draft purposes. If you notice a mistake or have a suggestion feel free to let us know by mailing mistakes (at) our domain name. For more on our methods, see this blog entry.

Baseball's Top Prospects for Late 2008 and 2009

241. Dallas Buck

RHP, CIN

A premium prospect in college, Buck's stock took a dive when it was discovered that he played through a partial ligament tear en route to Oregon State's College World Series championship in 2006. Of course, the same event proved that his heart was two sizes too large, and he's been a bit of an underdog darling ever since. Buck had TJ surgery to rebuild his elbow in 2007 and has been coming back since. When healthy, Dallas is a workhorse who throws a 92-94 mph fastball, a plus slider and a changeup that could develop into a premium MLB pitch. He'll idle under the radar until fully recovered from his operation, but after the usual 18 months pass, he should return to top prospect status. A definite 2009 sleeper.

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242. Wade Miley

LHP, ARZ

Playing for a less-known school caused Miley to slide to the 2008 draft's second round, but the lefthander was one of college ball's leading strikeout artists last season. Among second-round pitchers from the last few seasons, he's one of the most likely to outperform his slot.

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243. George Kottaras

C, BOS

A smart, careful student of the game, Kottaras is an offensive catcher with very good plate discipline and 20-homer potential. His body is still filling out, but he's expected to be able to perform to MLB levels while remaining behind the plate. His experience catching knuckleballer Steve Sparks makes him attractive early carry for the BoSox, who have been carrying Mirabelli year-to-year while waiting for a better backup-slash-Wakefield catcher. Even if he's called up, though, Kottaras will be a part-timer or backup for awhile, but he's a valid prospect nonetheless. A trade could make him a lot more valuable overnight.

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244. Steven Hunt

RHP, MIN

Steve 'Shooter' Hunt is a high-ceiling righthander from Tulane who could join the stable of frontline Minnesota starters. He has terrific raw stuff, but spotty command will have to improve before he's a big-league caliber pitcher. He's definitely one to keep an eye on for 2010 or so.

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245. Jordan Lyles

RHP, HOU

A raw gem of a righthander from Hartsville High School in South Carolina, Lyles is the sort of big strong power pitcher that the Astros always love to gamble on. And gamble they did when they took him so high in the 2008 draft (38th player overall). He's got incredible stuff, including a hot and lively fastball that should burn through the lower minor leagues, but he's going to need to improve his offspeed pitches to move beyond that. He has front-line starter potential, but it'll be a couple of years before we know how likely he is to reach it.

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246. German Duran

SS, TEX

A versatile fielder who can perform well at second, third or short, German Duran also has reasonably pop in his bat. In 130 games at AA Frisco last season, he batted an even .300, with 22 homers and only 70 strikeouts.

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247. Felipe Paulino

RHP, HOU

A converted outfielder, Paulino threw 112 innings of Double-A ball in 2007 (3.69 ERA, 110 Ks : 49 BBs) before his cup of coffee tryout in Houston. Other than a gem of a two-hit performance against the eliminated Braves on September 30th, though, he failed to dazzle, which means he'll be back in AA next season. Because of his late start as a pitcher, he's only really got two pitches so far: a sizzling mid-90's fastball with late movement and a nifty 12-6 curve that he's still learning to throw for strikes. He could be an effective reliever tomorrow, but if the Astros are serious about making a starter out of him, he'll need a couple of more years and a couple of more pitches.

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248. Brett Lawrie

C, 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. 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.

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249. Lonnie Chisenhall

SS, CLE

Originally drafted out of high school by the Pirates, Chisenhall was chosen again three years later, this time by the Indians. While questions of character are going to dog Lonnie for years to come thanks to a college misunderstanding about a missing big-screen TV and Playstation 3, at least we know he's got game. He's also got bat: Chisenhall is a plus hitter with a short and sweet stroke and solid power to all fields. His position is up in the air, but wherever the Indians put him he's likely to produce. A bit of a sleeper to watch.

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250. Tony Butler

LHP, BAL

Another of many development projects undertaken by the Seattle Mariners, Butler was been an on-again/off-again hot prospect since he was drafted by the Ms in the 3rd round (81st overall) of the 2006 draft. Traded to the Orioles as part of the package that brought Erik Bedard to Seattle in 2008, Butler's chance to break into the starting rotation will now happen in Baltimore Orange.

Butler's fastball can reach 93mph (and it's getting faster as he grows into his body), and has a natural sinking action that leads to high ground-ball production. His other pitches (a reasonably good slider/curve and a developing change) need work, though, and various mechanical issues have plagued his development. He's likely to spend 2008 on the farm addressing those issues. If the O's can help him overcome those hitches and refine his control (almost 6 walks per game in 2007), he'll be a contender for a fifth-starter spot in 2008, though it might be better for the Orioles if they continue to season and develop him so that he can reach his potential as a number-two or -three starter a year or two later.