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

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 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 Early 2009

251. Cutter Dykstra

OF, MLW

Cutter Dykstra has a great baseball name and terrific genetics (yes, he's Lenny's son) but he's been an inconsistent slugger who will need to develop a lot more plate discipline to go with his big bat before he's ready to step into his father's big-league shoes.

More Scouting Book Info on Cutter Dykstra >

251

252. Danny Duffy

LHP, KC

The next phenom, or another phizzle from the KC draft department? One thing is for sure, the very talented Daniel Duffy certainly gets people's attention when he takes the mound.

He escaped many high-school scouts' notice with his small frame and 80mph fastball as a sophomore, but by the time he hit 18, Duffy had filled out into a 6-3, 200lb frame and his fastball came along with him: readings during his final high school season broke 95mph on radar guns while the lefthander routinely struck out 13, 14, up to 17 hapless batters per game.

Drafted in 2007's third round by the Royals, Duffy dominated the fall Arizona rookie league with 55 strikeouts in 30 innings, allowing only a microscopic 1.19 ERA.

As might be expected from such a young talent, Duffy's control can be a bit erratic, and his breaking pitches are works in progress, but scouts already like his makeup and maturity. If he continues to grow into the mental aspects of the game the way his body grew into the physical demands, Duffy could be a legitimate ace in a couple of years.

More Scouting Book Info on Danny Duffy >

252

253. Tanner Scheppers

RHP, FA

A hot prospect before the 2008 draft, Scheppers fell to the Pirates in the second round due to concerns about an unusual (but non-structural) shoulder injury. He's got great upside, so if the shoulder problems are really in the past, he's a heck of a sleeper candidate.

More Scouting Book Info on Tanner Scheppers >

253

254. Brad Hand

LHP, FLA

More Scouting Book Info on Brad Hand >

254

255. Anthony Gose

OF, PHI

A two-way player in high school, the lefthanded Gose has electric breaking stuff that should encourage the Phillies to leave him on the mound until he plays his way back into the outfield... but these are the Phillies, so it's anyone's guess how they'll deploy this high-maintenance talent.

More Scouting Book Info on Anthony Gose >

255

256. Jack Egbert

RHP, CHW

A 13th-round pick in the 2004 draft, Egbert has made a slow but steady climb through the Sox system. While he's never been a white-hot prospect, he does project as a solid back-of-rotation pitcher in the next few years.

Though helped by a pitchers park (a luxury he won't have if he reaches Chicago), the finesse-righthander posted impressive numbers: over 28 AA Birmingham starts, Egbert went 12-8 with a 3.07 ERA, showing off a K:BB rate near four. Though he appeared to wear down during the tail end of his 162 innings, he still projects to have the durability of a starter.

Egbert's change and curve could be tested in the bigs sometime in 2008, and if he holds up, he'll compete for a full-time job in 2009.

More Scouting Book Info on Jack Egbert >

256

257. Destin Hood

LF, WAS

Washington loves to collect powerful hitters, and Hood probably has more raw power than any player of his draft class. A three-sport star in high-school, Hood's linebacker physique certainly looks the part of big league slugger already.

More Scouting Book Info on Destin Hood >

257

258. Kyle Lobstein

LHP, TB

A soft-tossing lefty with plus control, the aptly-named Lobstein is a nice complement to the usual flame-throwing Rays prospects. His most likely route to the majors is as a reliever, but he could play his way into a starting role if he keeps up the superior results.

More Scouting Book Info on Kyle Lobstein >

258

259. Yukinaga Maeda

LHP, TEX

One of very few Japanese lefthanders who's considered MLB-ready, Maeda is also the oldest of the handful of pitchers who are considering the major leagues for 2008.

While he's been a starter in Japan, he is also a fascinating option in relief, as he brings a wide variety of pitches to the mound. Most intriguingly, he has the kind of inning-ending sinker (it's actually a knuckle-sinker) that may make him a boon as a situational lefty somewhere.

More Scouting Book Info on Yukinaga Maeda >

259

260. Koji Uehara

RHP, FA

An old teammate of Hideki Matsui, Uehara is one of Japan's most promising pitchers, and one who's very likely to appear in a Major League uniform someday.

He features a 88-90 mph fastball, a nice cutter, two kinds of forkball, and an outstanding slider. His pitches are all thrown with tremendous accuracy, and he rarely need to work from behind in the count. (His career K:BB ratio is an eye-popping 6.7).

Uehara has battled shoulder problems in recent years, limiting his innings, though he seems to be recovered from them. Koji's throwing motion is clean and perfectly reproducible. Not surprisingly, that makes his pitches hard to read, and he can make hitters look bad with apparent ease.

More Scouting Book Info on Koji Uehara >

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261. Michael Lynn

RHP, STL

A righthanded starter who had Tommy John surgery in his first college season, Michael (Lance) Lynn doesn't pitch the way he looks. Despite the large frame and power physique, he's been more of a control specialist throughout his college career at Ole Miss. He'll be one of Dave Duncan's pet projects for the next while. Duncan is likely to disassemble the young man's mechanics, then rebuild him to be a more effective power man.

More Scouting Book Info on Michael Lynn >

261

262. Joseph Austin

CF, HOU

A raw high-school outfield prospect who's many years away from becoming a known quantity, 2008 second-rounder Austin is part of Houston's long-term plan to consolidate good Texas puns on their roster. Trades for Huston Street and Dallas Braden are probably in the works, too.

More Scouting Book Info on Joseph Austin >

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263. Eli Iorg

OF, HOU

One of baseball's gaggle of Iorgs, Cale's older brother Eli is a gap-hitting corner outfielder with a plus arm. While he suffered a nasty setback in early 2007 (tearing an elbow ligament while diving for a line drive), he did return late in the season an produced. He'll be 25 this spring, though, so the window for him to arrive is closing. If he does show up in a Houston uniform, he'll be one of an elite group of players whose names include more vowels than consonants.

More Scouting Book Info on Eli Iorg >

263

264. Michihiro Ogasawara

1B, FA

In 2006, Michi lead the league in homers and RBIs, while helping lead his club to their first Japan Series crown in 44 years. A composed player and a fine fielder at both 1B and 3B, which would attract many MLB teams. As a free agent, Ogasawara does not require a posting fee, making him quite affordable.

Michihiro Ogasawara recently (and surprisingly) declared his free agency. He has received very strong offers from many Japanese clubs, but insists he intends to test the free agent market. Whether that means he wishes to pursue a major league career has not been established. At age 34, this would likely be his last opportunity. His ranking on our 'prospects' list demonstrates the value he could provide a team's lineup while playing 1B or 3B, both positions that have grown shallow in recent years.

More Scouting Book Info on Michihiro Ogasawara >

264

265. Gerrit Cole

RHP, FA

Often listed as one of the five best arms in the 2008 draft, righthander Gerrit Cole fell to the Yankees at the 28th pick due to signability concerns and the ever-looming shadow of superagent Scott Boras, who must be cloning himself by now to represent so many players at the same time. Cole throws a high-90's fastball and shows a plus slider at times, with a changeup that could also develop into a plus offering. Some coaches, though, see problematic mechanics that could lead to injury down the road. The Yanks aren't saying whether they see Cole as a starter or closer, but either way it's hard to not take his stuff seriously.

Helping you track baseball prospects, sleepers and rookies. (Closers, too!)

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2009

Now updated for 2009's Most Likely Top Prospects

Baseball's Top Prospects for Early 2009

251. Cutter Dykstra

252. Danny Duffy

253. Tanner Scheppers

254. Brad Hand

255. Anthony Gose

256. Jack Egbert

257. Destin Hood

258. Kyle Lobstein

259. Yukinaga Maeda

260. Koji Uehara

261. Michael Lynn

262. Joseph Austin

263. Eli Iorg

264. Michihiro Ogasawara

265. Gerrit Cole

Shutting Down, Starting Up

Closing the Book on 2008 and Looking Ahead to Next Year

Closing Time: Wait 'Til Next Year!

Seven Teams are Taking an Early Look at 2009 Closer Options

Dunn Just Right for Prospects

Adam Dunn Traded for Dallas Buck, Others

And One More Thing...

Prospects, Relievers and Throw-ins are Often Keys to Deadline Deals

Batters Up!

As the Second Half Starts, New Top Prospects Emerge

Second Half Prospects for 2008 and 2009

Midseason Cleanup Underway for Second Half Prospects

Harden Traded for Prospects

In trading Rich Harden, the A's continue to load up on prospects

Many Prospects for One Big Pitcher

CC is Traded, We Survey the Prospects Included

Closer... Closer... Almost There...

In the NL, a Number of Closer Situations in Flux

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Helping you track baseball prospects, sleepers and rookies. (Closers, too!)

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2009

Now updated for 2009's Most Likely Top Prospects

Baseball's Top Prospects for Early 2009

251. Cutter Dykstra

252. Danny Duffy

253. Tanner Scheppers

254. Brad Hand

255. Anthony Gose

256. Jack Egbert

257. Destin Hood

258. Kyle Lobstein

259. Yukinaga Maeda

260. Koji Uehara

261. Michael Lynn

262. Joseph Austin

263. Eli Iorg

264. Michihiro Ogasawara

265. Gerrit Cole

Closing the Book on 2008 and Looking Ahead to Next Year

Seven Teams are Taking an Early Look at 2009 Closer Options

Adam Dunn Traded for Dallas Buck, Others

Prospects, Relievers and Throw-ins are Often Keys to Deadline Deals

As the Second Half Starts, New Top Prospects Emerge

Midseason Cleanup Underway for Second Half Prospects

In trading Rich Harden, the A's continue to load up on prospects

CC is Traded, We Survey the Prospects Included

In the NL, a Number of Closer Situations in Flux

Rising and Falling

Recently-Changed Rankings

ScoutingBook's Top Early 2009 Prospects