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.
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The Best 20 Second Base Prospects for 2012
Showing 1 to 20 of 20. Overall SB ranking for 2012 shown in parentheses.
Ryan 'Scooter' Gennett is a fast-rising middle infielder in the Milwaukee Brewers system. A small-framed fireplug, the lefty-swinging Gennett destroyed high-A Brevard County last year just the way he chewed up low-A Wisconsin the year before. His .334/.406/.740 performance probably merits another promotion, but his sloppy baserunning and lack of power might necessitate a little more training time in high-A first. In the field he played second base exclusively, leaving shortstop in his past, and while his glovework isn't exceptional, it should be good enough to get his bat into play. If he can round the rough edges of his game, he will be ready for the two-hole in the Milwaukee order sometime in 2013.
Full Scouting Report for Scooter Gennett
SB 44BA SC BP SN ES ML
Juan Carlos Segura is a toolbox of talent currently growing in the Los Angeles Angels system. While long-seen as a solid gloveman, he's also got true plus speed, and he's slouch with the stick, either: the diminutive Dominican slashed .281/.337/.422 at high-A Inland Empire last season, stealing 18 bases in 24 attempts while at it. He also shows exceptional discipline at the plate for such a young player. He may end up moved to the outfield, depending how the Anaheim pipeline arranges itself, but it shouldn't matter: he can play anywhere. If he can get into AA by midseason, he'll be in position to make his final push for a big-league job.
Full Scouting Report for Jean Segura
SB 50BA SC 22BP SN ES ML 55
The 22nd overall pick of the 2011 player draft, tiny Hawaiian Kolten Wong already looks like St. Louis's second baseman of the very near future. A polished college hitter with a 1.013 career OPS, he's also a developing fielder who should be able to improve the .964 he recorded in his very first taste of professional baseball. He'll be in Busch by 2014, if not sooner.
Full Scouting Report for Kolten Wong
SB 83BA SC BP SN ES ML
A shortstop who's probably better off at second or third, Curacao native Jonathan Schoop's second turn through high-A ball in the Oriole system was a lot more successful than his first. Schoop silenced critics by slashing .271/.329/.375 at Carolina after shredding the low-A Sally League with a .316/.376/.514 line in the spring. A high-contact hitter with developing power, Schoop is still adding bulk, which should help some of the 24 doubles he hit in 2011 turn into future homers. As it is, he still looks near ready for the bigs, with only another year or so of eyeball-training remaining. He should face the toughest pitching of his career in 2012, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds.
Full Scouting Report for Jon Schoop
SB 111BA SC 89BP SN ES ML
A successful shortstop in college whose range was enough of a question mark to merit a cautious move to second, South Carolina graduate David (Reese) Havens could make a heck of a second baseman for a future Mets infield that already includes the player picked just before him in the 2008 Draft, first baseman Ike Davis. A solid line drive hitter with plus plate discipline, Havens could be a long-term keystone solution for the post-Reyes Mets.
Full Scouting Report for Reese Havens
SB 145BA SC BP SN ES ML
With one of the fastest home-to-first sprints since Ichiro and an OBP over .400 in his first season of pro ball, Padres prospect Cory Spangenberg is already looking very capable of sitting atop a San Diego batting order very soon. The versatile infielder played third base in college but will almost certainly be a second baseman in San Diego.
Full Scouting Report for Cory Spangenberg
SB 201BA SC BP SN ES ML 81
He doesn't have the upside of Manny Machado, but infielder Ryan Adams should succeed in MLB sooner, and there's no reason to believe he won't have a long and successful career, even if he isn't a perennial All Star.
Full Scouting Report for Ryan Adams
SB 210BA SC BP SN ES ML
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.
Full Scouting Report for Taylor Lindsey
SB 221BA SC BP SN ES ML
The junior Delino is a shorter, stronger, faster and very much more righthanded version of his father. Which is to say, he's not very much like his father at all. What Delino is is a highly athletic all around ballplayer with superior defensive skills, a contact bat that should play at almost any position and serious plus plus speed. While he's still a ways from MLB, his athleticism and bloodline propel him to the front of Houston's weak farm system right away.
Full Scouting Report for Delino DeShields
SB 249BA SC BP SN ES ML
A stout, versatile infielder who's already bounced around a few ballclubs, Denker won't win any home run competitions. He can, however, spray hits all over the field with abandon: he's put up .300ish averages at every minor league stop since 2005. Already an ex-Mariner, ex-Red Sox, ex-Padre and ex-Giant, he's now providing some depth in the Dodger system. He needs to find a higher gear if he's ever going to break out of AAAA status.
Full Scouting Report for Travis Denker
SB 263BA SC BP SN ES ML
A small-framed midwestern shortstop drafted in the 21st round back in 2008, Vincent Logan Watkins has pulled himself up to the top tier of Cubs prospects on the strength of his steady bat. Watkins spent all of 2011 in high-A Daytona, playing quite literally all over the field, as he started games in left, right, center as well as at third base, shortstop and his 'real' position of second base. As hoped, he found a bit of power, too, slashing an impressive .352/ .404 /.756 line that should propel him to the next level of play in 2012. He looks like the best bet (so far) to join Starlin Castro in a young and exciting double-play combination in the near future... let's call it 2014.
Full Scouting Report for Logan Watkins
SB 277BA SC BP SN ES ML
Antonelli is a little-known but quality athlete who could have a bright future at almost any fielding position in Baltimore.
Full Scouting Report for Matt Antonelli
SB 320BA SC BP SN ES ML
A college shortstop with enough determination to make up for his limited power ceiling, Mark Hallberg is a scrappy infielder who could make a few major league teams right now as a utility infielder and bench-deepener. The fiesty army brat smashed .362 as a Fantasy Islander in 2008, landing him the Hawaiian League MVP award and making him look like a viable starter in Arizona, but he came down to earth in the last two seasons, most recently slashing a respectable but unremarkable .279/.343/.399 line in the Diamondback waiting room in AAA Reno. He may play with the big boys in 2012, but it won't be a starring role.
Full Scouting Report for Mark Hallberg
SB 322BA SC BP SN ES ML
An on-again/off-again prospect, Crabbe's chances of breaking into major league ball are declining rapidly as he turns 28, though he still has the tools to do so. A contact hitter with good on-base skills and solid infield hands, Crabbe's short-term value may be as a utility player, and he does evoke a certain Pokey Reese style in his day to day play. If an injury takes out any of the infielders ahead of him, he's more than capable of stepping in and holding his own. P.S.: Those of you thinking about how great a baseball name Callix Crabbe has may also wish to note that the gentleman's middle name is 'Sadeaq'.
Full Scouting Report for Callix Crabbe
SB 378BA SC BP SN ES ML
A sixth round pick by the Rockies who ended up on the Pirates only after a detour in Oakland, second baseman Corey Wimberly has actually played every position in his six year minor league career as coaches try to find the best place for him: in 2011 he split duty between second base and the outfield positions. A player who reminds coaches of a lesser Chone Figgins, his speed could play well in the majors and should offset his lack of power: he's stolen almost 300 minor league bases but cleared the fences only 10 times in his career. (In his college career, that entertaining ratio was 82:1).
Full Scouting Report for Corey Wimberly
SB 403BA SC BP SN ES ML
Baseball America's High School Player of the Year for 2006 is still a bit raw, but his development has been very strong. Adrian is a good contact hitter, with solid line-drive power to all fields, which many scouts expect to grow in the future. Defensively, he's capable but not a star: he has been moved down the spectrum from SS to 2B, but most expect him to stick there for the foreseeable future, which makes him a possible full-time Athletic in the near future. His .314/.374/.418 line in a full season at AAA Sacramento certainly suggests there's nowhere else for him to go.
Full Scouting Report for Adrian Cardenas
SB 405BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Mets opening day starter at second base in 2011 lasted only 18 days before being designated for assignment, after which he returned briefly to Toronto before being shipped right off to Colorado. A polished infield prospect via Tulane, Brad Emaus projects as a solid-average major league second baseman in the near future, though he's not exactly lighting up scoreboards or filling highlight reels, if you follow. He should be a useful piece in a restructuring Rockies team, but he's just as likely to be rebundled yet again to a team in more desperate middle infield straits.
Full Scouting Report for Brad Emaus
SB 432BA SC BP SN ES ML
A solid contact hitter with good speed, Noonan hasn't moved ahead of his coopetitors in the last two seasons, and in fact seems to have even regressed a bit in his climb up the ladder. He remains raw, lacks a dominant skill, and still needs to add a lot of polish to push ahead of the pack. What he still has is the tools and makeup of an everyday second baseman, with the fair-to-good power that the modern position seems to require. He needs to break out this year to remain relevant.
Full Scouting Report for Nick Noonan
SB 459BA SC BP SN ES ML
The son of ex-major leaguer Tim Hulett, junior is an offensive-minded second baseman of the tough as nails variety. While he lacks serious power, he has shown excellent discipline and occasional pop while maintaining an OBP over .400 for most of his career. He's also been a team leader and is considered a good clubhouse personality, which bodes well for his future, but doesn't say much for the fact he's already got six major league teams on his young resume. Washington was just the latest to give him a chance. He's 29 this year, which means he really needs an everyday job soon, even if it's just bench duty.
Full Scouting Report for Tug Hulett
SB 478BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp's number one draft pick in 1999, infielder Akihiro Higashide is a free agent eligible player who has contemplated a move to the USA for some time. He has seen interest from a number of MLB teams, including the San Francisco Giants.
Full Scouting Report for Akihiro Higashide
SB 505BA SC BP SN ES ML
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
