Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
SS, CHC
A darling prospect in the Cubs system, Dominican teenager Starlin Castro is seen by many scouts as Chicago's future franchise shortstop. He has a soft glove, strong arm and plus range, so he should stick at the position. Meanwhile, he has the bat control and discipline to hit near-.300 while slashing line drives to all fields. His speed is only a tick above-average, and he hasn't any power to speak of, but that shouldn't matter. As long as he gets enough reps over the next season or two, he could be a regular fixture at Wrigley thereafter. Of course, that's assuming the Cubs don't panic and bring him up sooner than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Starlin Castro >
31
OF, SEA
A scout's wet dream, Dustin Ackley was one of the best college hitters of the 2009 class, if not the absolute best available bat. After destroying ACC pitching as a freshman, he was taken second overall by the Seattle Mariners. While his speed and toolset might bump him up to the outfield, he's also competent at third as well as first base, a position he played in college while recovering from surgery for a full season, and the Mariners have recently experimented with playing him at second base in order to balance out their outfield-heavy farm. His defense won't make much difference, though, as it's his combination of plus contact and patience that's worth drooling about. He could replace Ichiro as Seattle's on-base machine in a few years.
More Scouting Book Info on Dustin Ackley >
32
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 >
33
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 >
34
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 >
35
3B, KC
The prodigy of Chatsworth high-school was drafted as a shortstop in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft by Kansas City. Now a line-drive hitting third-baseman, Moose hit 16 homers as a 20 year old in the Carolina League in 2009. He's a bit blocked in KC, since they're stacked in young bats and already have premium rookie Alex Gordon at third, so look for him to arrive sometime in 2011, unless the Royals open up space by trading some of their other heralded prospects sooner than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Mike Moustakas >
36
LHP, ATL
A skilled lefthander from Vanderbilt, Michael 'Spike' Minor is a polished all-around pitcher who could add three above-average to plus pitches into the back end of a major league rotation sometime in 2010. His fastball tops out around 92mph, but its his breaking balls that will get him to the big-leagues anyway. He's not the uber-talent that schoolmate David Price was, but he's a product of the same system and it shows in his plus makeup and advanced feel for pitching. He should be ready to step into the Braves rotation come 2011 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Mike Minor >
37
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 >
38
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 >
39
1B, ATL
A two-way player converted to full-time hitter by the Braves, second round (2007) draft pick Freddie Freeman is an underrated hitting talent. He hit a first-half .285/.339/.484 in the Sally League last year, but cranked that up to .349/.418/.562 for the second half, ending up among the top ten SAL hitters in most offensive categories. He's still more of a doubles hitter than a lightstand-artist, and his defense at first base (a new position for him) is only average, but with a huge frame and quick hands he could turn into a 30-homer man in short order. He'll be in the minors awhile, probably spending 2010 in AA, but in terms of raw talent he's one of the most promising Braves prospects right now. A nice sleeper for late 2011.
More Scouting Book Info on Freddie Freeman >
40
31. Starlin Castro
32. Dustin Ackley
33. Michael Taylor
34. Kyle Drabek
36. Mike Moustakas
37. Mike Minor
38. Jarrod Parker
39. Christian Friedrich
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