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

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2008

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 Spring 2008

31. Wade Davis

RHP, TB

Jacob McGee's old rotation partner in the Midwest League, he's the proud owner of a 3:1 K:BB ration and a 1.30 WHIP. And since Tampa runs its team on young pitchers, good luck and gasoline fumes, he's bound to get a shot sometime this year. We like him as a starter, but some may prefer the fastball in the pen.

More Scouting Book Info on Wade Davis >

SB #31 | BA #17 | BP #15 | ML #12 | SN #29 | ES #15

32. Max Scherzer

RHP, ARZ

A first round pick by KC in 2006, Scherzer ended up going to Arizona due to signability problems, where he promptly struck out 30 batters in his first three starts. He's a phenom with a plus fastball (some say plus-plus) and a slider so nasty that he rode it all the way to Double-A in his first season after cutting through single-A hitters as though they were little-leaguers.

Scherzer's ERA in single-A ball? An impossible 0.53, with a 15:1 (sic) strikeout to ball ratio. He had a bit of a more human time in double-A, but he outclassed those hitters as well, racking up 76 strikeouts in only 73 innings.

While he has the durability to start and go deep, and he's still working on a changeup and curve to complement his nasty pitches, he may not need them: the combination of his already-effective power stuff and max-effort approach could probably make him an effective MLB closer tomorrow.

More Scouting Book Info on Max Scherzer >

SB #32 | BA #66 | BP #90 | ML #35 | SN #40 | ES #81

33. Gio Gonzalez

LHP, OAK

The White Sox thought so little of him that they practically gave him away in the Jim Thome trade. On the other hand, they liked him enough to bring him back a year later... and then they thought so little a second time that they packed him off in a deal for Nick Swisher. So what gives?

Well, he's got a 3:1 K to BB ratio and has maintained a WHIP under 1.4 for the last two years, which is quite impressive considering the ramped up batting he faced. Oh, and he's left-handed. This should make him a solid guy for the A's (?) in the near future, probably a solid number three or four starter... with an outside shot at being a viable number one or two guy.

Unless, of course, Chicago knows something the rest of us don't.

More Scouting Book Info on Gio Gonzalez >

SB #33 | BA #26 | BP #56 | ML #24 | SN #27 | ES unranked

34. Alexei Ramirez

OF, CHW

The multi-tooled Cuban slugger has been acquiring nicknames almost as fast as he's attracting fans. While he's let to play a major league game, he's already known as "X-Ram", "The Cuban Missile", and even "Taco Taco" after his birthplace. Ramirez was the Cuban League's best hitter last year (.335) while knocking 20 homers for Pinar Del Rio, his home-town team.

A gifted athlete who prefers shortstop, he also played second base in Pinar del Rio, and we're going to make the guess that he'll be used both at second and in the outfield this year for Chicago, since those are pretty non-demanding positions for him to handle while devoting his energy to learning both English and AL pitching. The adjustment period may hurt him for this season, but he still could end up with special value as a super-utility man, so if you're a fantasy league player, pay close attention to how he qualifies under your league rules. He could be an end-of-draft steal at shortstop, or an average big-leaguer in the outfield, for example. With a four year contract and a hot spring training, he could break camp with the major league team, and he'll certainly be given every opportunity to stick there.

More Scouting Book Info on Alexei Ramirez >

35. Carlos Gonzalez

OF, OAK

The number one prospect in the DBacks system before being shipped to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal, Gonzalez also has the best arm in the organization. He has developing power and a fastball-burning inside out swing. A good all-around baseball player who excels across the board, his quality defense and smart baserunning complement his strong offensive game. While he'll have to do it in a tougher ballpark and surrounded by less of a lineup, he should still manage to become a key part of the Oakland outfield in short order.

To shore things up, however, Gonzalez could use more walks and fewer strikeouts, two areas in which he has shown slow but steady improvement during strong winter league performances.

More Scouting Book Info on Carlos Gonzalez >

SB #35 | BA #22 | BP #26 | ML #23 | SN #32 | ES #42

36. Scott Elbert

LHP, LAD

The Dodgers passed up Phil Hughes for Elbert -- maybe foolishly -- but there's nothing foolish about Elbert. One of the minors' best left-handed pitchers, the first round pick Elbert has power stuff with an exploding 93-95 mph fastball and a sinker/slider that's best in class.

However, Elbert's delivery is unconventional, often leading to some disastrous walk numbers in 2006 and a few fingers pointing him to the Instructional League. His control looked more in hand before his 2007 season was shut down for some (minor) cleanup surgery, which makes him an intriguing prospect for 2008. He may be ranked much too low on many lists because of his lost season.

Elbert's arm quality is very very high, and he seems to have the mental makeup to survive some bumps along his path to the majors. Since the combination of the surgery flag and his odd delivery may scare too many people into ranking him quite low, he's an excellent sleeper candidate for 2009. Chad Billingsley and Clay Kershaw might get a lot of the attention in LA, but Elbert just might be the real future ace of the Dodgers.

More Scouting Book Info on Scott Elbert >

SB #36 | BA #88 | BP #66 | ML #36 | SN unranked | ES unranked

37. Matt LaPorta

OF, CLE

He might have been better off going to an AL team and settling in as a DH for the next 20 years, but even if sent out to left field six days each week or adapted for first base duty, LaPorta should produce big numbers in MLB in the near future. He's a bit blocked in Milwaukee, but the Brewers are good at making space when they need to, so he shouldn't need to stew too long.

One of college ball's best sluggers the last couple of years, LaPorta's ridiculous .579 OBP is impossible to igmore. A power hitter who also has an exceptional batting eye, he ended the college season last year in the country's top 20 in almost every category, from batting average to homers, slugging percentage to runs scored.

While he's unlikely to make the big league team in 2008 because of Milwaukee's embarassment of riches, he does stand a chance of making a Jack Cust-like breakout at midseason or later.

More Scouting Book Info on Matt LaPorta >

SB #37 | BA #23 | BP #31 | ML unranked | SN #43 | ES #37

38. Travis Snider

OF, TOR

Snider is a very young, very strong, and very promising prospect in the Blue Jays system. Sniders rise through the Toronto system is impressive: at Lansing (Low-A) in 2007 he hit .313 with 16 home runs in 118 games, and he looked even better in the Fall League, hitting .316 and slugging .541 in Arizona.

He's still very young, and if his defense develops a little more he could be a viable OF or 1B. More likely, though, he'll enter MLB as part of the new generation of young, full-time DHs. He could start to contribute big numbers by 2010. No private notes.

More Scouting Book Info on Travis Snider >

SB #38 | BA #11 | BP #7 | ML #15 | SN #37 | ES #7

39. Brandon Wood

SS, LAA

As expected, the ever-patient Angels left their baby slugger smoldering at AAA for almost all of 2007.

He strikes out a bit too much, still, but when he connects it's worth your ticket price. His size and strength might encourage a move to a new position, but as long as the Angels get adequate defense from him, they'll be happy. With batting champ Howie Kendrick locked in at second base, his likely destination is third base or left field, should veterans Chone Figgins or Gary Matthews Jr. factor out of the LA plans in the future.

Independent of openings, he'll get a long look in 2008, but with the logjam of bats in the Angels lineup, it's hard to say whether he'll have a chance to stick unless trades or injuries clear a path for him.

More Scouting Book Info on Brandon Wood >

SB #39 | BA #16 | BP #38 | ML #19 | SN #18 | ES #34

40. Homer Bailey

RHP, CIN

The next Nolan Ryan? The next Roger Clemens? Or the next Kerry Wood? No matter what the comparisons, the young pitcher with the unfortunate name is definitely under pressure to perform, and soon, for his ballclub. After going 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA at AA in 2006, and suffering some nasty growing pains during his brief time in the majors last year, he doesn't have much room to move.

Still, he will likely get a good look in Spring Training as a presumed starter before being sent down to AAA once again to begin the year. The Reds would like to keep him on a regular schedule there, but given the topsy-turvy situation in Cincinnati, whose rotation goes from 'Arroyo-and-Harang' to 'Other', a midseason or earlier callup is likely.

When this happens, expect him to get hammered hard in the bandbox ballpark again, just like in 2007, before figuring out how to win there. While the pressure and obstacles will make for a rough ride, as long as he shows the mental character to match his physical makeup, he could be a name to be mentioned among the greats. Just not... quite... yet.