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.
If you think you have found a mistake, please read this blog entry before telling us. Then tell us.
A true five-tool talent who has been slow to develop, the Blue Jays Justin Jackson still looks like he could play any position on the field once his skills catch up to his raw tools. Shortstop is the first position he'll need to exhaust, of coure, and his plus range, fast feet and absolute cannon of an arm could make him a gold glove candidate someday at that position. At the plate, he shows good discipline and reasonable strike zone judgement for such a young player, though neither of these traits has developed to any better level than he displayed as a 16 year old yet. When he swings, his bat usually makes solid contact, but he's still got some length in that swing that pitchers continue to exploit, holding down his performance significantly. If he can shorten his stroke and learn to handle hard stuff inside, he'll be a star in a few years, but he's not exactly on a fast track.
Full Scouting Report for Justin Jackson
SB 341BA SC BP SN ES ML
One of the top high-school pitchers available in 2007, Smoker unexpectedly slipped to the supplemental round, where he was gobbled up by the Nationals. His long arm and easy, slinging action let him throw a low to mid-90's fastball with the same apparent motion as his slider, splitter and change. The net result of all that? Filthy.
Full Scouting Report for Josh Smoker
SB 342BA SC BP SN ES ML
A talented hitter signed out of Dominica at the end of 2007, third baseman Edinson Rincon didn't have much use for rookie ball, and didn't have much trouble at high-A Lake Elsinore in 2011, either ( .329/.394/497). His fielding is still a mess (18 errors in 39 starts at third) but even that's an improvement over his earleir work. He'll still have time to polish, polish and polish: unless the NL adopts a DH, he won't be playing every day for awhile.
Full Scouting Report for Edinson Rincon
SB 343BA SC BP SN ES ML
Widely seen as the best high school athlete available in the 2009 draft, outfielder Donavan Tate draws comparisons to Tim Beckham for his tools-to-the-wall talent and approach. After a .283/.406/.409 line at low-A Eugene, he's destined for Fort Wayne in the tougher Midwest League in 2012, and the Padres will probably continue to move him slowly, one level per year, until he's ready for the Bigs around 2015. He's raw, of course, and very young, but he has a big, strong build and a swing that looks suited to major league power. It's a shame that San Diego's ballpark will hide that.
Full Scouting Report for Donavan Tate
SB 344BA SC BP SN ES ML
A talented but incomplete outfielder who committed to Georgia Tech in both football (safety) and baseball before being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the middle of 2010's first round, Jake Skole is the kind of powerful left-handed bat that plays well in Arlington. He looked pretty good in A-level Hickory (Sally League) in 2011, but his .264/.366/.389 line isn't what coaches expect to see in such a hitter-happy place, and his strikeout rate has been climing to scary-bad levels. He's still only nineteen, of course, so hang in there. He'll try to work into high-A ball this year, and pick up a little discipline along the way.
Full Scouting Report for Jake Skole
SB 345BA SC BP SN ES ML
The 19th pick of the 2009 draft's second round, righthander Tanner Bushue is a 6-4 teenager who can hit the upper 90's with his fastball, though he usually works around 92-94mph. He's a long way on the horizon, and struggled mightily in 2011's A-level work, but in a thin farm system he could be moved up as quickly as he can handle it.
Full Scouting Report for Tanner Bushue
SB 346BA SC BP SN ES ML
With three plus-pitches, one of them a plus-plus curve, Jack McGee should have a very bright future. There is some concern over his stamina, however, so he's probably looking at a career in the bullpen. Still, a left-handed strikeout artist is a nice pickup, no matter which inning it is when he takes the mound. He scuffled a bit in 2011, but Tampa should stick with him, at least until he shows that he can handle a little failure mixed in with all that success.
Full Scouting Report for Jake McGee
SB 347BA SC BP SN ES ML
Released by the Cubs before he even set foot in Wrigley, outfielder Fernando Perez is a natural center fielder with impossibly good range, A onetime obvious leadoff candidate. He hasn't really reached his hitting potential as hoped (he 'hit' only .238 and .187 in his two AAA stops last year), but he's already shown a proficiency for pitch recognition and baserunning that's years beyond his formal training. 'Mr Excitement' should have an easier time landing an everyday MLB job for his new owners in New York than he did for those pickier owners in Chicago and Tampa Bay.
Full Scouting Report for Fernando Perez
SB 348BA SC BP SN ES ML
Gattis, an offensive-minded catcher, hit .322 in A ball last year, enough to collect the pitching-friendly South Atlantic League's batting title. A big, strong hitter, he's still a long way from Turner Field, but it's nice to see that the Braves do have prospects like Gattis and Christian Bethancourt in the pipe to replace Brian McCann someday.
Full Scouting Report for Evan Gattis
SB 349BA SC BP SN ES ML
A top third base prospect in the Padres system, James (JD) Darnell slashed a nice .265/.348/.408 line in his very first season of AA ball in 2010, following it up with similar numbers at AAA Tuscon in 2011. A well-rounded hitter who has more than just corner pop, Darnell has doubles hustle and good baserunning skills despite raw speed that's only average. His fielding is a work in progress for now, and it's possible that his training may be cut short with a move across the diamond to first base in the future, but at present he looks like a good long-term value for the Padres, and his work in the minors will continue to focus on fielding drills and defense while he competes for an MLB job that he's almost qualified for already.
Full Scouting Report for James Darnell
SB 350BA SC BP SN ES ML
If any prospect ever needed a nickname, it's Cubs righthander Chris (J) Carpenter. A big power arm out of Kent State, Carpenter's early Tommy John surgery kept him in the shadows for awhile, and left him dangling until the Draft's third round. Carpenter, who we're now calling CJ, worked a few innings in 2011 but should get his real opportunity in 2012.
Full Scouting Report for Chris Carpenter
SB 351BA SC BP SN ES ML
A burly righthander from Kennesaw State, Toronto's Chad Jenkins is a promising workhorse starter who could push his way into the back of the Toronto rotation sooner than some of the bigger names on the farm. The rare kind of prospect talent who already possessses four workable pitches, Jenkins throws both a four- and two-seam fastball (the latter with serious sink) and mixes in a strikeout slider and a change that could be a real plus pitch. His projectable body and well-regarded baseball smarts all add up to rapid advancement but a low ceiling. His 5-7, 4.13, 1.20 season at AA New Hampshire suggests he needs another year on the farm before he's a serious rotation candidate, but his 74:27 strikeout to walk rate proves there's no real shortcoming here other than a lack of experience.
Full Scouting Report for Chad Jenkins
SB 352BA SC BP SN ES ML
Only one thing is certain: Darren Ford is a speed-demon. One of the fastest players in minor league ball, his base-stealing ability, defense and range in center is top-notch and unquestioned. There's a shortage of optimism regarding his bat, however. Unless he turns it up a notch, his future looks like the role of a pinch-running, defensive replacement fourth outfielder. That's how the Giants used him in 2010, and 2011, when they decided tor reward his hard minor league work with a cup of coffee each year that reflected his strengths perfectly: he's the proud owner of nine major league steals, with only 14ABs on his record. He's not going to blossom into a power hitter, ever, but it would sure be nice if he could add some more gap power to his Juan Pierre-style resume.
Full Scouting Report for Darren Ford
SB 353BA SC BP SN ES ML
A mature prospect who recently defected from Cuba, Leslie Anderson (Stephens) is a plus-contact hitter with a high level of patience and discipline that's uncharacteristic of most Latin American exports. In Cuba, he has been experienced at both infield and outfield corners, and he even subbed in at centerfield for the power-laden Cuban National team in 2008. A natural lefthander in the field and at the plate, he projects as an MLB corner with better defense and less power than most. He definitely looked comfortable in AAA Durham last year, putting up a near identical .277/.359/.418 line to the one he posted a year earlier, though he did raise his homer ttal from 11 to 13. He will turn 30 n 2011, so he doesn't have much room to develop, but he looks good enough to be on Tampa's bench tomorrow, so maybe that's just as well.
Full Scouting Report for Leslie Anderson
SB 354BA SC BP SN ES ML
Drafted and signed right along with fellow Angel outfield prospect Mike Trout, Randall Grichuk is a slightly different kind of player, one probably better suited to a higher-power corner outfield spot than the athletic Trout. Grichuk zipped through three levels of minor league ball in 2011, and his highest stop (high-A Inland Empire) was actually his best, as he slashed .283 .316 .491 in three weeks with the club. He'll start 2012 in the same uniform, and a strong season could get him to the waiting list at AA. The timing here makes it possible that Grichuk, along with Trout and speedster Peter Bourjos, could soon form the most talented, fastest and youngest outfields in the majors.
Full Scouting Report for Randal Grichuk
SB 355BA SC BP SN ES ML
The San Diego Padres third round pick of the 2006 MLB Draft, Hunter dominated the rookie league with a league-best .371 average immediately after signing, but has been less stellar since, though he's always played well enough to stay on the charts and move up the levels when appropriate. Most recently, he banged an acceptable 255 .322 .358 line at AAA Tuscon and went 1-for-4 (single, caught stealing) in a brief cup of coffee. He's looking a lot like a fourth outfielder to us, but the way Petco burns them out, that might be enough to guarantee him MLB time in 2012 right there.
Full Scouting Report for Cedric Hunter
SB 356BA SC BP SN ES ML
Drafted as a shortstop, the switch-hitting Ahrens has since been moved to 3B due to his lack of speed and fielding quickness. His bat is solid, though, especially from the right side, from which he can hit for both power and average at a near-MLB level, despite his young age. He improved on his 2010 numbers when he returned to high-A Dunedin in 2011, slashing .242/.334/.389 and popping 13 homers in 429 at-bats. He'll try to make the move to double-A this season.
Full Scouting Report for Kevin Ahrens
SB 357BA SC BP SN ES ML
A strong, fast high school outfielder who's drawn Jay Bruce comparisons, Collier is one of the rising young stars of the weak but rapidly-expanding Phillies farm system. He's a very raw talent who's shown five tool potential. While he didn't set off any fire alarms in 2011, he looked like a quality player at A-level Lakewood (.255/.328/.349). Now we'll see if he can hit a breaking ball.
Full Scouting Report for Zach Collier
SB 358BA SC BP SN ES ML
Juan Yasser Serrano is lanky Cuban righthander who defected to the United States in April 2009. Serrano gained some attention in the US when he helped the junior national team to a 2-1 defeat of the USA for at the Pan-Am Games, but that's the extent of his exposure in America. Back in Cuba, he posted a 16-23 'lifetime' record as a starter, and didn't look like much of a premium prospect in his final year with Villa Clara. We can forgive his mind being on his pending defection, but what we have trouble forgiving is the 6.46 ERA and .312 opponents' batting average across sixteen starts.
Full Scouting Report for Juan Serrano
SB 359BA SC BP SN ES ML
A two-way player drafted by the Cubs as a pitcher in 2008, Randy 'Jay' Jackson is a sturdy righthander with a heavy 93mph fastball and an average curve. Jackson went 8-14 with a 5.34 ERA in 26 starts with AAA Iowa this season. Originally selected by the Cubs in the ninth round of the 2008 Draft, he's got some 2012 sleeper potential as a fifth (or sixth) starter, but if the Cubs need a power righthanded arm in the bullpen sooner than that, the kid they (should) call 'Dawg' could get a look-see a lot sooner than that.
Full Scouting Report for Jay Jackson
SB 360BA SC BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
341 to 360 of 525 Prospects
