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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Promising young infielder Jefry Marte is a high-ceiling talent who isn't lighting anyone's desire on fire just yet, but his respectable .248/.313/.346 line (with seven homers and fourteen stolen bases) as a 20 year old in St. Lucie (high A) last season does keep him on the list. He's still a long way off, but he might yet live up to his early billing as the best bat in the Mets system. Just don't bank on it happening before 2015 or later.
More Scouting Book Info on Jefry Marte
SB 401BA SC BP SN ES ML
Well, it's a better name for a pitcher than 'Homer', that's for sure. Described at the time of his signing as 'a big arm with a power breaking ball' who looked a bit unrefined, Pelzer hasn't done anything to shake that label in his time on the farm. That breaking ball is a sizzling slider, and when it's matched up against the 98mph fastball he keeps in his back pocket, the combination can be close to unhittable. He's still a bit raw, as can be expected, and that oh-so-important third pitch isn't yet on tap, but as long as he keeps up the hard work and solid conditioning he's already known for, Wynn could be the stuff of headline puns in Baltimore for many years to come. He'll need a good 2012 to get there, though.
More Scouting Book Info on Wynn Pelzer
SB 402BA SC BP SN ES ML
Brackman was scouted by the Yankees since his days in a Cincinnati high school. Brackman is a textbook example of a signing for raw potential. The Yankees finally cut him after watching him flail in the minors for a few seasons, making him a low-risk, high-upside sort of player for the much less invested Reds organization to gamble on. The Yank systems has never been known for getting the best from young pitchers, so some new coaches could do wonders, here.
More Scouting Book Info on Andrew Brackman
SB 403BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big hardthrowing lefty in the Randy Myers vein, Moskos was drafted fourth overall by the Pirates in 2007, despite concerns about whether he'd be able to stick as a frontline starter. He's a quality arm with great stuff, including a 94mph heater and plus slider, but he still has quite a lot to learn about pitching, though his improvements in 2011 were obvious: After 3.43 across 42 AAA innings, he got some use in Pittsburgh, where he maintained a similar 2.96 ERA in 24 innings of relief work. While in Pittsburgh, he struck out only 11 and walked 9, however, which means the Pirate brass is probably still spending a lot of time thinking how they might have better spent that draft pick: catcher Matt Wieters was still on the board when the team selected Moskos.
More Scouting Book Info on Daniel Moskos
SB 404BA SC BP SN ES ML
One of Japan's most talented all-around ballplayers, Seibu's Hiroyuki Nakajima is a toolsy, accomplished shortstop with a good line-drive swing and an exemplary work ethic. Playing all season at shortstop for Seibu in 2011, Hiroyuki slashed .297/.354/.433 with 16 home runs and 27 doubles, which is actually a poor year compared to his .310/.381/.479 career line. He also stole 21 out of 23 bases, showing exceptional skill. He's a solid player who could provide a strong bench presence for a good MLB club, or start for a poor one.
More Scouting Book Info on Hiroyuki Nakajima
SB 405BA SC BP SN ES ML
One of the best college closers of recent years, Rice righthander Bryan Price was a fireball threat buried deep in the Red Sox Nation before the Victor Martinez acquisition sent him him Cleveland. There are some questions about his health and the durability of his shoulder, which makes the comparisons to Joel Zumaya especially poignant. In 27 AA relief appearances (and one start) in 2011, he posted a 2.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and struck out 33 hitters in 52 innings of work. All but the last of those numbers was a small improvement on 2010. Health issues notwithstanding, he could see MLB bullpen action in 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Bryan Price
SB 406BA SC BP SN ES ML
One of the more intriguing new wave of Cuban prospects, outfielder Jorge Padron is a stocky contact bat who hits from the left side. As Pinar del Rio's left fielder, Padron was among the league leaders with a .345 average. A spray hitter with gap-to-gap power, his performance against lefties makes him iffy to stick as everyday player in MLB, but his dominance of righthanded pitching and some hard work in the minors for a year or two should be enough to get him a look in Boston. Kendry Morales wasn't as polished at the same age, after all.
More Scouting Book Info on Jorge Padron
SB 407BA SC BP SN ES ML
Karsten Whitson is a teenage pitching prospect who might have had the highest ceiling of any of the 2010 draft class participants. Unlike most pitching prospects, who lack for a serious gap or two in their toolset, Whitson already showed a near-ideal mix of stuff, polish, pitchability and projection. His fastball was an MLB-ready 92-94 version with sink, and his slider, a hard 84mph version, showed real plus break. His third pitch was a straight change that, while still below MLB caliber, was already leaps and bounds better than what one usually sees in such a young player. The Padres were unable to sign Whitson, however, so his mailing address will be at the University of Florida for the next two or three years.
More Scouting Book Info on Karsten Whitson
SB 408BA 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).
More Scouting Book Info on Corey Wimberly
SB 409BA SC BP SN ES ML
Yet another in a wide field of pitching prospects developed by the Astros before being shipped elsewhere, Patton has demonstrated remarkable consistency, grinding his way through start after start with very few blowouts or meltdowns. His walks are a bit high, and his strikeouts a bit low, which means he'll probably need to keep walking that wire for another year to get a shot at anything near Camden Yards. He looked capable once again in 20 relief appearances for the Orioles in 2011 (2-1, 3.00, 1.00) and should be a favorite for a bullpen spot in 2012. If he fails to make the cut, don't fret: he'll be back later in the year.
More Scouting Book Info on Troy Patton
SB 410BA 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.
More Scouting Book Info on Adrian Cardenas
SB 411BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big slugger with 35+ HR potential, he's also a little old for a 'prospect', as he'll turn 28 this year. Still, his massive, bone-rattling swings should fit right into the Texas lineup if it becomes depleted by injury in 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Joe Koshansky
SB 412BA SC BP SN ES ML
A huge, hulking lumberjack of a first baseman, right-handed slugger Ryan Strieby popped 19 homers in 130 games with AAA Toledo in 2011, and as his power continues to develop he should fit right into Comerica. He's more than a little blocked by Miguel Cabrera right now, of course, and the left field conversion project didn't quite work out, so if he reaches MLB in 2012, it'll be either as trade bait or as a bench player who can push Miguel to DH duties. A hot start this spring could get him a full-time MLB job... somewhere... before the end of the year.
More Scouting Book Info on Ryan Strieby
SB 413BA SC BP SN ES ML
The best prospect in Milwaukee as recently as last year, righthander Mark Rogers saw his stock tumble to an all-time low in 2010 on the 'strength' of some awful performances in th eminors. His raw stuff remains majestic, but his control probably isn't ready for a regular job just yet. He's going to have to go through one more year of being torn down and built back up again before we really know what we're dealing with here. Consistency, to be blunt, isn't in his toolbox.
More Scouting Book Info on Mark Rogers
SB 414BA SC BP SN ES ML
A fireballing righthander with a 96mph heater, De Los Santos has a good future ahead of him, likely in the bullpen. While his secondary pitches are acceptable, an even slightly-improved change would help him get better results with his fastball, making him a potent late-inning option. Scuffling through a so-so season in Midland and Sacramento in 2011, Fautino actually looked better once he was called up to the A's, and his 11.61 K/9 rate as a major leaguer is impressive enough to give him an edge on a permanent bullpen role in Oakland right away.
More Scouting Book Info on Fautino De Los Santos
SB 415BA SC BP SN ES ML
Evan 'Big Fred' Frederickson, a huge lefthander in the CC Sabathia mold, comes from the same school that produced White Sox phenom Aaron Poreda, though his name isn't nearly as well known. A fastball-slider guy with a 94mph heat, his control has been an issue, as he tries to fight and defeat his own body in order to delivery consistently.
More Scouting Book Info on Evan Frederickson
SB 416BA SC BP SN ES ML
A powerful righthander who slipped to the Mets in the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft, Brad Holt brings a big fastball from a big frame. A college pitcher whose shown good composure, he could factor into the shallow Mets rotation as early as 2013, but he'll need to show better command to do that: in 13 starts for AA Binghamton in 2011, Holt walked almost as many as he struck out, prompting the Mets to start using him from the bullpen more than the rotation. Hmm.
More Scouting Book Info on Bradley Holt
SB 417BA SC BP SN ES ML
Tommy 'the Titan' Neal is a power-hitting corner bat who came into the Indians system via San Francisco in 2011. In 256 AAA at-bats between the two systems last year, Neal cranked out a .289/.343/.391 line with two homers and eight steals, not quite the power production either team was hoping for. He's still only 23, of course, which means he has time left to add bulk to his already strong frame.
More Scouting Book Info on Thomas Neal
SB 418BA SC BP SN ES ML
A huge righthander from Jersey, reliever Cole Kimball is one of the hottest arms on the Washington farm. He's still recovering from midseason shoulder surgery, but if he can return to bringing gas like he did before that mishap, the Nats won't be able to keep him off the MLB roster. He'd be a terrific setup man for young closer Drew Storen.
More Scouting Book Info on Cole Kimball
SB 419BA SC BP SN ES ML
A compact and powerful outfielder with great raw athleticism, Kentrall Davis is one of the most promising prospects remaining on a somewhat-depleted Milwaukee farm, though he's not really close to major league star material just yet. He makes up for his stocky frame with superior raw power and above average speed. While he's currently viewed as a corner outfielder and has almost enough hustle to handle center in a pinch, a move to third or second base is still possible in the future.
More Scouting Book Info on Kentrail Davis
SB 420BA SC BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
401 to 420 of 525 Prospects
