Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, ATL
A rake-thin Colombian being slow-cooked in the Braves pitchin' kitchen, righthander Julio Teheran combines a plus fastball and change with two different breaking balls and flashes of great control. He's still very young, and being called 'the best Latin American pitcher since Felix Hernandez' is a lot of pressure to handle, but he's in the best possible system to nurture his development while also containing his ego. He's been a bit jammed in a system ripe with strong pitching prospects, but if he continues to develop at his current accelerated pace, he's going to force his way onto the big league roster before 2011 is finished. The best-case scenario shows him taking over as Atlanta's ace by the end of 2012.
More Scouting Book Info on Julio Teheran >
41
SS, CIN
An offensive-minded shortstop, Rutgers alum Todd Frazier looks like he could be one of the next wave of hard hitting middle infielders. He slashed .290/.350/.481 at AA-level Carolina in 2009. He's a sure bet to hit, but very unlikely to stick at shortstop. He's adequate at almost any position, though, so he could see time in 2010 as a junior utilityman in Cincinnati, especially if a starter goes down to injury.
More Scouting Book Info on Todd Frazier >
42
LHP, COL
The kind of big, strong lefthander that scouts fall in love with, the six-foot-six Matzek not only brings overpowering heat from the left side but flusters hitters with three different offspeed pitches to boot. A king-sized almost-ace in the making, Matzek could be the anchor of many Major League teams in the future. In Colorado, his ceiling is somewhere between Ubaldo Jimenez and Jeff Francis... but not quite yet.
More Scouting Book Info on Tyler Matzek >
43
LHP, STL
The Cardinals stole Garcia in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft on the whim of a scout who saw his curve while watching a Mexican junior national team game. His fastball never leaves the low-90s, but the plus nature of his complementary pitches give him a good career potential. St. Louis is hungry for pitching, and good at developing it, so he could be moved up quickly.
More Scouting Book Info on Jaime Garcia >
44
RHP, MIN
With stuff enough to be the ace of any college staff, Kyle Gibson was hidden behind Aaron Crow in Missouri. While he's still not a Crow-type talent, the big righthander is a workhorse with a high-command fastball and the determination to grind through opposing batters inning after inning. His fastball can reach 94-95mph, but he works mainly in the 91-92 range, relying on his plus slider and above-average change to beguile batters.
More Scouting Book Info on Kyle Gibson >
45
3B, BAL
A high-school shortstop who impressed Dodgers by flying from Florida and talking his way into a pre-draft workout in 2005, Bell was picked up in the 6th round of the draft and converted to third base immediately. His developing power and sweet both-ways swing have scouts talking about Chipper Jones. As a very young player, he was moved slowly up the system, but he's shown power and patience at each stop. He was slugging .497 at AA Chattanooga when he was traded to the Dodgers as part of a two-player deal for closer George Sherrill.
More Scouting Book Info on Josh Bell >
46
RHP, BOS
Michaen Bowden is a polished young righthander in the Red Sox system who zoomed all the way from AA ball at the start of 2008 into the Boston bullpen for the playoffs. While his ERA increased at each stop (2.33 to 3.38 in Pawtucket and up to 3.60 in Fenway), that's expected as a young player faces better and better competition.
More Scouting Book Info on Michael Bowden >
47
RHP, PIT
With Lincecum and Cain already toeing the rubber every fifth day, the title of best Giants pitching prospect was Alderson's until he was unceremoniously shipped East at 2009's trade deadline. The 6-7 righthander from Phoenix has a plus-plus curveball and terrific control for such a young player. In his junior and senior high school year combined, he struck out 173 batters while walking only nine.
More Scouting Book Info on Tim Alderson >
48
3B, CHC
The Chicago Cubs made Vitters the third overall pick in the 2007 draft, and the hope in Hopeland is that he'll develop 25-homer power in time to replace the declining Aramis Ramirez. He's not a perfect prospect, however. In addition to wishy-washy discipline (he strikes out four times as often as he walks), one cause for concern is that he might need to move from third base to left field, but if he continues to maintain his overall offensive numbers at higher levels of play, the Cubs will find room for him.
More Scouting Book Info on Josh Vitters >
49
3B, MLW
One of the last of the recent wave of slugging third basemen to arrive, Milwaukee's Mat Gamel deserves a little more attention than he receives. A polished pro hitter, Gamel has all-fields line drive swing with developing power. He's a bit of a liability at third base, but the Brewers seem determined to keep him there for now. He's a bit weak against offspeed pitches, too, but he should work his way through that with good coaching and increased patience in the high minors. While most of the 1B/3B prospects are serious power threats, Gamel blends a slightly lighter bat with a high-average approach that could make him a better all-around hitter.
More Scouting Book Info on Mat Gamel >
50
41. Julio Teheran
42. Todd Frazier
43. Tyler Matzek
44. Jaime Garcia
45. Kyle Gibson
46. Josh Bell
47. Michael Bowden
48. Tim Alderson
49. Josh Vitters
50. Mat Gamel
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