Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, SEA
A mature prospect who's been slowly filtering up the Seattle system, righthander Chris Jakubauskas has a chance to help balance out the back end of the Seattle rotation this year, if he's not called upon sooner to assist with the shaky bullpen. While he doesn't have a real plus pitch, he has good control and baseball smarts, which means he should be able to leverage his impressive 2009 work into a serviceable gig sometime in 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Chris Jakubauskas >
411
RHP, CHC
A lefthanded changeup specialist in the Cubs system, Korean Dae-Eun Rhee is something of a sleeper. Signed by Steve Wilson as an international free agent in 2008, he threw only 40 innings last season at A-level Peoria, but what a 40 innings they were: 4-1, 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 2:1 K:BB ratio. He'll move up to AA this year, and if better hitters are as flummoxed by his changeup as those before, he'll be frustrating major leaguers by 2011.
More Scouting Book Info on Dae-Eun Rhee >
412
RHP, SD
Everyone who sees the kid loves his makeup, and while the pitching staff in Milwaukee could have used the boost, they were so confident in their other options that they sent him to the Padres without hesitation. While this pushes him down on the depth chart a bit, it also brings him into the realm of an organization known for pitching development, and a better pitcher's park, should he make the majors soon.
More Scouting Book Info on Will Inman >
413
SS, DET
The Tigers' sixth round pick in 2009, high school shortstop Daniel Fields is the son of former Tigers' hitting coach Bruce Fields, which might explain his advanced hitting ability. Big and strong for a real shortstop, even in this post-Ripken era, Fields might be moved to third base or a corner outfield spot eventually, but it shouldn't matter: he'll rise or fall on his bat, which we have to assume will get a lot of careful coaching in the years to come.
More Scouting Book Info on Dan Fields >
414
LHP, NYY
A 2008 supplemental pick for the Yankees, this Stanford lefthander was the team's ace before being derailed by an elbow strain, which helped him slide in the draft. He's not a big kid, but he's got a nasty selection of breaking stuff that could play well in a relief role a few years from now.
More Scouting Book Info on Jeremy Bleich >
415
1B, BOS
A third-round pick from the 2006 draft class, the 6-4 and 240lb Bates is a big, strong hitter with solid plate discipline. Aaron has plus power that's near big-league ready, but not much else. His bat-speed is suspect, which means he may flounder at higher levels if he keeps trying to hit every pitch 600ft. He'll start 2007 with the AA Sea Dogs, and he's likely to end the year in the same place: at this point he's too far down the depth chart to have much impact before 2010 or later. Because of the depth in the Sox system, Bates is a likely trade candidate, especially within the AL.
More Scouting Book Info on Aaron Bates >
416
RHP, MLW
A righthanded high-schooler, Lintz attracted attention with a 9-0 record and 0.57 ERA in his senior year. He's a deep prospect in the Milwaukee system.
More Scouting Book Info on Seth Lintz >
417
OF, HOU
A two-way athlete in college, Bogusevic hit .328/.428/.397 in his final year while also going 13-3 with a 3.25 ERA on the mound. Houston drafted him thinking 'pitcher' but changed their mind midway through 2008, and he's now considered an outfielder only. He's got plus power (he might be the best raw power bat in the system) and a decent batting eye, but he needs to gain experience hitting at high levels before he can be considered a top-flight prospect.
More Scouting Book Info on Brian Bogusevic >
418
OF, MLW
Cutter Dykstra has a great baseball name and terrific genetics (yes, he's Lenny's son) but he's been an inconsistent slugger who will need to develop a lot more plate discipline to go with his big bat before he's ready to step into his father's very gritty shoes.
More Scouting Book Info on Cutter Dykstra >
419
OF, CHW
John Shelby III has been sneaking up the Chicagoland prospect ranks after slashing .301/.352/.508 with 16 homers on SAL Kannapolis in 2007. In 2008, he followed up with a carbon copy .295/.331/.510, 15-homer performance but increased his stolen bases from 19 to 33 while playing in 8 fewer games. While he did slide back a bit in 2009 (.243/.323/.402 in his first taste of AA) he remains on track to become a real 30-30 threat in center for the White Sox come 2012 or so. He'll be back in Birmingham for 2010, but don't forget about him.
More Scouting Book Info on John Shelby >
420
411. Chris Jakubauskas
412. Dae-Eun Rhee
413. Will Inman
414. Dan Fields
415. Jeremy Bleich
416. Aaron Bates
417. Seth Lintz
418. Brian Bogusevic
420. John Shelby
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