Top Baseball Prospects 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're coming to this page directly, you're missing 9/10ths of what we do, so please
also visit our home page , and read this blog entry before telling us how stupid we are. Thanks!
Tiger prospect James McCann is a catcher with exceptional defensive ability and a great game-calling head, though his offensive ability isn't quite so glimmering just yet. Still, McCann looks to have decent skills with a glimmer of future offensive growth, so it's going to take another year or two of long-season ball to really get a handle on his career, here.
Full Scouting Report for James McCann
SB 412BA SC BP SN ES ML
A righthanded fireplug of a pitcher with the kind of name headline-writers dream about, Brewer prospect David Goforth is a U Mississippi alum drafted way back in 2011's 7th round. With a short, strong arm, Goforth can hit 99mph on the gun, though he's better when he switches to a darting cut fastball at about 92mph. His change and curve aren't anything special, but it shouldn't matter: everything about Goforth screams power reliever.
Full Scouting Report for David Goforth
SB 413BA SC BP SN ES ML
One of two Mendezes pitching on the Texas farm, (the other is Venezuelan lefty Yohander), Roman Mendez is a righthanded power pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He looked awfully good in the (usually hitter-friendly) Sally League last year, striking out 130 would-be hitters in only 117 innings of work, most of those as a starter.
Full Scouting Report for Roman Mendez
SB 414BA 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 that might be enough to guarantee him MLB time in 2012 right there.
Full Scouting Report for Cedric Hunter
SB 415BA 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 416BA SC BP SN ES ML
The switch-hitting son of outfielder Raul, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is already familiar with a major league dugout, even if it's only as a place to find a treasure trove of sunflower seeds and bubble gum. While he lacks his father's power profile, Berty does have superior speed and sure seems to have sophisticated defensive skill. A smallish player, he looks apt to stick at shortstop, where he could grow into some sort of slappy table-setter for the Royals a few years from now. He's some distance away from showing anyone exactly what he'll become, but at least he's got the bloodlines to back up his claim to prospect potential.
Full Scouting Report for Adalberto Mondesi
SB 417BA SC BP SN ES ML
Scouts are still split on whether Cardinal prospect Trevor Rosenthal will be a starter or reliever going forward, but one way or another he should be able to bring his plus control and excellent pitcher's mind to bear at a high level soon. His fastball isn't overpowering, but it's a 94mph pitch that he controls well. He's still learning to get a consistent handle on his breaking pitches, but even when he can't find it, he locates them well enough to stay out of too much trouble. Combine that with excellent game smarts and you have a pitcher who could do well enough even with sub-par stuff. If he gains the command to throw any pitch in any count, though, he'll be even better than that.
Full Scouting Report for Trevor Rosenthal
SB 418BA 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 419BA 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-timer 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.
Full Scouting Report for Adrian Cardenas
SB 420BA 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 421BA 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 422BA SC BP SN ES ML
A very strong athlete who could make many prospect lists as a power pitcher (his fastball is 92mph), ex-National and current Cub prospect Mike Burgess is a better bet to grow as a corner outfield bat. Right now he's all power and no discipline, but that power is special enough -- Jim Bowden called it 'thunderous' -- that he's worth keeping an eye on. High strikeouts or not, he's a great fit a future for Wrigley.
Full Scouting Report for Michael Burgess
SB 423BA SC BP SN ES ML
Another late inning specialist, Fields had no clear role in the Mariners, and was bundled off to a team more in need of middle relief when he moved to Boston in 2011 as part of the Erik Bedard package. Fields recorded a 3.92 ERA and 39:32 K:BB ratio in double and triple-A last season, and provides some insurance should the Red Sox 'pen suffer its traditional decimation at midseason.
Full Scouting Report for Josh Fields
SB 424BA SC BP SN ES ML
A surprise pick by the Cubs in 2010's first Draft round, Hayden Simpson is a prototypical college ace from a lesser-known Division II school. His 22-1 record and 2.73 ERA over his first two seasons at Southern Arkansas put him on the map, and subsequent scouting reports kept him there. Simpson works with a strong 92-94 fastball that can touch 96, and a power curve that's very well developed for an amateur. A bit smaller than scouts like to see, he could be a big league reliever soon, but he'll need to recover from a horrible 2011 when he looked simply out of his league. He'll repeat rookie ball to start 2012.
Full Scouting Report for Hayden Simpson
SB 425BA SC BP SN ES ML
A righthanded 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's been busy since frustrating hitters with his plus change ever since. He could sniff MLB in 2012, but 2013 looks more likely.
Full Scouting Report for Dae-Eun Rhee
SB 426BA 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 427BA SC BP SN ES ML
A natural centerfielder who the Cardinals snapped up a little sooner than expected in the 2011 draft, Charlie Tilson is a raw talent but a natural athlete. He shows a very quick bat with good natural eye at the plate, and if he can refine that to make solid contact more reliably, he'll be a capable leadoff man. He's already shown genuine plus speed, giving him the raw ability to manage center field with ease. He'll need a couple of years of skills training on both sides of the ball, but if he lives up to even most of his potential, he'll be a great table-setter in St. Louis come late-2014 or so.
Full Scouting Report for Charlie Tilson
SB 428BA SC BP SN ES ML
A smart, savvy hitter with strong arms and developing power, Cleveland's Nick Weglarz's biggest problem has been staying on the diamond, as he's been crippled by injuries for two years in a row. When he's able to play, he uses his very fast hands to work the bat through the zone quickly, with line-drive power to all fields. Despite his massive build, his swing lacks the loft of a true power-hitter, though that may come soon as he continues to fill out. A first-baseman in high school, the Indians have been using him in left field, where his glove and arm are not better than average. While he still seems to be fighting with nagging knee problems that are dampening his power stroke, his eye remains as sharp as ever, as he walks almost as often as he strikes out: a golden star for any power hitter. He missed his chance to play in Cleveland last year when his own injuries coincided with Shin Soo Choo's season-ending malady, but if he ever puts together a healthy campaign he's bound to earn top marks in MLB.
Full Scouting Report for Nick Weglarz
SB 429BA SC BP SN ES ML
Every time we scan down the list of interesting teenagers on the IFA market, we say the same thing: this game needs a few more Vicmals. Thanks to Oakland's wily and aggressive international scouting department, we got our wish in 2011. Thanks, Sam!
Full Scouting Report for Vicmal De La Cruz
SB 430BA SC BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
411 to 430 of 500 Prospects
