Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
RHP, NYY
A finesse pitcher when he was signed out of high school, Zach McAllister has grown into more of a power build over the past two seasons, which means it's anyone's guess how he'll end up. In high school he worked with a 90mph sinking fastball and a great 82mph slider, but the Yankees may be reevaluating his strengths now that he's a big boy in pinstripes. He has an outside shot at bullpen work in 2010, but more likely he'll continue to move slowly. He's worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of years.
More Scouting Book Info on Zach McAllister >
421
RHP, HOU
The 19th pick of the 2009 draft's second right, righthanded Tanner Bushue is a 6-4 teenager who can hit the upper 90's with his fastball, though he usually works around 92-94mph. A late signee, he made five starts in rookie ball at the end of the season and showed promise, outclassing the other youngsters with a 1.03 WHIP and a 19:5 ratio of strikeouts to walks. He's a long way on the horizon, but in a thin farm system he could be moved up as quickly as he can handle it.
More Scouting Book Info on Tanner Bushue >
422
SS, TB
While lost in the sea of Tampa prospects, Andy Cannizaro deserves a look as an up-and-coming middle infielder, even though he's of advanced age for a prospect.
More Scouting Book Info on Andy Cannizaro >
423
SS, Japan
Nioka, a free agent since 2008, is a slick fielding shortstop and quality hitter who may help many major league teams.
More Scouting Book Info on Tomohiro Nioka >
424
RHP, CHC
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 have 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 very soon, or a starter a few years down the road.
More Scouting Book Info on Hayden Simpson >
425
RHP, CIN
A premium prospect in college, Buck's stock took a dive when it was discovered that he played through a partial ligament tear en route to Oregon State's College World Series championship in 2006. Of course, the same event proved that his heart was two sizes too large, and he's been a bit of an underdog darling ever since. Buck had TJ surgery to rebuild his elbow in 2007 and has been coming back since. When healthy, Dallas is a workhorse who throws a 92-94 mph fastball, a plus slider and a changeup that could develop into a premium MLB pitch. He'll idle under the radar until fully recovered from his operation, but after the usual 18 months pass, he should return to top prospect status.
More Scouting Book Info on Dallas Buck >
426
LHP, ARZ
Playing for a less-known school caused Miley to slide to the 2008 draft's second round, but the lefthander was one of college ball's leading strikeout artists last season. Among second-round pitchers from the last few seasons, he's one of the most likely to outperform his slot.
More Scouting Book Info on Wade Miley >
427
OF, CIN
A huge pile of talent and potential, the six-foot-six teenager is a scout's darling, even if he's a bit rough around the edges. Scooped out of Dominica by some calendar-savvy Reds' scouts before anyone else noticed he was eligible, Duran is a bony, gawky youngster who's all arms, legs, elbows... and big, looping home run swings. He'll probably stay parked in the DSL for now, but he could start to see meaningful minor-league action stateside in 2010.
More Scouting Book Info on Juan Duran >
428
SS, CHC
A big and strong shortstop from Vanderbilt, Ryan 'Flash' Flaherty seems blocked at short (Starlin Castro) and third (Josh Vitters), but as a hard-hitting all-around ballplayer he should find a place somewhere sooner or later. He doesn't have great raw tools, and his speed of development (just .276/.343/.470 as a 23 year old at A-level Peoria) hasn't yet lived up to his nickname, but he does have great baseball skills and resolve. He could appear as a utility infielder by mid-2011.
More Scouting Book Info on Ryan Flaherty >
429
SS, DET
After forsaking the Church of Baseball to go on a year-long Mormon mission in Portugal (which apparently has some kind of shortage of Christians?) Canadian Cale Iorg is back on the prospect lists as the up-and-coming shortstop in Detroit, where management has all but anointed him as the long-term Tiger six. A true five-tool player with a great feel for the game thanks to his lineage (he's Garth's son), Cale hit .251/.329/.405 at high-A Lakeland in 2008, respectable but not jaw-dropping, and slid even further when pushed to AA Erie in 2009. He'll need to develop a lot more pop over the next couple of years if he's going to live up to the high expectations. He'll be back in AA come 2010, but high-A is probably more his speed right now.
More Scouting Book Info on Cale Iorg >
430
421. Zach McAllister
422. Tanner Bushue
423. Andy Cannizaro
424. Tomohiro Nioka
425. Hayden Simpson
426. Dallas Buck
427. Wade Miley
430. Cale Iorg
421 to 430 of 481
