Top Baseball Prospects for 2013
Now updated for 2013'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!
SB 50BA 60SC 56BP 42SN ES 23ML 67
Wily Peralta is a gutsy young righthander in the Brewer system who should probably be considered the team's best pitching prospect today. Currently a two-pitch flinger who flashes an occasionally plus curve, Peralta looked awfully good at AA Huntsville in 2011, going 9-7, 3.46 with a 1.29 WHIP.
Full Scouting Report for Wily Peralta
SB 51BA 69SC 73BP 68SN ES 73ML 64
Until recently, being a first base prospect on the Cardinals was a sort of slow death sentence, but 2012 brought with it a bright and shiny new day for the likes of Matthew James Adams. Adams is a strong, plug-shaped fielder who won't be winning any awards for his footwork, and he's definitely locked at first base (or at DH on another team), but what the young man can definitely do is hit baseballs far, and often. you-know-who's shoes, of course, but he can be a very high-quality player in his own right, and he's pretty much ready for big league ball today.
Full Scouting Report for Matt Adams
SB 52BA SC BP SN ES ML
The best college arm available from Texas, St. Louis's Michael Wacha draws a lot of Jon Garland comparisons thanks to his size and bulldog approach, but he's probably got a higher ceiling due to his excellent stuff. Expected to move slowly in the Cardinal system, he's outplayed expectations and could be ready sooner than originally planned. That said, he probably needs a full season of minor league ball before anyone will really have a handle on how good he could be. Unless MLB injuries accelerate his path, that's how the Cardinals are likely to handle him.
Full Scouting Report for Michael Wacha
SB 53BA 76SC 94BP 56SN ES ML 83
A defensive star in the making, outfielder George Springer brings great range, a good glove and a powerful arm to the park. He'd be patrolling spacious centerfield in Minute Maid Park already, if only his bat could catch up to the rest of his all-around game. While he showed signs of offensive competency in 2012, that .219/.288/.342 line at AA Corpus Cristi doesn't exactly give him a fast-track ticket to the Bigs, either. He'll be 24 as this season winds down, which means he really needs to show something, and soon.
Full Scouting Report for George Springer
SB 54BA 37SC 25BP 55SN ES 43ML 57
Yes, he sounds like a character from snowy Skyrim, but Texan Noah Syndergaard is more of a dusty cowpoke than uppity Jarl. The Blue Jays thought highly enough of him to say 'no' to the Oakland A's when the Athletics were shopping Gio Gonzalez around in 2011, but they caved in 2012 when the Mets dangled Cy Young winner RA Dickey, making Noah one of the very top Mets pitching prospects today.
Full Scouting Report for Noah Syndergaard
SB 55BA 54SC 46BP 28SN ES 97ML 29
Gary Sanchez is a very young but promising backstop from Austin, Texas with a tantalizing upside that should not be ignored. He's a big boy who could further grow into a Joe Mauer shape, and his bat comes from the same forest as the Minnesota superstar, if not quite the same tree. Unless he becomes part of a package used to upgrade Yankee pitching, he should be one of their top prospects for several more years to come.
Full Scouting Report for Gary Sanchez
SB 56BA 57SC 29BP 47SN ES 18ML 36
One of the bundle of top prospects sent to Miami for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and company in November, Justin Nicolino is a finessey lefty in the Tom Glavine fashion. Nicolino can dial his fastball up to 92 or 93, but not much more than that. It's more than enough, though. Nicolino had what might be the best debut by a Jays prospect ever in 2011, and has continued to blossom since. If he makes the big leagues in 2013, which is possible, he'll do it on the strength of an easy, repeatable throwing motion (balls will come down, down, down on hitters from his tall frame and overhand motion) and a propensity to throw strikes, strikes and more strikes.
Full Scouting Report for Justin Nicolino
SB 57BA 86SC 39BP 73SN ES 62ML 72
The 22nd overall pick of the 2011 player draft, tiny Hawaiian Kolten Wong already looks like St. Louis's second baseman of the very near future. A polished college hitter with a 1.013 career OPS, he's also a developing fielder who should be able to improve the .964 he recorded in his very first taste of professional baseball. He slashed .335/.401/.510 in 2011 in the A-Level Midwest League, then .287/.348/.405 in the AA Texas League a year later. He's still has room to grow and improve, but he's going to need to be challenged with major league pitching in order to do it. He's ready.
Full Scouting Report for Kolten Wong
SB 58BA 84SC 57BP 90SN ES 96ML 79
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 59BA 39SC 69BP 45SN ES 58ML 43
A fast, slappy hitter with good speed and plus defense, Rockie prospect David Dahl looks like a good fit for Coors Field. More than a raw tools candidate, Dahl uses his speed well on the bases and in the field, and shows a good eye for situational hitting. For such a young player, he's quite polished already, though he'll need a couple more seasons in the minors to really reveal his true level.
Full Scouting Report for David Dahl
SB 60BA 53SC 60BP 40SN ES 37ML 58
Prospects
Top Prospects 2013
Combined Ranking
50 to 60 of 650 Prospects
