Scouting Book: The Best Baseball Prospects for 2008 (Sleepers Too!)

Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2008

Scouting Book's Top Prospects list is different than other prospect lists: we're not in a bubble, and we never sit still. We show you not just our own rankings, but also rankings from some of the other major ranking lists for each player. You can now sort, for example, by Baseball America's rankings, or view the top prospects as chosen by the wizards at Baseball Prospectus, or compare our rankings to those from Sports Illustrated. Also, unlike most lists, we don't publish a book! Our lists are updated often during the offseason, and updated daily during the pre-season to show the latest situations and adjusted for spring results. This means we're always a work in progress. We also think this means our lists are much more useful for fantasy draft purposes. If you notice a mistake or have a suggestion feel free to let us know by mailing mistakes (at) our domain name. For more on our methods, see this blog entry.

Baseball's Top Prospects for Spring 2008

61. Franklin Morales

LHP, COL

One of several live arms currently making their way through the Colorado system, left-hander Franklin Morales might someday be the best of the bunch... one thing is for sure, he's the most exciting. Able to dial his fastball up to 98 mph while pitching mostly at 94-95, Morales also features a well above average curveball and a much improved changeup over a year ago. Of course, he also has the kind of control that makes it easy to imagine him leading the league in walks, and working with runners on base is not the easiest thing for a young pitcher to deal with. Keep an eye on him, but be thinking about 2009 while doing so.

More Scouting Book Info on Franklin Morales >

SB #61 | BA #8 | BP #13 | ML #16 | SN #15 | ES #8

62. Chris Volstad

RHP, FLA

One of five (five!) pitchers the Marlins took in the first two rounds of 2005, Volstad is overshadowed by Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, who also act as cast-iron doors blocking his future in Floriday.

Volstad's just as good a prospect, though. A 1.29 WHIP at Greensboro held up over 152 innings, showing he has the stamina to start, and an ERA right around 3 has been on his sheet throughout his young career.

Volstad works with a heavy, low 90's fastball and good control. As a lanky, knees-and-elbows type of pitcher, he's had some hiccups with his delivery, but Florida's instructional system is the right place to work on that. He remains a solid prospect.

More Scouting Book Info on Chris Volstad >

SB #62 | BA n/a | BP #88 | ML #39 | SN #42 | ES #88

63. Blake Dewitt

2B, LAD

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64. Matt Antonelli

2B, SD

Antonelli is a little-known but quality athlete who could have a bright future at almost any fielding position in San Diego.

Originally selected by the Dodgers, Antonelli opted for college instead, and was subsequently taken by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft, 17th overall, Antonelli received a $1.6 million signing bonus, one of the highest that the Padres have ever paid out.

In 2007, Antonelli hit .314 for the Lake Elsinore Storm, with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 14 homers, and 54 RBIs. Used primarily as a speedy leadoff hitter, he was 18-for-24 in stolen base attempts with an OBP of .409. He's near the top of the Padres depth chart, and only a few inches away from cracking the major league roster.

More Scouting Book Info on Matt Antonelli >

SB #64 | BA #50 | BP #39 | ML #27 | SN #39 | ES #93

65. Brett Anderson

LHP, OAK

Anderson, who went 8-4 with a 2.21ERA in 81 double-A innings last year, was projected to be a part of the Diamondback rotation in 2008. His trade the much deeper Oakland system, however, makes a rotation spot less likely in the spring.

A lefty with a hammer curve to complement his low-90s fastball, Anderson uses the deuce to frightening effect: his K-BB ratio in AA ball was over eight.

While he's still very very young, Anderson really has nothing much left to prove in AA, which means that while he'll start in the minors, it's possible he will see action in Oakland sometime before 2008 is over, even though he'll be only 20 years old. A permanent roster spot is unlikely until 2009 or 2010, though.

More Scouting Book Info on Brett Anderson >

SB #65 | BA #36 | BP #50 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES unranked

66. Jose Tabata

OF, NYY

Tabata is a polished fielder who's almost major-league ready, despite his young age. A natural right fielder with excellent patience, many saw him as a natural fit to replace Gary Sheffield in right for the Yankees, but the long-term signing of Bobby Abreu seems to have squished that plan. He needs another year or two of mental development, but other than that and a place to play, there's not much holding him back.

Tabata is likely to be sought after in trades by teams who have more immediate needs than New York, and if one of those teams gets a hold of the young line-drive hitter, the likelihood of a debut in the near future will go up sharply.

More Scouting Book Info on Jose Tabata >

SB #66 | BA #37 | BP #48 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #21

67. Madison Bumgarner

LHP, SF

A tall, strong lefthander, Bumgarner is one of two pitchers most likely to follow Cain and Lincecum to the Bay.

A fireballer with decent control, Bumgarner's been clocked as high as 96mph, and since he's still growing, triple digits seem within reach. His breaking pitches are not as well-developed, but they're coming, and he'll be given plenty of time and assistance with them down on the farm. A flame-throwing lefty like this is worth the time and investment.

The name is hard to forget. He's worth keeping an eye on.

More Scouting Book Info on Madison Bumgarner >

68. Jordan Schafer

OF, ATL

The Braves OF propects (Schafer, Jones and Heyward, not to mention the SS/OF Lillibridge) are among the best in baseball, and it's not hard to look forward to 2010 or so when they'll probably be sporting one of the best outfields in the game.

Schafer is the youngest of the group, but he might be the most talented, and considering the way he tore up the Arizona Fall League in 2007 (a league best .397 average), he might be the one of the trio who's closest to taking the field in Atlanta. His autumn wasn't a fluke, either, as he hit .372 at Rome and .294 at High-A Myrtle Beach.

He projects as a serious part of the Braves offense in the very near future. Remember, Andruw Jones was only 19 when he joined the big club. Is it so impossible that Andruw's replacement could be 21?

More Scouting Book Info on Jordan Schafer >

SB #68 | BA #25 | BP #17 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #27

69. Beau Mills

3B, CLE

One of the best hitting prospects in the 2007 Amateur Draft, Beau Mills went to the Indians, who conveniently enough have no long-term 3B solution in their system. This means he'll likely be pushed hard to enter the Bigs early, which is great news for his fantasy owners.

He'll be 21 entering the season, and 22 in high summer, which is just about right for a cup of coffee, or more. Look for him to start in A ball, be promoted quickly, and see action in Cleveland before the year is over.

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70. Sean Rodriguez

SS, LAA

With 29 homers last year in short season ball, S-Rod projects to be one of the next great power-hitting shortstops. If you have a deep keeper league, or you need some surprise pop at shortstop, give Rodriguez a shot: the Angels are likely to move him through the system quickly, and you can reap the benefits.

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