Baseball's Top Prospects for 2010
Remember: This list evolves and changes daily.
LHP, ATL
A skilled lefthander from Vanderbilt, Michael 'Spike' Minor is a polished all-around pitcher who could add three above-average to plus pitches into the back end of a major league rotation sometime in 2010. His fastball tops out around 92mph, but its his breaking balls that will get him to the big-leagues anyway. He's not the uber-talent that schoolmate David Price was, but he's a product of the same system and it shows in his plus makeup and advanced feel for pitching. He should be ready to step into the Braves rotation come 2011 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Mike Minor >
61
C, HOU
Three catchers were in the top ten picks of the 2008 draft, and Castro was one of them. An ex-teammate of fellow prospect Buster Posey, Castro is a more well-rounded athlete who also played his share of the outfield in college. He showed that he's not much of a shadow-seeker by hitting .300/.380/.446 at A and AA in his first year of pro ball, and he's jumped up the depth chart quickly enough that it looks like the J.R. Towles era might be over before it even begins in Houston. Even if both youngsters develop, Castro's a good enough ballplayer to find another place to play if necessary.
More Scouting Book Info on Jason Castro >
62
OF, MIN
When the Twins let Torii Hunter go, maybe they knew something.
More Scouting Book Info on Ben Revere >
63
RHP, DET
One of the top high school arms in the country, Jacob Turner was drafted in the first round (9th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2009. More a potential pitcher than a pitcher just yet, Turner has a big, strong, projectable body and a low-90's fastball, but not much else... which means that he'll need to be molded into something greater before he can have an impact on professionals.
More Scouting Book Info on Jacob Turner >
64
SS, MIN
The biggest Latin American signing of 2009 (sorry, Aroldis Chapman fans), 17-year old Miguel Angel Sano Jean, heretofore known as simply Miguel Sano, was a coup of sorts for the small market Minnesota Twins. Sano was a coveted athlete pursued by all the usual big-market teams, but it was Minnesota's relentless (one might say piranha-like) tenacity that finally landed the youngster. He's got the glove and arm to stick at shortstop, but as a teenager who's already 6 foot 3, he might outgrow the position, making a move to third base or the outfield necessary. He hasn't shown much power yet, but that's not exactly a red mark: for such a young player, what matters is raw talent and work ethic, and Sano seems to have both of those in spades. He'll be on the back burner for a few years, but he should be a good one once he's properly stewed.
More Scouting Book Info on Miguel Sano >
65
SS, CLE
Originally drafted out of high school by the Pirates, Chisenhall was chosen again three years later, this time by the Indians. While questions of character are going to dog Lonnie for years to come thanks to a college misunderstanding about a missing big-screen TV and Playstation 3, at least we know he's got game. He's also got bat: Chisenhall is a plus hitter with a short and sweet stroke and solid power to all fields. His position is up in the air, but wherever the Indians put him he's likely to produce. A bit of a sleeper to watch.
More Scouting Book Info on Lonnie Chisenhall >
66
OF, DET
The 2009's Eastern League home run champ, Tiger outfielder 'Hollywood' Brennan Boesch has always split scouts with his tantalizing mix of raw power and an an awkward swing. Some see 40 homer seasons, other see a swing full of holes that can be exploited, especially inside. Boesch figures to contribute to a farm-poor Tigers team soon, but whether it's as a role-player, platoon partner or everyday contributor is still up in the air.
More Scouting Book Info on Brennan Boesch >
67
RHP, STL
The Cardinals first round pick in 2009, pitcher Shelby Miller is a raw but talented prospect with a wicked-hot fastball that has excellent and natural late movement. The Cards will probably start him out at A-level Quad Cities in 2010, but he could move up a notch or two soon after that, since his raw stuff is probably good enough to overpower lesser hitters. At higher levels, he'll need to lean on his 12-6 curve and the extra sink he can put on his two-seam fastball to succeed. With a projectable body that could probably add muscle in the years to come, he looks like a good workhorse candidate in St. Louis come 2014 or so, though he'll probably get a look-see a bit sooner than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Shelby Miller >
68
LHP, CLE
A big, strong lefthander, Nick Hagadone was the Red Sox first draft pick (a sandwich pick) in 2007. Hagadone's fastball is hard for a lefty: it ticks as high as 96mph and shows good movement. He complements it with a good slider and an above-average straight change. He was Tim Lincecum's closer in college, also making a few spot starts for the Huskies, but the Red Sox were grooming him as a starter as recently as 2008, at least until he was shut down for TJ surgery in June. Now an Indian thanks to the trade that sent Victor Martinez to Boston, he spent most of 2009 on the shelf, but came back at the end of 2009 to start nine games at Class AA Greenville. He posted a solid 2.86 ERA, striking out 30 in 22 innings. He's not yet showing his pre-surgery stuff, but as far as high risks and high ceilings go, Hagadone's name has to be right on top of the actuarial chart.
More Scouting Book Info on Nick Hagadone >
69
OF, SD
A two-way star in high school, Jaff has a beautiful swing from the left side of the plate to go with a 94mph darting fastball... also from the left side. The Padres are viewing him as a centerfielder for now, though, and he has the bat and the range to hold that position down. He's young and still growing, but right now he looks like he might become the player Grady Sizemore was supposed to be.
More Scouting Book Info on Jaff Decker >
70
RHP, PHI
The rising wave of Canadian pitchers continued when Seattle chose Quebec native Philipe Aumont with their first-round pick in 2007. A 6-7 righthander with a 92-95 MPH sinking fastball, Aumont has an imposing mound presence that endears him to scouts and coaches alike. While he's barely 21, he's already raising eyebrows with a precocious ability to pound the lower part of the zone and work both sides of the plate. While he has a slider and changeup, neither is a plus pitch, which means he'll rise or fall on his sinker. He was traded to the Phillies in the winter 2009 blockbuster that moved Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Now that he's in the NL East, there's some talk of making him a reliever, but it's most likely that the Phils will give him a full season starting in the minors in 2010 to see what they've really gotten a hold of, here.
More Scouting Book Info on Phillippe Aumont >
71
RHP, BAL
Young and unpolished, the onetime phenom Erbe still shows signs of greatness, even if the shine isn't quite so blinding anymore. He still demonstrates a 98 mph fastball that provides moments of dominance, but he has never really showed that he can hold down a job for a full season: he tends to tire in the summer months and usually stumbles to a poor finish. This all projects 'relief pitcher', if you haven't been paying attention. While still a longshot to contribute much in 2010, he's a possible backup plan as a closer or spot starter, so he shouldn't be completely forgotten about. The tools remain there, even if it's taking a bit longer than hoped to get them into play.
More Scouting Book Info on Brandon Erbe >
72
1B, BOS
His star has faded a bit in Boston, but the facts remain: one of these years, Big Papi will go out for a pack of smokes and never come home to Boston again. When that happens, Lars is the best bet to be the new daddy in Beantown.
More Scouting Book Info on Lars Anderson >
73
3B, CHW
Dayan Viciedo, one of Cuba's best young ballplayers, defected to the USA last summer and started negotiating and trying out for ballclubs immediately. After some scuffling about whether or not he would be draft-eligible, he was deemed a free agent, and the White Sox moved quickly to bring the young slugger into the fold with the help of very-satisfied South-sider Alexei Ramirez.
More Scouting Book Info on Dayan Viciedo >
74
OF , BOS
The next big outfield prospect in the Red Sox system now that Jacoby Ellsbury has graduated to full-time starter, Georgia native Josh Reddick could soon move up to the big leagues himself. A strong lefthanded bat with good power to all fields, Reddick also has the best arm in the system, which means should the Sox decide to let JD Drew walk away, Reddick should be ready to step in at any time.
More Scouting Book Info on Josh Reddick >
75
1B, KC
He's a little older, a little wiser, and a little less powerful than Pedro Alvarez (who was, fairly, drafted two spots higher), but Eric Hosmer is probably a more advanced hitter with better fundamentals.
More Scouting Book Info on Eric Hosmer >
76
RHP, SF
A flame-throwing righthander from Georgia, Zack Wheeler mixes his 96mph fastball with a curve ball that's already a plus pitch. He's adding a changeup, and if he can make it even a league-average offering he can be a middle-rotation starter anywhere. Even without one, his fastball-curve combination is good enough for a major league bullpen today. He'll need some seasoning, of course, and scouts would like to see his pitcher-perfect body take on a starter's workload.
More Scouting Book Info on Zack Wheeler >
77
C, WAS
A catching prospect who'll be big-league ready sometime in the next year or two, Wilson Ramos should have a clear opportunity now that he's with an organization who doesn't have an MVP ahead of him on the depth chart. Ramos is a 21-year old who slashed .288/.346/.434 at high-A Fort Myers in 2009, maintaining the same offensive shine he showed at two lower levels of play. Especially promising are his power numbers: his quick, strong line-drive swing produced 13 homers in 452 at-bats last year, a 60% increase over the year before. Since he's still growing into his frame, that number could increase even more in the future. Behind the plate he's already a plus defender, with a strong arm that gunned down 40% of baserunners last season.
More Scouting Book Info on Wilson Ramos >
78
RHP, WAS
A righthander who worked as both a starter and a reliever for Stanford, Drew Storen is a smallish pitcher with a good mix of raw stuff and polished command. As a sophomore draftee, he's a bit rougher than most college pitchers and will likely need more time in the minors than most, but he's a solid all around ballplayer with an excellent future, whether it's in the middle of the rotation or the bullpen. With the recent locking-in of Matt Capps to close in Washington for 2010 and 2011, it looks like Storen's future is a little further away than some had hoped, which might give the Nats time to examine his potential as a starter, too.
More Scouting Book Info on Drew Storen >
79
3B, FLA
An all-conference catcher at the University of Miami, Sanchez was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 draft by the Marlins. In his first pro season, Sanchez led the New-York Penn League with a .355 average. The next year, Sanchez hit .317 in his first full-season and posted a 55-game OPS of 1.050. He finished with a .288 average, 15 HR and 50 RBIs in 74 games. At high-A Jupiter in 2007, Gaby slammed 9 home runs while maintaining a solid .279 average.
More Scouting Book Info on Gaby Sanchez >
80
61. Mike Minor
62. Jason Castro
63. Ben Revere
64. Jacob Turner
66. Lonnie Chisenhall
68. Shelby Miller
70. Jaff Decker
71. Phillippe Aumont
72. Brandon Erbe
73. Lars Anderson
74. Dayan Viciedo
76. Eric Hosmer
77. Zack Wheeler
78. Wilson Ramos
80. Gaby Sanchez
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