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.
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Selected by Cincinnati in the first round of the 2011 Draft (27th overall), righthander Robert Stephenson was a rare high-school choice from the usually conservative Reds franchise. The tall Californian overpowered his peers in his senior high school season, posting a 1.19 ERA in 76 innings that included not one but two no-hitters. A power pitcher in the classic mould, he can already top 98mph with his fastball. As always, though, it's how well his secondary pitches develop that will determine his fate in pro baseball. He'll try to work up to high-A ball in 2013.
Full Scouting Report for Robert Stephenson
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You know what the Atlanta Braves really need? More overpowering pitchers with electric stuff. No, wait, actually, they already have more of those than they know what to do with. No matter, JR Graham is exactly that kind of righthanded prospect, and he won't let a niggling thing like a logjam stop his 100mph sizzler.
Full Scouting Report for JR Graham
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Tyler Austin is the fastest-rising player on the Yankee farm. Austin destroyed four (four!) levels of minor league ball in 2012, averaging .322/.400/.559 from rookie ball all the way up to AA, and that AA line wasn't bad in itself, as a .286 average in a player's very first taste of high-level minors is something special enough to circle on your program. Austin is a right-handed hitter with a quick and strong swing to all fields, which makes him extra-potent once his advanced batting eye and patience is brought to bear. His power is rapidly approaching plus, and while he'll be no leadoff-type base stealer, a middle-order back with better than average speed is exactly what the Yankees are looking for these days. Look for him to spend all of 2013 in AA, with a September callup a near-certainty. Should the Yankee lineup suffer injuries closer to midseason, a Will Middlebrooks-style debut would not be a surprise, either: he's very likely to cement a lineup spot as soon as he's given the chance. While he's developed as a third baseman, he seems to have outgrown the spot (too bad, as the Yanks should have an opening there soon), which relegates him to right field, first base or DH.
Full Scouting Report for Tyler Austin
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Showing no certain confidence in the mercurial Carlos Marmol, the Cubs outbid several other teams in 2012's offseason to secure the services of Japanese veteran closer Kyuji Fujikawa. Fujikawa, who finished 48 games for the Hanshin Tigers in 2012, did so while posting a miniscule 1.32 ERA and 1.028 WHIP while striking out eleven batters per nine innings of work. And those numbers aren't aberrations: Fujikawa's career ERA over six seasons in Japan is only 1.36, and he's struck out five times as many men as he 's walked. While it's always iffy to assume an 'overpowering' pitcher in Japan can turn the same trick in America, Fujikawa at least brings closing experience in many bigger-game situations than the Cubs are likely to see in the next few years.
Full Scouting Report for Kyuji Fujikawa
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A thickly-built, wide-framed power bat from Texas who moves pretty well for his size, Mike Choice is a player destined for an outfield corner rather than the centerfield he played at UT. He draws comparisons to Pedro Alvarez for his body type and the attack angle of his quick right-handed swing. As an advanced bat with an excellent work ethic and (by all reports) a solid character, he should move quickly through the Oakland system.
Full Scouting Report for Michael Choice
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Right-handed outfielder Jake Marisnick, a third-round draft choice in 2009, moved to Miami as part of the Marlin Fire Sale of 2012. While he's not yet an all-around ballplayer, he was probably the best overall raw athlete in the Toronto Blue Jays system last year, and he's undoubtedly the same jewel in the Miami system today. The .233/.286/.336 he slashed during a couple of months of AA ball doesn't look as nice as the .263/.349/.451 line he posted in A-ball earlier in the season, but it was his first taste of the higher level, so give him some slack. Marisnick is a player who seems dedicated to training and professional development without needing a whole lot of coaching, so once he adjusts to Miami life, he'll be just fine.
Full Scouting Report for Jake Marisnick
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A two-way player who the White Sox have chosen to develop as an outfielder, young Courtney Hawkins has plus power potential, though his swing also comes with more than the preferred number of gaping holes, at least for now. He'll have a couple of more years to tighten that up, of course.
Full Scouting Report for Courtney Hawkins
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A power righthander who many see as the next Dodger ace, first round draft pick Zach Lee has a ways to go before he's a sure thing, but he did nothing to frighten away believers in 2011, racking up a great start to his pro career in A ball. With a 92mph fastball, plus curve and a developing change, he's a young pitcher worth worth watching closely: that 103:32 strikeout to walk ratio he posted across two leagues in 2012 portends a solid future.
Full Scouting Report for Zach Lee
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The proud owner of a name that's as much hiphop as shortstop, Arizona prospect Didi Gregorius looks to be the sort of long-term shortstop that Stephen Drew never quite became. Mariekson Julius Gregorius (okay, now we see why he prefers Didi) is a Netherlands native with a sweet lefthanded swing who can play all over the diamond, though he certainly does seem very much at home at shortstop. As a Reds prospect, he slashed .278/.344/.373 at AA Pensacola in 2012, proving that there wasn't much left between him and the big-league club, and attracting the eye of the DBacks, who snatched him up as the sexiest return from their trade of Trevor Bauer. In Arizona, he'll now compete with fellow arrival Nick Ahmed for Shortstop of the Future honors, and thanks to his MLB experience, he should get the chance to do so first.
Full Scouting Report for Didi Gregorius
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A quality lefthander who looks close to MLB ready, San Diego pitcher Max Fried should see Petco sooner rather than later. Fried's fastball doesn't exceed 92mph very often, though he can add a bit more when he really needs it and gets more outs thanks to its sinking nature than its velocity, anyway. His cutter and change are average pitches already, and should be better than average by the time he's anchored into the Padre rotation.
Full Scouting Report for Max Fried
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Prospects
Top Prospects 2013
Combined Ranking
70 to 80 of 650 Prospects
