Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2012
Now updated for 2012'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.
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A Golden Spikes Award finalist this past season at the University of Texas, with a 1.60 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 141 innings. Drafted by the Brewers in the first round and signed with big bonus money , he's already a polished and complete pitching package with crazy-good stuff and a nice-and-easy delivery, albeit one with an odd and twitchy followthrough. Perhaps best of all, he's the rarest of flamethrowers: the kind who doesn't fall in love with his own heat, preferring to dismantle hitters with changing speeds and great lateral control. He should arrive in the majors, at least for a looksee, before the end of the 2012 season.
Full Scouting Report for Taylor Jungmann
SB 81BA SC 66BP SN ES ML
A high-school shortstop from Puerto Rico with a live bat from both sides of the plate, Cleveland's Franky Lindor is a young and talented all-around player who shows signs of all five major league tools. His glove is pretty shiny, and his baserunning smarts and instincts are already several years ahead of his age bracket. As he works his way through several hundred thousand practice swings in the next four or five years, we'll find out if he can produce the offensive side of the Indians' requirement.
Full Scouting Report for Francisco Lindor
SB 82BA SC 60BP SN ES ML 32
Born in Lakewood, Ohio but blessed with a name that really belongs in Texas, righthander Stetson Allie is one of the hottest teenaged arms in baseball. He played third base a great deal in high school, too, and is an average defender and slightly above-average hitter from that position, but most scouts agree his future is on the mound, where his signature is heat, heat and more heat. He can already bring a near-99mph fastball to the plate with an easy, repeatable delivery and mix in a filthy slider whenever he likes.
Full Scouting Report for Stetson Allie
SB 83BA SC BP SN ES ML
Yes, Cheslor. A Nicaraguan third baseman who seems skilled enough to stick at the position, the Royals' young slugger looked pretty darn good in his first look at A-ball in 2011. Cuthbert's Mighty Cudgel hammered baseballs all over Kane County for a critical .267/.345/.397 points of damage. His eight homers in 300 at-bats looks a bit low compared to expectations, but considering he was only 17 when the season started, we can give the kid some slack. He'll be a lot of fun if he continues at this pace.
Full Scouting Report for Cheslor Cuthbert
SB 84BA SC 94BP SN ES ML
Right-handed outfielder Jake Marisnick, a third-round draft choice in 2009, hit 14 home runs and stole 37 bases at A-level Lansing last year while slashing an impressive .320/.392/.496. While he's not yet an all-around ballplayer, he's probably the best overall raw athlete in the Toronto Blue Jays system today, and seems dedicated to training and professional development without needing a whole lot of coaching. He's also got the sort of positive, outgoing personality that big league promotions managers love. He'll be a high-A player in 2012, with AA a solid possibility for the second half of the year, and a cup of coffee in the Rogers Mausoleum not completely out of the question.
Full Scouting Report for Jake Marisnick
SB 85BA SC 49BP SN ES ML 58
A legitimate 5-tool prospect who the Twins should have the patience to develop, this is an Adam Jones / Carlos Gomez type prospect who's just a year or two behind that curve. Still very young, his skills haven't yet caught up to his raw ability: it's clear he has the plus plus speed, for example, and he's been leveraging it for extra base hits more and more often, but he hasn't yet shown the savvy to steal bases efficiently. If he can work on that, while also maintaining the great patience and batting eye he's been showing in the minors, he'll be all set for a major league leadoff role.
Full Scouting Report for Aaron Hicks
SB 86BA SC 27BP SN ES ML 72
He's only 22 years old, but ever since he hit a dozen homers in 94 games at high-A Potomac in 2010, catcher Derek Norris has had everyone's attention. Norris is a patient slugger with a perfect catcher's build who's still working on his blocking and game-calling. He already sports a powerful arm, as shown when he threw out nearly half of all would-be basestealers last season. He's one to watch for in 2013 or so.
Full Scouting Report for Derek Norris
SB 87BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Sox second-round pick in 2009 out of high school, outfielder Trayce Thompson is a 6-4, 200 pound righthanded masher from Rancho Margarita, California. The son of ex-NBA player Mychal Thompson, Trayce is a high-quality athlete with a solid set of tools. Both his power and speed project as possible plus tools. Hopefully, the shortage of quality players on the Chicago farm won't force the Sox to move him too quickly, because he really needs to percolate for a few instructional years before he's ready to be an impact player in Chicago.
Full Scouting Report for Trayce Thompson
SB 88BA SC BP SN ES ML
A converted shortstop with a cannon arm and a terrific pop time, catcher Jake (JT) Realmuto was another part of Greensboro's A-level championship title in 2010. Untapped power and good speed (for a catcher) combine with a quickly-developing eye that should propel him to the majors one day. Realmuto is Florida's top catching prospect today, though he's still a few years away from Miami baseball.
Full Scouting Report for JT Realmuto
SB 89BA SC BP SN ES ML
A rapidly-maturing slugger in the Rangers system, Mike Olt ('Mike Olt!') is a legit third-base candidate whose defense is already passable, though his first-step could use some improvement. Olt hit .267/.387/.504 at high-A Myrtle Beach in 2011, but more impressively clubbed 14 homers while striking out 'only' once per game, pretty good for a slugger of his developing age.
Full Scouting Report for Mike Olt
SB 90BA SC 62BP SN ES ML 43
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'll be in Busch by 2014, if not sooner.
Full Scouting Report for Kolten Wong
SB 91BA SC BP SN ES ML
The A's first round pick in the 2011 draft, righthander Sonny Gray is a small, stocky pitcher with big stuff. His 95mph fastball has great natural movement, and he's already complementing it with a quality curve. As can be said of 99% of all amateurs, though, his changeup isn't really all there yet, and it'll be what matters most to move him ahead. He's succeeded pitching up in the zone until now, which might come back to bite him, especially if the San Jose Athletics give Sonny Gray real estate that's a little less forgiving than the Oakland version.
Full Scouting Report for Sonny Gray
SB 92BA SC 31BP SN ES ML 85
A big, strong third baseman in the Matt Williams tradition, Diamondback prospect Matt Davidson hit .270 with 20 homers at high A-level Visalia in 2011, though those numbers need a hard eye: the Cal League is notoriously hitter friendly. With fellow prospect Bobby Borchering moving to the outfield this year, Davidson has a clear shot at the third base gig in Phoenix, as long as his bat remains respectable and his defense continues to improve. He's a decent 2013 bet, and could be up for a quick dip in the Arizona hot tub sooner than that.
Full Scouting Report for Matt Davidson
SB 93BA SC BP SN ES ML
A polished college shortstop from St. John's, Joe Panik is the closest thing to MLB-ready in the Giants system today. After signing with the club last year, he went straight to low-A Salem, where he promptly hammered out a nifty .341/.401/.467 line with six homers and thirteen stolen bases in only 270 at-bats. That's perfect production for a modern shortstop, so as long as he plays up to his level, he'll be a fixture in SF sometime in 2014.
Full Scouting Report for Joe Panik
SB 94BA SC BP SN ES ML
Sometimes it seems that the Yankee farm is all about catchers. Gary Sanchez is a very young but promising backstop from Austin, Texas who's not as far along as Montero or Romine, but has 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 95BA SC 50BP SN ES ML 53
With a WHIP under 1.00 throughout 2010 and a scary-good strikeout rate, Betances has been one of the many weapons being sharpened in Hell's Kitchen, and just in time, too: the Yankee's mighty pitching has grown a lot less fearsome in recent years. His lightning stuff has been sidelined a bit too often by minor injuries, sadly, and he underwent a bit of surprise surgery in late 2009 that slowed his development somewhat. The team also pushed him way too quickly last season, probably panicking a little over their MLB bullpen woes. Still, he remains a high-ceiling if risky long-term asset: guys with stuff this wicked always seem to find their way onto MLB rosters sooner or later.
Full Scouting Report for Dellin Betances
SB 96BA SC 28BP SN ES ML 41
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 until he was shut down for TJ surgery in mid-2008.
Full Scouting Report for Nick Hagadone
SB 97BA SC BP SN ES ML
Now an outfielder for the Athletics, ex-USC shortstop Grant Green had a chance to be the #1 overall draft pick in 2009 until Stephen Strasburg's moment carried him into the top ranking. Green has an above average arm and plus range, and he seems to have taken to the outfield very well, though of course his prospect status takes a hit from the move to a less-valuable position.
Full Scouting Report for Grant Green
SB 98BA SC 47BP SN ES ML 94
A tall and lanky teenager who arrived in the DR in the winter of 2011, outfielder Jorge Soler is one of the most promising Cuban prospects in baseball today. He's already shown off his tools in Dominica, and while he looks like a centerfielder right now, his size and young age make it quite possible he'll be a corner fielder when he finishes growing, especially if his loopy power swing develops as expected. He's already showing the signs of that potential plus power and his very strong arm is certainly real. His contact skills and lack of patience at the plate, though, are equally clear indicators that he's still a very rough gem.
Full Scouting Report for Jorge Soler
SB 99BA SC BP SN ES ML
A young Cuban superstar, Iglesias signed with Boston for $8M in the summer of 2009. He might just be the long-term answer that Fenway's faithful have been seeking at shortstop ever since Nomah left the building. Iglesias's fielding has been described as 'Ozzie Smith-style slick', already meriting a perfect 80 on the scouting scale. His speed is at least above-average and close to a real plus tool. His bat isn't there yet, and it's definitely the main concern in Beantown, but most scouts feel he can contribute as at least an everyday stick once he develops a bit more. At 5-10 and 180lbs, he won't be hitting many light poles, but with Dustin Pedroia around to provide pointers, he should be able to launch a few 'frickin laser beams' now and again.
Full Scouting Report for Jose Iglesias
SB 100BA SC BP SN ES ML
Prospects
Top Prospects 2012
Combined Ranking
81 to 100 of 525 Prospects
