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.
If you think you have found a mistake, please read this blog entry before telling us. Then tell us.
Current Overall SB ranking for 2012 shown in grid below.
With a nickname that sounds like something out of a Radical Feminist Manifesto, Manny Banuelos is a young and tiny lefthander signed out of Mexico who's already being heralded as a shining success story for the Yankee's international scouting team. Man-Ban's fastball is an easy 92mph, while his changeup already looks like a plus pitch, remarkable in such a young player. He's been working on adding a curve and/or slider to his mix, which would silence those calling him a bullpen-only piece, but even his existing two-pitch arsenal has been effective so far. He'll be brought along slowly, as the ever-conservative Yankees have no need to rush him, but if his next year is as good as his last, he'll have to be considered one of the top young arms in the minor leagues.
Full Scouting Report for Manny Banuelos
SB 15BA SC 9BP SN ES ML 13
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
Even with the departure of Sweet Jesus Montero, Mason Williams remains in the Yankee stable providing the promise of offense-to-come. Mason, son of former NFL receiver Derwin, has already shamed the teams that passed him over four or five times each, as the fourth-round pick has turned out to be a fiery aggressive hitter and baserunner, with plus speed and solid defense in center. He's already looking like a better leadoff hitter and all around player than Brett Gardner... and Curtis Granderson can play right field, can't he?
Full Scouting Report for Mason Williams
SB 107BA SC 96BP SN ES ML 73
An Iron Mike style strike throwing machine from Venezuela, righthander Jose Campos looked awfully polished in his first taste of US ball last year, using his 95-98mph fastball with pinpoint control on the way to a 2.32 ERA and 0.971 WHIP in 82 innings of work with low-A Everett (Northwest League). He struck out a sizzling 85 batters in that time and walked only 13. Did we mention that he really, really throws a lot of strikes? half his crazy strikeout to walk rate, he should be primed for AA in 2013. Seattle was so full of premium pitching prospects that they decided to shed Campos in the effort to pick up slugger Jesus Montero in 2012's winter. In New York, he can simmer another year or two.
Full Scouting Report for Jose Campos
SB 167BA SC BP SN ES ML
Has it been that long already? Son of the Blake Street Basher himself, Dante Jr. is a pretty disciplined power hitter for such a young player, and seems capable of playing a more than reasonable third base in the bargain. Already shining as the easy pick as GCL MVP for 2011 (.342/.446/.505), he'll still require a lot more cooking, but he already looks more advanced than his daddy did at the same age.
Full Scouting Report for Dante Bichette
SB 209BA SC BP SN ES ML
The younger brother of infielder Andrew, Austin Romine was a two way player in the Buster Posey fashion, acting as his high school closer as well as everyday catcher. As you might expect, he has one of the best cannons to second of any catcher in the minors today. At the plate he has doubles power and an easy swing, which looks projectable to 20-30 homer power someday. His cup of coffee in 2011 (2 for 19 in 9 games) was a reward for a good AA season as much as it was relief for an overworked Yankee catching corps. He's still a ways away from Yankee Stadium, but he's a hard worker with enough raw talent to get there sooner or later, and he's the most promising defender of the Yankee catching prospects.
Full Scouting Report for Austin Romine
SB 274BA SC BP SN ES ML
While it was not surprise to see him blow away lesser Rookie leaguers, Austin also looked pretty darn good at low-A Staten Island last year, dinging out a solid 323/.402 /.542 line and swiping seven bases in seven attempts.
Full Scouting Report for Tyler Austin
SB 280BA SC BP SN ES ML
A toolsy infielder who many expected to fall deeper in the draft, Yankee prospect Cito Culver is shaping up as a Howie Kendrick-style infielder: high average, acceptable speed, and minimal power. He looks capable but not spectacular in the field so a move to second or third seems likely, here. The native New Yorker tapped out a hollow but acceptable .250/.323/.337 in his first full season of A ball last season.
Full Scouting Report for Cito Culver
SB 309BA SC BP SN ES ML
A mature prospect who'll be 27 (or so) later this year, Cuban Yadil Mujica is a contact hitter with plus speed, good range and a plus arm from shortstop. In his last year in Cuba, he hit .358/.432/.440, that average enough for twelfth-best in the league (modern Cuban baseball is hitter-friendly, which explains why so few Cuban pitchers stick in MLB.)
Full Scouting Report for Yadil Mujica
SB 312BA SC BP SN ES ML
A powerful lefthanded outfielder, Yankee prospect Slade Heathcott looks like a future offensive monster, especially if he remains on a path leading to New Yankee Stadium. A professional hitter, Heathcott has plus contact and power skills, not to mention superior baserunning ability. He's more than adequate in the field, and while he can play center, his body type might be better-suited to a corner outfield position. All told, he's a legitimate 30-30 candidate as long as he stays focused on development. Mumblings about possible off-field issues seem to be more smoke than substance, but even if there's something to them, the button-down Yankees system is a good place to straighten out any young man looking for discipline and guidance.
Full Scouting Report for Slade Heathcott
SB 384BA SC BP SN ES ML
An All-American at second base, the switch-hitting Suttle's skills play well at almost any infield position, though he's growing fast enough that he may end up limited to first or third. A quality overall ballplayer without one specific standout tool, he'll still need to develop more power and a more disciplined eye (108 strikeouts in only 86 games at AA Trenton is disappointing) if he wants to break out of a future utlity role.
Full Scouting Report for Bradley Suttle
SB 454BA SC BP SN ES ML
A player who showed unmatchable power at the high school level, John (Cody) Johnson Jr. is a raw but fascinating prospect that the Yankees bought from the Braves in early 2011. As a (mature) prospect, he fits into the Lars Anderson / Chris Parmalee frame of reference: a player who could be a superstar if he could only learn the finer points of the game, but who might also fade into obscurity if he relies on nothing but home run swings.
Full Scouting Report for Cody Johnson
SB 457BA SC BP SN ES ML
A control-focused righthander from Plano, Texas, prospect Adam Miller has bounced up and down the Indian's farm system for seven full seasons, none of them outstanding but none of them awful enough to merit a sharp cut. He looked good at high-A Kinston last season, then awful at AA Akron. He's running out of time.
Full Scouting Report for Adam Miller
SB 479BA SC BP SN ES ML
A 2008 supplemental pick for the Yankees, this Stanford lefthander was the team's ace before being derailed by an elbow strain, which helped him slide in the draft. He's not a big kid, but he's got a nasty selection of breaking stuff that could play well in a relief role a few years from now. He has struggled in the minors so far, putting up some pretty iffy numbers due to problematic control, but his raw stuff and baseball smarts should win out eventually. If everything falls right, he could move back up the prospect lists and maybe even into a battered Yankee rotation come 2015 or so. More likely, though, he puts together a good enough run to become attractive trade bait to a team more desperate for middle relief support.
Full Scouting Report for Jeremy Bleich
SB 489BA SC BP SN ES ML
