Top Baseball Prospects 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.
Originally drafted out of high school by the Oakland A's back in 2007, outfielder Gary Brown chose college instead before entering the 2010 draft, when he was selected 24th overall by the San Francisco Giants. A plus-plus runner with a centerfielder's natural graces, Brown's bat has been bad but improving, giving him the right mix of tools for an MLB leadoff slot in another couple of years.
Full Scouting Report for Gary Brown
SB 30BA 38SC 57BP 18SN ES 68ML 48
A polished college shortstop from St. John's, Joe Panik is the closest thing to MLB-ready in the Giants system today, though he's more likely than not to be deployed at second base for the big club. After signing with the team 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, all in only 270 at-bats. That's great production for a modern infielder, so as long as he plays up to his level, he'll be all set as a fixture in SF sometime in 2013.
Full Scouting Report for Joe Panik
SB 102BA SC BP SN ES ML
A high-school catcher with a tantalizing power bat (15 homers in 27 games in his senior year), the double-named Tommy Joseph was scooped up by the Giants in 2009. In addition to his terrific raw power, Joseph displays a very strong throwing arm and shows signs of excellent leadership and discipline on the field. While the catcher's position in San Francisco would seem to be locked up for the foreseeable future, the Giants are looking for cheap medical insurance as much as any team, especially after the ESPN highlight (lowlight?) injury suffered by Mr. Posey in 2011.
Full Scouting Report for Tommy Joseph
SB 126BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big righthanded reliever from the glittering metropolis known as Cowpens, South Carolina, Giants pitcher Richard (Heath) Hembree is a low-glamor, low-maintenance and highly durable farmhand who would probably take the mound 162 times each season if his coach asked him to. He looked pretty darn good at AA Richmond last year, striking out 34 and walking only 13 in 28 one-inning appearances. Give him another half year and he'll be ready to chew through the middle innings in San Francisco, too.
Full Scouting Report for Heath Hembree
SB 135BA SC BP SN ES ML
A very big kid from Texas with a pretty big arm, righthander Kyle Crick was the his district's 4A pitcher of the year in 2011. He brings a typical power heavy fastball from a high arm angle, and complements it with a slider that shows serious promise.
Full Scouting Report for Kyle Crick
SB 192BA SC BP SN ES ML
A speedy outfielder in the Giants' system, Dominican Francisco Peguero is a solid defender with developing on-base skills. A line drive hitter whose build doesn't suggest future power (he's shaped more or less like Eugenio Velez, though he hits exclusively from the right side), Peguero will have to keep reaching base at a high clip in order to contribute. He's got some distance to close, too: despite the nice batting average, his walk rate is too low, and he is getting caught stealing a frightfully high percentage of the time.
Full Scouting Report for Francisco Peguero
SB 228BA SC BP SN ES ML 98
A tall and lanky lefthander who's clearly ready for MLB right now, Giant pitcher Eric Surkamp proved himself with six late-season starts for San Francisco in 2011.
Full Scouting Report for Eric Surkamp
SB 253BA SC BP SN ES ML
One possible shortstop of the future in San Francisco, Venezuelan Ehire Enrique Adrianza is an Alexei Ramirez-shaped live wire who's rising steadily through the system. Adrianza has a good eye at the plate, and should be able to hold his own as he moves up the ladder. His glovework also tightened up remarkably between 2009 and 2011 as he cut his errors in half while showing great range at shortstop.
Full Scouting Report for Ehire Adrianza
SB 262BA SC BP SN ES ML
It's amazing how much a player's prospect status can be impacted by a tiny little murder charge. Until he was arrested in the Dominican Republic at the tail end of 2009, Giants slugger Angel Villalona was the Giants unquestioned number one prospect: a serious, middle of the order power threat with 30-30 potential. Charges against Villalona were finally dropped last year, and the team recently added him back to their 40-man roster. Assuming he can actually obtain a new US work visa, he should be back on the radar in San Francisco, too, since the club hasn't exactly added a bevy of power prospects while he was away. Obviously, he'll have some catching up to do.
Full Scouting Report for Angel Villalona
SB 324BA SC BP SN ES ML
A squat, good-hitting catcher whose physique comes more from the Sandoval side of the Giants family tree than it does from the Posey branch, Venezuelan Hector Sanchez did such a nifty job in the minors in 2011 that the Giants zoomed him right to AT&T Park, where he nonchalantly knocked out 8 hits in his first 31 big-league at-bats (that's .324, nerds). He even popped two doubles and walked three times against only six strikeouts. If the Giants need a backup and some insurance against future Buster Posey collisions, they may have a solution in-hand already.
Full Scouting Report for Hector Sanchez
SB 325BA SC BP SN ES ML
In drafting Omaha native Conor Gillaspie in the supplemental round of the 2008 amateur draft, the Giants raised a lot of eyebrows. A high-average hitter with projectable power, he was expected to last later than that. The Giants gave him five MLB at-bats at the tail end of 2008, during which he walked twice and homered off, of all people, Dan Haren. Other than another 19 ABs (and another homer) in 2011, he's been back in his proper environment since, and has grown as his keepers hoped.. While he could be a bench player in the bigs immediately, the Giants are probably best off having him start in the minors again while waiting for an opening.
Full Scouting Report for Conor Gillaspie
SB 432BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big, lefty-hitting shortstop from UCLA, Giants' prospect Brandon Crawford had an illustrious career with the Bruins, starting each and every of the 179 games the team played during his tenure. He hit over .300 each year, helping to lead the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament each season. As a Giant progeny, he's struggled somewhat to find his stick, but he's young and hard-working enough to improve. He might not stick at short, but as long as he can continue to grow, he should be able to slide into at least a utility role sometime in 2012 or 2013.
Full Scouting Report for Brandon Crawford
SB 444BA SC BP SN ES ML
A lefty-hitting corner outfielder, Giant prospect Roger Kieschnick is a potential five-tool talent with both power and speed potential, and it's not at all surprising that he shares his nickname ('Hawk') with Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. In the field he's a giant with deceptive speed, a highlight-reel daredevil without any detectable fear of walls or other barriers. He's got above-average range which should improve as he polishes his routes and jumps, and an arm that has moments of true cannon-power. He's grappled with an awkward swing at times, but it hasn't hindered him much to date:a .255/.307/.429 line in a full-season at AA Richmond last year came with 16 homers and 22 doubles, and 121 homers in 126 games.
Full Scouting Report for Roger Kieschnick
SB 526BA SC BP SN ES ML
A solid contact hitter with good speed, Noonan hasn't moved ahead of his coopetitors in the last two seasons, and in fact seems to have even regressed a bit in his climb up the ladder. He remains raw, lacks a dominant skill, and still needs to add a lot of polish to push ahead of the pack. What he still has is the tools and makeup of an everyday second baseman, with the fair-to-good power that the modern position seems to require. He needs to break out this year to remain relevant.
Full Scouting Report for Nick Noonan
SB 555BA SC BP SN ES ML
Drafted as a shortstop out of Georgia Tech in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft, Hodges is a solid line-drive hitter with a very quick bat and an explosive, level swing. He has good hands and a plus arm at third base, with acceptable range for the corner. While he wore out his welcome in Cleveland (twice), he's recently signed on with the Giants, who aren't quite as prospect-jammed and can afford to let him develop for another year or two down on the farm. He's no longer the hottest ticket in town, but he's still got substantial upside, and shouldn't be forgotten about.
Full Scouting Report for Wes Hodges
SB 571BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big slugger with 35+ HR potential, he's also a little old for a 'prospect', as he'll turn 28 this year. Still, his massive, bone-rattling swings could fit right into an MLB lineup in 2012.
Full Scouting Report for Joe Koshansky
SB 578BA SC BP SN ES ML
An once-intriguing prospect who seems to be aging past his upside, Main was drafted as a two-way player (starter and right fielder) out of high school, thanks to his best-of-class right arm. He's been clocked at 98mph with his fastball, and his hard curve developed quickly into a go-to pitch in A-ball. He's still missing a quality change or another off-speed pitch, and his control has simply never arrived. Some scouts are still love with his smooth, carbon-copy pitching mechanics, but what good is a repeatable motion if it repeats for as many walks as strikeouts week after week?
Full Scouting Report for Michael Main
SB 589BA SC BP SN ES ML
Once a tip-top pitching prospect, lefthander Chuck Lofgren hit a wall while showing off for his new owners in San Francisco last season, and with his development apparently at a standstill after seven years of minor league ball, the Giants are now considering him a corner outfielder and/or first baseman. He's got the athleticism for it, and it would be fun to see that power arm in right field, but as far as rebuilding projects go, there are safer bets out there.
Full Scouting Report for Chuck Lofgren
SB 594BA SC BP SN ES ML
