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.
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. He's learning to rely on more than just his admittedly-great heat to excel in pro ball, too, so it's not surprising to see his nifty 12-6 curve frustrate batters. More exciting is the extra sink he's starting to trust on the less-explosive two-seam version of his fastball, a pitch that even good hitters will beat into the ground with abandon. 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 late 2013 or so, though he'll probably get a look-see a bit sooner than that.
More Scouting Book Info on Shelby Miller
SB 7BA SC 6BP SN ES ML 5
The Cardinals' first pick of the 2010 Amateur Draft (25th overall), Arkansas' Zack Cox is a toolsy player with a high-end mix of baseball instincts and work ethic. He abandoned pitching to focus on hitting as a college freshman, and he hasn't looked back since. His bat speed is exceptional, and allowed him to turn on even the best heat in college ball while also letting him adjust to off-speed pitches with an ease seldom seen in NCAA.
More Scouting Book Info on Zack Cox
SB 39BA SC BP SN ES ML
The player formerly known as Carlos Matias is a high-risk, high-upside pitcher from the Dominican who brings an advanced fastball and pitchability to the US mound. He's a bit of a mystery, and there's some question about how well his stuff will translate to the US game, but his minor league performance in 2011 quelled any fears that he would be a bust, as he struck out 98 A and high-A batters in 85 innings of pro work.
More Scouting Book Info on Carlos Martinez
SB 55BA SC 19BP SN ES ML 30
A solid, squarely-built righthander in the Cards' system, Texan Tyrell Jenkins was a first round (supplemental) pick in the 2010 draft. A two-sport star who almost went to Baylor as a quarterback, Jenkins works with a 92mph heater than can touch 96. At the moment, he can also bring a slow curve, a passable slider and an (unreliable) changeup to bear. It'll be the development of those secondary pitches that controls his rise through the minors. He's several years away from relevant.
More Scouting Book Info on Tyrell Jenkins
SB 67BA SC 92BP SN ES ML
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.
More Scouting Book Info on Kolten Wong
SB 83BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big Dominican outfielder with an even bigger bat from the left side, the Cardinals' Oscar Taveras was a little too much for A-level pitchers to handle in 2011, as he smashed to the tune of a 1.028 OPS (386 .444 .584) and eight homers in Quad Cities. Even scarier, his 27 doubles will probably grow into additional dingers as his young body fills out: he's still only 19. He really needs to be in high-A or even AA ball soon so that we can all find out if that big swing has any obvious holes.
More Scouting Book Info on Oscar Taveras
SB 113BA SC 35BP SN ES ML
A fastball and slider specialist, Sanchez is a lights-out reliever who's clearly fully cooked in the St. Louis system. The young Venezuelan ended his 2011 with 35 strikeouts in his first 30 big-league innings. If he stays healthy, he will be a nasty late-inning weapon for the Cardinals in 2012, and probably for many years to come.
More Scouting Book Info on Eduardo Sanchez
SB 155BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Cardinals' minor league pitcher of the year for 2009, righthander Michael (Lance) Lynn is a 6-6, 260lb monster out of U Mississippi who frustrates opposing hitters with a hard sinker mixed with an effective change and curve. More of a smart, pitchability type than a power pitcher, Lynn exhibits plus command of all his pitches and has shown a knack for keeping hitters off balance. If he can hold up to the workloads of pro ball, he could be a real innings eater for the Cardinals very soon.
More Scouting Book Info on Lance Lynn
SB 254BA SC BP SN ES ML
He's slipped in the prospect standings over the last season or two, but the slugging left-handed catcher who hit .302 as a 19-year old A-baller and .298 as a 20-year old in AA is still seen as a possible catcher of the near future in St Louis, even if his can't-miss gleam has worn off some. If he can add just a little bit to his overall game and continue to contribute across the board in the minors, he should get a look again in 2012, if only as Yadier's backup and occasional relief corp.
More Scouting Book Info on Bryan Anderson
SB 422BA SC BP SN ES ML
Selected 30th overall by the Cardinals in the 2006 draft, Ottavino dominated hitters at Northwestern University with a K/9 rate over 10 and a notable ability to handle tough left-handed hitters. He projects a promising mix of confidence and stuff, and scouts see him as a future middle-of-rotation starter. He's had a rocky time in the minors so far, but his advanced mental game and advanced skills should come together sooner or later.
More Scouting Book Info on Adam Ottavino
SB 430BA SC BP SN ES ML
The Cardinals' minor league player of the year in 2008 when he hit .383 across two levels of play, ex-football standout Jones hasn't impressed anyone quite as much in the three years since. He's still a viable (if fringe) major leaguer, and he's clearly one of the best speed threats in the system, but he'll be turning 25 at midseason in 2012, which means he doesn't have a lot of time left to round out his game to catch up to his raw ability. The .250/.379/.400 he hit in AAA last season isn't enough for anything more than a bench role, so far.
More Scouting Book Info on Daryl Jones
SB 453BA SC BP SN ES ML
A big, strong Dominican righthander signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2006, Cleto is a raw pitcher who features a moving fastball at 97mph, a real thunderbolt that looks like a genuine plus pitch. His slider is a work in progress, however, and his other pitches aren't anything special yet. He was acquired by the Cardinals in the 2011 offseason after a Cal League year in which he posted a 6.16 ERA in 23 appearances (21 starts). If his change develops, he could be a strong starter in a few years, but if it's the slider that comes along best, look for him as a late-inning strikeout artist come 2013 or so.
More Scouting Book Info on Maikel Cleto
SB 493BA SC BP SN ES ML
A converted pitcher, Robert Stock got a chance behind the plate for the Cardinals in 2010 and 2011, but he hasn't really shown the development necessary for progress, which means his baseball career is hanging by a thread in Redbird Nation.
More Scouting Book Info on Robert Stock
SB 516BA SC BP SN ES ML
Once one of the hottest arms in the White Sox organization, the polydactylic Perez had 'future closer' written all over him until the Sox tried passing him through waivers. He bounced through the Indian, Yankee and Padre systems, and even did a stint in Mexico and the DR before being picked up by a creative St Louis organization for another ride around the block. Despite his bounces through the minors, Perez remains a high-ceiling, high-risk prospect, a real late-inning weapon in waiting. He's always maintained a strikeout to walk ratio over three to one, so if the right coach can maximize his effectiveness, he could still be a major player.
More Scouting Book Info on Oneli Perez
SB 519BA SC BP SN ES ML
