Scouting Book: The Best Baseball Prospects for 2008 (Sleepers Too!)

MLB Baseball Prospect Rankings for 2008

As always, our Prospect Rankings change very often, to reflect the latest and most promising prospects for the new season.

The Best 15 C Prospects for 2008

Showing 1 to 15 of 15. Overall SB ranking for 2008 shown in parentheses.

1. Geovany Soto

C, CHC (#10 overall)

Once a promising slugger with only adequate defense, Soto had been filed away as a platoon specialist by hitting .344 vs. lefties at Triple-A, but only .245 vs. righties. The Cubs were originally expected to carry him as a backup or platoon catcher in 2008, but his breakthrough September convinced them to let Jason Kendall go and make Soto their everyday catcher in 2008. Whether he can keep up good numbers in an everyday role is still a question mark, but he has the attitude and work ethic to do it. Unless his 2007 was a mirage, Soto will be a top-10 catcher in MLB very soon.

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SB #10 | BA #47 | BP #37 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #32

2. Matt Wieters

C, BAL (#13 overall)

A product of Georgia Tech, Wieters might have been drafted out of high school but instead chose college. As it is, he's developed his defense and game-calling skills to the point where he's ready for a shot in pro ball.

Wieters is a switch-hitting catcher with good plate discipline who can hit for both average and power. His extra experience also helped develop his already natural leadership skills, which should help him with a young pitching staff like Baltimore's.

Of course, if Baltimore's bullpen keeps falling apart the way it has for the last few years, the Orioles may look to Wieters other abilities. In college, he served double duty as GT's closer, taking off his catching gear for the ninth inning and bringing a 98mph fastball to the table.

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SB #13 | BA #12 | BP #12 | ML #21 | SN #46 | ES #14

3. Jeff Clement

C, SEA (#22 overall)

A power bat who shows no signs of patience (while homering every odd day in the Hawaiian League, he put up a .189 average), Clement also announced his intention to stick in MLB, using his September 2007 stint with the Mariners to show off a .375 average and two homers in only nine games: one of them a game-tying pinch hit, the other a ninth inning walk-off. Clearly, Clement an handle pressure.

But Seattle, with star Kenji Johjima already secured, might not be ready to dedicate a locker to Clement just yet. His development won't continue if he's used as a backup to Kenji, and it's unclear whether the Mariners can find a good trading partner willing to give him a full-time gig.

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SB #22 | BA #42 | BP #33 | ML #46 | SN #11 | ES #44

4. J.R. Towles

C, HOU (#24 overall)

When the Astros moved J.R. Towles up to AAA last August, the signs were clear that they intended the youngster for their major league lineup very soon. And after his impressive cup-of-coffee debut in Houston, he might be up to stay already.

Towles earned the AAA promotion after destroying AA ball, hitting .324 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs in only 60 games, and when he finally got a shot in Houston in September, he did not disappoint. In 14 Major League games, the super-prospect catcher raked to a .375 clip and a 1.007 OPS, with one homer, three walks, and (most impressively) only a single strikeout. Though he's had only 40 major league at-bats entering 2008, he already holds the Astros franchise record for RBIs in a single game, thanks to an 8 RBI performance vs St Louis.

Towles is one of the hottest power-hitting catching prospects in baseball. And at age 24, he's just now ready for the big-leagues. A premium catching prospect.

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SB #24 | BA #53 | BP #54 | ML unranked | SN #35 | ES #61

5. Bryan Anderson

C, STL (#94 overall)

A slugging left-handed catcher who hit .302 as a 19-year old A-baller and .298 as a 20-year old in AA the next season, Anderson is generally regarded as the catcher of the near future in St Louis.

A fourth round pick in 2005, Anderson has impressed coaches and scouts ever since, and could see action in St Louis as soon as 2008.

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SB #94 | BA #85 | BP #71 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES unranked

6. Hank Conger

C, LAA (#104 overall)

Though he played in only 19 games last season (319/.382/.522) Hyun Choi 'Hank' Conger is already making a name for himself. (We're thinking that 'Hammering Hyun Choi' did not exactly roll off the tongue.)

The young whatever-his-name-is is known was one of the best HS bats in the 2006 class, and he's done nothing to tarnish that perception since, making consistent hard contact in his brief Arizona experience. Most important, he's doing that from the catching position, which makes him of special interest to fantasy owners dying for some extra value from that dead-dry place in their lineup.

With none of Anaheim's young catchers living up to their early billing, Conger might be one to grab now, before the Angels get frustrated with their current platoon and bring the kid up to the bigs.

More Scouting Book Info on Hank Conger >

SB #104 | BA #79 | BP #89 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #87

7. Jesus Montero

C, NYY (#109 overall)

The Yankees are committed to Jorge Posada for another couple of years, but after that they're hoping that a precocious rookie can take over their young pitching staff. Universally regarded as the best available international free agent, Jesus Montero was signed in the summer of 2006, instantly becoming New York's best catching prospect. While some want to see him move to first base or a corner outfield spot, the Yankees are so far committed to continuing his development as a catcher.

At 6-3 and 230 (and still growing), Montero's definitely got the muscle for New Yankee Stadium. According to a Yankee scout, Montero 'looked like Travis Hafner already, at age 16.' Most scouts peg his power rating as a perfect 80 on the 80 point scale.

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8. Gerald Posey

C, SF (#134 overall)

Not much power but a lot of batting smarts. That's the book on Buster. He's got baseball grit and hustle out the yin-yang, though, so in a draft class that was rich with good catchers, he was both the first off the board and the most likely to see early MLB action. The fact he was picked by a team that'll need a good young catcher soon is a bonus. And hey, if they ever need a closer, he can always take off his catching gear and pop out to the mound for an inning or two, the way he did in college.

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9. Taylor Teagarden

C, TEX (#170 overall)

Born with a name that must have been playground hell, Teagarden is an offensive-minded catcher who won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns, when he was a teammate of Huston Street.

Teagarden missed most of 2006 due to an elbow injury that required TJ surgery, but appears to be fully recovered based on his monster 2007 numbers in high-A Bakersfield (.316/.449/608) and AA Frisco (.294/.357/.529). Texas seems intent on leaving him behind the plate, despite the 2007 acquisition of phenom Saltalamacchia.

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SB #170 | BA #80 | BP #77 | ML unranked | SN unranked | ES #40

10. Kyle Skipworth

C, FLA (#171 overall)

Buster Posey got a lot of attention in the 2008 draft, but Skippy might be a better bet, especially offensively. A left-handed and more power-hitting type of catcher, he lags behind Posey in the defensive and especially game-calling parts of the game, which means he might end up a bigger star, but not right away. Of course, if his bat stays as hot as it's been in recent years, it'll be impossible to keep him in the minors for long.

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11. J.P. Arencibia

C, TOR (#203 overall)

Picking catchers in the Toronto minor leagues is a bit of a matter of taste. Some scouts like Curtis Thigpen, while others think Robinson Diaz is the future of the Blue Jays' facemask. While we don't hate either of those fine fellows, our money is on JP Arencibia for now.

A big, strong right-handed hitter from Florida, Arencibia is a catcher of the offensive variety, though he does have a strong throwing arm to go along with his bat. He's also got a great personality for leadership and should be able to handle a pitching staff if he can stay behind the plate. While at-bat, he's a dead pull slugger with plus power. He just needs to learn a little plate discipline to stop big-league pitchers from picking him apart before he can get his bat into play.

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12. Gaby Sanchez

C, FLA (#217 overall)

An all-conference catcher at the University of Miami, Sanchez was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 draft by the Marlins. In his first pro season, Sanchez led the New-York Penn League with a .355 average. The next year, Sanchez hit .317 in his first full-seasonand posted a 55-game OPS of 1.050. He finished with a .288 average, 15 HR and 50 RBIs in 74 games. At high-A Jupiter in 2007, Gaby slammed 9 home runs while maintaining a solid .279 average.

Having blown past all levels of play, he's now on the fast-track in youth-oriented Florida system. Sanchez may be moved to 1B if the Marlins feel comfortable with their other options behind the plate. And since his real strengths lie as a hitter, that might be best for his own development too.

So whether he catches or not, he's a hitter, and a hitter who hits for high average, for power, and to all fields. That means the Marlins will find somewhere for him to play, sooner rather than later.

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13. Brett Lawrie

C, MLW (#236 overall)

It's a bit cheap comparing Canadian slugger Brett Lawrie to fellow Canucks Larry Walker and Justin Morneau, but in this case the comparison is about more than nationality: Lawrie can flat-out rake, though he does it from the right side of the plate. An all-around baseball talent with no ceiling in sight, the fact that he's played both shortstop and catcher well enough to make it onto both position lists tells you something about the special youngster.

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14. Jason Castro

C, HOU (#255 overall)

Three catchers were in the top ten picks of the 2008 draft, and Castro was one of them. Now, why the Astros took another catcher, especially one as close to MLB-ready as Stanford graduate Castro is a bit of a head-scratcher, since they already have the very talented J. R. Towles under lock and key. But with first base looking like an opening in the near future, there should be somewhere to play both. Castro has plus power and good defense, which means he should move quickly and be ready for the majors as soon as late 2010 or 2011.

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15. George Kottaras

C, BOS (#276 overall)

A smart, careful student of the game, Kottaras is an offensive catcher with very good plate discipline and 20-homer potential. His body is still filling out, but he's expected to be able to perform to MLB levels while remaining behind the plate. His experience catching knuckleballer Steve Sparks makes him attractive early carry for the BoSox, who have been carrying Mirabelli year-to-year while waiting for a better backup-slash-Wakefield catcher. Even if he's called up, though, Kottaras will be a part-timer or backup for awhile, but he's a valid prospect nonetheless. A trade could make him a lot more valuable overnight.

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