1. C Matt Wieters BAL (A/AA: 355 27HR 95RBI .460 OBP .625 SLU 40.2% CS)
The 6’5” 230 lb catching savant can do it all. The Orioles got a steal when he was still there in the 5th spot in the 2007 MLB Draft. The switch hitter from Georgia Tech can hit for average, hit for power from both sides of the plate, block balls, throw, provides leadership … he’s simply a can’t miss prospect. He’s the best catching prospect since Joe Mauer came up in 2004, with better power potential.
The Orioles traded C Ramon Hernandez this offseason specifically to open the door for Wieters to climb in and commandeer the pitching staff in 2009 and beyond. Our early pick for ’09 Rookie of the Year.
2. LHP David Price TB (A/AA/AAA: 12-1 2.30 ERA 109.2 IP 109K .228 BA)
The #1 overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft breezed through all the levels of minor league baseball in his first pro season and culminated his amazing season working out of the pen for the AL Champion Tampa Rays. Price features a devastating mid 90s fastball, that can top out around 97mph to go along with a Randy Johnson-esque slider and developing changeup. He’ll need that changeup to zap the power out of right-handed batters hands to take him to the next level. By 2010, Price and not Kazmir will be the undisputed Ace of the Tampa staff.
3. RHP Neftali FelizTEX(A/AA: 4-3 2.69 ERA 127.1 IP 153K 10.89 K/9IP .201BA)
In the past there have been several Latin born pitchers dubbed “Little Pedro” from Tony Armas Jr., Juan Cruz, and Ramon Ortiz, but none have come close to filling that promise. Now, we have the 20 yr- old Neftali Feliz who isn’t “little” by any means at 6’3” 180 lbs, but is in line to be the next great Dominican pitcher. What makes him so appealing is his easy mechanics that have allowed him to hit 100mph on the gun to go along with a hammer curveball and nice changeup. Hitters just don’t get to square up on him, as they only hit 3 HR’s off Feliz in 127.1 IP in ‘08. It's unbelievable that the Rangers stole him from the Braves organization in that Mark Teixeira deal! He’ll be the Ace of the Texas Rangers as early as 2010 or even mid July ‘09.
4. OF Jason Heyward ATL (A: .316 11HR 56RBI 223TB .381OBP .473SLG)
The 6’4” 220 left-hand hitting Heyward has been compared to Fred McGriff, and rightfully so. Playing most of the year as a teenager in the SAL League, he came in third in the league in batting average and finished fourth in on base percentage. The ball just simply jumps off his bat, and his already professional approach at the plate and in the outfield has drawn him praise. His range and arm will play well in RF, and as he moves up the chain that raw power will continue to develop. The Braves have historically done well drafting first rounders from GA, and Heyward is next in that long line of successes.
5. RHP Rick Porcello DET (A: 8-6 2.66 ERA 125 IP 33BB 72K 1.19 WHIP)
Porcello lasted until the 27th pick in the 2007 draft, because of signability concerns, but Tiger’s GM Dave Dombrowski has never shied away from taking power arms and selected the hard throwing righty. Compared to Josh Beckett coming out of Prep School in NJ, the 6’5” 200 pounder throws two types of fastballs who reach the upper 90’s to go along with a very good changeup (rare for his age), and a developing curveball. He has tremendous leg drive which protects his shoulder and a nice closed delivery, so injury problems should not be a concern. He’ll probably start out in High A ball this year and finish up in AA. A call up to the big leagues shouldn’t be too far away.
6. OF Mike Stanton FLA (A: .293 39HR 97 RBI 286 TB .381 OBP .611 SLG)
Simply a BEAST! As a 19 yr old he came in second in all the minor leagues with 39 homers, and he hasn’t even honed in on all of his power yet. The 6’5” 205 pounder from California is a great athlete, who not only hits for power, but is graceful and has a strong arm in the outfield. He’s been compared to Dave Winfield for his prodigious power and sort of has the arm extension of Tony Clark when he makes contact. He needs to cut his strikeout numbers down a tad (153Ks this yr), which is expected as he moves up the chain and could be with Florida in 2-3 years.
7. SS Alcides Escobar MIL (AA: .328 8HR 76 RBI 34 SB .363 OBP .434 SLG)
Before the season, Escobar was thought of as a defensive whiz with average potential at the plate, but after putting up eye-popping numbers in the tough Southern League, he’s changed a lot of minds. He led all of AA with 179 hits and made at least one amazing play per game on the field to boot. He has a real quick bat from the right side that slashes through the zone, and his plus speed enables him to beat infield hits out and steal bases when he gets on (only caught eight times in 42 tries). He should make Hardy expendable in the near future and excite crowds in Milwaukee for years to come.
8. RHP Jarrod Parker AZ (A: 12-5 3.44 ERA 117.2 IP 117 K 33)
The 9th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft had a very nice season this year in A ball, and what excites me the most about him is his command of 4 pitches already at age 20. He tops out at 97mph and also throws a slider, changeup, and curveball. All good pitches for now, but have the potential to become above average by the time he’s ready for the big leagues. That’s a scary premonition. He’s not very big at 6’1” 180, but his mechanics are extremely clean, with a nice straight-line delivery that keeps him balanced and his front shoulder tucked in before release. I expect great things from him this year and has the potential to be a very polished #2 starter.
9. 3B Mike Moustakas KC (A: .272 22HR 71 RBI 232 TB .805 OPS)
The 2nd overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft definitely proved his worth playing in the low A Midwest league. He led the league with 22 HRs and showed remarkable improvement in his hitting from April to August (.190/.271/.255/.303/.330), which shows he was able to stay strong and adjust to the league’s pitching. He has sort of the same batting mechanics as a young Sean Casey, especially in his follow through with both hands firmly entrenched on the bat. He has a keen eye for a hitter his age, and has power to all fields which should allow him to move through the minors in an advanced pace. The 6’1” 195 pound lefty played this year at SS, but profiles more as a corner infielder.
10. OF Travis Snider TOR (A/AA/AAA: .275 23HR 91 RBI .358 OBP .480 SLG)
The 5’11” 245 pound Snider rode through all 3 levels of the minor leagues last season, and got into 24 games with the Blue Jays and held his own hitting .301 with a couple of homers. The 20 yr old shows tremendous power to all fields and can hit lefties, which is a huge plus for a young left-handed hitter. He’s high up in the rankings because I believe he’s going to get a ton of AB’s for Toronto this year as a DH type and hit over 20 HR’s and drive in 70+. He has the instincts to be a mega run producer in a middle of a lineup and being left-handed to offset Rios and Wells will be very important to that team’s chances in 2009. He’s major league ready … at 21.
11. 1B Lars Anderson BOS (A/AA: .317 18HR 80 RBI 75 BB .417 OBP .526 SLG)
Big Lars Anderson was considered to be a 1st or 2nd round prospect in the 2006 MLB Draft, but dropped to the Red Sox in the 18th round because of signability concerns. They were lucky because they haven’t had a power hitting prospect this good since Mo Vaughn in the mid-90’s. He has many great hitting characteristics, but his two main are his easy inside out approach (which will play well in Fenway Park) and his career .307 batting average vs. left-hand pitchers. He surprised people this year when he moved up from the comfy confines of the Cal League to the tough hitting Eastern League, and his slugging percentage actually went up with it (.513 to .526). The sky is the limit for the swift fielding 1st baseman from California.
12. RHP Tommy Hanson ATL (A/AA: 11-5 2.41 ERA 138 IP 85H 163K .175 BA)
The imposing 6’6” 210 pound Hanson burst onto the scene this year by dominating the Sally and Southern Leagues. He then took that dominance into the Hawaiian Winter League, and led the circuit in Wins, ERA and K’s completing the triple crown, going 5-0 with an 0.63 ERA and .105 BA in 7 starts impressing everyone who watched him pitch. Hanson has FULL command of a 91-94mph fastball with late life, a 70 scale curveball and a very good changeup. SD Padres GM Kevin Towers lusted after him in the Jake Peavy talks, but the Braves were smart not to include him in any deal.
13. OF Cameron Maybin FLA (AA: .277 13HR 49 RBI 21 SB .375 OBP .436 SLG)
Cameron Maybin was the principle player going back to the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera deal, and he struggled out of the gates in his first full year in AA hitting .225 in April and .260 in May, but by August he was hitting at a robust .333 clip, and he took that over the major league level when he appeared in 8 games and batted .500 with 2 home runs and an impressive 1.105 OPS. The 6’4” 205 pounder has an arsenal of 5 tools, and is figures to be above average in all of them once his baseball IQ catches up to his physical offerings. He needs to tone down his strike zone, but once he puts it together, he could be an Andre Dawson type player. I see him getting a shot to claim the CF job this year for the Marlins, and I see him taking it.
14. LHP Madison Bumgarner SF (A: 15-3 1.46 ERA 141.2 IP 164K 21 BB .216 BA)
Few pitchers dominated their leagues like Bumgarner did in 2008. The 10th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft needed just a dominant fastball which he hides and locates well to handcuff an entire league for a full season. The 6’4” 215 pound southpaw has a huge leg kick and seems to turn his entire back on the batter giving him great elusiveness before uncoiling and delivering a mid 90’s fastball. His secondary pitches are below average right now, but the Giants pitching development instructors are THE best in the entire minor leagues, which will enable Bumgarner to learn how to master his slider and changeup offerings as he moves up the ladder. He could be the #1 prospect by this time next year, so watch for him.
15. 3B Pedro Alvarez PIT (2nd overall pick in 2008 MLB Draft)
3B Pedro Alvarez was a much needed selection by the sorry and downtrodden Pittsburgh Pirates who have been looking for an offensive star for a long time. It took them a while to officially sign him because of the “Boras factor”, but they finally came to terms. Unfortunately for Alvarez he broke his hamate bone in his right-hand, which was the reason he didn’t play at all this year. What he does have is an advanced hitting approach at the plate and great power from the left side. On the field he’s an average defender with the ability to get better. He won’t be a Brooks Robinson, but he’s no Melvin Mora either. He’s ready for the big leagues player right now like how Evan Longoria was, but it will serve him well to at least get a taste of pro baseball for a year before heading to Pittsburgh (he’s expected start in AA in ’09). The Pirates finally have some hope!
16. C Buster Posey SF (A: .351 1 HR 6 RBI 1.088 OPS)
The 6’2” 195 pound 5th overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft didn’t get a lot of AB’s in the minor leagues last year, but made enough of an impression to believe that the Giants landed a big time hitter. He’s an excellent and ultra athletic catcher who not only has the ability to hit for power and average, but can work counts and get on base when need be. That professional approach will take him to San Francisco in no time. He did play in the Winter League in the off season and hit .338/.405/.392 with a 15/7 BB/K ratio. He should start the season in AA, and it’s not out of the possibility to see him in September with the big league club.
17. OF Dexter Fowler COL (AA: .335 9HR 64 RBI 141H 20 SB .431 OBP .515 SLG)
The 6’4” 175 pound switch hitting Fowler is a 5 tool threat that should be making Rockies fans salivate about that thought of having him and OF Carlos Gonzalez in the outfield together for years to come. Dexter had a tremendous year with the bat and with the glove in AA. Already one of the best defensive outfielders in the minors, Fowler really turned it up a notch with his offensive abilities this year and learned how to pull the ball more in the process. He’s still a slashing type hitter from the left side (.318), but is a better overall batter from the right side (.405). He needs to learn how to pull the ball a little bit more to fully access his power 15-25 HR power potential and keep learning his strike zone. Expect him to get a shot at CF this year.
18. OF Colby Rasmus STL (AAA: .251 11HR 36 RBI 15 SB .346 OBP .396 SLG)
Injuries really ransacked Rasmus’ season this year, as he was never able to fully heal from a bothersome knee injury. It was too bad, because he couldn’t follow up his great ’07 campaign where he hit .275/.381/.551 (.932 OPS) to go along with 37 doubles, 29 bombs, and 70 walks. He’s still a natural 5 tool player who has Jim Edmonds type ability with the bat and the glove. He profiles as a CF who if he has a great spring training, and if Tony Larussa finally gives him a chance to show him something, will electrify the Cardinal’s fans for years to come.
19. 3B Matt Gamel MIL (AA/AAA: .325 20HR 99 RBI 281 TB .392 OBP .531 SLG)
Gamel is an interesting player in which he has an unbelievable bat, but a cement glove and hands to boot. Where do you play him in the National League? It doesn’t matter because the man can rake with the best of them. He terrorized the AA Southern League, but had a very tough time in AAA hitting only .231 in 21 AB’s, as he was dealing with some elbow issues which curtailed his torrid hitting towards the end of the season. The 6’1” 195 pound lefty has a smooth swing path, and his bat speed gets a lot of whip behind it which causes the ball to jump off his bat with great velocity. He’s an awful 3rd baseman having committed a whopping 83 errors in the past 2 years, but with Braun in LF and Hart in RF, where do you put him? He may end up in another organization, but whoever gets him will get a special hitter.
20. 1B Matt Laporta CLE (AA: .279 22HR 74 RBI .386 OBP .539 SLG)
The principle player in the C.C. Sabathia deal had a good year with the bat this year, and should continue to put up great OPS numbers when he arrives in Cleveland. The 6’2” 210 righty has been negatively compared at times to Ryan Garko, but what separates him from that comparison is his power and his ability to actually play well defensively. At the plate the power hitting slugger has an extremely keen eye, and his propensity to take balls where they are pitched is a real nice treat to have as a young hitter. He stays within himself, but has the power to do great damage in the middle of a lineup. He’s someone that Indian fans can pencil in as their # four through six hitter for years to come.
21. C Max Ramirez TEX (AA/AAA: .347 19HR 57 RBI .439 OBP .628 SLG)
The “Destroyer” has been a hitting machine ever since the Indians signed him out of Venezuela in 2003. Last year was no different as he ripped up the Southern League, and made a 17 game cameo for the Rangers in August/September. Acquired in 2006 from the Indians for Bob Wickman (nice job), the stocky righty has a combination of power and strike zone awareness, that in our opinion will make him into an All Star DH for many years. He’s major league ready right now, and proved it by going to the tough Venezuelan Winter League and putting up a .285/.376/.592 stat line to go along with 13 homers that should make Nolan Ryan salivate. With C Taylor Teagarden and 1B Craig Davis entrenched in those positions for Texas for years to come, the weak catching Ramirez, who only threw out 24.7% of base runners, must stay at DH, and thus lowers him in our rankings.
22. RHP Max Scherzer AZ (AAA: 1-1 2.72 ERA 53 IP 35H 79K .182 BA)
“Mad Max” burst unto the scene with a dominating 4.1 IP debut for the Diamondbacks in late April striking out 7 in a relief effort. Arizona plans on using him as a starter whatsoever, and in 7 starts last year he went 0-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 37 IP. He did strikeout 47 batters and held batters to a .262 BA (.699 OPS), but I believe he’s better suited as a closer. The 6’3” 215 pounder throws from a three quarter angle and features a 93-98mph, a sinking changeup which he uses as an effective strikeout pitch and a developing slider. In 9 games and 19 IP as a reliever batters only hit .172 against the righty, and in the future I see that being his role. I just don’t think his delivery can hold up for 30+ starts. Pencil him for 40+ saves for the next 7-10 years if he’s given the stopper role, though.
23. RHP Jhoulys Chacin COL (A: 18-3 2.03 ERA 177.2 IP 42 BB 160K .221 BA)
Chacin was signed from Venezuela in 2004, and each year he’s improved culminating to his impressive 2008 season were he was named MLB.com’s Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Jhoulys is an impressive young pitcher at only 20 yrs old with his poise and fastball location, but his calling card is his devastating changeup, which have led many baseball types to label Chacin as the “righty Johan Santana.” It’s extremely deceptive straight change that he throws to go along with a 91-94mph fastball and curveball. He also keeps his ball down with his two seam fastball, and in two A levels held an impressive 2.83 GO/AO ratio and only allowed 6 home runs all year! Keep an eye on him in 2009.
24. C Jesus Montero NYY (A: .326 17HR 87 RBI 258 TB .376 OBP .491 SLG)
The 6’4” 225 pound Montero was given the largest Latin American bonus in 2006, at a whopping $1.6 million and hasn’t disappointed whatsoever. What he did as an 18 year old playing in his first full season in A ball this year made his development even more so astonishing. He actually improved as the season went along putting up a .941 OPS after the Sally League All Star break, as opposed to his .841 OPS numbers in the first half of the season. A great sign for all Yankee fans to see. His combination of power and overall hitting ability has drawn considerable praise, but his defense behind the plate has lagged since signing. Some baseball people believe he’s better suited for a DH role, since he only threw out 24.8% of runners last year and struggled overall, but I disagree. I believe he’s athletic enough and with more polishing (like all young catchers should have), I believe he’ll become at least average defensively. Posada wasn’t exactly gold glove caliber, and with Montero’s bat production, it should make all that defense talk moot.
25. SS Elvis Andrus TEX (AA: .295 4HR 65 RBI 54 SB .350 OBP .367 SLG)
Andrus drew rave reviews for his performance last year for his batting, fielding and professionalism as a 19 yr old playing in AA. A born leader who loves encouraging his teammates and doing everything he can to win, the slick-fielding Andrus made himself into a top prospect with his hitting exploits in ’08. The 6’1” 185 pound future gold glover has always distinguished himself as a fielding whiz with a plus-plus arm and glove, but hitting .295 in a tough league as a teenager opened up many eyes, and now people are starting to look at him as a future lead off hitter with Hanley Ramirez type ability. As he gets more experience, he’ll learn how to read pitchers more becoming a deadlier stolen base threat, and that should make the future Rangers offense unstoppable.
26. C Carlos Santana CLE (A/AA: .326 21HR 117 RBI 263 TB .431 OBP .568 SLG)
Santana had an amazing year at the plate this year and will make Dodgers GM Nick Coletti rue the day he traded Santana for 3B Casey Blake. The 5’11” 190 pound switch hitting catcher is an on base machine, and even walked more than he struck out this year (89BB/85K in 463 AB) which is impressive considering he still had time to drive in 117 runs (2nd in all the minors)! The 22 year old has no weakness at the plate, but will be challenged in the tough Eastern League in 2009. His only weakness, like many other young catchers is his defense, where he struggled only throwing out 26.8% of would be base stealers. It shouldn’t impact him much going forward, as he has good mechanics, but can improve on his long delivery. Indians GM Ron Shapiro did a good job last year getting Laporta and Santana to replenish his system.
27. RHP Chris Tillman BAL (AA: 11-4 3.18 ERA 135.2 IP 154K .227 BA)
Tillman was one of those prospects pilfered by the Orioles from the Mariners in that dreadful Erik Bedard deal last year. He’s always been touted as a pitcher who was ready for a breakout, and it finally happened in ’08. He dominated the Eastern League this year holding opponents to a .227 BA which ranked 2nd in all of AA and his 10.22 K/9 IP further solidified his dominance in that circuit. The tall and rangy 6’5” 195 pounder throws over the top and reminds me a young Jack McDowell. He throws a fastball that he keeps down in the zone in the 91-94mph range to go along with a nice changeup and curveball. Although those pitches lag behind his great moving fastball, they aren’t too far away and will make him deadly when fully refined. He has the makings of being a true work horse.
28. OF Austin Jackson NYY (AA: .285 9HR 65 RBI 19 SB .354 OBP .419 SLG)
The athletic 6’1” 185 pound Jackson was selected by the Yankees in the 8th round in 2005, due to the fact that he had several basketball scholarship offers. The Yankees were lucky he didn’t take up on those offers, because they have found themselves their CF of the future. Jackson is a graceful outfielder who takes very good routes to balls and has a very good arm as well. At the plate, he has trouble with striking out, which is fine for an aggressive young hitter in his first year in AA and it will probably follow him to the bigs but it shouldn’t diminish what he could do inside the batters box. He has the potential to be a gold glove OF with 15-20 HR and 30 SB potential which makes him an intriguing prospect.
29. 1B Yonder Alonso CIN (WB: .308 4HR 21 RBI .419 OBP .510 SLG)
The Reds selected the 6’2” 215 pound left-handed 1st baseman from the University of Miami 7th overall in the 2008 draft. He only got into 6 games in A ball, but went to the Hawaiian Winter League and his .929 OPS came in 4th overall in that circuit. A natural hitter who could probably step right into a big league batters box and not look out of place, the young slugging Cuban has great power to left center and center field, and as he starts to learn how to pull the ball more, his HR numbers will sky rocket. His defense isn’t that bad at 1st base and it’ll make an intriguing scenario when he’s ready and Joey Votto is still in Cincy manning that position. Either way, Alonso is a natural and you make room for hitters like that. He’s like a left-handed Edgar Martinez.
30. SS Wilmer Flores NYM (A: .307 8HR 42 RBI .347 OBP .468 SLG)
There isn’t a more exciting prospect in the lower minors than the young 6’3” 175 pound IF/OF Venezuelan prospect. He’s been compared to Miguel Cabrera and with good reason. As an 18 yr old playing in his first full season in A ball, Cabrera hit 7 HR’s and had an .815 OPS. Another great Latin American power hitter Vlad Guerrero hit 5 HR’s and had a .928 OPS in the Gulf Coast League as an 18 yr old. The young Flores 8 HR’s and had an .815 OPS as a 16-17 year old in the lower minors! That’s unheard of in any type of context. Flores has exceptional power and approach for his age, and actually showed an ability to adjust to pitching as he deciphered what pitchers were doing against him. Did I mention that he’s not even 19 years old yet? As an infielder he has a lot to work on, as he committed 21 errors playing mostly at SS. That number wasn’t that bad, but most believe he’ll outgrow the position and end up in the OF, as David Wright will probably be at 3rd base until he retires. Watch for young Wilmer in 2009.
