2007 Baseball America Top 10 Prospect Lists

[jsmets92]

Feel free to discuss

Atlanta Braves

1. Jordan Schafer, of
2. Jason Heyward, of
3. Jair Jurrjens, rhp
4. Brandon Jones, of
5. Gorkys Hernandez, of
6. Brent Lillibridge, ss
7. Cole Rohrbough, lhp
8. Jeff Locke, lhp
9. Tommy Hanson, rhp
10. Julio Teheran, rhp

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/organizationtop10/2007/

Nationals next on 11/7

[jsmets92]

Washington Nationals

1. Chris Marrero, OF/1B
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP
3. Collin Balester, RHP
4. Michael Burgess, OF
5. Jack McGeary, LHP
6. Josh Smoker, LHP
7. Jordan Zimmerman, RHP
8. Glenn Gibson, LHP
9. Justin Maxwell, OF
10. Cotton Willems, RHP

Mets next on 11/9

[jsmets92]

New York Mets

1. Fernando Martinez, of
2. Deolis Guerra, rhp
3. Carlos Gomez, of
4. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
5. Eddie Kunz, rhp
6. Brant Rustich, rhp
7. Philip Humber, rhp
8. Jon Niese, lhp
9. Nathan Vineyard, lhp
10. Robert Parnell, rhp

Phillies next on 10/13

[jsmets92]

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Carlos Carrasco, rhp
2. Adrian Cardenas, 2b
3. Joe Savery, lhp
4. Josh Outman, lhp
5. Kyle Drabek, rhp
6. Dominic Brown, of
7. Greg Golson, of
8. Lou Marson, c
9. Drew Carpenter, rhp
10. Jason Jaramillo, c

Marlins next tomorrow

[jsmets92]

Florida Marlins

1. Chris Volstad, rhp
2. Brett Sinkbeil, rhp
3. Ryan Tucker, rhp
4. Sean West, lhp
5. Gaby Hernandez, rhp
6. Chris Coghlan, 2b
7. Matt Dominguez, 3b
8. Aaron Thompson
9. Mike Stanton, of
10. Gaby Sanchez, 1b

Cubs next on 11/19

[jsmets92]

Chicago Cubs

1. Josh Vitters, 3b
2. Geovany Soto, c/1b
3. Tyler Colvin, of
4. Jose Ceda, rhp
5. Sean Gallagher, rhp
6. Donald Veal, lhp
7. Josh Donaldson, c
8. Jeff Samardzija, rhp
9. Tony Thomas, 2b
10. Kevin Hart, rhp

Reds next on 11/21

[jsmets92]

Cincinatti Reds

1. Jay Bruce, of
2. Homer Bailey, rhp
3. Joey Votto, 1b/of
4. Johnny Cueto, rhp
5. Drew Stubbs, of
6. Devin Mesoraco, c
7. Todd Frazier, ss
8. Juan Francisco, 3b
9. Josh Roenicke, rhp
10. Matt Maloney, lhp

Brewers next on 11/26

[vasprtsfn]

Washington Nationals

1. Chris Marrero, OF/1B
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP
3. Collin Balester, RHP
4. Michael Burgess, OF
5. Jack McGeary, LHP
6. Josh Smoker, LHP
7. Jordan Zimmerman, RHP
8. Glenn Gibson, LHP
9. Justin Maxwell, OF
10. Cotton Willems, RHP

Mets next on 11/9


As a Nationals fan, I am thrilled that we have 4 LHPs in our Top 10. The Nationals have a very promising future.

[BoSox Rule]

This is the 2008 Top 10 Prospect List.

[jsmets92]

This is the 2008 Top 10 Prospect List.

Its the list after the 2007 season, leading into 2008.

[jsmets92]

Milwaukee Brewers

1. Matt LaPorta, of
2. Manny Parra, lhp
3. Alcides Escobar, ss
4. Jeremy Jeffress, rhp
5. Cole Gillespie, of
6. Mat Gamel, 3b
7. Brent Brewer, ss
8. Angel Salome, c
9. Lorenzo Cain, of
10. Caleb Gindl, of

[jsmets92]

Houston Astros

1. J.R. Towles, c
2. Felipe Paulino, rhp
3. Troy Patton, lhp
4. Juan Gutierrez, rhp
5. Michael Bourn, of
6. Mike Costanzo, 3b
7. Bud Norris, rhp
8. Brad James, rhp
9. Chad Reineke, rhp
10. Eli Iorg, of

[jsmets92]

Pittsburgh Pirates

1. Andrew McCutchen, of
2. Neil Walker, 3b
3. Steve Pearce, 1b/of
4. Brad Lincoln, rhp
5. Daniel Moskos, lhp
6. Shelby Ford, 2b
7. Jamie Romak, of
8. Brian Bixler, ss/2b
9. Duke Welker, lhp
10. Brad Corley, of

[mikemets]

Cincinatti Reds

1. Jay Bruce, of
2. Homer Bailey, rhp
3. Joey Votto, 1b/of
4. Johnny Cueto, rhp
5. Drew Stubbs, of
6. Devin Mesoraco, c
7. Todd Frazier, ss
8. Juan Francisco, 3b
9. Josh Roenicke, rhp
10. Matt Maloney, lhp

Brewers next on 11/26

i saw matt maloney pitch when he was in the phillies system in the 2006 SAL championship for the Lakewood BlueClaws in a game in which they clinched the championship he pitched a complete game shut out, i was pretty impressed by him but then again it was A ball. does anyone know how he has been coming along since that time?

[jsmets92]

i saw matt maloney pitch when he was in the phillies system in the 2006 SAL championship for the Lakewood BlueClaws in a game in which they clinched the championship he pitched a complete game shut out, i was pretty impressed by him but then again it was A ball. does anyone know how he has been coming along since that time?

I don't much about him, but he put up good numbers at AA and in a few starts at AAA:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/matt-maloney.shtml

[jsmets92]

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Colby Rasmus, of
2. Chris Perez, rhp
3. Bryan Anderson, c
4. Jaime Garcia, lhp
5. Adam Ottavino, rhp
6. Pete Kozma, ss
7. Clayton Mortensen, rhp
8. Mitchell Boggs, rhp
9. Tyler Herron, rhp
10. Jon Jay, of

[score4]

As a Nationals fan, I am thrilled that we have 4 LHPs in our Top 10. The Nationals have a very promising future.
You also have Jim Bowden as your GM good luck with that:rofl:

[jsmets92]

Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Clayton Kershaw, lhp
2. Andy LaRoche, 3b
3. Chin-Lung Hu, ss
4. Scott Elbert, lhp
5. Blake DeWitt, 3b
6. Chris Withrow, rhp
7. James McDonald, rhp
8. Jonathan Meloan, rhp
9. Delwyn Young, of
10. Pedro Baez, 3b

[Metropolitan]

New York Mets

1. Fernando Martinez, of
2. Deolis Guerra, rhp
3. Carlos Gomez, of
4. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
5. Eddie Kunz, rhp
6. Brant Rustich, rhp
7. Philip Humber, rhp
8. Jon Niese, lhp
9. Nathan Vineyard, lhp
10. Robert Parnell, rhp

Phillies next on 10/13

Martinez is going to be amazing! I hope we dont trade him unless its for Santana maybe...

[jsmets92]

San Diego Padres

1. Chase Headley, 3b
2. Matt Antonelli, 2b
3. Matt Latos, rhp
4. Wade LeBlanc, lhp
5. Drew Miller, rhp
6. Steve Garrison, lhp
7. Will Inman, rhp
8. Cedric Hunter, of
9. Nick Schmidt, lhp
10. Kyle Blanks, 1b

[PJ-34]

Ahhh the Jays' is on Jan. 11th!

[Francoeurstein]

Houston Astros

1. J.R. Towles, c
2. Felipe Paulino, rhp
3. Troy Patton, lhp
4. Juan Gutierrez, rhp
5. Michael Bourn, of
6. Mike Costanzo, 3b
7. Bud Norris, rhp
8. Brad James, rhp
9. Chad Reineke, rhp
10. Eli Iorg, of

Eli Iorg, remember the name, he'll be a star in 3 years.

[-Kyle-]

As a Nationals fan, I am thrilled that we have 4 LHPs in our Top 10. The Nationals have a very promising future.

The actual quality of the prospects is more important...4 LHP...so? I don't see how guranteeing one LHP is going to be good on the Nats is a good thing...I'd rather have 3 great RHP.

[ChrisLDuncan]

New York Mets

1. Fernando Martinez, of
2. Deolis Guerra, rhp
3. Carlos Gomez, of
4. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
5. Eddie Kunz, rhp
6. Brant Rustich, rhp
7. Philip Humber, rhp
8. Jon Niese, lhp
9. Nathan Vineyard, lhp
10. Robert Parnell, rhp

Phillies next on 10/13

I'm suprised they don't have Gomez higher.

[dmbfan]

The actual quality of the prospects is more important...4 LHP...so? I don't see how guranteeing one LHP is going to be good on the Nats is a good thing...I'd rather have 3 great RHP.

Also, Glenn Gibson, who will probably be the best of the 4 LHP's, was traded by the Nationals just recently to the Yankees.

[jsmets92]

Also, Glenn Gibson, who will probably be the best of the 4 LHP's, was traded by the Nationals just recently to the Yankees.

He was traded to the Rays for Dukes.

[dmbfan]

He was traded to the Rays for Dukes.

Sorry, I was thinking of the Tyler Clippard trade.

[jsmets92]

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Carlos Gonzalez, of
2. Jarrod Parker, rhp
3. Brett Anderson, lhp
4. Max Scherzer, rhp
5. Gerardo Parra, of
6. Emilio Bonifacio, 2b/ss
7. Aaron Cunningham, of
8. Chris Carter, 1b
9. Reynaldo Navarro, ss
10. Barry Enright, rhp

[jsmets92]

Colorado Rockies

1. Franklin Morales, lhp
2. Ian Stewart, 3b
3. Dexter Fowler, of
4. Hector Gomez, ss
5. Greg Reynolds, rhp
6. Casey Weathers, rhp
7. Chris Nelson, ss
8. Brandon Hynick, rhp
9. Pedro Strop, rhp
10. Chaz Roe, rhp

[jsmets92]

San Francisco Giants

1. Angel Villalona, 3b
2. Tim Alderson, rhp
3. Madison Bumgarner, lhp
4. Nate Schierholtz, of
5. Henry Sosa, rhp
6. Nick Noonan, 2b/ss
7. Eugenio Velez, of/2b
8. Wendell Fairley, of
9. John Bowker, of
10. Emmanuel Burriss, ss

[jcmitchell]

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Carlos Gonzalez, of
3. Brett Anderson, lhp
4. Max Scherzer, rhp
7. Aaron Cunningham, of
8. Chris Carter, 1b


All in Oakland now!

[Falcoatl]

All in Oakland now!

Actually Scherzer is still a Dback. I think you're thinking of Greg Smith.

[orangeandblack55]

What do you think of Villanola? I haven't seen him play and he seems to mysterious to be a certain prospect for our future. What's his playing style and is he really as young as they say he is?

Thanks to anyone who can pick me up here.

[ChrisLDuncan]

What do you think of Villanola? I haven't seen him play and he seems to mysterious to be a certain prospect for our future. What's his playing style and is he really as young as they say he is?

Thanks to anyone who can pick me up here.

Amazing power, very young, very raw. Any team in baseball would love to have him in their farm.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Feel free to discuss

Atlanta Braves

1. Jordan Schafer, of
2. Jason Heyward, of
3. Jair Jurrjens, rhp
4. Brandon Jones, of
5. Gorkys Hernandez, of
6. Brent Lillibridge, ss
7. Cole Rohrbough, lhp
8. Jeff Locke, lhp
9. Tommy Hanson, rhp
10. Julio Teheran, rhp

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/organizationtop10/2007/

Nationals next on 11/7

I'd like to know how they "rank" prospects, because IMO Gorkys Hernandez has more upside than anyone else on that list. Jair Jurrjens should be starting next season. So I don't know if BA goes for the high ceiling or the high floors. I know they're into the "toolsy" players, but beyond that I don't know much of their thought process.

[ChrisLDuncan]

New York Mets

1. Fernando Martinez, of
2. Deolis Guerra, rhp
3. Carlos Gomez, of
4. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
5. Eddie Kunz, rhp
6. Brant Rustich, rhp
7. Philip Humber, rhp
8. Jon Niese, lhp
9. Nathan Vineyard, lhp
10. Robert Parnell, rhp

Phillies next on 10/13

The Mets farm is quite interesting. I've heard various things on F-Mart and Gomez, running from all-stars to average players. I also remember when Humber was ranked higher. I'm not at all impressed with Mets management, and I am fairly certian that the Mets will find a way to rush F-Mart and Gomez and screw these guys up.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Cincinatti Reds

1. Jay Bruce, of
2. Homer Bailey, rhp
3. Joey Votto, 1b/of
4. Johnny Cueto, rhp
5. Drew Stubbs, of
6. Devin Mesoraco, c
7. Todd Frazier, ss
8. Juan Francisco, 3b
9. Josh Roenicke, rhp
10. Matt Maloney, lhp

Brewers next on 11/26

That is a top five prospects to be envious of. Me personally I wouldn't consider Bailey or Votto prospects, but damn does this group have some potential to be stars. The Reds could be building another Big Red Machine, and this one may be even better...

[ChrisLDuncan]

Chicago Cubs

1. Josh Vitters, 3b
2. Geovany Soto, c/1b
3. Tyler Colvin, of
4. Jose Ceda, rhp
5. Sean Gallagher, rhp
6. Donald Veal, lhp
7. Josh Donaldson, c
8. Jeff Samardzija, rhp
9. Tony Thomas, 2b
10. Kevin Hart, rhp

Reds next on 11/21

Ahh the Cubs, I have met most of these guys so I'm a bit partial to this list, Vitters is an absolute beast. Total monster at the dish. However since Aramis Ramirez suddenly learned how to play defense, and is locked up long term, they may have to move Vitters. Geovany Soto is a great guy to have in the farm. Solid player. Sean Gallagher shows some serious promise. However, I am very disappointed in Jeff Samardzija. Tony Thomas I watched when he was at FSU, he was a stud there, I don't know how he'll project with a wood bat. However with his skills with the bat he should be able to make it in the bigs as a utility man atleast.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Clayton Kershaw, lhp
2. Andy LaRoche, 3b
3. Chin-Lung Hu, ss
4. Scott Elbert, lhp
5. Blake DeWitt, 3b
6. Chris Withrow, rhp
7. James McDonald, rhp
8. Jonathan Meloan, rhp
9. Delwyn Young, of
10. Pedro Baez, 3b

It seems that every other farm in the NL West has just finished graduated most if not all of it's prime talent but LA's hasn't quite yet. This should change next season, however I don't expect Kershaw up until atleast after the all-star break in 2009. They have a stock pile of OFs so I don't know when Delwyn Young will get his chance. Chin Lung Hu will be the SS in 2009, Abreu will play second, and LaRoche should be the third basemen by the ASB. The award for the ebst farm in baseball is stuck between the Reds, The Dodgers, and the D-Rays.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Milwaukee Brewers

1. Matt LaPorta, of
2. Manny Parra, lhp
3. Alcides Escobar, ss
4. Jeremy Jeffress, rhp
5. Cole Gillespie, of
6. Mat Gamel, 3b
7. Brent Brewer, ss
8. Angel Salome, c
9. Lorenzo Cain, of
10. Caleb Gindl, of


Ughh, if Milwaukee hadn't of drafted LaPorta he could have fallen to the Y anks. :evil Oh well, the Brewers should have one hell of an offense in five years with Fielder, Braun, LaPorta, Weeks, and Hardy. In five years the NL will be extremely interesting to watch.

[ChrisLDuncan]

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Colby Rasmus, of
2. Chris Perez, rhp
3. Bryan Anderson, c
4. Jaime Garcia, lhp
5. Adam Ottavino, rhp
6. Pete Kozma, ss
7. Clayton Mortensen, rhp
8. Mitchell Boggs, rhp
9. Tyler Herron, rhp
10. Jon Jay, of

Rasmus may be one of the ten best prospects in all of baseball, so he alone brings respect back to StL's farm. There isn't a GM in the NL that isn't afraid of him hitting infront of Pujols. The two should be a fearsome combo for years to come. This guy has it all: power, speed, defense, the ability to get on base. Tremendous upside.

[jcmitchell]

Actually Scherzer is still a Dback. I think you're thinking of Greg Smith.

That was an accident while I was erasing.

[jcmitchell]

That is a top five prospects to be envious of. Me personally I wouldn't consider Bailey or Votto prospects, but damn does this group have some potential to be stars. The Reds could be building another Big Red Machine, and this one may be even better...

Top 7! I love Devin Mesoraco at catcher and Frazier can hit but it won't be at SS for long.

[jsmets92]

I'd like to know how they "rank" prospects

According to baseballamerica.com
"Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2008."

[jsmets92]

Baltimore Orioles

1. Matt Wieters, c
2. Radhames Liz, rhp
3. Troy Patton, lhp
4. Nolan Reimold, of
5. Bill Rowell, 3b
6. Brandon Snyder, 1b/3b
7. Jake Arrieta, rhp
8. Chorye Spoone, rhp
9. Pedro Beato, rhp
10. Brandon Erbe, rhp

[ChrisLDuncan]

According to baseballamerica.com
"Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2008."

I meant in terms of what they value more: ceiling or major league readiness. Or things such as command versus stuff, and other things that people usually debate with prospects.

[ChrisLDuncan]

Top 7! I love Devin Mesoraco at catcher and Frazier can hit but it won't be at SS for long.

True, but five is such a nicer rounder number ;) The NL will be quite the bitch to navigate through in the future. Florida is on the right track of making the right moves, Cinci will be tough as hell in a few years (provided Dusty doesn't run Bailey's arm into the ground, but the team is already shooting itself in the foot with the Hamilton trade), Washington looks like they can be at least mediocre, the Phillies probably have the best infield in baseball and will for another few years also with Hamels and Myers in the rotation that will be good enough for the NL East, the Dodgers have a load of young talent, so do the Diamond Backs, the NL looks stacked for the future.

[jsmets92]

Boston Red Sox

1. Clay Buchholz, rhp
2. Jacoby Ellsbury, of
3. Lars Anderson, 1b
4. Justin Masterson, rhp
5. Jed Lowrie, ss
6. Ryan Kalish, of
7. Michael Bowden, rhp
8. Nick Hagadone, lhp
9. Oscar Tejeda, ss
10. Josh Reddick, of

[jsmets92]

New York Yankees

1. Joba Chamberlain, rhp
2. Austin Jackson, of
3. Jose Tabata, of
4. Ian Kennedy, rhp
5. Alan Horne, rhp
6. Jesus Montero, c
7. Jeff Marquez, rhp
8. Brett Gardner, of
9. Ross Ohlendorf, rhp
10. Andrew Brackman, rhp

[ChrisLDuncan]

New York Yankees

1. Joba Chamberlain, rhp
2. Austin Jackson, of
3. Jose Tabata, of
4. Ian Kennedy, rhp
5. Alan Horne, rhp
6. Jesus Montero, c
7. Jeff Marquez, rhp
8. Brett Gardner, of
9. Ross Ohlendorf, rhp
10. Andrew Brackman, rhp

F-................

[Dalkowski110]

Ohlendorf over Betances??? I thought the Mets list had some problems (omission of Scott Moviel [Nathan Vineyard likely took his place] and Dylan Owen and Bobby Parnell even being present on the list)...wow...

[jsmets92]

Tampa Bay Rays

1. Evan Longoria, 3b
2. David Price, lhp
3. Jake McGee, lhp
4. Wade Davis, rhp
5. Reid Brignac, ss
6. Desmond Jennings, of
7. Jeff Niemann, rhp
8. Jeremy Hellickson, rhp
9. Ryan Royster, of
10. Chris Mason, rhp

[jsmets92]

Toronto Blue Jays

1. Travis Snider, of
2. Brett Cecil, lhp
3. Kevin Ahrens, 3b/ss
4. J.P. Arencibia, c
5. Ricky Romero, lhp
6. Justin Jackson, ss
7. John Tolisano, 2b
8. Curtis Thipgen, c/1b
9. David Purcey, lhp
10. Ryan Patterson, of

[jsmets92]

Chicago White Sox

1. Aaron Poreda, rhp
2. Lance Broadway, rhp
3. Jack Egbert, rhp
4. Jose Martinez, of
5. Chris Getz, 2b
6. John Ely, rhp
7. Juan Silverio, ss
8. John Shelby Jr., of
9. Adam Russell, rhp
10. Kyle McCulloch, rhp

[jcmitchell]

^That right there is the worst farm system in the game.

[jsmets92]

^That right there is the worst farm system in the game.

I don't know. Houston is pretty close.

[jsmets92]

BA has since redone the Astros and D'backs lists after the trades that they made

The Astros-
1. J.R. Towles, c
2. Felipe Paulino, rhp
3. Michael Bourn, of
4. Bud Norris, rhp
5. Brad James, rhp
6. Chad Reineke, rhp
7. Eli Iorg, of
8. Josh Flores, of
9. Mitch Einertson, of
10. Collin DeLome, of

The D'Backs

1. Jarrod Parker, rhp
2. Max Scherzer, rhp
3. Gerardo Parra, of
4. Billy Buckner, rhp
5. Juan Gutierrez, rhp
6. Emilio Bonifacio, 2b/ss
7. Reynaldo Navarro, ss
8. Barry Enright, rhp
9. Wes Roemer, rhp
10. Brooks Brown, rhp

[jsmets92]

Cleveland Indians

1. Adam Miller, rhp
2. Chuck Lofgren, lhp
3. Beau Mills, 3b/1b
4. Wes Hodges, 3b
5. Aaron Laffey, lhp
6. Nick Weglarz, of
7. Jordan Brown, of
8. David Huff, lhp
9. Ben Francisco, of
10. Jensen Lewis, rhp

[jsmets92]

Detroit Tigers

1. Rick Porcello, rhp
2. Cale Iorg, ss
3. Scott Sizemore, 2b
4. Michael Hollimon, 2b/ss
5. Yorman Bazardo, rhp
6. Jeff Larish, 1b
7. Matt Joyce, of
8. Danny Worth, ss
9. Francisco Cruceta, rhp
10. Brandon Hamilton, rhp

[jsmets92]

Kansas City Royals

1. Mike Moustakas, ss
2. Daniel Cortes, rhp
3. Luke Hochevar, rhp
4. Blake Wood, rhp
5. Danny Duffy, lhp
6. Carlos Rosa, rhp
7. Julio Pimentel, rhp
8. Matt Mitchell, rhp
9. Yasuhiko Yabuta, rhp
10. Derrick Robinson, of

[jsmets92]

Minnesota Twins

1. Nick Blackburn, rhp
2. Joe Benson, of
3. Wilson Ramos, c
4. Tyler Robertson, lhp
5. Anthony Swarzak, rhp
6. Ben Revere, of
7. Jason Pridie, of
8. Brian Duensing, lhp
9. Jeff Manship, rhp
10. Trevor Plouffe, ss

[jsmets92]

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

1. Brandon Wood, 3b
2. Nick Adenhart, rhp
3. Jordan Walden, rhp
4. Hank Conger, c
5. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp
6. Stephen Marek, rhp
7. Sean Rodriguez, ss
8. Nick Green, rhp
9. Peter Bourjos, of
10. Anel de los Santos, c

[spark240]

Eli Iorg, remember the name, he'll be a star in 3 years.

He looks solid, but remember he's always been a couple years older than most players in his league, plus his background has probably meant fewer rough edges. It'll be interesting to see how he and Einertson do in AA.

[spark240]

I meant in terms of what they value more: ceiling or major league readiness. Or things such as command versus stuff, and other things that people usually debate with prospects.

The short answers are ceiling over readiness, stuff over command.

Baseball America has traditionally been a scout's-eye, tools-oriented viewpoint. Just recently, they've started sounding a little defensive about it, though...

Will Lingo: "Performance also matters, a lot, and it always mystifies me when people think it doesn't. The major exception to this...comes with recently drafted players, who have a limited professional track record...while we're willing to overlook a down year from a prospect who has tools, when that becomes a trend you'll see a player start to slide on our lists."

BUT...

"...we do value tools enough that a player who puts up big numbers in the minors but doesn't have the skills to indicate he'll repeat his performance in the majors won't be high on our lists."

I'm okay with that first part of the rationale, but not so much with the second. While there are obviously some guys who top out at AAA (and at every level below that), it's a shame and a mistake to dismiss some players--players who are actually playing well, not just "projecting"--because they don't fit an abstract notion of what a major league player should look like.

[jsmets92]

Oakland Athletics

1. Carlos Gonzalez, of
2. Gio Gonzalez, lhp
3. Brett Anderson, lhp
4. Fautino de los Santos, rhp
5. Daric Barton, 1b
6. Trevor Cahill, rhp
7. James Simmons, rhp
8. Henry Rodriguez, rhp
9. Aaron Cunningham, of
10. Chris Carter, 1b

[jsmets92]

Seattle Mariners

1. Jeff Clement, c
2. Phillippe Aumont, rhp
3. Chris Tillman, rhp
4. Carlos Triunfel, ss
5. Wladimir Balentien, of
6. Michael Saunders, of
7. Juan Ramirez, rhp
8. Mark Lowe, rhp
9. Ryan Rowland-Smith, lhp
10. Matt Tuiasosopo, 3b

[jsmets92]

Last but not least, the Texas Rangers

1. Elvis Andruz, ss
2. Chris Davis, 3b
3. Eric Hurley, rhp
4. Taylor Teagarden, c
5. Neftali Feliz, rhp
6. Michael Main, rhp
7. Kasey Kiker, lhp
8. Blake Beavan, rhp
9. Julio Borbon, of
10. Engel Beltre, of