1. RF Albert Zaga 81/100 20 Tampa Bay Devil Rays- The 1st pick of the 2014 draft has done nothing to disappoint so far, tearing up A and AA ball and likely to do the same in AAA ball this year. He has virtually no weaknesses, good power, makes contact, knows the strike zone, plays good enough defense, and has average speed. He'll be one of the best in the league for a long time, very similar to Jose Enriquez.


2. SP Joseph Brown 81/98 20 Oakland Athletics- Brown has done nothing but dominate since starting his professional career. Even though he did take somewhat of a step back in 2014, he still has a nasty fastball and good control. Once he gets a second offspeed pitch, he'll be one of the best. Not to mention he has been very durable over his career and will be able to pitch for a long time. Very similar skill set to reigning AL Cy Young winner Craig Watkins.


3. 3B Tobias Agiular 83/100 20 Tampa Bay Devil Rays- Agiular is another 1st overall pick (from 2012), and despite hating Tampa Bay, is a tremendous talent. He has great ability to hit the ball, for contact and power, and has the potential to be a 40/40 guy down the road with his surprising speed. His defense is coming along, and has the potential to be at least league average, probably above average by the end of it. Its not out of the realm of reason to compare him to Alex Rodriguez.


4. LF Warren Ward 86/100 22 San Diego Padres- Ward could be ranked anywhere from 1 through 10 on this list be, depending on who you ask. While he has top notch power and an eye for the strike zone, he has had trouble hitting for average (hasn't hit above .278 anywhere in the minors) and hes a pretty average all around defender. While if his contact comes around, and it should at some point in his career, he could be one of the best hitters of our time. At worst, he's Adan Dunn, which isnt bad at all, at best, hes Barry Bonds.


5. RF Phil Volpi 79/94 22 San Diego Padres- He may be high here than at most places, but there is such a lack of Right Fielders who can defend, we had to put him a little higher than other places. Volpi is also great hitter who is a good overall athlete, showing slightly above average speed on the basepaths. The thing that will keep him from being the best of the best is his lack of patience at the plate, he doesnt have a bad eye, by any means, but its very average


6. C Mik Chermoshentsev 72/100 18 Cleveland Indians- Chermoshentsev is a once in a lifetime talents, you'll never see a catcher like him again. Hes a great athlete who can hit for power and has great patience at the plate to go along with an absolute cannon behind the plate. And those home runs will only keep going father and he'll only get faster. There isn't a good single comparison, but he has the hitting porous of Mike Piazza in his hayday (maybe even a better hitter at peak), the athlete of Joe Mauer (probably better when he's done growing), and the defense of Connor Andrew.


7. RF Manny Rubio 75/100 22 Baltimore Orioles- Rubio is this high because of where he could be in 5 years, not because hes a tremendous player right now, we've only seen spurts of greatness here and there. He has the potential to hit for contact with the best of them of all time, he can cover the entire zone with his swing, but he hasnt consistently been a good contact guy yet. And while he doesn't have a great eye for the strike zone right now, he has shown the ability to layoff pitches here and there. Hes an elite defender and has great range in right, but his arm isn't the strongest. He could be what Ken Griffey was on pace to be before injuries derailed his career.


8. RP Aaron Streat 86/95 21 Los Angeles Angels- Streat is the best reliever prospect in the game, but he's this high simply because he's th best, not necessarily because he is a lot better than the rest, we felt needed to put one reliever in the Top 10, and thats how he got here. While he will have the occasional control problem here or there, he has movement and power that is second to no one in the minors. Him pitching brings back Mariano at the top of his game.


9. SS James Riddell 75/100 22 San Diego Padres- Riddell is one of the few SS prospects who can hit for power. But he should turn into a 5 tool player by the end of it, good fielder, very good all around hitter, and above average speed. He'll probably end up somewhere between prime Nomar and A-Rod, but a tad closer to Nomar.


10. RF Russ Gonzalez 82/99 22 Los Angeles Angels- While Gonzalez is rated very high by many people, we fail to see why he will be great, like everyone else thinks. While he does have very, very good power, he doesn't consistently hit for contact and doesn't know how to work the count and draw walks. and while he has a pretty good glove, he takes poor routes on the ball and has limited range. Sammy Sosa seems to be a fair comparison.


11. 1B Ivan Ramirez 77/99 23 Florida Marlins- Ramirez is another one liked by many, but not by us. While, like Russ Gonzalez, he does have top notch power, he has shown little consistency hitting for contact. He is a very good fielder, but it's 1st base, you have to be very 'special' to not be a very good fielder at 1st base. His best comparison may be someone like Rafael Palmero.


12. 3B Garret Trimmer 74/100 19 Arizona Diamondbacks- Trimmer is a supreme talent, someone who will be a 5 tool player when he gets to the majors. He is a very good athlete for a 3rd baseman, and has above average patience for the plate and should be a top notch hitter who is a plus fielder. I dont want to make an A-Rod comparison again, but he probably is the closest thing to Trimmer.


13. SP Alan Slusher 79/94 21 Texas Rangers- Despite Slusher's somewhat slow start to his professional career, he remains one of the better pitching talents in the league. He's shown he has very good control, has a few potential plus pitches and can reach back and fire one home when needed. At best, hes someone like Tom Glavine, but he'll probably turn into someone like Chris Carpenter or an early Kevin Brown


14. SP Jim Dow 73/98 21 Chicago Cubs- Dow is what our #2 prospect, Joseph Brown, was a few years ago. A fast ball second to one or two people, just needs to work on his control and find that second pitch. He'll end up like Brown or Craig Watkins.


15. SP Dale Hemmen 79/95 24 Los Angeles Angels- We ranked Hemmens below Dow and Slusher because on both of his callups to AAA, he hasn't shown his best stuff, posting a 4.74 ERA in both years in AAA. Does this concern us? Not really, he still has great movement on his pitches and good enough control, he just needs to prove it on the field. He'll probably end up something like White Sox starter Vince Teddy, except he might strike out a few more guys.



16. SS Gavin Yuger 71/99 20 Texas Rangers- Yuger got his ranking bump a small bit just because the pack of top notch SS prospects around in minor league baseball right now. But there arent many leadoff hitters around as electrifying as Yuger, he knows how to work a count, has top notch speed, and makes contact with the best of them. He should develop into a very good fielder with a strong arm and may reach double digit home runs a few times in his career. He reminds of Jimmy Rollins, maybe with a little more speed a a tad less power.


17. CF Terry Smith 69/100 21 Texas Rangers- Smith is currently best known for his top notch defense, but definitely has a bright future at the plate. Right now he a very good speed, with definite power potential and should turn into a threat in the middle of the order. He reminds many of Carlos Beltran coming up though the minors.


18. C Luke Couchot 80/93 23 Colorado Rockies- Couchot is one of the very few catching prospects who have the potential to be two way catchers who can hit and know how to field. He has above average ability to make contact and good powr, but with some trouble with patience at the plate. He should turn into someone like Javy Lopez.


19. RP Troy Vishlitzky 81/96 18 Chicago Cubs- The #3 pick from other days draft is a tremendous talent coming right out of high school. He has great power and developing control and movement on his pitches, but its definitely all there. He might even be able to move to starter because of his good endurance. John Smoltz is a safe comparison because he covers be for closer and starter.


20. LF San Guardiola 71/100 19 Tampa Bay Devil Rays- Guardiola is a tough one to rate, while he has tremendous hitting potential, hes a very average defender, and players like this aren't exactly rare. He already has MLB ready power a very good eye for the strike zone. Gary Sheffield may have been a better defender in his prime, but hitting wise, they are very, very close.


21. RP Jose Castilla 78/95 18 Florida MarlinsCastilla, taken 7th overall in this years MLB draft, is one of the best raw arms to come from Latin America in a long time. While he does has some of the best raw power ever, he has little else to offer, with little to no control or movement. You cant compare him to anyone at this point because he is so far off.


22. LF Marshall Easland 70/99 20 Toronto Blue Jays- Easland actually has some defense, which is a welcome sight for left fielders nowadays. He has great power and contact ability and will have above average speed and at least average patience at the plate. He may end up like Larry Walker, but with maybe a little less ability to walk.


23. RF Trevor Jameson 69/100 19 Oakland Athletics- Jameson is an interesting, he already has great speed, pretty good hitting ability, and a very good defender. But he is seriously lacking in patience at the plate, and thats why he'll never be great. He's probably a rich mans Alfonso Soriano.


24. SP Jerome Arthur 71/98 21 Baltimore Orioles- Arthus is one of those pitchers who hitters hate to hit against, plain and simple hes a junk thrower. He has great control and great movement, but no power at all. Theres plenty of guys like this in the majors, Tim Wakefield is the best example, he couldn't even hit 80 on the radar gun.


25. SP Stephan Maat 77/93 19 Colorado Rockies- Matt is the polar opposite of Arthur, while he has pretty good control, he has 0 movement and a tremendous fastball. His cannon can be compared with the best of the best, Hawthorne, Watkins, Clemens, Johnson, etc., but he wont be the complete pitcher that these guys were.


26. SP Simon Rearick 81/91 21 Oakland Athletics- Rearick is a guy who could pitch for a long time, but you dont know if he'll ever be your ace. While he does have a good fastball and should have an above average assortment of pitches when its done, he has had control problems. Hes very similar talent wise to Oliver Perez, but he might not have the fastball that Oliver has.


27. 1B Fred Queener 81/94 23 Baltimore Orioles- The style of player Queener has is becoming very common in baseball today, 1st basemen who have a lot ofpure power, but not much else. While he does strike out a lot, he does walk ona somewhat consistent basis, but its unsure if its him or the pitcher who is earning these walks. He should end up like Jon Benkamin of Texas.


28. 3B Edwin Decker 80/93 22 Houston Astros- Decker was a tough one to grade, while he does look to have good skill, he is somewhat unproven. Hes a very good hitter, but he should have a slightly better eye for the strike zone, and his defense is below average at best. He'll probably end up like Julio Robano of Los Angeles.


29. CF Troy Baker 68/98 20 Toronto Blue Jays- Baker is a player who you really like or you really dont. If you can stomach a lot of strikeouts and low walk rates, you may not mind him, because he is a pretty good athlete and is a somewhat accomplished hitter for his age. His defense should be, at the least, average by league standards. He should hit like Matt Holliday.


30. SP Albert Ortega 82/92 24 Texas Rangers- Ortega is a very tough player to read, while he did show an improved ability to throw the ball, when he made a brief appearance in the majors, he imploded. He has a tremendous group of offspeed offerings, but has very little gas in the tank and cant reach back and fire one when he needs to. He might end up like Pete Rosenberger of the Phillies.


31. SS Jolindo Zacarias 75/95 25 Chicago White Sox- Zacarias is another disputed player by the people in charge, while he does have a big ceiling and plays a premium position, he has 0 patience at the plate, but he does make very good contact with the pitch and shows 15-20 HR potential, as well as plus speed. He reminds of Jose reyes, but maybe with a little less speed.


32. 3B Randy Sparkes 75/94 21 Seattle Mariners- Sparkes could have been rated higher on talent, ceiling, etc., but he's this low because he has no professional experience. Hes a good athlete whos a good defender and shows good enough patience at the plate, he'll bein the majors soon enough. He'll probably never be the best 3B in the league, but he'll be a rock solid 3rd baseman in the mold of Scott Rolen.


33. RF Raul Aresco 71/96 22 St. Louis Cardinals- Aresco was the top dog in a very, very weak Cardinals system. But after the most recent draft, he has hefty competition for that honor (see #37 & #42 on this list). While he is a supreme talent, good speed, fielder, and all around hitter, people wonder how long he will last in the league. Griffey is a very good comparison when you take into account durability issues.


34. 2B Eric Pogoreskaya 67/95 21 Texas Rangers- Our nomination for name of the year, make no mistake, despite the name, he can ball. He should end up what in todays baseball, is a rarity, a second baseman who can hit for power. He also should end up as a guy who can hit for contact, a good eye for the zone, and pretty good speed, defense is a question though. Texas should hope for a faster version of Jeff Kent.


35. SP Ernie Sakins 76/93 22 San Diego Padres- Sakins my have the unlucky job of taking Jake Peavys job in the rotation sometime in the next few years. He has great control and above average power and hit second and third pitches are coming along very nicely and he should have 2-4 above average offerings by the time he is done growing. Brandon Webb is someone who had very similar talents in the minors.


36. SP Jon Heasman 65/100 20 St. Louis Cardinals- The 4th overall pick in this years draft was the top college pitcher in this years draft. Very similar to Sakins, he has good control and power, but his secondary pitches are miles away, which is why hes miles away from the majors. Mark Mulder is a fair comparison, they have very similar fastballs.


37. 3B Carlos Romero 64/100 17 Atlanta Braves- Romero probably has the highest potential out of anyone in this years draft, and he may make or break Atlanta down the line. At 17, he has the hitting potential of other prospects several years older than him, and the sky is the limit for this high schooler. Its unfair to project this kid right now because hes miles and miles away.


38. 3B Humberto Villasenor 68/96 23 Oakland Athletics- While Villasenor is considered by many to be a few years away, he seems to be a very underrated hitter and knows how to put the ball in play. His defense is what is really holding him back, while his glove is decent, he has little to no arm strength and no lateral movement. Right now he should eb compared to an all offense, no defense 3rd baseman like Aubrey Huff or Melvin Mora, but he definately has the potential to become, at least, a league average defender.


39. RP Luis Quartaro 79/94 22 Baltimore Orioles- Quartaro is a future closer, plain and simple. Hes got good power, good enough control, and developing pitches that have some nasty movement. It should be interesting if gets the call to the majors this year, and should be ready if this scenario does happen. You could compare him to any pretty good closer out there.


40. SS Eric Saban 66/93 19 Los Angeles Angels- Sabin is a very underrated player in our mind, while he doesn't have great power potential and none of his skills are outstanding, he has good speed, a good eye for the strike zone, a solid defender, he should eb a consistent .300 hitter and should be counted on for 10-15 HR's a year. I think Edgar Renteria was a very similar player.


41. CF Alan Lanier 79/96 21 Oakland Athletics- Lanier, the top pick in this years draft, isn't liked by us as much as the Athletics were. While he has good speed, power and a flawless defender, people are unsure of how long he'll last in a 162 game season, also the fact that he has a lot of trouble getting on base. He should be a slightly faster version of Andrew Jones.


42. 3B Colin Buchmann 78/91 21 St. Louis Cardinals- Buchmann is the mirror image of fellow draftee Randy Sparkes, their skill set is almost identical. While Buchmann is probably closer to the majors than Sparkess, his ceiling is probably lower, but hesa solid hitter and defender with some deceptive speed.


43. LF Steve Viner 75/93 23 Minnesota Twins- Viner is a walk machine, and thats why we like him. Besides his tremendous ability to not swing and get on base, he can also hit his way on when he needs to with some power that pops up from time to time. He should end up hitting like Todd Helton.


44. RP Nat Dishinger 81/93 24 Oakland Athletics- While we really like Dishinger, we arent sure his arm will show up even for just an inning every couple of days in the majors. He has good control, good power and very good movement, when hes on, he is on.


45. Aaron Fonck 71/96 24 Texas Rangers- The only reason Fonck is considered a top prospect is because thare arent any top catchers who can hit in this league. His defense is developing, and will probably be considered average sometime in his career. Mike Piazza is probably the best example of an all offense catcher, but Fonck will probably offer a little more defense than Piazza ever did.


46. Sean Mareth 71/100 22 Cincinnati Reds- Mareth and Pogoreskaya are probably the only two 2nd basemen prospects in the league who have legit potential to be a #3 hitter in a MLB batting order. He is a good hitter with a great eye for the strike zone. Again, Jeff Kent is probably the best comparison.


47. SP Milo Volk 76/91 24 New York Mets- Volk has been a long time coming in the Mets system, and he still has a long way to go before coming major league ready. Power is definitely Volks calling card, even though he control is coming along nicely, as are his secondary pitches. He should become similar to a number of power pitchers out there,


48. 3B Brian Ward 79/91 21 Texas Rangers- Ward is an intriguing prospect because very rarely you see a 3rd baseman with the power speed combo that he has. Unfortunately he has average defensive skills and has some trouble getting on base. Since Ward is a pretty unique player, there really isnt a good comparison, but hes a cross between Chone Figgins and David Wright.


49. C Curtis Poe 69/92 21 San Diego Padres- Even though Poe has somewhat of a low ceiling, he is well liked in baseball communities. He has an advanced feeling for the plate and is solid behind the plate. He reminds of Victor Martinez, maybe with a little less power.


50. LF Mike Rogers 77/91 20 Texas Rangers- Rogers is the outfield version of teammate Brian Ward. He has good power and speed, but his eye for the strike zone and ability to hit for contact have been called into question. He is a poor mans Jason Bay.

This post has been edited by gopher100 on Jun 16 2007, 07:47 PM

Finished, feel free to post comments and any corrections, some of these players may have been traded since I started this.

What about Larry Malloy RP for the tigers... i know that the team I inherited isn't very strong but I think I at least have a solid closer for the next 10 or so years.

I think he's spent too much time in the majors to be considered a prospect. Because SS Walters on my team would be on there if he hadn't played in the Majors half the season.

i see

BALs correct, too much time in the majors

Very nice write-up gopher, I can tell you took alot of time and got everything just right.

Too bad you did this BEFORE the draft, I got a guy or two who could make this list now, haha. Hopefully next year's list will have a few Brewers on it.