Best Prospects by Division

by Project Prospect
October 16, 2006
Division Team Name Position Age Drafted (round/overall/year) Signing Bonus
AL East TB Delmon Young OF 21 1st/1st/2003 $3.7M
An early favorite for the top slot in our Top 50 prospect list – will be published in December – Young, 21, grew up idolizing Vladimir Guerrero, a player who he could someday match talent-wise…he already has the arm. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft, Young (6-foot-3, 205-pounds) put up .316/.341./.447 vitals in 342 at-bats at Triple-A Durham only to better himself with .328/.349/.492 vitals in 122 at-bats with the Devil Rays. Young’s weakness to inside fastballs shows in his 0.246 Triple-A and 0.043 MLB walk to strikeout ratios, but it’s pretty tough to find any other holes in his game. Young is as much of a shoe in for America League Rookie of the Year as Joe Girardi is to get another managing job by the winter meetings.
AL Central KC Alex Gordon 3B 22 1st/2nd/2005 $4.0M
Baseball America’s 2006 Player of the Year, Gordon, 22, has all the tools to be a top notch Major League talent. After winning the 2005 Golden Spikes Award with the University of Nebraska, Gordon upped the ante by dominating Double-A pitching and finishing the season with a solid 1.015 OPS. His post All-Star break numbers (.346/.448/.658 with 20 home runs and 20 doubles in 257 at-bats) are nothing short of amazing. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound third baseman’s explosion in the second half significantly boosted his prospect stock. While Gordon may not have 40 home runs next year, he certainly has the potential to reach that total in the future. If Gordon heads for Kansas City in 2007, he should put up respectable numbers all around. Look for a .285/.375/.530 rookie vital line, making him a popular choice for the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award.
AL West LAA Brandon Wood SS/3B 21 1st/23rd/2003 $1.3M
At 21 years of age and in his first full season at Double-A Arkansas, Wood did little to diminish his stellar ranking, further solidifying a place among the games elite infielders.Following a 43 home run campaign in 2005, the former first round draft pick hit 25, with a .907 OPS and 19 swiped bags in 22 attempts. His strikeout totals may be high, but not high enough to offset his superior potential. Wood's size combined with the presence of Orlando Cabrera at shortstop seem to hint at a move to third base. Nonetheless, it will be difficult to keep him in Triple-A Salt Lake and out of Anaheim next year.
NL East NYM Fernando Marinez OF 18 International/2005 $1.4M
You can imagine Mets scouts in the Dominican salivating watching this highly-touted prospect named “Jesus” spray line drives from gap to gap. After dropping Jesus in favor of Fernando and signing to a $1.4 million contract in 2005, the 18-year-old (10/10/88) tore up Low-A Hagerstown before he was awarded a late-season promotion to High-A St. Lucie. His production slowed after the promotion, but he put up .279/.336/.457 combined vitals. Paired with his comparative youth in both the leagues that Martinez played in, the 6-foot-0, 185-pound lefty was also just as productive against left-handed pitchers as he was righties, and his contact numbers were extremely impressive, as he struck out just 61 times in 315 at bats (80.6% contact). It’s hard to project when players as young as Martinez will appear at the major league level, but if he lives up to his considerable promise, the Mets may soon have another offensive messiah.
NL Central CIN Homer Bailey RHP 20 1st/7th/2004 $2.3M
A 2004 first round draft pick, Bailey, 20, started the season in High-A Sarasota and aced that test with a 10.06 K/9 ratio and a paltry 1.00 WHIP. Promoted to Double-A Chattanooga in mid-June, Bailey continued to improve, this time putting up a 10.19 K/9 ratio and a 1.15 WHIP to go along with just one home run in 68.0 innings (he gave up six in 70.2 A+ innings). Bailey has the build, stuff, and competitive spirit to be a frontline starter as soon as 2007. His fastball touches 97 mph and he offers a plus-plus curveball to go with his changeup and slider. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound righty has continued to grow physically, adding an inch and 15 pounds last year. With his frame and velocity, Bailey reminds us of Josh Beckett - though he hasn't had quite as amazing K/9 rates as Beckett did in the minors, he has given up fewer home runs. After pitching 103.2 regular season innings in 2005 and 138.2 in 2006, Bailey still may not be ready to pitch a full season in the majors, but that won't keep the Reds from giving him a shot at opening 2007 in their rotation.
NL West ARI Chirs Young OF 23 16th/493rd <$1M

Javier Vazquez who? One of the few 21-year-olds in Triple-A, Young did not disappoint in his new franchise. His .276/.363/.532 line brought him from Tucson across the desert to Phoenix by the middle of August. The 16th round 2001 draft pick – he severely broke his left forearm a few days before the draft – out of Bellaire High School in Texas was also on the verge of going 20/20 in Tucson before he was called up. He had 20 home runs to go along with 17 steals in 22 attempts. Young looks like a very special talent, drawing comparisons to Carlos Beltran, Eric Davis, and Mike Cameron.