Here we are about a quarter of the way through the 2008 minor league season and Colby Rasmus is still as cold as the Arctic Ocean. The 21-year-old is batting .182/.267/.309 with six home runs and almost identical walk and strikeout rates as last season. He just isn't hitting the ball hard with much consistency. Meanwhile, Jay Bruce is proving ready for a job in the big leagues. The lefty has a ridiculous 35% line-drive rate to go along with a .363/.392/.669 Triple-A vital line.
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| No. | Player | Pos. | Comments | Age | Org | Lvl | Pre. | |||||||
| 1 | Jay Bruce | CF | Any prospect can miss, but we really can't imagine Bruce doing so; he's .363/.392/.669 in '08 | 21.1 | CIN | AAA | 1 ↔ | |||||||
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | LHP | Still hasn't given up a HR this season (42.1 IP); finding more success in AA than he did in A | 20.1 | LAD | AA | 4 ↑ | |||||||
| 3 | Evan Longoria | 3B | He hasn't been a good contact hitter above Double-A -- .243 BA (246 ab), 23.7% K (295 PA) | 22.5 | TB | MLB | 2 ↓ | |||||||
| 4 | Joba Chamberlain | RHP | 56 K vs. 13 BB through 42.1 MLB IP -- gives him a 34.1% K and 7.9% BB though 164 batters | 22.6 | NYY | MLB | 5 ↑ | |||||||
| 5 | Matt Wieters | C | Prospects tend to be promoted upon posting a .360+ wOBA over 200 PA; .408 (164) here | 21.9 | BAL | A+ | 6 ↑ | |||||||
| 6 | Matt LaPorta | LF | Like Wieters, he's ready for a promotion (.430 in 192); solid contact bat with a lot of power | 23.3 | MIL | AA | 7 ↑ | |||||||
| 7 | Colby Rasmus | CF | One of the mysteries of the minors this year; we still believe in him but not like we used to | 21.7 | STL | AAA | 3 ↓ | |||||||
| 8 | Cameron Maybin | CF | Fast enough for CF -- very powerful for that position; contact skills are poor (31.5% K in '08) | 21.1 | FLA | MLB | 8 ↔ | |||||||
| 9 | Travis Snider | LF | After slow AA start, has .371 wOBA in May; struggling w/ contact (.234 BA, 33.7% K in '08) | 20.2 | TOR | AA | 11 ↑ | |||||||
| 10 | Andrew McCutchen | CF | Has cooled off significantly in May but still hitting well -- .284/.379/.450 w/ .368 wOBA overall | 21.6 | PIT | AAA | 12 ↑ | |||||||
| 11 | Rick Porcello | RHP | Proving difficult to hit and even more to elevate that ball off of -- 7.2% BB, 14.4% K, 3.61 FIP | 19.3 | DET | A+ | 13 ↑ | |||||||
| 12 | Homer Bailey | RHP | Struggled over last 2 starts (5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 K, 6 BB; 4.1 IP, 11 H, 1 K, 2 BB); 4.09 FIP this year | 22.0 | CIN | MLB | 10 ↓ | |||||||
| 13 | David Price | LHP | After facing Price in Extended ST, A-Rod told MLB.com, "I wish he was on our team." | 22.7 | TB | NCAA | 14 ↑ | |||||||
| 14 | Andy LaRoche | 3B | As hot as ever in AAA: .306/.514/.571 this season -- note the 31.5% BB; starting in LA soon? | 24.6 | LAD | MLB | 16 ↑ | |||||||
| 15 | Trevor Cahill | RHP | 08's most dominant MiLB pitcher to date: 32.8% K, 6.3% BB, 66% GB, 2.42 FIP in CAL League | 20.2 | OAK | A+ | 18 ↑ | |||||||
| 16 | Jarrod Parker | RHP | Been very good though not dominant so far in Low-A: 20.7% K, 4.4% BB, 2.99 FIP (135 TBF) | 19.4 | ARI | A | 20 ↑ | |||||||
| 17 | Madison Bumgarner | LHP | Dominating South Atlantic League through 38.2 IP (161 TBF): 29.2% K, 5.6% BB, 1.90 FIP | 18.7 | SF | A | NR ↑ | |||||||
| 18 | Mike Moustakas | SS | While he's not walking much, Moustakas has been mashing in May: .306/.368/.565 (68 PA) | 19.6 | KC | A | 30 ↑ | |||||||
| 19 | Angel Villalona | 1B | Another Low-A hitter who started slow but is heating up, Villa has a .357 wOBA in May | 17.7 | SF | A | 26 ↑ | |||||||
| 20 | Max Scherzer | RHP | Hard to argue w/ success he's found in 4 MLB starts (82 BF): 28.0% K, 8.5% BB, 2.19 FIP | 23.8 | ARI | MLB | 29 ↑ | |||||||
| 21 | Jason Heyward | RF | You can't expect much more in a guy's pro debut: .327/.369/.488 w/ 16 XBH through 179 PA | 18.7 | ATL | A | 31 ↑ | |||||||
| 22 | Jeff Clement | C | It was only 56 PA, but his performance in recent callup signals "overmatched"; .256 wOBA | 24.7 | SEA | MLB | 15 ↓ | |||||||
| 23 | Jaime Garcia | LHP | It's time to view him as a legit prospect; 26.6% K, 8.5% BB, & appx. 2.18 FIP in '08 (AA/AAA) | 21.8 | STL | AAA | NR ↑ | |||||||
| 24 | Sean Gallagher | RHP | Coming off a promising start against the Pirates: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K; potential No. 3? | 22.3 | CHC | MLB | NR ↑ | |||||||
| 25 | Jake McGee | LHP | Not nearly as dominant as he was last season: 22.8% K, 9.9% BB, 3.66 FIP through 171 BF | 21.7 | TB | AA | 17 ↓ | |||||||
| Honorables: Mat Gamel (MIL), Ian Kennedy (NYY), Fernando Martinez (NYM), Justin Masterson (BOS), Nick Weglarz (CLE), and Chris Marrero (WAS). | ||||||||||||||
| Graduated (final ranking): Johnny Cueto (9). | ||||||||||||||
| Dropped out of Top 25 (previous ranking): Carlos Gonzalez (19), Chris Marrero (21), Fernando Martinez (22), Brandon Wood (23), Justin Masterson (24), | ||||||||||||||
| and Brett Anderson (25). | ||||||||||||||
| * Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||||||
| *** Ages are as of May 19th, 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| **** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||||||
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Adam Foster can be reached at adamf@projectprospect.com.