Top 10 High-A Position Prospects

October 19, 2011
. . . . . .Rookie / Short-Season / Low-A / High-A / Double-A / Triple-A / Pitchers
@AdamWFoster's 2011 Offseason Prospect Rankings
Rk   Player   Pos   Comments   Age   Org
1   Manny Machado (eBay)   SS   Teenage shortstop showed power, patience, contact in High-A   19.0   BAL
2   Tommy Joseph (eBay)   C   Had a monster 2nd half, especially power-wise; rarely walks   20.0   SF
3   Jonathan Singleton (eBay)   1B   Hasn't shown game power yet, but it's in there; limited to 1B   19.8   HOU
4   Andrelton Simmons (eBay)   SS   Elite D, rarely Ks, limited power; plus arm could thrive on mound  21.8   ATL
5   Jonathan Schoop (eBay)   2B   Showed no power in June/July but started to click in August   19.7   BAL
6   Ramon Cabrera (eBay)   C   Catcher who walked more than he K'd and hit for some power   21.7   PIT
7   Rey Navarro (eBay)   3B   Bat has always been fringy but he hit in A+ before slowing in AA   21.5   KC
8   Aaron Hicks (eBay)   CF   Still hasn't had a breakout year but could become a solid MLBer   21.7   MIN
9   Nolan Arenado (eBay)   3B   Bat will get him to bigs; D will determine ceiling; may be a 1B   20.2   COL
10   Carlos Paulino (eBay)   C   Here because he's a C who makes contact and has some pop   21.8   PIT
Best of the Rest
    Jonathan Villar (eBay)   SS   Ks are a concern but if he can play good D, they may be tolerable 20.2   HOU
    Nick Franklin (eBay)   SS   If not for playing in High Desert, he wouldn't have made this list   20.3   SEA
    Hak-Ju Lee (eBay)   SS   Young, plus defender lacks offensive upside; slowed in AA   20.7   TB
    Jae-Hoon Ha (eBay)   CF   Rarely walks, though he does have some pop and makes contact   20.7   CHC
    Matthew Cerda (eBay)   3B   Averaged one HR every 389 at-bats; walked as much as he K'd   21.0   CHC
    Jose Altuve (eBay)   2B   Little dude who squares up and has gap power; limited upside   21.2   HOU
    Jean Segura (eBay)   SS   Injuries kept him off the field in large; plus speed; good upside   21.3   LAA
    Henry Rodriguez (eBay)   2B   Solid hitter who narrowly made this list; carried success to AA   21.4   CIN
    Jarek Cunningham (eBay)   2B   High K/Low BB guy had impressive, though inconsistent, power   21.5   PIT
    Michael Choice (eBay)   CF   Contact is a concern, but power isn't; thick CF with some speed   21.6   OAK
    Robbie Grossman (eBay)   RF   High-A repeater upped power/patience; may fit best as No. 4 OF 21.8   PIT
    Rossmel Perez (eBay)   C   Catcher w/ limited power who knows the strike zone & rarely Ks   21.8   ARI
    Greg Garcia (eBay)   2B   Made midseason jump from Low-A and improved power in A+   21.9   STL
    Tyler Saladino (eBay)   SS   Big power jump from '10 Low-A season while maintaining BB/K   21.9   CHW
* Ages are as of July 1, 2011            
** Minimum 200 plate appearances        

Warning: These rankings were created without utilizing scouting information. The list was assembled as a conversation starter/watch list by way of a relatively simple, objective prospect finding system. After weighing in scouting information, our rankings of players will change.

Methodology: Only players who were a deviation below level-average age were considered for the list above. The average High-A age in 2011 was approximately 23, with a standard deviation of approximately 2. Players were ranked based simply on deviations from level-average age, strikeout percentage, walk percentage and isolated power. The position that the player primarily played for the final two months of the season was also factored into the rankings.