Top 10 Low-A Position Prospects

October 22, 2011

I modified my system slightly after publishing my initial Low-A Top 25 list. This is an updated Low-A list that reflects the changes.

. . . . . .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   Jurickson Profar (eBay)   SS   Up-the-middle defender who does just about everything well   18.4   TEX
2   Xander Bogaerts (eBay)   SS   Likely big leaguer but he may not have the speed for shortstop   18.7   BOS
3   Bryce Harper (eBay)   RF   Two more months in Low-A and he'd almost certainly be No. 1   18.7   WAS
4   Ronald Torreyes (eBay)   2B   Outstanding line-drive hitter but upside is limited; rarely Ks   18.8   CIN
5   Jonathan Schoop (eBay)   2B   Stayed afloat in A+ after being challenged with a June promo   19.7   BAL
6   Sean Coyle (eBay)   2B   K-rate climbed steadily and warrants watching going forward   19.5   BOS
7   Kolten Wong (eBay)   2B   22nd overall pick from the 2011 draft hit the ground running   20.7   STL
8   Gary Sanchez (eBay)   C   Big boy, big power, big swing; a high-risk, high-reward talent   18.6   NYY
9   Christian Vazquez (eBay)   C   Catcher who had big power numbers; oldest player on this list   20.9   BOS
10   Tomas Telis (eBay)   C   Doesn't walk or strike out but could hit enough for a catcher   20.0   TEX
Best of the Rest
    Cheslor Cuthbert (eBay)   3B   Solid debut for teenage Nicaraguan who signed for over $1 Mil   18.6   KC
    Oscar Taveras (eBay)   RF   Somehow managed to put together a .448 BABIP over 347 PA   19.0   STL
    Ronny Rodriguez (eBay)   SS   Good power upside for a guy playing SS; doesn't draw walks   19.2   CLE
    Teodoro Martinez (eBay)   CF   Good contact hitter who has both speed and youth on his side   19.3   TEX
    Jonathan Garcia (eBay)   RF   Ks a lot and was streaky, but he definitely has some power   19.6   LAD
    Christian Bethancourt (eBay)   C   Good upside; cannon of an arm; doesn't draw walks, though   19.8   ATL
    Cristhian Adames (eBay)   SS   No standout numbers but solid all-around full-season debut   19.9   COL
    J.R. Murphy (eBay)   C   More solid than spectacular; value takes a hit if he can't catch   20.1   NYY
    Miles Head (eBay)   1B   Dominant start earned him A+ promo, where he slowed down   20.2   BOS
    Jacob Marisnick (eBay)   CF   Impressive all-around season for 2009's 104th overall pick   20.3   TOR
    Jacob Realmuto (eBay)   C   8 HR in August got him on this list; he had a promising July, too   20.3   FLA
    Tucker Barnhart (eBay)   C   Makes contact and draws walks; on this list because he's a C   20.5   CIN
    Brandon Jacobs (eBay)   LF   Had three really good months and two not so good months   20.6   BOS
    Marcell Ozuna (eBay)   RF   50+ extra-base-hits & a bit of speed make him worth following   20.6   FLA
    Marcus Semien (eBay)   SS   Made it because he's a SS; was 3-for-7 in stolen base attempts   20.8   CHW
    Billy Hamilton (eBay)   SS   Speedster offers limited power & upside; has a thin, wiry build   20.8   CIN
    Jiovanni Mier (eBay)   SS   Low-A repeater had success here but hit a wall upon A+ promo   20.8   HOU
* Ages are as of July 1, 2011                
** Minimum 200 plate appearances        
*** If eligible, Manny Machado would have ranked 2nd on this list        

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 Low-A age in 2011 was approximately 22, 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.