All Positions: C / 1B / 2B / SS / 3B / CF / OF / P
We still haven't dissected 2009's top outfield and pitching prospects in depth, but there's a decent chance that there won't be a single second base prospect inside the Top 50 of our 2009 Top 100 -- don't worry, we'll publish at least a Top 150. Last year, Matt Antonelli was a consensus Top 100 prospect and Top 50 on most lists -- 93rd for ESPN. His 2008 season only reinforced why second base prospects are rarely touted as "can't miss".
The Wake Forest product put up his worst full-season power numbers to date (.106 IsoP vs. .182 in 2007 [A+/AA] and .188 in 2006 [A]). And the main reason we're not completely deterred by his .304 Triple-A wOBA is his BABIP was 80+ points lower than his career average despite a line-drive rate on par with his career rates.
Now our 2007 top second base prospect, on the other hand, has carved out a different niche for himself: Dustin Pedroia, who ranked 74th on our 2007 Top 100. Former "can't miss" second base prospects Rickie Weeks and Howie Kendrick have yet to really establish themselves as above-average big leaguers. Chase Utley and Dan Uggla were never touted as cream-of-the-crop prospects -- Top 25 overall -- though Utley was the 15th overall pick of the 2000 Draft.
We don't advise scouring the Shire for the another Pedroia or chasing the next Utley. Second base is a difficult position to play and a rare home for talented offensive players.
Be cautiously optimistic at best with the names below. It's likely that only a couple of these guys will even become average big leaguers.
| Top 15 Second Base Prospects | ||||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Comments | Age | Org | Lvl | ||||||
| 1 | Adrian Cardenas | 2B/SS | Went .279/.392/.326 in 102 AA PA; no power (.047 IsoP), K's (9.8%); lots of patience (14.7%) | 21.0 | OAK | AA | ||||||
| 2 | Matt Antonelli | 2B | After posting .382 wOBA in AA in '07, plummeted to .304 in AAA in '08; still, 14.1% BB rate | 23.5 | SD | MLB | ||||||
| 3 | Jemile Weeks | 2B | No. 12 overall pick had .379 wOBA in 90 A PA; leadoff-type hitter had 14.4% BB, .108 IsoP | 21.7 | OAK | A | ||||||
| 4 | Chris Coghlan | 2B | .405 wOBA in A, .270 in A+ in '07 left questions; answered them with .369 wOBA in '08 in AA | 23.3 | FLA | AA | ||||||
| 5 | Johnny Giavotella | 2B | 2nd rounder ('08) went .299/.354/.421, .341 wOBA in 308 A PA; puts ball in play (11% K) | 21.3 | KC | A | ||||||
| 6 | Eric Young | 2B/CF | Improved patience (7.5% BB in '07 vs. 12.8% in '08); .351 wOBA up 8 pts from Cal League | 23.4 | COL | AA | ||||||
| 7 | Nick Noonan | 2B | Fell to .321 wOBA in 531 A PA after going .349 in R ball in '07; struggles w/ patience: 4.5% BB | 19.4 | SF | A | ||||||
| 8 | L.J. Hoes | 2B | 3rd rounder ('08) turned down UNC to sign with O's; walked in 15.7% of his plate appearances | 18.6 | BAL | R | ||||||
| 9 | Jake Smolinski | 2B | 2nd rounder ('07) has seen wOBA drop at each lvl (.356 in R in '07; .345 in A-, .320 in A in '08) | 19.7 | FLA |
A | ||||||
| 10 | Brad Emaus | 2B | Made drastic improvements in '08: .278 wOBA in 152 A- PA in '07 vs. .367 in 539 A+ PA in '08 | 22.5 | TOR | A+ | ||||||
| 11 | Luis Valbuena | 2B | Went .300/.373/.371 in 244 Triple-A PA; no pop (.071 IsoP), some on-base ability (11.5% BB) | 22.9 | SEA | MLB | ||||||
| 12 | Eric Sogard | 2B | 2nd rounder ('07) put up .308/.394/.453 line in Cal League; will move up if replicates it in AA | 22.4 | SD | A+ | ||||||
| 13 | Travis Denker | 2B | After spending parts of 5 yrs in A ball, posted .369 wOBA in 252 Triple-A PA; 12.3% BB | 23.2 | SD | MLB | ||||||
| 14 | Ryan Mount | 2B | Like Sogard, had his way with A+: .287/.333/.506 in 369 PA; matter of him showing it in AA | 22.2 | LAA | A+ | ||||||
| 15 | John Tolisano | 2B | 2nd rounder ('07) struggled in full-season debut: .301 wOBA in 494 A PA; 11.3% BB, 22.1% K | 20.0 | TOR | A | ||||||
| Honorables: Tony Thomas (CHC), Shelby Ford (PIT), Joaquin Arias (TEX), Jose Vallejo (TEX), and Chih-Hsien Chiang (BOS). | ||||||||||||
| * Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||||
| ** Ages are as of November 1st, 2008 | ||||||||||||
| *** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||||
| <<< Discuss these rankings | ||||||||||||
Questions about this list can be directed toward Adam Foster at .