Top 25 Prospect List

by Project Prospect
August 1, 2009
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Rk Player Pos Comments Age Org Lvl Pre
1 Jason Heyward RF Position on defensive spectrum is his only clear weakness; powerful contact hitter 20.0 ATL AA 3 ↑
2 Carlos Santana C Six HR July came along with noteworthy BB% dip (to 5.8) and K% rise (to 14.6) 23.4 CLE AA 6 ↑
3 Jesus Montero C/DH Near seamless transition from A+ to AA earns him our nod as minor's top teenager 19.7 NYY AA 11 ↑
4 Brian Matusz LHP Also has adjusted from A+ to AA well; solid bet to be an above-average MLB SP 22.5 BAL AA 5 ↑
5 Buster Posey C Hasn't hit for power in 60 AAA PA sample; walk, strikeout and LD% remain strong 22.4 SF AAA 8 ↑
6 Chris Tillman RHP Can he maintain low AAA walk rate in bigs? If so, could be a top-of-the-rotation SP 21.3 BAL MLB 9 ↑
7 Fernando Martinez OF Knee surgery latest in growing list of injuries; still an elite power hitting prospect 20.9 NYM MLB 10 ↑
8 Mike Stanton RF K problem has resurfaced in AA and BB% is down, but awesome power remains 19.8 FLA AA 12 ↑
9 Justin Smoak 1B First basemen typically make up for lack of defensive value w/ power; Smoak isn't 22.7 TEX AAA 7 ↓
10 Matt LaPorta 1B/LF It's hard to get too excited about a 1B/LF prospect his age; upside limited, floor high 24.6 CLE MLB 15 ↑
11 Logan Morrison 1B Hot off of a godly July; he could easily win the Marlins' first base job entering 2010 22.0 FLA AA 27 ↑
12 Dominic Brown RF Back from a broken thumb, his power wasn't there in July, but K% was way down 22.0 PHI A+ 17 ↑
13 Mat Gamel 3B Struggling w/ contact in AAA; power and walk rate are elite; continues to play 3B 24.2 MIL MLB 13 ↔
14 Desmond Jennings CF Woke up from cold June to hit way to AAA in July; speedster is near MLB-ready 22.8 TB AA 25 ↑
15 Hector Rondon RHP Isn't getting the hype he deserves, despite back-to-back Futures Game showings 21.5 CLE AAA 28 ↑
16 Pedro Alvarez 3B While .377 BABIP (AA) will come down, it's hard to argue with his recent success 22.5 PIT AA 22 ↑
17 Jhoulys Chacin RHP Proving durable after substantial IP jump from '07 to '08; potential ace in 2-3 years 21.6 COL MLB 26 ↑
18 Carlos Carrasco RHP Inconsistent hurler w/ impressive raw stuff can throw his share of mistake pitches 22.4 CLE MLB 14 ↓
19 Yonder Alonso 1B Broken hamate bone will keep high-floor hitter out for the rest of regular season 22.3 CIN AA 20 ↑
20 Nick Weglarz LF Don't be scared by low BA; BB%/IsoP could make up for lack of defensive value 21.7 CLE AA 16 ↓
21 Jarrod Parker RHP He fell due to our concerns with his mechanics; K% also is down a lot from A+ 20.7 ARI AA 18 ↓
22 Mat Latos RHP If not for durability/injury concerns, he'd be one of the top 10 prospects on this list 21.7 SD MLB 53 ↑
23 Madison Bumgarner LHP Breaking ball has made little progress since high school; K% down, BB% up from A+ 20.1 SF AA 19 ↓
24 Alcides Escobar SS Great defensive SS by all accounts we've read; bat could be average at the position 22.7 MIL AAA NR ↑
25 Michael Saunders LF/CF Earned a trip to the big leagues as he posted career-best power and K% in the PCL 22.8 SEA MLB 29 ↑
Honorable Mentions
26 Jake Arrieta RHP Continues to calm our preseason command concerns; note AA to AAA K% decline 23.5 BAL AAA 46 ↑
27 Kyle Blanks 1B Hit the ground running in bigs; will pitchers be able to exploit his contact deficiency? 22.9 SD MLB 33 ↑
28 Daniel Hudson RHP 22.5 CHW AA 62 ↑
29 Jaff Decker LF Will need to mash due to lack of defensive value; not much to question w/ bat now 19.5 SD A 51 ↑
30 Neftali Feliz RHP Hasn't started a game since 6/21/09; bullpen beast whose upside remains high 21.3 TEX AAA NR ↑
Dropped out: None.
Graduated: M. Wieters (1), D. Holland (2), T. Hanson (4), G. Beckham (21), A. McCutchen (23), V. Mazzaro (24) and B. Cecil (39).
* Ages are as of August 15, 2009; Lvl is the highest level the player has reached; Our rankings factor in floor and ceiling
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