Elsewhere today we're analyzing the Opening Day minor league rosters for all 30 organizations. From all 120 of those teams, however, which ones rank as the most talented at the start of the season? This is in no way a prediction of which teams will win minor league titles this year. Instead, it's a look at which teams feature the most prospect star power, with particular weight being given to elite Top 100 Prospects. All rankings listed are a player's ranking on our Top 100 Prospects list. So if you're planning a minor league trip, here are some good teams to put on your itinerary:

1. Double-A Jackson Generals (Southern League/Mariners)
No other team in the minors can boast four Top 100 Prospects. With RHP Taijuan Walker (No. 20) and LHPs Danny Hultzen (No. 21) and James Paxton (No. 52)—along with SS Nick Franklin (No. 77)—Jackson fans are sure to get an elite prospect on the mound three out of every five days. [...] Continue Reading »

Now that we've released the 2012 Top 100 Prospects list, we're also going to back and look at how the demographics of this year's list compare to past years. First up, a look at how the position breakdown compared to Top 100s over the past 10 years (from 2002-2012). [...] Continue Reading »

To get you ready for Tuesday’s release of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list, we’re previewing this year’s deliberations and looking back at hits and misses from our 2007 list.

With all of Baseball America's League Top 20s now posted, let's tally up the results. The League Top 20 lists can be a good indicator of the strength of teams' systems. It isn't a perfect indicator because it includes some players who have since graduated as prospects and does not include this year's top draft picks that signed late.

The leagues aren't all equal, either. A player that narrowly missed the Eastern League list, for example, could very well be more valuable than a player that ranked in the second half of the Pioneer League Top 20. There are also rare instances when key players don't have enough innings or at-bats to qualify for a minor league Top 20 list.

Also note that, for this study, players are only listed once (even if they made two lists) and are listed with their current organizations. With all that said, let's look at the results. First, the raw totals. . .

But the raw tallies only tell part of the story. While they would look even based on this list, a team would much rather have a group of prospects in Triple-A and Double-A than a group of prospects at the Rookie-level. Here is how the teams stack up when only given credit for prospects in full-season leagues, not including players that graduated from Prospect Handbook eligibility this year (surpassed 130 at-bats as a hitter or 50 innings/30 appearances for a pitcher). . .

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Here's a listing of our midseason Top 50 prospects. Prospects have to have not used up their rookie eligibility or currently be in the big leagues to be eligible. Also, 2011 draftees are not yet eligible.
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All offseason, fans (and us BA writers) have wondered if the Royals would set the record for most prospects on the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list. With nine among the Top 100 they have, but that may not fully explain how stacked this Royals list is.

Not every Top 100 Prospect is the same. A prospect in the top 10 is obviously much more likely to become a star than one sitting at No. 99. So to get a better sense of the best Top 100 classes of all-time, we derived a pretty simple formula–The No. 1 prospect received 100 points, the No. 2 prospect received 99 points and so on all the way down to the No. 100 prospect who received one point. At that point, we tabulated the highest point totals by team.

What we found is the 2011 Royals are the highest-ranked team of the Top 100 era, and it's not particularly close. The gap between the Royals and the third-place organization on our list is 102 points, which is more than the points awarded for having the No. 1 prospect on the list.

You could argue that the formula is a little too simplistic–prospects at the top of the list are significantly more valuable than prospects at the bottom of the list. No team would trade top prospect Bryce Harper for the No. 50 and 51 prospects on the list, but it is a nice and simple measure of the top prospect classes of all time, and tweaking the formula to add more weight to the top of the list would only add to the Royals point total, as they are the first team in Top 100 history with five prospects in the Top 20.

Here's a look at the Top 10 Top 100 classes of the past 22 years, with a look at which players panned out, playoff success and a summary of each team's class. [...] Continue Reading »

Astros righthander Vincent Velasquez, a second-round pick in June, had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 22 and will miss most or all of the 2011 season. Velasquez ranked just outside the top 10 in our recently-published prospect ranking for the Rookie-level Appalachian League.

The 18-year-old Velasquez, a product of Garey (Calif.) High, went 2-2, 3.07 in six starts and two relief appearances for Greeneville, showing fine control (1.5 walks per nine innings) of quality stuff (7.7 strikeouts per nine). He missed his final Appy League start when scar tissue broke loose from his previous elbow injury and caused discomfort.

Astros team physician Dr. Thomas Mehlhoff performed the surgery, and the club expects Velasquez to make a full recovery.

The Prospect Hot Sheet keeps getting better. Baseball America has partnered with FoxSports.com for a weekly video segment to go with the Hot Sheet, and this week J.J. Cooper checked in to discuss several of the players in contention for this week's Hot Sheet. [...] Continue Reading »

Our Midseason Top 25 Prospect Update is here, and subscribers get an extra blast with a stock report for players and organizations who have improved or fallen back so far this season. Here on the blog we present the Top 25, the 26-50 list presented alphabetically (not from 26-50), and welcome your comments.

Players eligible for our Midseason Top 25 are not in the majors as of July 4; retain rookie eligibility; and were drafted prior to 2010.

1. Domonic Brown, of, Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley)
2. Mike Trout, of, Angels (Low Class A Cedar Rapids)
3. Desmond Jennings, of, Rays (Triple-A Durham)
4. Jeremy Hellickson, rhp, Rays (Triple-A Durham)
5. Jesus Montero, c/dh, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
6. Julio Teheran, rhp, Braves (High Class A Myrtle Beach)
7. Dustin Ackley, 2b, Mariners (Double-A West Tenn)
8. Martin Perez, lhp, Rangers (Double-A Frisco)
9. Aaron Hicks, of, Twins (Low Class A Beloit)
10. Zach Britton, lhp, Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk)
11. Michael Pineda, rhp, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma)
12. Mike Moustakas, 3b, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
13. Eric Hosmer, 1b, Royals (High Class A Wilmington
14. Aroldis Chapman, lhp, Reds (Triple-A Louisville)
15. Brett Lawrie, 2b, Brewers (Double-A Huntsville)
16. Logan Morrison, 1b, Marlins (Triple-A New Orleans)
17. Simon Castro, rhp, Padres (Double-A San Antonio)
18. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas).
19. Lonnie Chisenhall, 3b, Indians (Double-A Akron)
20. Freddie Freeman, 1b, Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett)
21. Tyler Matzek, lhp, Rockies (Low Class A Asheville)
22. Kyle Gibson, rhp, Twins (Double-A New Britain)
23. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Blue Jays (Double-A New Hampshire)
24. Casey Kelly, rhp, Red Sox (Double-A Portland)
25. Tanner Scheppers, rhp, Rangers (Triple-A Oklahoma City)

Prospects 26-50, in alphabetical order: Chris Carter, 1b, Athletics; Jared Cosart, rhp, Phillies; Travis d'Arnaud, c, Blue Jays; Randall Delgado, rhp, Braves; Christian Friedrich, lhp, Rockies; Dee Gordon, ss, Dodgers; Grant Green, ss, Athletics; Brett Jackson, of, Cubs; John Lamb, lhp, Royals; Jordan Lyles, rhp, Astros; Ethan Martin, rhp, Dodgers; Shelby Miller, rhp, Cardinals; Mike Minor, lhp, Braves; Wil Myers, c, Royals; Wilson Ramos, c, Twins; Austin Romine, c, Yankees; Wilin Rosario, c, Rockies; Tony Sanchez, c, Pirates; Jonathan Singleton, 1b, Phillies; Jacob Turner, rhp, Tigers; Arodys Vizcaino, rhp, Braves; Brett Wallace, 1b, Blue Jays; Zach Wheeler, rhp, Giants; Alex White, rhp, Indians; Chris Withrow, rhp, Dodgers.
 

Here is a look at where the 2010 Baseball America Top 100 Prospects are beginning the 2010 season. The assignments are gathered from the rosters submitted by teams to Major League Baseball Advanced Media and as such are tentative until the games begin on Thursday night. [...] Continue Reading »

The Top 100 Prospects list is the culmination of our offseason prospect coverage, which begins with our reviews of the top talent in each minor league and proceeds with ranking the talent in each major league farm system. Our staffers and correspondents talk to general managers, managers, scouting directors, farm directors, scouts, coaches and other people in the game. Four people contributed to the voting this year: Co-Editors Will Lingo and John Manuel, executive editor Jim Callis and assistant editor Conor Glassey. Each person compiled a top 150 list, and we then reviewed the composite numbers and made adjustments before locking down the final list.

The rankings follow our standard prospect guidelines, which means any player who has not exceeded 130 at-bats, 50 innings or 30 pitching appearances in the major leagues (without regard to service time) is eligible. As always, our view is not necessarily to what a player will do this season, but what his ultimate major league ceiling is, weighed against the likelihood that he will reach that ceiling. [...] Continue Reading »

Athletics outfielder Grant Desme has retired to become a Catholic priest. A's farm director Keith Lieppman confirmed that Desme, who led the Arizona Fall League with 11 home runs en route to MVP honors, has given up the game.

Lieppman said Desme called A's general manager Billy Beane earlier in the week to inform him of his decision. Lieppman, who has since spoken with Desme, said the organization respects Desme's decision but will miss him on the field.

"To do that when you are at the top of your game, it's a powerful thing, and the organization has to respect that," Lieppman said. "Somebody will step up, somebody will take advantage of the opportunity they may not otherwise have gotten, but he will not be easy to replace. With the tools he has, he had tremendous potential. But I would imagine his potential is equally great on this new path considering his commitment."

Desme, 23, was the only player in the minor leagues to post a 30-30 season last year, with 31 homers and 40 stolen bases between low Class A Kane County and high Class A Stockton. It was the first full season for the 2007 second-round pick out of Cal Poly, who had missed most of his debut year and 2008 with wrist and shoulder injuries. [...] Continue Reading »

The Baseball America Prospect Handbook has been sent to the printer and will be shipped in the not too distant future. As part of the handbook, Jim Callis, Will Lingo and John Manuel rank their own personal Top 50s, the first step toward putting together Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list.

As a sneak peek, here’s an early draft of Manuel’s personal Top 20.

1. Stephen Strasburg, rhp, Nationals
WHY HE’S HERE: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft showed why he has all that hype, showing three premium pitches in the Arizona Fall League. His fastball reaches 100 mph, his slider has devastating power and movement, and his changeup has flashes of brilliance, even at 90 mph.
WHAT HE’LL BE: The face of the Nationals and a No. 1 starter.
WHEN HE ARRIVES: The Nats will be tempted to push their best arm to the majors quickly, but should be able to resist until the second half of 2010 at the least. If he’s not in the majors on Opening Day 2011, it will be a major upset.

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It’s a collaborative effort, and staff members don’t always agree on what constitutes a strong system. Is depth what matters, or is it better to have a small group of players who become big league regulars and perhaps one or two stars?

For the personal ranking presented here as a sneak preview of what you get in the 2010 Prospect Handbook (available for pre-order at the Baseball America online store), the emphasis is on star power. That’s why the Texas Rangers, who were No. 1 in BA’s rankings last year, remain on top even after graduating such talents as Elvis Andrus, Taylor Teagarden, Julio Borbon, Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter to the major leagues. [...] Continue Reading »

As we roll out the Top 10 Prospects lists for each of the NL East teams, we’ll also be posting them here so you can leave your comments. Subscribers can chat with the authors of the Top 10s, but everyone is free to share there likes and dislikes here on the Prospects Blog.

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In his newest column, John Manuel consulted with pro scouts to rank the top 10 prospects who were traded in the past month. Subscribers can read the complete analysis , but here is the rankings so everyone can comment upon them.

1. Brett Wallace, 3b/1b, Athletics (from Cardinals).
2. Zach Stewart, rhp, Blue Jays (from Reds).
3. Nick Hagadone, lhp, Indians (from Red Sox).
4. Aaron Poreda, lhp, Padres (from White Sox).
5. Jason Knapp, rhp, Indians (from Phillies).
6. Tim Alderson, rhp, Pirates (from Giants).
7. Josh Bell, 3b, Orioles (from Dodgers).
8. Lou Marson, c, Indians (from Phillies).
9. Jason Donald, inf, Indians (from Phillies).
10. Carlos Carrasco, rhp, Indians (from Phillies).

And John Manuel also listed five honorable mentions:

Dexter Carter, rhp, Padres (from White Sox).

Tyler Ladendorf, ss, Athletics (from Twins).
Roque Mercedes, rhp, Diamondbacks (from Brewers).
Mauricio Robles, lhp, Mariners (from Tigers).
Hunter Strickland, rhp, Pirates (from Red Sox). 

While subscribers can see a more in-depth look at the top 25 prospects and will get a listing of the organizations who have improved their stock and which teams have slipped, we do want everyone to be able to see the listing of the Top 25 Prospects at the midseason.

So here it is. And let us know what you think of the list by leaving comments.

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When reporting on Canada for last year’s draft, I talked to a scout who had seen a lot of Brett Lawrie last spring. He was convinced Lawrie would hit as a pro and compared him to Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla .

Now Lawrie will get to make that comparison look even smarter. The Brewers’ 2008 first-round pick, drafted as a catcher, will play second base this spring, according to BA correspondent Tom Haudricourt. According to Haudricourt, part of this move is calculated, as Lawrie believes he can move quicker at a position where he’s familiar, and part of it is an acknowledgement of the depth of catching talent ahead of him in the farm system, with Angel Salome and Jonathan Lucroy.

The real thing to remember is that Lawrie’s best position is in the batter’s box—a lot like Uggla.
 

This week is all about lists, as we’re rolling out three AL West Top 10s as well as our Hawaii and Arizona Fall League Top 20s. Today’s focus is the Arizona Fall League, where Matt Wieters dominated as usual. Subscribers can read scouting reports of all 20 prospects , while Kary Booher will chat about the list at 2 p.m. ET.

Arizona Fall League Top 20 Prospects

1. Matt Wieters, c (Orioles)

2. Tommy Hanson, rhp (Braves)

3. Brian Matusz, rhp (Orioles)

4. Logan Morrison, 1b (Marlins)

5. Carlos Triunfel, ss/2b (Mariners)

6. Bud Norris, rhp (Astros)

7. Gordon Beckham, ss (White Sox)

8. J.P. Arencibia, c (Blue Jays)

9. Justin Smoak, 1b (Rangers)

10. Brett Wallace, 3b (Cardinals)

11. Dan Cortes, rhp (Royals)

12. Sean West, lhp (Marlins)

13. Julio Borbon, of (Rangers)

14. Sean Doolittle, 1b/of (Athletics)

15. Tyler Flowers, c (White Sox)

16. Aaron Poreda, lhp (White Sox)

17. Jason Donald, ss (Phillies)

18. Scott Cousins, of (Marlins)

19. Jeff Manship, rhp (Twins)

20. Eric Young Jr., of/if (Rockies)

Our Oakland Athletics Top 10 Prospects list has now been posted, and subscribers can read scouting reports on all of the Top 10. If you have thoughts about our list, you can post them as a comment here or subscribers can talk to Ben Badler with our 3 p.m. ET. chat .

Oakland Athletics Top 10 Prospects

1. Brett Anderson, lhp

2. Trevor Cahill, rhp

3.  Michael Inoa, rhp

4.  Aaron Cunningham, of

5.  Adrian Cardenas, 2b/ss

6.  Chris Carter, 1b/3b/of

7.  Gio Gonzalez, lhp

8.  Vin Mazzaro, rhp

9.  Jemile Weeks, 2b

10.  James Simmons, rhp