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.

[...] Continue Reading »

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.

[...] Continue Reading »

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.

[...] Continue Reading »

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

The Angels Top 10 Prospects list has now been posted, and subscribers can see scouting reports on the Top 10.  But for our blog readers, here’s the list. Feel free to comment on the list here, or you can chat with Kary Booher at 3 p.m. ET.

Angels Top 10 Prospects

1. Nick Adenhart, rhp

2. Jordan Walden, rhp

3. Peter Bourjos, of

4. Trevor Reckling, lhp

5. Sean O’Sullivan, rhp

6. Kevin Jepsen, rhp

7. Hank Conger, c

8. Mark Trumbo, 1b

9. Anthony Ortega, rhp

10. Mason Tobin, rhp