J.J. Cooper: I wouldn't say a guy who hits over .300 in the FSL as an 18-year-old for much of the year is flaming out, especially when you throw in the fact that Tabata battled a wrist injury all season. The two main concerns at this point are the wrist injury (some guys struggle to ever make it back from wrist injuries although most fully recover) and his proclivity to gain weight. Tabata has already grown out of being a plus runner. His bat's solid, but if he thickens up too much he'll be cutting into his long-term value.

J.J. Cooper: I'll go with Tabata, as I like the bat better, but Jackson has a more rounded tool set.

J.J. Cooper: As with most years this is a pretty star studded list. I know a lot of people get hung up on who's No. 7 and who's No. 10, but really these lists often divide into tiers. I think this year you could say that the top tier goes about 5 deep, I'll be surprised if the top 5 are not all very solid big leaguers with several all-stars in the group. The next tier goes about another 5 deep (through Austin Jackson). That group is less likely to all be MLB regulars, but I would bet we'll see a couple of all-stars and several regulars, along with maybe a flameout or two. And the next tier in the FSL this year went about 25 players deep. There will likely be less stars and less regulars, but I bet when it's all over you'll see a couple of stars and a number of solid everyday players out of the 11-35 group. If you look back at our previous lists there is often a guy among that 11-20 group who ends up being a future stud, I'd be surprised if this group didn't include at least one or two guys who will fit that description.

J.J. Cooper: I think Carrasco is more of a No. 2 or a No. 3. That's partly a hunch, but Carrasco hasn't shown the mound presence you expect in a No. 1 -- he tends to overthrow and get frustrated at times. Now sometimes guys overcome that and become No. 1's (ask Curt Schilling), but I'm not sure if his combination of command and composure projects to being a No. 1. But being a No. 2 or No. 3 starter is still pretty impressive.

J.J. Cooper: I have to say that McGee has the best potential of any pitcher on the list--lefties simply don't throw that hard that often. As far as Guerra he's a very good pitching prospect, but I'd put him a notch below Wade Davis on this list. He is younger, but Davis shows more consistent stuff and maintains it for longer. With Guerra a lot of what we're looking for still depends on projection. His velocity varied pretty significantly from start to start this year, but he generally showed added velocity compared to last year. If he keeps that up and becomes more consistent with it next year, he could take another step forward. It's hard to compare him to too many guys, because there aren't that many 18 year-olds holding their own on the mound in the FSL.

J.J. Cooper: Count Josh Roenicke among the guys who I wish I could have snuck onto the list. He's got two plus pitches (a 95 mph fastball and a nasty breaking ball) and for a guy who hasn't been pitching for long he shows a really good feel for pitching. Will Savage also got some mentions from managers. The Clearwater pitcher has good stuff (90-93 mph fastball and a plus change) and an impressive bulldog mentality on the mound.

J.J. Cooper: Jon Niese's velocity dipped at times this year and he needs to sharpen his command, but he has a solid 3-pitch assortment and adequate velocity (90-91 mph) even with the dip. Tobi Stoner wasn't close to making this list, but he does pound the zone and impressed managers. Jose Castro, a shortstop the Mets traded during the season, also impressed with a good glove at short and an improving bat.

J.J. Cooper: To quote from the intro: The next six prospects on this list are pitchers, led by Vero Beach teammates Jake McGee and Wade Davis. That group doesn't include Tampa's Joba Chamberlain, who would have ranked right behind Bruce and Maybin had he not fallen seven innings short of qualifying. Joba would have been the top pitching prospect in the league if he had thrown enough innings. McCutchen impressed with his command--several managers voted him the best command in the league during the best tools balloting, but his stuff wasn't good enough to rank in the top 20 in a very talented league.

J.J. Cooper: A reminder that being ranked is actually an honor, not a slight. Ottavino has some control problems, but when he was on, his combination of a heavy running fastball and slider was one of the better two-pitch combos in the league. He's really trying to refine his control more than his command at this point, as he's sometimes effective just aiming toward the middle of the plate and letting his natural movement try to paint the corners.

J.J. Cooper: Craig has legit power, and he's not a sellout pull power guy, as he can work the ball to all fields and he had a short compact swing. There's some debate about whether he can stay at third, if not he'll need all of his power to make it as a first baseman, but he's a sleeper to keep an eye on, and he was part of that tier of players from 11-35. Hamilton wasn't. He has decent power and moves well over at first base, but his swing is a long one that he needs to shorten up.

J.J. Cooper: We've already covered Ottavino, but I'll also mention Tyler Norrick as well. Norrick's stuff is fringy, but some managers believed he'll be a big leaguer as his absolute lack of fear and his willingness to attack hitters means he can have success if he keeps the ball down.

J.J. Cooper: It's a concern, but we're talking about a guy who was playing in his first full pro season. Guys were already impressed with the adjustments he made during his time in FSL. The first time around the league he was chasing pitches, but he showed more willingness to lay off balls on his second time around the league (even though his strikeout numbers didn't show a big difference). I think Colvin could start out as a big league CF, but he's likely to eventually grow into a corner outfielder as he has the frame to add some solid weight.

J.J. Cooper: You have to have a pretty solid ceiling to make this list as a reliever. Actually there were some suggestions that Morlan has the potential to be a starter if needed as he has an impressive three pitch arsenal, but the Twins have groomed him to be a reliever. I'd expect to see him start next season in Double-A and be ready for his first taste of big league ball by September if he keeps progressing.

J.J. Cooper: Sosa and Pino were part of that 11-35 group. I expected Sosa to make the top 20 when I started putting it together, but managers, pitching coaches and scouts wondered how his stuff would play at higher levels. He has a natural cutting action on his fastball that is deadly for high A hitters, but several observers believed his stuff would not be enough to have the same success at higher levels unless he adds to his current 90-91 mph velo. He shows an average slider at times, but he needs to develop it and his below average changeup as he makes the jump to Double-A. Pino is a command-type guy who can paint corners both inside and outside to hitters with three pitches, but his fastball sits at 86-88 mph, which makes it hard to put him in the top 20 on a list with plenty of guys sitting in the mid-90s. It's not that an 86-88 mph guy can't succeed in the big leagues, but it's definitely a tougher climb.

J.J. Cooper: The Twins definitely have more pitching than hitting. In addition to Morlan, Pino and Sosa I also got some solid reports on Ryan Mullins, Kyle Asleton and Jeff Manship), but there weren't as many Fort Myers hitters getting mentioned. Erik Lis has good bat speed and some power potential to be the Miracle's best hitting prospect.

J.J. Cooper: A reminder to everyone no one gets projected only as a No. 2 starter. At a normal moment there are 15 or so true No. 1 pitchers in baseball. By projecting Cueto as a No. 2, we're saying he could end up as one of the best 30 or 40 pitchers in baseball. I love Cueto's potential. He's got plus stuff with uncanny refinement for a 21-year-old. As mentioned before, Roenicke just barely missed the top 20. He'll very likely be in my Reds Top 10 when that comes out in a month or two.

J.J. Cooper: This isn't a reward for a great season, it's an attempt to project who will be the impact big leaguers over the next decade. That said, Carpenter was at the back end of the 11-35 group because of his advanced feel for pitching. He throws five pitches, with three of them grading out as average or a tick below (fastball, slider and split). Because he has average at-best stuff, Carpenter isn't likely to be an impact big league starter, but he does have a solid chance of being a big leaguer thanks to his average stuff and feel for pitching.

J.J. Cooper: I think Kennedy has already shown he has a chance to be more than an innings eater. Every year there are several pitchers scattered through the minors who's success completely belies their stuff. You're often see Tom Glavine comps (if they're a lefty) or Greg Maddux comps (if they're a righty) on those guys, which is completely unfair because for those guys are truly one of a kinds (just like Jamie Moyer comps are unfair for the guys who throw 80-83 mph). But to a man everyone who saw Kennedy believes his stuff will play a tick above because of his outstanding command and his ability to get into a hitter's head. And Kennedy's stuff isn't below average, it's just not above-average stuff.

J.J. Cooper: He's got the body to be an innings-eating starter, but I'd guess he's more likely to end up as a reliever who can get plenty of ground balls. More than anyone else on this list Samardzija is a complete enigma. I really don't know what to think of him. We had reports that his velo jumped after his promotion to Double-A to 95-96 mph, which explains why he was better in the Southern League than the Florida State League. He still has a long ways to go and has to develop confidence in his secondary pitches, but he does have a special arm.

J.J. Cooper: The Mets have never had a problem pushing Guerra. I'd expect to see him start the year in Double-A with a late 2009 arrival in New York if he stays on his current pace.

J.J. Cooper: As Jim Callis has noted several times, the Devil Rays (oops, Rays I mean) have such an impressive crop of young talent in the big leagues or just on the cusp of the big leagues that it's going to be hard for them not to get better before too long. With McGee, Davis, Price and Jeremy Hellickson (and also Jeff Niemann, Jason Hammel, Andy Sonnastine and Chris Mason as the second tier) they have some very talented arms getting ready to join Scott Kazmir and Jeff Shields in Tampa. In just talking around the office, we were discussing the fact that the Rays are one team that could put together a competitive offer for Johan Santana (if the Twins decided to trade him) without really affecting their current big league club. They have a surplus of center fielders (B.J. Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Jason Pridie, Fernando Perez and Desmond Jennings is a pretty impressive depth chart), plenty of pitching and a solid crop of infielders. At some point Tampa's drought will be over.

J.J. Cooper: Both of them have a ways to go before they're big league ready. Volstad is still one of the younger pitchers in Double-A, while Sinkbeil is recovering from a neck injury. Neither showed big league polish this year, although both do a good job of keeping the ball down and getting ground ball outs. I'd day that they need some more seasoning, which isn't a case of babying them, but is more a decision to not ruin them by rushing them before they are ready.

J.J. Cooper: It's hard to project any Yankee prospect as a sure-fire Yankee starter because New York can always go for the higher-priced but surer bet veteran. But New York has shown some willingness to promote from within in recent years (ask Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and even Shelley Duncan). I'd right now project him to eventually be the Yankees backup catcher, with a chance to maybe sneak into the starting job if his bat develops. Projecting catcher's bats is one of the hardest jobs for scouts because they have so much work to do behind the plate that their hitting often takes longer to develop. Managers loved Cervelli's work behind the plate and believe his bat has some potential although it has further to go. The reason managers believe Cervelli will hit as a big league is because he has a good approach and his bat stays in the zone a long time. If he adds some strength that could turn him into a big league regular.

J.J. Cooper: Thanks for the kind words. I wouldn't expect Cueto to make the team out of spring training as he could use a little time in Triple-A to finish off his development, but yes, I think he could be a very good No. 2 starter. Homer Bailey has better stuff, but Johnny Cueto is a more refined pitcher with stuff that is only a tick or two behind Bailey's. I'd rank Bailey higher because he has a second plus-plus pitch in his curveball, but Cueto is one of the better unheralded pitching prospects in the minors.

J.J. Cooper: Niese as mentioned got some notice. A couple of managers mentioned Nick Evans. Injuries affected Evans season but he showed an advanced approach at the plate using all fields while showing off improved pitch recognition and solid defense.

J.J. Cooper: I could have gone another 20 guys without feeling like I was scraping the bottom of the barrel. If I cut it off at 25 I'm leaving off some guys I really like, but I'd say Roenicke, Oswaldo Sosa, Mat Gamel, Will Inman and Greg Golson are all in that mix.

J.J. Cooper: Marson was the league's second best catching prospect behind Cervelli. At least one manager said he was confident Marson will be a big league starting catcher one day because he is very good behind the plate, handles pitchers well and has enough bat to stick, especially because he works counts and takes walks.

J.J. Cooper: Gamel was pretty close to making the cut. Several managers said he is a future big league hitter with 15-25 HR potential. He has a good batting eye, can pull the inside pitch and if pitchers work him away he's comfortable driving the ball to the opposite field. There was even more unanimity about Gamel's inability to be a big league third baseman. Braun may move to the outfield, but it won't be because Gamel's replacing him. When Braun was in the FSL last year, there was some debate about whether he could stick at 3B, or if he should just move to the outfield and be a star RF or even CF. There was no debate this year. Gamel struggles with accuracy on his throws and with fielding the ball cleanly. He also gets caught in between hops at times.

J.J. Cooper: I put McGee No. 3 and Davis No. 4 because when in doubt go with the lefty who throws 95+. As McGee's manager related it, only one lefty looked comfortable against McGee all season, and that was Jay Bruce. Lefties aren't used to seeing a ball come from seemingly behind their ear at 96-97 mph. Barring injury it's hard to see how McGee won't succeed at the big league level.

J.J. Cooper: It's too early to write off Maybin's power. Everyone who saw him in the Florida State League noted his bat speed and believe he has solid power potential. Do remember that his .457 slugging percentage last year in West Michigan is actually impressive when you consider what a pitcher's paradise West Michigan is. As one manager in the FSL explained, Maybin can make you pay with a home run on the first pitch of the count or a bunt on the fifth.

J.J. Cooper: As hopefully I explained in the writeups, Kennedy is hard to rank. He has an exceptional feel for pitching, but it's hard to grade any of his pitches as better than a 55 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. Over the long-term, guys with 60s and 70s generally succeed more than guys with 50s. As I mentioned in a previous answer, I expect Kennedy will end up being a very solid major league starter, but just because he's had big league success already does not mean he's the best long-term bet. A couple of years ago Jason Vargas jumped straight from the FSL to Florida, where he was a league average pitcher for 13 starts using a feel for pitching and solid stuff. That's proven to be the highlight of Vargas' career up to now. I think Kennedy is significantly better than Vargas, but there are legitimate concerns that Kennedy's stuff will make him a very solid, but not spectacular pitcher over the long run.

J.J. Cooper: I've already addressed who would be the likely 21-25, but I love sleepers, and am kind of bummed to not get any Rhyne Hughes questions yet (he's the sleeper who made the list). As far as some other guys you may not have heard that much of yet, I'll throw out Jose Castro, a switch-hitting shortstop who combines good defense and a line-drive bat (and he never strikes out). Allen Craig and Andrew Carpenter both fit the sleeper description as well.

J.J. Cooper: For one thing, Maybin's speed isn't likely to deteriorate for more than a decade. If he didn't hit for a lick of power, he'd still be a solid prospect as a guy with elite speed, plus defense and the ability to hit for average. But beyond that, Maybin has already shown solid power potential. He ended up with a .523 slugging percentage overall in 91 games in the minors this year between three stops (don't forget he hit four home runs in six games at Double-A). Like Jay Bruce, it's hard to find many people inside baseball who have many doubts about Maybin's chance for long-term success.

J.J. Cooper: Because of the Twins' surplus of pitching prospects I'd predict Samardzija gets there first. Projecting long-term Samardzija is a much riskier pick with a higher ceiling while Manship is more of a sure thing but without less projection left in him.

J.J. Cooper: A little more detail on Manship. Whether it was because he was worn down at the end of a long season or not, managers around the FSL didn't see a lot of stuff from Manship. They saw a pitcher who has good deception with a delivery that makes it tough to pick the ball up. He has a good sinker, but generally didn't overpower anyone. He was part of that 11-35 group.

J.J. Cooper: It's not as much size as his stuff. I heard one scout comp him to Yusmeiro Petit as a pitcher whose deception piles up strikeouts in the lower minors but one who will find life rougher against more advanced hitters. The reports were that he does a good job of getting hitters to chase his 88-90 mph fastball out of the zone, but there were worries that he doesn't have the secondary stuff to get hitters out if they learn to lay off his fastball. His deceptive delivery almost assures he'll make the majors, but there were concerns about his ceiling.

J.J. Cooper: The Twins had a very solid pitching staff. I wouldn't be shocked if four or five pitchers from this year's Fort Myers team end up pitching in the big leagues, although as you point out, there aren't a lot of big-time impact arms.

J.J. Cooper: Even with his current stuff, Guerra should be a big league pitcher. But do remember that at his age, most of the other guys on this list were pitching in the Gulf Coast League or in high school or college. If he continues to develop as expected Guerra has the chance to be a star down the road.

J.J. Cooper: The rules are that a player has to spend 13 of the season in a league to qualify (13 of an inning per league game for starters, 20 appearances by a reliever and one plate appearance per league game for hitters), which unfortunately means that Joba Chamberlain doesn't qualify for any list (he came closest in the FSL and Eastern Leagues where he finished basically one start short of qualifying).

J.J. Cooper: Probably not enough to be a first baseman, although I'd be surprised if he doesn't move to second base, third base or even back to shortstop next year as defensively he can handle a tougher position than first.

J.J. Cooper: I'm assuming you mean B.J. Szymanski. He still has tools, but the strikeouts have kept him from every fully utilizing those tools. The Reds will likely keep giving him chances, but the shot at a big league career gets longer with every whiff.

J.J. Cooper: The comp I got on Wordekemper is Chad Bradford. Guys like him are extremely hard to project as they should feast on young hitters who aren't used to seeing pitches come from unusual arm angles. He'll never be a big league closer but he does have a chance to end up as a big league reliever if everything breaks right.

J.J. Cooper: I've already mentioned Carpenter. Not a whole lot of guys liked Slayden that much, but one manager who did said he believed he'll be a solid big leaguer. That's not the consensus by any stretch, but he has a chance.

J.J. Cooper: Observers liked Hughes approach better, as several managers said that Pedroza could be pitched to if you knew what you were doing while Hughes' advanced approach made him a tougher out.

J.J. Cooper: All three got some love. Watson is likely a power reliever down the road. Thompson had a solid bounce back season as he comes back from shoulder surgery and Jukich is a crafty lefty with a loose arm, a feel for a breaking ball and a nasty pickoff move.

Moderator: Unfortunately none. He spent a little time in a lot of leagues, but not enough in any to qualify.

J.J. Cooper: It's an interesting question and there's not a whole lot separating the two. The comps I got on Hughes were James Loney and Keith Hernandez. Now I think that might be a little much, but managers really liked Hughes swing and his play at first base. Craig also has a good swing, a solid approach and even a tick more power, but there are more concerns about his defense (we don't know if he can play first or third successfully while Hughes looks like a solid defensive first baseman) and his swing is a little longer than Hughes, although not too long to where it should be a problem.

J.J. Cooper: The Cubs have come close, taking Dopirak off of their 40-man and finding no one willing to snag him and add him to their 40-man.

J.J. Cooper: We have to see how quickly Tabata recovers from his wrist injury. It's hard to project how they fit in the Yankees long-term outfield when New York can always add an impact veteran bat at any position in any offseason.

J.J. Cooper: He had 32 SBs this season with a solid success rate largely because has a good feel for getting jumps and reading pitchers.