Five Near-Misses To Watch

Compiled by J.J. Cooper
February 18, 2013



Deciding the final spots on the Top 100 Prospects list is never easy. These five near-misses missed the Top 100 in large part because of their brief track records—none has spent a month in full-season ball yet. Keep an eye on all five, as they could be big movers on next year's list.

Josh Bell, of, Pirates: Health is the only thing keeping Bell (pictured on the right) off the Top 100. He was one of the top high school bats in the 2011 draft class, but he has seen little of the field as he tries to recover from a serious knee injury.

Joey Gallo, 3b, Rangers: The Nevada high school career home run record holder (pictured on the left) added an Arizona League home run record in his pro debut. His power is near the top of the scale. Gallo needs to improve his contact rate and his defense at third to move onto this list next year.

Adalberto Mondesi, ss, Royals: Mondesi (pictured on the right), the son of former big leaguer Raul, was 16 when the Pioneer League schedule began, but that didn't keep him from holding his own offensively and defensively. If he can show similar skills in the Midwest League as a 17-year-old, he'll break into the Top 100.

Roberto Osuna, rhp, Blue Jays: After spending much of 2011 facing the veteran hitters of the Mexican League, Osuna (pictured on the left) had little trouble adjusting to the Appalachian and Northwest leagues in 2012. With a plus fastball and a plus changeup, Osuna just needs to develop his fringy slider.

Dorssys Paulino, ss, Indians: Like Mondesi, Paulino is the son of a big leaguer—in his case, lefthander Jesus Sanchez. And like Mondesi, he showed a mature approach in his pro debut. Paulino isn't as smooth defensively as fellow Indian Francisco Lindor, but he may have more offensive potential.