2003 League Top 20s: Carolina League

by Chris Kline
September 27, 2003

2003 League Top 20s Sept. 18 Gulf Coast League Sept. 19 Arizona League Sept. 20 Appalachian League Sept. 21 Pioneer League Sept. 22 New York-Penn League Sept. 23 Northwest League Sept. 24 South Atlantic League Sept. 25 Midwest League Sept. 26 California League Sept. 27 Carolina League Sept. 28 Florida State League Sept. 29 Eastern League Sept. 30 Southern League Oct. 1 Texas League Oct. 2 International League Oct. 3 Pacific Coast League

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For complete scouting reports on the Top 20 Prospects in the Carolina League, subscribers can access our expanded coverage.

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The high Class A Carolina League was chock full of pitching prospects in 2003, though most of them didn't stick around for very long. Led by Wilmington's Zack Greinke, the league's pitcher of the year, hurlers took center stage—and 11 of the first 15 spots on the top 20 list.

"All you have to do is look at the pitching leaders to realize how much they controlled what happened in the league this year," Winston-Salem manager Razor Shines said. "They all had ERA's under 3.40. And that's at the end of the year, so you aren't even talking about guys like Greinke or John VanBenschoten. Those guys were beyond this league pretty early on."

That's not to say hitters didn't do any damage. Winston-Salem outfielder Jeremy Reed tore up CL pitching and earned a promotion to Double-A, where he hit .409 in the second half.

"He was as good a hitter as I've ever seen, " Shines said. "Just the way he carried himself and the fact that he took the same approach every time he stepped in the box. He made the adjustments he had to make and moved on."

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1. Zack Greinke, rhp, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)

Believe the hype. Everywhere Greinke went in the league, he drew rave reviews for his Greg Maddux-like command and his bulldog mentality on the mound.

Greinke befuddled hitters by altering speeds on his fastball and curveball. He also throws a slider and changeup, and can throw any of the four pitches for strikes in any count.

"He's overpowering physically and mentally," Kinston manager Torey Lovullo said. "He did a great job of attacking hitters and changing speeds. He'd throw his fastball one time and hit 95, then drop it back to 80. He's as close to what you'd call a sure thing as I've seen. He has a great feel for how to get a hitter out."

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For complete scouting reports on the Top 20 Prospects in the Carolina League, subscribers can access our expanded coverage.

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