Complete Index of League Top 20s

By Will Kimmey
September 23, 2005

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TOP 20 PROSPECTS

1. Shane Lindsay, rhp, Tri-City 2. Donald Veal, lhp, Boise 3. Taylor Teagarden, c, Spokane 4. Nick Hundley, c, Eugene 5. Pablo Sandoval, 3b, Salem-Keizer 6. Luis Valbuena, 2b, Everett 7. Dan Griffin, rhp, Salem-Keizer 8. John Mayberry Jr, of, Spokane 9. Ben Copeland, of, Salem-Keizer 10. Chase Headley, 3b, Eugene 11. Jimmy Shull, rhp, Vancouver 12. Michael Mooney, of, Salem-Keizer 13. Michael Saunders, of, Everett 14. Steve Murphy, of, Spokane 15. Edgar Guaramato, rhp, Everett 16. Zach Simons, rhp, Tri-City 17. Stephen Kahn, rhp, Everett 18. Jason Ray, rhp, Vancouver 19. Justin Sellers, ss, Vancouver 20. Mark Reed, c, Boise

The short-season Northwest League featured one of the most exciting pennant races in recent memory, with five of the eight teams within one game of first place two days before the regular season ended.

Vancouver won the Western Division by a game over Salem-Keizer in a battle of veteran teams with plenty of college seniors and players repeating the league. Spokane won the Eastern Division by a game over Tri-City, but that race played like this year's National League West with every team finishing below .500.

The prospects playing in those races weren't nearly as exciting. First-round picks Jeff Clement (Mariners) and Travis Buck (Athletics) combined for just 13 games at in the NWL, while other elite players either stayed in Rookie leagues or made the quick jump to full-season ball. Spokane's John Mayberry Jr. was the only first-rounder to spend the majority of his season in the NWL, but he struggled for much of the summer while adjusting to a new position and wood bats.

"The talent, position player-wise or prospect-wise, is below where it usually is," Tri-City manager Ron Gideon said. "It was a very weird year. You look at our division, where an under .500 team won it. The other division has better records, but older teams are leading it. Maybe it's late bloomers. Hopefully, that’s what it is."

Subscribers can access scouting reports on all twenty players. (How to subscribe)