Prospects: Column
Ability Over Signability
Jun. 26, 2009
Jim Callis picks another of his annual hypothetical drafts. [...] Continue Reading »
Rangers, Rockies Take Good Gambles On First Day
Jun. 19, 2009
Jim Callis checked in just after broadcasting the 2009 draft with his impressions of how teams did on the first day. [...] Continue Reading »
The Clear No. 2
Jun. 1, 2009
For months, this draft has shaped up as Stephen Strasburg and everyone else, with no consensus No. 2 prospect behind perhaps the best talent in the draft era. That's no longer the case. North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley has stepped up as the second-best prospect in this draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Still Talent To Be Found
May. 19, 2009
The prevailing vibe is that this draft is as appealing as the swine flu, that the talent pool pretty much starts and ends with San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg and is bereft of position players, especially on the college side. Don't believe it. [...] Continue Reading »
No Guarantee
May. 1, 2009
Patrick Schuster's four straight no-hitters brought him within two of the national high school record, and brought him a national television audience via ESPNEWS. But that doesn't necessarily guarantee him pro success, as a study of past high school pitching stars shows. [...] Continue Reading »
NFL Draft Has A Baseball Feel
Apr. 21, 2009
The NFL draft will have some interest for baseball fans with several ex-minor leaguers and MLB draftees. [...] Continue Reading »
Less Than Expected
Apr. 14, 2009
Though clubs annually dole out significant bonuses to land sophomore talents, there hasn't been a lot of success for teams drafting college sophomores. [...] Continue Reading »
Big Disagreement
Mar. 27, 2009
Stephen Strasburg entered the year as the hands-down No. 1 prospect for the 2009 draft, so there was no way for him to improve his stock. Though he can't go any higher in the draft, scouts are more bullish on him than ever. But not everyone is so bullish on Strasburg. [...] Continue Reading »
Looking Into The Crystal Ball
Mar. 11, 2009
Four years ago, the Rays were coming off a 70-91 season that represented the best performance in the franchise's dismal seven-year history. Who could have predicted that Tampa Bay would rocket into respectability in 2008? Me, that's who. [...] Continue Reading »
A Series of Mistakes
Mar. 4, 2009
Jim Callis looks back at the series of mistakes that led the Padres to drafting Matt Bush. [...] Continue Reading »
What Could Have Been
Feb. 16, 2009
If baseball were like football, requiring players to spend three years in college before turning pro, the college All-American would have a dramatically different look. [...] Continue Reading »
The 32nd Team
Feb. 3, 2009
Starting in 2003, it has been an annual tradition to present what we like to call The 31st Team, a collection of all the scouting reports that are written for but don't quite make it into the Prospect Handbook. This year, as a premium for those who bought the Handbook directly from us, we included a No. 31 prospect to accompany the Top 30 lists we put together for every team. But we still have more bonus material to offer. There are 17 extra reports that didn't make it into the Handbook or the premium, so we present the first edition of . . . The 32nd Team. [...] Continue Reading »
Clubs Build Systems In Different Ways
Jan. 21, 2009
Jim Callis analyzes the trends on how each team's top prospects were acquired. [...] Continue Reading »
The Longest Of Longshots
Dec. 31, 2008
It requires scouting to unearth a hidden gem and patience to give up a big league roster spot for a year, but teams can find talent in the major league Rule 5 draft. But as Jim Callis shows, it's also possible to find talent in the minor league Rule 5 draft, even if the hits are few and far between. [...] Continue Reading »
The Best Of The Rest
Dec. 10, 2008
Nothing we do at Baseball America sparks as much debate as our organization Top 10 Prospects lists. It's a given that fans (and sometimes the teams themselves) will get outraged by where guys rank—go look for some Nick Hagadone discussion on any Red Sox message board—or by the fact that they missed out altogether. We have the same arguments within the walls of BA, and we can get just as spirited. Even with the thinnest of farm systems, our writers usually agonize over not having enough room on the Top 10 to include everyone they want. So for the sixth straight year, we present our American League all-non-Top 10 team. [...] Continue Reading »
Don't Stop Believing
Nov. 26, 2008
Boston and New York are the two most demanding places to play baseball. Red Sox and Yankees fans expected—or demanded—that Clay Buchholz and Phil Hughes would help lead their teams to postseason glory in 2008. The teams, while more realistic and less emotional, expected Buchholz and Hughes would nail down rotation spots for playoff clubs. [...] Continue Reading »
Mariners Make Wise Pick
Nov. 14, 2008
If I ever get a few hundred million dollars together and buy a baseball team, I'll want the general manager running my team to have a keen eye for talent. I'd want to do what the Mariners just did and hire someone like Jack Zduriencik. [...] Continue Reading »
It's Never Too Early . . .
Oct. 9, 2008
The vast majority of baseball fans may be getting geeked up over the playoffs, but at Baseball America, we always keep one eye on the draft, even if it's eight months away. A lot can change between now and June, but that can't deter us from offering our first mock 2009 draft. [...] Continue Reading »
How The West Will Be Won
Oct. 2, 2008
Los Angeles has taken four of the last five division titles and made a mockery of the West this year. It never trailed by more than two games (and that was for one day), took first place for good on May 13 and wrapped up the West on Sept. 10. But there's good news for fans who want more suspense in their division races. No teams have added more talent than the Rangers and Athletics in the last two years, and they now have the two best farm systems in baseball. The West should be a three-team battle soon. [...] Continue Reading »
Hard To Predict
Sep. 5, 2008
As with any good argument, there are two sides to the Players Association's grievance that the commissioner's office unilaterally extended the signing deadline past midnight on Aug. 15, allowing the Pirates and No. 2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez to agree on a $6 million deal. [...] Continue Reading »
Swap Meet
Aug. 12, 2008
Activity at the trading deadline usually resembles the annoying cast of "The Hills." Lots of rumors, little substance. This summer was different, however. Future first-ballot Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez and Pudge Rodriguez switched teams. So did a reigning Cy Young Award winner (C.C. Sabathia), one of the most devastating switch-hitters in the game (Mark Teixeira) and a pitcher whose pure stuff matches up with anyone's (Rich Harden). [...] Continue Reading »
Big Leaguers Galore
Aug. 1, 2008
After the Beijing Games, baseball will disappear from the Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has made no secret that it wants the best athletes, and MLB's unwillingness to deliver big leaguers led to a surprise 2005 vote that knocked baseball out of at least the 2012 London Games. [...] Continue Reading »
Worth The Risk
Jul. 11, 2008
The Brewers and Cubs made a pair of trades that were worth making as they battle for the NL Central crown. [...] Continue Reading »
Swimming Upstream
Jul. 8, 2008
We don't get as many first-hand looks at players as the teams do, but we do spend hours upon hours talking to scouting directors, crosscheckers, area scouts and coaches, plus we have additional history (showcases, college performance, summer leagues) to go on. Our Top 200 reflects a consensus of opinion within the industry, and swimming against that tide has been dangerous. [...] Continue Reading »
Freidrich Catches Callis' Eye
Jun. 17, 2008
I've been staging hypothetical 10-round drafts in this space since 2003, and last year my best pick ever fell right into my lap. I randomly drew the 11th selection in each round, and sitting there waiting for me was Georgia high school outfielder Jason Heyward. He's now tearing up the low Class A South Atlantic League for the Braves as an 18-year-old, quickly becoming one of the game's best prospects. Here's who I picked this year. [...] Continue Reading »
What Could Have Been?
Jun. 3, 2008
If not for slotting, the Red Sox 2005 draft, which is already very good, might rank among the all-time great drafts. [...] Continue Reading »
Iffy First-Round Bats Often Don't Develop
May. 28, 2008
When scouts have questioned the hitting ability of a first-round pick this decade, they usually have been correct. Which explains why there are some concerns about several draft prospects in this year's draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Taking A Chance
May. 14, 2008
The track record of high school hitters with unpolished bats isn't very impressive. [...] Continue Reading »
Time For A Re-Do
May. 9, 2008
No club has anything less than unwavering support for its 2007 first-round pick. Yet if that draft were being held 11 months later, the top 10 choices would look radically different than they did last June. David Price clearly established himself as the best prospect in the 2007 draft—lefthanders with a plus-plus fastball/slider combination and outstanding feel and command tend to do that—and the Rays locked in on him early as the No. 1 overall pick. But as easy as that decision was at the time, he wouldn't go first if the draft was restaged. [...] Continue Reading »
Schafer Can Bounce Back From Suspension
Apr. 23, 2008
Uncertainty swirls around Jordan Schafer after Major League Baseball handed him a 50-game suspension on April 8 for using human growth hormone, making him easily the best prospect ever caught using performance-enhancing drugs. It also leaves plenty of questions to be answered. [...] Continue Reading »
Ability Over Signability
Jun. 26, 2009
Jim Callis picks another of his annual hypothetical drafts. [...] Continue Reading »
Rangers, Rockies Take Good Gambles On First Day
Jun. 19, 2009
Jim Callis checked in just after broadcasting the 2009 draft with his impressions of how teams did on the first day. [...] Continue Reading »
The Clear No. 2
Jun. 1, 2009
For months, this draft has shaped up as Stephen Strasburg and everyone else, with no consensus No. 2 prospect behind perhaps the best talent in the draft era. That's no longer the case. North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley has stepped up as the second-best prospect in this draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Still Talent To Be Found
May. 19, 2009
The prevailing vibe is that this draft is as appealing as the swine flu, that the talent pool pretty much starts and ends with San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg and is bereft of position players, especially on the college side. Don't believe it. [...] Continue Reading »
No Guarantee
May. 1, 2009
Patrick Schuster's four straight no-hitters brought him within two of the national high school record, and brought him a national television audience via ESPNEWS. But that doesn't necessarily guarantee him pro success, as a study of past high school pitching stars shows. [...] Continue Reading »
NFL Draft Has A Baseball Feel
Apr. 21, 2009
The NFL draft will have some interest for baseball fans with several ex-minor leaguers and MLB draftees. [...] Continue Reading »
Less Than Expected
Apr. 14, 2009
Though clubs annually dole out significant bonuses to land sophomore talents, there hasn't been a lot of success for teams drafting college sophomores. [...] Continue Reading »
Big Disagreement
Mar. 27, 2009
Stephen Strasburg entered the year as the hands-down No. 1 prospect for the 2009 draft, so there was no way for him to improve his stock. Though he can't go any higher in the draft, scouts are more bullish on him than ever. But not everyone is so bullish on Strasburg. [...] Continue Reading »
Looking Into The Crystal Ball
Mar. 11, 2009
Four years ago, the Rays were coming off a 70-91 season that represented the best performance in the franchise's dismal seven-year history. Who could have predicted that Tampa Bay would rocket into respectability in 2008? Me, that's who. [...] Continue Reading »
A Series of Mistakes
Mar. 4, 2009
Jim Callis looks back at the series of mistakes that led the Padres to drafting Matt Bush. [...] Continue Reading »
What Could Have Been
Feb. 16, 2009
If baseball were like football, requiring players to spend three years in college before turning pro, the college All-American would have a dramatically different look. [...] Continue Reading »
The 32nd Team
Feb. 3, 2009
Starting in 2003, it has been an annual tradition to present what we like to call The 31st Team, a collection of all the scouting reports that are written for but don't quite make it into the Prospect Handbook. This year, as a premium for those who bought the Handbook directly from us, we included a No. 31 prospect to accompany the Top 30 lists we put together for every team. But we still have more bonus material to offer. There are 17 extra reports that didn't make it into the Handbook or the premium, so we present the first edition of . . . The 32nd Team. [...] Continue Reading »
Clubs Build Systems In Different Ways
Jan. 21, 2009
Jim Callis analyzes the trends on how each team's top prospects were acquired. [...] Continue Reading »
The Longest Of Longshots
Dec. 31, 2008
It requires scouting to unearth a hidden gem and patience to give up a big league roster spot for a year, but teams can find talent in the major league Rule 5 draft. But as Jim Callis shows, it's also possible to find talent in the minor league Rule 5 draft, even if the hits are few and far between. [...] Continue Reading »
The Best Of The Rest
Dec. 10, 2008
Nothing we do at Baseball America sparks as much debate as our organization Top 10 Prospects lists. It's a given that fans (and sometimes the teams themselves) will get outraged by where guys rank—go look for some Nick Hagadone discussion on any Red Sox message board—or by the fact that they missed out altogether. We have the same arguments within the walls of BA, and we can get just as spirited. Even with the thinnest of farm systems, our writers usually agonize over not having enough room on the Top 10 to include everyone they want. So for the sixth straight year, we present our American League all-non-Top 10 team. [...] Continue Reading »
Don't Stop Believing
Nov. 26, 2008
Boston and New York are the two most demanding places to play baseball. Red Sox and Yankees fans expected—or demanded—that Clay Buchholz and Phil Hughes would help lead their teams to postseason glory in 2008. The teams, while more realistic and less emotional, expected Buchholz and Hughes would nail down rotation spots for playoff clubs. [...] Continue Reading »
Mariners Make Wise Pick
Nov. 14, 2008
If I ever get a few hundred million dollars together and buy a baseball team, I'll want the general manager running my team to have a keen eye for talent. I'd want to do what the Mariners just did and hire someone like Jack Zduriencik. [...] Continue Reading »
It's Never Too Early . . .
Oct. 9, 2008
The vast majority of baseball fans may be getting geeked up over the playoffs, but at Baseball America, we always keep one eye on the draft, even if it's eight months away. A lot can change between now and June, but that can't deter us from offering our first mock 2009 draft. [...] Continue Reading »
How The West Will Be Won
Oct. 2, 2008
Los Angeles has taken four of the last five division titles and made a mockery of the West this year. It never trailed by more than two games (and that was for one day), took first place for good on May 13 and wrapped up the West on Sept. 10. But there's good news for fans who want more suspense in their division races. No teams have added more talent than the Rangers and Athletics in the last two years, and they now have the two best farm systems in baseball. The West should be a three-team battle soon. [...] Continue Reading »
Hard To Predict
Sep. 5, 2008
As with any good argument, there are two sides to the Players Association's grievance that the commissioner's office unilaterally extended the signing deadline past midnight on Aug. 15, allowing the Pirates and No. 2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez to agree on a $6 million deal. [...] Continue Reading »
Swap Meet
Aug. 12, 2008
Activity at the trading deadline usually resembles the annoying cast of "The Hills." Lots of rumors, little substance. This summer was different, however. Future first-ballot Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez and Pudge Rodriguez switched teams. So did a reigning Cy Young Award winner (C.C. Sabathia), one of the most devastating switch-hitters in the game (Mark Teixeira) and a pitcher whose pure stuff matches up with anyone's (Rich Harden). [...] Continue Reading »
Big Leaguers Galore
Aug. 1, 2008
After the Beijing Games, baseball will disappear from the Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has made no secret that it wants the best athletes, and MLB's unwillingness to deliver big leaguers led to a surprise 2005 vote that knocked baseball out of at least the 2012 London Games. [...] Continue Reading »
Worth The Risk
Jul. 11, 2008
The Brewers and Cubs made a pair of trades that were worth making as they battle for the NL Central crown. [...] Continue Reading »
Swimming Upstream
Jul. 8, 2008
We don't get as many first-hand looks at players as the teams do, but we do spend hours upon hours talking to scouting directors, crosscheckers, area scouts and coaches, plus we have additional history (showcases, college performance, summer leagues) to go on. Our Top 200 reflects a consensus of opinion within the industry, and swimming against that tide has been dangerous. [...] Continue Reading »
Freidrich Catches Callis' Eye
Jun. 17, 2008
I've been staging hypothetical 10-round drafts in this space since 2003, and last year my best pick ever fell right into my lap. I randomly drew the 11th selection in each round, and sitting there waiting for me was Georgia high school outfielder Jason Heyward. He's now tearing up the low Class A South Atlantic League for the Braves as an 18-year-old, quickly becoming one of the game's best prospects. Here's who I picked this year. [...] Continue Reading »
What Could Have Been?
Jun. 3, 2008
If not for slotting, the Red Sox 2005 draft, which is already very good, might rank among the all-time great drafts. [...] Continue Reading »
Iffy First-Round Bats Often Don't Develop
May. 28, 2008
When scouts have questioned the hitting ability of a first-round pick this decade, they usually have been correct. Which explains why there are some concerns about several draft prospects in this year's draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Taking A Chance
May. 14, 2008
The track record of high school hitters with unpolished bats isn't very impressive. [...] Continue Reading »
Time For A Re-Do
May. 9, 2008
No club has anything less than unwavering support for its 2007 first-round pick. Yet if that draft were being held 11 months later, the top 10 choices would look radically different than they did last June. David Price clearly established himself as the best prospect in the 2007 draft—lefthanders with a plus-plus fastball/slider combination and outstanding feel and command tend to do that—and the Rays locked in on him early as the No. 1 overall pick. But as easy as that decision was at the time, he wouldn't go first if the draft was restaged. [...] Continue Reading »
Schafer Can Bounce Back From Suspension
Apr. 23, 2008
Uncertainty swirls around Jordan Schafer after Major League Baseball handed him a 50-game suspension on April 8 for using human growth hormone, making him easily the best prospect ever caught using performance-enhancing drugs. It also leaves plenty of questions to be answered. [...] Continue Reading »
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