Prospects: Column
Boras Follows Familiar Path
Sep. 5, 2008
Scott Boras, the agent who never stops seeing loopholes he can try to exploit, is at it again.
[...] 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 »
Holding Them Back
Apr. 9, 2008
Jim Callis does not think teams are making wise decisions by leaving their top prospects in Triple-A for the start of the season. [...] Continue Reading »
Diamondbacks Lead Pack With Recent Young Talent
Apr. 1, 2008
The Diamondbacks may rank 20th in our new talent rankings, but when it comes to growing talent, they're near the top. [...] Continue Reading »
Red Sox To Best Dodgers In 2011
Mar. 18, 2008
The Red Sox should be celebrating another title in 2011. [...] Continue Reading »
Some Stars Lack Top 100 Pedigree
Feb. 27, 2008
Jorge Posada probably won't make the Hall of Fame, but he can make a case for Cooperstown. A five-time all-star and four-time World Series champion, he's also aging more gracefully than most catchers, having put up a career-high .969 on-base-plus slugging percentage at age 35 last season. Not bad for someone who never made our Top 100 Prospects list. [...] Continue Reading »
Pac-10 Talent Stands Out
Feb. 14, 2008
Jim Callis predicts what the All-American team would look like if all players spent at least three years in college. [...] Continue Reading »
Gems Among The Almosts
Feb. 5, 2008
Here is our annual all-star team of American League prospects who couldn't make the Top 10 cut. The squad has featured star-in-the-making Howie Kendrick (2004) and stud lefty Jake McGee (2006) in the past, while last year's edition included Chris Davis, who ranked second in the minors in homers (36) and RBIs (118) last year. [...] Continue Reading »
Sometimes Last Isn't So Bad
Jan. 15, 2008
The players ranked No. 30 in past Prospect Handbooks have sometimes gone on to do big things. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Willing To Deal Young Talent
Jan. 3, 2008
Here's our ranking of the best non-established stars who have switched teams since Thanksgiving. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospects Who Just Missed
Dec. 16, 2007
Jim Callis looks at the prospects who just missed making the cut in their organizations in the National League. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Look To End Homegrown Bat Drought
Nov. 26, 2007
The Cubs look at Josh Vitters, Geovany Soto and Tyler Colvin, the first three names on our Chicago Top 10 Prospects list, and see the best high school hitter in the 2007 draft, a future all-star catcher and a five-tool outfielder. Cubs fans look at Vitters, Soto and Colvin and think, "We'll believe it when we see it." [...] Continue Reading »
Sox Will Keep Good Times Rolling
Nov. 15, 2007
The Red Sox farm system is loaded with prospects that should help the team remain a World Series contender for years. [...] Continue Reading »
Heyward May Prove Steal For Callis, Braves
Nov. 1, 2007
Jim Callis reviews his fifth-annual mock draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospect Season Lacks Pizzaz This Offseason
Oct. 15, 2007
Our annual Top 20 Prospects lists feature the same formula we've used for a while. Sixteen leagues and 320 scouting reports. Yet it's hard to escape the nagging feeling this edition lacks something. [...] Continue Reading »
Rookies Push Their Teams To Postseason
Oct. 3, 2007
Jim Callis' latest column breaks down all the rookies who made key impacts for the eight postseason teams. [...] Continue Reading »
No-Hitter Could Be Tip Of The Iceberg For Buchholz
Sep. 11, 2007
Red Sox righthander Clay Buchholz may have thrown a no-hitter in just his second major league start, but conventional wisdom says rookie no-hitters are more serendipity than predictors of future achievement. [...] Continue Reading »
Piecemeal Approach Inhibits Slotting System
Aug. 29, 2007
MLB's attempts to tighten the draft slotting system didn't accomplish anything. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospect Deals Carry Plenty Of Risk
Aug. 20, 2007
Trading prospects is a risky proposition. [...] Continue Reading »
Too Early To Know If Shark Will Sink Or Swim
Aug. 2, 2007
In Jeff Samardzija's case, scouting and statistical analysis are in completely disagreement. [...] Continue Reading »
Futures Game Highlights Boffo '05 Prospect Class
Jul. 16, 2007
The three best prospects in the minor leagues sat together autographing baseballs before the ninth annual Futures Game. Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin played AAU ball against each other, and Jay Bruce got to know them when they all terrorized Midwest League pitching in 2006. [...] Continue Reading »
Boras Follows Familiar Path
Sep. 5, 2008
Scott Boras, the agent who never stops seeing loopholes he can try to exploit, is at it again.
[...] 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 »
Holding Them Back
Apr. 9, 2008
Jim Callis does not think teams are making wise decisions by leaving their top prospects in Triple-A for the start of the season. [...] Continue Reading »
Diamondbacks Lead Pack With Recent Young Talent
Apr. 1, 2008
The Diamondbacks may rank 20th in our new talent rankings, but when it comes to growing talent, they're near the top. [...] Continue Reading »
Red Sox To Best Dodgers In 2011
Mar. 18, 2008
The Red Sox should be celebrating another title in 2011. [...] Continue Reading »
Some Stars Lack Top 100 Pedigree
Feb. 27, 2008
Jorge Posada probably won't make the Hall of Fame, but he can make a case for Cooperstown. A five-time all-star and four-time World Series champion, he's also aging more gracefully than most catchers, having put up a career-high .969 on-base-plus slugging percentage at age 35 last season. Not bad for someone who never made our Top 100 Prospects list. [...] Continue Reading »
Pac-10 Talent Stands Out
Feb. 14, 2008
Jim Callis predicts what the All-American team would look like if all players spent at least three years in college. [...] Continue Reading »
Gems Among The Almosts
Feb. 5, 2008
Here is our annual all-star team of American League prospects who couldn't make the Top 10 cut. The squad has featured star-in-the-making Howie Kendrick (2004) and stud lefty Jake McGee (2006) in the past, while last year's edition included Chris Davis, who ranked second in the minors in homers (36) and RBIs (118) last year. [...] Continue Reading »
Sometimes Last Isn't So Bad
Jan. 15, 2008
The players ranked No. 30 in past Prospect Handbooks have sometimes gone on to do big things. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Willing To Deal Young Talent
Jan. 3, 2008
Here's our ranking of the best non-established stars who have switched teams since Thanksgiving. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospects Who Just Missed
Dec. 16, 2007
Jim Callis looks at the prospects who just missed making the cut in their organizations in the National League. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Look To End Homegrown Bat Drought
Nov. 26, 2007
The Cubs look at Josh Vitters, Geovany Soto and Tyler Colvin, the first three names on our Chicago Top 10 Prospects list, and see the best high school hitter in the 2007 draft, a future all-star catcher and a five-tool outfielder. Cubs fans look at Vitters, Soto and Colvin and think, "We'll believe it when we see it." [...] Continue Reading »
Sox Will Keep Good Times Rolling
Nov. 15, 2007
The Red Sox farm system is loaded with prospects that should help the team remain a World Series contender for years. [...] Continue Reading »
Heyward May Prove Steal For Callis, Braves
Nov. 1, 2007
Jim Callis reviews his fifth-annual mock draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospect Season Lacks Pizzaz This Offseason
Oct. 15, 2007
Our annual Top 20 Prospects lists feature the same formula we've used for a while. Sixteen leagues and 320 scouting reports. Yet it's hard to escape the nagging feeling this edition lacks something. [...] Continue Reading »
Rookies Push Their Teams To Postseason
Oct. 3, 2007
Jim Callis' latest column breaks down all the rookies who made key impacts for the eight postseason teams. [...] Continue Reading »
No-Hitter Could Be Tip Of The Iceberg For Buchholz
Sep. 11, 2007
Red Sox righthander Clay Buchholz may have thrown a no-hitter in just his second major league start, but conventional wisdom says rookie no-hitters are more serendipity than predictors of future achievement. [...] Continue Reading »
Piecemeal Approach Inhibits Slotting System
Aug. 29, 2007
MLB's attempts to tighten the draft slotting system didn't accomplish anything. [...] Continue Reading »
Prospect Deals Carry Plenty Of Risk
Aug. 20, 2007
Trading prospects is a risky proposition. [...] Continue Reading »
Too Early To Know If Shark Will Sink Or Swim
Aug. 2, 2007
In Jeff Samardzija's case, scouting and statistical analysis are in completely disagreement. [...] Continue Reading »
Futures Game Highlights Boffo '05 Prospect Class
Jul. 16, 2007
The three best prospects in the minor leagues sat together autographing baseballs before the ninth annual Futures Game. Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin played AAU ball against each other, and Jay Bruce got to know them when they all terrorized Midwest League pitching in 2006. [...] Continue Reading »
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