By Chris Kline, Matt Eddy and Josh Leventhal
May 21, 2007

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See also: Previous Prospect Hot Sheet

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Let's just say this was the toughest week to decide on a top 20 so far this season.

How tough?

Well, you won't see Yovani Gallardo and all 11 of his strikeouts in his last start. There's also no Clayton Kershaw, Adam Ottavino, James Houser, Greg Reynolds, Brandon Hynick--all 2007 Hot Sheet staples in one form or another--or even Kyle Waldrop, who dealt in his Double-A debut.

There's no Joey Votto (even though he's turning it up in Triple-A), Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain or Max Sapp. Heck, even a rejuvenated Edinson Volquez with two quality Double-A starts wasn't enough to make it this time around.

Aside from it being a tough week to decide who's hottest, it was also a week of strange happenings--mostly on the west coast.

Dodgers prospects Matt Kemp and Delwyn Young got in a shoving match during Triple-A Las Vegas' BP round at Portland, and Lake Elsinore scored more runs in a weekend than a lot of teams score in two weeks.
But enough of the odd and who didn't make it. Let's move on to the list.

Remember, this is not a rewrite of our Top 100 prospects list. This is
simply a snapshot of which prospects are currently riding the biggest hot streaks.

If you have comments, e-mail chriskline@baseballamerica.com.

1. Justin Upton, of, Double-A Mobile (Diamondbacks)

He had us at hello. Upton, who's been on the Baseball America radar pretty much since his ultrasound photos were faxed to our offices in the spring of '87, made the transition to Double-A not only seamless, but instantly began the debate as to who is the Southern League's top prospect--Upton or Evan Longoria?

We're kidding about the ultrasound photos, but Upton has seriously been part of the BA coverage since his older brother Melvin (aka B.J.) was 15. And after a subpar pro debut in low Class A last year (Upton batted .263/.343/.413 in 438 at-bats), Upton turned it up in the California League this season, then continued to torch Double-A pitchers with three homers in his first two games after he was promoted.

Sure, Upton had his first 0-for-4 game yesterday, but that wasn't nearly enough to keep him out of the No. 1 spot. He's made Mobile a dangerous team again, and hitting ahead of Carlos Gonzalez is only going to help the struggling Venezuelan outfielder.

“It’s a collision course of top prospects,” Diamondbacks farm director A.J. Hinch said. “They’re going to feed off each other and challenge each other. It’s good for both of them.

“But with Justin, he’s just stepped right into that next level of competition and blended right in. He doesn’t have the wow factor of being in Double-A. He doesn’t want to be just a big leaguer. He wants to be a dominant big leaguer. So he’ll go, compete and dominate. For him, the approach is almost like, ‘This is just another stadium I’m in until I get there.’ And you know he’s going to keep working to get there. That’s the mindset. It’s who he is.”

2. Travis Snider, of, low Class A Lansing (Blue Jays)

When a player begins the year by batting .405/.419/.646 in April, as Snider did, hitting enough to get noticed again can be a near-impossible task. But by going 11-for-24 (.458) with a pair of homers and 12 RBIs last week, Snider is officially hot again. Fun fact: Snider is hitting .455 against lefthanded pitchers this season.

3. Heath Rollins, rhp, low Class A Columbus (Devil Rays)

Great 2006 pick, R.J. Harrison. Drafted in the 11th round last year, Rollins was just so-so in his pro debut at short-season Hudson Valley, but has been in another world this year in Columbus. Currently riding a streak of 38 consecutive innings without an earned run, Rollins is 4-0, 1.12 in 48 innings overall.

4. Jake Fox, c/of/1b, Double-A Tennessee (Cubs)

On fire. Six straight multi-hit games before having that streak snapped on Saturday. Batted .552 with four homers last week while playing three different positions.

5. Aaron Bates, 1b, high Class A Lancaster (Red Sox)

The 2006 third-rounder helped right the ship for the JetHawks in record fashion following a 30-0 loss to Lake Elsinore. Bates hit a California League record four home runs on Saturday and finished the week hitting .375 (notably, he was one of three players from that series to finish the week with four homers).

6. Oswaldo Sosa, rhp, high Class A Fort Myers (Twins)

You have to flip back the calendar to May 4 to find the last time the 21-year-old Sosa gave up an earned run--and go all the way back April 24 for when he last yielded more than one in a game. His latest gem was a six inning one-hitter against Palm Beach in which he struck out nine and walked three, raising his scoreless streak to 19 innings.

7. Chad Huffman, of, high Class A Lake Elsinore (Padres)

Nothing like a series at Lancaster to improve one's fortunes. Huffman entered Clear Channel Stadium Friday with .286/.380/.474 numbers and left Sunday at .320/.415/.578. For the week, the hard-charging Huffman went 12-for-23 with four homers and eight RBIs--and he even played three of those games away from Lancaster. By virtue of reaching base 13 times over the weekend, Huffman scored 10 of the Storm's 65 runs.

8. Ian Kennedy, rhp, high Class A Tampa (Yankees)

His ceiling might be a back-end-of-the-rotation guy, but don't tell Florida State League hitters that. Kennedy has been dominant, striking out 20 over 14 innings last week.

9. Chris Marrero, of, low Class A Hagerstown (Nationals)

Teeny-bopper keeps on bopping in the Sally League. Marrero hit three more homers last week while batting .373. Someone needs to explain to him this is pro ball--not high school.

10. Cole Gillespie, of, high Class A Brevard County (Brewers)

The Brewers 2006 third-round pick skipped a level after tearing up the Pioneer League and is starting to show signs he could be ready for another leap. The 22-year-old hit .458 with seven RBIs last week--including a two-homer, five-RBI showing against St. Lucie on Saturday--and has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.

11. Jay Bruce, of, high Class A Sarasota (Reds)

Big Bad Bruce is becoming a regular in this list, and for good reason after finishing among the FSL leaders with a .414 average, 12 hits and eight RBIs.

12. Sean Smith, rhp, Triple-A Buffalo (Indians)

It can be tough getting attention when you're in the same rotation as Adam Miller, but a big week from the 23-year-old Smith catapulted him to No. 2 in the IL's ERA race, just one-one hundredths of a point behind the leader. Smith was 2-0, 0.79 last week with 11-3 strikeouts-walks in 11 1/3 innings.

13. Neil Walker, 3b, Double-A Altoona (Pirates)

Relatively smooth transition to third base for the tremendous athlete and now the bat is emerging--with power. Walker homered twice last week and hit .455.

14. Kevin Slowey, rhp, Triple-A Rochester (Twins)

A rough week for Slowey, the current IL ERA leader. Sure, he went 2-0, 2.45 with 12-3 strikeouts-walks in 14 2/3 innings, but by walking three batters, he more than doubled his season total. And by giving up four earned runs, his ERA "ballooned" to 1.76.

15. Michael Madsen, rhp, Double-A Midland (Athletics)

Madsen, 24, has been unbeatable in the Texas League, and his work last week was his best yet. He went 2-0, 1.50 and gave seven hits in 12 innings last week. His 18 strikeouts in that span topped all Texas League pitchers.

16. John Whittleman, 3b, low Class A Clinton (Rangers)

Doesn't slow down. Whittleman played a shorter slate of games that other Hot Sheeters, but still homered three times and hit .400 while playing solid defense at third base. Impressive.

17. Gregorio Petit, ss, Double-A Midland (Athletics)

We know what you're thinking. But the slick-fielding shortstop has improved his plate discipline and is hitting anything in the zone as of late. Last week, Petit went deep three times and batted .526. Not bad for a guy left unprotected in last year's Rule 5 draft.

18. James Parr, lhp, high Class A Myrtle Beach (Braves)

Sure this selection brought a "really?" response from a certain BA staffer, but Blue Rocks hitters were made believers last week when the 21-year-old tossed a nine-inning complete game, striking out 12 without a walk while yielding just three hits.

19. Kyle Blanks and Craig Cooper, 1b, high Class A Lake Elsinore (Padres)

Blanks and Cooper have split first base and DH duties for the Storm, but Lancaster pitchers probably wished they were in a non-DH league after the drubbing they received at the hands of these two over the weekend. Lake Elsinore scored 65 runs in three games, but no combination of batters was more lethal. Blanks and Cooper went a combined 20-for-55 (.454) with seven homers, 25 RBIs and 20 runs scored last week, with the bulk of the damage coming against the JetHawks.

20. Chris Carter, 1b, low Class A Kannapolis (White Sox)

Yeah, the home runs are nice, but we'd be more impressed if they weren't coming in low Class A . . . in Carter's third pro season. But then again, a league-leading four home runs, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored in a week are hard to ignore. Carter also went 8-for-24 (.333).

Alfredo Simon, rhp, Triple-A Oklahoma (Rangers)

Selected in the December major league Rule 5 draft by Baltimore and sent to the Phillies, Simon not getting an appearance in big league camp with Philadelphia should have been an ominous sign. But not this ominous. Simon allowed 18 earned runs over his last eight innings and is 2-5, 8.31 in 48 innings overall.

Chris Volstad, rhp, high Class A Jupiter (Marlins)

The 16th overall pick in 2005 hasn't lived up to that billing in the FSL, and has given up 13 runs over his last 10 innings. In all, Volstad has allowed 64 hits in 49 innings in a pitcher-friendly league. That's not fun.

Javy Guerra, rhp, high Class A Inland Empire (Dodgers)

A fourth-round pick in 2004, Guerra's last start wasn't bad--he allowed a run on four hits over six innings--but he's walked 33 in 41 innings and was shelled for five runs in 2 2/3 innings on May 15. With all those walks, Guerra is carrying a WHIP hovering around 2.00.

Matt Walker, rhp, high Class A Vero Beach (Devil Rays)

Loser of three straight decisions, Walker has allowed 10 runs on 10 hits in his last two outings. Over his last 14 innings, the 2004 10th-rounder who signed for second-round money has walked 15. This season, his strikeout-walk ratio is an even 27-27.

High Class A Lancaster's pitching staff

There was a lot of history to be had in the JetHawks' three-game weekend series against Lake Elsinore, but Lancaster's pitchers just have to be glad the Storm has passed. But it was a doozy. JetHawks pitchers allowed 65 runs on 64 hits--including a whopping 15 home runs. As a staff, Lancaster is now carrying an Arizona Fall League-esque 6.10 ERA.

Eddie Degerman, rhp, low Class A Quad Cities (Cardinals)

Riding the piggyback system for the Swing, the fourth-rounder last year out of Rice has been quietly dealing in the Midwest League. In 18 innings, Degerman is 0-0, 1.50 with a 26-3 strikeout-walk ratio. Smells like a promotion for the 23-year-old.

Cole Devries, rhp, low Class A Beloit (Twins)

Signed as a nondrafted free agent out of Minnesota last year, Devries has been brilliant in his first taste of pro ball at low Class A Beloit. Devries' fastball sits in the upper 80s with a hard curveball, and is 4-1, 1.35 in 40 innings.

Eider Torres, inf, Triple-A Norfolk (Orioles)

Torres got a chance at redemption after being cut loose by the Tribe last season, and is making it count in the Orioles system. A better defender at second base than shortstop, Torres actually has three homers with the Tides--his career-high is six--and batted .462 last week.

J.J. Furmaniak, ss, Triple-A Sacramento (Athletics)

You may remember Furmaniak from such organizations as the Padres and Pirates. Now with the Athletics, the 27-year-old shortstop, who was a 22nd-round pick in 2000, had begun 2007 with a bang for Sacramento. His 10 home runs ranked second in the PCL, his 12 stolen bases ranked fifth and his 34 runs scored ranked second.