Nathan Rode: Welcome back to another Hot Sheet everyone. Hellickson is always a candidate for the Hot Sheet and you're right, his numbers are worth considering, especially with the promotion. But with the pitchers we had this week, only four strikeouts isn't going to cut it. Other guys had more innings and more whiffs. It's no knock on Hellickson, just the way the chips fall sometimes.

Matt Eddy: He will give the Rangers a lot more stability at first base, in time, than Chris Shelton or Ben Broussard. Davis may go through a few rough stretches as he gets his big league career started, but he's got true 70-80 power. That will play eventually.

Matt Eddy: It wouldn't be surprising, frankly, if he goes on a rookie home run rampage, a la Ryan Bruan, Adam Dunn or Ryan Howard from recent years.

Nathan Rode: You're right about the numbers, but the dates of those games suggest he was demoted. Maybe he shouldn't have been in High A in the first place, but a demotion is a red flag on Hot Sheet consideration, whether your numbers are good or not.

Jim Shonerd: Certainly, he's a good prospect and he's in an age-appropriate league, so he'll merit consideration when he has big weeks. This was his first big week in a while, as he'd gone over three weeks without a multi-hit game, but he's a guy we'll keep a look out for. It's good to see that he's cut down on the K's, but he's still not walking much either. So he's still got things to work on, but making more consistent contact is a start.

Matt Eddy: Campbell, the New Zealand-born 10th-round pick from Gonzaga (2006), entered the year with a career .393 on-base percentage, so he clearly knows how to work a count. Unfortunately, he's an average-at-best defender at second and offers very little speed and no power. That's a tough profile to project as a regular. Aaron Hill is safe.

Matt Eddy: Some question whether Emaus has the actions to stick in the middle infield, but if he can't stay at second, his bat may be good enough for regular play at third or as a part-timer in the outfield.

Matt Eddy: Tolisano, a switch-hitter taking in the second round in 2007, has by far the most offensive potential of the three, but is a bit stiff at second base, showing fringy range and struggling to turn the double play.

Nathan Rode: It's hard to predict future numbers, level by level, but as good as Wieters is, I don't think he'll have any prolonged struggles. If he does, that's not a bad thing. You'd rather see a prospect struggle so he can show you how he gets out of it. Also, I spoke to Wieters at the Cal-Carolina League All Star game this week. He's very mature, confident and doesn't seem fazed by anything. I doubt he'll run into much trouble and if he does, he's the type of player that could get out of it in a timely manner.

Nathan Rode: And just an interesting side note: I stood behind the cage for Wieters' BP session. I haven't seen such strength that close before. His bat speed was incredible and the sound the ball made was somewhat deafening. It was pretty impressive. Not too mention he's a monster. Made me look a lot shorter than I already am.

Matt Eddy: Gardner could be a poor man's version of Ellsbury, as they say, but his top two tools — speed, defense — still fall short of the Boston center fielder's. And Ellsbury has more power and better bat control. That's not a knock, because Gardner could be quality leadoff batter, capable of working deep counts and intelligently stealing bases.

Jim Shonerd: It's not so much the level as it is his age. Jones is 23 and still in Low A. We give extra credit to players who are young for their leagues, but that goes the other way for guys like Jones. You'll probably never see a player over the age of 21 from Low A make the Hot Sheet. But that's why we created the "Men Among Boys" section, so that we can give guys like Jones some kind of recognition.

Nathan Rode: Tejada is interesting. He seemed to be in way over his head in the FSL at the tender age of 18. The numbers spoke for themselves: .231 .300 .306 in April, .194 .257 .233 in May, but in June he's shown some maturity by sticking to it and working out of slumps. He's hitting .373 .424 .482 in June. That's a pretty good turnaround. Hopefully he can continue to play well the rest of the way. It's hard to say where he'll be in 4+ years, but he's certainly a guy to keep an eye on.

Nathan Rode: Bourjos has great speed and has shown an improvement in making contact. He can play the heck out of center field too. In his defense his 2007 season was probably affected by the hand injury he suffered on just Day 2. And he told us that his hitting isn't a product of the Cal League because he's not a power hitter. He's just making contact now and using his speed on both sides of the ball. He's got 37 stolen bases and has been caught just twice.

Matt Eddy: Bet on Saunders between the two. The 21-year-old center fielder has handled the transition to Triple-A well, and he's got serious tools, athleticism and ability.

Matt Eddy: He's got 20-home run potential in the majors, a good batting eye and tick above-average speed that may attrition as he grows into his frame. Saunders has the arm for right field, but he might be able to stick in center.

Matt Eddy: Cunningham is a gamer, but he doesn't do any one thing exceptionally well, lending concern that he may be a tweener.

Nathan Rode: Anderson had a quality start, plus double digits in strikeouts. Pretty good for your first game at Double-A. I'm sure the two runs, thought not bad, hurt him in consideration. There were just some outstanding pitchers this week. Cahill also had a quality start, but he walked three and hit two. That's not Hot Sheet worth.

Nathan Rode: Considering the Rays are in second place in the AL East and not anywhere near the worst record in baseball, I would guess the day they don't get the No. 1 pick will fall somewhere in the first week of June 2009.

Nathan Rode: You could argue that, but the Rays have a pretty ridiculous rotation at Double-A now with Davis, McGee, Price and Hellickson. That's just unfair.

Moderator: Generally speaking, Double-A always is home to the brightest prospects. It's the toughest jump in the minor leagues, and those who distinguish themselves at the level are usually the best bets.

Matt Eddy: Price, Cahill and Tillman would rank at the head of the Double-A class. You can rearrange them however you like and have a defensible reason. I like Hanson a bit more than Anderson and Hellickson, and then Garrison and Inman in the next tier.

Matt Eddy: Heyward is in the picture, definitely, and let's give the benefit of the doubt to Francoeur, assuming the Braves don't trade him. (They've renewed his contract each of the past two seasons, rather than reaching an agreement on salary, and you wonder if that may affect their relationship.)

Matt Eddy: That leaves two spots to fill. Jones can't match Hernandez or Schafer in terms of speed or defense, and both outfield corners are already filled, so Jones is out.

Matt Eddy: Hernandez vs. Schafer is largely a matter of taste. Hernandez bats righthanded and offers better speed and defense, while Schafer bats lefty and has proven himself at a higher level. Tough call, but I'll say Schafer.

Jim Shonerd: Villalona has shown he's not overmatched as a 17-year-old in a full-season league, which is impressive on its own. He just struggles with righthanded pitching right now (whereas he's slugging .594 against lefties). He may wear down as the season goes on, but he'll probably end up with around 15 home runs and I wouldn't fret too much about wherever his final numbers end up. Plus he did have a walk-off hit the other day, which is never a bad thing.

Nathan Rode: It takes more than just velocity to be a top of the rotation guy. It takes at least a couple of above-average pitches. Hanson's fastball is average to above and his curveball is probably above-average, but his changeup is just average. He has command of all three however. And there are so few pitchers that are actual top of the rotation material, that's tough company to be in.

Nathan Rode: Yes. At what point is more of a mystery, but it will be hard to hold him back for long.

Nathan Rode: I think you mean heir apparent. He will not replace Papelbon. Papelbon is just better and still young. Bard probably won't return to a rotation, but if he can get a hold of that fastball and find a secondary pitch he could be an effective reliever.

Nathan Rode: Being a Tigers fan, the D-Train situation this season has been slowly killing me. Given his contract and the time he's spent in the majors before I would bet a lot that he'll be back at some point. Whether he'll be effective remains to be seen. Excuse me while I go vent about him now...

Jim Shonerd: Heyward is the No. 1 of that group and in my mind he's the best prospect in Low A this year. Stanton and Burgess are pretty similar. Both have excellent power. Both strikeout a lot right now, but are gradually cutting down the K's and upping their walks. That one's really a toss up, but I think I'll go with Stanton since he could be the better all-around player and he's shown he can hit for a higher average at this point. Both of them have big league power potential though.

Nathan Rode: I imagine they'll be patient considering he's recently coming off an injury. He is pitching very well in a tough league so I wouldn't be surprised if a promotion is in order by the end of the year, but I'd let him settle in first after missing almost the first two months.

Nathan Rode: Well it was announced today that Wieters is going to Double-A. Arrieta shouldn't be far behind. He was consistently 95-96 in the all star game this week.

Nathan Rode: And that'll do it for me. Thanks again for great questions everyone. See you next week.

Jim Shonerd: Freeman was nominated, but overall this was a tough week for hitters. Heyward and Freeman could well be a tandem as they head up the minor league chain. Heyward's abilities look advanced beyond his years with the numbers he's put up as an 18-year-old, but having a threat like Freeman hitting behind him in the order certainly helps.