By Mike Berardino
November 12, 2009


Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Mike Stanton, of 2. Logan Morrison, 1b 3. Chad James, lhp 4. Matt Dominguez, 3b 5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b/3b 6. Ryan Tucker, rhp 7. Kyle Skipworth, c 8. Isaac Galloway, of 9. Scott Cousins, of 10. Jhan Marinez, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Logan Morrison Best Power Hitter Mike Stanton Best Strike-Zone Discipline Logan Morrison Fastest Baserunner Marquise Cooper Best Athlete Mike Stanton Best Fastball Jhan Marinez Best Curveball Brad Hand Best Slider Daniel Jennings Best Changeup Chad James Best Control Elih Villanueva Best Defensive Catcher Brett Hayes Best Defensive Infielder Matt Dominguez Best Infield Arm Matt Dominguez Best Defensive Outfielder Scott Cousins Best Outfield Arm Marcell Ozuna

PROJECTED 2012 LINEUP

Catcher Kyle Skipworth First Base Logan Morrison Second Base Chris Coghlan Third Base Dan Uggla Shortstop Hanley Ramirez Left Field Isaac Galloway Center Field Cameron Maybin Right Field Mike Stanton No. 1 Starter Josh Johnson No. 2 Starter Chad James No. 3 Starter Ricky Nolasco No. 4 Starter Chris Volstad No. 5 Starter Sean West Closer Ryan Tucker

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 A.J. Burnett, rhp Yankees 2001 Josh Beckett, rhp Red Sox 2002 Josh Beckett, rhp Red Sox 2003 Miguel Cabrera, 3b Tigers 2004 Jeremy Hermida, of Marlins 2005 Jeremy Hermida, of Marlins 2006 Jeremy Hermida, of Marlins 2007 Chris Volstad, rhp Marlins 2008 Cameron Maybin, of Marlins 2009 Cameron Maybin, of Marlins

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Adrian Gonzalez, 1b Padres 2001 Garrett Berger, rhp (2nd round) Out of baseball 2002 Jeremy Hermida, of Marlins 2003 Jeff Allison, rhp Marlins 2004 Taylor Tankersley, rhp Marlins 2005 Chris Volstad, rhp Marlins 2006 Brett Sinkbeil, rhp Marlins 2007 Matt Dominguez, 3b Marlins 2008 Kyle Skipworth, c Marlins 2009 Chad James, rhp Marlins

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Josh Beckett, 1999 $3,625,000 Adrian Gonzalez, 2000 $3,000,000 Livan Hernandez, 1996 $2,500,000 Kyle Skipworth, 2008 $2,300,000 Jason Stokes, 2000 $2,027,000

MARLINS LINKS

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At long last, after 16 years and countless failed attempts under three different ownership groups, the Marlins finally won approval for a publicly-funded, baseball-only stadium in South Florida. They broke ground in July.

Scheduled to open in 2012 in Miami's Little Havana section, the $541 million park will feature a retractable roof and seat 37,000. More importantly, the stadium will get the Marlins out from perhaps the most one-sided lease in pro sports. It should also allow owner Jeffrey Loria to sink a little more money into his team's payroll, which annually ranks at or near the bottom of the major leagues.

That was the case again in 2009, as the Marlins spent just $37 million on player salaries, last in the majors. Yet they again managed to chase the National League wild card until the season's final week.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez, just getting started on a contract that runs through 2014, enjoyed his best all-around season en route to the first batting title in franchise history. Josh Johnson, one of several homegrown Marlins to come through the system, went 15-5 and moved closer to a big-time payday once he reaches free agency after the 2011 season.

Finishing with 87 wins, the third-most in franchise history, Florida registered its second straight winning season under manager Fredi Gonzalez. Despite this achievement, Gonzalez still had to hear rumors that had the Marlins considering a switch to Bobby Valentine before the organization finally came back to its senses and stayed the course.

Florida's success came after another round of offseason trades shed the salaries of Mike Jacobs (to the Royals), and Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham (to the Nationals). Among other players, those deals netted Emilio Bonifacio, who played five positions and became the regular third baseman, and Leo Nunez, who moved into the closer role after Matt Lindstrom faltered at midseason.

The farm system once again paid dividends, even with top prospect Cameron Maybin flopping in an attempt to secure the center-field job. His strong work at Triple-A New Orleans and during his September callup gave the Marlins hope he'll stay for good in 2010. Sean West came up in May, made 20 solid starts and laid his claim to a permanent spot in the rotation.

But the best work, by far, came from Chris Coghlan, who not only jumped into the leadoff spot for the first time since high school but also made the move from second base to left field in seamless fashion. Coghlan batted .321, including .373 after the all-star break, to state his candidacy for NL Rookie of the Year.

In the minors, Marlins affiliates posted a combined 350-341 (.507) record. Just two of the six clubs posted winning records, but those two were Double-A Jacksonville, which won the Southern League championship, and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Marlins, who rolled to a .691 winning percentage. Top prospects such as right fielder Mike Stanton, first baseman Logan Morrison and third baseman Matt Dominguez continued their progress toward an eventual place in Miami.

After focusing on position players in the past several drafts, the Marlins went for pitching with three of their top four picks in 2009. Their top choice (18th overall) was Oklahoma high school lefthander Chad James, who signed for $1.7 million and immediately became their best pitching prospect.

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