By Matt Forman
December 9, 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. Jarrod Parker, rhp 2. Bobby Borchering, 3b 3. A.J. Pollock, of 4. Brandon Allen, 1b 5. Daniel Schlereth, lhp 6. Chris Owings 7. Mike Belfiore, lhp 8. Marc Krauss, of 9. Ryan Wheeler, 1b 10. Collin Cowgill, of

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average A.J. Pollock Best Power Hitter Bobby Borchering Best Strike-Zone Discipline Ryan Wheeler Fastest Baserunner Antonio Sepulveda Best Athlete Keon Broxton Best Fastball Jarrod Parker Best Curveball Jarrod Parker Best Slider Jarrod Parker Best Changeup Josh Collmenter Best Control Bryan Augenstein Best Defensive Catcher Rossmel Perez Best Defensive Infielder Reynaldo Navarro Best Infield Arm Pedro Ciriaco Best Defensive Outfielder A.J. Pollock Best Outfield Arm Jeremia Gomez

PROJECTED 2013 LINEUP

Catcher Miguel Montero First Base Bobby Borchering Second Base Chris Owings Third Base Mark Reynolds Shortstop Stephen Drew Left Field Gerardo Parra Center Field A.J. Pollock Right Field Justin Upton No. 1 Starter Dan Haren No. 2 Starter Jarrod Parker No. 3 Starter Edwin Jackson No. 4 Starter Brandon Webb No. 5 Starter Ian Kennedy Closer Chad Qualls

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 John Patterson, rhp Out of baseball 2001 Alex Cintron, ss Nationals 2002 Luis Terrero, of Kansas City (Northern) 2003 Scott Hairston, 2b Athletics 2004 Scott Hairston, 2b Athletics 2005 Carlos Quentin, of White Sox 2006 Stephen Drew, ss Diamondbacks 2007 Justin Upton, of Diamondbacks 2008 Carlos Gonzalez, of Rockies 2009 Jarrod Parker, rhp Diamondbacks

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Mike Schultz, rhp (2nd) Hiroshima (Japan) 2001 Jason Bulger, rhp Angels 2002 Sergio Santos, ss White Sox 2003 Conor Jackson, of Diamondbacks 2004 Stephen Drew, ss Diamondbacks 2005 Justin Upton, of Diamondbacks 2006 Max Scherzer, rhp Diamondbacks 2007 Jarrod Parker, rhp Diamondbacks 2008 Daniel Schlereth, lhp Diamondbacks 2009 Bobby Borchering, 3b Diamondbacks

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Travis Lee, 1996 $10,000,000 Justin Upton, 2005 $6,100,000 John Patterson, 1996 $6,075,000 Stephen Drew, 2004 $4,000,000 Max Scherzer, 2006 $3,000,000

DIAMONDBACKS LINKS

Diamondbacks' Team Page Diamondbacks Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects 2009 Draft: Diamondbacks (Basic Database) 2009 Draft: Diamondbacks  (Advanced Database) 2009 Draft Report Cards: Arizona Diamondbacks  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook

How much can change in two years.

In 2007, the Diamondbacks were mentioned in tandem with the Rockies. Both National League West squads reached the NL Championship Series thanks to an influx of young, homegrown talent. Both missed the playoffs in 2008, and last season both fired their managers in May. The paths diverged there. Colorado made it back to the postseason after promoting bench coach Jim Tracy to replace Clint Hurdle and surging to a 74-42 finish. Arizona, on the other hand, compiled the sixth-worst record in baseball at 70-92. A.J. Hinch's move from farm director to manager was controversial and yielded roughly the same results (58-75) as predecessor Bob Melvin (12-17). (The Diamondbacks tapped Mike Berger, who had been working as a professional scout with the Blue Jays, to replace Hinch as farm director.)

What's more, the Rockies have more young talent, especially pitchers, ready to contribute in the big leagues. The Diamondbacks' best prospects reside in the lower levels of the minors. Baseball America ranked Arizona's farm system No. 1 in the game entering the 2006 season, but it has thinned as players such as Miguel Montero, Mark Reynolds, Max Scherzer and Justin Upton have graduated to the major leagues and others, such as Brett Anderson, Alberto Callaspo and Carlos Gonzalez, have been used in trades.

Given the strength of the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies, about the most the Diamondbacks can hope for in 2010 is to climb out of last place and finish ahead of the Padres. But Arizona does have hope for the future after cashing in eight of the first 95 picks in the 2009 draft.

After focusing on pitching in previous drafts, the Diamondbacks used six of their top eight choices last June to select position players. Third baseman Bobby Borchering (first round) and outfielder A.J. Pollock (first) are the top two position prospects in the system. Shortstop Chris Owings (supplemental first), outfielder Marc Krauss (second) and first baseman Ryan Wheeler (fifth) also cracked the Top 10, as did lefthander Mike Belfiore (supplemental first).

Even after bringing in a new wave of talent, Arizona doesn't have many athletic, up-the-middle prospects beyond Pollock and Owings. That's an issue for a team that has an opening at second base and saw its shortstop (Stephen Drew) and center fielder (Chris Young) perform well below expectations in 2009.

The Diamondbacks allowed more runs than all but five teams last season, and their best hope for immediate pitching help took a hit when righthander Jarrod Parker, their top prospect, needed Tommy John surgery in October. Lefthander Daniel Schlereth raced from the 2008 draft to Arizona last summer, but he's a reliever who won't shore up the rotation.

If there was a silver lining to the struggles, it was that Arizona was able to trade several veterans for prospects. Brandon Allen (acquired from the White Sox for Tony Pena) and Tony Abreu (picked up from the Dodgers for Jon Garland) could start on the right side of the major league infield in 2010. The Diamondbacks also added depth with outfielder Cole Gillespie and righthander Roque Mercedes (from the Brewers for Felipe Lopez), and righty Kevin Mulvey (from the Twins for Jon Rauch).

Arizona also secured the No. 6 pick in the 2010 draft, the third-highest selection in franchise history and its best since taking Upton first overall in 2005.

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