By Conor Glassey
November 18, 2010



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, 2011.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects  (How to subscribe)
Tigers Chat  Conor Glassey	Pre-Order the 2011 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team

TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Jacob Turner, rhp 2. Nick Castellanos, 3b 3. Andy Oliver, lhp 4. Francisco Martinez, 3b 5. Daniel Fields, of 6. Casey Crosby, lhp 7. Chance Ruffin, rhp 8. Drew Smyly, lhp 9. Avisail Garcia, of 10. Jose Ortega, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Nick Castellanos Best Power Hitter Nick Castellanos Best Strike-Zone Discipline Jamie Johnson Fastest Baserunner Gustavo Nunez Best Athlete Daniel Fields Best Fastball Jose Ortega Best Curveball Jacob Turner Best Slider Chance Ruffin Best Changeup Jacob Turner Best Control Adam Wilk Best Defensive Catcher Bryan Holaday Best Defensive Infielder Cale Iorg Best Infield Arm Nick Castellanos Best Defensive Outfielder Andy Dirks Best Outfield Arm Casper Wells

PROJECTED 2014 LINEUP

Catcher Alex Avila First Base Miguel Cabrera Second Base Scott Sizemore Third Base Nick Castellanos Shortstop Jhonny Peralta Left Field Brennan Boesch Center Field Austin Jackson Right Field Daniel Fields Designated Hitter Francisco Martinez No. 1 Starter Justin Verlander No. 2 Starter Jacob Turner No. 3 Starter Max Scherzer No. 4 Starter Rick Porcello No. 5 Starter Andy Oliver Closer Ryan Perry

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2010 2001 Brandon Inge, c Tigers 2002 Nate Cornejo, rhp Out of baseball 2003 Jeremy Bonderman, rhp Tigers 2004 Kyle Sleeth, rhp Out of baseball 2005 Curtis Granderson, of Yankees 2006 Justin Verlander, rhp Tigers 2007 Cameron Maybin, of Marlins 2008 Rick Porcello, rhp Tigers 2009 Rick Porcello, rhp Tigers 2010 Jacob Turner, rhp Tigers

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2010 2001 Kenny Baugh, rhp Out of baseball 2002 Scott Moore, ss Orioles 2003 Kyle Sleeth, rhp Out of baseball 2004 Justin Verlander, rhp Tigers 2005 Cameron Maybin, of Marlins 2006 Andrew Miller, lhp Marlins 2007 Rick Porcello, rhp Tigers 2008 Ryan Perry, rhp Tigers 2009 Jacob Turner, rhp Tigers 2010 Nick Castellanos, 3b (1st round supp.) Tigers

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Jacob Turner, 2009 $4,700,000 Rick Porcello, 2007 $3,580,000 Andrew Miller, 2006 $3,550,000 Eric Munson, 1999 $3,500,000 Nick Castellanos, 2010 $3,450,000

TIGERS LINKS

Tigers' Team Page Tigers Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Tigers Top 10 Prospects 2010 Draft: Tigers (Basic Database) 2010 Draft: Tigers  (Advanced Database) 2010 Draft Report Cards: Detroit Tigers  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2011 Prospect Handbook

After their 2009 season ended in heartbreaking fashion—with a 12th-inning loss to the Twins in a one-game playoff for the American League Central title—the Tigers switched gears as they headed into 2010. At the Winter Meetings, general manager Dave Dombrowski sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks in a three-way trade that brought back outfield prospect Austin Jackson and lefthander Phil Coke from New York and righthander Max Scherzer and lefthander Daniel Schlereth from Arizona.

Granderson was beloved in Detroit, but all four players the Tigers received in the trade performed well their first year in Motown. Jackson had big shoes to fill in center field, but hit .293 with 27 steals and played excellent defense. Scherzer went 12-11, 3.50 and ranked sixth in the AL with 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Coke was solid out of the bullpen and Schlereth showed the potential to be Detroit's closer of the future.

Though the trade accomplished two goals for the Tigers, making them both younger and cheaper, it couldn't put them over the top in the American League Central. They went 48-38 and stood just a half-game out of first place in the first half, but lost their first six games after the all-star break and never recovered. Detroit finished 81-81 and in third place, 13 games behind the Twins.

The Tigers now face another offseason of decisions. They quickly re-signed free agents Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta, but could still have plenty of money to play with after a combined $64 million in salaries for Jeremy Bonderman, Johnny Damon, Gerald Laird, Magglio Ordonez, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis came off the books.

Detroit is in good shape on the mound with a rotation led by Justin Verlander and Scherzer and a strong bullpen fronted by Jose Valverde, but the team needs to find some help for Miguel Cabrera in its lineup. Though Brennan Boesch and Will Rhymes had their moments as rookies in 2010, both are complementary players. The farm system will offer no immediate help, so the Tigers may have to find position players via free agency.

Their best hope for an impact bat is third baseman Nick Castellanos, who signed for a supplemental first-round record $3.45 million in August. He was the Tigers' first pick in the 2010 draft after they gave their first-rounder to the Astros as compensation for signing Valverde.

Detroit also exceeded MLB's bonus recommendations and gave seven-figure bonuses to college pitchers Chance Ruffin and Drew Smyly. The club's aggressive spending in the draft has landed them talents such as Verlander, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller (the key pieces of the trade that brought back Cabrera), Rick Porcello and No. 1 prospect Jacob Turner. All seven draftees on this Top 10 Prospects list were signed for over-slot bonuses.

The Tigers' front office has gone through as much turnover as their roster. The team fired farm director Glenn Ezell in June and replaced him with field coordinator Mike Rojas. Detroit also promoted scouting director David Chadd to vice president for amateur scouting and special assistant to Dombrowski, giving him additional responsibilities with major and minor league evaluation. Chadd will continue to help make the decision on the team's early draft picks, along with new scouting director Scott Pleis, who  moved up from national crosschecker. The Tigers also added two former scouting directors after the season ended, hiring Tim Hallgren (Dodgers) to fill Pleis' old role and Eddie Bane (Angels) as a pro scout.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects  (How to subscribe)

Pre-Order the 2011 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team