By Bill Mitchell
January 17, 2011


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.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Jarrod Parker, rhp 2. Tyler Skaggs, lhp 3. Matt Davidson, 3b 4. Chris Owings, ss 5. Marc Krauss, of 6. A.J. Pollock, of 7. Bobby Borchering, 3b 8. Wade Miley, lhp 9. Patrick Corbin, lhp 10. Keon Broxton, of

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average A.J. Pollock Best Power Hitter Bobby Borchering Best Strike-Zone Discipline Jake Elmore Fastest Baserunner Westley Moss Best Athlete Ty Linton Best Fastball Jarrod Parker Best Curveball Tyler Skaggs Best Slider Jarrod Parker Best Changeup Chase Anderson Best Control Chase Anderson Best Defensive Catcher Rossmel Perez Best Defensive Infielder Chris Owings Best Infield Arm Raul Navarro Best Defensive Outfielder A.J. Pollock Best Outfield Arm Collin Cowgill

PROJECTED 2014 LINEUP

Catcher Miguel Montero First Base Bobby Borchering Second Base Chris Owings Third Base Matt Davidson Shortstop Stephen Drew Left Field Marc Krauss Center Field Chris Young Right Field Justin Upton No. 1 Starter Jarrod Parker No. 2 Starter Tyler Skaggs No. 3 Starter Daniel Hudson No. 4 Starter Ian Kennedy No. 5 Starter Wade Miley Closer Kevin Munson

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2010 2001 Alex Cintron, ss Mets 2002 Luis Terrero, of Reds 2003 Scott Hairston, 2b Padres 2004 Scott Hairston, 2b Padres 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 2010 Jarrod Parker, rhp Diamondbacks

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2010 2001 Jason Bulger, rhp Angels 2002 Sergio Santos, ss White Sox 2003 Conor Jackson, of Athletics 2004 Stephen Drew, ss Diamondbacks 2005 Justin Upton, of Diamondbacks 2006 Max Scherzer, rhp Tigers 2007 Jarrod Parker, rhp Diamondbacks 2008 Daniel Schlereth, lhp Tigers 2009 Bobby Borchering, 3b Diamondbacks 2010 *Barret Loux, rhp Rangers * Did not sign

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 2010 Draft: Diamondbacks (Basic Database) 2010 Draft: Diamondbacks  (Advanced Database) 2010 Draft Report Cards: Arizona Diamondbacks  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2011 Prospect Handbook

After a disastrous 2009 season, the Diamondbacks were looking forward to better times when 2010 kicked off.

Buoyed by free-agent acquisitions Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche, trade pickups Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy and the expected return of Conor Jackson and Brandon Webb from injury, Arizona hoped to bounce back from a 70-92 debacle.

Instead, things got worse.

The offense continued to set strikeout records, and the bullpen was the worst in baseball. Conor Jackson was ineffective before being traded to the Athletics at midseason, and Webb never made it back to the mound.

The controversial move of A.J. Hinch from farm director to manager in 2009 ended up costing both general manager Josh Byrnes and Hinch their jobs, despite long-term contracts for each. With a 31-48 record and waning interest from fans, owner Ken Kendrick and president Derek Hall pulled the plug. They installed director of player personnel Jerry DiPoto as interim GM and bench coach Kirk Gibson as manager.

The Diamondbacks still finished with a 65-97 record, third-worst in baseball, but the atmosphere in the clubhouse improved after the change.

DiPoto undertook a major reduction in the team payroll and added depth to a thin farm system by trading Jackson, Dan Haren, Chad Qualls and Chris Snyder.

The team gained further payroll relief after the season with the conclusion of the bloated $30 million contract of Eric Byrnes, who had been released in January.

More front-office changes came in the offseason, highlighted by the hiring of Kevin Towers as GM, a position he held with the Padres for 14 years. Towers persuaded DiPoto to stay on in a new role to oversee both scouting and player development.

Farm director Mike Berger was reassigned to a pro scouting position and initially replaced by Double-A Mobile manager Rico Brogna. When Brogna resigned after one month, Arizona turned to minor league field coordinator Mike Bell. Scouting director Tom Allison was replaced by Ray Montgomery, who like Allison had been a Brewers crosschecker.

Gibson had his "interim" tag removed at the end of the season and added Don Baylor, Charles Nagy, Alan Trammell and Eric Young to his coaching staff.

The farm system benefited from DiPoto's trades. Daniel Hudson went 7-1, 1.69 after coming over from the White Sox in the Jackson deal, which also yielded young lefthander David Holmberg.

The Diamondbacks picked up two more southpaws in Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin when they sent Haren to the Angels. The system's biggest boost will come the return of top prospect Jarrod Parker, who sat out 2010 recuperating from Tommy John surgery.

After focusing on position prospects with seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2009 draft, Arizona went for pitcher with its first eight choices last June. The 2010 draft delivered the final snafu of the Byrnes regime when the team drafted righthander Barret Loux sixth overall, in large part because he accepted a below-slot deal worth $2 million.

When Loux failed a postdraft physical because of concerns over his shoulder and elbow, the Diamondbacks withdrew their offer. In an unprecedented move, MLB declared Loux a free agent and he signed with the Rangers. Arizona receives the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 draft for failing to sign Loux, along with the No. 3 pick it earned with its poor play.

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