Impact Talent: With four above-average or better tools, Dee Gordon is as athletic as any shortstop prospect in the minors. The Dodgers shocked the industry by signing supposedly unsignable RHP Zach Lee away from Louisiana State’s football team for $5.25 million last August. RHP Rubby de la Rosa has added 40 pounds since signing, with the added strength boosting his fastball to as high as 102 mph. |
Depth: Lee and de la Rosa are at the forefront of a deep group of righthanders that also includes first-round picks Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin, 18th-round steal Allen Webster and converted catcher Kenley Jansen. Withrow, Martin and Jansen all have hit 98 mph or higher with their fastballs. |
2011 Rookies: Jansen was untouchable after arriving in Los Angeles last July, striking out 41 while allowing just 12 hits and two runs in 27 innings. With closer Jonathan Broxton struggling this spring, Jansen could wind up finishing games for the Dodgers.
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Impact Talent: RHP Kyle Gibson reached Triple-A in his 2010 pro debut, showing above-average stuff and command. OF Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson still need to hone their hitting skills, but there’s no denying their all-around tools. 3B/SS Miguel Sano, who signed for $3.15 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, has light-tower power. |
Depth: Gibson, Hicks and Benson exemplify the Twins’ focus on polished pitchers and toolsy outfielders. RHP Liam Hendriks, Alex Wimmers and Adrian Salcedo fit into the former group; Ben Revere, Oswaldo ARcia, Max Kepler, Rene Tosoni, Angel Morales and Eddie Rosario do so into the latter. |
2011 Rookies: He already has better stuff than anyone in Minnesota’s rotation outside of Francisco Liriano, so Gibson won’t have to wait too long in Triple-A. 2B/SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the Twins’ first Japanese import, should provide a line-drive bat, some speed on the bases and solid defense.
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Impact Talent: OF Bryce Harper’s prodigious power makes him the best prospect in baseball, and his other tools are all above-average as well. Derek Norris and Wilson Ramos give the Nationals a pair of catchers who cracked the Top 100 Prospects list. SS/2B Danny Espinosa was one of three minor leaguers (along with the Giants’ Brandon Belt and Mariners’ Nick Franklin) to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in 2010. |
Depth: Washington has broken the draft spending record in each of the last two years, shelling out $11.51 million on bonuses in 2009 and $11.93 million in 2010. Most of their top prospects came via over-slot deals: Harper ($6.25 million bonus, $9.9 million contract), Espinosa ($525,000 in the third round), RHP A.J. Cole ($2 million in the fourth), LHP Sammy Solis ($1 million in the second), OF Destin Hood ($1.1 million in the second). |
2011 Rookies: Espinosa hit six more homers in the majors last September, all but locking up the second-base job for 2011. RHP Yunesky Maya was underwhelming after defecting from Cuba and landing a $7.4 million contract last July, but he looked much better in winter ball and is pushing for a rotation spot.
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Impact Talent: Martin Perez has struggled since reaching Double-A at age 18, but there still aren’t many lefthanders with better stuff. SS Jurickson Profar, who’ll jump to low Class A at age 18 this year, has five-tool potential and ranked as the top prospect in the short-season Northwest League in 2010. When he’s at his best, RHP Tanner Scheppers has an upper-90s fastball and overpowering breaking stuff. |
Depth: The Rangers are reloading after parlaying the game’s top-rated farm system in 2009 into their first-ever World Series appearance in 2010. Few clubs can match their work on the international market—or their talent at the short-season and Rookie levels last summer. Profar is their most talented youngster, followed by 3B Mike Olt, SS Luis Sardinas, OF Jake Skole, RHP David Perez, 3B Christian Villanueva, RHP Roman Mendez and Cs Kellin Deglan and Jorge Alfaro. |
2011 Rookies: Scheppers could bolster the bullpen on Opening Day or the rotation later in the season, but back stiffness in spring training wasn’t helping his cause. LHP Michael Kirkman, who pitched his way onto the World Series roster, also could make the club in either role.
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Impact Talent: OF Mike Trout, No. 2 behind Bryce Harper on the Top 100 Prospect list, might have the best all-around tools in the minors. Jean Segura is a rare five-tool second baseman and will get a look at shortstop in high Class A this year. |
Depth: The system had fallen on hard times, in large part because the Angels kept sacrificing premium draft picks as free-agent compensation in the mid-2000s. Loaded with extra picks in each of the last two drafts, they’ve signed Trout, 3B Kaleb Cowart, RHPs Garrett Richards and Cam Bedrosian and OFs Randal Grichuk and Chevez Clarke. |
2011 Rookies: RHP Jordan Walden finished 2010 as Los Angeles’ top set-up man and could end 2011 as its closer. Hank Conger offers more offensive potential than the Angels’ other catching options, Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson. Kendrys Morales has been slow to return from a broken leg, which could create an opportunity for 1B Mark Trumbo, who tied for the minor league lead with 36 homers last year.
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Impact Talent: OF Brett Jackson has solid or better tools across the board, and he has proven to be a more refined hitter than teams thought after he dropped to the 31st overall pick in 2009. While at Shelton State (Ala.) CC, RHP Trey McNutt fell through the cracks of the same draft; a year later, he reached Double-A and flashed a pair of plus-plus pitches in his fastball and curveball. |
Depth: Chicago gave up two of its best prospects in January when RHP Chris Archer and SS Hak-Ju Lee headlined the five-player package sent to the Rays in the Matt Garza trade. The Cubs’ depth is more impressive than their impact talent, as one pro scout who covered them noted last year that they may have more future big leaguers than any other system. |
2011 Rookies: Chicago’s biggest hole is at second base, and proven winner Darwin Barney may be the man to fill it. Jackson could force his way into the outfield sooner than expected. LHP Scott Maine was one of the Cubs’ best relievers last September.
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Impact Talent: SS Jose Iglesias is the best defensive prospect in the minors, and he also has a line-drive swing that should yield solid batting averages. RHP Anthony Ranaudo entered 2010 as the top college prospect in the draft, dropped to the 39th overall pick after elbow problems, then signed for $2.55 million after regaining his health and stuff in the Cape Cod League. LHP Drake Britton is poised for a breakout after putting 2008 Tommy John surgery fully behind him. |
Depth: The Red Sox surrendered their No. 1 prospect (RHP Casey Kelly), best offensive prospect (1B Anthony Rizzo) and their most athletic prospect (OF Reymond Fuentes) to the Padres in a December trade for Adrian Gonzalez. That thinned out some of the quality of the system, but the lower levels are still stocked with premium arms and athletes. |
2011 Rookies: Boston doesn’t have any obvious openings on a veteran club favored to win the American League pennant. LHP Felix Doubront, INF Yamaico Navarro and OF Josh Reddick could contribute in reserve roles.
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Impact Talent: 2B Dustin Ackley is as pure a hitter as there is in the minors, though he may be best suited for the outfield. RHP Michael Pineda is a beast who can blow hitters away with a fastball that reaches 101 mph or a hard slider. SS/2B Nick Franklin was a revelation in his first full pro season in 2010, becoming the first teenage middle infielder ever to lead the low Class A Midwest League in homers. |
Depth: There’s a noticeable dropoff after Seattle’s three best prospects, though improved drafts and continued strong work internationally give the system decent depth. Many of the Mariners’ more intriguing talents (RHP Taijuan Walker, OF Guillermo Pimentel, SS Marcus Littlewood, 3B Ramon Morla, SS Esteilon Peguero, OF Phillips Castillo) are several years away from the major leagues. |
2011 Rookies: Ackley and Pineda are performing well in big league camp and pushing for starting jobs on Opening Day. Even if Seattle resists that temptation, they’re too talented to stay in Triple-A for long.
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Impact Talent: The Pirates landed the two best arms in the 2010 draft, spending a combined $8.75 million to sign RHPs Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. C Tony Sanchez is a standout defender who has hit better than expected, silencing critics who thought Pittsburgh overdrafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2009. |
Depth: After 18 straight losing seasons, the Pirates are trying to rebuild from within. They’ve spent more on draft bonuses than any team in the last three drafts ($30.7 million), going over slot to sign Taillon, Allie, RHP Zack Von Rosenberg, LHP Colton Cain and others. They’ve also set a new franchise record for an international bonus ($2.6 million for Mexican RHP Luis Heredia last summer) and been active on the trade market (RHP Bryan Morris, LHP Jeff Locke). |
2011 Rookies: A year after graduating Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata and Neil Walker to the majors, Pittsburgh doesn’t have an obvious rookie candidate. After pitching Double-A Altoona to the 2010 Eastern League championship, Morris or LHP Rudy Owens could crack the big league rotation around midseason.
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Impact Talent: The Mets rushed RHP Jennry Mejia to the big league bullpen last season, but he has the stuff to be a quality starter. SS Wilmer Flores batted .300/.324/.415 in high Class A as a 19-year-old, though he seems destined for the outfield. OF Cesar Puello is another teenage Class A success story, and he has better all-around tools than Flores. |
Depth: New York’s best prospects are raw, high-ceiling international products—a result of the club’s stinginess in the draft. The Mets had their best recent draft in 2008, when they signed Ike Davis and 2B Reese Havens in the first round and found OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the third. They also went over slot with RHP Matt Harvey, their 2010 first-rounder. |
2011 Rookies: RHP Dillon Gee posted a 2.18 ERA in five big league starts last September and will be waiting in the wings in Triple-A. Rule 5 pickup Brad Emaus could get considerable playing time at second base. |
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