Top 25 Prospects

[NebraskaSPORTSfan]

Joba's Cy Young reign begins Opening Day 2008.

[koolkerns101]

Here is a (rough) top 25 that I put together for the new year. Something will be updated during spring training.

Rank	Player	Position	Organization
1	Jay Bruce	OF	Reds
2	Clay Buchholz	SP	Red Sox
3	Evan Longoria	3B	Rays
4	Joba Chamberlain	SP	Yankees
5	Colby Rasmus	OF	Cardinals
6	Cameron Maybin	OF	Marlins
7	Clayton Kershaw	SP	Dodgers
8	Johnny Cueto	SP	Reds
9	Andy LaRoche	3B	Dodgers
10	David Price	SP	Rays
11	Jake McGee	SP	Rays
12	Homer Bailey	SP	Reds
13	Reid Brignac	SS	Rays
14	Wade Davis	SP	Rays
15	Matt Wieters	C	Orioles
16	Travis Snider	OF	Blue Jays
17	Andrew McCutchen	OF	Pirates
18	Jeff Clement	C/1B	Mariners
19	Daric Barton	1B	Athletics
20	Joey Votto	1B	Reds
21	Franklin Morales	SP	Rockies
22	Mike Moustakas	SS	Royals
23	Carlos Triunfel	SS	Mariners
24	Matt LaPorta	OF	Brewers
25	Jason Heyward	OF	Braves

[m3th0ds]

Where's Adam Jones? Is he not considered a prospect since he's played parts of two seasons in MLB?

How about Fernando Martinez, Adam Miller, or Brandon Morrow?

[kfkorn]

I was going to ask where Fernando Martinez was as well. I am not sure he has really fallen a whole lot (if at all), and he was on the first two lists in this thread.

Five players from the Devil Rays, if they can actually get all of their prospects to develop as expected, they could very well be a team to watch out for in the future (kind of how the Colorado Rockies were this past season).

[koolkerns101]

Originally Posted by m3th0ds

Where's Adam Jones? Is he not considered a prospect since he's played parts of two seasons in MLB?

How about Fernando Martinez, Adam Miller, or Brandon Morrow?

Adam Jones has exceeded the 130 AB cutoff designated to be eligible for this list. He would have ranked, easily, in the top 10. Morrow also exceeded the 50 IP cutoff this past season, so he too is not eligible.

Fernando Martinez is a guy that has always been a tad overhyped, by myself included. That combined with the fact that he only played 60 or so games moves his stock down a bit, likely around 30 or 35. He is a fine prospect, but not a top 25 guy at the moment.

Adam Miller is in the same boat as Fernando. Good prospect, but he has some serious health concerns. He would rank, probably, around 35 or 40.

[m3th0ds]

Copy that. I was just curious of your reasoning for the exclusions.

[koolkerns101]

I will go ahead and mention that both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Wood would be the next guys in line for this list. I like Ellsbury quite a bit, but I am honestly souring on Wood. He will need to cut down on the strike outs in order to avoid being another Rus Branyan.

[kfkorn]

I see what you are saying about Fernando Martinez. I am not sure I would call him over-hyped, but he is still very young and has only played in the lower levels of the minors.

[koolkerns101]

Originally Posted by kfkorn

I see what you are saying about Fernando Martinez. I am not sure I would call him over-hyped, but he is still very young and has only played in the lower levels of the minors.

I certainly overhyped him in my first list, having him top 5. I love the guy as a prospect, but he also has serious bust potential. He is very young and very toolsy, and those guys usually don't pan out. I have faith in him, and think he will become, at least a good player. His potentially imminent switch to 1B also affects his value a bit, but nonetheless, he remains a very good prospect.

Including Carlos Triunfel, another very young player, on this list might be a bit of a reach. He is very talented, but only has a year under his belt in the low minors. While he did succeed quite well, he showed virtually no power.

I will see what I can do, and possibly expand this list to 50 to help aid any other questions regarding players rankings.

[Jack_Bauer]

Just curious as to what sources are being used to compile the lists? Do you have a scouting background or analytical experience?

This is not meant in a negative fashion. It's just that there are so many lists out there, so it helps to know the background of the person putting them together.

Thanks.