Monday, May 5th, 2008...1:19 pm
Mound Talk/Upper Management Top 50 Prospects
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Each month I’ll be working with BizPlayBoy of Upper Management to provide a monthly updated Top 50 Prospects. As this is the synthesis of two people’s opinions, not all of it is my view & some will be in contradiction to my earlier rankings. Some of this is the natural movement of players & some is the influence of two authors. I encourage you to join UM & discuss this article.
| Rank | First | Last | Pr. | Notes |
| 1 | Jay | Bruce | 1 | Just a matter of time til he’s up |
| 2 | Evan | Longoria | 3 | Rays brought him up & are reaping the rewards |
| 3 | Colby | Rasmus | 2 | Rasmus is “working on things” in Triple-A. His stats are virtually meaningless |
| 4 | Clay | Buchholz | 4 | Command has failed at the big league level |
| 5 | Joba | Chamberlain | 5 | Just keeps doing what he does |
| 6 | Clayton | Kershaw | 6 | Holding his own in Double-A while there are quiet rumblings of an MLB debut |
| 7 | Johnny | Cueto | 11 | Rough go lately after a phenominal start |
| 8 | Jacob | McGee | 7 | Double-A is where the cream rises & a real test for McGee |
| 9 | David | Price | 8 | Just about ready to come back |
| 10 | Matt | LaPorta | 30 | His numbers are outstanding. His bat is Major League ready now. |
| 11 | Andy | LaRoche | 10 | Just back from an injury |
| 12 | Cameron | Maybin | 9 | Groundballs & walks are his forte |
| 13 | Jeff | Clement | 15 | Finally in the bigs where he can show off his plus-power |
| 14 | Brandon | Wood | 12 | Wood has been hitting the ball well…when he hits it… |
| 15 | Andrew | McCutchen | 13 | Nate McLouth’s emergence keeps ‘Cutch in the minors for a while yet |
| 16 | Homer | Bailey | 21 | He’s ready to take a spot in Cincy |
| 17 | Matt | Wieters | 18 | Doing well in High-A debut |
| 18 | Wade | Davis | 19 | Struggling a bit out of the gates. Not a big deal yet |
| 19 | Travis | Snider | 14 | Striking out too much |
| 20 | Chris | Marrero | 31 | Really coming on as of late |
| 21 | Rick | Porcello | 25 | Pro debut has been good so far & in High-A |
| 22 | Carlos | Gonzalez | 27 | Mashing in Triple-A…waiting for a phone call |
| 23 | Ian | Kennedy | 24 | Demotion to minors doesn’t bother me. But if he starts to struggle it’s another story |
| 24 | Jarrod | Parker | 62 | Seeing him in person sold me on him. |
| 25 | Nick | Adenhart | 33 | MLB start aside, he’s had a great season |
| 26 | Franklin | Morales | 26 | Another good pitcher demoted |
| 27 | Justin | Masterson | 53 | Called up for one start and sent back down…he’ll be back & force Boston to make a tough choice |
| 28 | Max | Scherzer | 46 | Still don’t know if he’s a bullpen guy or a starter but either way, he’s got a lot to offer |
| 29 | Jason | Heyward | 36 | Excellent debut for Heyward so far |
| 30 | Mike | Moustakas | 29 | Slow start doesn’t worry me |
| 31 | Wladimir | Balentien | 43 | Seattle finally gave him a shot & like Clement, he’s making the most of it |
| 32 | Lars | Anderson | 51 | Hitting in Lancaster doesn’t do much for me but the early season power is good to see |
| 33 | Gio | Gonzalez | 34 | Struggling a bit out of the gates. Not a big deal yet |
| 34 | Josh | Vitters | 35 | Slow start doesn’t worry me |
| 35 | Trevor | Cahill | – | Excellent 2008 campaign |
| 36 | Brett | Anderson | 54 | He’s ready to make the jump to Double-A |
| 37 | Ross | Detwiler | 55 | Like to move him down…high walk rate & low K |
| 38 | Jordan | Shafer | 42 | Suspension hurts but I’m not concerned by his HGH use |
| 39 | Desmond | Jennings | 37 | Hasn’t played yet this year |
| 40 | Will | Inman | 41 | Have faith. Inman is a #3. |
| 41 | Jed | Lowrie | 56 | Where will he play? As a super utility guy he’ll be very valuable |
| 42 | Anthony | Swarzak | – | Very aggressive ranking but Swarzak has a lot of talent |
| 43 | Michael | Burgess | 87 | Showing great power in High-A |
| 44 | Fernando | Martinez | 28 | At some point, production is necessary |
| 45 | Fautino | de los Santos | 40 | Struggling a bit out of the gates. Not a big deal yet |
| 46 | Mat | Gamel | 92 | Dominating Double-A & playing better defense (not that is saying much) |
| 47 | Billy | Rowell | 63 | Healthy and ready to rock |
| 48 | Jair | Jurrjens | 90 | Showing he has what it takes to be a big leaguer |
| 49 | Reid | Brignac | 20 | I wasn’t high on him entering the season & am ready to drop him like a rock |
| 50 | Angel | Villalona | 47 | His drop isn’t because of anything he’s necessarily done but something that everyone else has done |
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