MCB’s Top 50 MLB Prospects

Now that we have made it through the Tigers mid-season top 30 prospects list, I thought I would take my shot at a top 50 prospect list overall. I should mention that I will not include any of the 2012 draftees, as all the guys haven’t signed yet, and there is very little data on those players anyway. I am essentially not including players that are up with their big club as the assumption would be that they are going to exhaust their prospect status.

Here is MCB’s top 50:

50. Kaleb Cowart 3B (Angels)- Quality hitter with some pop in high A as a 20 year old.
49. Trevor Story SS (Rockies)- Power potential, good athlete, who should stick at SS.
48. Taylor Guerrieri SP (Rays)- Power righty with front of the rotation potential.
47. Xander Bogaerts SS (Red Sox)- Still want to see more, but good potential with the bat.
46. Jedd Gyorko 3B(Padres)- Advanced bat, close to the big leagues
45. Gary Sanchez C (Yankees)- Might not stick as catcher, so that means his status takes a hit.
44. Alen Hanson SS (Pirates)- Hanson has exploded in 2012. Good speed power combo for this SS.
43. Oswaldo Arcia OF (Twins)- Arcia proving he can hit at advanced levels as a youngster.
42. Noah Syndergaard SP (Blue Jays)- Highest ceiling of the Toronto starters, but has things to work on.
41. Cody Buckel SP (Rangers)- Buckel doesn’t have high end stuff, but has good command of his quality offerings.
40. Bubba Starling OF (Royals)- Has high end 5 tool talent.
39. Archie Bradley SP (Diamondbacks)- Solid first year for Bradley who has really good stuff.
38. Tyler Austin 3B (Yankees)- Austin has tore the cover off the ball, and maybe should be higher.
37. George Springer OF (Astros)- The strikeouts are a concern, but has a high damage ratio and is very athletic.
36. Jacob Turner SP (Tigers)- Getting triple A outs at age 21 is still a good thing despite low K rate.
35. Billy Hamilton SS (Reds)- His speed is off the charts, his bat is doing well. Don’t think he stays at SS.
34. Rymer Liriano OF (Padres)- Another 5 tool guy that has some issues but is immensely gifted.
33. Javier Baez SS (Cubs) Baez brings a premium bat, but should end up at 3B down the road.
32. Shelby Miller SP (Cardinals)- Tremendous K rate but has run into triple A struggles.
31. Jake Odorizzi SP (Royals)- Odorizzi is the Royals main hope for a young quality starter right now.
30. Jackie Bradley Jr. OF (Red Sox)- It appears that Bradley is starting to put his skills to good use on a baseball field.
29. Ethan Martin SP (Dodgers)- Martin is still walking too many, but his fastball has reportedly hit 100, and he has improved greatly in AA.
28. Aaron Sanchez SP (Blue Jays)- Sanchez looks to have the stuff needed, and ability to mix his pitches that you look for. Command needs to come, but most think it will.
27. Nick Franklin SS (Mariners)- I’m about as big a believer in Franklin as anyone around. He is a quality hitter, an underrated athlete I believe, and I think can stick at SS.
26. Starling Marte OF (Pirates)- Yes Marte has some things to work on as far as strike zone judgment, but he looks ready to play in the bigs.
25. Anthony Gose OF (Blue Jays)- The bat is coming along for this speedy CF who could make the big leagues on his defense alone.
24. Mason Williams OF (Yankees)- Got him slightly rated higher than Gose, simply because I believe the overall offensive package is a bit better than Gose.
23. Jake Marisnick OF (Blue Jays)- I’m on an outfielder run, and Marsinick appears to be getting better. An OPS of .800+ in the FSL is no joke.
22. Nolan Arenado 3B (Rockies)- Arenado has slipped a little in prospect circles I think because he isn’t showing power. I think it will come, and he can hit for average too.
21. Julio Teheran (Braves)- I stuck with Wil Myers last year when he had a down year. I am sticking with Teheran this year, the stuff is still good, and he is still really young.
20. Matt Barnes SP (Red Sox)- Barnes has really had himself a breakout campaign. He is making people look bad for allowing him to last until the 19th pick last year.
19. Mike Olt 3B (Rangers)- Olt is a power hitting 3B who walks a lot, and will probably strike out a bit too. I think he is a pretty good athlete, and should be a quality 3B.
18. Miguel Sano 3B (Twins)- Sano probably has the most power potential in the minors. He is a pretty good athlete as well. Might not hit for average though.
17. Christian Yelich OF (Marlins)- Marlins made themselves a heck of a selection in Yelich. A better athlete than most thought, Yelich has done nothing but hit since becoming a pro.
16. Carlos Martinez SP (Cardinals)- Martinez has premium stuff, and has reached AA. Has barely surpassed Miller at this point as a prospect.
15. Francisco Lindor SS (Indians)- Almost everyone loves Lindor in the scouting world. He has potential to be a quality defensive SS with an above average bat.
14. Jameson Taillon SP (Pirates)- Been a little too hittable for the type of stuff he has. Still there has been improvement for the 2nd year pro.
13. Travis d’Arnaud C (Blue Jays)- Best catching prospect in baseball hands down. Has above average ability with the bat and the glove. Hopefully his injury is just a blip on the radar.
12. Nick Castellanos 3B (Tigers)- Castellanos is making a name for himself with the bat. His bat control is exceptional, but needs to learn a little patience at the dish.
11. Taijuan Walker SP (Mariners)- Walker has a top level fastball, but still needs some refinement on command and consistency. It will come soon.
10. Jonathan Singleton 1B (Astros)- I have Singleton higher than most, but I really believe that he is a premium hitter. Should man 1B for years to come.
9. Manny Machado SS (Orioles)- I’m not worried about his lesser numbers at AA at all. He hasn’t been overmatched at all, and just turned 20.
8. Danny Hultzen SP (Mariners)- His stuff always gets downplayed, but it’s good, and he knows how to pitch. Should be in the bigs by the end of the season.
7. Zack Wheeler SP (Mets)- Mets have to be feeling good about their haul in the Beltran deal. Wheeler has been outstanding this year. Should be in their rotation in 2013.
6. Jose Fernandez SP (Marlins)- Fernandez in some circles might be the best pitching prospect in all of baseball. I want to see more in high A before I make that claim.
5. Oscar Taveras OF (Cardinals)- If Taveras were a Yankee prospect, he would be the next Mantle. He is 20 years old in AA, and improved his slugging and K rate one year removed from low A. Best pure hitter in the minors in my opinion.
4. Gerrit Cole SP (Pirates)- When your stuff is in the same stratosphere of guys like Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg, what’s not to like? Has some things to work on, but should compete in spring for rotation spot.
3. Dylan Bundy SP (Orioles)- Bundy is a top notch arm that is far beyond what his 19 year old suggests. Good command of 3 above average pitches. Learning to work hitters.
2. Jurickson Profar SS (Rangers)- The next in line of uber-prospects Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. Profar brings an above average bat and quality defensive skills to the SS position. He is more than holding his own as a 19 year old in AA.
1. Wil Myers OF (Royals)- Myers just two years ago was one of the hottest prospects in the game. Last year he struggled and some jumped ship. Not sure why, as he was just 20 in AA. There is still some swing and miss in Myers’ game, but everything else looks nice. He has done well in CF, has some athleticism, gets on base, hits for power, and hits for average. His OPS for the year at two levels is over 1.000.