1 |
Bryce Harper |
of, Nationals |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2012. |
He should get to the majors as a teenager; settle in and enjoy it. |
2 |
Matt Moore |
lhp, Rays |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
He makes it look so easy, and he's so good he'll make David Price a No. 2 starter. |
3 |
Mike Trout |
of, Angels |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2012. |
His signing scout, Greg Mohrhardt, has since been promoted to Angels crosschecker. |
4 |
Yu Darvish |
rhp, Rangers |
Age: 25. |
ETA: 2012. |
It's hard to moderate expectations for proven Japanese ace, but he should definitely surpass the Dice-K bar. |
5 |
Julio Teheran |
rhp, Braves |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2012. |
There's absolutely no link between his last name and Darvish's Iranian heritage. |
6 |
Jesus Montero |
c, Mariners |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
He should face less pressure replacing Miguel Olivo rather than Jorge Posada. |
7 |
Jurickson Profar |
ss, Rangers |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2013 |
He should beat out golf, cheesy theme parks as Myrtle Beach's top 2012 attraction. |
8 |
Shelby Miller |
rhp, Cardinals |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013 |
He's looking to become the first big leaguer named Shelby, and it should happen soon. |
9 |
Trevor Bauer |
rhp, Diamondbacks |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2012 |
The unique ones are the hardest to project, and no one's as unique as Bauer. |
10 |
Dylan Bundy |
rhp, Orioles |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2013. |
First goal: Beat big brother Bobby to Baltimore. Next: Make the Orioles relevant. |
11 |
Manny Machado |
ss, Orioles |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2013 |
Power-hitting shortstop can restore honor to the phrase "Manny being Manny." |
12 |
Gerrit Cole |
rhp, Pirates |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
UCLA's second-best pitcher in 2011 still was good enough to go No. 1 in the draft. |
13 |
Tyler Skaggs |
lhp, Diamondbacks |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2012. |
He didn't get the 200-strikeout memo in 2011 and thought his 198 would be enough. |
14 |
Yoenis Cespedes |
of, Athletics |
Age: 26. |
ETA: 2012. |
Athletics hope he works out better than their last blockbuster Cuban, Ariel Prieto. |
15 |
Jameson Taillon |
rhp, Pirates |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
Ready to throw Pitch 76 as a pro for the first time as Pirates should remove the bubble wrap in 2012. |
16 |
Devin Mesoraco |
c, Reds |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
The Punxsutawney, Pa., native expects to deliver at least six more years of slugging in Cincinnati. |
17 |
Travis d'Arnaud |
c, Blue Jays |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
Brother Chase beat him to the big leagues, but Travis' ceiling is higher. |
18 |
Miguel Sano |
3b/ss, Twins |
Age: 18. |
ETA: 2014. |
You could see more errors than home runs in his first full season, but over time homers will go up and errors will come down. |
19 |
Anthony Rendon |
3b, Nationals |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Even with one good shoulder, he was the top hitter in last year's draft. |
20 |
Taijuan Walker |
rhp, Mariners |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Legitimate comparisons to Dwight Gooden (the good, pitching part)? Sign us up. |
21 |
Danny Hultzen |
lhp, Mariners |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
He's apples to Walker's oranges as a polished college lefty, but he offers plenty of upside himself. |
22 |
Jacob Turner |
rhp, Tigers |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2012. |
Already a graduate of the Rick Porcello school of accelerated Tigers timetables. |
23 |
Mike Montgomery |
lhp, Royals |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
Bauer's former prep teammate has to beat Bauer to the big leagues, doesn't he? |
24 |
Bubba Starling |
of, Royals |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2015. |
Won't even have to reach his ceiling to be baseball's best-ever Bubba (sorry, Bubba Smith). |
25 |
Archie Bradley |
rhp, Diamondbacks |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014 |
Which Oklahoma prep product will get to the majors Sooner, Bradley or Bundy? |
26 |
Jarrod Parker |
rhp, Athletics |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
Could be the next great A's pitcher to be traded away in three years. |
27 |
Carlos Martinez |
rhp, Cardinals |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
No matter what his name is, his fastball's one of the minors' best. |
28 |
Wil Myers |
of, Royals |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Gets a mulligan for his injury-plagued 2011 after posting a 1.156 OPS in the AFL. |
29 |
Manny Banuelos |
lhp, Yankees |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2012. |
Yankees player-development boss Mark Newman compared his poise to Whitey Ford—when Banuelos was 18. |
30 |
Drew Pomeranz |
lhp, Rockies |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
Walk rate keeps dropping, from college (4.38 BB/9) to minors (3.74) to majors (2.45). |
31 |
Martin Perez |
lhp, Rangers |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
His stuff is special enough that he ranks 31st in spite of a career 20-24, 4.22 record, including a 6.43 ERA in Triple-A last year. |
32 |
Brett Jackson |
of, Cubs |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
Steadily moving up the charts (38th on last year's Top 100) like a Foo Fighters song. |
33 |
Yonder Alonso |
of/1b, Padres |
Age: 24. |
ETA: 2012. |
Must be happy to leave left field and backing up Joey Votto behind, even for Petco. |
34 |
Jonathan Singleton |
1b/of, Astros |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2013. |
Will move back to first base now that he's no longer stuck behind Ryan Howard. |
35 |
Zack Wheeler |
rhp, Mets |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Will have to pay Paul DePodesta to dress up like Dick Tidrow now that he's a Met. |
36 |
Brad Peacock |
rhp, Athletics |
Age: 24. |
ETA: 2012. |
Joined Parker and other trade acquisitions to make over Athletics farm system in days. |
37 |
Francisco Lindor |
ss, Indians |
Age: 18. |
ETA: 2014. |
Shockingly, he's the fifth Francisco in Top 100 history, but the first hitter (following Cordero, Liriano, Rodriguez and Rosario). |
38 |
Gary Brown |
of, Giants |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
He has speed and defense to spare. Now he just has to perform outside the California League. |
39 |
Anthony Gose |
of, Blue Jays |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Physical dead-ringer for Nyjer Morgan has bigger tools than T-Plush. |
40 |
Arodys Vizcaino |
rhp, Braves |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2012. |
Third trip to the Top 100 for the first Arodys should be the last. |
41 |
Christian Yelich |
of, Marlins |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2013. |
No one cares how you throw when you can hit and run like Yelich. |
42 |
Nolan Arenado |
3b, Rockies |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2013. |
Should be a better version of former Rockies prospect Ian Stewart—less power but more contact. |
43 |
Mike Olt |
3b, Rangers |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
See, not all the Rangers' top prospects are international signees. |
44 |
Hak-Ju Lee |
ss, Rays |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Rays might reverse policy of moving prospects slowly, considering their big league shortstops posted a .539 OPS in 2011. |
45 |
Nick Castellanos |
3b, Tigers |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
No one will be more interested in the results of Miguel Cabrera's move back to third. |
46 |
Randall Delgado |
rhp, Braves |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
It feels like the mid-1990s with Atlanta's young pitching depth. |
47 |
Anthony Rizzo |
1b, Cubs |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
No prospect made as good a ballpark move as Rizzo's in going from Petco to Wrigley. |
48 |
Billy Hamilton |
ss, Reds |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2014. |
Posted the first 100-steal year in the minors in a decade; can he continue to do it at higher levels? |
49 |
Rymer Liriano |
of, Padres |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
The best ratio of talent to hype in the minors will put up loud Cal League numbers this season. |
50 |
Jarred Cosart |
rhp, Astros |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Another key trade piece helping to make over the Astros farm system, he seeks to marry consistency with one of the minors' most electric arms. |
51 |
Will Middlebrooks |
3b, Red Sox |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
"Middle"brooks was No. 50 before Yoenis Cespedes signed. Pure coincidence. |
52 |
James Paxton |
lhp, Mariners |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
Long wait for him to begin his professional career was worth it, as fresh Canadian arm was better in 2011 than he had ever been as an amateur. |
53 |
Yasmani Grandal |
c, Padres |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
Sticks with former Hurricanes teammate Yonder Alonso in moving to San Diego, and likewise avoids a major league roadblock in Mesoraco. |
54 |
Matt Harvey |
rhp, Mets |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
He has the stuff to outperform recent Tar Heels alumni in a major league rotation, with the bullpen a good fallback option. |
55 |
Jean Segura |
ss, Angels |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Premium tools, but just two spots higher than he ranked last year, thanks to hamstring problems. |
56 |
Wily Peralta |
rhp, Brewers |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
Best Brewers international signing since Juan Nieves? Maybe, though there's not much competition for the honor. |
57 |
A.J. Cole |
rhp, Athletics |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
Projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pounder came over in trade with the Nationals and now will play the jeans salesman in "Moneyball II." |
58 |
Xander Bogaerts |
ss, Red Sox |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
An Aruba native, Bogaerts apparently is Papiamento for "jaw-dropping, precocious power." |
59 |
George Springer |
of, Astros |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Figures to battle Rangers' Mike Olt for title of best UConn position player in the big leagues. |
60 |
Josh Bell |
of, Pirates |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Still waiting for the addendum to his mom's letter to major league clubs that says, " . . . unless you offer us $5 million." |
61 |
Javier Baez |
ss, Cubs |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Bat speed, Florida high school shortstop background . . . let the Gary Sheffield comparisons begin. |
62 |
Zach Lee |
rhp, Dodgers |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
Would he have made the difference as Les Miles' quarterback against Alabama? Unfortunately for Louisiana State, he really knows how to pitch. |
63 |
Dellin Betances |
rhp, Yankees |
Age: 24. |
ETA: 2013. |
Last year he became the 10th member of New York's 2006 draft class to reach the majors. |
64 |
Matt Szczur |
of, Cubs |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Exciting high-risk, high-reward talent who should take off with football in his rearview mirror. |
65 |
Sonny Gray |
rhp, Athletics |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Following David Price and Mike Minor, Gray should be next Commodore to sail on to the majors. |
66 |
Addison Reed |
rhp, White Sox |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
Making his own way after being known as Stephen Strasburg's closer in college. |
67 |
Jake Marisnick |
of, Blue Jays |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2014. |
Scouts doubted his bat as an amateur, but he's putting those doubts to rest. |
68 |
Jake Odorizzi |
rhp, Royals |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Part of the Royals' "next wave," which would be really their first wave of arms. |
69 |
Trevor May |
rhp, Phillies |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2014. |
While he's not a finished product, you just can't ignore 11.88 SO/9 IP over his career. At least we can't. |
70 |
Taylor Jungmann |
rhp, Brewers |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
His career 1.85 college ERA could double and he'd still be an effective pro. |
71 |
Jed Bradley |
lhp, Brewers |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Jungmann's wing man was drafted three spots later and sticks with him in Top 100 as well. |
72 |
Blake Swihart |
c, Red Sox |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
He'd be on the list even if he couldn't catch thanks to his hitting ability. |
73 |
Starling Marte |
of, Pirates |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
Good enough defensively to spur talk of pushing Andrew McCutchen to a corner. |
74 |
Oscar Taveras |
of, Cardinals |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Granted, it was only the Midwest League, but the highest average (.386) in the loop since 1956 is enough to get your attention. |
75 |
Zack Cozart |
ss, Reds |
Age: 26. |
ETA: 2012. |
Big league ready for most of the last two years; just needs to stay healthy. |
76 |
Casey Kelly |
rhp, Padres |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
No longer young for his age, his stuff is fine, but it's time for him to produce. |
77 |
Nick Franklin |
ss/2b, Mariners |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Switch-hitting middle infielder with power needs to show 2011 was the fluke, not 2010. |
78 |
Cory Spangenberg |
2b, Padres |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Athleticism, speed, hitting ability and a strong pro debut make him the minors' best second-base prospect. |
79 |
Leonys Martin |
of, Rangers |
Age: 24. |
ETA: 2012. |
He's likely good enough to beat out Julio Borbon, David Murphy in Texas, but will he be a star or just solid? |
80 |
Michael Choice |
of, Athletics |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Presents the classic tradeoff of huge strikeout totals for large home run totals. |
81 |
Gary Sanchez |
c, Yankees |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Took hits for his defensive ability and makeup in his first full season, but dished them out with his bat. |
82 |
Jonathan Schoop |
inf, Orioles |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
His power potential and infield actions are far beyond his brother Sharlon's. |
83 |
Garrett Richards |
rhp, Angels |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2012. |
He has the stuff for the front of a rotation, if not yet the command or polish. |
84 |
Cheslor Cuthbert |
3b, Royals |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
Hit his way from Nicaragua's Corn Islands to our Top 100; if he stays at third, he'll be special. |
85 |
Mason Williams |
of, Yankees |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
Heads up a deep, athletic group of Yankees prospects headed to low Class A Charleston. |
86 |
Chad Bettis |
rhp, Rockies |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Tyler Matzek and other premium Colorado draft arms need to figure out what Bettis is doing. |
87 |
Wilin Rosario |
c, Rockies |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
His prospect stock took a tumble when his performance slipped post-knee surgery, but he still offers power and defense. |
88 |
Zack Cox |
3b, Cardinals |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Should be a steady performer at third at a minimum, but will need to to show more power to be a premium player. |
89 |
Chris Archer |
rhp, Rays |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
Still needs to prove his 2010 breakout wasn't a fluke, and might have more impact in the bullpen. |
90 |
Taylor Guerrieri |
rhp, Rays |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2015. |
High risk, but brings substantial upside to an organization known for developing pitchers. |
91 |
Daniel Norris |
lhp, Blue Jays |
Age: 18. |
ETA: 2015. |
Toronto has tremendous pitching depth, and even though power lefty Norris hasn't debuted yet he still tops the list. |
92 |
Andrelton Simmons |
ss, Braves |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2014. |
Age-appropriate Carolina League batting champs who can defend are good bets. |
93 |
Kolten Wong |
2b, Cardinals |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Similar profile to Cory Spangenberg, with less speed but perhaps more polish. |
94 |
Tyrell Jenkins |
rhp, Cardinals |
Age: 19. |
ETA: 2014. |
One of Jeff Luhnow's parting gifts to St. Louis was drafting this premium athlete in 2010. |
95 |
Allen Webster |
rhp, Dodgers |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2013. |
Despite low budgets, the Dodgers have scored in the draft with under-the-radar finds like Webster. |
96 |
Nate Eovaldi |
rhp, Dodgers |
Age: 22. |
ETA: 2012. |
Dodgers have intriguing arms to build around, if new ownership gives them the money to do so. |
97 |
Matt Davidson |
3b/1b, Diamondbacks |
Age: 21. |
ETA: 2013. |
Pushing his way past Diamondbacks draft peer Bobby Borchering as a power-hitting third baseman. |
98 |
Jedd Gyorko |
3b, Padres |
Age: 23. |
ETA: 2013. |
Could be the best hitter from the state of West Virginia since Nick Swisher posted a .909 OPS in the minors. |
99 |
Joe Benson |
of, Twins |
Age: 24. |
ETA: 2012. |
Ready for his Target Field closeup . . . so he's probably headed to Rochester. |
100 |
Christian Villanueva |
3b, Rangers |
Age: 20. |
ETA: 2014. |
Best Hickory Crawdads third baseman since Jose Bautista in 2002. |