Top 100 Prospects
published December 14, 2005
by David Luciani

For people who have read our recently-published Baseball Notebook Rookie Analysis E-Book, not much here will be new, particularly since that e-book included a top 500 prospect list that began with these hundred names.  In fact, I was poised to write an introduction saying pretty much the same things I did in the introduction to the BNRA when I realized that I couldn't say it better than I did there and so I will quote from the middle part of that introduction here, which says what needs to be said to put this list in context.  Those who have already read the BNRA already know how to read our prospect lists and can skip this quoted section:

"... I know from my experience in publishing prospect lists that I am often accused of being a contrarian (I've heard much harsher language, even insulting my character or motives when people don't agree with me about a player ranked differently on my lists than, say, one you would find at Baseball America). Indeed, many of my former prospect lists have fallen under heavy criticism and even mockery from readers and reader groups online who instantly dismiss them because a so-called "unanimous" top prospect either falls lower on my lists than expected or fails to make it all. No doubt I have missed some prospects along the way but they are the exceptions rather than the rule and I'm the first to admit when I have been wrong about a player. Among the most unpopular choices to omit from previous top prospect lists, published in both my pre-Internet newsletter and since 1998, at the website at BaseballNotebook.com, all of Ruben Rivera, Russell Branyan, Josh Hamilton, Kris Benson, Paul Wilson, Gavin Floyd, Ben Grieve, Brien Taylor, Jeffrey Hammonds, Todd Van Poppel and many other "can't miss prospects" over the years have either failed to even make our top 100 or 200 prospect list, such as most of the names here, or fallen much lower than most other sources had them ranked such as Branyan who only once made our top 100 prospect list.

The reasons for this are simple - A top prospect is not a top prospect simply because everyone says he is and statistics, still to the dislike of many, do matter in forecasting the long-term success or failure of a prospect. Contrary to some opinions out there about my approach, I do believe in examining the so-called scouted "tools" of a player and in fact, I account for them when I do situational forecasting, such as I do in this work, when I suggest that if a particular pitcher, for example, achieves control beyond the expectations and pace of his improvement so far, he will be successful because he has the tools of success minus the more learnable skill of control.

With this introduction, therefore, I am launching a pre-emptive strike against the feedback I anticipate would normally be coming my way. In the past, when publishing top 100 or top 200 lists, I generally receive anywhere from a hundred to many hundreds of reader responses, usually complaining and less often inquiring about why their favorite prospect did not make the list or isn't nearly as highly ranked as another deservingly respected publication, such as Baseball America, ranks them.

To those readers, I will respond here in a general sense with the sincere hope that it addresses those concerns en masse. If a player fails to be ranked as high as the reader might expect, either in terms of his overall prospect rating or his projected prime, it is usually because his performance to date combined with an analysis of how others of his age from the past have performed historically, has led me to conclude that this player's career is proceeding toward the statistical future projected. I know there are readers who feel I have failed to consider the player's "outstanding stuff" or "big-time upside" and to those readers, I can tell you that for virtually all of the top prospects, I am aware of and in many cases have personally seen their skills in action. There are occasions when a player's skills can override their statistics to date and influence me to project a different future than the apparent past would imply but statistics, contrary to some false perceptions, are not only about the past and they better capture the skills of a player than any anecdotal information out there. So often, I get readers who write me to tell me that they were at a game when a pitcher froze a hitter with his great curveball or that they saw a hitter knocking the ball out of the park consistently in batting practice. Suppose you've seen ten games or five batting practice sessions of your favorite prospect, which most haven't. Would that information be enough to override the large and unbiased (i.e. properly neutralized) samples of a full season of statistical data against meaningful competition? I argue that such encounters would not with the rarest of exceptions. When scouting college or high school players, absolutely it is possible to gather more information from a personal encounter than the statistics would reveal but this is because the statistics in those cases do not come as a consistently usable set of data that enables us to completely and properly evaluate the player. Statistics not only matter but they reveal the unexpected. See Chad Bradford for a case in point. I wonder how many scouts, watching him pitch, would have successfully projected his career upside based on his apparent skills alone. There are many others but he's an excellent example.

Also, to those readers who have openly questioned my favoring a single team (for some reason, people thought I favored the Yankees last year), it simply isn't the case. If more of a team's prospect get higher rankings, it is because I rank those prospects as such irrespective of their team and as prospect ratings are environment-neutral and based on talent, potential and ability, I am no more likely to rate a Yankee first as I am to rate an Arizona Diamondback first. I've neutralized all analyzed qualities to remove the context of both their minor league and major league organization when making lists and I have no bias as I want the lists to be correct. I think the intelligent reader will quickly realize that it is not possible for me to benefit from seeing my favorite team's prospects ranked higher on my own prospect list for any other reason than the player's entitlement to be placed exactly where he is. Could I really enjoy seeing a #1 ranking for a player I root for who I know deserves to be a #3? Think about it. No, the Yankees aren't my favorite team but if they were, it wouldn't have changed the order of a single prospect in any of my previous prospect lists."

***

So, with the warnings out of the way, let me give you a simple summary of how these prospect lists come together.  When I put together the BNRA, and even before we started publishing it, I am required to project a player's future "prime ability" or the ability he will have when he is at his best.  As explained in the e-book, I use a detailed age model that accounts for the physical change in players and then I assign an overall prospect rating that attempts, in one place, to summarize the sort of career a player is expected to have.  Some players can have better projected primes but shorter careers.  Ryan Howard, who made his breakthrough at the age of twenty-five, may fall into this group.  That is to say that his best year may be better than a higher-ranked prospect's best year but in terms of rating the value of the overall career contribution, the higher-ranked prospect gets the nod.  Readers will recall that I said the same about Eric Hinske a few years back for the same reason and that is, just like Howard, his Rookie of the Year season came at a bit older age than we would like.

Basically, a prospect gets listed in terms of how I think his career will be viewed when looked at in its entirety once it is over.  A player who has several 40 home run seasons but who isn't expected to have the longevity of a player who can hit 30 home runs a year over fifteen years could, reasonably, be ranked lower.  Obviously, putting players in order on a prospect list is an inexact science but I've been very pleased with my prospect lists over the years and I've constantly refined and improved the methods to account for previous season's omissions or overestimations.  Last year's top ten lists (which were separated by league and hitting/pitching) included the names of Delmon Young, Scott Baker, Zach Duke and Lastings Milledge, among others, and I'm glad to be able to present a list that combines all players in one place.  I'm long overdue for such a change so that prospects can be compared in context.

Again, I quote from the BNRA here to put this list in context:

"When combining a list of top hitting prospects and top pitching prospects, it's difficult and yet crucial that somehow we compare the two types of player on a similar scale so that future value can be properly assessed. In more than ten years now of making prospect lists, the best distribution of prospects and relative value has always seemed to be top-heavy with hitting prospects, since they are not only the most predictable but because they tend to typically be the biggest contributors to team wins with rare exceptions. After you get beyond the top ten, the lists naturally have become heavy with pitchers with hitters mixed in. So, in this year's set... we discover that we don't hit our first pitcher until we get beyond the top ten. It's not because I think that a pitcher is less valuable but because that's just the nature of the prospects and the way the prospect ratings have come out in this edition, that there is no future Pedro Martinez or Roger Clemens that warrants being placed in the top ten. However, once we get beyond the top ten, we find a list populated heavily with pitchers, which makes sense as of course, pitching is still a key part of the game.

I can't say for sure why such an order / mixing method always seems to work so well but it has served me well in recent years to keep pitchers as evenly distributed among the prospect list as possible even though often my instincts would have said otherwise. This is probably because there are now almost as many pitchers in baseball as there are hitters. Historically, at least since about 1992 or 1993, the mixed prospect lists that have about the same number of pitchers and hitters has performed better and more accurately at projecting future talent than the one that is hitting-heavy. So, while at first glance it may seem that there are too many pitchers in the list, in fact there (were) 237 pitchers listed in the top 500 prospects (about 47% of the players). In recent years, the number of pitchers in baseball who appear has significantly increased and in the real 2005 major league baseball season, there were 606 pitchers who appeared and 632 hitters or, in other words, pitchers represented 49% of the baseball player population in 2005. Compare this to 1987, when pitchers represented just 43% of the population, and we see the modern effects of twelve man pitching staffs, compared to the nine or ten man pitching staffs of twenty years ago.

This edition of the top prospect list, therefore, continues that tradition which has, in hindsight, worked well.

You don't have to be a rookie to make this list but you do have to have been included in (the BNRA). So, the rare exceptions of players who no longer have rookie status but who get a long-term projection (such as Felix Hernandez or B.J. Upton) qualify for this list as long as they had more than 100 at bats and/or 100 batters faced at Single-A to Triple-A in the last two years combined. I wanted to rank a pitcher in the top fifteen but there simply wasn't anyone (even Zach Duke, Scott Baker or Felix Hernandez) who I felt deserved to be ahead of any of these other hitters ranked in the top group."

***

I think I've sufficiently issued caveats and warnings here on how to read the list.  Here then is our top 100 prospect list - I've put in some comments though this list isn't intended to be a scouting report and I've only put in comments when I felt they were warranted or needed.  Before you write to tell me I've missed someone, please read the above introductions as it will often give you the reason why your favorite isn't listed:

1. Barton, Daric (OAK) - 128.73 - 1B - In the Mid-2005 BNRA, Barton was #2 in our rankings and he now leaps ahead of Delmon Young in this edition to be our #1 ranked prospect overall. It's important to realize that by the time both careers are over, Barton's best season will probably not be as good as Young's best season, but I now fully expect a significantly longer and more consistently productive career from Barton, particularly in terms of his ability to produce runs and be valuable to his team. I'm now projecting the sort of career somewhere between what a Cal Ripken and a Fred McGriff might have done (as a hitter). One key difference between Barton and Young is that while I expect greater consistency, I think his power is several years away from full development and so that makes Young a much more ready prospect than Barton. Still, I can't ignore that I think that by the time both players are retired, Barton will be considered to have had the more productive career between the two and in any case, you can't really go wrong with either one of them. His days as a catcher are behind him.

2. Young, Delmon (TB) - 113.16 - OF - In the mid-2005 BNRA he was head and shoulders above everyone, and in (the latest) edition he slides back to the pack here slightly because of the downgrade in future projected batting average, now not quite the future mid-.300 hitter he looked like he would be just months ago. It's not that Young isn't still going to be a superstar. He's the highest ranked outfielder... and the second-highest ranked hitter but I now start to see his likely career as one with an unusual age curve, rising sharply and quickly so that his superstar skills are on display early and then dropping more quickly than some others, largely because much of the strength of his prime game will come from his great speed, which won't last. In deciding his prospect rating against the now currently-ranked number one Daric Barton, you can compare Young's career in the same way you might compare an Albert Belle to a Cal Ripken or Fred McGriff. In one sense, Young's star will probably shine brighter than Barton's when his game is at its best (and the two are almost exactly the same age) but in terms of longevity, I see his career as being several years shorter and less consistent than Barton's. His Triple-A Durham performance in late 2005 was a disappointment, particularly the disturbing walk total that reflected what seems to be a less selective eye than should have been expected after his 2004 Single-A season. His not getting called up by Tampa Bay was a subsequent disappointment and now, he needs to either have a strong spring training in 2006 or a hot start at Triple-A to assure himself of a quick recall. As young as he is, the Devil Rays can afford to be patient with their top prospect. As the ability projections show below, he already has the skill to hit 20 home runs in the majors right now and his speed game is about a year or two from being refined.

3. Pence, Hunter (HOU) - 110.79 - OF - Very close to being ready for the big leagues, look for him to rise through the ranks quickly at this point. It wouldn't be surprising to see him leap all the way from high Single-A ball to the majors within a single year.

4. Denker, Travis (LAD) - 110.11 - 2B - He's almost certainly the least known of the top listed prospects. A late selection (round 21) of the Dodgers in the 2003 draft, I've often heard Denker compared to Marcus Giles, probably because they're both small guys with good power upside. He produces an incredible amount of power for someone so small and his walk rates, when considered in combination with age, are extraordinarily good. He's up to six years away from being an impact player in the big leagues but years from now, I suspect people will be looking back at him as a player that was unfairly ignored because he was small by baseball standards.

5. Butler, Billy (KC) - 103.09 - OF - When we published the Mid-2005 BNRA, he was listed as a third baseman but by year's end, he had played more games in the outfield than at third base, playing the outfield exclusively when he moved up to Double-A Wichita. He has a high power ceiling and will hit for a strong average. Because of his size, he has no speed (which doesn't matter to his game) but even if he ends up in left or right field or even as a DH, he'll be a heavy contributor.

6. Upton, B.J. (TB) - 98.32 - SS - He remains a top prospect and one of the most likely players to appear in the majors within the next two years who didn't appear in 2005. His future, however, probably isn't as a shortstop if his defensive problems continue. Look at the error total from 2005 and you see a player who really needs a change of position to break through and I'm starting to see his future as an outfielder, maybe a center fielder or left fielder, if things don't change soon. His hitting ability will definitely be good enough for the majors and he's going to get a call-up imminently but as the top-ranked shortstop prospect, he's probably not going to be playing that position three years from now.  Look for the Devil Rays to break him into the majors through the DH position as they search for a spot for him.  I still wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in center field one day.

7. Hermida, Jeremy (FLO) - 96.19 - OF - In the first big league forecasts for 2006, I projected him to be pretty much a regular player, largely because the Marlins have traded away so many players that his 41 major league at bats almost makes him an elder statesman here.  I'm not projecting instant power but the first forecast has him hitting .259 with 15 home runs and 13 steals in 2006, which isn't deadly to a team that wants to carry him for the purpose of securing him for the future.  His prime ability will be much better, like a consistent 25 home run type over fifteen years who challenges 100 walks and steals 10-15 bases every year.  He will be a true run-producer for a long time.

8. Herrera, Javier (OAK) - 90.62 - OF - Be very careful not to confuse him with the much lower-ranked catcher of the same name who came out of the Cleveland organization. This Herrera was ranked #3 in the Mid-2005 BNRA and he drops some in this edition to be #8. He faces the problem of having a contact rate that will prevent him from having the breakthrough minor league season necessary to get him to the majors and while he is patient, he swings for the fences a bit too often even though his power (which is already better than the numbers would reveal) is best when he uses his more controlled swing. He still looks already capable of a 20/20 season but he's a year or two from his first breakthrough.

9. Carp, Mike (NYM) - 83.77 - 1B - He played only one game at third base but I think his progress would be expedited by a move to third base as he has the ability to play there and his hitting skills are already ahead of where they should be for his age, despite a slightly lower contact rate that will likely develop around 2007. His power potential is quite high and his selectivity at the plate was already showing significant improvement even within the 2005 season. I hope he is not rushed, and I don't expect him to be, but he's a name to remember about five or ten years from now. The wait for the projected prime will be a long one that's very much worth it.

10. Sanders, Marcus (SF) - 82.65 - SS - My opinion of his future power has dropped significantly since the Mid-2005 BNRA but his overall prospect rating hasn't changed much as he still projects as an eventual 30-40 steal type who'll get plenty of walks and be a major run producer from an often weak shortstop position. It wouldn't surprise me to see him end up as a third baseman or second baseman by the time he reaches regular play in the majors. As low as he is on the minor league ladder, initial exposure to the big leagues is likely coming within the next three years.

11. Fielder, Prince (MIL) - 76.13 - 1B - Fielder has now made his major league debut - Fielder falls from #5 in the June edition to #11 this time out but Cecil's son still looks to be quite a future power hitter. He's dropped slightly in recent years because he no longer looks like he will hit for a big-time average but he's still going to have a long and powerful career.  Since the BNRA was published, the Brewers traded away Lyle Overbay to make room for Fielder and he headed into 2006 as the clear front-runner to be the everyday first baseman, barring a collapse in spring training.

12. Wood, Brandon (LAA) - 72.49 - SS - I'll be surprised if he's not at or near the top of most pre-2006 prospect lists and he ties with B.J. Upton in this edition as one of the only two players to whom I will assign a 99% call-up chance within two years - and in Wood's case we're talking about a player who's never seen the majors and has only four games above the Single-A level. To me, his power is already ready but his batting average ability isn't but I believe the Angels will be anxious to give him his first exposure to the big leagues, likely in September of 2006 if not before. I'm not yet convinced that he's going to remain at shortstop for his career and he looks like a future third baseman to me, though his skills at shortstop are already adequate, despite the occasional mental error.

13. Stewart, Ian (COL) - 72.39 - 3B - Stewart drops from #4 in the Mid-2005 BNRA to #13 in this edition, though he remains the top ranked third baseman. His contact rate is now becoming a mild concern but if he ended up spending his career in the thin air of Colorado, obviously his prime would look even better...  He's a good prospect no matter where he ends up and regardless of his position.

14. Rodriguez, Sean (LAA) - 70.22 - SS

15. Pedroia, Dustin (BOS) - 69.82 - 2B

16. Saltalamacchia, Jarr (ATL) - 65.17 - C

17. Kemp, Matthew (LAD) - 63.54 - OF

18. Duke, Zach (PIT) - 63.38 - P - I think I surprised some people when I listed him as the #2 pitching prospect on my pre-2005 NL pitching prospect lists, partially because he had never been ranked higher than #34 by Baseball America and mostly because many of the prospects ranked below him don't have the so-called "stuff" that ace pitchers are made of. If you look at his history, all he's done is eaten up hitters at every stop and level along his professional career. Though his minor league strikeout numbers are misleading in that he doesn't have the fastball that many pitchers with those types of numbers would have, his major league debut was amazing and I don't regret listing him among the top prospects a year ago. I know I'm on a limb when I say this but I believe that when the careers of Zach Duke and Felix Hernandez are both complete, it will be arguable which had the better career.

19. Baker, Scott (MIN) - 62.98 - P - I know I surprised many people when I listed Scott Baker as the #1 AL pitching prospect in my pre-2005 lists, even ahead of Felix Hernandez, and he didn't disappoint in 2005, going 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 10 games for the Twins down the stretch. Contrary to some published reports about him, he's not a soft-tosser and he has an excellent slider and curve and amazing control for a pitcher who is so young. I continue to sing his praises though expecting him to sustain his initial big league success over the 2006 season would be unrealistic. His durability during a game (or lack thereof) combined with his occasionally overpowering stuff may one day get him closer consideration.  Just as an additional note, even though I consider him a top pitching prospect and considering his outstanding big league debut, I actually don't think he's ready yet for the kind of season I envision.  That is, readers must understand that a player can be a top prospect, have a great debut and still be not projected for instant success over his first full season, which will be 2006.  In Baker's case, I expect him to go back to learning a bit and not have a spectacular 2006 big league season.

20. Hernandez, Felix (SEA) - 62.58 - P - Technically, I shouldn't have included him in (the BNRA which was) called a "Rookie Analysis" but I wanted to have one last opportunity to represent where I think he belongs in the list of top prospects. Everyone knows about him and there isn't really much that you can say that hasn't already been said.  I think Scott Baker is undervalued and Zach Duke is finally getting the recognition he deserves but Hernandez remains, even in my so-called "low opinion" of him, as some have called it, the #3 ranked pitcher in this edition and barely so, just fractions of a prospect point behind the other two.

21. James, Chuck (ATL) - 62.18 - P - In (the BNRA), the relative closer index I've provided rates him the pitcher most likely to end up as one and he's going to be a good one if that happens. Of course, he's been a starter his entire minor league career and if he ended up in that role, he'd also be just as valuable, if not more, to his real team. I love this guy's pitch selection and he projects as a big-time strikeout pitcher with above-average control. His call-up rating shows that I think he's close to the majors and among pitchers as small as he is, he gets the most out of his frame. He's had minor personal problems that have earned him a suspension in the past but those are apparently behind him. Remember his name.

22. Janssen, Casey (TOR) - 61.78 - P - He's one of those rare pitchers who I think could excel in either a closer's role or a starter's role and I expect the Blue Jays to be patient with him as he at least gets a full year of Double-A under his belt. He's already got the control he will need and he's remarkable at consistently keeping the ball down in the strike zone, so much so that he didn't allow a single home run in almost 50 innings pitched at Single-A Lansing in 2005. As he continues to get weight and given his height, his strikeout ability will further develop. I would have ranked him even higher had he not already been twenty-four years old at the end of the 2005 season.

23. Liriano, Francisco (MIN) - 61.39 - P - He's that rare pitcher who manages to make our top thirty prospects while having a much better projection in his so-called "CONTROL ERA" column. That is to say, I'm projecting that even if he doesn't obtain even average control, his stuff is so good that it will compensate for it enough that he'll still be successful and of course, if he exceeds control expectations, then he would be ranked even higher. I like him better as a reliever than a starter but it seems he's slated for the opposite.

24. Petit, Yusmeiro (FLO) - 61.00 - P - In the Mid-2005 BNRA, I ranked him as the pitcher most likely to end up as a future closer and while he's fallen just slightly since then, I still believe this will be the case even though he's been used as a starter exclusively throughout his minor league career. Key to his development is the continued improvement he showed in 2005 with his control and he'll be at Triple-A if not at the beginning then by the end of the 2006 season. His first exposure to the big leagues is close and he's almost ready to be a successful big league reliever. His stuff is such that as good as it is, I don't think it would be as effective the second time around through the lineup, which is why I prefer his future in the bullpen to that of being a starter.  Since the BNRA was published, Petit was traded from the Mets to the Marlins in the Carlos Delgado deal.

25. Reyes, Anthony (STL) - 60.61 - P

26. Marte, Andy (BOS) - 60.30 - 3B - He was dealt by the Braves to the Red Sox for Edgar Renteria.  Rumors about him having a tear in his elbow have been emphatically denied by the Red Sox.

27. Nippert, Dustin (ARI) - 60.22 - P

28. Jaso, John (TB) - 59.87 - DH

29. Verlander, Justin (DET) - 59.84 - P - He's moved up everyone's prospect lists the past year (including mine) and even managed to have a cup of coffee in the majors in 2005. It's likely and probably best for him that he spends one more full season in the minors, likely spending a half-season at Double-A and a half-season at Triple-A in 2006 with a September callup, to further refine his skills. He's a solid prospect whose skills are almost big league ready, tossing aside two forgettable games with Detroit in 2005.

30. Gonzalez, Carlos (ARI) - 59.54 - OF

31. Lester, Jon (BOS) - 59.45 - P

32. Parra, Manny (MIL) - 59.07 - P

33. LaRoche, Andy (LAD) - 58.77 - 3B - LaRoche drops from #9 in the previous edition to #33 in this one but he's still a strong power threat who is within two or three years of his breakthrough.

34. McCarthy, Brandon (CHW) - 58.69 - P - I know my constant lower ranking of him than other publications has irked some readers and I need to remind that a 34th place ranking on a list such as mine does make him a future solid pitcher, even if it's not the top spot in the prospect lists. He simply must learn to keep the ball down if he's to achieve the success that so many have projected for him and even his minor league ERA results have been suffering for this reason. Even with the good minor league seasons, he has not yet achieved his strikeout potential and with his height, he has tremendous leverage.

35. Jurrjens, Jair (DET) - 58.31 - P

36. Wang, Chien-Ming (NYY) - 57.94 - P - Though his 2005 debut was strong, I actually think he performed better than he should have for his experience and age.  That is to say that I don't expect a repeat performance in 2006 as he still needs a bit more development time.

37. Jackson, Conor (ARI) - 57.59 - 1B - Bob Melvin has said that he's the Arizona first baseman going into 2006.

38. Hill, Shawn (WAS) - 57.57 - P

39. Eveland, Dana (MIL) - 57.20 - P

40. Patton, Troy (HOU) - 56.83 - P

41. Santana, Ervin (LAA) - 56.46 - P

42. Loe, Kameron (TEX) - 56.09 - P

43. Deaton, Kevin (NYM) - 55.73 - P

44. Keppel, Bob (NYM) - 55.37 - P

45. McCann, Brian (ATL) - 55.15 - C - He goes into 2006 likely to be the Braves' regular catcher.

46. Hughes, Philip (NYY) - 55.01 - P

47. Everts, Clint (WAS) - 54.65 - P

48. Astacio, Ezequiel (HOU) - 54.30 - P - He's a candidate for the rotation in 2006, though I think he's a long way from being ready.

49. Papelbon, Jon (BOS) - 53.95 - P

50. Alvarez, Abe (BOS) - 53.59 - P

51. Bautista, Denny (KC) - 53.25 - P

52. Cormier, Lance (ATL) - 52.90 - P

53. Snell, Ian (PIT) - 52.55 - P

54. Stauffer, Tim (SD) - 52.21 - P

55. Plouffe, Trevor (MIN) - 51.97 - SS

56. Rasner, Darrell (WAS) - 51.87 - P

57. Thames, Marcus (DET) - 51.70 - OF

58. Carter, William (ARI) - 51.60 - 1B

59. Ulloa, Enmanuel (COL) - 51.53 - P

60. Germano, Justin (CIN) - 51.19 - P

61. Petrick, Billy (CHC) - 50.85 - P

62. Kaaihue, Kila (KC) - 50.78 - 1B

63. Hernandez, Gabriel (FLO) - 50.52 - P

64. Quentin, Carlos (ARI) - 50.24 - OF

65. Johnson, Josh (FLO) - 50.19 - P

66. Melillo, Kevin (OAK) - 50.07 - 2B

67. Billingsley, Chad (LAD) - 49.86 - P

68. Henn, Sean (NYY) - 49.53 - P

69. Sonnanstine, Andrew (TB) - 49.20 - P

70. Thigpen, Curtis (TOR) - 48.90 - C

71. Bannister, Brian (NYM) - 48.88 - P

72. Sowers, Jeremy (CLE) - 48.55 - P

73. Guerrier, Matt (MIN) - 48.23 - P

74. Bazardo, Yorman (SEA) - 47.91 - P

75. Apodaca, Juan (LAD) - 47.88 - C

76. Salome, Angel (MIL) - 47.85 - C

77. Carmona, Fausto (CLE) - 47.60 - P

78. Gonzalez, Giovany (PHI) - 47.28 - P

79. Young, Chris (ARI) - 47.20 - OF

80. Maholm, Paul (PIT) - 46.97 - P

81. Bankston, Wes (TB) - 46.96 - 1B

82. Liotta, Ray (CHW) - 46.65 - P

83. Mitre, Sergio (FLO) - 46.34 - P

84. Encarnacion, Edwin (CIN) - 46.32 - 3B - He looks to be a regular big league player in 2006 and I'm projecting a .251, 17 home run, 9 stolen base season.  He should eventually develop into an annual 20 home run contributor.

85. Livingston, Bobby (SEA) - 46.03 - P

86. Banks, Joshua (TOR) - 45.73 - P

87. Kubel, Jason (MIN) - 45.55 - OF - He needs to prove that he's fully recovered from a lost year before he regains his place among the elite prospects.  He could win an everyday outfield spot in the Minnesota outfield with an outstanding spring training.

88. Zobrist, Benjamin (HOU) - 45.48 - SS

89. Barthmaier, Jimmy (HOU) - 45.42 - P

90. DiNardo, Lenny (BOS) - 45.12 - P

91. Hensley, Clay (SD) - 44.82 - P

92. Broxton, Jonathan (LAD) - 44.52 - P

93. Nicolas, Cesar (ARI) - 44.28 - 1B

94. Thompson, Derek (LAD) - 44.22 - P

95. Kensing, Logan (FLO) - 43.92 - P

96. Capellan, Jose (MIL) - 43.63 - P - I still think Capellan's going to have a solid career and in fact, he's among the pitchers who I think will have one of the best ERAs when he's in his prime. What's dropping him down the list compared to where he was even in the June edition (of the prospect rankings) is that he's already approaching his mid-twenties and hasn't really gotten an extended big league shot. I suspect that his 2005 audition with the Brewers will have secured him a 2006 big league roster spot and to me, he looks like one of the most likely future closers around. Because he turns twenty-five in January of 2006, he just can't remain among the top twenty prospects and now falls to the bottom end of the top one hundred. I still think his best season will look better than many of the pitchers ranked ahead of him, even if his career is now certain to be much shorter than some of these others.

97. Olsen, Scott (FLO) - 43.33 - P

98. Ramirez, Ismael (TOR)- 43.04 - P

99. Martinez-Esteve, Edd (SF) - 43.01 - DH

100. Ramirez, Elizardo (CIN) - 42.75 - P