TOP 50 hitting and pitching prospects

This information comes from BASEBALL PROSPECT CENTRAL

AMERICAN LEAGUE

TOP 50 HITTING PROSPECTS
1 Evan Longoria TAM 3B A+ Long term deal ensures he’ll stay in the big leagues. Impressive start gets him #1 spot here.
4 Matt Wieters BAL C A .385 with 4 HRs. So far ahead of the other catching prospects it’s not funny.
5 Mike Moustakas KC SS A Just .193 in the early going, but 9:6 K:BB offers some encouragement. Not worried about his bat.
6 Jacoby Ellsbury BOS OF A- 3 HR already is a surprise and an anomoly, but it’s hard to see Crisp getting a lot of at-bats over him.

7 Travis Snider TOR OF A- We said he could move quickly and he did, getting AA promotion. Team’s LF of the near future.
13 Reid Brignac TAM SS A- .258 overall and just .222 vs. LHP. Probably notthing more than a Sept. callup at this rate.
15 Carlos Gonzalez OAK OF A- .348 with 3 HR and an improved 14:7 K:BB. Might see him by June.
18 Brandon Wood LAA 3B A- Power is there (7 HR), but 26:5 K:BB is the big concern. .325 AVG in last 10 games though.
19 Vladimir Balentien SEA OF A- Making good contact, so .245 AVG will come around. Like Jeff Clement, he’s be an upgrade at DH.
26 Carlos Gomez MIN OF B+ .230 with 24:2 K:BB could have him ticketed for AAA at some point soon.
29 Jose Tabata NYY OF B+ .222 with no homers in 81 at-bats. Age aside, it’s time for him to produce.
30 Austin Jackson NYY OF B+ 0 HR in 85 at-bats, but 10-game hit steak and very impressive 13:14 K:BB.
35 Chris Carter OAK 1B B Just on FIRE. 10-for-20 with six homers in last six games (3-HR game).
36 Carlos Triunfel SEA SS B Awful start, but coming around in last two games perhaps? 4-for-7.
41 Taylor Teagarden TEX C B 21 K in 55 at-bats leaves him below Mendoza line. 1.012 OPS last year more indicative of talent.
45 Beau Mills CLE 1B B LH hitter but hitting .313 vs. lefties and an abyssmal .146 vs. RHP. 13:12 K:BB is encouraging.

TOP 50 PITCHING PROSPECTS
4 Joba Chamberlain NYY SP A Hank Steinbrenner is pushing for Joba in the rotation. Hank really is his father’s son.
5 Rick Porcello DET SP A 1.35 ERA, 16:5 K:BB in 20 innings. Yeah he’s pretty good alright.
6 David Price TAM SP A He’s throwing now and should return in early-to-mid May. Elbow doesn’t seem serious.
7 Wade Davis TAM SP A- 4.09 ERA isn’t awful, but 11:8 K:BB in 22 innings bears watching. 9.6 K/9 last season.
11 Nick Adenhart LAA SP A- 1.17 ERA, but 14:12 K:BB will need work if he wants to see Anaheim before September.
19 Jordan Walden LAA SP B+ 1.90 ERA, 21:6 K:BB in 23.2 innings so far in full season debut. He can be special.
20 Adam Miller CLE SP B+ 2008 debut came Wednesday and it was a success – 5 scorless with 2 K’s.
24 Brett Anderson OAK SP B+ 3 greats starts 1 awful = 2.66, 23:5 K:BB, 20.1 innings. I might be underrating him at this slot.
25 Luke Hochevar KC SP B+ Debut didn’t go so well, so not sure he sticks in the rotation from here on out.
29 Aaron Poreda CHW SP B Far from dominant, but 2.35 ERA gets it done every time. Still may wind up a reliver.
30 Neftali Feliz TEX SP B 8 R and 8 BB in last 9.2 innings covering 3 starts. Inconsistency isn’t a surprise considering age.
32 Eric Hurley TEX SP B 5-5-2-2-2-7 last time out was his best start of the year. 29 H in just 19 2/3 innings is a bit much.
33 Brett Cecil TOR SP B On a strict pitchcount – just 7 1/3 innings in 3 starts, but he’s been sharp.
39 Daniel Cortes KC SP B 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings, but 9:8 K:BB is far from encouraging and he’s averaging under 5 IP/start.
41 Justin Masterson BOS SP B 0.95 ERA and 23:5 K:BB is a nice start to be sure. Still not convinced he’s a starter long term.
45 Alan Horne NYY SP B Could replace Ian Kennedy at some point if Horne’s strained biceps isn’t serious.
50 Radhames Liz BAL SP B Not sure how a guy with his stuff has a 7.98 ERA. 4 BB in 14 2/3 IP isn’t Daniel Cabrera-like.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

TOP 50 HITTING PROSPECTS
2 Jay Bruce CIN OF A+ Slow start, but 8 hits in last 6 games. Probably a Griffey injury away from the call.
3 Colby Rasmus STL OF A .333 in last six games and has now homered in back-to-back games. We say up by June at the latest.
12 Andy LaRoche LAD 3B A- Began a 20-game rehab assignment on Wednesday, putting him on target for a mid-May return.
14 Andrew McCutcheon PIT OF A- Heating up….341 in last 10 games. 11 of 21 hits are of the XBH variety.
16 Chase Headley SD OF A- 19 K and .234 AVG in 64 at-bats, but he’s probably still mad he opened in AAA.
21 Angel Villalona SF 3B A- Slumping badly…down to .222 with 16:4 K:BB, but not surprised or worried due to his age.
22 Matt Antonelli SD 2B B+ With Iguchi struggling, the opportunity is there, but .228 AVG isn’t helping his cause.
23 Jason Heyward ATL OF B+ .312/.368/.416 is highly impressive for a kid his age (or anyone). Just needs to cut down on the K’s.
28 Fernando Martinez NYM OF B+ Slow start, but four multi-hits games in his last six. 22:5 K:BB bears watching.
33 Ian Stewart COL 3B B Last 3 games – 6 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI. Could be his long-awaited breakout year.
37 Bryan Anderson STL C B LH hitter is 9-for-20 vs. LHP. .369 AVG helps mask 3 BB in 15 games.
40 Neil Walker PIT 3B B 77% CT% is okay, so you have to figure .161 AVG will improve. 13:6 K:BB could be worse.
42 Gerardo Parra ARI OF B 10 SB already and a .393 OBP. Arizona can really crank out the OF prospects.
44 Michael Burgess WAS OF B .303 with 4 HR, but CT% of 64% will eat away at that AVG quickly and soon.

TOP 50 PITCHING PROSPECTS
1 Clayton Kershaw LAD SP A 1.83 ERA, 23 K in 19.2 innings and Dodgers have a hole in the No. 5 slot. Hmmm…
8 Max Scherzer ARI SP A- Big jump, but it’s hard to ignore a 29:3 K:BB. Should be Arizona’s No. 5 starter any day.
10 Homer Bailey CIN SP A 1.03 ERA is great, 16 K in 26.1 innings is surprisingly low. He should rebound though.
14 Jarrod Parker ARI SP A- 4 innings in last start, 11:1 K:BB in 9.2 innings overall. Caution is being exercised here.
17 Manny Parra MIL SP B+ Sticks in the rotation ahead of David Bush, but he’s on a short leash. Tues. was better, but not great.
28 Tommy Hanson ATL SP B 22 scoreless innings and 32 K’s to start the year is a good way to get promoted quickly.
36 Matt Latos SD SP B Sore shoulder plus talk of move to the bullpen gets him bumped down a bit. Should debut any day now.
37 Jeremy Jeffress MIL SP B Love the talent, but couldn’t keep him in the 20s with the drug suspension and all.
42 Jamie Garcia STL SP B 2.35 ERA in 23 innings and 29:9 K:BB is encouraging. Probably a late-season call-up.
46 Tim Alderson SF SP B K’s aren’t there yet (11 in 21 IP), but he doesn’t turn 20 until November.
47 Juan Gutierrez ARI SP B 1 ER in 6 IP in his 08 debut. May get the first injury call-up.
48 Greg Reynolds COL SP B Last start was better, but 6.33 ERA and ugly 7:5 K:BB in 21 1/3 IP is concerning.
49 Madison Bumgarner SF SP B 7.71 ERA will improve as has some encouraging signs – 12:3 K:BB, 9.3 K/9.