Top Prospects of 2001
Reviewing the Top 50 prospects list from 2001, here is what we find:
- Corey Patterson, OF: 69 career win shares.
- Ryan Anderson, LHP: Career ruined by injuries
- Hee Seop Choi, 1B: 26 career win shares before heading back to Asia. Worthy of a Failed Prospect Profile, a new feature upcoming
- Ben Sheets, RHP: 69 career win shares.
- Josh Beckett, RHP: 73 career win shares
- Josh Hamilton OF: 13 career win shares, career still developing
- Carlos Pena, 1B: 71 career win shares.
- Jon Rauch, RHP: 23 career win shares, was slowed by injuries
- Roy Oswalt, RHP: 125 career win shares
- C.C. Sabathia, LHP: 101 career win shares.
- Sean Burroughs, 3B: 38 career win shares. Another Failed Prospect Profile guy.
- Jose Ortiz, 2B: Never got untracked in Oakland or Colorado, went to Japan and had strong '03 and '04 seasons. Another guy for a Failed Prospect Profile. Overrated on this list.
- Bobby Bradley, RHP: Career ruined by injuries
- Austin Kearns, OF: 84 career win shares
- Kevin Mench, OF: 58 career win shares
- Chin-Hui Tsao, RHP: Injuries, could still do something
- Marcus Giles, 2B: 112 career win shares
- Albert Pujols, 1B: 251 career win shares, Hall of Fame talent
- Vernon Wells, OF: 122 career win shares
- Ben Christensen, RHP: Injuries and bad karma
- Jovanny Cedeno, RHP: Injuries
- Wilson Betemit, INF: 22 career win shares, still young at 26
- Abraham Nunez, OF: Age-Gate, was never as good as he looked due to wrong birthday
- Adam Johnson, RHP: Topped out in Triple-A, huge disappointment
- D'Angelo Jimenez, INF: 67 career win shares
- Nick Johnson, 1B: 80 career win shares
- Matt Belisle, RHP: 11 career win shares
- Joe Borchard, OF: Football Player Tools Bust
- Drew Henson, 3B: Football Player Tools Bust
- Adam Dunn, OF: 144 career win shares
- Juan Cruz, RHP: 24 career win shares
- Nick Neugebauer, RHP: Injuries
- Matt Kinney, RHP: 9 career win shares, control problems
- J.R. House, C: Injuries, but hits great in Triple-A and could still have a career
- Chris George, LHP: Lost velocity and command
- Tim Redding, RHP: 12 career win shares, control problems
- Aubrey Huff, 3B: 98 career win shares
- Ben Broussard, 1B: 52 career win shares
- Dee Brown, OF: Never adjusted to majors
- Pablo Ozuna, 2B: 11 career win shares, hit .328 for the White Sox in `06
- Keith Ginter, 2B: 24 career win shares, had moments of success
- Jesus Colome, RHP: 20 career win shares
- Joe Crede, 3B: 65 career win shares
- Antonio Perez, SS: 13 career win shares
- Bud Smith, LHP: Threw a no-hitter, injuries
- Alex Escobar, OF: Injuries
- Milton Bradley, OF: 80 career win shares
- Luis Rivas, 2B: 33 career win shares. Disappointing.
- Hank Blalock, 3B: 78 career win shares.
- Jack Cust, OF: 23 career win shares, finally got a chance
Ranked By Win Shares
Roy Oswalt, 125 (junior college pitcher)
C.C. Sabathia, 101 (high school pitcher)
Josh Beckett, 73 (high school pitcher)
Ben Sheets, 69 (college pitcher)
Juan Cruz, 24 (free agent, Dominican Republic)
Jon Rauch, 23 (college pitcher)
Jesus Colome, 20 (free agent, Dominican Republic)
Tim Redding, 12 (junior college pitcher)
Matt Belisle, 11 (high school pitcher)
Matt Kinney, 9 (high school pitcher)
Chin-Hui Tsao, 3 (free agent, Taiwan)
Busts
Ryan Anderson (injuries, high school pitcher)
Bobby Bradley (injuries, high school pitcher)
Jovanny Cedeno (injuries, free agent Dominican Republic)
Ben Christensen (injuries, college pitcher)
Chris George (sucked, high school pitcher)
Adam Johnson (sucked, college pitcher)
Nick Neugebauer (injuries, high school pitcher)
Bud Smith (injuries, junior college pitcher)
Hitter Breakdown
Ranked by Win Shares
Albert Pujols, 251 (junior college)
Adam Dunn, 144 (high school)
Vernon Wells, 122 (high school)
Marcus Giles, 112 (junior college)
Aubrey Huff, 98 (college)
Austin Kearns, 84 (high school)
Milton Bradley, 80 (high school)
Nick Johnson, 80 (high school)
Hank Blalock, 78 (high school)
Carlos Pena, 71 (college)
Corey Patterson, 69 (high school)
D'Angelo Jimenez, 67 (Dominican Republic)
Joe Crede, 65 (high school)
Kevin Mench, 58 (college)
Ben Broussard, 52 (college)
Sean Burroughs, 38 (high school)
Luis Rivas, 33 (Venezuela)
Hee Seop Choi, 26 (Korea)
Keith Ginter, 24 (college)
Jack Cust, 23 (high school)
Wilson Betemit, 22 (Dominican Republic)
Josh Hamilton, 13 (high school)
Antonio Perez, 13 (Dominican Republic)
Pablo Ozuna, 11 (Dominican Republic)
Alex Escobar 9 (injuries, Venezuela)
J.R. House (borderline case, injuries, could still have a career, high school)
Busts
Joe Borchard (tools bust, college)
Dee Brown (bust, high school)
Drew Henson (tools bust, high school)
Abraham Nunez (Age-Gate, Dominican Republic )
Jose Ortiz (Dominican Republic, played well in Japan)
Thoughts:
A) Be very skeptical about football players
B) Injuries kill pitchers
C) Talent can come from anywhere. The two best players on this list, Pujols and Oswalt, both came from the junior college ranks and were low-round picks (13th for Pujols, 23rd for Oswalt
D) Some tools guys pan out, others don't. Some sluggers pan out, others don't. Obvious, but true.
E) Even now it is too early to fully evaluate this list. We don't know what will happen with Cust, Hamilton, and Betemit in particular.
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