Please find a list below of my top 16 centerfield prospects. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value where I use the following categories: OPS, HR, SB, RBI, R

As disappointing as the overall talent was for the corner outfield prospects list this more than makes up for it. Obviously, not everyone will stay at center but this a nice crop of talent nonetheless. If I've left anyone off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I apologize. Please feel free to let me know.

Colby Rasmus - St. Louis (21/22 yrs old) - .251/.346/.396 for AAA memphis - colby had a very disappointing season to say the least especially at the beginning of the year. he also missed quite a bit of time due to injury. having said that, i still believe he's the best of the bunch given his power/speed combo. colby still maintained very good pd with a 49/72 bb/k ratio along w/ 11 homers & 15 of 18 stolen bases. i firmly believe this is a mere bump in the road.

Cameron Maybin - Florida (21 yrs old) - .277/.375/.456 for AA carolina - currently playing in florida w/ the marlins - cameron is having a very solid season as a 21 yr old in AA. cam has posted a respectable 60/124 bb/k ratio with decent power production as evidenced by his 13 long balls. cam also possesses a nice speed aspect to his game with 21 steals in 28 tries. overall, tremendous ceiling!

Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh (21 yrs old) - .283/.372/.398 for AAA indianapolis - andrew had a very good year in indy at age 21 while boasting terrific pd as evidenced by a 68/87 bb/k ratio. andrew also had 9 homers on the season to go along with 34 swipes in 53 attempts. as andrew matures i certainly expect his base stealing % as well as his power numbers to improve markedly. looking into my crystal ball i see 20 homers & 40 steals in his future. yet another player with a full bucket of tools. 

Dexter Fowler - Colorado (21 yrs old) - .335/.431/.515 for AA tulsa - currently having a cup of coffee in the bigs - dexter really exploded this yr in AA as evidenced by a high batting avg. to go with terrific plate discipline for a 21 yr. old., 65/89 bb/k ratio. dexter slugged 9 homers and at 6'4", 175/lbs there's certainly room for added power. dexter also boasts outstanding speed with 20 steals in 28 attempts. this tool bucket is chock full!

Gregory Halman - Seattle (20 yrs old) - .272/.326/.528 total minors - greg finished the year in AA playing for west tennessee. wow, where the hell did this guy come from. you want power? how about 29 homers. you want speed? how about 31 of 38 bags swiped. you want good plate discipline? well, i'm afraid that's where the love story ends. just 32 walks and a whopping 142 k's. now, the good news is he's very young age relative to league so their's plenty of time to improve but he's got a lot of improving to do. gotta love the tools though!

Daryl Jones - St. Louis (21 yrs old) - .316/.407/.483 total minors - daryl finished the year with AA springfield and had quite a year while bursting onto the prospect scene. daryl boasts quite the power/speed combo as evidenced by his 13 jacks to go along with 24 steals in 30 attempts. he certainly could improve in the pd dept. as evidenced by his 55/97 bb/k ratio but that's a tad nitpicky as most young players need to work on this. daryl is yet another centerfielder who could possibly reach the 20/20 plateau at the major league level.

Desmond Jennings - Tampa Bay (21 yrs old) - .259/.360/.412 for class A+ vero beach - desmond had a hoorible season getting off to a slow start and then getting injured shortly thereafter missing the majority of the season. slow start notwithstanding he still maintained excellent pd as evidenced by his 14/16 bb/k ratio. next year will be an important year for him but with his power/speed combo he too could be good for 20/30+ at the major league level to go along w/ excellent pd. another high ceiling prozi that shouldn't be forgotten.

Jordan Schafer - Atlanta (21-22 yrs old) - .269/.378/.471 for AA mississippi - not a bad year considering he missed time due to a drug suspension. jordan still managed to hit 10 homers and swipe 12 of 17 bases. his 49/88 bb/k ratio is also pretty good. overall, i was very surprised to see how good of a season he actually had all things considered. the future is still bright for mr. schafer.

Fernando Martinez - New York NL (19 yrs old) - .287/.340/.432 for AA binghampton - fernando certainly has his critics but to be holding his own like he has at age 19 in AA is quite the feat. fernando smacked 8 homers, swiped 6 of 8 bags and had an unimpressive 27/73 bb/k ratio but again, he's certainly has time to improve this. again, another high ceiling prospect. there's certainly much to like here as well.

Austin Jackson - New York AL (21 yrs old) - .285/.354/.419 for AA trenton - austin had a very good year in the eastern league. austin hit 9 bombs to go along with 19 steals in 25 attempts. austin projects to be a 20/20 man in the majors as he matures. austin certainly needs to work on improving his pd. as his 56/113 bb/k ratio has pretty much stayed stagnant over the last 2 years. a very exciting player nonetheless. he could hit the big apple sometime in late 2009 or early 2010. 

Ben Revere - Minnesota (20 yrs old) - .379/.433/.497 for class A beloit - ben has certainly established that he's one hell of a hitter. he boasts some pretty impressive skills as evidenced by his 31/44 bb/k ratio, 44 steals in 57 attempts. however, at 5'9" 166/lbs he doesn't project to be much of a homerun threat as evidenced by his 1 dinger in 340 at bats. i certainly love the rest of the story though.

Michael Brantley - Milwaukee (21 yrs old) - .319/.395/.398 for AA huntsville - michael had an excellent season with 4 homers, 28 of 36 bases stolen and a whopping 50/27 bb/k ratio. i think the only real question mark here is just how much power he'll ultimately develop as he seems to be a really solid player. you gotta love the plate discipline. he should be terrific at the top of milwaukee's lineup.

Engel Beltre - Texas (18 yrs old) - .283/.308/.403 for class A clinton - engel has been touted as a possible future stud. a diamond in the rough only needing the necessary polish. engel had a solid season jacking 8 bombs to go along with 31 steals in 42 attempts. that's the good, now for the bad, engel drew only 15 walks versus 105 k's. needless to say, like most young players this is an area that needs to improve drastically. the good news is he has time on his side and a boat load of talent.

Cedric Hunter - San Diego (20 yrs old) - .318/.362/.442 for class A+ lake elsinore - cedric had a very good season smacking 11 homers while also swiping 12 of 18 bags which is a pretty big improvement from last year. He also gets very high marks in the pd department with a 42/47 bb/k ratio. i think he's definitely opened some eyes and he's definitely a prospect to watch going into next year.

Jose Tabata - Pittsburgh (20 yrs old) - .277/.345/.388 total minors - jose had an o.k. season overall in AA with 8 homers, 18 of 20 bases stolen and a 36/67 bb/k ratio. i guess i'm a tad disapponted with all of the prospect hype around him but at age 20 he still has plenty of time to blossom. until he proves otherwise though there will always be questions surrounding just how much power he'll develop. next year is huge for him imo.

Che-Hsuan Lin - Boston (19 yrs old) - .249/.342/.359 for class A greenville - mr. lin had a very good season which led to a futures game appearance where he did quite well. not a whole lot of pop with 5 homers on the season but he's definitely shown excellent speed with 33 of 40 bases stolen. mr. linny has also shown very good pd with a 43/62 bb/k ratio.

HM - Angel Morales, Gorkys Hernandez,  Peter Bourjos, Corey Brown, Julio Borbon & Tyler Colvin

Please find a list below of my top 25 corner outfield prospects. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value where I use the following categories: OPS, HR, SB, RBI, R 

If I've left anyone off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I apologize. Please feel free to let me know it.

Travis Snider - Toronto (20 yrs old) - .275/.358/.480 total minors - currently with mlb toronto - travis was recently called up and is holding his own thus far. after a very slow start to the year travis has really come on strong. he's hammered 23 long balls plus 1 in the majors along w/ posting a 61/154 bb/k ratio. the k's are a concern but at age 20 he certainly has time to improve.  

Jason Heyward - Atlanta (18/19 yrs old) - .316/.381/.473 total minors - currently playing for A+ myrtle beach - jason was voted the sally league's most outstanding prospect after playing most of the year as an 18 yr old. he's also shown advanced pd with a 51/78 bb/k ratio, has banged out 11 homers and swiped 15 of 18 bags. one of my favorite prozi's.

Matt Laporta - Cleveland (23 yrs old) - .279/.386/.539 total minors - currently playing for AA akron - matt has monster power potential hitting 22 homers on the yr. he's also shown a keen eye as evidenced by a 49/75 bb/k ratio. he hasn't really found his groove since being traded but i'm not worried at all.

Michael Stanton - Florida (18 yrs old) - .293/.381/.611 for class A greensboro - talk about exploding onto the prospect scene. i'd really like to see him hit for a little more power as the 39 homers he mashed really wasn't enough. on a serious note, he definitely needs to work on cutting down on the k's as evidenced by his 58/153 bb/k ratio.

Michael Burgess - Washington (19 yrs old) - .246/.333/.477 total minors - currently playing for A+ potomac - major power prospect belting 24 homers on the season, 6 of them in his last 19 games since being promoted. needs to improve on his plate discipline 55/162 bb/k ratio. strikeout totals are a big concern although he has time on his side.

Nicholas Weglarz - Cleveland (20 yrs old) - .272/.396/.432 for A+ kinston - insanely good plate discipline especially for a 20 yr old. 71/78 bb/k ratio to go along with 10 homers. i definitely expected more power production but at 6'3", 245 i certainly expect this to change. huge ceiling imo.

Dominic Brown - Philadelphia (20 yrs old) - .291/.382/.417 for class A lakewood - dominic has terrific plate discipline as evidenced by a 64/72 bb/k ratio, at 6'4", 205/lbs one would assume his power output would spike from the 9 homers he's hit this yr. dominic also swiped 22 of 29 bags this yr. but i would think given his size this will not be sustainable once he reaches the majors. overall, i like him and his home park quite a bit!

Andrew Lambo - Los Angeles (19/20 yrs old) - .295/.351/.482 total minors - currently with AA jacksonville - although andrew is not well liked on this site it seems, he happens to be one of personal favs. 18 homers on the yr to go along w/ a 43/119 bb/k ratio. his pd certainly needs improving but all i've read is that this guy can hit. good thing for the dodgers because they'll certainly need it. 

Aaron Cunningham - Oakland (22 yrs old) - .329/.400/.532 total minors - aaron is currently with mlb oakland and had posted a very solid minor league season with 17 homers, 15 steals in 20 attempts along with a 49/108 bb/k ratio.

Nate Schierholtz - San Francisco (24 yrs old) - .320/.363/.594 for AAA fresno - nate definitely deserved a chance to play in san fran from the outset imo. however, much to his credit he went to the minors and slammed 18 homers in 350 ab's. his 21/51 bb/k ratio could use some improvement but he looks like a solid bet to turn his recent callup into something permanent.

Wladimir Balentien - Seattle (24 yrs old) - .266/.354/.584 for AAA tacoma - wladimir had a solid season overall with 18 homers plus another 7 for seattle. his 32/49 bb/k ratio was very respectable but didn't translate to the major league level. the jury's still out.

Nolan Reimold - Baltimore (24 yrs old) - .284/.367/.501 for AA bowie - nolan has put together a very nice season for bowie albeit at age 24. he's shown some nice power numbers in smoking 25 long balls as well as put up a very good 63/82 bb/k ratio. he could definitely push for a job in spring training. 

Josh Reddick - Boston (21 yrs old) - .311/.356/.544 total minors - currently with AA portland - josh played most of the yr in lancaster where he absolutely raked. since moving up to portland the power production hasn't suffered but the average certainly has. overall he's hit 23 homers, swiped 14 of 17 bags and compiled a 34/82 bb/k ratio. an interesting prospect to watch going forward.

Ryan Kalish - Boston (20 yrs old) - .273/.365/.363 total minors - currently with A+ lancaster - ryan had a very underwhelming season to say the least but makes this list due to pedigree. his 61/99 bb/k ratio is very respectable along with 19 steals in 23 attempts but the lack of power is of concern as he only hit 5 homers on the season. needless to say next yr is very important for him.

Kellen Kulbacki - San Diego (22 yrs old) - .304/.400/.540 total minors - currently with A+ lake elsinore - kellen had a pretty strong season albeit in the hitter friendly cal league. he posted 22 homers with a solid 56/71 bb/k ratio. the plate discipline improved markedly which is very promising as he definitely has power potential.

HM - Michael Saunders, John Mayberry, Wilkin Ramirez, Gerardo Parra, Cody Johnson, John Raynor

NOTE: I will be posting my centerfield list on Monday of next week. The players listed below are all being considered for the list. If there is strong public opinion that any of these will be moved from center I will make a revision and include them on this list.

Daryl Jones, Colby Rasmus, Dexter Fowler, Jordan Schafer, Felix Pie, Cameron Maybin, Gorkys Hernandez, Andrew McCutchen, Che-Hsuan Lin, Desmond Jennings, Austin Jackson, Ben Revere, Fernando Martinez, Gregory Halman, Engel Beltre, Peter Bourjos, Angel Morales, Jose Tabata, Michael Brantley, Cedric Hunter, Corey Brown, Julio Borbon & Tyler Colvin

Please find a list below of my top 25 starting pitching prospects. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value where I use the following categories: WHIP, ERA, K, QS. 

This was the absolute hardest list i've ever put together. Not so much in the 25 I chose but the actual order in which they rank. Again, if I've left anyone else off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I'm sure I'll hear about it real soon.

legend = inn/h/bb/k/era/goao/baa

1. David Price - Tampa Bay (22 yrs old) - 104.2/88/29/104/2.24/1.43/.228 total minors - currently playing for AAA durham - consensus best pitching prozi in the game. he should get the call by sept. 1 at the latest.

2. Trevor Cahill - Oakland (20 yrs old) - 124.1/76/50/136/2.61/2.43/.179 total minors - currently playing for AA midland - cahill is having a breakout season to say the least. needs to cut down on the walks but you gotta love the ground outs to fly outs ratio.

3. (5) Madison Bumgarner - San Francisco (18/19 yrs old) - 136.2/108/20/155/0.84/.217 for class A augusta - personally, my favorite pitching prospect not named miller. maddy has dominated low A as an 18 yr. old. usually young power lefties with high k rates struggle to throw strikes early on which is not the case here. what's not to like?

4. Neftali Feliz - Texas (20 yrs old) - 122.1/83/49/147/2.72/1.22/.197 total minors - currently with AA frisco - feliz has hit 100mph on the gun and is a terrific young flamethrower. he needs to develop his secondary pitches as is the case w/ most young pitchers. if he can do that look out. if he can't i think he'll end up as a dominant closer worst case scenario.

5. (8) Chris Tillman - Baltimore (20 yrs old) - 124.2/106/59/139/3.32/0.85/.228 for AA bowie - pitching very well age relative to level. hopefully his fly ball tendencies won't hurt him in camden yards.

6. (9) Tim Alderson - San Francisco (19 yrs old) - 139.1/122/34/117/2.91/1.04/.238 for class A+ San Jose - having a terrific forst year in high A. very strong components age relative and as is the case w/ oakland both he and madbum make a strong combo in san frans stable of arms. can you imagine lincecum, cain, sanchez, alderson, bumgraner. ouch!

7. (10) Rick Porcello - Detroit (19 yrs old) - 119/113/32/68/2.35/.247 for class A+ lakeland - having a fine season for high A lakeland at age 19. gotta love the ground ball rates but his lack of strikeouts is a concern.

8. (17) Max Scherzer (24 yrs old) - 53/35/22/79/2.72/1.47/.182 for AAA albuquerque - posted a line of 31/25/14/33/2.90/1.19/.225 in a brief stint in the majors mostly out of the bullpen - big question mark as to if he can remain a starter. filthy stuff!

9. (6) Brett Anderson - Oakland (20 yrs old) - 99/86/26/109/3.55/1.92/.229 total minors - currently playing for AA midland - nice components, nice command for a power lefty with strong ground ball ratios. oakland has a terrific young set of arms on the way!

10. (7) Thomas Hanson - Atlanta (21 yrs old) - 133/83/50/154/2.50/0.70/.177 total minors - currently with AA mississippi - outstanding components. i was never a huge believer in him until now that is. i mean 50 less hits than innings pitched. the only thing to complain about would be the goao but that's a bit nitpicky. everything else is off the charts.

11. (3) Adam Miller - Cleveland (23 yrs old) - 28.2/26/12/20/1.88/1.56/.239 for AAA buffalo - when HEALTHY miller is without a doubt a top pitching prospect. the good news is that he's still young enough and hasn't had a major arm surgery to date. in my opinion, very unlucky with all the different injuries. hopefully, he'll move past this a la cole hamels.

12. (18) Derek Holland (21 yrs old) - 144.2/107/38/150/2.36/1.25/.209 total minors - currently w/ AA frisco - total sleeper prospect, progressed through 3 levels with a mid 90's fastball and advanced secondary offerings. could it be that texas has 2 top 25 pitching prospects? i think so.

13. (11) Jhoulys Chacin - Colorado (20 yrs old) - 172.2/138/41/155/2.03/2.85/.220 total minors - currently playing for class A+ modesto - can you say breakout? already at 172+ innings w/ fantastic components including a sizzling ground ball to fly ball ratio which should come in handy at coors field.

14. (12) Brett Cecil - Toronto (22 yrs old) - 113.1/94/37/124/2.70/2.37/.221 total minors - currently with AAA syracuse - high strikeout, big time ground ball pitcher. has moved up 3 levels and more than held his own. possible september call up?

15. (14) Jarrod Parker - Arizona (19 yrs old) - 112.2/112/33/110/3.59/1.03/.258 for class A south bend - big time arm who's starting to match expectations w/ performance. a solid season overall.

16. (NR) Michael Bowden - Boston (22 yrs old) - 144.1/112/29/130/2.62/0.87/.212 total minors - currently w/ AAA pawtucket -  

17. (NR) David Huff - Cleveland (23 yrs old) -141.1/110/27/139/2.48/1.26/.212 total minors - currently w/ AAA buffalo -

18. (NR) Jeremy Jeffress - Milwaukee (21 yrs old) - 93.1/76/51/115/3.76/1.41/.226 total minors - currently w/ AA huntsville -

19. (NR) Daniel Cortes - Kansas City (21 yrs old) - 110.2/103/53/106/3.98/0.80/.251 for AA northwest arkansas -

20 (15) Jordan Walden (20 yrs old) - 144.2/114/51/127/2.68/2.12/.215 total minors - currently with A+ rancho cucamonga - terrific components including a fantastic go/ao ratio. has to be the best pitching prospect in the anaheim system moving ahead of nick adenhart.

21. (16) Jordan Zimmerman (22 yrs old) - 129/100/46/126/2.93/1.37/.214 total minors - currently with AA harrisburg - terrific components. if he keeps it up perhaps he could be in washington middle to late 09?

22. (23) Jake Arrieta (22 yrs old) - 113/80/51/120/2.87/1.14/.199 for A+ frederick - the 3rd baltimore pitching prospect to make the list. terrific components. we'll see what he does next yr at the higher levels. lots to like here.

23. (13) Daniel Duffy (19 yrs old) - 81.2/56/25/102/2.20/0.55/.193 for class A burlington - extreme fly ball pitcher w/ terrific components. gotta love the k/bb ratio and hits per nine. gotta love everything really w/ the expection of go/ao.

24. (19) Phillippe Aumont (19 yrs old) - 55.2/46/19/50/2.75/1.73/.224 for class A wisconsin - the numbers are sort of misleading as they would be much better minus the start before he went on the dl 1.2/7/2/2 with 6 runs allowed. if he can stay healthy he's a huge(6'8",220lbs) power arm.

25. (24) James McDonald (23 yrs old) - 136/111/51/140/3.31/0.64/.223 total minors - currently with AAA las vegas - having another terrific season. the knock on him has always been the extreme fly ball rates. thank God he's pitching in los angeles. seemingly nothing left to prove in the minors. possible september call up? 

HM - David Hernandez, Jeremy Hellickson, Dellin Betances, Cole Rohrbough, Jaime Garcia, Carlos Carrasco, Jonathan Niese, William Inman, Wade Davis, Hector Rondon, Fautino De Los Santos, Jacob McGee

Please find a list below of several top shortstop prospects which I have attempted my best to rank. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value/hitting ability so whether or not they are good defensively makes no difference as I believe most leagues do not use defensive categories.

If I've left anyone else off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I'm sure I'll hear about it real soon.

 ** adjusted

1. Brandon Wood - Anaheim (23 yrs old) - .294/.369/.592 for AAA salt lake - 30 homers, 41/101 bb/k ratio - needs a change of scenery perhaps. should be playing full time somewhere. huge power remains, has improved on his k's.

2. Carlos Triunfel - Seattle (18 yrs old) - .284/.336/.407 for high A high desert - 8 homers, 29/48 bb/k ratio, 29/8 sb/cs - questions remain if he can stay at short. also has/had personal issues which caused him to be suspended. other than that, good pd & steals potential. power? 

** 3. Elvis Andrus - Texas (19 yrs old) - .295/.350/.374 for AA frisco - 4 homers, 35/87 bb/k ratio, 50/16 sb/cs - extremely speedy as evidenced by huge sb totals, very good pd age relative but big question as to how much power he'll develop. if he swipes 60 plus bags i'll take 10 homers annually, no problem.

4. Adrian Cardenas - Oakland (20 yrs old) - .301/.359/.407 total minors - currently playing for AA midland - 5 homers, 36/63 bb/k ratio, 17/1 sb/cs - very good pd & speed. will the power develop?

5. Alcides Escobar - Milwaukee (21 yrs old) - .332/.367/.440 for AA huntsville - 8 homers, 30/78 bb/k ratio, 32/8 sb/cs - young for the level, hits for high avg, great speed. needs to improce pd & questions remain about how much power he'll develop.

6. Reid Brignac - Tampa Bay (22 yrs old) - .250/.299/.412 for AAA durham - 9 homers, 25:93 bb/k ratio -  this ranking is based solely on scouting reports/past history. very mediocre to bad although young for the level. the jury is still out.

7. Todd Frazier - Cincinnati (22 yrs old) - .294/.370/.498 total minors - currently with high A sarasota - 19 homers, 54/108 bb/k ratio, 12/5 sb/cs - can he remain at short? needs to improve pd but i like him quite a bit.

8. Ivan De Jesus - Los Angeles (21 yrs old) - .319/.413/.410 for AA jacksonville - 5 homers, 70/78 bb/k ratio, 14/2 sb/cs - young for the level, great pd, average & sb potential. how much power?

** 9. Wilmer Flores - New York NL (16/17 yrs old) - .311/.354/.485 for R kingsport - 8 homers, 12:27 bb/k ratio - absolutely on fire for the first part of the yr. has cooled of quite a bit but the potential is off the charts.

10. Brandon Hicks - Atlanta (22 yrs old) - .233/.333/.469 total minors - currently with high A myrtle beach - 20 homers, 50/139 bb/k ratio, 12/3 sb/cs - nice power, scary strikeout totals. needs to improve this drastically. 

HM - Hector Gomez, Oscar Tejeda, Cale Iorg, Jason Donald, Chris Valaika 

Please find a list below of several top third base prospects which I have attempted my best to rank. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value/hitting ability so whether or not they are good defensively makes no difference as I believe most leagues do not use defensive categories.

If I've left anyone else off the list whether by mistake or otherwise please comment below. 

1. Mike Moustakas - Kansas City (28 yrs old) - .266/.326/.463 for low A burlington - 21 homers, 36/81 bb/k ratio - got off to a slow start but is tearing it up over the last 2 months. officially moved off of ss.

2. Matthew Gamel - Milwaukee (23 yrs old) - .332/.399/.544 for AA huntsville - 19 homers, 55/109 bb/k ratio - questions loom as to where he'll end up playing but the bat is for real.

3. Matt Dominguez - Florida (18 yrs old) - .291/.357/.469 for low A greensboro - 14 homers, 28/63 bb/k ratio - got off to a slow start in the power dept. but has made up for it nicely. pd should improve as it's already respectable for such a young player.

4. Josh Vitters - Chicago (19 yrs old) - .333/.369/.522 total minors - currently playing for boise low A SS - 5 homers, 11/42 bb/k ratio - scouting reports indicate this kid is a pure hitter with a picture perfect swing. the power is expected to develop.

5. Luke Hughes - Minnesota (24 yrs old) - .313/.374/.538 total minors - currently playing for AAA rochester - 18 homers, 34/94 bb/k ratio - has had a very good year overall. he should get a cup of joe when rosters expand.

6. Taylor Green - Milwaukee (21 yrs old) - .289/.382/.443 for high A brevard county - 15 homers, 61/59 bb/k ratio - i totally missed this guy. terrific plate discipline w/ decent power numbers. a little smallish in stature so we'll see just how much power he ultimately develops.

7. Allen Craig - St. Louis (24 yrs old) - .301/.371/.489 for AA springfield - 21 homers, 46/85 bb/k ratio - this is his second solid season in a row posting more than 20 homers. has shown respectable pd and should eventually get a shot at the 3b position. a solid overall prospect.

8. Wes Hodges - Cleveland (23 yrs old) - .284/.352/.435 for AA akron - 14 homers, 51/100 bb/k ratio - same situation as hughes in that he should be a sept. callup. blocked only by the underachieving andy marte.

9. Michael Almanzar - Boston (17 yrs old) - .263/.319/.358 total minors - currently playing for low A greenville - 1 homer, 13/40 bb/k ratio - extremely young for the league in which he plays, scouting reports rave about what he will become. very intriguing prospect.

10. Neftali Soto - Cincinnati (19 yrs old) - .336/.360/.545 total minors - currently playing for low A dayton - 8 homers, 11/39 bb/k ratio - good looking hitter, should add power as he fills out.

HM - Kevin Ahrens, Neil Walker, Mike Costanzo, Billy Rowell, Joshua Bell, Jamie D'Antona, David Freese, Josh Fields

Please find a list below of several top catching prospects which I have attempted my best to rank. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value/hitting ability so whether or not they are good defensively makes no difference as I believe most leagues do not use defensive categories. However, for catchers, defensive ability does come into consideration as their ability to stay at the position comes into question.

Again, if I've left anyone else off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I'm sure I'll hear about it real soon.

1. Matt Wieters - Baltimore (22 yrs old) - .347/.449/.592 total minors - currently with AA bowie. has enormous power potential as evidenced by his 25 homers and plate discipline is outstanding with a 77/70 bb/k ratio. simply put, the best prospect in baseball.

2. Jesus Montero - New York AL (18 yrs old) - .321/.372/.494 for low A charleston - huge power potential with 16 bombs. his 35/74 bb/k ratio is not bad but could stand some improvement. huge ceiling guy, we'll see how he progresses from here as he moves up but very, very promising. hopefully, he'll be able to stay at catcher as his size is cause for concern as he's already 6'4", 225/lbs.

3. Max Ramirez - Texas (23 yrs old) - .354/.450/.646 for AA frisco - this guy can flat out mash. 17 homers in a little more than half a season w/ frisco. has shown good plate discipline as evidenced by 37/56 bb/k ratio. had a decent showing when called up to the big club and is currently on a rehab assignment. the only question here is whether or not he'll qualify at catcher.

4. Pablo Sandoval - San Francisco (22 yrs old) - .350/.394/.578 total minors - currently in the bigs before being called up from AA connecticut. another catching prospect who exploded this yr. to the tune of 20 homers. his 31/59 bb/k ratio is not bad at all and overall has acquitted himself quite nicely so far w/ the big club. very nice prospect to be sure.

5. Carlos Santana - Cleveland (22 yrs old) - .332/.434/.568 total minors - currently with high A kinston. carlos has really burst onto the scene this yr. to the tune of 18 jacks and an outstanding 81/73 bb/k ratio. i haven't heard anything negative about his ability to remain at the position. what's not to like here?

6. Tyler Flowers - Atlanta (22 yrs old) - .289/.429/.492 with high A myrtle beach - very nice power numbers with 16 long balls to go along with tremendous plate discipline as evidenced by a strong 92/91 bb/k ratio. tyler could stand to cut down on his strikeouts but that's kind of nitpicky. also considering his 6'4", 245/lb frame one would have to think he has the same concerns as Jesus Montero about staying behind the plate.

7. J.P. Arencibia - Toronto (22 yrs old) - .302/.324/.540 total minors - currently w/ AA new hampshire. kind of a mixed bag in his first professional season. on the one hand he's shown big power having already jacked 26 long balls and on the other he's shown dreadful plate discipline as evidenced by 16 walks vs. 92 k's. ouch! 

8. Wilson Ramos - Minnesota (20 yrs old) - .274/.332/.425 with high A ft. myers - nice power output so far with 13 homers. could use some improving in the pd dept. with a 33/98 bb/k ratio but overall not bad considering he's played most of the season at age 20 which, for a catcher, is especially young for being in high A. i see enormous potential here. again, lots to like.

9. Angel Salome - Milwaukee (22 yrs old) - .364/.416/.560 with AA huntsville - gives new meaning to the term "mighty might". has jacked 11 homers despite his 5'7" frame (although at 195/lbs he must be considered stocky). i'm not sure he'll hit for enough power at the big league level but he sure can hit. angel also sports a decent 29/54 bb/k ratio.

10. Jonathan Lucroy - Milwaukee (22 yrs old) - .303/.377/.489 total minors - currently with high A brevard county. has shown nice power with 18 homers overall. has also shown nice plate discipline as evidenced by a 53/76 bb/k ratio although this has slipped a bit since being promoted. still a very nice prospect.

11. Taylor Teagarden - Texas (24 yrs old) - .217/.331/.378 total minors - currently assigned to AAA oklahoma but playing in the olympics for Team USA. definitely a mixed bag here. has only 8 homers on the season vs. 27 last year. he also hasn't shown any improvement in the pd dept with a 36/76 bb/k ratio. there is no question about his ability to stay behind the plate but injuries are a cause for concern as i suspect they've played a large part in his development. personally, i think he will hit as long as he stays healthy.  

12. Josh Donaldson - Oakland (22 yrs old) - .271/.334/.450 total minors - currently with high A stockton. josh has defintely heated up since being traded to oakland. josh has 14 homers overall, 8 since moving to the cal league in july. his 32/63 bb/k ratio is also trending way up since the move as it went from a modest 17/41 to a very respectable15/22.  we'll see if this keeps up. 

HM - Bryan Anderson, Hank Conger, Lou Marson, Devin Mesoraco, John Jaso, Luis Exposito, J.R. Towles

Please find a list below of several top first base prospects which I have attempted my best to rank. For the purpose of this exercise I have left out 08' draftees (which you can feel free to opine as to where they should rank on this list) as well as players that look to have graduated to the bigs seemingly to stay a la Chris Davis.

Also, bear in mind that my rankings are based solely on fantasy value/hitting ability so whether or not they are good defensively makes no difference as I believe most leagues do not use defensive categories.

There are also players who are question marks as to whether or not they will end up playing first such as Matt LaPorta, Jesus Montero & Max Ramirez to name a few. I've left those off the list as well. If I've left anyone else off the list whether by mistake or otherwise I'm sure I'll hear about it real soon.

1. Lars Anderson - Boston (20 yrs old) - .324/.420/.538 total minors - has jacked 5 homers since moving up to AA, 18 overall. power starting to emerge along w/ very good plate discipline as evidenced by 64/93 bb/k ratio.

2. Frederick Freeman - Atlanta (18 yrs old) - .325/.388/.540 for low A rome - huge power potential with 18 jacks. his 46/76 bb/k ratio is also very promising. huge ceiling guy, we'll see how he progresses from here as he moves up but very, very promising.

3. Christopher Marrero - Washington (20 yrs old) - .250/.325/.453 for high A potomac - had an atrocious month of april but started to heat up in may/june. jacked 11 homers in less than half a season before going down w/ injury. 25/55 bb/k ratio could also use some improvement but i've seen worse.

4. Logan Morrison - Florida (20 yrs old) - .339/.409/.512 for high A jupiter - huge breakout season. he certainly vaulted himself into one of the better 1b prospects in baseball with 13 homers (factor in his home park is not so favorable in the power dept.) and solid plate discipline. 53/73 bb/k ratio

5. Beau Mills - Cleveland (22 yrs old) - .296/.376/.515 for high A kinston - huge power potential with 21 homers on the yr. after a very slow start he's come on strong in july .936 ops & august 1.073 ops. could stand to improve in the pd dept. w/ 52 bb vs. 101 k's.

6. Kila Ka'aihue - Kansas City (24 yrs old) - .319/.459/.634 total minors - currently in AAA playing for omaha. what can i say, 34 homers, 94 walks vs. 64 k's. i feel like he could be #1 on this list. to say he's broken out would be an understatement. could this be the real deal? in terms of coming out of nowhere could he be geovany soto, part deux!

7. Angel Villalona - San Francisco (17 yrs old) - .254/.302/.416 for low A augusta - aside from the 14 homers baby v has been pretty disappointing. his 18/112 bb/k ratio is definitely cause for concern. personally, i think he's overweight and overrated. we'll see.

8. Mike Carp - New York NL (22 yrs old) - .293/.393/.471 for AA binghampton - having a very solid season w/ 17 homers, 4 coming in the last 10 games. seems to be a streaky hitter but another 1b w/ excellent plate discipline. 68/81 bb/k ratio. still a bit underrated perhaps?

9. Sean Doolittle - Oakland (22 yrs old) - .290/.361/.512 total minors - currently playing in AA for midland. has struggled a bit upon being promoted but has come around over the last 10 games or so. there's no question he has plenty of power but must improve on plate discipline as evidenced by already striking out 138 times vs. 57 walks.  

10. Brandon Snyder - Baltimore (21 yrs old) - .308/.353/.484 for high A frederick - brandon is having a nice season so far w/ 12 homers. as is the case w/ most prospects he needs to improve his pd w/ a ratio of 27/76 bb/k.

Since satellite television and more importantly MLB extra innings burst onto the scene more than 10 years ago I've been lucky enough to get to listen to many different broadcasters throughout the years. Some good, some bad. One other worldly.

I got to thinking about this topic as I was watching the Hamels/Kershaw game earlier in the week. It was a terrific game in and of itself but I couldn't help notice how much Vin Scully added to the whole ambience. Listening to him is for lack of a better word; spiritual. I don't know how else to describe it. There are several other announcers I enjoy but none are even close to Scully. It makes me sad to think that one day soon he'll be gone forever. What a national treasure he is.

On the flip side there is nobody on the planet that irks me more than Ken Harrelson. Listening to him is akin to the sound of fingernails scratching against a chalkboard. Because of him I refuse to watch Sox games unless I can catch it on the opposing team's network. 

Who is your favorite & least favorite?

"Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamp post: for support, not illumination." - Vin Scully

This post is long overdue as far as I'm concerned if only to help me release some of the anxiety built up for a long, long time.

I'm so tired of seeing blatant errors scored as hits and it seems to happen at least once per game. Many times it happens multiple times.

I'll give you an example, I believe it was in Ian Kennedy's last start  where the "great" Johnny Damon had a, shall we say, routine fly ball that brought him to the left field foul line hit off his glove for the cheapest double i've ever seen. He had plenty of time to get to that ball slowly camping himself under it but the simple fact is he misjudged the ball. Period.  

In a game where statistics mean so much I would think more scrutiny would be placed on the correct scoring and evaluation of these types of plays. I'm tired of hearing about home team scoring & the announcers calling it "generous". That's bullshit and that's end of my rant!

Have a great weekend!

It seems like just yesterday that I ordered my first Extra Innings package back in the mid 90's. I had just moved to Vegas from Providence, R.I. and had become extremely saddened by not being able to listen to the Yanks on the radio. There was nothing like listening to John Sterling and Michael Kay along with the occasional game on WPIX. Until now! Finally, tons of baseball games to pick from on the dish. I was absolutely beside myself that I was going to be able to see almost every Yankee game on T.V. 

For many years I would watch game after game. All Yanks all the time. That lasted for 5 yrs give or take until I became severely addicted to fantasy baseball. It took no time for the game of the night to be based completely on fantasy. Are any of my pitcher's pitching? Any prospects I want to see? etc...

I hate to admit it but my favorite team has become a collection of players that make up my fantasy teams. Sure I still love the Yanks and will watch when they play a meaningful game but there is no doubt my fantasy team's performance is much more important to me than that of my favorite baseball team.

Which is more important to you?