Arizona Diamondbacks Top 20 Prospects

1. Carlos Quentin, OF, A-
   
2. Conor Jackson, OF, B+
   
3. Jon Zeringue, OF, B+
   
4. Sergio Santos, SS, B
   
5. Josh Kroeger, OF, B-
   
6. Chris Snyder, C, B-
   
7. Ramon Pena (Adriano Rosario), RHP, C+
   
8. Jamie D'Antona, 3B, C+
   
9. Garrett Mock, RHP, C+
   
10. Ross Ohlendorf, RHP, C+
    
11. Bill Murphy, LHP, C+
    
12. Enrique Gonzalez, RHP, C+
    
13. Chris Carter, OF-1B, C+
    
14. Justin Wechsler, RHP, C+
    
15. Adam Bass, RHP, C+
    
16. Carlos Gonzalez, OF, C+
    
17. A.J. Shappi, RHP, C+
    
18. Dustin Nippert, RHP, C
    
19. Matt Chico, LHP, C
    
20. Jason Bulger, RHP, C

Baseball America put Greg Aquino on their list, but I don't count him as a prospect anymore. Stephen Drew is in my book as a B+, but he hasn't signed yet. He'd rank number two or three when/if he does. I didn't rate Brian Bruney, but he'd be a C+/B- as a power reliever who needs to improve his command.

Going from top to bottom, I absolutely love Carlos Quentin and have since his days at Stanford. Conor Jackson isn't far behind as a hitter, but he lacks Quentin's athleticism and won't be as good with the glove. LSU product Jon Zeringue could duplicate what Quentin and Jackson did last year. Sergio Santos has had problems with injuries, but given his youth holding his own in Double-A, I think he projects as a fine player. Josh Kroeger and Chris Snyder both have good bats and deserve more attention than they have received, Kroeger in particular.

Ramon Pena used to be known as Adriano Rosario. He has a great arm, but turned out to be 23 rather than 19. I think he might end up as a bullpen guy in the long run, but his ceiling remains high.

Jamie D'Antona has excellent power and I think he can improve his plate discipline. The mass of Grade C+ guys include a mixture of promising arms and tools players. Murphy needs to rebound after a somewhat disappointing 2004 season. The best bat in the Grade C+ may belong to Chris Carter, but he may not have a position.

Dustin Nippert's rehab from Tommy John surgery is supposedly going well. If true, he can recover his status as a hot prospect pretty quickly, but we need to see. Matt Chico has a good arm and could be underrated at Grade C, but his command needs a lot of work.

Grade Cs of note include Jason Bulger (95 MPH fastball, shaky command), Jereme Milons (excellent tools, trying to figure out how to play), Texas A&M second base product Eric Schindewolf, and speed demon Marland Williams. LHP Mike Gosling and C Koyie Hill have slipped to Grade C status after mediocre 2004 seasons.

Overall, a decent system, with some quality at the top then a large mass of C+ prospects providing some depth.