Arizona Diamondbacks Top 20 Prospects for 2009

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don’t get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get out of the top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you are looking for.

1) Jarrod Parker, RHP, Grade B+: Fine combination of performance, command, and plus stuff.
2) Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Grade B: Excellent stuff, but command and health record are concerns.
3) Gerardo Parra, OF, Grade B-: Does he have enough power to play a corner? Still quite young
4) Cesar Valdez, RHP, Grade B-: I like him, improved K/IP rate in Double-A a nice marker.
5) Wade Miley, LHP, Grade B-: Good stuff from the left stuff, needs more polish as he moves up.
6) Bryan Shaw, RHP, Grade B-: Throws hard, gets grounders, didn’t thrive in first exposure.
7) Trevor Harden, RHP, Grade B-: Dominated Pioneer League, good stuff, terrific ratios.
8) Kevin Eichhorn, RHP, Grade C+: Good bloodlines, polished for his age, lacks a plus fastball.
9) Barry Enright, RHP, Grade C+: Polished college pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
10) Collin Cowgill, OF, Grade C+: Huge numbers in college didn’t carry to A-ball, small guy.
11) Evan Frey, OF, Grade C: Very fast, hits for average, lack of power may be a problem in AA.
12) Tony Barnette, RHP, Grade C: Polished pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
13) Billy Buckner, RHP, Grade C: Regressed last year, quality of stuff slipped when I saw him.
14) Hector Ambriz, RHP, Grade C: Polished pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
15) Brooks Brown, RHP, Grade C: Has lost velocity since college, command also a problem.
16) Bryan Augenstein, RHP, Grade C: Polished pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
17) Wes Roemer, RHP, Grade C: Polished pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
18) Josh Collmenter, RHP, Grade C: Polished pitcher who throws strikes with average stuff.
19) Leo Rosales, RHP, Grade C: Can be a decent middle reliever in the majors
20) Josh Whitesell, 1B, Grade C: Veteran minor league slugger had great year in Triple-A.

Others: Pedro Ciriaco, Pete Clifford, Jamie D’Antona, Ed Easley, Juan Gutierrez, Mark Hallberg, Taylor Harbin, Reid Mahon, Scott Maine, Pat McAnaney, Reynaldo Navarro, Kyler Newby, Rossmel Perez, Dan Stange, Matt Torra, Jason Urquidez, and Ryne White. All of these guys are Grade Cs, and all of them could slot just about anywhere in the 11-20 range depending on what you want to emphasize. If you want upside, you can replace Some of the strike throwers or Whitesell on the list with guys like Ciriaco, Perez, Navarro, or Stange.

If there is someone else that you really think should be included, make your case. I always miss someone. Space is limited and some of the players above will probably get cut if I have to add someone else.

SYSTEM IN BRIEF: Trades and major league graduations have torn the entrails out of this system. Aside from Parker and Schlereth, no one here looks like a real impact talent to me. There are a lot of “pitchability” guys drafted from the college ranks, but few pitchers with strong upside. Some of these control guys will turn into useful major league pitchers, but it is hard to tell which ones at this point. The system is also very short on impact hitting talent.

As always, profiles on all these guys and over 1,000 more are in the 2009 Baseball Prospect Book! Order Early and Order Often!