AAA … David Lough, OF. was a top 10 in the system last year, falls a few spots due to guys just moving past him. not really a true sleeper, but i love him. i think he should be KC’s starting CF next year.

AA … Everett Teaford, LHP. he’s 26 i think, but his k/9 shot way, way up this year. as did the velocity, which is now routinely hits higher than 90. might get a shot before all the other big name LH’s in the system.

high-A … Buddy Baumann, LHP. another LH pitcher. small in stature but struck out 113 in 100 innings, maintaining that rate when he moved to the rotation in June.

low-A … Hilton Richardson, OF. this was a really bad team this year. Richardson had a bad year but on the plus side greatly reduced his K numbers. has premium tools on his side.

AAA - It’s too late to say Michael Kirkman, since he’s already been promoted to Arlington and looks like a potential lefty specialist in the short term and a possible mid-rotation starter longer term. But 2008 43rd round pick Cody Eppley has pitched and succeeded at 3 levels this year, continuing to strike out more than a batter per inning, as he has every year as a pro, while getting over 3.5 ground balls for every fly ball. The side-armer looks like a Darren O’Day clone that can help fortify the TX bullpen as soon as next year, if they can find room for him. Clay Rapada gets an honorable mention here, also a September callup lefty.
AA - RHP Fabio Castillo was an international FA sign in 2005, and has always had a live arm, featuring a low to mid 90s heavy fastball, and a slider with plus potential. He struggled in the rotation but seems to have blossomed in the pen. A solid season in Bakersfield (65Ks in 51.2IP, 50% GB rate) earned him a promotion to Frisco, where he’ll likely be most of 2011 in his age 22 season.
High A - Geuris Grullon has bounced around the system, and it’s possible he starts at a lower level next year, but he’s one of the most interesting names the Rangers have at this level. Good News: 1 HR allowed in 4 seasons, strong K rates and GB rates, Bad News: control problems and inconsistent mechanics. Future late innings guy if he can get in under control.
Low A - Preseason we could have said Robbie Erlin, but now everyone knows who he is. Miguel De Los Santos might be much better known a year from now. Tommy John and Visa problems have interfered with his rise, and because of the missed time he’s still a bit raw even though he’s 22. Essentially, he was Carlos Marmol this year, a stunning 112 Ks in 70.1IP, 38% of the batters he faced. If he can get the walk rate down…hell even if he doesn’t he’ll be exciting to watch.
Rookie ball - 18-yr. old OF Teodoro Martinez doesn’t walk much, but rarely strikes out either, hitting .313 in the AZL this year. He’s small (listed at 5’11", 155 lbs.), fast, but has a little bit of pop. Might start at Hickory next year since the Rangers like being aggressive with young players who do well, and his family pedigree may work in his favor as far as maturity goes.

AAA - Aneury Rodriguez - I think his stuff could play in the back of the rotation with a low 90s fastball and good slider with a developing, but usable, change, but he seems to be a future bullpen piece with the wave of pitchers presumably going to Durham next season (Cobb/Torres/McGee all look to be AAA starters next year along with possibly Hellickson/Davis/Andy Sonnanstine if a deal doesn’t get made). He is lanky and still has room to maybe add some velocity, coupled with the fact that he is in the bullpen and wont have to worry about pacing. Numbers haven’t been splendid since being traded for Jason Hammel, but it hasn’t been horrible. I could see him becoming Dan Wheeler.

AA - Jose Julio Ruiz - I like him every bit as much as I like Leslie Anderson. Its Ruiz and Anderson that will make not resigning Pena even a possibility. Ruiz is a more traditional firstbaseman with good power and a good approach (as opposed to Anderson’s slap hitter profile), although he only hit 1 home run in his 105 PA in AA. He walked 13 times and K’d (only) 19 tmes, so his approach is definitely a strong point. While minor league batted ball numbers are flukey, especially in this small a sample, his 25% LD rate is awesome, although the 19% FB is ridiculously low. Hitting more balls in the air is going to need to be a change he makes long term.

A+ - Matt Bush - Bush might not amount to anything, and this could have been a number of bullpen guys, but I’ll take a stab in the dark. Bush’s numbers were great coming out of the pen (SSS, really SSS). 20 K to 3 BB in 13.2 IP. Fastball velocity used to be great, and while I don’t know where it is now, those numbers are indicative of good stuff.

A - Mark Thomas - A catcher who hasn’t put up any outstanding seasons, but hasn’t dissapointed either. I wish I had a report on his defense, because that is a huge aspect when evaluating guys who are fringe major leaguers, but if he can be adequate I like the overall package on offense. He isn’t necessarilly young, but he isn’t too old given that he is a catcher, either. He has maintained a good walk rate from rookie ball to bowling green, and his strikeout rate hasn’t really climbed either. Doesn’t have much power but hits a fair amount of balls in the air. There really isn’t much to pick from unless I want to take a real flier on Merill Kelly.

Hudson Valley - I don’t know enough about any of these guys so I’ll go with a guy who was recently called up, Enny Romero. A young dominican lefty (19 last year) who is tall and projectible is usually a good bet to be useful at some level at some point. He had a great campaign in the appy league this year, and it’ll be interesting if he starts next year in BG or in HS. Wish I had a scouting report on his stuff, but I don’t.

Princeton - Hector Guevara - I loooove Hector Guevara and I really don’t know why. He is a hacker but he controls the strike zone well (15 BB/31 K in 223 AB for an 18 year old in America is fair), and actually showed a bit more speed than I thought (9 SB although 3 CS). Played mostly at 2B this year, and while his defensive reviews at SS were fair to bad, I don’t know how he is doing at 2B. He finished hot though, and while I’d expect he gets more time in rookie ball next year, I like Guevara.

GCL - Brandon Henderson - 15th round pick who pitched pretty well in limited time. Pitched at a small school in NC, and as a lefty with good poise and athleticism many think their is potential for improvement. He throws a good breaking ball and has a usable changeup, but his fastball velocity is only mid-80s, so that projection is going to have to come through if he is going to play baseball, let alone start, long term.

AAA-Tyson Auer OF He is about the same player as Chris Petit was before the injury. Could be a good 4th OF

AA-Andrew Romine SS Dont know him to well, but he could be a lefty Brendon Ryan, utility guy

High A-Luis Jimenez 3B Love the potential power, he has a nice line drive gap swing, might be a god trade chip if Kaleb Cowart develops into the guy we hope he’ll be.

Low A- Max Russell LhPRussell was drafted this year out of college. He is a lefty who has 4 good pitches, got to Cedar Rapids after dominating at Orem. Maybe a Joe Saunders type.

Short Season-Daniel Tillman RhP Tillman dominated in Orem this year out of the same college as Russell. I see him getting to the bigs in ’12 as a hard throwing reliever like Jordan Walden.

AZL- Wendell Soto- This guy gets overlooked because of all the guys drafted ahead of him. He could be a slick fielding shortstop and have a bat similar to Alberto Callaspo/

Hitters

AAA: Tyler Graham-OF. He’s a track star, and he posted an .833 OPS in 343 AB’s this year. He could end up being a 4th OF.

AA: Brock Bond-Util. Bond has no standout skills, except the ability to get on base. He has average (at best) Speed and range (at 2B), a sub par arm and no power. But it is hard to overlook a guy with a career .389 OBP.

A+: Juan Perez-CF. He was voted the best defensive CF in the Cal League in BA’s best tools survey, and his defensive prowess moved Francisco Peguero to RF. Perez has also been the teams leadoff hitter and has shown some speed stealing 17 bases. He needs to improve his BB rate and Base running (15 Caught stealings) but after his poor year at Augusta last year he has been a good surprise.

A: Hector Sanchez-C: The Giants aggressively sent Sanchez to Augusta, after playing in the AZL last year. While the advanced competition ate up fellow catcher, Tommy Joseph, Sanchez held his own. I think next year he should be the everyday catcher at San Jose (with Joseph repeating) and hopefully he (Sanchez) can develop some more power. I really like Sanchez though, and he is one of the top 20 prospects in the system IMO.

SS:Chris Lofton-OF. Lofton, the Giants 9th round pick this year served as the CF for Salem Keizer while Gary Brown and Jarrett Parker negotiated their contracts. Lofton showed good tools for leading off, including an impressive .350 OBP and stealing 15 bases. I imagine Lofton will be the CF for Augusta next year.

AZL:Carlos Willoughby-2B. Willoughby has excellent speed and showed an advanced feel for base stealing, only getting caught 4 times in 27 attempts. One thing working against him is his age-he is already 22 and this was his first year in the States. Willoughby also showed an impressive ability to get on base (a .372 OBP), so he can utilitze his speed.

PITCHERS

AAA: Tony Pena Jr-RHP. The former defensive wizard dominated AA hitters, but struggled once he reached AAA. The immediate concern is that his command slipped up as he allowed only 1 more walk in 46 AA innings than he did in 30 AAA innings. His GO/AO also dropped significantly in AAA. If he can harness his command I still think he has a shot at becoming a useful bullpen arm.

AA: Jake Stevens-LHP. There were no real sleepers on this list, so I went with the former Braves prospect, who the Giants took in the AAA Rule V draft last year. He posted a 2.80 ERA working mostly in relief (3 starts in 46 appearances), and his K/BB rate wasn’t great, but he posted a nice year and is only 25-Seems like ages ago he was a top 5 prospect in the Braves system.

A+:Jose Casilla-RHP. While his older bro has been a pleasant surprise in the Giants bullpen, Jose dominated SAL hitters before getting called up to San Jose for the post season roster. In Augusta Casilla had a 1.16 (!) ERA and GO/AO of 2.46. Casilla is easily the Giants best relief prospect and is one of their top 15 prospects, in my view.

A: Jose Valdez-RHP. If nothing else, Valdez at least has the intimidation factor. He is 6’7, 250 lbs and K’s more than a batter per inning. He definitely needs to sharpen his command though, as he walked 37 in 60 IP.

SS: Jake Dunning-RHP. The Giants drafted Dunning as a Shortstop last year in the 33rd round. He started the conversion to the mound last year, throwing 1 inning. This year he took off as a reliver, allowing only 38 baserunners in 36.2 IP, with 46 K’s. His 2.95 ERA was impressive, and Dunning has a chance to move quickly.

AZL: Reiner Roibal-RHP. The Giants signed the Cuban defector earlier this year-he only threw 8.2 IP this year, but he does have high upside.

Rookie ball: Jose Fernandez, SS.
One of the youngest pro players stateside, Fernandez is a 17-year old shortstop with soft hands, good instincts, and some power projection. The Astros believe he’ll stick at shortstop and hit double digit homers down the road.

Low A: Tyler Burnett, 3B.
Burnett is a good fielder with good patience. He also apparently puts on a show in batting practice, displaying the potential for some legitimate power. His performance this season doesn’t look more than solid on the surface, but much of that is driven by a low batting average which I believe will go up. Could break out in Lancaster if that’s where he starts next season.

Single A: Jacob Goebbert, OF.
Was tempted to put the prospect acquired in the Berkman trade, Paredes, here, but I don’t know that he qualifies as a sleeper. I’ll talk about Goebbert instead. He’s a little old for his level, but had a very solid season; his strikeout rate is good and he does have some power. I think he will tear up the Cal League as a lefty, and although some of that will be park-aided, he does appear to have some talent.

High A: Jose Altuve, 2B.
A very short second baseman (listed at 5’5") who nonetheless appears to be a four-tool player. Batted .301/.357/.448 with 15 homers and 42 stolen bases this season and good BB/K numbers, and scouts confirm that his tools are solid. Height will provoke questions every step of the way, but I like him.

Double A: Ben Heath, C.
The Astros’ fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, Heath is an offense-first catcher with legitimate power and a patient approach. Statistically, he was one of the best hitters in the Big 10 this year before being drafted, then went on to mash in pro ball to the tune of .276/.387/.495 between three levels. He may or may not stick at catcher, and his swing has some holes, but it’s hard to find too many complaints with fifth round pick who makes it all the way up to AA in his first pro season. Could have a huge breakout next year or fizzle if high level pitchers exploit his holes and he can’t adjust.

Triple A: Jack Shuck, OF.
A good athlete with well above average speed which hasn’t seemed to translate to plus defense or baserunning, Shuck nonetheless may be able to stick in center field. His calling card is his hit tool, as his 10.5% career strikeout rate and .303 career batting average indicates, but he also has some patience, and he should post solid OBP numbers in the bigs. Unfortunately, he doesn’t bring much else to the table, with very little power and iffy instincts, and if he can’t be an average defender in center field he may only be suited for a bench role.

AAA/Majors: Alex Presley, OF, the AAA team didn’t have much in the way of prospects by the end of the season. Presley was the most interesting name in their box score for me. Tore up AA (932 OPS) after two mediocre years in A and continued that success into AAA. A bit old with low upside, but he came out of nowhere this year. He got called up so I’m not sure if he still counts.

AA: Justin Wilson, LHP. Probably the least well known of the Big 4 in our AA rotation (Morris, Locke, Owens and Wilson) but has good stuff. Great K (134K in 142.2 IP) and GB rates (1.6 GO/AO), but a bad walk rate (71 in 142.2).

A+: Brock Holt, SS. Said to be likely to move to 2B but had a very interesting debut derailed by injury (350/410/440). Third best offensive prospect on the team after Sanchez and Marte.

A: Jarek Cunningham, IF. Had a decent year (260/310/436) after losing last year to a knee injury.

Rookie: Matt Curry, 1B. Unheralded draft pick out of TCU was good in the NYPL (300/420/480).

GCL - Anthony Bryant - Didn’t do much this year but he is still fairly raw but super athletic OF. Also keep an eye on Ricky Martinez (son of ex-MLB and current Cards AA Pitching Coach Dennis Martinez)

Rookie - Virgil Hill - Another super athletic OF that comes from a set of parents that were both olympians. Very raw when drafted in 2009 and struggled last year. Made significant strides at the plate this year. Another guy I like a lot is Oscar Taveras (OF)

A Short Season - John Gast - He dominated this year after being selected in the 6th Rd in the 2010 Draft out of FL St. He is a lefty starter with a FB/CB combo

Low A - Nick Longmire - One of my fav picks from the 2010 Draft. He is currently playing CF but projects as a RF in the bigs. He has speed, good defensive instincts, strong arm on defense and can hit for avg and power (moderate power at least - good doubles hitter)

High A - Deryk Hooker - A RH that has a chance to be a solid #3 SP. He has always put up solid minor league numbers but rarely gets talked about

AA - Matt Carpenter - A 3B that is a hitting machine. Good gap hitter that will rack up plenty of doubles and hit for a solid avg. Might compete in ST for the 3B job. Also keep an eye on a few OF’s: Tommy Pham and Tyler Henley

AAA - Adam Reifer - Made huge strides this year. A closer type that has always had dynamite stuff. He put it all together this year mainly at AA. Another solid year in 2011 and he could be one of a number of legit back of the bullpen guys the Cards have in the upper minors (Salas, Sanchez, Samuel). Also keep an eye on Adron Chamber (OF) and Daniel Descalso (2B)

GCL - Edison Sanchez. He was exellent in the DSL and started strong in the GCL before getting injured. A teenager with an above average walk rate is always nice.
Appy League - Elmer Reyes. A teenage 2B that posted a .981 OPS in the GCL and .816 in the Appy. He has a small frame but drove the ball with authority at both levels.
Low A - Steve Kent. An Australian lefty who Braves fans feel like has been around a long time (injuries set him back for about 2 years). He pitched mostly out of the pen as his arm got used to pitching again but the Braves are pushing him back to the rotation next year. He struck out 54 in 39 innings with just 8 walks and 27 hits.
High A - Paul Clemens. A lot of people think he has one of the best arms in the system with a fastball that gets up to 97. He struggled with control issues last season but made some adjustments this year. After pitching out the pen for most of the year he moved to the rotation and improved all of his peripherals. 40K in 42 innings with 11 walks and 38 hits allowed.
AA - Willie Cabrera. If you know me from talkingchop.com you knew this was coming. Eric Cordier would fit here as a pitcher as well, but Cabrera raked for most of the season with crap tons of doubles and constantly battling for the league lead in Avg until he was shuffled back and forth between AA and AA for the last month of the season. He isn’t the ideal prospect age but he has a solid tool set and he has more power than his HR totals would indicate when you consider that his home park is one of the worst hitters parks in baseball.
AAA - Todd Redmond/Matt Young. Todd Redmond won’t be a star, but he could almost certainly be a 4th or 5th starter or long reliever on a lot of teams in the majors. Matt Young is a Braves fan favorite who brings speed, patience and some doubles power to the table along with the ability to play OF and 2B.

AAA - Brian Dinkelman

AA- Yangarvis Solarte

A+- Angel Morales

A- Tom Stuiffbergen

Elizabethan- Nathan Roberts

Gulf Coast- Kennys Vargas, Cesar Cuicina