Baseball Prospectus: Top 50 Prospects Update

Jason Parks over at Baseball Prospectus released his mid-season updated Top 50 Prospects list this morning. It is behind the paywall so I won't give much away (and I ask that you do the same), but here are some nuggets of interest for you.

***Jason now has Minnesota Twins prospect Byron Buxton rated as the top prospect in all of the minor leagues. Jason writes: "Buxton has the most exciting tool collection in the minors, which is why he ranks ahead of (Oscar) Taveras as the premier prospect in the game. The beauty of Buxton is the impact potential he has in all phases of the game, as the 19-year-old can go 1-for-5 at the plate but still patrol big swaths of real estate in center field and use his elite speed as a weapon on the bases. . .This is a special talent. You buy tickets to watch this kid play."

I completely agree with Jason's assessment. I am working on my own prospect list revision and Buxton will probably be number one for me as well.

***Rounding out the top five for Parks are Oscar Taveras of the Cardinals, Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox, Francisco Lindor of the Indians, and Archie Bradley of the Diamondbacks, who ranks as Jason's top pitching prospect.

***2013 draftee Mark Appel of the Houston Astros checks in at #18 with Jonathan Gray of the Colorado Rockies at #33. Parks notes that ranking '13 draftees with no professional data is difficult, but these early slots seem reasonable to me.

***Los Angeles Dodgers high school junior Julio Urias checks in at #41.

***I was surprised at first to see Atlanta Braves prospect Lucas Sims at #50, but he's having an excellent season (2.98 ERA, 60/18 K/BB in 51 innings, 37 hits allowed for Low-A Rome) and I think it makes sense to have him on the list. For whatever reason, he hasn't received quite as much press attention as some of the other top pitching prospects, somewhat odd since he was a first-round pick last year, but the numbers are sharp and the scouting reports indicate significant progress with his secondary pitches this spring.