TOP 50 PROSPECTS FOR 2009

TOP 50 PROSPECTS 2009

Dec. 5, 2008

MLB.com's 2008 Postseason Top 50 Prospects list has the usual exciting array of power arms, power bats and power legs. All have the potential to be standout Major Leaguers. Who will be the stars of the game? Only time will tell, but the Top 50 list should give you an idea of what scouts around baseball are thinking.

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1. David Price
   
2. Matt Wieters
   
3. Jason Heyward
   
4. Rick Porcello
   
5. Cameron Maybin
   
6. Madison Bumgarner
   
7. Travis Snider
   
8. Alcides Escobar
   
9. Neftali Feliz
   
10. Colby Rasmus
    
11. Mike Moustakas
    
12. Andrew McCutchen
    
13. Brett Anderson
    
14. Matt LaPorta
    
15. Dexter Fowler
    
16. Chris Tillman
    
17. Trevor Cahill
    
18. Jarrod Parker
    
19. Buster Posey
    
20. Brian Matusz
    
21. Elvis Andrus
    
22. Tim Beckham
    
23. Mat Gamel
    
24. Tommy Hanson
    
25. Lars Anderson
    
26. Mike Stanton
    
27. Austin Jackson
    
28. Carlos Carrasco
    
29. Eric Hosmer
    
30. Carlos Triunfel
    
31. Wade Davis
    
32. Fernando Martinez
    
33. Phillippe Aumont
    
34. Yonder Alonso
    
35. Nick Adenhart *
    
36. Jake Arrieta
    
37. Scott Elbert
    
38. Freddie Freeman
    
39. Jeremy Hellickson
    
40. Jesus Montero
    
41. Adam Miller
    
42. Brett Wallace
    
43. Lou Marson
    
44. Jeremy Jeffress
    
45. James McDonald
    
46. Derek Holland
    
47. Kyle Blanks
    
48. Angel Villalona
    
49. Matt Dominguez
    
50. Jeff Samardzija
    

* Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident on April 9, 2009. He maintains his ranking on the list because it was based on a poll that rated the prospects as they stood prior to the 2009 season.

(Editor's note: To be eligible for the Top 50 list, players must have rookie eligibility. To qualify for rookie status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the 25-player limit period, excluding time on the disabled list or in military service.)

Top 50 prospects: Much has changed
With players heading to the Majors, plenty of new names

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

07/31/09 10:00 AM ET

It's been nearly eight months since MLB.com came out with its preseason Top 50 Prospects rankings. So much can happen in that period of time to make that ranking outdated and obsolete.

With that in mind, and particularly relevant with all of the Minor Leaguers who have been traded at the Trade Deadline in recent days, a new Top 50 list is coming your way.

The method for this list isn't as scientific as it was for the preseason rankings, where scores of scouts were polled, and their lists were dumped into a spreadsheet to come up with the overall list. Rather, think of this update as more of a glimpse into what the list heading into the 2010 season might look like when the usual polling is completed. The rankings here reflect more of a assessment than a representation of what the baseball industry thinks.

There are a ton of changes to the previous list. A little more than half of the names -- 26 to be exact -- are new. There are a number of variables that contribute to this. One big one is graduation to the big leagues. The threshold for MLB.com Top 50 Prospects list has always been rookie status, and at this point, 17 of the old Top 50 have moved on to bigger and better things.

From the Preseason Top 50 Prospects list, the following have moved on: 1. David Price; 2. Matt Wieters; 4. Rick Porcello; 5. Cameron Maybin; 7. Travis Snider; 10. Colby Rasmus; 12. Andrew McCutchen; 13. Brett Anderson; 15. Dexter Fowler; 17. Trevor Cahill; 21. Elvis Andrus; 23. Mat Gamel; 24. Tommy Hanson; 45. James McDonald; 46. Derek Holland; 47. Kyle Blanks; 50. Jeff Samardzija.

New Top 50 Prospects
Rank	Player	Team	Pos
1	Jason Heyward	ATL	OF
2	Madison Bumgarner	SF	LHP
3	Mike Stanton	FLA	OF
4	Justin Smoak	TEX	1B
5	Buster Posey	SF	C
6	Neftali Feliz	TEX	RHP
7	Chris Tillman	BAL	RHP
8	Brian Matusz	BAL	LHP
9	Jarrod Parker	ARI	RHP
10	Tim Beckham	TB	SS
11	Alcides Escobar	MIL	SS
12	Jesus Montero	NYY	C
13	Matt LaPorta	CLE	1B
14	Wade Davis	TB	RHP
15	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B
16	Jake Arrieta	BAL	RHP
17	Jeremy Hellickson	TB	RHP
18	Yonder Alonso	CIN	1B
19	Brett Wallace	OAK	3B
20	Michael Taylor	PHI	OF
21	Carlos Santana	CLE	C
22	Desmond Jennings	TB	OF
23	Austin Jackson	NYY	OF
24	Domonic Brown	PHI	OF
25	Logan Morrison	FLA	1B
26	Kyle Drabek	PHI	RHP
27	Jason Castro	HOU	C
28	Pedro Alvarez	PIT	3B
29	Mike Moustakas	KC	SS/3B
30	Eric Hosmer	KC	1B
31	Josh Vitters	CHI	3B
32	Lars Anderson	BOS	1B
33	Tim Alderson	PIT	RHP
34	Ben Revere	MIN	OF
35	Christian Friedrich	COL	LHP
36	Aaron Hicks	MIN	OF
37	Casey Kelly	BOS	RHP/SS
38	Martin Perez	TEX	LHP
39	Jason Knapp	CLE	RHP
40	Matt Dominguez	FLA	3B
41	Michael Bowden	BOS	RHP
42	Peter Bourjos	LAA	OF
43	Julio Borbon	TEX	OF
44	Mat Latos	SD	RHP
45	Jhoulys Chacin	COL	RHP
46	Jennry Mejia	NYM	RHP
47	Derek Norris	WAS	C
48	Jaff Decker	SD	OF
49	Matt Moore	TB	LHP
50	Angel Villalona	SF	1B

The rest of the changes can be attributed to injuries or suspensions or subpar performances from some of the old Top 50. On the flip side, of course, are many players who played their way up the list or onto the list for the first time.

Because of those graduations, and because of his outstanding performance in his second full season, Braves outfield phenom Jason Heyward is the new No. 1 prospect. Hard to argue with a guy who's raking in Double-A before he's 20 years old, a Futures Gamer with a .997 OPS who's been on fire since being promoted up a level.

There are only two other members of the old Top 10 in this rendition. No. 2 prospect Madison Bumgarner moves up from No. 6, though he might feel a little lonely in his organization with the top two pitching prospects behind him (No. 33 Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes) having been dealt in recent days.

No. 6 Neftali Feliz moves up a few spots from No. 9. The right-hander has transitioned to a relief role lately, to perhaps help the Rangers down the stretch, unless he's included in a Deadline deal.

One of the biggest omissions on the old list, e-mailers were quick to point out, was Rangers first-base prospect Justin Smoak. In polling done, he narrowly missed being in the Top 50, largely because scouts hadn't seen much of him as a professional to rank him that highly. Even with an injury that set him back quite a bit, and some difficulty in transitioning to Triple-A, it's hard to imagine anyone not having him in their top 10, which is why he's at No. 4 now.

Other 2008 draftees in this Top 50 are Buster Posey (5), Brian Matusz (8), Tim Beckham (10), Pedro Alvarez (28), Eric Hosmer (30), Christian Friedrich (35), Aaron Hicks (36), Casey Kelly (37), Jason Knapp (39) and Jaff Decker (48).

That's not to say it's not a diverse group. Eight of the 50 came via the international signee route, and the position breakdown goes as follows:

RHP - 14
OF - 12
1B - 7
3B - 5
C - 5
LHP - 5
SS - 2

Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.