As the Hot Stove season starts to come to an end with pitchers and catchers due to report to camp within a few weeks, it is now time to start taking a look at the 2010 season. Last week, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and Keith Law of ESPN.com released their top prospects list for the 2010 season. Both Mayo and Law do a great job of talking to scouts and team personnel to compile their lists. Many prospects find their names on both lists, however, Mayo and Law present contrasting analysis of their top 10 prospects. Here is a breakdown of Mayo’s list.
MLB.com’s 2010 Top 10 Prospects
1. Jason Heyward (OF) Atlanta Braves - The 20-year old outfielder is a rare 5-tool talent who possesses power, average, speed, and a plus arm all from the left-hand side of the plate. Heyward was the 14th overall pick in the 2007 draft and was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in 2009. Heyward is expected to reach the majors in 2010 and is a possibility to break camp with the team. The future is bright for this prospect.
2. Stephen Strasburg (RHP) Washington Nationals – The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft is arguably the most heralded pitching prospect since Mark Prior. In three years at San Diego St., Strasburg only allowed 144 hits in 243.1 IP along with 375 K and 50 BB (.797 WHIP). His fastball tops out in the triple digits and has a slider/curve breaking ball that is devastating on hitters. The Nationals are expected to take a cautious approach with Strasburg as he is deemed the future face of the franchise. Despite this cautious approach, it will be hard for the Nationals not to bring Strasburg to the majors at some point in 2010.
3. Mike Stanton (OF) Florida Marlins – Stanton was the 2nd round pick (76th overall) of the Marlins in 2007. The 20-year outfielder is considered to have the best power of any hitter in the minor leagues as his 67 HR in two minor league seasons will attest to that. Stanton is expected to patrol right field for the Marlins, possibly as soon as 2011. He is expected to play in Triple-A for 2010 with a September call-up to the big leagues a possibility.
4. Buster Posey (C) San Francisco Giants – The 5th overall pick of the 2008 draft made huge strides in 2009 as he made the jump from Class A all the way to a September call-up with the big league team. Posey threw out 46 % of potential basestealers in 2009 and has 20 HR potential at the plate. Posey is expected to get one more year of seasoning behind the plate with the return of Bengie Molina to San Francisco. His eye is on 2011 when he should be a cornerstone behind the plate for many years to come.
5. Brian Matusz (LHP) Baltimore Orioles – The No. 4 overall pick of the 2008 draft made his major league debut in 2009 as he made 8 starts with the Orioles last season. In those starts, Matusz went 5-2 with a 4.63 ERA in 44.2 IP. Matusz has drawn comparisons to fellow lefty Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners. He is expected to break camp with the Orioles as a member of their starting rotation and is considered a top-of-the-rotation starter in the future.
6. Desmond Jennings (OF) Tampa Bay Rays – The 10th round pick (289th overall) of the Rays in 2006 made arguably the biggest strides of any minor leaguer in 2009. Jennings didn’t find his name among the top prospects last season, but had an impressive ’09 season where he swiped 52 bases and had his first injury-free season of his minor league career. Jennings is projected to be a leadoff hitter in the majors and is expected to patrol center field in 2011 for the Rays.
7. Neftali Feliz (RHP) Texas Rangers – Acquired from the Braves in the Mark Teixeira trade in 2007, Feliz made some noise in 2009. In 31 IP out of the pen for the Rangers, Feliz had an impressive 1.74 ERA with 39 K and only 13 hits allowed. Feliz sports a fastball that reaches the triple digits and is simply overpowering at times. He is expected to be a setup man to closer Frank Francisco in 2010. Feliz projects as either a top-of-the-rotation starter or shutdown closer in his career. The difficulty for the Rangers is deciding which role suits him best.
8. Pedro Alvarez (3B) Pittsburgh Pirates – The 2nd overall pick in the 2008 draft had an impressive 27 HR last season in the minors. Alvarez is expected to be a middle-of-the order power threat in Pittsburgh who is known for his great plate discipline. The challenge for the Pirates is whether Alvarez has enough range to play third base in the majors or if he is better suited at first base. Either way, Alvarez is the top prospect in the Pirates organization and should arrive to the majors in 2011.
9. Justin Smoak (1B) Texas Rangers – The 11th overall pick of 2008 draft is the second Rangers prospect in the top 10. Smoak has scouts drooling with his power and average from both sides of the plates. The switch-hitter has drawn comparisons to former Rangers farmhand Mark Teixeira (1B) of the New York Yankees. He projects to be a middle-of-the-order threat from either first base or as a DH. The Rangers will be tempted to find Smoak a spot in 2010, but 2011 seems more likely for Smoak to find an everyday spot in the Rangers lineup.
10. Madison Bumgarner (LHP) San Francisco Giants – The 10th overall pick of the 2007 draft is the second Giant to find his name in the top 10. Bumgarner made his Major League debut in 2009 as he appeared in 4 games (1 start) and produced a 1.80 ERA in 10 IP along with 10 K. Bumgarner will compete for a spot in the starting rotation in camp and is expected to be a rotation staple with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain for years to come in San Francisco.
Tomorrow I will take a look at Keith Law’s Top 10 prospects and see how it stacks up to Mayo’s list. For a complete list of the top 50 prospects according to Mayo, please check out the link above.
