State of the AL Prospects

It's time to look at the time five prospects for each AL team and then rank each team's overall farm system. The prospect's current position and estimated arrival in the major leagues are in parentheses.

Albuquerque Isotopes

1. Joel Croushore (RP, S6): He has the ability to be a dominant reliever as he doesn't have any weaknesses. He also provides flexibility in that he could be used for 15-20 pitches just about every day or he could toss 30-40 pitches and need some time off every now and then.

2. Matthew McCovey (DH, S7): McCovey has tremendous offensive potential as he has great power and patience and no real weakness. He's ready for the majors right now, but since he can't play defense, Albuquerque doesn't have a spot for him and might not for a while.

3. Glen Fowler (LF, S7): Fowler doesn't have nearly the ceiling as a hitter that McCovey does, but he has the advantage of being able to play the field. And when he does earn a starting spot, he may never come out of the lineup as he's got great durability and health.

4. Guy Wise (SS, S8): Wise isn't going to be a star, but he should be a very useful player. He doesn't have much power, but he's solid everywhere else on offense and shouldn't be a bad hitter. He's not going to be a Gold Glover at shortstop, but he also shouldn't be a butcher there. His health is a bit of a concern.

5. Rafael Segui (SP, S6): Segui is moving into the major league rotation this season, and there's no reason he can't pitch effectively right away. He has good control, a good changeup and two other solid pitches and he's fairly tough on righties. The one thing he won't be is a workhorse, as he can't pitch very deep into games and he certainly can't go on short rest, at least not often.

Boston Red Sox

1. Tino Simon (2B, S7): Simon's excellent batting eye combined with decent offensive abilities elsewhere should allow him to be a solid hitter. His defensive potential seems to be about average at second base, maybe slightly below average.

2. Juan DeSoto (C, S8): Nobody in the Boston organization, including the majors, has a higher offensive ceiling than DeSoto, which is certainly saying something. The two major concerns about him are his health and his defense if the Red Sox decide to use him as a catcher.

3. Cozy Bolling (RP, S9): Bolling not only has the ability to be a quality reliever, he also has the ability to toss as many as 150 innings out of the bullpen. His biggest issue figures to be that he's not nearly as tough on righties as he is on lefties.

4. Gabby Diaz (SP, S8): Diaz doesn't have stellar control and he's not all that tough against righties, but he's got two good pitches and two decent pitches and if he is able to pitch well in the majors, he'll be able to shoulder a very heavy load.

5. Julian Castro (SP, S9): Castro's coming off a dominant first professional season, but there are certainly questions about him. He has stellar control and a dominant fastball, but he only has three pitches and he doesn't cause particular trouble for righties or lefties. As with Diaz, though, if he can pitch well, he can also pitch a lot.

Buffalo Europeans

1. Vinny Wang (SP, S8): Possible the best pitching prospect in the game, Wang throws hard and with great control and he's equally tough on lefties and righties. He only throws three pitches, but they range from good to stellar. He's not going to be a huge innings-eater, but he'll be able to take his regular turn in a rotation and even go on short rest on occasion.

2. Jose Guerrero (SP, S9): Guerrero would be the best pitching prospect for probably 20 other teams. He has good control, is very tough on lefties and has a great fastball. The rest of his pitches aren't anything special and he's not dominant against righties, but he could be a stalwart in a four-man rotation.

3. Cookie Tatis (2B, S9): The newest addition to the Europeans provides some balance to a farm system that was dominated by pitchers. Tatis has the ability to be an excellent hitter at the top of the order, with excellent contact and patience and a good bit of power. He should be solid against righties and outstanding against lefties. His defense at second base will be below average, but it should be good enough to let him stay there.

4. Orber Benitez (RP, S9): Benitez's raw ability is on par with Bolling's (better control, worse pitches, dominant against righties instead of lefties), but if Bolling has the ability to toss up to 150 quality innings out of the bullpen, Benitez can blow that out of the water if the Europeans so desire. Once he reaches his potential, he could probably go two innings at a time while needing fairly few days off.

5. Brian Martin (RP, S9): Martin may actually be better than Benitez, as they have nearly identical control and pitches, but Martin is equally good against righties and lefties. And while he can't pitch as much as Benitez, he'll certainly have the ability to throw a lot of innings.

Cheyenne Tackleberries

1. Dmitri Henderson (RF, S9): Henderson should be an excellent all-around hitter as he rates well across the board. He may need to move across the outfield to left because his arm looks like it will be stretched a bit in right.

2. Doug Webster (RF, S8): Webster should become an excellent leadoff man as he has great contact, great speed and the potential to become a great baserunner. He doesn't have much power and his batting eye isn't great, but it's good enough that he won't chase too many pitches.

3. Vin Gipson (SP, S7): Gipson has great control and a great fastball, but he may struggle against righties and his other three pitches aren't anything special. He also may not be able to take the ball every fifth game, needing an extra day of rest here and there.

4. Joseph Inouoe (SS, S7): Inouoe isn't likely to be a great hitter as he has very little power, but his good contact skills will allow him to hold his own. If he stays at shortstop, he may be below average but not terrible. He also will need some time off over a 162-game season, probably maxing out at 140-150 games.

5. Travis O'Connor (SS, S9): O'Connor has even less power than Inouoe, but he has the potential to make better contact. He may struggle against righties, but he'll be able to play just about every game and his defense at shortstop should eventually be above average.

Florida Cottonmouths

1. Sparky Rando (SP, S7): Rando doesn't throw hard, but he will have very good control and two of his four pitches will be good. He should be solid against lefties and even better against righties. His health isn't perfect, but good training should be able to keep him from having too many injuries.

2. Bruce Kennedy (C, S7): Kennedy doesn't have much power and his batting eye is subpar, but he has good contact skills. On defense, he has a very strong arm and decent accuracy on his throws, and he calls a solid game.

3. Max Valdes (C, S6): Valdes isn't terrible in any facet of his offensive game, but the only place he's really above average is his ability to handle lefties. He's solid but not spectacular across the board on defense. He could probably be every game if healthy, but he's not likely to stay healthy for an entire season.

4. Elmer Nixon (SP, S9): Nixon should be solid when he's on the mound as he has the potential for very good control, two good pitches and two decent pitches, and he's not terrible against righties or lefties. His problem is that his stamina isn't very good, and his health is even worse.

5. Julian Tarasco (RP, S7): Tarasco has great control and a good fastball, he's solid against righties and even better against lefties. His second and third pitches aren't great, but they shouldn't hurt him. He probably won't be able to throw more than 70 or so innings in a season, but they should be good innings.

Los Angeles Hangars

1. Christopher Roth (2B, S7): Roth is solid in both his contact and power ability, and he's got a decent batting eye. He should be a good, not great, hitter but hit real value comes from the fact that he has the potential to be an outstanding defensive second baseman.

2. Otis Combs (SP, S10): Combs doesn't have great control, but his arsenal of pitches is very good. He has a sinker with the potential to be excellent and two other pitches should be very good. He's not great against lefties, but he's solid against righties.

3. Jerry Borbon (1B, S8): Borbon won't be an elite hitter, but he should be quite good as he has very good potential for contact, power and patience. He's not great against either righties or lefties, and his health is a bit of a concern.

4. Edgard Suarez (SS, S7): Suarez may struggle some on offense as he has very little power and his contact skills won't ever be great. His batting eye is decent and he may be able to hit lefties very well while having trouble with righties. He projects to an average defender at shortstop and he's a very durable, healthy player.

5. Ron Duvall (SP, S8): Duvall has very good control and the potential for three very good pitches, but he struggles against righties and he's not great against lefties either. Even if he does become a quality starter, he may need extra rest between starts on occasion.

Minnesota Fatboys

1. Carlos Guzman (RF, S8): Guzman projects to be a force at the top of the order, with great contact skills and a very good batting eye. He also has some pop in his bat, so he may be better off hitting second or third than leading off.

2. Ozzie Hawkins (SS, S9): Hawkins has good contact and power potential and his batting eye is decent. His defense at shortstop may be a bit below average, but it won't be terrible.

3. Alberto Bautista (SS, S9): Bautista's contact and power potential isn't quite as good as Hawkins', but it's still solid and he's more balanced against righties and lefties than Hawkins. His defense at shortstop projects to match Hawkins' almost exactly.

4. Harry Navarre (CF, S11): Navarre doesn't have very good potential contact, power or patience, but that fact that neither righties nor lefties bother him in the slightest should help him be a decent hitter. His value comes from his defense, where he projects to be above average in center field.

5. Felipe Perez (2B, S8): Perez has solid contact and batting eye and his power isn't bad, and he should give righties a great deal of trouble. His range at second base is fine, but his glove may be an issue.

Montreal Grand Orange

1. Ted Barker (SS, S9): Barker has excellent offensive potential with very good power, solid contact and patience and the ability to hit equally well against righties and lefties. The problem is that he's going to need to move to second or third so his defense isn't a problem, and he's going to get hurt. A lot.

2. Denny Hubbard (RP, S8): Hubbard projects to have excellent control and an outstanding fastball. His second pitch is solid and he has a third pitch that's not terrible, which is a plus. He's OK against righties, but he may struggle against lefties. Could make a solid closer down the road.

3. Rich Beltre (2B, S9): Beltre should be a decent hitter, but he doesn't have any abilities that stand out. His power isn't good and he may struggle against righties, but he has the potential to have solid contact and patience and he should do OK against lefties. On defense, he'll either be a weak second baseman or a very good left fielder.

4. Todd Terry (SP, S9): Terry projects to have very good control, but he struggles at times with both righties and lefties. And while none of his five pitches are awful, none of them are great and only one of them is likely to be considered good eventually.

5. Darron O'Malley (SP, S9): O'Malley projects to have very good control and an excellent sinker. He'll be OK against righties, but he may struggle against lefties. His biggest issues are likely to be his health and his durability, which could keep him from being a 200-inning starter even if he is good.

Nashville Twang

1. Birdie Cornelius (SP, S8): Cornelius projects to have excellent control and velocity. He should be good against lefties and dominant against righties. He has the potential to have a very good fastball, a good slider and two other pitches that aren't awful. His only downside is that his stamina, durability and health are all lower than you'd like, but none are dangerously low.

2. Derek Reynolds (C, S7): Reynolds projects to have perhaps the best combination of power and patience in the game. His contact skills are solid and while he's not at his best against righties, he should be able to destroy left-handed pitching. Reynolds hasn't caught much in the minors because his defense is poor, but he's such a good hitter that it might be a worthwhile sacrifice if there's no defensive catcher who can at least hold his own with the bat on the roster.

3. Valerio Duran (RF, S7): Duran's at least solid across the board offensively, and his contact and power combination is good. He should rarely be hurt or need to rest.

4. Jordan Hutch (LF, S7): Hutch should be a solid leadoff hitter as he has blazing speed and projects to have very good contact. His power and batting eye are both solid and he's good against righties and outstanding against lefties. The only drawback to him as a leadoff guy is that he doesn't have good baserunning skills to match his speed.

5. Happy Magadan (SP, S10): Magadan projects to have very good control, a very good forkball and a good slider backed up by two pitches that aren't terrible. He's good against lefties, but he may have some trouble with righties. His biggest issue is his stamina, which could prevent him from being more than a 6- or 7-inning starter.

New York Metropolitans

1. Aaron Blake (RP, S9): Blake projects to have excellent control and a very good fastball. His curveball should be solid and he has a changeup that won't terrible. He has the potential to be OK against righties and very good against lefties. His stamina and health are worrisome, but they shouldn't prevent him from tossing 60-70 effective innings most seasons.

2. Jimmie Balboa (2B, S9): Balboa has good contact potential, but that's about it. He has very little power, he's not particularly good against righties or lefties and his batting eye is just decent. He projects to have very good range at second base, but his glove will be below average. Still, he should be a decent player who can take the field just about every day.

3. Von Thomson (RF, S10): Considering how poor his contact skills are, Thomson doesn't project to have as much power as you'd like to see. He should have a solid batting eye and he'll be decent against righties and even better against lefties. His glove is a question mark in the outfield and his health isn't great.

4. Steven Buhner (RP, S9): Buhner's control isn't going to be very good and he'll likely struggle against lefties, but he projects to be solid against righties and to have a very good sinker. His curveball should also be decent, and he'll be able to throw quite a few innings if he pitches well enough.

5. Greg Pickett (RP, S8): Pickett might not make the top 15 list for some teams, but he does have solid control and two quality pitches. He's not particularly good against righties or lefties, though.


Philadelphia Phenomenauts

1. B.C. Mota (SP, S8): If Mota had even one great pitch, he'd be right on par with Wang among the top pitching prospects. As is, his excellent potential in control, velocity and performance against lefties is mitigated somewhat by his pitches. Three of them project to be solid offerings, but none rise above that level.

2. Sammy Franco (C, S8): Franco projects to be a rare catcher who can hit and play defense. He doesn't have much power and he's not great against righties, but he has excellent potential in contact, patience and against lefties. Defensively, he should be above average overall.

3. Cristobal Ramirez (2B, S6): Ramirez is very similar to Buffalo's Tatis, just slightly less impressive in a couple areas. His contact, power and batting eye all grade out a hair lower than for Tatis, as does his glove and arm strength. Still, the fact that he's that close to having the same potential means he should have a nice future ahead of him.

4. Pete Kennedy (2B, S10): Kennedy's a different type of hitter than Ramirez, but no less impressive. He projects to have an excellent combination of power and patience, and his contact will be solid. He should be solid against righties and better than that against lefties. His only problem is that his defense will likely force him to move to left field.

5. Joe Bacsik (SP, S8): Bacsik's control isn't going to be very good, but he has a nice array of pitches, including a fastball that should be very good. He projects to be tough on righties and nasty against lefties. His biggest problem aside from the control is that his low stamina and durability may limit his innings.

Pittsburgh Pug Dogs

1. Rico Silva (SP, S6): Silva will make his big league debut this season, and he already has excellent control and an excellent fastball. He also has a very good slider and two other quality pitches. He's not dominant against righties or lefties, but he should be good enough to succeed in the majors.

2. Roy Rodgers (RP, S8): Rodgers' slider and curveball project to be among the best two-pitch combinations in the game, and he has the potential for very good control as well. He should be solid against lefties and very good against righties. The only real concern about him is his health.

3. Max DeLeon (C, S8): DeLeon may struggle some against righties, but he projects well everywhere else on offense as his contact, power and batting eye all have the potential to be good. On defense, his only liability is his range, although he's not outstanding at any aspect. He doesn't have great durability, so he may be limited to 120-130 games per season.

4. Bobby Hurst (SS, S7): Hurst projects to be a solid player, but nothing special. He doesn't have good contact and he may struggle against lefties, but his power and batting eye are solid and he's good against righties. He's not good enough defensively to play shortstop, so he'll need to move to second or third to avoid being a poor fielder.

5. Sammy Melendez (SP, S8): Melendez projects to have very good control, a very good fastball and a solid slider. His problem is that he may struggle mightily against lefties, and he's not particularly tough on righties either.

Richmond Roustabouts

1. Benito Alvarez (1B, S10): Alvarez projects to have great power and very good patience, as well as solid contact skills. He shouldn't struggle against pitchers from either side. His defense will likely be below average but not so bad he has to DH.

2. Aramis Julio (RP, S10): Julio projects to have excellent control and two good but not great pitches to go with a third pitch that should at least avoid being awful. He should be fine against lefties and a little better against righties.

3. Jerry Allen (SP, S9): Allen only projects to have one good pitch, but he should still become a solid pitcher. He has the potential for very good control and he'll be solid against righties and a bit better against lefties.

4. Harry Paz (C, S10): Pitchers from either side of mound can give Paz problems at times, but he projects to have solid contact, power and patience. His defense should be above average as he's got a good arm and is learning to call a nice game.

5. Julius Parnell (LF, S9): Jalal Parnell's nephew doesn't have quite the offensive potential his uncle had in his prime. Julius projects to be solid across the board, although he does handle right-handed pitching very well. He should become a good but not great hitter in the majors.

San Antonio Sting

1. Ronald Levrault (2B, S8): Levrault has the offensive potential of a first baseman, but he can actually play second base. He projects to have good contact, very good power and outstanding patience. He should hit very well against lefties and mash against righties. His defense at second base has the potential be about average, which is excellent when it comes with his bat. And he'll be able to play just about every game once he's developed.

2. Jin-Chi Choi (2B, S9): Choi is much more of an all-or-nothing hitter. He doesn't make a ton of contact, but he has excellent power potential and projects to have solid patience. He should also be good against both righties and lefties. He should be a very good hitter, but it's a bit of a joke that he's playing second in the minors. He's a corner outfielder or maybe a third baseman, although not a good one, in the majors.

3. Kareem Duckworth (LF, S6): Duckworth got a cup of coffee last season and is now ready for a full-time role, although he still has a good bit of developing to do. He doesn't have a good batting eye, but his power is already outstanding and getting better. He'll eventually have solid contact skills and he'll be solid against lefties and good against righties. Duckworth also has the potential to be a demon on the basepaths.

4. Mateo Baez (SP, S10): Baez projects to have good control and a nice array of pitches. He's not great against righties, but he's much better against lefties. He has the potential to be a solid but not spectacular pitcher.

5. Eddie Lamb (RF, S7): Lamb could become a very solid leadoff hitter. He has almost no power, but he projects to have excellent contact and patience. He may struggle some against righties, but he's OK against lefties, and he'll be a threat to steal bases. His range and arm are good enough to play the outfield, but his glove is more suited to first base.

Santa Cruz Amigos

1. Hal Smart (CF, S9): Smart figures to put the ball in play a lot, as he projects to have excellent contact and poor power and patience. He should be equally good against lefties and righties. Even if he turns out to be more No. 9 hitter than No. 1 hitter, Smart has value because he can play solid defense in center field.

2. Richie Fielder (2B, S6): Fielder's not going to get much better than he is now, which is a solid hitter who can play solid defense at second base. His value on offense comes from not being terrible in any area and being good but not great when it comes to batting eye and matching up against righties and lefties.

3. Clark Murphy (RP, S6): Murphy has good control and two good pitches, and he's equally solid against lefties and righties. He's not a dominant reliever, but he certainly has the ability to get major league hitters out.

4. Farmer Howard (SP, S10): Howard projects to have very good control and he should be very tough on lefties, although righties will have more success against him. His pitches, however, are underwhelming and he doesn't have the stamina to pitch deep into games.

5. Howie Flanagan (SP, S7): His control makes it somewhat unlikely that he'll ever be a quality major league pitcher, but he does have a good set of pitches and he throws very hard. Flanagan can be tough on righties, but he struggles against left-handed hitters.

Syracuse Fightin' Boeheims

1. Bernie Espinosa (RF, S7): Espinosa projects as an excellent all-around hitter as he has the potential to have a great batting eye and good ability everywhere else on offense. His only downside is that he won't be able to play more than 145-150 games without pushing things fatigue-wise.

2. Cesar Nunez (2B, S8): Already looking forward to playing about an hour down the thruway from where he grew up, Nunez certainly has the potential to be a hometown star. His batting eye isn't very good, but he has the potential to have solid contact skills and very good power, and he should be equally good against righties and lefties. Even if he's not a great hitter, though, he'll still be a good player because he can play above average defense at either second base or center field.

3. Jeremy Walker (SP, S6): Walker could make his debut later this season, depending on how things look in the Syracuse rotation. He already has good control and a solid arsenal of pitches, and he still has some room to improve. He may struggle a bit against lefties, but he's solid against righties and he can get better against both.

4. Al Clinton (SS, S6): After 2.5 years in AAA, Clinton needs a chance in the majors or a chance with a new team. His bat's a bit inconsistent since he doesn't have great contact, power or patience. He also isn't quite good enough defensively to really play shortstop, so he'll likely have to move to second or third in the majors.

5. John Griffith (SS, S9): Griffith has a better shot at sticking at shortstop than Clinton, but his bat is just as big a question mark. He has solid contact potential and a decent batting eye, but he doesn't have much power and he's not great against either righties or lefties.

Team rankings

1. Buffalo: The Europeans have tremendous top-end talent, and it's not only pitchers now that they've signed Tatis.

2. Minnesota: Great depth and several high-potential players, but the pitching in the system has gotten thin.

3. Nashville: Very good depth with a nice mix of pitching and hitting at the top.

4. San Antonio: Levrault along gets you into the top five, and there's enough other nice players here to move up a bit more.

5. Philadelphia: A potential ace pitcher and some impressive prospects at important defensive positions provide a nice base to work from.

6. Boston: Very good depth and several high-potential players, but none without some flaws.

7. Cheyenne: Good depth and a couple potential stars, but there's not much pitching in the system.

8. Syracuse: Decent depth and a nice pair of positional prospects at the top of the system.

9. Florida: Rando is an excellent pitching prospect, but there's not much else behind him.

10. Albuquerque: Not much depth and some of the top talents are blocked in the majors.

11. Pittsburgh: Decent depth, but there's not much high-end talent in the system.

12. Los Angeles: There's some depth there, but not a lot at the top.

13. Santa Cruz: The talent level drops off very quickly after Smart (who's not a sure thing himself), and there's no depth.

14. Richmond: There are several intriguing players, but the best one is years away and not that far above average for his position.

15. Montreal: Not much depth and the top talent in the system is a huge health risk.

16. N.Y. Mets: The deadly double - no depth and no high-level talent in the system.