Top Ten SS Prospects

*Reminder: Shortstops must project to at least 75 range and 80 glove. Additionally, glove + arm must be equal or greater than 160.

10. Ross Riley
Richmond Roustabouts
Bats: R
20 years old, High A
Drafted (HS) in the 2nd round (49th overall, Season 6)

Riley's appearance is on the list is more of an indictment of the dearth of talent at the position than anything else. That said, he's certainly not a bad prospect. Defensively, his range and arm strength both project as league-average, his glove a bit better, and his arm accuracy a bit worse. He whiffs surprisingly frequently for a guy with little more than gap power, but he makes up for it by peppering line drives and drawing his share of walks. He's very fast, but not a particularly good baserunner; he does, however, project to get better. All of this adds up to a nice, but uninspiring player; he's a starter for a lesser team, or an important bench player for a true contender. He does have an incredibly bad temper, though; look for him to set some sort of record for most ejections per game played.


9. Arlie Moriarty
Minnesota Fatboys
Bats: R
21 years old, Low A
Drafted (College SO) in the 1st round (31st overall, Season 7)

Moriarty's a tremendous athlete. He's a true blazer that's as fast as anyone else in organized baseball, he has above average range afield, and has an absolute cannon for an arm. His defensive fundamentals are strong, too; he's smooth with the glove, and has plenty of accuracy on his throws. He's a bit raw as a hitter. His contact abilities are acceptable, and he does have pretty good pop and plate discipline, but he can't figure out lefties at all. He's reasonably good against righties, and should be useful as a platoon SS against same-handed pitchers. Despite his speed, though, Moriarty is a poor baserunner and terrible bunter. I hate rating platoon players this highly, but the everyday players below Moriarty simply don't project as very good everyday players, and a quality platoon player against righties is more valuable than a mediocre starter. Interesting fact: Moriarty was born about an hour's drive away from the Metrodome. Thanks, Google Maps!


8. Wolf Lockhart
Pittsburgh Pug Dogs
Bats: R
20 years old, AA
Drafted (HS) in the 1st round (8th overall, Season 6)

Lockhart is an impressive prospect, but has two major flaws that could keep him from becoming a solid starter. First, his plate discipline is horrendous. Lockhart is a fairly good contact hitter, but still strikes out in more than 20% of his at-bats. He'll chase good breaking balls, high fastballs, splitters in the dirt, you name it. Also, Lockhart's arm is very erratic. While his throws have plenty of zip on them, he struggles with his release, and habitually drops his arm down (throwing side-arm), causing the ball to sail high and away from the target. The rest of the package is nice; Lockhart has good power, no platoon split and a mechanically sound swing. Defensively, he has great range and soft hands. He doesn't have any durability issues, and he's been praised as a hard worker on and off the field. But those two glaring flaws could pose a major problem; we'll see if he can succeed in spite of them.


7. Joseph Dong
Boston Red Sox
Bats: R
19 years old, Low A
Signed as an international free agent (Season 7, $7.5 million)

Dong is almost good enough defensively to play SS in the majors today. He accelerates and changes directions very quickly; he does have elite range, but is actually very slow; he'll actually lose in a footrace to most first basemen. However, his positioning, reaction time, and quickness are unparalleled. He fields ground balls effortlessly; he almost lulls you to sleep with his natural ability. You expect him to make every single play, whether it's routine or close to impossible. His arm conjures up images of Rafael Furcal or Shawn Dunston. His bat, however, is a big question mark; he struggles to make consistent contact, and too often tries to pull the outside pitch, resulting in routine grounders to short. His plate discipline isn't major league caliber, either. However, Dong has plus power, which should give him at least some offensive value. It's a strange combination (one-dimensional slow-footed slugger, elite defensive shortstop), but the end result should have plenty of value.


6. Glenallen Simontacchi
Tacoma Downpour
Bats: R
20 years old, AA
Drafted (HS) in the 1st round (5th overall, Season 6)

Simontacchi has good contact skills, and generates plenty of line drives with his swings (currently hitting .336 in AA as a 20 year old, no small feat). He also has solid pop. He does get a bit overeager at times, especially when he falls behind in the count, and better pitchers should be able to expand the strike zone against him. Simontacchi projects to be a solid defender; his arm accuracy is a bit shaky, but his arm is plenty strong enough for the position, and his glovework and range are fine. A good, down-to-earth kid that always shows up to practice and gives it his all on every play.


5. Erubiel Benitez
Monterrey Conquistadores
Bats: S
21 years old, AA
Signed as an international free agent (Season 5, $14.9 million)

Benitez is the Toyota Camry of shortstops; he's solid and reliable in every way, but not particularly good at anything. It makes for a nice package, though. There's not much to say about his bat; he projects to be around the ML average at every single attribute as a hitter. His defense is the same, too; his slightly inaccurate arm is made up for by his slightly above average glovework and range. The only thing remarkable about this kid is his work ethic; he's a tireless worker who's made the most of his abilities, and truly loves the game. While no single aspect of his game stands out, a league-average hitter who plays league-average defense at the game's most difficult position to fill stands out as a valuable player.


4. Ivan Hernandez
Albuquerque Isotopes
Bats: R
19 years old, Low A
Drafted (HS) in the 1st round (26th overall, Season 7)

Hernandez's bat is solid; he has good power, reasonable contact skills, and doesn't chase too many bad pitches. He scorches right handers, but he can struggle at times against lefties. Where he really shines, though, is on the defensive end. Much like Joseph Dong, Hernandez has excellent range despite a lack of speed. He's also got great hands and a solid arm. A plus defender with a league-average bat is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but he does come with an extensive injury history, and a habit of letting his life off the field interfere with his game. He's worth dealing with the baggage, though.


3. Ozzie Hawkins
Minnesota Fatboys
Bats: R
23 years old, AAA
Drafted (HS) in the 1st round (7th overall, Season 3)

Hawkins comes from Transition Plus, a special-needs school. He's dyslexic, and has said that ever since he started playing baseball, it instantly became his catharsis, a haven away from the drudgery of everyday life. Not surprisingly, his coaches remark that Hawkins is one of the most intense, determined, and dedicated players they've ever seen. He's a skilled hitter with excellent contact ability, good power, and a solid stroke. He has a bit of a platoon split (better against LHP), but it's nothing major. He can be a bit impatient at the plate. Defensively, Hawkins is fairly rangy, and his glovework and arm are both adequate. There aren't any durability or injury concerns of note.


2. Jim Kydd
Cheyenne Tackleberries
Bats: R
18 years old, Rookie League
Drafted (HS) in the 1st round (12th overall, Season 8)

At 5'8'' and 163 lbs, Kydd is among the smallest players on a Top Prospect list. That said, he's certainly not just here because he's a good story. The guy's a legitimately talented prospect. He's armed with contact skills you'd expect from a diminutive player, but you wouldn't be able to tell from his swing; taking maximum effort hacks at the plate a la Dustin Pedroia, Kydd has caught many an unsuspecting outfielder (and pitcher) off-guard by crushing the ball over everyone's head. Even with such a swing, Kydd hits for a high average (due to freakish hand-eye coordination), and shows very good patience at the plate. He's not particularly fast, but he's an intelligent baserunner who knows when to take the extra base. As a shortstop, he's pretty rangy, sure-handed, and has a good arm, but he has a tendency to underthrow the ball a bit on routine plays, forcing the first baseman to get low and dig the ball out. Kydd hasn't missed a game since Little League, and is as tough as they come. A fiery competitor, he's been ejected from his fair share of games, but the anger comes from his drive to win rather than any sort of selfish immaturity. Coaches don't mind the outbursts; he's always been very coachable.


1. Paul Lorin
Tacoma Downpour
Bats: S
21 years old, High A
Drafted (College JR) in the 1st round (6th overall, Season 8)

A shortstop that projects to plus power and patience? I'd take three, please. In addition, Lorin has very good bat control, putting good wood on the ball far more often than not, and rarely striking out. As a switch hitter, he's solid left-handed, but turns it up to another gear when hitting right-handed. His hitting coach at BYU suggested that he try hitting right handed only, but he then suffered an 0-24 drought against righties before going back to switch-hitting for good. Lorin has a strong arm, solid accuracy, and sufficient range at his position, but he does have a bit of trouble backhanding the ball cleanly. Lorin can play every day, but he's had lower back problems that have plagued him over the last few years; it's certainly something to watch out for.