Top Prospects (11-20)
This is the next part of my list that covers the top 100 prospects in baseball.
Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pittsburgh
Taillon has the chance to move up the farm system very quick if he continues to dominate Single A. He has a 3.16 ERA at West Virginia with 38 strikeouts to just 4 walks which is very impressive for a 19 year old. He is giving up just about a hit per inning which needs to come down, but once he brings that down the overall package he offers will be tremendous.
Dustin Ackley, 2b, Seattle Mariners
Yes Stephen Strasburgh was the number 1 pick in the 2009 draft, but Ackley was picked number 2 and should have had a better following in the minors. He won the Arizona Fall League MVP and was also Named the Arizona Fall League Rising Star. When he was promoted to the majors he got his first hit which was a single off Roy Oswalt of the Phillies. As of right now he is batting .297 with 1 homer and 4 RBI’s.
Shelby Miller, RHP, Cardinals
With all of the injuries the Cardinals are dealing with, I would not be surprised if Miller would get a September call up if the Cardinals are in the thick of a playoff race. He has already been promoted to Double A this season after pitching to a very impressive 2.89 ERA at Single A Advanced. At Double A this season he has 1.69 ERA in 32 innings pitched.
Manny Machado, SS, Orioles
The shortstop of the future for the Orioles is currently with the Fredrick Keys and is batting .158 in 6 games so far. I would imagine that Machado would stay with Fredrick the entire season, because they don’t want to rush him and they likely want to see him fail to see if he can rebound himself. He started the season at Delmarva and he had a .276 batting average with 6 homers and 24 RBI’s.
Matt Moore, LHP, Rays
You would be shocked if I didn’t say that the Rays have another stud pitcher in their minors. Moore has not struggled at any of the minor league levels he has been at, plus the highest ERA he has had at any level is a 3.36 and that was at Single A. On June 17, Moore was able to throw his first ever NO-Hitter for the Montgomery Biscuits.
Michael Pineda, RHP, Mariners
The possible Rookie of the Year has not disappointed for the Mariners pitching to a 2.65 ERA in 102 innings. When you have a 1,2 punch of Felix and Pineda that will win you many games for years to come. When you look at his minor league numbers you might not see how he can be so dominate. If Seattle can put together a league average offense they will contend for the AL West title just about every year.
Freddie Freeman, 1b, Braves
Freeman is having an OK season so far batting at .265 with 9 homers and 32 RBI’s. His minor league stats suggest he may be a 15 to 20 homer player. He is always going to hit for a decent average in the majors, and he should hit close to 30 or 40 doubles a season.
John Lamb, LHP, Royals
Another future Royal is pitching to a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings on the season. One would like to see his WHIP drop down to around 1.20 which right now it’s 1.31. He has to find better control of his pitches if he wants to continue to be a long term starter for the Royals.
Mike Montgomery, LHP, Royals
Montgomery has come on some hard times at Triple A, he is pitching to a 5.83 ERA in 78 innings. He is only 21 so that is a major plus for any team, and he can repeat Triple A if the Royals want him to. Triple A has also been the first level he has experienced any kind of difficulty in.
Chris Sale, LHP, White Sox
This impressive power lefty is pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 30 games so far this season. You would like to see that ERA lower than where it is at right now, but most of the damage came against him early in the season. If he finds better control of his pitches he could become a very dominate closer or even 4 or a 5 starter on the White Sox.
Birdland South 