Top Prospects 26-50

Heres the best of the rest. Don't be fooled by the ranking some great players have been ranked very low, Chris Davis for instance was ranked 82 by baseball America before he came up the bigs and started dropping bombs.

26. Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves, OF, (B/B+)- Heyward is the new Cameron Maybin/Jay Bruce. He's so damn good at such a young age. He hit .318 at age eighteen, and hit 11 homers and stole 15 bases through 120 games with The South Atlantic League's Rome Braves. Like Montero he would be higher if it wasn't for his age, he's a little bit too unpredictable because of his distance from the bigs, but the fact that he can already hit this well and has shown some good tools he looks like he could be Carlos Beltran or yet another B.J. Upton.

27. Brett Wallace, St. Louis Cardinals, 3B, (B/B+)- Wallace has some good competition in David Freese for the starting spot at third in 2009, but ultimately I think he will win that competition. Through 202 career at bats in the minors the kid has a .327 batting average and a .957 OPS-- Barry Bonds numbers practically. Its a wonder he's not ranked higher by most scouts, especially because he makes such good contact, the most important aspect of a young player's game. Either way, keep an eye on him in 2009-- he could win a batting title some day.

28. Josh Vitters, 3B, Chicago Cubs, (B/B+)- Many scouts have made an argument that Vitters is the best third base prospect out there. That aside, Keith Law was quoted saying ""If the patience comes, he's a potential no. 3 hitter who'll hit plenty of doubles and 25-plus home runs with a high average." Right now he simply doesn't get on base enough and hasn't showed great defense or power, but his potential is there, and when he gets there Aramis Ramirez will do pee pee in his panties.

29. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles, SP, (B/B+)- Tillman, drafted in the second round in 2007 by the Mariners, has a bright future, the only downside he has is the Orioles' jinx on their young starters that has bit Daniel Cabrera, Garret Olson, Radhames Liz and many others. Tillman has a big frame at 6'5" and 200 pounds, he just needs to fill out with some bulk. He has two plus pitches, a 93-95 mph fastball, a plus curve and he also offers an average-plus split finger and changeup. He'll have a shot to make the Orioles battered, young and generally laughable rotation in 2009.

30. Justin Smoak, 1B, Texas Rangers, (B/B+)- Smoak didn't sign until August 15 of last year, but after that he dominated the Arizona fall league hitting .327 and slugging .551. A lot of scouts compare him to Mark Texeira and/or Adrian Gonzalez. True he is a slick fielder like Texeira, but he's more of a contact guy than Texeira is, and Texeira has a little bit more raw power. Either way, Smoak is a more than adequate replacement for Tex and the 22 year old will head into 2009 as the third best prospect in the Rangers' system behind Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus-- not bad considering that system is one of the best.

31. Mat Gamel, Milwaukee Brewers, 3B, (B/B+)- Gamel is a lot like Chris Davis in that he can hit a ton. One thing he does better than Davis however is field his position. He's posted good numbers between the rookie league, A+ and AA, hitting .327, .300, .329 respectively. His power isn't outstanding but it is developing, and he could be Garret Atkins in no time.

32. Kellen Kulbacki, OF, San Diego Padres, (B/B+)- Kulbacki is one of the most underrated prospects out there. The James Madison prospect wields a sick bat hitting .332 and slugging .589 and hitting 20 homers in only a half a season. In the two years he's been in the minors he's had an OPS of .917. The Padres are thin on offense, and thinner on prospects, but Kulbacki no doubt is their best bet at a power hitter in the near future. He's only 5'11" which is small for a guy with that much power, but his swing is sweet and remember, Dustin Pedroia is barely 5'6" and still belted 17 bombs in '08.

33. Tyson Ross, Oakland Athletics, SP, (B)- Ross is off many scouts radar after losing 2008 to injury. He was drafted in the second round in 2007, and it was suprising to Beane that he dropped that far. Beane knows what he's got, a tall young gun with a 97 mph fastball and a diving breaking ball. He'll be in the top 50 on most scouts lists very soon, maybe even mid-2009.

34. Austin Jackson, New York Yankees, CF, (B)- Jackson is generally considered the Yankees' top prospect even though Montero is far better. Jackson doesn't have a high ceiling but he's a very good all-aroubd player who can hit for average, wallop 10-15 homers and steal 15-20 bases all coupled with good defense. He's a lot like Adam Jones in that he doesn't do anything spectacular when he plays, but he does everything wel.

35. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates, OF (B)- McCutchen is a lot like Jackson in that he's more of an all around guy than anything else. He doesn't hit a ton, but he does run well and he does field his position well and looks like he could hit .300 in the MLB some day. He stole 34 bases in AAA in 2008, but slugged only .398. He's shown potential to slug near .450 in his Minor League career, but ranking him in the top 20 is too high.

36. Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers, SP, (B)- Porcello is really the Tiger's only good prospect now that Andrew Miller is gone. He's only 20 and he doesn't strike out too many batters, but he did post a good era t 2.66 and he gave up 115 hits in 125 innings in 2008. He's only had 1 year in Professional Ball, so his 72 k's may very well increase as he gets bigger and older. Either way, he looks solid.

37. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay Rays, (B)-Most scouts rank Wade Davis higher than Hellickson, but after a 2008 in which he went 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA, and after watching him pitch incredibly well, I most definitely rank him higher than Davis. All of his pitches are ranked at a solid 55 at the scouting scale and he dons a 93 mph fastball, a changeup that he can place literally anywhere and a good curve. His bonus is his control-- at Vero Beach he had a 61/3 K/BB ratio.

38. Dellin Betances, SP, New York Yankees, (B)- Betances has a ridiculous amount of potential. He's only twenty years old, and he's already shown flashes of brilliance. In single A Charleston he struck out 135, yes that's 1-3-5 in only 115 innings pitched. His control still needs improvement, but the fact that he's 6'9," the fact that he throws a 96 mph fastball, an 84 mph change and a 75 mph diving Knuckle curve makes him look like a helluva prospect. Of course he's still young and has a long way to go.

39. Wade Davis, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (B)- I consider Davis the lesser of Tampa's top two pitching prospects, which consists of Davis and Hellickson. Still, at age 23 he's a little bit older than Hellickson and has a little bit more experience, especially since he's made it to AAA. Outside of Price, Davis is the most ready for the bigs. He throws a 95-97 mph fastball and a hard sharp curve and is apparently working on a third pitch to introduce in the bigs, supposedly a slider/sinker pitch. His stuff is nothing to scoff at, and its better than Price or Hellickson's, but he only has 2 pitches currently, and he has sub-par to average control so he gives up a lot of homers and a lot of walks. The former is scary because Tropicana as some issues with the gopher ball.

39. Phillippe Aumont, SP, Seattle Mariners (B)- Aumont is also ranked 39 because he and Davis seem very much the same to me. They're both tall and filled-out right handed pitchers with plus stuff and similar pitches. The Quebecois Kid is straight out of a high school with a name that sounds like something on a snobby restaurants' menu. He throws a a fastball thats usually between 92-94 but has touched 96 in scouting bullpen sessions for the draft. He hasn't used his changeup professionally yet, but he throws an 82 mph slider with serious tilt and movement--definitely his best offering. His fastball in the mid nineties isn't just a fastball, it's heavy and has late life on it making it very hard to loft when he's down in the zone. If he can finally perfect that changeup he'll be able to build on an impressive 2008 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

40. Carlos Santana, C/3B, Cleveland Indians (B)- To go along with his rock'n name, Carlos Santana had a ridiculous year in 2008 in which he hit .323 and .352 between two stops at A+. He has a career .858 OPS and had a 1.042 OPS with The Kinston Indians in 2008. Two bad things follow Santana however, first he was switched from catcher to third base, greatly reducing his value and secondly he's only had one good year in the minors, the rest of his time playing professional ball has been mediocre at best. Prior to 2008 he had only slugged above .436 and hit above .300 once in his three previous years between rookie ball and a few different A ball leagues. Either way, he looks like he'll be finally sticking a fork in Andy Marte and taking over at 3B as early as 2009, unless Peralta and Asdrubal move around.

41. Tyler Flowers, C, Chicago White Sox (B)- Flowers was traded with Brent Lillibridge to Chicago for Javier Vazquez. Flowers doesn't hit for a super average, but he has good power, the potential to hit .300 and best of all, he walks A TON. In only 413 at bats in 2008 the kid walked 98 times! In a full season that's about 130 walks...jeese. Who does this kid think he is? Kevin Youkilis? With the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Flowers had a .927 OPS and belted 17 bombs. He's definitely the future catcher in Chicago and A.J. Pierzynski isn't exactly blocking him.

42. Hank Conger, C, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (B)- Conger is yet another plus-plus catching prospect. Hammer'n Hank had a cool .850 OPS with the California League's coolest team, The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He plays a good catcher, but his hitting, especially his power make him a scout's dream. If Napoli stays this streaky then he'll be a backup in no time, and if Mathis continues to struggle then hello Hank and goodbye Jeff.

43. Lou Marson, C, Philadelphia Phillies (B)- Marson isn't the best hitting catching prospect but he's probably the most well rounded of all of them. He has been Team USA's starting catcher and his defense is one of the best among young catchers, if not the best. He's gotten better every year since 2005, and hit .314 in 2008 with an .849 OPS. He has a shot at starting for the Phillies in '09, although that may be harder now that they have Chris Coste, Ronny Paulino and that ugly Puerto Rican dude.

44. Ryan Flaherty, SS, Chicago Cubs (B)- Flaherty had only a glass of water in 2008 after being drafted out of Vanderbilt along with felow star Pedro Alvarez. He struck out a bit too much, over 50 times in just 200 at bats in A ball, but he does have a great swing and can certainly hit for contact. He hit .297 and slugged .511, which is suprisig considering he's usually a pure contract hitter, hitting mostly line drives and doubles. He's also pretty patient and he got on base 37% of the time in 2008. He played all over the place at Vanderbilt, and was considered a super Utility man (a guy who starts every game at a different position). He'll probably catch on at SS, especially because Theriot doesn't have the type of ability to really last, and The Riot's awful defense opens the door for Flaherty as well.

45. Ross Detwiler, LHP, Washington Nationals (B)- Jim Bowden has really screwed a lot of things up as far as prospects go. Yes he grabbed Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge and Jesus Flores, but he failed to sign Aaron Crowe and has made some pretty bad draft picks in the past. Detwiler however is not a bad draft pick by any means. He's a fireballing lefty with a 98-100 mph four seamer and a plus splitter. His professional debut wasn't anything to write home about with his era well above four, but if he harnesses his stuff and changes his delivery he could finally get his control. He could either be a very good closer, or a solid 1 or 2 starter.

46. Fernando Martinez, CF/OF, New York Mets (B-)- I have Fernando Martinez autographs all over my room, but unfortunately, like Carlos Gomez was, he's a little bit overrated. It has been three years since he hit .333 in single A, and his career .767 OPS isn't at all indimidating consider his OBP is most of that at .427. For a young guy he has good patience and range, he has some power but his contact needs improvement if he wants to be a good big leaguer. His ETA is probably 2009 as the Mets have really pushed him through each level, but the kid should wait atleast until 2010.

47. Nick Evans, 1B/OF, New York Mets (B-)- Evans went from average minor league prospect to top prospect in 2008 when he hit .311 and slugged .561 at AA. His major league debut was pretty solid too, belting 3 homers in less than a fifth of a season. The Mets don't really have room for him just yet but Church and Delgado definitely won't last forever. When Delgado retires or when Church's brain finally turns to mush, Evans will be next in line.

48. Will Inman, SP, San Diego Padres (B-)- After Inman and Kulbacki the Padres don't have any other prospects worth ranking--maybe Cedric Hunter if he gains some power. Inman is legit though and scouts love him. In 452 ip in the minors he's struck out 513 batters and has a career 2.82 ERA. He has a 92 mph fastball with which he really pounds the zone throwing it almost three quarters of the time. He controls all of his pitches well, especially his fastball. His slurve is a plus pitch and is changeup is dead average--but again he controls it very well. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Inman is his ability to not give up the long ball--only 10 in 135 ip in the super hitter friendly Texas League.

49. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Cincinatti Reds (B-)- Alonso has the potential to be an A player, especially with his ridiculous power, but he simply hasn't played enough to scout him, and I personally haven't seen him. According to other scouts though, he has some of the best power of his generation, and in The Great American Ball Park, the best hitting park in the MLB, he could hit 50 homers. His stats will probably resemble Prince Fielder's but he'll last much longer than the donut-eating-machine.

50. Gio Gonzalez, LHP, Oakland Athletics (B-/A-)- Gonzalez is another wild card and his rating shows that. He was dominant in the minors but was absolutely terrible in his Major League debut posting an era above seven. The kid has a 92-95 mph riding fastball and one of the best hammer curves in the game. He also has a good change and a solid cutter that he's been playing with recently. All of his pitches sans the cutter are good enough to be a strikeout pitch, but his curveball really takes the cake. In 624 ip in the minors Gonzalez struck out 712 batters and posted an era of 3.68. The first round pick has unlimited potential but he really needs to fix his control. He walked 25 batters in 35 ip with Oakland in 2008--atrocious numbers. He's won a ton of awards though: 2007 Topps Double-A All-Star, 2007 Baseball America Double-A All-Star, 2007 SOU Post-Season All-Star, 2007 SOU Mid-Season All-Star, 2006 AFL Rising Stars, 2006 EAS Mid-Season All-Star, 2006 Futures Game Selection, 2005 SAL Mid-Season All-Star to name a few.