The 2009 Major League Baseball season is now almost two months old and during that time, we have seen several top prospects establish some of the first milestones of their still-bright and budding careers.
The 2009 Major League Baseball season is now almost two months old and during that time, we have seen several top prospects establish some of the first milestones of their still-bright and budding careers. The Texas Rangers made a sizable splash in the off season when they announced that 20 year old Elvis Andrus would be the opening day shortstop, moving All-Star and Gold Glover Michael Young to third base. Andrus has excelled in his new role with the Rangers and looks to be a prominent fixture within that rapidly improving organization for many years to come. Matt LaPorta got the call with the Indians and promptly hit his first MLB homerun, only to follow it with a whole heap of strikeouts and, consequently, a trip back to AAA Columbus. Baltimore's Nolan Reimold got off to a blazing start at AAA Norfolk, hitting nearly .400 with 9 HR over the first 30 games. Since his promotion to the big club, the lanky left fielder has continued to rake, hitting four homers and driving in nine in his first 13 games. The mound has seen its fair share of bright young stars as well. Detroit broke camp with two pitchers that had not pitched above A ball in Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry. Both have made the transition quite well and have flourished at times in their separate roles. Similarly, Oakland addressed their early season injury woes by promoting 20 year olds Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson into their big league rotation out of spring training. There have been ups and downs, but both youngsters show an acumen for addressing their weaknesses in a confident manner that will only serve to make them better pitchers down the road.
In the National League, outfield phenoms Jordan Schafer of the Braves and St Louis' Colby Rasmus made strong impressions in the early going, but have struggled with controlling the strike zone and being disciplined at the plate. More recent additions to NL rosters include Florida's 2B/3B/OF Chris Coghlan, who parlayed a AAA hot streak into a regular major league job, replacing the ice cold Cameron Maybin. An injury to Ryan Church paved the way for New York Mets top youngster Fernando Martinez to make his major league debut. Through his first couple of games, he is still struggling to eek out his first major league hit. Atlanta's Kris Medlen outpitched teammate Tommy Hanson at AAA Gwinnett, but in his first two major league starts has been unable to replicate his success.
Once a player makes his major league debut, the market for his various cards often experiences a formidable jolt as a wider base of collectors and baseball fans become interested in their cards and memorabilia. So, who are the next players that will be sewing the seeds of their major league careers in the near future? After perusing through the various organizations, it became apparent to me that, despite the vast amount of talent already getting their first tastes of first class air travel and roommate-free hotel suites, there is still a large contingent of players that are nearing the final days of long bus rides and double digit per diems.
In descending order, here are the top 10 to watch:
10.) Kyle Blanks - San Diego Padres 1B (.259 9 HR 27 RBI 24 runs in 47 games)
The robust left handed slugger has struggled during the month of May, but the fact remains that his bat is the most powerful within the Padres organization. Blanks may have already made his debut, but he is limited positionally and, quite frankly, there is no one worthy of dethroning the super hot Adrian Gonzalez. Regardless, Blanks should earn a late summer call up (possibly September) and could draw added attention as a high-value trading chip in the off season.
9.) Neftali Feliz - Texas Rangers RHP (2-2 3.83 ERA 21 BB/36 K in 34.1 IP)
The man with the effortless 100 MPH fastball had a rough start to his '09 season at AAA Oklahoma City. He has, however, looked much better in his last three starts, allowing 4 earned runs in his last 15 innings. Teammate Derek Holland has already been promoted to Texas ahead of Feliz, but it is reasonable to believe that the red-hot Rangers will call upon his services by mid-summer. The key thing to watch with Feliz is his ability to control the strike zone. He has been better during the month of May and his continued improvement will only expedite his ascention to the major leagues.
8.) Chris Tillman - Baltimore Orioles RHP (5-0 2.13 ERA 13 BB/44 K in 38 IP, .229 BAA)
As if 2008's season wasn't enough, Tillman's start to the '09 season continues to rub dirt in the eye of the Seattle Mariners organization in the wake of last offseason's trade for Erik Bedard. Tillman has frontline starter stuff and has improved the command of his offspeed pitches, a curveball and changeup, this season. The Orioles are still a year or two away from posing a serious threat to the perennial A.L. East superpowers, but with lower ceiling pitchers like Brad Bergerson, Rich Hill, and Jason Berken in the fold, it seems quite likely that Tillman will face his first major league hitter before Independence Day.
7.) Austin Jackson - New York Yankees OF (.361 0 HR 19 RBI 9 SB 19 BB/43 K in 42 games)
After a decent showing in the '08 Arizona Fall League, A-Jack further opened the eyes of the Yankees brass with an impressive Grapefruit League stint in which he hit .333 with 3 HR 10 RBI and 2 SB in 23 games. Jackson has since been playing for the Yankees' AAA affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre and has torn the cover off of the ball in the first two months. Curiously, the power that he demonstrated in March has yet to manifest itself yet, but his willingness to work counts, his line drive bat and excellent speed seem to be an ideal fit in the center of New York's future outfield. The duo of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner has performed admirably in that role as of late, but Jackson's considerably higher ceiling should give the Yankees reason to give him a look once the rosters are expanded in September.
6.) Brett Wallace - St. Louis Cardinals 3B (.286 6 HR 20 RBI 19 BB/46 K in 44 games)
Wallace is the epitome of a fast track player. Last season, the 13th overall pick from the '08 draft mashed at two separate levels after signing with the Cardinals and he has already duplicated that process at two new levels this season. Wallace is all offense, all the time providing 25-30 HR power with the ability to regularly hit over.300. Defensively, there are still question marks about his ability to sustainability play at the hot corner, but with Sir Albert locking things down at 1B, there are precious little other options for the former Arizona State Sun Devil. He has demonstrated an aptitude to make routine plays and his strong arm is well suited for the position. This season's numbers at AA and AAA have been solid. Wallace's BB/K ratio is a bit skewed from last season's totals as he is walking less and striking out more. Some of this may be due to being rushed through the system and it would seem logical that St. Louis may take a little bit of time to evaluate Wallace's adjustment to PCL pitching before promoting him to the big club.
One thing to watch is the progress of Troy Glaus' rehab. A report from the Cardinals a couple of days ago was quite pessimistic that Glaus would be able to make his return by the All-Star break, and his laundry list of past injuries further diminishes optimism that he will be able to stay healthy once he returns. Production from a platoon of Brian Barden and Joe Thurston has been sparse at best, leading the Cards to examine potential trade possibilities to fill that void in their lineup. An offensive hot streak at Memphis could provide the Cardinals with reason to believe that Wallace is ready to step in and fill the void with a bat that could provide just as much, if not more, production than Glaus' provided in '08.
5.) Madison Bumgarner - San Francisco Giants LHP (6-1 1.06 ERA 8 BB/44 K in 42.1 innings)
It's hard to imagine that the Giants top minor league prospect could improve upon his stellar numbers from '08, yet he has indeed done so this season at two separate levels. Bumgarner seems to improve with each new challenge and his dominance since his promotion to AA Connecticut (3-0 o.50 ERA 4 BB/21 K in 18 innings) has provided fuel to the rumors that the Giants will promote him to the major leagues at some point this summer. There's really no compelling reason not to, as Madison has already demonstrated during spring training that he can dominate major league hitters, allowing just one hit in five scoreless innings. Currently, there doesn't seem to be any space available in San Francisco's rotation despite the struggles of #5 starter Jonathan Sanchez. However, much can happen over the next couple of months. Randy Johnson is closing in on win #300 and has historically battled back and knee injuries and the afore mentioned Sanchez has a power arm and diminutive control that could be better suited at the back end of the Giants' bullpen. With both of these question marks being lefties, changes to the roles or futures of either of these players will open up the opportunity for Bumgarner to make his debut. Regardless, September's roster expansion could provide that opportunity nonetheless.
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4.) Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates OF (.293 3 HR 18 RBI 10 SB 9 3B 15 BB/18 K in 43 games)
It seems like we've been waiting forever for the Pirates' 2005 1st rounder to make his PNC Park debut. McCutchen has been brought along slowly through the Bucs' minor league ranks and he has performed well at each level. Once thought to be a middle of the lineup power hitter, it now is apparent that McCutchen is turning into an ideal top of the order hitter who makes excellent contact, works deep into counts, has blazing speed, both on the basepaths and in the outfield, and can provide 12-18 HR pop to boot. The Pirates currently have Nyjer Morgan manning the helm in center field and Brandon Moss in left. While both have been playing well this season, neither have a comprehensive skill set that rivals McCutchen's. It is only a matter of time, perhaps days, before Pittsburgh finds a way to nestle Andrew into their major league lineup.
3.) Gordon Beckham - Chicago White Sox SS (.299 4 HR 22 RBI 17 2B 14 BB/24 K in 38 games)
Currently at AA, there is little question within the White Sox organization that Beckham's bat is MLB ready. One of the most polished offensive players in the '08 draft, the former Georgia Bulldog has raked at every stop during his nine months as a pro. Beckham is currently playing at AA Birmingham, but the need for more solidity in the White Sox infield is growing, as is their deficit in the A.L. Central. While Alexei Ramirez has been solid at shortstop, Josh Fields and Wilson Betemit have been a disappointment at 3B and rookie Chris Getz has been punchless at 2B. Beckham has the ability to play any of these positions while providing a nice blend of average and power. I would expect that the Sox will promote Beckham to AAA Charlotte soon for a trial run before bumping him up to their big league roster. It should happen at some time this summer, though, and the odds are good that once he's promoted, Beckham will perform well enough to stay.
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2.) Tommy Hanson -Atlanta Braves RHP (3-3 1.38 ERA 17 BB/82 K in 60.2 innings)
How has this guy not made his MLB debut yet? Last year's Arizona Fall League MVP has continued to make a strong case that he is the best pitching prospect in all of baseball by pacing the minor leagues in strikeouts. At 6-6 220 lb., Hanson is a frontline workhorse with a fastball that was clocked at 98 MPH during spring training this year. The Braves promoted teammate Kris Medlen ahead of Hanson just a couple of weeks ago merely in an effort to keep the much more talented Hanson's arbitration clock from prematurely early. While Medlen has since struggled, Hanson continues to dominate for AAA Gwinnett. In 10 starts, Hanson has struck out at least nine hitters in six of ten starts and has held hitters to a minuscule .164 BA. With June arriving, it is only a matter of days, or perhaps hours, that the Braves will usher in the Tommy Hanson era, perhaps ushering Medlen to the bullpen or, perhaps, back to Gwinnett. With not distinguishable N.L. Rookie of the Year performances to date, there is a real opportunity for Hanson to quickly establish himself as a candidate.
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1.) Matt Wieters - Baltimore Orioles C (.305 5 HR 30 RBI 25 runs 20 BB/30 K in 39 games)
Was there any question as to who was going to be #1 on this list? Unlike any of the other candidates, we know when Baseball America's #1 prospect for 2009 is going to make his debut. The Orioles announced a couple of days ago that the switch hitting backstop will be in the O's lineup on Friday May 29th and should handle the bulk of the catching duties going forward. Wieters got off to a slow start offensively this spring hitting just one HR during spring training and one during the month of April at AAA Norfolk. May has been a different story. Wieters is currently batting .330 with 4 HR 25 RBI and 20 runs scored in 25 games, amply demonstrating that his bat is ready to replace the fledgling production offered by veterans Greg Zaun and Robbie Hammock. The A.L. has had some nice rookie performances to date from youngsters like Elvis Andrus, Rick Porcello, and teammate Nolan Reimold, but Wieters' complete set of skills could serve to provide an impact similar to what current MLB superstars Ryan Braun and Evan Longoria have provided in each of the last two seasons.
June is upon us and so soon shall be this next batch of great prospects donning their major league uniforms for the first times in what will hopefully be long and productive careers. Stay tuned to The Cardboard Connection for continued up to date sports card and memorabilia news and articles and to Porter's Prospect Report for daily updates on the MLB stars of the future.
Jeremy Porter | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
Four down….six to go.
Louise | Jun 10, 2009 | Reply
Although the Rangers have a good record, it’s just difficult to take the Ragers seriously. Are they going to tank again once the summer heats up? Time will tell & I hope that you won’t stop supporting your team!!! Just read about them here: