Billy Hamilton - Reds SS DOB: 09/09/90 .233/.294/.325, 52/8 SB/CS
At the start of the year I had Billy Hamilton ranked as the top fantasy prospect in the Midwest League due to him being faster than Vancouver Canucks fans jumping off the bandwagon. His stock dropped a little after he hit .212 and .218 in April and May. June has seen a resurgence with his bat as he is batting .296. Unfortunately he hasn't drawn a single walk either. His OBP sits at .294 and will have to get a lot better if he is going to become anything more than a speedy bench player.
Carlos Martinez - Cardinals SP DOB: 09/02/91 2.48 ERA, 6.6 H/9, 3.3 BB/9, 11.8 K/9
Martinez/Matias got a lot of hype after dominating the Dominican Summer League last year. He has easily lived up to the hype this year with a 2.48 ERA, 11.8 K/9 and only 6.6 H/9. He is already top 100 prospect material and in a few seasons he should be among the top 10.
Keyvius Sampson - Padres SP DOB: 01/06/91 2.60 ERA, 5.8 H/9, 2.9 BB/9, 10.4 K/9
Sampson is one of the top pitching prospects in the low minors due to his electric stuff and superb stats. He is capable of going out and dominating every time he takes the mound and should move quickly through the Padres system. He can get a bit flyball happy but considering he will be playing half his MLB games at Petco it's less of a concern as with other prospects. I would definitely recommend acquiring him if you can.
Garrett Gould – Dodgers SP DOB: 07/19/91 1.55 ERA, 6.0 H/9, 2.7 BB/9, 8.3 K/9
I prefer pitching prospects that already have a plus breaking ball and Gould fits the mould. His fastball velocity isn't overwhelming so he won't put up eye popping strikeout numbers but he makes up for it with his above average curve. In 2011 he has allowed a mere 6.0 H/9 and it has resulted in a 1.55 ERA. So far this season he has had only one start where he allowed more than a hit per inning and that was during an abbreviated 2 inning outing where he gave up 3 hits. His fantasy upside is limited due to his lower strikeout totals but if he is able to add few ticks to his fastball as he fills out he will improve his status.
Marcus Knecht - Blue Jays LF DOB:06/21/90 .339/.433/.540
Knecht has emerged as one of the Midwest League's top hitting prospects with his triple slash of .339/.433/.540. He will need to continue to hit for average if he wants to be a fantasy star because he doesn't have speed and his power is average for a corner outfielder.
Derek Dietrich – Rays SS DOB: 07/18/89 .280/.338/.475
Dietrich's bat stands out as a quality bat at shortstop but unfortunately his glove also stands out as below average. Odds are he will make a switch to third base at some point. His bat should remain an asset at that position but he will need to improve his 14/59 BB/K ratio otherwise his AVG will drop quite a bit when he hits the majors.