Adam Foster over at Project Prospect posted his Top 50 prospects yesterday. I previously posted his Top 10 prospects here. Let's take a look at his top 50 prospects:
| Rk | Player | Pos | Comments | Age | Org | Lvl | ||||||
| 1 | Jason Heyward | RF | Has the skills to turn into one of baseball's best hitters; back injury is a concern | 20.7 | ATL | AAA | ||||||
| 2 | Desmond Jennings | CF | Solid bet to surface as an above-average big leaguer, with his D and contact bat | 23.4 | TB | AAA | ||||||
| 3 | Jesus Montero | C/DH | Sick power bat and an elite contact hitter, though he's probably not a catcher | 20.4 | NYY | AA | ||||||
| 4 | Stephen Strasburg | RHP | May emerge as No. 1 as soon as '10; painful mechanics will likely lead to injury | 21.7 | WAS | NCAA | ||||||
| 5 | Carlos Santana | C | Power-hitting catcher with outstanding patience; could become a plus defender | 24.0 | CLE | AA | ||||||
| 6 | Dustin Ackley | CF/LF | In convo for decade's best college hitter; patient LD bat and good defensive OF | 22.1 | SEA | NCAA | ||||||
| 7 | Brian Matusz | LHP | Command pitcher with a power arsenal and MLB track record; potential No. 1-2 | 23.2 | BAL | MLB | ||||||
| 8 | Buster Posey | C | Polished all-around hitter and a solid defender; very high floor as well as ceiling | 23.0 | SF | MLB | ||||||
| 9 | Justin Smoak | 1B | Elite patience and power to go along with good contact skills; limited to 1B on D | 23.3 | TEX | AAA | ||||||
| 10 | Fernando Martinez | LF/RF | Plus power/good contact skills may allow him to ascend to stardom some day | 21.5 | NYM | MLB | ||||||
| 11 | Alcides Escobar | SS | One of baseball's best defensive SS; elite contact bat but not much power or BB | 23.3 | MIL | MLB | ||||||
| 12 | Pedro Alvarez | 3B | Awesome power hitter; probably doesn't have the agility for 3B; will K often | 23.2 | PIT | AA | ||||||
| 13 | Michael Taylor | LF/RF | Making unbelievable strides as a pro; scary part is he could continue to improve | 24.3 | OAK | AAA | ||||||
| 14 | Neftali Feliz | RHP | Stuff is filthy (FB sat 93-96 in MLB);will he be able to jump up to SP innings? | 21.9 | TEX | MLB | ||||||
| 15 | Michael Stanton | RF | No one doubts 80 power -- also patient; contact struggles do give him a low floor | 20.4 | FLA | AA | ||||||
| 16 | Josh Bell | 3B | Should be solid defender; patient, powerful & works the count well; could K a lot | 23.4 | BAL | AA | ||||||
| 17 | Yonder Alonso | 1B | Very polished LD hitter; patient + makes lots of contact; how much power is here? | 23.0 | CIN | AA | ||||||
| 18 | Jaff Decker | LF | Above-average power hitter and extremely patient; better athlete than most think | 20.1 | SD | A | ||||||
| 19 | Logan Morrison | 1B | Safe bet for a lengthy career; swing + approach may not lead to very much power | 22.6 | FLA | AA | ||||||
| 20 | Mike Leake | RHP | Combines plus plus command and outstanding movement; likely No. 3 - maybe 2 | 22.4 | CIN | NCAA | ||||||
| 21 | Jhoulys Chacin | RHP | Great sinking FB & plus changeup; curve flashes plus break; chance to be a No. 2 | 22.2 | COL | MLB | ||||||
| 22 | James Darnell | 3B | Good bet to be solid MLBer; swing resembles J. Upton's - not as explosive, though | 23.2 | SD | A+ | ||||||
| 23 | Madison Bumgarner | LHP | No. 1-2 upside; great command of deceptive FB; SL is erratic; change lacks polish | 20.7 | SF | MLB | ||||||
| 24 | Domonic Brown | RF | Quick-twitch athlete has great bat speed; awkward swing mechanics limit ceiling | 22.6 | PHI | AA | ||||||
| 25 | Chris Carter | 1B | Monster power will come w/ perhaps 200 Ks a year -- patient too; no value on D | 23.3 | OAK | AAA | ||||||
Head on over to Project Prospect to check out prospects 26-50.
Check out what he said about a few of his top 50 in his Top 50 chat after the jump:
[Comment From Jeff: ]My fantasy team hopes Todd Frazier can stick at 2B but do you see it happening?
I like Frazier's odds of sticking at second more than Ackley's. I've heard some good reports on Frazier being good enough on D to stick at second. I'll give him a 50% chance of staying there right now -- 10% for Ackley.
Adam Foster:
Frazier certainly would have alot of value if he can stick at 2B.
Comment from Luke:
Chris Heisey's production is hard to argue with, but what do you think of his swing? How soon will he be ready for the majors?
Adam Foster: Steve Carter loves Heisey's swing. He describes it as "one that cannot be taught" in the Digital Prospect Guide. Heisey could win a job out of camp with the Reds. He has the bat speed, plate approach and defensive ability to turn into an average or better regular. We loved what we saw out of him at the AFL -- and I went in as a bit of a skeptic.
Heisey does not flash high ceiling but he did go 20-20 in 2009.
Comment from Willy:
What kind of progress does Aaron Hicks need to make within the next year or two? Is he a breakout season away from the top 15?
Adam Foster:I still haven't seen Hicks in person -- hoping to in ST in Florida -- but Lincoln reports in the DPG that Hicks could stand to improve his balance at the plate and take better routes on D. If he carries his Low-A success over to High-A and produces over a full season, he could enter 2011 as a top 15 prospect on most lists.
Foster has Hicks ranked as his # 50 prospect on his Top 50 list.
Comment From Andy:Love the list! Couple of cincy reds questions: What do you project from Alonso and Heisey this year? What would you do with the Votto- Alonso situation (1b, LF, trade)?
Steve Carter:
Heisey is a guy who has really impressed me. He changed his load a little bit, and the quickness in his change of direction is outstanding. He's got really pure hitters actions that you can't teach, and guys with those type actions usually just go up and rake. Like Adam said, he's a bit older, but he could be average this year and get better with more experience.
Alonso won't ever hit 35, but he's solid bet to get to 25 or a little more in his prime. His approach plays well in that ballpark, and he's a very solid floor guy. If I were the Reds I'd do what Adam said, put Votto in LF and Alonso at 1B. With those 2 and Bruce, that's 3 pretty legit young left handed options in the same lineup.
Wow. For a guy who hasn't hit for much power in the minors, 25 HRs is a little surprising for this Yonder Alonso owner. Votto in LF? They would have to have a center-fielder who can cover alot of ground for sure.