2012 Prospect Rankings Review: American League Outfielders

Over the past week, I have been taking a brief look back at how the top prospects at each position (as ranked during the preseason and again in the midseason) performed this year, and whether they improved or worsened their stock this year. Note that each of these reviews are not new rankings, and will not discuss anyone not on either of those rankings. We have finished up the infield, and will be breaking both the outfield and starting pitcher discussions into separate posts by league.

You can find the previous reviews here: Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base, NL Outfield

You can also find our preseason OF rankings here, as well as the midseason OF rankings here. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference, and are through Saturday's games.

Mike Trout (Angels)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
2	Not Eligible	AAA/MLB	149	597	142	29	91	52	71	142	.335	.395	.566

Do I really need to tell you about how Trout's season has gone? He's good. VERY GOOD. And he's just 21 years old right now. I literally cannot remember a player in fantasy going from his rookie season to being a consensus top-5 overall player for his second season. But that's exactly what Trout will do in 2013.

Anthony Gose (Blue Jays)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
7	5	AAA/MLB	146	548	106	6	50	49	61	151	.268	.334	.392

Gose remains what he was coming into the season - a burner on the bases who could provide a bit of power with a ton of strikeouts. The batting average doesn't seem likely to be much above .250 each year, but he could steal 40-50 bases if given the green light consistently.

Leonys Martin (Rangers)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
16	14	AAA/MLB	78	276	54	12	48	13	28	50	.329	.382	.572

I was not a big fan of Martin coming into the year, and I'm still not 100% sure where his playing time comes from long term. I don't think the power he showed in AAA will translate to more than 8-10 homers in a full season, but it should come with some speed and batting average. Martin also missed substantial time this year with a thumb injury.

Michael Taylor (Athletics)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
17	29	AAA/MLB	126	470	83	12	67	18	86	115	.280	.386	.429

I keep waiting for Taylor to force his way into the lineup in Oakland, and at this point I just don't think it is going to happen. Between the crowding that is already in Oakland and his performance in his third full season at AAA, I just don't see it happening.

Wil Myers (Royals)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
3	1	AAA	134	522	98	37	109	6	61	140	.317	.387	.600

Myers looks about as ready as he is going to get in the minors. The Royals need to find someway to get his bat into their lineup to start next season, regardless of how that affects the playing time of Jeff Francoeur.

Jake Marisnick (Blue Jays)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
6	7	AA	120	489	66	8	50	24	37	100	.249	.321	.399

Marisnick's numbers this season didn't really sit as well as the performance he had in 2011 at Low-A, but the potential really is about the same: Decent batting average, some power, better speed, and a bit of swing and miss. He seems likely to be back in AA to start next season.

Oswaldo Arcia (Twins)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
19	27	A+/AA	124	469	76	17	98	4	51	107	.320	.388	.539

Arcia had a great season between High-A and AA, including an appearance at the Futures Game in July. He is already on the 40 man roster for the Twins, but with their crowded outfield he appears destined for AAA Rochester to start the 2013 season.

Jackie Bradley (Red Sox)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
NR	17	A+/AA	128	463	90	9	63	24	87	89	.315	.430	.482

Bradley is looking more and more like a steal for the Red Sox, as he has shown an excellent batting eye along with excellent center field defense this year. He will have more value to the Red Sox than to your fantasy team, but he should still provide solid production across multiple categories, and should definitely be watched in any OBP leagues.

Michael Choice (Athletics)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
12	12	AA	91	359	59	10	58	5	33	88	.287	.356	.423

The concern with Choice coming into the season was whether or not he could continue to show the power that helped him to hit 30 homers in 2011 in the Cal League. He got off to a slow start, and was really starting to heat up when he was hit by a pitch on the hand in August. I could see him returning to AA for a short amount of time, but will more likely be in AAA before the end of May.

Mason Williams (Yankees)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
HM	16	A/A+	91	359	68	11	35	20	24	47	.298	.346	.474

There were a lot of split opinions about Williams at the start of the season, but he definitely appears to be a bonafide (bona-fee-day?) prospect at this point. The missed time is a bit concerning, after he had shoulder surgery to fix an injured labrum, but he should still be ranked pretty highly for both the Yankees and fantasy owners.

Jorge Bonifacio (Royals)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
NR	18	A	105	412	54	10	61	6	30	84	.282	.336	.432

The numbers are decent, especially for a 19 year old in a full season Low-A league, but they don't tell the whole story. The reports about Bonifacio overall are extremely positive, and that he has not yet begun to tap into some of the tools that he has shown at other times.

Bubba Starling (Royals)

Preseason Rank	Midseason Rank	Level	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
9	6	A-	53	200	35	10	33	10	28	70	.275	.371	.485

Starling's performance in the Appy League was solid, and the general concern with him seems to remain just how raw he is currently. I don't know if this season has really changed his outlook particularly, but he should start the 2013 season with a full season Low-A assignment which may tell us a bit more.