Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Prospect Corner's Mid-2008 Top 5 Hitting Prospects

After reading over Scout.com's Top 100 prospect list, I got so worked up that I had to put together my own list.

So, now for my Top 10 list with Prime Projections(I'm going to do the Top 5 hitters, and then the Top 5 pitchers)...

Hitters

1. Matt Wieters - We're talking Johnny Bench good, people. His defense isn't quite there yet, but he'll stick at catcher, he'll hit 30-40 home runs a year, and he'll hit over .300. End of debate. Prime: .330 ave., 45 home runs, 1.020 OPS
2. Matt LaPorta - He's basically a one skill guy, but who cares? Any hitter that has the potential to hit 40-50 home runs with an OPS frequently in the .950-1.000 range deserves to be near the top of the list. Prime: .310 ave., 53 home runs, .990 OPS
3. Chris Davis - I almost want to put Davis at the #2 spot since his defense plus 50 home run power makes him a little more attractive than LaPorta, but I think his high strike out rate will slow him down at the plate at times. Prime: .315, 55 home runs, .950 OPS
4. Jason Heyward - I can't find anything to dislike about Heyward. He's a great all around hitter, with solid splits against lefties and righties, has good plate discipline, and projects to have very good power production. Prime: .330 ave., 38 home runs, .940 OPS
5. Josh Vitters - As much as Mets fans love David Wright, the Cubs are going to love Josh Vitters even more. His potential to hit for a high average as well as power makes him almost as appealing as Heyward. Prime: .320 ave., 36 home runs, .930 OPS

Well, there you have it. Those are my top 5 hitting prospects of mid-2008. I'll try to put together my top 5 pitchers by the end of the day, so be on the look out.

Also, let me know if you think I overlooked anyone, or if I'm just dead wrong with my rankings. I feel very good about them, but I'm open to discussion.






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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How many SBs do you project Heyward to have?

Adam G said...

The Braves don't steal much, and that probably won't change over the next decade. So, given that Heyward has 15 attempts so far this year with 14 successful steals, I could see him getting 20+ a year, with the chance of 30 or more during any given season. As he gets older he obviously won't run as much, but a 30/30 guy in his early 20's is a very nice commodity.

Joel L said...

I like Wieters as well, but I don't know about Johnny Bench good. I would also put LaPorta as the #1 prospect. Also, I'm not as high on Heyward as you are I would put Colby Rasmus there instead.

He's only 21 and alraedy at AAA, and although he isn't putting up monster #'s he is holding his own. Plus he's a disciplined hitter leading his team in BB's, and he can steal bases also leading the team with 15.