Baseball America released its much-anticipated Top 100 prospects list today, and if you follow prospects around the league, the top two names shouldn’t surprise you. Atlanta’s Jason Heyward took home the #1 ranking, while last year’s top overall pick Stephen Strasburg claimed the #2 spot. There were three Brewers on the list, and the three names aren’t all that surprising — Alcides Escobar, Brett Lawrie, and Mat Gamel in some order have been the top three in just about every “Top Milwaukee Prospects” list. What was surpising, though, were the rankings that each player got from BA in the Top 100.
Escobar ranked 12th, Lawrie 59th, and Gamel 89th. It’s a little surprising to see Escobar ranked so high (ahead of Justin Smoak, Starlin Castro, and Logan Morrison, to name a few) when so many people see him as a defensive specialist with a weak bat and poor discipline. Lawrie coming in at 59 was a little higher than I expected, too, only because he’s played 118 games of professional baseball and is slated for an ETA of mid-2011. Pretty impressive for a guy who turned 20 about a month ago. As for Gamel, the fact that he almost fell off the list was the surprise for me. True, he’s essentially a man without a position right now, and struggled in Milwaukee and his second stint in Nashville. It’s important to remember, though, that he won’t be 24 until July, has been known to start the season hot and finish cold, and struggled to find consistent playing time for much of the 2009 season.
For the rankings of every NL Central prospect, including the Brewers, click “Read More”.
Brewers
12. SS Alcides Escobar
Best Tool: Defense
ETA: 2010
59. 2B Brett Lawrie
Best Tool: Power
ETA: Mid-2011
89. 3B Mat Gamel
Best Tool: Bat
ETA: 2010
Cardinals
50. RHP Shelby Miller
Best Tool: Fastball
ETA: 2012
Cubs
16. SS Starlin Castro
Best Tool: Bat
ETA: 2011
70. 3B Josh Vitters
Best Tool: Power
ETA: 2012
95. RHP Andrew Cashner
Best Tool: Fastball
ETA: Mid-2010
98. RHP Jay Jackson
Best Tool: Fastball
ETA: 2011
74. OF Brett Jackson
Best Tool: Power
ETA: Mid-2011
Reds
22. LHP Aroldis Chapman
Best Tool: Fastball
ETA: Mid-2010
72. RHP Mike Leake
Best Tool: Command
ETA: 2011
Astros
41. C Jason Castro
Best Tool: Bat
ETA: Mid-2010
73. SS Jiovanni Mier
Best Tool: Defense
ETA: 2012
91. RHP Jordan Lyles
Best Tool: Command
ETA: 2012
Pirates
8. 3B Pedro Alvarez
Best Tool: Power
ETA: Mid-2010
79. C Tony Sanchez
Best Tool: Defense
ETA: Mid-2011
After hearing about how poor the Cubs’ system has been over the years, it’s a little surprising to see 5 Chicago players in the Top 100. It’s a testament to how well the team has managed to draft the past couple years, as well as finding international gold with Castro. To view the full Top 100 list, head on over the Baseball America, where they break it down to 20 prospects per page.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
