386

77

113

29

2

18

63

111

89

23

2

.293

.457

.518

41

9

12

2

0

4

11

6

12

2

0

.293

.383

.634

Justin's Take: Hermida over Young isn't the huge shocker that it appears at first. In a league that values "Troubles" and OBP, he should be able to compete on a level similar to Young and with a projected starting spot in the Marlin's '06 outfield, he provides immediate Return On Investment (ROI).

Until 2005, the question around Hermida was when his project power would show up. Now it's just a question if he can continue to hit for power at the Major League level.

330

59

111

13

4

20

71

25

66

25

8

.336

.386

.582

228

33

65

13

3

6

28

4

33

7

4

.285

.303

.447

Justin's Take: Young is the #1 prospect on many experts' lists, and deservedly so. With some of the best raw power in the minors and good speed, he projects as a possible 30-30 player at the MLB level.

Young's only real area for improvement is his plate patience, which is partially due to his excellent contact abilities. If he can learn to take a walk more often, his value in this league skyrockets. At #2, this is a no-brainer pick.

Note: Young was later traded for Carlos Quentin & Jon Lester.

13

13

3

5

0

3.63

76.7

70

31

6

26

92

1.25

14

14

9

2

0

1.78

91

56

25

18

4

24

112

0.88

6

4

1

2

0

5.70

23.7

19

15

15

4

7

33

1.10

Justin's Take: Liriano and Cain are generally considered the top 2 MLB ready starting pitchers in the minors. Liriano dominated the International League for half of 2005. His four pitch offering includes a mid-90's fastball, two different changeups, and a wicked slider that's his strikeout pitch.

The question with Liriano, as with most young power pitchers, is his health. He missed nearly two years with shoulder issues while in the Giants system, though he has since altered his delivery.

379

70

132

30

2

25

91

42

80

0

0

.348

.419

.636

112

14

35

9

0

5

19

7

18

0

0

.313

.353

.527

Justin's Take: Butler hit well in both his stops this year, despite being the one of the youngest in both the California and Texas Leagues. He hit for average and power, while displaying a willingness to take a walk.

His position is still a question. According to nearly every scouting report, he was a terrible defensive third basemen and didn't adapt well to the OF. It appears that he'll end up at 1B or DH.

536

109

172

51

4

43

115

48

128

7

3

.321

.383

.672

19

1

6

2

1

0

1

0

6

0

0

.316

.316

.526

Justin's Take: Brandon Wood had one the most prolific hitting seasons in recent minor league history, leading the minors in doubles and home runs on the way to 101 extra-base hits. He's also a very good defensive shortstops, which may allow him to stay there despite a frame more suited to thirdbase.

With only 19 at-bats above High-A ball, he still needs more experience. But he should be ready in the very near future to supplant Orlando Cabrera as the Angels shortstop.

378

68

110

21

0

28

86

54

93

8

5

.291

.388

.569

59

2

17

4

0

2

10

2

17

0

0

.288

.306

.458

Justin's Take: Fielder is one of the premier power prospects in the minor leagues, despite the Brewers pushing him through the minors. While no one doubts his ability to hit for power, his development hasn't quite kept up with his promotions.

He could use another season at Triple-A to let his pitch recognition catch up a bit, however the trade of Lyle Overbay signals the beginning of the Prince Fielder era in Milwaukee.

26

26

10

5

0

4.38

145.7

118

77

71

22

73

176

1.31

7

7

2

1

0

2.33

46.3

24

12

12

4

19

30

0.93

Justin's Take: Though he's been overshadowed by Felix Hernandez in every league he's pitched in, Cain's stuff is nearly as good. He throws in the mid-90's with a good curveball and developing changeup.

Cain is still developing command of his pitches, which lead to some growing pains in the Triple-A. His MLB debut wasn't as spectacular as it appears on the surface and some growing pains are expected in 2005, but his future is as bright as any pitching prospect.

149

33

58

16

3

10

39

26

25

1

1

.389

.486

.738

101

11

22

5

0

4

13

12

24

2

3

.218

.301

.386

Justin's Take: Drew opened up nicely at High-A Lancaster, sporting good pitch recognition and outstanding power in a strong hitter's league.

However, while his debut in the Cal League was strong, he was considered old for that level and showed next to nothing following his promotion to Double-A Tennessee.

Scouting reports indicate that his arm may not be strong enough for him to stay SS long-term, which could hurt his value (depending what position he ends up at).

Modesto (A+)

435

83

119

32

7

17

86

52

113

2

2

.274

.353

.497

Justin's Take: Stewart is still a year or two away from making a real contribution in Colorado and really is the furthest away of anyone in the first round.

Stewart does look like he'll be a legit power hitting threat, hitting for a lot of homers and "troubles". However, it remains to be seen if he'll help out in OBP at all. It's unlikely he'll provide any help in steals.

389

51

107

26

2

20

74

64

83

0

3

.275

.372

.506

57

3

8

2

1

0

4

7

13

0

1

.140

.227

.211

Justin's Take: For a second it looked like Marte was going to get dealt to the Indians and pay some immediate dividends in one of the league's most talented, young offenses. Instead, I expect that staying in Boston will keep him in Triple-A for another season, unless we see some injuries.

Once he gets the call, he should establish himself as a presence in the middle of the order, hitting for power and a solid OBP.

Justin's Take: This was something of a surprise pick, given the significance of his knee injury and year away from the game.

Jacque Jones departure gives him the opportunity to win a job in Spring Training. I would expect a .340 OBP with around 15 HR and roughly 30 troubles.

232

48

70

15

0

4

22

19

41

18

13

.302

.385

.418

193

33

65

17

0

4

24

14

47

11

5

.337

.392

.487

Justin's Take: The hype around Milledge is partially due to the media market in which his organization exists.

Milledge has speed, doubles power, and an ability to hit for average. His Double-A numbers are a small sample to base things off of, but in that short time he did display some improved power over his High-A numbers, but his SLG% did take a dip from 2004.

He still has to learn how to steal bases successfully on a consistent basis. A 61% success rate is unacceptable at any level.

292

60

93

16

2

8

52

62

49

0

1

.318

.438

.469

212

38

67

20

1

5

37

35

30

1

1

.316

.410

.491

Justin's Take: Barton has established himself as one of the best hitting prospects in the minors and this is the exact type of league that his skills are best put to use in.

He hits for average, has a great eye at the plate, and has shown an ability to hit for gap power. The main knock is that he's sometimes too patient, with the thinking that being more aggressive will lead to more power. Even without that I think he'll end up similar to an Edgar Martinez type hitter, with occassional power bursts, but constantly high averages and OBP's.

452

98

136

28

4

21

89

72

71

9

1

.301

.422

.520

Justin's Take: Quentin is one of my favorite minor league prospects and really has nothing left to prove in the minors. Since he projects as a corner outfielder, there's no current opening in Arizona.

His OBP is boosted by a huge amount of HBP and it's not certain if his on base skills will translate to the Majors. If he does continue take the beanballs, he could be a .380 to .420 OBP guy who hits consistently for 25+ homers.

17

5

8

2

1

2

6

0

3

0

1

.471

.471

1.060

233

40

76

20

0

9

32

15

34

1

5

.326

.371

.528

58

6

23

10

0

0

6

3

12

0

0

.397

.419

.569

Justin's Take: Zimmerman could provide immediate return on value with high OBP skills, 30-40 extra-base hits, and smattering of RBI's.

Having a starting job locked down for 2006 likely drove this pick. Everyone has a different strategy and filling out a major league roster with cheap talent is definitely one viable solution in a cap-driven league.

21

21

9

3

0

2.90

117.7

90

38

15

18

130

0.92

3

3

0

3

0

9.18

14.7

24

15

5

6

14

2.04

Justin's Take: Petit is one of the more overrated pitching prospects in the game, likely due to being in the New York Mets farm system.

He's shown great ability at the lower minor league levels, but his stuff doesn't likely translate well to the majors and the more advanced hitters he'll face there.

Pitchers with his makeup often peak later and have a finer margin of error than power pitchers. I see him as a #4 type starter who might peak as a #2 or #3 eventually.