 |
| The next Miguel Cabrera is somewhere on this list. But who could it be? (photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos). |
Felipe M
10. Miguel Sano--3B--Minnesota Twins
- 2012 Outlook: "Might not be ready until 2013 and only 18. Struggles with strikeouts, but might be the next Miguel Cabrera."
- 2012 Achievements: #1 Minnesota Twins' prospect along with Best Power Hitter and Infield Arm; #2 Midwest League Prospect and Best Infield Arm in league.
- Conclusion: Interestingly enough, Sano has also been compared to Giancarlo Stanton. Unfortunately, for many Twins' and fantasy fans alike, Sano is probably a long way from contributing in the big leagues. Also, he needs to improve on his defense as he committed 42 errors at 3B. Career minor league numbers are impressive, but keep in mind that he has yet to play above Lo-A ball. He also needs to improve his plate approach (BB:K of .45). He'll turn 20 in May.
9. Mike Trout--OF--Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
 |
| Trout might have lost the battle to Cabrera in the MVP voting, but heated discussions between baseball traditionalists and "stats' geeks" ensued. (photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos). |
- 2012 Outlook: "A future star. If one of the regulars goes down, he's probably 1st player to be called up in 2012."
- 2012 Achievements: AL Rookie of the Year; 2nd place in AL MVP voting.
- Conclusion: Age and questionable, past prospects in the Angels' organization dropped Trout to #9 on the list. His impressive Minor League numbers streamlined very well in the Majors last season. He might be the best player in fantasy baseball this year as well. Despite not winning the MVP this year, he did gain a lot of high reverence from the SABR community and was picked as the MVP in a lot of advanced, baseball stats' websites. He is currently penciled in as the Angels' LF in 2013.
8. Danny Hultzen--SP--Seattle Mariners
- 2012 Outlook: "Looked sharp in 2011 Arizona Fall League and might help in the Big Leagues, later in 2012."
- 2012 Achievements: #3 Prospect in Mariners' system. #4 and #7 Prospect in Souther and Pacific Coast League, respectively. Best Change Up in Southern League and in Mariners' system.
- Conclusion: So what do you do to a highly-touted prospect with all the skills and tools in the world? You force him to start his first year of pro ball in Double-A: not Rookie, Lo-A, but Double-A! Let that sink in for a bit...He dominated Double-A, but struggled once he arrived in Triple-A so he might have to prove himself in the Minors, although there is talks that he might break spring training camp on the Mariners' roster, but all signs point to Hultzen arriving by mid-season, at best. His Minor League numbers are as followed: WHIP 1.31; H/9 6.3; BB/9 5.4; K/99.9; K/BB 1.81.
7. Shelby Miller--SP--St. Louis Cardinals
 |
| Will Shelby Miller pitch in this ballpark for the duration of the 2013 season? (photo courtesy of Felipe M). |
- 2012 Outlook: "Dominated in Minors. Could be called up by mid-season."
- 2012 Achievements: #6 Prospect in Pacific Coast League. Pitched 6 games for the Cards, making one start.
- Conclusion: 2012, Triple-A numbers: WHIP 1.38; H/9 9.1; HR/9 1.6; BB/9 3.3; K/9 10.5; K/BB 3.20. There's talk out of spring training that Miller might make the Cardinals' roster as a relief pitcher, but with the recent injury to Chris Carpenter, Miller might compete for starter role after all. Should be interesting to see what the Cards do with the young pitcher, either way.
6. Nolan Arenado--3B--Colorado Rockies
- 2012 Outlook: "Contact/Power combo, only Casey Blake is in his way. A future star."
- 2012 Achievements: #8 in Texas League and League's best defensive 3B; Rockies' Best Defensive Infielder and Infield Arm, and Best Hitter for Average.
- Conclusion: Arenado struggled a bit last season in Double-A, but finished the campaign strong. Stats: .285/.337/.428/.766 B:K .67. Arenado is a longshot to break with the Rockies out of spring training, but is certainly in the mix to compete for the Rockies' 3B position. Nevertheless, he looks to be a mid-season call up, at best for 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment