Top 10 prospects for 2010: New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox

2010 top 10 prospects: New York Yankees

1. Jesus Montero: His bat has all the makings of a perennial All-Star. The only question is what position Montero eventually ends up playing.
2. Manuel Banuelos: As an 18-year-old, Banuelos has an attacking approach beyond his years. With some refinement and added velocity he could be an ace in the making.
3. Jairo Heredia: After battling an injury for most of 2009, Heredia posted some respectable numbers in a short period of time. His 2010 Double-A excursion will be the first true test for his mid-90s fastball.
4. Austin Romine: The Yankees are developing Romine with a one-level-at-a-time approach, to fine success. A solid all-around catcher could be in the works.
5. Kelvin De Leon: De Leon’s five-star potential is very real, and the Gulf Coast League got a taste of it in 2009. Patience is the key with this terrific young man.
6. Slade Heathcott: This first-round pick has a full toolbox to work with, and he has the ability to be a .300 hitter with a good power/speed combination. But Heathcott has a long way to go.
7. Arodys Vizcaino: His fastball touches the mid-90s, and his change-up/curveball secondary combination has Yankee fans excited. Keep an eye on Vizcaino.
8. D.J. Mitchell: While there isn’t much upside left in his right arm, Mitchell sports strong command, a good groundball ratio and an eye-popping low home run rate.
9. Austin Jackson: His power and plate discipline may be his downfall, but there is still time for development. Jackson’s speed could be a weapon at the next level.
10. Zach McAllister: His best asset is the consistency that he brings to the mound. McAllister’s low-90s fastball and heavy sinking action have all the makings of a back-of-the-rotation starter at the very least.

2010 top 10 prospects: Boston Red Sox

1. Lars Anderson: His 2009 season was nothing short of forgettable, but Anderson’s power potential is among minor league baseball’s best. I haven’t given up on him.
2. Casey Kelly: Boston won’t be experimenting with Kelly at shortstop for too much longer, as the mound is where his future lies. For a player of his age, his overall arsenal and polish are virtually unrivaled.
3. Ryan Westmoreland: Even though it may be premature, I’m not afraid to say it: The start to Westmoreland’s career has me seeing stars. His true breakout could come in 2010 with Greenville.
4. Michael Bowden: He has middle-of-the-rotation stuff and little left to prove in the minor leagues. But Bowden’s brief major league outings have been unsuccessful so far.
5. Stolmy Pimentel: Added velocity is coming, and his overall repertoire is impressive. I can’t wait to see Pimentel against advanced competition.
6. Ryan Kalish: As a generally unheralded prospect, Kalish has taken his development one step at a time, and his true breakout season could be coming soon.
7. Junichi Tazawa: He doesn’t bring much velocity, but Tazawa has a plethora of secondary offerings at his disposal and a good amount of command over all of them.
8. Josh Reddick: He has the makings of an average major league corner outfielder, but Reddick’s questionable power will hinder his stock in the long run.
9. Reymond Fuentes: The best tool is his plus speed, and while Fuentes has good bat speed and line drive power, ultimately, I don’t think he has All-Star potential.
10. Michael Almanzar: His tools have not suddenly disappeared, but Almanzar has a long way to go and needs to show a better work ethic if he’s going to reach his outrageous potential.


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Ian
14 years ago

Wow, nobody else is going to be that high on Lars Anderson.  I’d rank him behind Reddick.

Andrew
14 years ago

I like that you’re willing to take a stand on Anderson.  We’ll find out if you end up being right on him.

Evan Brunell
14 years ago

Just because Anderson had a bit of a rough year doesn’t mean he should slip behind Reddick. I fully agree with Matt’s take on Reddick and think Anderson still boasts more potential.

Jack P
14 years ago

How close did Eduardo Nunez come to making the Yankees top 10?

pat
14 years ago

Heredia doesn’t throw mid 90’s.

Dan
14 years ago

other than the top three sawx, the other seven got very mediocre writeups.  where’s the mandatory theo love?

Dale
14 years ago

In future articles can you add the players stats for 2009 and when you exxpect them to hit the majors ?

Syed
14 years ago

A-Jax and Z-Mac should be higher on that list, IMO. A-Jax should be #2 behind Montero with his combo of tools and ML-readiness. Z-Mac should be top 5 because of his polish, pitch-ability and again ML-readiness.

One question. In terms of tools/talent where would C Gary Sanchez rank on the list?

fishercats fan
14 years ago

Lars Anderson is an interesting case for me personally. Let’s just say he and I have had a lot of conversations over the past year while he played in Portland. First let me say I am a die hard Yankees fan. Let me follow that by saying Lars Anderson is my second favorite player in the minor leagues. It wasn’t always that way however. The first time I saw Lars was at a game where John Smoltz was rehabbing. When Smoltz left the game the crowd pretty much left but those of us who stayed could have some great memories. I started yelling at Lars from my seats in the first row right by first base. To my astonishment Lars started yelling back at me telling me I was jealous, talk too much, etc. Well over the next few weeks I saw Lars quite a few times (NH season ticket holder) and each time we yelld back and forth. Something that I began to notice was each time he struck out and I yelled at him how bad he was he seemed to try that much harded the next at bat. It got to the point where he wanted to shut me up. Instead what happened was him going circa 2 for his next 15 with like 8 k’s. He was hacking and eventually started cursing me out. I will never forget the day Lars Anderson turned to me in the middle of the game and told me to go f*** myself. The whole section was wondering if they heard what they thought they heard. Commotion began over how immature Lars was to be such a top prospect. Wouldn’t it be the next day that a foul ball comes between me and Lars and after he fields it he walks directly over to me, hands me the ball and smiles?? I was stunned. His very next at bat Lars hit a mammoth home run and his slump was over. He was a completely different guy. I stopped yelling at him and even though I’m a Fisher Cats fan I started to cheer for Lars. Turns out he’s a great guy who was just struggling at the plate and was letting it get to him. Once he was able to find a way not to do that, he got my vote. Hopefully he lives up to his potential…just not with the Red Sox!

kabal
14 years ago

anderson should have been moved last yr

nck
14 years ago

Hey…GOOD NEWS!  I saw a dog today!!

Steve @ MLBFP
14 years ago

Nice post, Matt. Our new guy gave his own fantasy baseball focused spin on the Red Sox prospects today.

http://www.mlbfantasyprospects.com/2010/01/mlb-fantasy-prospects—-team-scouting-reports-and-analysis—-boston-red-sox.html