Baseball Digest Daily :: The Diamond Cutter Top 100 Prospects

Hello fellow Baseball Digest Daily (known as BDD) and Big League Futures (known as BLF) readers. I wanted to take a moment to formally introduce myself to everyone as I've been writing here for a couple of weeks now. BDD and BLF have given me a fantastic opportunity to join their team by bringing my baseball blog The Diamond Cutter to their great sites. Rather than me rambling on about myself, here is the brief bio BDD has up for me under their staff section:

Matthew Whipps has lived and breathed baseball ever since the day he could first pick up a baseball. That passion was lived out by playing baseball from the age of eight years old all the way into college until his beaten up old catcher’s knees finally gave out. Since then that love for the game has taken a new form in his baseball writing through his personal baseball blog “The Diamond Cutter” where he covers all of Major League Baseball as well as a special look at baseball’s prospects. Whipps started his professional writing with MVN by writing a column “Minor Details” (since ended) about baseball prospects before moving on to “Twins Killings” about his hometown Minnesota Twins.

Whipps now brings a new dimension to his Diamond Cutter baseball and prospect coverage over to Baseball Digest Daily and Big League Futures. To go along with his current coverage, he will now provide a first hand look inside the Metrodome with views, analysis and interviews by all the players and teams that make a stop over in the great state of Minnesota.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who got goose bumps reading that. But anyway, I just wanted to thank all the readers of "The Diamond Cutter" as well as all future readers that will be catch my MLB coverage here on BDD and my prospect coverage on BLF.

Last but not least, my most popular section on The Diamond Cutter is my constantly updated top 25 prospects list. This too will find a new home (very soon) on BLF so keep your eyes open for that.

Without further ado, here is The Diamond Cutter top 100 prospects list. Over the next several days, I will provide a closer look at each one of these players and what makes them so special. Let me know what you think!

1) Jay Bruce / OF / CIN
2) Evan Longoria / 3B / TB
3) Joba Chamberlain / RHP / NYY
4) Clay Buchholz / RHP / BOS
5) David Price / LHP / TB
6) Colby Rasmus / OF / STL
7) Clayton Kershaw / LHP / LAD
8) Cameron Maybin/ OF / FLA
9) Homer Bailey / RHP / CIN
10) Rick Porcello / RHP / DET
11) Travis Snider / OF / TOR
12) Jacoby Ellsbury / OF / BOS
13) Andrew McCutchen / OF / PIT
14) Mike Moustakas / 3B / KC
15) Josh Vitters / 3B / CHC
16) Johnny Cueto / RHP / CIN
17) Carlos Gonzalez / OF / OAK
18) Ian Kennedy / RHP / NYY
19) Fernando Martinez / OF / NYM
20) Jacob McGee / LHP / TB
21) Andy LaRoche / 3B / LAD
22) Matt Wieters / C / BAL
23) Lars Anderson / 1B / BOS
24) Brandon Wood / 3B / LAA
25) Franklin Morales / LHP / COL
26) Wade Davis / RHP / TB
27) Daric Barton / 1B / OAK
28) Nick Adenhart / RHP / LAA
29) Jose Tabata / OF / NYY
30) Jeff Clement / C / SEA
31) Adam Miller / RHP / CLE
32) Chris Marrero / OF / WSH
33) Jason Heyward / OF / ATL
34) Joey Votto / 1B / CIN
35) Reid Brignac / SS / TB
36) Angel Villalona / 3B / SF
37) Gio Gonzalez / LHP / OAK
38) Chase Headley / 3B / SD
39) Matt Antonelli / 2B / SD
40) Desmond Jennings / CF / TB
41) Carlos Triunfel / SS / SEA
42) Carlos Gomez / OF / MIN
43) Jed Lowrie / SS / BOS
44) Matt LaPorta / OF / MIL
45) Austin Jackson / OF / NYY
46) Justin Masterson / RHP / BOS
47) Ross Detwiler / LHP / WSH
48) Jordan Schafer / OF / ATL
49) Fautino de los Santos / RHP / OAK
50) Chris Volstad / RHP / FLA
51) Will Inman / RHP / SD
52) Jarrod Parker / RHP / ARI
53) Carlos Carrasco / RHP / PHI
54) Elvis Andrus / SS / TEX
55) Luke Hochevar / RHP / KC
56) Hank Conger / C / LAA
57) Eric Hurley / RHP / TEX
58) Brett Anderson / LHP / OAK
59) Beau Mills / 3B / CLE
60) Deolis Guerra / RHP / MIN
61) Geovany Soto / C / CHC
62) Ian Stewart / 3B / COL
63) Neil Walker / 3B / PIT
64) Michael Bowden / RHP / BOS
65) Max Scherzer / RHP / ARI
66) Scott Elbert / LHP / LAD
67) Chin-Lung Hu / SS / LAD
68) Tyler Robertson / LHP / MIN
69) Chris Perez / RHP / STL
70) J.R. Towles / C / HOU
71) Brent Lillibridge / SS / ATL
72) Jeff Niemann / RHP / TB
73) Steve Pearce / 1B / PIT
74) Bill Rowell / 3B / BAL
75) Manny Parra / LHP / MIL
76) Madison Bumgarner / LHP / SF
77) Jeremy Jeffress / RHP / MIL
78) Jaime Garcia / LHP / STL
79) Blake Beavan / RHP / TEX
80) Brandon Jones / OF / ATL
81) Phillippe Aumont / RHP / SEA
82) Chris Nelson / SS / COL
83) Alan Horne / RHP / NYY
84) Dexter Fowler / CF / COL
85) Michael Burgess / RF / WAS
86) Chris Tillman / RHP / BAL
87) Jair Jurrjens / RHP / ATL
88) Gorkys Hernandez / CF / ATL
89) Troy Patton / LHP / BAL
90) Ben Revere / OF / MIN
91) Taylor Teagarden / C / TEX
92) Bryan Anderson / C / STL
93) Matt Latos / RHP / SD
94) Oscar Tejada / SS / BOS
95) Sean Gallagher / RHP / CHC
96) Casey Weathers / RHP / COL
97) Jeremy Hellickson / RHP / TB
98) Trevor Cahill / RHP / OAK
99) Radhames Liz / RHP / BAL
100) Mitch Boggs / RHP / STL

Keywords: Prospects

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LaPorta and Anderson

by Alan Hull on Tue 18 Mar 2008 11:03 PM EDT | Permanent Link

DC, great list. I have to ask, what separates Lars Anderson and Matt LaPorta so much in your eyes. I really think both will be very successful hitters, but both also have their defensive limitations as well. LaPorta was drafted before Anderson in 2006 and then taken in the first round (7th) in 2007. What do you see as the major difference between the two?

Also, you came around on Joba over Buchholz. What gave?

Re: LaPorta and Anderson

by Matthew Whipps on Wed 19 Mar 2008 11:41 AM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link

Hey thanks!

With the Anderson vs. LaPorta comparison, I agree that both will be very successful hitters. With LaPorta, he has an easy loft to his swing and a strong, powerful frame which still has room to add some muscle. He also has fantastic plate discipline and can flat out hit for power to all fields in any stadium. Those are all great qualities and make him a fantastic prospect.

However with Anderson he can generate incredible raw plus power. Anderson also has an excellent eye at the plate, incredible plate discipline and pitch recognition and doesn’t chase pitches too often. Has a very smooth and even swing that helps him hit the ball well to all fields and projects to hit for both power and average. Also a great prospect but with more power.

Not only does Anderson have better power potential, he also is incredible at getting on base. For me, Anderson's ability to get on base vs. LaPorta's gives him a major edge in how I value them. In 2007 A ball, LaPorta had a .392 OBP with only 7.8% BB%. Anderson however had a .386 OBP & 13.5% BB% in A ball and .489 OBP & 23.4% BB% in A+ ball. Sure sample sizes come into play in both instances, but this is pretty much how they project.

Like I said, LaPorta is a fantastic prospect (and writer here at Baseball Digest Daily) but when comparing I just find Anderson has a larger upside and will end up doing more damage offensively.

Great question!!!

Re: The Diamond Cutter Top 100 Prospects

by Anonymous on Thu 24 Apr 2008 09:48 PM EDT | Permanent Link

Wow DC, this is the best list on the web. I have one question for you, and it may be a simple answer. I am a huge Tampa fan and I was wondering, with this deep list of young pitching prospects in Tampa's farm, who will go into the bullpen? All of their young guys are listed as starters, but their biggest need in my opinion is their bullpen. Any names pop into your mind?

Re: Re: The Diamond Cutter Top 100 Prospects

by Anonymous on Fri 06 Jun 2008 11:35 PM EDT | Permanent Link

What about Adam Jones with the O's?

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