Top 15 Outfield Prospects

by Chuck Dieringer

1. Delmon Young - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The top prospect in all of baseball, Young's bat with power is certain to take him to future stardom. As an 18-year old, he tore up the South Atlantic League. After skipping a level, he was still a dominant force in Double-A and was promoted to Triple-A while he was yet a teenager. Along with his tremendous bat, he has decent speed and a strong rightfield arm. Expect him to spend the first couple of months of the 2006 season at Triple-A as he continues to improve his strikeout-to-walk ratio which is only poor at this point due to his youth compared to the level of competition.

2. Jeremy Hermida - Florida Marlins

Hermida was regarded as the top high school hitter in the 2002 draft class and he has not disappointed. His approach is phenomenal and should only help him continue to develop. The Marlins will rely heavily on his bat to produce runs this season, expecting him to hit .280-.290 with an on-base percentage over .400 and 25-30 homers.

3. Joel Guzman -- Los Angeles Dodgers

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
21	Double-A	442	.287	31	2	16	42	128	.351	.475

Guzman was finally moved to the outfield from shortstop after years of speculation. Guzman is expected to be a big-time masher, in the mold of Juan Gonzalez. He could still benefit by having more consistent at-bats, though he did walk more often in 2005 than previous seasons. His strikeout totals will likely always be high, but with the power potential he brings the Dodgers won't mind and they could add him to their big league lineup later this season.

4. Lasting Milledge -- New York Mets

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
21	High-A	232	.302	15	0	4	19	41	.385	.418
	Double-A	193	.337	17	0	4	14	47	.392	.487

Entering the 2003 Draft, Milledge was barely a notch below Delmon Young in many scouts' eyes. 2005 was his most consistent year at the plate, though he still needs to draw more walks to show an improved approach at the plate. His power potential still remains even though he has yet to translate that into homerun totals. If is power fully develops, he will be one of the more dangerous speed-power combo threats in baseball (60 stolen bases in 204 minor league games).

5.Carlos Quentin -- Arizona Diamondbacks

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
23	Triple-A	452	.301	28	4	21	72	71	.422	.520

Quentin has a very mature knowledge of the strike zone which has helped him bat better than .300 at every level he's played. His career .428 OBP and 21 homers in each of his two full seasons add to his offensive attack. He's ready for major league activity but is road blocked in the Diamondback outfield.

6. Felix Pie -- Chicago Cubs

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
21	Double-A	240	.304	17	5	11	16	53	.349	.554

The repertoire of Pie resembles that of Milledge. Pie presents a dynamic display of speed and power. His athleticism is among the elite in the game. The only concerning pitfall that may prevent him from reaching his full potential is his free-swinging approach at the plate.

7. Nick Markakis -- Baltimore Orioles

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
22	High-A	350	.300	25	1	12	43	65	.379	.480
	Double-A	124	.339	16	2	3	18	30	.420	.573

A former pitcher, Markakis has a strong right field arm. His bat has quickly developed since becoming a hitter full-time. He has put on an impressive display in Spring Training causing the Orioles the temptation to include him on their Opening Day roster.

8. Chris Young -- Arizona Diamondbacks

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
22	Double-A	466	.277	41	3	26	70	129	.377	.545

Recently acquired from the White Sox in the Javier Vasquez deal, Young is another player with the double threat of speed & power. He draws plenty enough walks to overlook his high strikeout totals. He'll likely spend 2006 playing centerfield in Triple-A Tuscon.

9. Billy Butler -- Kansas City Royals

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
22	High-A	379	.348	30	2	25	42	80	.419	.636
	Double-A	112	.313	9	0	5	7	18	.353	.527

Based on his bat alone, Butler could rank in the top 3 on this list. But because he is a defensive slug, he will likely be relegated to 1b/dh duties and several others who have more athleticism were ranked above him. At the plate, he'll mash. He'll probably spend the next season-and-a-half in the minors until he moves into the middle of the Royals lineup for good in mid-2007.

10. Cameron Maybin -- Detroit Tigers

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
19	DNP

A 2005 first-round pick, Maybin ranked just slightly below highly-touted Justin Upton as the top two high school players in the draft. He's not yet made his professional debut, but his tools are spectacular enough to warrant a ranking near the top of this list. If he at all lives up to the hype, he will skyrocket up this list in the next couple years. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

11. Brian Anderson - Chicago White Sox

Brian Anderson will be the White Sox starting centerfielder on Opening Day. He's a good hitter with decent power; none of his tools are poor but nor are any of them exceptional. If the White Sox come across a better center fielder, Anderson could easily fit in as a corner outfielder.

12. Carlos Gonzalez -- Arizona Diamondbacks

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
20	Low-A	352	.318	21	7	1	20	42	.359	.426

Gonzalez is much like Maybin in that he is full of tools but still quite young and raw. His defense, arm strength and hitting ability are each above average and scouts think above-average power numbers are just a matter of time. Gonzalez and Maybin are the two players on this list most likely to dramatically improve their ranking on the 2007 list.

13. Jason Kubel - Minnesota Twins

Kubel was prepped to make a significant big league splash last year until a knee injury kept him out of action for the entire 2005 season. He has a great approach at the plate striking out only 184 times in 1,534 minor league at-bats. He has good power and a strong arm. He'll likely be worked back into action slowly, starting 2006 in Triple-A. A mid-season call up would be no surprise.

14. Ryan Sweeney -- Chicago White Sox

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
21	Double-A	429	.298	22	3	1	35	53	.357	.371

The White Sox have not been conservative with Sweeney despite his youth. His first full season in 2004 was at High-A ball at only age 19. He was 20 in Double-A and will be only 21 this season in Triple-A. Playing against such older competition has made his numbers look rather ordinary, disguising the value of his tools. He has a strong arm and is a good hitter with power yet to come.

15. Brent Clevlen -- Detroit Tigers

Age	2005 level	at-bats	ave	2b	3b	hr	bb	so	obp	slg
22	High-A	494	.302	28	4	18	65	118	.387	.484

Clevlen made his normal progression Low-A to High-A ball in 2004 where he had a miserable season. He repeated the Florida State League in 2005 and responded by raising his batting average .078 points, his OBP .087 points and his slugging percentage .134 points. He struck out 9 less times in 74 more at-bats and drew 21 more walks improving his strikout-to-walk ratio from 2.9 to 1.8. His strong right arm and developing power will move on to Double-A for 2006.

2006 Top Prospects by Position