Scouting Report: There has been a lot of excitement swirling around Porcello for quite some time. Not only does he have all the makings to be an ace for the Tigers, but he has very good command of his already strong arsenal of pitches which he still continues to improve. Porcello has both a two and four-seam fastball, both of which sit in the mid-90's. His four seam has a little more speed but his two seamer is a ground ball producer. He has a change that he can throw anytime and a quickly improving curve that is starting to become a very effective strikeout pitch. With all that said, Porcello's best asset may be his mound presence which will help carry him to stardom.

Scouting Report: Anderson is by far the best of the very talented group of first base prospects and it's not even very close. This large left hander can generate incredible raw plus power with his slugger’s frame. Anderson also has an excellent eye at the plate, incredible plate discipline and pitch recognition (especially for someone his age and experience) 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 with fantastic OBP’s. I project him to not only get on base a lot but also hit 30+ homers in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. Anderson looks to be one of the best power hitting prospects in the game today.

Scouting Report: Feliz made as big a move as any prospect last season as he dominated between Class A and AA. He has an incredibly smooth, effortless and clean motion with great mechanics. His fastball has reached triple digits (sits 94-99 mph) with good movement and counters that with two improving secondary pitches including a curveball and changeup that are showing to be at least average. If he can continue to build on his secondary stuff, his projections are off the chart and is a definite ace in the making.

Scouting Report: Wallace’s greatest asset is his approach at the plate. He has very good plate discipline considering his age as it generally takes some time to get everything in synch. But Wallace is the type of hitter who refuses to expand his strike zone and waits pitchers out, forcing them to throw him something he can make solid contact with. Wallace also does a great job in plate coverage thanks to his batting stance which crowds the plate. With his advanced approach, Wallace has the potential to translate his success to the pros and could end up being a perennial on-base machine. I project him a .280-.300 hitter, around .380-.400 OBP and a slugging percentage in the upper .500’s. Then add in his 25-30 homers and 100+ RBI and you have a pretty strong offensive weapon that Albert Pujols will love having hit behind him. With all that said, he is an average defender at third (I view him higher than most) who would be better suited to play first, but with that position locked up, he will do just fine at the hot corner (read my extended scouting report on Wallace with his “Prospect Spotlight“).

Scouting Report: Some scouts have been down on Andrus saying he hasn’t developed offensively like they have hoped. I don’t think they are looking close enough at his numbers from last year as he got better progressively throughout the 2008 season and finished with a strong average. He possesses all plus tools except power which isn’t a big deal considering he looks to be the lead off hitter of the future for the Rangers. He is a very smooth ballplayer and you can see that in the way he conducts his business on the field from his swing all the way to the way he handles himself in the field. He’s an incredible runner and has really mastered the art of stealing bases. But what really has garnered him the most attention is his defense. He has a ton of range, soft hands and an accurate cannon for an arm. He looks to make the Rangers’ club this season and has a solid mentor in Omar Vizquel to help him adapt.

Scouting Report: Colby Rasmus projects all plus tools and is the superior, impact-type prospect the St. Louis Cardinals organization has been waiting for ever since Albert Pujols was plucked from it. Some people are worried that Rasmus won’t be the same man since his injury last season, but there’s no proof of that. Rasmus is a perfect example of a five-tool player as he can run, throw, field, hit, and hit for power. He has very quick hands which gives him excellent plate coverage. Projects to have plus power and should be able to put up a fantastic stat line. Excellent bat speed, good pitch recognition, and plus runner. Not sure how much St. Louis will allow him to run once he reaches Majors but could have 20+ stolen bases per year. He’s doing an excellent job on his move to center field which is where the Cardinals desperately need someone ever since Jim Edmonds’ departure.

Scouting Report: Stanton’s plus plus raw power is, for a lack of a better word, incredible. Perhaps the most powerful bat in all of the minors, what sets him apart from other power hitting prospects is that their power is usually projected, his is already here. He’s a big kid who fits into the prototypical right fielder/clean-up hitter mold. He has shown a lot of growth in the field thanks to his strong work ethic and dedication to getting better. He has improved not only in the field, but also at the plate as he has worked to fill some big holes in his swing. It can get long at times which leads to a lot of strikeouts. In fact a perfect comparison that I use with Stanton is that of Adam Dunn. Both fit into the same risk and reward categories with each at bat resulting in a homer, a walk or a strikeout. Since I’m a fan of Dunn, I am definitely a fan of Stanton and can’t wait to see him hitting behind Hanley Ramirez for years to come.

Scouting Report: McCutchen is an exciting five tool player who has been unfortunately rushed through the Pirates system. He hasn’t been able to fully develop at each level and instead of staying put and working on his skills, he has been pushed through. McCutchen has a great glove in center and despite his great defensive prowess, his impact bat may be his best skill. McCutchen has quick hands, strong wrists and a compact swing which produces a surprising amount of power for someone of his stature. He is a line drive hitter thanks to his quick bat speed and is able to hit consistently to all fields. His power hasn’t fully developed as expected, but that still has time to grow. Still learning to use his speed effectively on the bases but once he does, look out. Hopefully they give him a chance to slow things down and get his feet under him before it’s too late.

Scouting Report: Cahill is a very talented athlete (former shortstop) who has a lot going for him on the mound. He has plus makeup, plus stuff and plus mound presence which all goes into making him as dominating as he is. A large part of that domination comes from his plus-fastball which has mind-blowing sink to it. It is incredibly heavy and causes most hitters to swing right over it. He counters his fastball with a slider, curve and change. While Cahill doesn’t have the best control or feel for any of these pitches, he has vastly improved on them, particularly his change. Cahill is a workhorse and I project him to be better than his counterpart, Brett Anderson, and should be a top of the rotation pitcher very soon for the Athletics.

Scouting Report: We saw an incredible improvement from Anderson from a year ago after showing a lot of growth on the mound. Anderson has always had superb command of his pitches and can work them on either side of the plate. His fastball saw a slight increase hitting as high as 95 mph but sitting more consistently in the low-90’s. What makes him even more effective is the fact that his secondary pitches - a curve, slider and change - can be used as both out pitches or thanks to his confidence in them, at any point in the count. At this point in time it’s difficult to project where he will fall in the rotation. Originally he looked to be a middle of the rotation guy, but thanks to his improvement in his fastball (and his command being his greatest asset) he is able reach higher as a top of the rotation starter.

Scouting Report: The Orioles have two of the best pitching prospects in the game today with this youngster edging out Tillman. Matusz has a quick, live arm and fantastic command of his stuff. While his fastball can reach the mid-90’s, what makes him so dominant is how he keeps hitters off balance by mixing in a strong change up, power curve and a deceptive 3/4 arm slot. He also throws all three of these pitches for strikes on both sides of the plate which just adds to his effectiveness. The fact that he has harnessed all of these traits at such a young age displays what a strong presence he has on the mound. Look for him to get better and better and become a front line starter for the O’s.

Scouting Report: Nobody was sure what to expect from Freddie Freeman in his first full season of pro ball in 2008 considering he was only 18 years old. But after a good first half of the season he exploded in the second half posting a line of .349/.418/.562. This got scouts (including myself) to sit up and take extra notice as most kids his age experience growing pains in their first year. Freeman’s maturity and discipline help with his outstanding pitch recognition and selection at the plate. Because of this he should be able to hit for a high average in large part due to his ability to drive the ball. He will be able to hold his own in the middle of the Braves lineup someday as a run producer. Also is a good defensive first baseman which makes him all the more valuable. With how good he has proven to be at such a young age he has set quite a high ceiling for himself which is exciting if you are a Braves fan.

Scouting Report: Gamel has had a very consistent professional career so far and has shown he can handle himself at the plate with a fantastic, pure swing. With a good eye at the plate, Gamel has the ability to hit to all fields and is a doubles machine. It appears as if the Brewers are drafting players with little concern for their defensive abilities (most recently Matt LaPorta and Ryan Braun) but it has worked out pretty well for them so far. Gamel just doesn’t have the footwork or the accuracy for the hot corner and with a slew of players without skill positions it should be interesting to see where he winds up. Of course with the way this kid can hit, they will find a spot for him somewhere.

Scouting Report: Fowler is an incredible athlete and five-tool player who has been continuing to improve his game each season. He’s a switch hitter who has vastly improved his strike zone judgment which has translated into his power potential being uncovered with more balls hit to the gaps and an increase in homers. His plus-speed is very apparent on the base paths as well as in the field. He is a stolen base threat which will help him as a top of the order type guy. He also covers a lot of ground in center as a plus-defender and has solid arm strength. Luckily Fowler has continued to improve each season and has become an on base machine as the Rockies are in need of someone like him in their lineup as Willy Taveras never panned out.

Scouting Report: What makes this kid so special is his incredible eye at the plate, especially for a power hitter, as he consistently drew more walks than strikeouts each year in college. Smoak also posses a very sweet and fluid swing with the ability to hit productively from both sides of the plate as well as having plus-power to all fields. He has outstanding bat speed and takes healthy cuts which together helps the ball jump off his bat. While he does a great job staying inside the ball, he may need to pull the ball more (something you don’t hear too often with power hitters) rather than trying to force things to other fields. Smoak’s power will translate well to the majors and has the potential to hit 35-40 as well as hit for a high average. He’s a player for the Rangers to start building around.

Scouting Report: The Braves are hoping this tall, lanky right hander turns out to be their future ace. Hanson has a plus-fastball with good movement in the mid-90’s, a solid change, and a “knee-buckling” curve that is one of the best in the game today to top things off. He has a very commanding presence on the mound which when coupled with the ability to throw all his pitches for strikes makes him very difficult to hit. I have seen some places that he may be given a chance to close first but I don’t see this happening considering he is looked at as a ace in the making and the Braves value starting pitching too much to do that.

Scouting Report: Acquired before last season in the Erik Bedard trade, he quickly jumped up to number two on my list in 2008 after joining the Orioles organization. But after the O’s drafted Matusz he was bumped down a little here in 2009. Right now Tillman looks to be a power pitcher with a fastball that sits 90-94 mph while at times reaching 96 mph. He also has a plus overhand 12-to-6 curve that falls in the mid-70’s with a nice sharp, late break on it. While Tillman does have a nice frame and mechanics, he will only be able to succeed in the Majors if he can begin to gain a little more control and command of his plus pitches. If he is able to continue to grow and develop in this area, he looks to be a solid number two starter or even a possible ace someday. Very impressive especially considering his age.