MLB.com and its prospects guru Jonathan Mayo listed the
in the sport this week.
There’s great news and not-so-good news for Orioles fans.
First, the good: The Orioles are the only team in baseball to have two players in the top 10 -- shortstop Manny Machado and pitcher Dylan Bundy. Both have huge upsides, though neither will be at Camden Yards in 2012 without a ticket. Still, having two players in the top 10 shows just how much upside the organization’s most recent first-round picks possess.
One other positive for the Orioles: Only one other AL East player, Tampa Bay Rays lefty Matt Moore, made the top 10. Moore was the No. 1 prospect overall.
The bad news is that the Orioles had no other minor leaguer listed in the top 100. And there were plenty of representatives from their division in the group. In fact, 20 of the 100 listed are from the AL East, and it would have been 21, but the New York Yankees traded No. 12, catcher Jesus Montero, to Seattle last week.
The AL East had more than any other division (the National League West and the four-team American League West each had 18 while the AL Central had the fewest at 11).
Here’s the breakdown of the AL East: Rays 6; Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Yankees 4; Orioles 2.
Information on the individual players is culled from several sources, including mlb.com and Baseball America.
Keep in mind, this is just the mlb.com list. Baseball America will have its own. And it will differ. In fact, Baseball America ranks Bundy over Machado in its Orioles top 10.
Here is a look at each of the American League East players, by organization, in mlb.com’s 100.
Orioles (2)
6. SS Manny Machado Age: 19. Draft info: 1st round (3
overall) in 2010.
Skinny: He batted .257 in two stops at Single-A and didn’t turn 19 until July. As a shortstop and phenom from Miami, has the burden of comparisons to Alex Rodriguez.
10. RHP Dylan Bundy Age: 19. Draft info: 1st round (4
overall) in 2011.
Skinny: How high is this kid’s ceiling after a tremendous prep career in Oklahoma? He is in the top 10 without having thrown a professional pitch.
Tampa Bay Rays (6)
1. LHP Matt Moore Age: 22. Draft info: 8
round in 2007.
Skinny: Took the majors by storm in September (struck out 15 batters in 9 1/3 innings in three games) and allowed just one run in 10 postseason innings against the Texas Rangers.
46. SS Hak-Ju Lee Age: 21. International signee out of Korea ($725,000) in 2008.
Skinny: Part of the Matt Garza deal with the Chicago Cubs, Lee is exceptionally quick on defense and offense. Projects, at worst, as an everyday, big league infielder.
74. RHP Chris Archer Age: 23. Draft info: 5
round, 2006.
Skinny: Finished the year at Triple-A, where he posted a 0.69 ERA in two starts. Just another scary arm getting close to Tampa Bay.
92. SS Tim Beckham Age: 22. Draft info: 1
round, (1
pick) 2008.
Skinny: You know a system is deep and successful when a 21-year-old hits .255 in 106 at-bats at Triple-A and is considered slightly disappointing. Former phenom took big step in 2011.
96. OF Mike Mahtook Age: 22. Draft info: Supplemental 1
round (31
pick), 2011.
Skinny: A power-speed guy who excelled in center field for LSU, he’ll likely end up as a corner outfielder in the majors. Signed too late to play pro in 2011.
99. RHP Taylor Guerrieri Age: 19. Draft info: 1
round (24
pick) 2011.
Skinny: Batted over .500 during his senior year in high school in South Carolina, but it is his mid-90s fastball and power curveball that have the Rays excited that he fell to them last year.
Blue Jays (4)
25. C Travis d’Arnaud Age: 22. Draft info: 1
round supplemental (37
pick) 2007.
Skinny: A key to the Roy Halladay trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, he excelled offensively and defensively at Double-A (.311 average, 21 homers, .542 slugging).
57. OF Anthony Gose Age: 21. Draft info: 2
round 2008.
Skinny: Another Phillies draftee (Blue Jays got him from Houston in the Brett Wallace deal), the speedy Gose hit 16 homers and stole 70 bases at Double-A.
58. OF Jake Marisnick Age 20. Draft info: 3
round 2009.
Skinny: He put up a .320/.392/.496 slash line with 14 homers and 37 stolen bases in his first time in a full-season league.
95. RHP Noah Syndergaard Age: 19. Draft info: 1
round supplemental (38) 2010.
Skinny: He played at three Single-A levels in 2011 and struck out 68 batters in 59 innings. He has hit 100 mph with his fastball as a pro.
Yankees (4)
13. LHP Manny Banuelos Age: 20. International signee from Mexico ($450,000) in 2008.
Skinny: The talk of spring training in 2011, he made it to Triple-A last year, going 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA in seven games as a 20-year-old.
41. RHP Dellin Betances Age: 23. Draft info: 8
round in 2006.
Skinny: He’s huge -- 6-foot-8, 260 pounds -- and made a brief appearance in the big leagues in September. Could be an elite starter if he can gain better control of his pitches.
53. C Gary Sanchez Age: 19. International signee from the Dominican Republic ($3 million) in 2009.
Skinny: One of the primary reasons the Yankees felt they could trade Montero, Sanchez has a power bat (17 homers at Low-A) and a strong arm but still needs to work on his defense.
73. OF Mason Williams Age: 20. Draft info: 4
round in 2010.
Skinny: A five-tool outfielder who led the New York-Penn League with 28 stolen bases while hitting .349 with a .395 on-base percentage. Got a huge bonus for a 4
-rounder ($1.45 million)
Red Sox (4)
56. 3B Will Middlebrooks Age: 23. Draft info: 5
round in 2007.
Skinny: Another above-slot draftee ($925,000 in fifth round), Middlebrooks is a textbook third baseman, big (6-4, 200), powerful (23 homers in 2011) and has a strong arm.
64. OF Bryce Brentz Age: 23. Draft info: 1
round supplemental (36
) in 2010.
Skinny: A powerful right-handed bat, he hit 30 homers at two Single-A levels and is considered Boston’s right fielder of the future.
76. SS Xander Bogaerts Age: 19. International signee from Aruba ($410,000) in 2009.
Skinny: He hit 16 homers and batted .260 at Low-A and didn’t turn 19 until October. At 6 feet 3, he might end up in another position.
93. C Ryan Lavarnway Age: 24. Draft info: 6
round in 2008.
Skinny: A Yale product, he made it from Double-A to the majors last year. Along the way, he hit 34 homers, including two in the same game against the Orioles in September.