Prospect Alert
Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

Performance-Plus Team

The preseason prospect lists have all been released, but they’re quickly becoming outdated. While the “old” opinions certainly still matter, the early-season performance of many prospects are rapidly changing previously-held beliefs of analysts across the league.

This week, we take a look at those minor leaguers off to a hot start. A few are amongst the top in baseball, but many are obscure names. While it is important to put these numbers in perspective, it’s just as critical to get a jump start on which prospects are improving their status in comparison to their peers.

Here's the early-season All-Performance Team, complete with season-to-date statistics:

C Ryan Garko, Class A, Cleveland Indians
.500 OBP, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI

Garko was a third-round pick in the 2003 amateur draft, and is a legitimate offensive threat. It would not be a surprise to see a move to the corner infield in Garko’s future, which could help his stock, given Cleveland’s deep pool of young catching talent. For now, expect Garko to stick behind the plate, but his stock will rise dramatically if he is able to hone his defensive skills or develop enough offense to move out from behind the plate. A work in progress, but one that could be worth the time.

1B Dan Johnson, Triple-A, Oakland A’s
.455 OBP, 4 2B, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 9/3 BB:K

Johnson is a great offensive player, but doesn’t get much recognition for his production. The scouts worry that he’s too slow and immobile, or that his power won’t translate over to the big leagues. None of those worries seem to hold any validity at this point, as Johnson continues to punish minor league pitching. Johnson has good plate discipline, hits for power, and knows how to drive runners home. He’s consistently hit .290 with 20+ homers in the minors, and could do similarly in the majors, given the opportunity and some time to grow. That certainly would be an upgrade for a team that hasn’t had a solid option at first since the departure of Jason Giambi.

2B Jesus Medrano, Double-A, Boston Red Sox
.419 OBP, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 SB

Medrano is one of those guys always bouncing around the minors, and this year appears to hold more of the same. He’s still young enough to have a decent future, but doesn’t appear to hold any more value than the typical utility infielder. A former Marlin, Medrano has blazing speed but very little power. His speed is intriguing and could eventually land him a spot on a major league roster.

3B David Wright, Double-A, New York Mets
.472 OBP, 10 2B, 1 HR, 4 SB

Wright is one of the better prospects on this list, and could very well be the best third base prospect in baseball. He draws plenty of walks, has projectable power, and displays above-average speed for a corner infielder. The home run power has yet to fully develop, but his gap power is tremendous, having accumulated 69 doubles over his past two seasons. Wright has at least another full season in the minors, but could challenge for a starting spot during spring training next season.

SS Jason Bartlett, Triple-A, Minnesota Twins
.463 OBP, 5 2B, 1 HR, 13 R

The Twins might have found their shortstop of the future in the Brian Buchanan trade, as Bartlett has developed into one of the better shortstop prospects around. His greatest asset is speed, and he could steal 25-30 bases in the majors. He draws enough walks and could end up as a top-of-the-order option, given his speed and ability to reach base. His power is still lacking, but Bartlett has improved his power to the gaps over the past few seasons, an encouraging sign. It would be best to give Bartlett the entire season in Triple-A, as he’d enter spring training as the favorite at short next season.

OF Prentice Redman, Triple-A, New York Mets
.479 OBP, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 6 SB

Redman has always had the athletic ability to succeed, but has never been able to put together a full season of consistent production. Tike’s brother, this Redman has the higher upside, and could eventually develop into a regular center fielder. He has speed and power, but needs to cut back on the strikeouts in an attempt to make more contact. This season will go a long ways in determining his future, so the early returns are encouraging.

OF Franklin Gutierrez, Double-A, Cleveland Indians
.444 OBP, 4 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB

Gutierrez was shipped to Cleveland in the Milton Bradley deal, and has done nothing but live up to the hype. His plate discipline could use some work, but that was expected. Gutierrez has a nice combination of speed and power, and is expected to develop into a middle-of-the-order basher, in the likes of Juan Gonzalez and Raul Mondesi.

OF Jonny Gomes, Triple-A, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
.419 OBP, 5 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 14 RBI

Gomes has always had tremendous power potential, and he has certainly shown that potential early in the season. Gomes suffered a heart attack after the 2002 season, but that does not appear to be a distraction. A crowded outfield will quickly become a major problem for Gomes, but the suspension of Josh Hamilton should ease some of the pressure from this young slugger.

DH Justin Morneau, Triple-A, Minnesota Twins
.482 OBP, 4 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI

Morneau continues to push for big-league playing time, as his power and patience are quickly becoming too much to ignore. It remains to be seen whether or not Morneau will get the call, and the Twins certainly do not seem to concerned about calling him up to the bigs. If given an opportunity, Morneau could stick in the majors for the long-term, but his ETA is largely disputable.

RHSP Andrew Brown, Double-A, Los Angeles Dodgers
28/2 K/BB, 13 IP, 4.61 ERA

Take one look at the ERA, and one might wonder how Brown managed to sneak onto this list. Then consider his tremendous K/BB ratio in a relatively small number of innings pitched, and his performance quickly becomes more acceptable. His WHIP is slightly over 1.00, and luck has been the big reason for the unrealistic ERA. He makes the list not only because of his dominating ratios, but to serve as an example of the inappropriate emphasis given to ERA.

LHSP Brandon Claussen, Triple-A, Cincinnati Reds
12 IP, 17 K, 4 H, 5 BB, 0.00 ERA

Claussen has been dominant in his two starts, and the only statistic that isn’t truly outstanding is his walk ratio. In two solid starts, Claussen has held opponents without a run. He currently projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter, but that is based largely on worries over his control and injury history. If both of those obstacles are overcome, Claussen would qualify for potential “ace” consideration.

RP Francis Beltran, Triple-A, Chicago Cubs
3 SV, 3 K, 0 H, 0 BB

Beltran posted three solid outings before his promotion to the majors. He makes this list primarily as advance warning of potential closer material. Joe Borowski is struggling in the closer’s role, and LaTroy Hawkins hasn’t been successful in that role in the past. It’s likely that Hawkins would get the first call should Borowski falter, but if both fail, Beltran could be the best option. Quite a bit has to fall into place for that to occur, but it’s enough to make Beltran a deep sleeper, and thus one to watch over the next couple months.

We're back on a regular schedule with the start of the regular season, so check back next week for more prospect analysis!

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