I have to start this post off by admitting that I am un-apologetically one of the biggest Eric Young Jr. fans around, who has been lobbying for his presence amongst the Rockies’ best prospects for the past two seasons. The second baseman finally received his big-league shot and played in his first MLB game last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a key late season match-up. Young Jr. went 1-for-4 with a single. He was also caught attempting to steal a base.

The switch-hitter has purple and grey in his veins. Young Jr.’s dad, Eric Young Sr., was the Rockies’ everyday second baseman during the club’s inaugural season in 1993 (Junior was 8) and he spent five seasons with the organization. Young Jr. was appropriately selected by the Rockies in the 30th round of the 2003 draft out of a New Jersey community college.

Despite his modest draft selection (He was later signed in 2004 as a draft-and-follow), Young Jr. hit well in professional baseball right away. After batting .264 in his debut season, which included only 87 at-bats, Young Jr.’s average never dipped below .290 again in five seasons. He also showed a respectable approach at the plate with solid walk and strikeout rates. Although he possesses little power, Young Jr. – like his dad – builds his game around his speed. With a career high 87 steals in 2006, the youngster has 303 steals in his six-year minor-league career.

This season in triple-A, Young Jr. stole 58 bases in 72 attempts, while also posting an offensive line of .299/.387/.430 with 10 triples in 472 at-bats. Defensively, Young Jr. is considered an average-at-best second baseman and he has been seeing increased time in the outfield – which is where he made his MLB debut. With his pre-September promotion to Colorado, he’ll be eligible for the playoffs, where his base running could be extremely valuable as a late-game pinch runner.

Looking ahead to 2010, Young Jr. has a crowded second base and outfield picture to contend with. However, he possesses a skill that few Rockies do: Speed. If the organization is smart, it will find a way to make room for the speedster, who could combine with fellow rookie Dexter Fowler (26 steals) to provide a real spark at the top of the order.

Every once in a while a talented baseball player slips through the cracks. More often than not, though, a sudden hot streak in the Majors can be attributed to a combination of good timing and luck. It can be a difficult job to ascertain what label applies in certain situations. The Toronto Blue Jays organization is currently charged with such a task with veteran minor league 1B/DH Randy Ruiz.

The 31-year-old Ruiz is a veteran of 11 minor league seasons. He was originally signed as a non-drafted amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Reds back in 1999. He has spent time in nine different organizations. Those three things normally do not add up to create a big-league caliber player. However, Ruiz has a career minor league triple-slash line of .304/.378/.530 in more than 4,000 at-bats. He also has a chance to be named the 2009 Pacific Coast League MVP after a season that included a line of .320/.392/.584 with 43 doubles, 25 homers and 106 RBI in 114 games.

After the surprise loss of outfielder Alex Rios on waivers to the White Sox, Ruiz was rewarded for his fine triple-A season with a promotion to the Majors, which was only the second of his career (He appeared in 22 games with Minnesota in 2008). The club bumped young designated hitter Adam Lind to left field and inserted Ruiz into the DH spot. With the season the Jays organization is having, there was little to lose with the experiment. So far, the gamble has paid off. Ruiz is one of the Jays’ hottest hitters and is currently hitting .348/.400/.630 with four homers and 10 runs scored in 12 games.

Perhaps to the detriment of his career, Ruiz spent seven of his 11 minor league seasons in National League organizations. He will never be confused for a gold glove first baseman and at 6’3” 235 lbs, left field is not an option. He is perfectly suited for the designated hitter role and his minor league numbers – a consistent ability to hit .280-.310 with a respectable on-base rate and plus power – suggest that he should have been in the Majors much sooner than the age of 31.

Unfortunately, players with Ruiz’ skill set and body type tend to age pretty quickly so he likely only has a couple more years left in the tank. And with that said, he’s probably not going to keep hitting .300 at the Major League level or play at an All Star level for an extended period of time, especially with minor league strikeout rates averaging out around 28% (and a career MLB BABIP over .400). At the very least, Ruiz could fill free agent Kevin Millar’s role in 2010 by providing pop off the bench and some leadership to a team in need of a clubhouse voice. He has the chance to be a nice story and a valuable contributor to an organization that could use some good news.

First base has been a sore spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for quite some time – especially in terms of power productions – and 2009 has been no different. The position has seen a number of players attempt to secure the full-time job but no one has been able to provide even league-average offense. The road to first base is littered with players such as Chad Tracy, Josh Whitesell, and Tony Clark.

The organization will now give rookie Brandon Allen a shot at the job. The big, sturdy prospect was acquired from the Chicago White Sox back on July 7. The American League club received reliever Tony Pena in return. Allen is actually the second first-base prospect that the club has received from Chicago in the past 24 months. The Diamondbacks dealt outfielder Carlos Quentin to the White Sox on Dec. 3, 2007 in exchange for Chris Carter. Carter spent only 11 days in the organization, though, before he was flipped to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal. Still with the Athletics organization, Carter is currently hitting .335/.434/.570 with 65 extra-base hits and 98 RBI in 481 double-A at-bats at the age of 22.

It’s a shame that the Diamondbacks organization was unable to hold on to Carter, but Allen represents another intriguing first-base prospect. The 23-year-old was originally selected out of a Texas high school in the fifth round of the 2004 amateur draft. It took about three seasons for him to get his feet underneath him. His career began to take off with a solid low-A ball season in 2007. Allen then followed that up with a monster year that saw him slam 29 homers between high-A and double-A.

This year, Allen began the season back in double-A. Although his power numbers were supressed a bit in Birmingham (His ISO dropped from .200+ to .162), the slugger hit for a higher average, he trimmed about 6% off his K rate (to 19.5%) and he continued to take a healthy number of walks. Once traded to the Arizona organization, Allen’s power returned and he slammed 12 homers in 142 triple-A at-bats (.324 ISO). He also maintained his improved batting average and plate rates. Although the left-handed hitter has struggled against southpaws in the past, he hit .317 against them in the minors this season and did not embarrass himself last year, either.

Allen is bound to have some ups and downs throughout the final weeks of the 2009 season, but he represents the best in-house option at the first-base position in 2010. With a little patience, he could become an above-average power source for the club. The power output would be a welcomed sight, as the club has only had two seasons in which its first basemen topped 20 home runs in its 12-year history: 1998, Travis Lee (22 homers) and 2005, Tony Clark (30) and Chad Tracy (27), although the latter also spent 51 games in the outfield.

In this day and age of Internet coverage, it is hard for a player like Julio Borbon to get under-hyped. But that is exactly what has happened… and the deep minor league system in Texas is no doubt partially to blame. This speedy outfielder was selected 35th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2007 draft. The former University of Tennessee star had a very nice college career and he actually slid a bit in the draft because of his adviser, Mr. Scott Boras.

Borbon held out after being drafted – of course – and appeared in just eight minor league games in his draft year. As a result, he entered 2008 with little pro experience. Undeterred, the now-23-year-old prospect hit .306/.346/.395 in 291 high-A at-bats and moved up to double-A where his numbers improved to .337/.380/.459 in 255 at-bats. Overall, Borbon stole 53 bases, but was caught 18 times. Unfortunately, his walk rate sat right around 5%, which is not really acceptable for a speedy/leadoff-type hitter. He did, though, keep his strikeout rate down around 11%.

This season in triple-A, Borbon got the ol’ walk rate up to 7.5% and really trimmed the strikeout rate at just 9.8%. Whether that is sustainable or not remains to be seen. It is impressive, nonetheless, given that it was done over 96 games. Borbon also posted a line of .307/.367/.386 in 407 at-bats. He stole 25 bases in 32 attempts.

Upon hitting the big time in Texas, Borbon has been on fire. Through 10 games, he’s currently hitting .485/.528/.636 in 33 at-bats. He’s also shown better instincts on the base paths with eight steals in as many attempts. Borbon’s small-sample-size numbers at the plate are clearly aided by the .652 BABIP but at least he’s taking a few more walks.

Clearly, Borbon is not this good. However, he certainly has the potential to be an above-average contributor to the Texas Rangers for quite some time. With limited power, Borbon has shown the ability to hit .300 and he has the speed to steal 40-50 bases in the Majors, especially if he cuts down on the caught-stealing rate. On the downside, he probably needs to show a little more patience at the plate to take full advantage of the offensive package that he offers. The club will certainly benefit by giving him playing time, as Borbon offers skills that are lacking on the club (plus outfield defense, blazing speed). His base-running antics could be especially valuable in the playoffs.

It took a little longer than expected, but the Cleveland Indians finally recalled prized offensive prospect Matt LaPorta on Wednesday. The first-baseman-turned-outfielder received a brief taste of the Majors back in May but he hit just .190/.286/.286 in 42 at-bats. Sent back down to triple-A, the 24-year-old former No. 1 draft pick (by Milwaukee) hit .299/.388/.530 with 17 homers in 338 at-bats. Prior to his recall, LaPorta was hitting .333 with four homers and eight walks in his past 10 games.

With the trade-deadline deal that sent Ryan Garko to San Francisco, as well as the continued shoulder woes plaguing Travis Hafner, there are plenty of at-bats available for LaPorta if Cleveland wishes to plug him in at first base or designated hitter. The club also currently has just three outfielders on the big league roster – including LaPorta, whose third best position is probably left field (behind DH and 1B). With the club’s playoff hopes non-existent, there should be lots of time for LaPorta to audition for a regular gig in 2010, which he deserves regardless of how well he hits in the final five weeks of the season. Despite his earlier MLB troubles, LaPorta projects to be an offensive force in the Majors with the potential to hit 25-30 homers.

Given the state of the big-league club in 2009, Cleveland fans will probably have to endure a rebuilding effort in 2010. The club lacks the veteran presence on the roster to make a significant playoff push next year and the organization does not have the money needed to bring in high-priced free agent talent (not that a lot of it is available this winter). On the plus side, though, the team brought in a lot of young, affordable talent at the trade deadline and now quite possibly has one of the top three minor league systems in all of baseball.

Some of the prospects that should be ready to contribute in 2010 include: catchers Carlos Santana and Lou Marson, infielders Wes Hodges and Jason Donald, outfielder Michael Brantley, and pitchers Hector Rondon, Carlos Carrasco, and perhaps Scott Barnes. The 2011 season should see another wave of key prospects reach the Majors, such as third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, as well as pitchers Nick Hagadone, Bryan Price, and Jeanmar Gomez. The 2009 season has been a disappointing one, and 2010 will probably be equally as tough, but the future is bright for the Indians.

And one final thought: Free Jordan Brown.

Well, everyone thought the Washington Nationals organization would end up as the biggest loser after the dust settled on Draft Deadline Day, but that wasn’t the case. No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg agreed to a Major League deal for more than $15 million. Three other teams, though, had far worse days than Washington.

1. The Texas Rangers

After looking long and hard at fellow Texas prep pitcher Shelby Miller, the Rangers organization decided on Matt Purke with its 14th-overall pick. His 90-95 mph fastball and good slider were certainly enticing but it was known at the time that he could very well be a harder sign. While Miller spurned Texas A&M for the Cardinals (and $2.8 million), Purke will head off to Texas Christian where he will be eligible for the 2011 draft as a draft-eligible sophomore.

The organization also has yet to sign supplemental first round pick Tanner Scheppers, who spent the 2009 season pitching for an independent baseball league after choosing not to return to Fresno State University for his senior year, after failing to sign with the Pirates as a second-round pick in the 2008 draft. Scheppers, though, is not subject to the deadline, so the club can still sign him.

The Rangers did come to terms with four players on over-slot deals: right-handed pitchers Shawn Blackwell (Texas HS, 24th round), Nick McBride (North Carolina HS, 5th rnd), left-hander Paul Strong (California HS, 17th rnd), and outfielder Riley Cooper (University of Florida, 25th rnd). Unfortunately, the collection of signees does not come even close to replacing Purke.

Texas has one of the best minor league systems in all of baseball, but it has already graduated Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, and Taylor Teagarden. Neftali Feliz and Julio Borbon are not far behind, so the system is emptying quickly.

2. The Toronto Blue Jays

When Toronto lost A.J. Burnett to the Yankees, it stung. When the club failed miserably in 2009, it hurt. When general manager J.P. Ricciardi tried to (unsuccessfully) trade Roy Halladay – the face of the franchise – it infuriated fans. Now the minor league system is floundering yet again under Ricciardi (every affiliate is at or near the bottom of the standings and numerous top prospects have taken sizable steps backward this season).

Help was supposed to be on the way for the minor league system, and for the future of the franchise. With five selections in the first three rounds of the draft, it gave hope to fans… something small to cling to. However, when the clock struck midnight on Monday night, the team had failed to sign its supplemental first round pick (James Paxton, LHP), its second-round pick (Jake Eliopoulos, LHP) and its third-round pick (Jake Barrett, RHP). Making matters worse is that both Paxton and Eliopoulos were Canadian pitchers.

A quick visit to some of the fan sites, like Battersbox.ca, tells you exactly how the hardcore fan base feels. On a small positive note, the club did hand out over-draft deals to right-handers Daniel Webb (Florida JC, 18th round), Andrew Hutchinson (Florida HS, 15th rnd), and outfielder K.C. Hobson (California HS, 6th rnd). The club also signed its second third-round pick in Jake Marisnick (California HS).

3. The Tampa Bay Rays

It’s never a fun time when you get in bed with “super agent” Scott Boras and Tampa Bay learned that first-handed after failing to come to terms with first-round pick LeVon Washington, who was a fringe first-round pick to begin with. The second baseman (who is expected to move to the outfield in pro ball) has a lot of speed, but his arm is just about as weak as it can get. The Florida native will head to the University of Florida.

The club also lost second-round pick and shortstop Kenny Diekroeger, whose strong commitment to Stanford was known prior to the draft. The club was able to sign catcher Luke Bailey, who dropped out of first-round consideration after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the spring. He was committed to Auburn University but spurned the school for $750,000. The organization also gave significant over-slot deals to first baseman Jeff Malm (Las Vegas HS, 5th round), and left-handed pitcher Kevin James (Wisconsin HS, 9th rnd).

Today, as many of you probably already know, is deadline day for Major League Baseball teams attempting to sign 2009 amateur draft picks. Ever since the draft occurred back on June 9-11, clubs have been negotiating with the college and high school players that they selected in the 50-round selection process. Because of MLB’s (ridiculous and ineffective) hard line on exceeding draft-slot signing bonuses, a lot of player signings will be announced today (having effectively cut into their development time line).

However, a number of key players from the first round of the draft signed long before the deadline loomed. It’s always nice to see players excited about beginning their pro careers, with less emphasis placed on money. Let’s have a look and see how some of the early first-round signees are faring in pro ball.

Drew Storen: This right-handed reliever was drafted out of Stanford with the 10th overall pick that Washington received for failing to sign 2008 first-round pick Matt Harringt… er, Aaron Crow. Storen actually signed on draft day and quickly entered the minors. In 24 innings split between low-A and high-A, the reliever allowed 18 hits and just two walks. He also struck out 37 batters. He was recently promoted to double-A, where he’s made three appearances and has allowed just one hit in four shutout innings. Here’s hoping he doesn’t catch the curse of Ryan Wagner… or Craig Hansen… or Joey Devine… or…

Tony Sanchez: The Pirates organization received a lot of flack for selecting the Boston College catcher with the fourth overall pick. He was considered a very good draft prospect, but seemingly no other teams had him positioned that high on their draft boards. The Pirates organization, though, is currently looking pretty good as the club used some of the money it saved by selecting the catcher to signed a number of later round diamonds-in-the-rough to over-slot contracts… and Sanchez is arguably the hottest hitter in the minors right now. The right-handed hitter has a .410 average in his last 10 games, and he has also slammed three homers and driven in 15 runs. Overall in low-A ball, Sanchez is hitting .367/.470/.624 in 109 at-bats.

Randal Grichuk and Mike Trout: The Los Angeles Angels organization had back-to-back selections in the first round of the draft with picks 24 and 25. The club selected two high school outfielders with those selections and both players are currently raking in rookie ball. Grichuk, who has more raw power than Trout, is currently hitting .311/.341/.477 with 12 doubles and seven triples in 193 at-bats. The right-handed hitter has some work to do, though, with a 0.13 BB/k rate and a BABIP of .423. Trout is a more well-rounded player and he’s currently hitting .369/.428/.541 with six doubles and six triples in 122 at-bats. He appears to have a better handle of the strike zone with a walk rate of 10.3 BB% and a strikeout rate of 18.9 K%, but Trout also has an unsustainable BABIP at .449.

Jiovanni Mier: Houston has done a very good job of bungling previous drafts to horrific levels, but the organization seems to be making amends with its last two drafts. Mier was selected out of a California high school with the 21st pick of the draft and has performed better than expected. The raw shortstop is currently hitting .302/.406/.504 with nine steals and 15 extra base hits in 139 at-bats. Scouting reports suggest Mier has average to below-average power, but he’s already hit four homers in rookie ball. He’s also showing an encouraging walk rate of 13.1 BB%.

Other players who signed quickly included: A.J. Pollock (Arizona), Brett Jackson (Chicago NL), Reymond Fuentes (Boston), Tim Wheeler (Colorado), and Jared Mitchell (Chicago AL).

At the expiration of the Major League Baseball trading deadline, 35 prospects had changed hands (beginning July 19 with Milwaukee’s acquisition of Felipe Lopez). Over the next week, FanGraphs will take a look at each prospect, while also ranking them individually in value from 35 down to one. Players such as Justin Masterson, Clayton Richard, Kevin Hart, and Jeff Clement were not considered in this list because they have expired their rookie eligibility. However, they can still technically be considered “prospects” because they are young and have yet to establish themselves at the MLB level.

The week-long series wraps up today with the top seven prospects who moved at the trade deadline. We’ve already taken a look at 28 prospects:
35-29 on Monday
28-22 on Tuesday
21-15 on Wednesday
14-8 on Thursday

So let’s get to it and see who the biggest prospect names were.

At the expiration of the Major League Baseball trading deadline, 35 prospects had changed hands (beginning July 19 with Milwaukee’s acquisition of Felipe Lopez). Over the next week, FanGraphs will take a look at each prospect, while also ranking them individually in value from 35 down to one. Players such as Justin Masterson, Clayton Richard, Kevin Hart, and Jeff Clement were not considered in this list because they have expired their rookie eligibility. However, they can still technically be considered “prospects” because they are young and have yet to establish themselves at the MLB level.

We’ve already taken a look at prospects 35-15 on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

At the expiration of the Major League Baseball trading deadline, 35 prospects had changed hands (beginning July 19 with Milwaukee’s acquisition of Felipe Lopez). Over the next week, FanGraphs will take a look at each prospect, while also ranking them individually in value from 35 down to one. Players such as Justin Masterson, Clayton Richard, Kevin Hart, and Jeff Clement were not considered in this list because they have expired their rookie eligibility. However, they can still technically be considered “prospects” because they are young and have yet to establish themselves at the MLB level.

On Monday, we looked at the players ranked 35-29. On Tuesday, we looked at the prospects ranked 28-22.