I felt pretty comfortable ranking the first five prospects in the system and then things started to get murky. There were definitely some intriguing players that got cut from the list – such as Tony Zych, Juan Paniagua, Gioskar Amaya, and Robert Whitenack. I also stumbled across a few sleepers to keep an eye on, such as catcher Justin Marra.

#1 Javier Baez (SS)

Opening Day Age: 20
2012 Level: A/A+
Acquired: 2011 draft (9th overall)
Projected 2013 Level: A+/AA

Baez was a consensus first round draft pick in 2011 – and went 9th to the Cubs – but there were questions surrounding his defensive abilities and maturity. A scout I spoke with recently, though, never doubted Baez’ abilities in the field, stating that the shortstop possesses good hands, a strong arm and great instincts.

He also down played concerns over his make-up, saying that Baez works hard, is a fierce competitor and is confident. I ranked him cautiously on the pre-2012 Top 100 prospect list at 52nd overall and he made huge strides during the season. Baez, 19, was slowed early in the year by injury but then hit for average, power and stole 20 bases in 23 tries in the Midwest League (A-ball). The Puerto Rico native received a late-season promotion to the Florida State League and appeared in 23 games.

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