Trade Deadline Prospects Ranked, Part 2

Strickland, 20, made a huge first impression in his initial start for the Pittsburgh organization when he contributed the first six innings of a no-hitter. He’s still developing as a pitcher, but the right-hander has a big, strong pitcher’s body and his stuff has been improving – including his fastball velo, which can now touch 93-94 mph. Strickland has a little more upside than some of the other players ranked ahead of him, but he’s still coming into his own and is a high-risk, high-reward player.

Manuel, 26, is a pitcher who has average to below-average stuff but he has plus command/control and he knows how to mix his pitches, including a good changeup. His career minor league numbers look silly – just last year he posted a 1.25 ERA in 52 games with 18 walks and 103 Ks in 86.2 innings. His first two appearances at triple-A for Seattle, though, were not pretty and he gave up three homers in 3.1 innings of work.

The 22nd pick of the 2005 draft, Thompson has been extremely slow to develop for the Marlins and now the Nationals. The 22-year-old hurler now has the ceiling of a No. 4 starter. He’s been too hittable throughout his career, but he handles left-handers well (.209 average). At worst, he could be a LOOGY.

A hard-throwing right-hander, Ascanio is back in the starting rotation this season after spending time as a reliever. He has some big-league experience, including 14 relief appearances with the Cubs in 2009. The Venezuelan has been kicking around for a while but he’s still just 24. This year in triple-A, he’s shown an improved ground-ball rate and a good K rate.

Despite struggling to hit for average in 2009, Gillespie has shown the ability to hit in the past. The big issue for him is his lack of power and inability to play center field on a regular basis, which could relegate him to a fourth outfielder’s role. He does have some power, but it’s gap power. Gillespie also has the ability to steal 10-15 bases and he’s willing to take a walk (11.6 BB% in AAA for Milwaukee).

Adcock, 21, did a nice job of surviving the launching pad in High Desert and should find the park in Lynchburg to be much more favorable to pitchers. The right-hander does a nice job of inducing ground balls. Adcock’s control has slipped this season, which could be related to his fear of pitching to contact in a good hitter’s league. He has an average fastball and a plus curveball.

A 2008 fifth-round draft pick, Lorin has taken nicely to pro ball. Prior to the trade, he allowed just 61 hits and 25 walks in 88.2 innings of work. He also struck out 87. Lorin, 22, has a good pitcher’s body at 6’7” 245 lbs, but he had injury problems in college. His fastball can occasionally hit 93-94 mph and he has a good curveball.

Check back tomorrow (Wednesday) for players ranked 21-15.