Every year, there is hype around the top prospects in baseball, and someone is always willing to take them in the middle rounds—hoping to catch the next star early on.
Last year, it was Stephen Strasburg, who is still being drafted in leagues this year despite having Tommy John Surgery in the offseason.
The flavor of 2011, however, is Bryce Harper.
But be careful of these big names. Owners last year who took Strasburg, saw him sit on their bench until midseason, throw a few outings and then be shut down for the year.
The Nationals have already said that Harper will start the season in Single-A ball, so look to avoid him as well.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t some prospects who might be worth the risk.
Most people who don’t follow baseball extremely closely, have never even heard of Brandon Belt. However, he is the Giants’ top prospect and No. 26 overall.
While he will likely start the season in Triple-A, Belt made huge strides in the minors, flying up the ranks last season. He is looking to continue his success this year.
While I wouldn’t normally recommend a Giants’ hitter, because of their park, Belt could produce solid RBI and batting average numbers. He could be called on quickly if the Giants’ offense struggles out of the gate—similar to how Buster Posey was last season.
Dustin Ackley has bounced back and forth on a couple of reports regarding what position he’ll play and at what level.
In most leagues, he’s listed as 1B or OF, but all reports from Seattle have him slotted to take over the 2B position.
Ackley had huge upside coming out of college as a polished hitter.
Having had the last two Arizona Fall League seasons, and last year in the minors to continue developing his swing, should have helped him be ready for major league pitching this year.
Look for Ackley to hit for a high average. If Chone Figgins can return to his old form, there could be plenty of RBI opportunities for him, too.
While Brian Matusz might not be your typical prospect, having spent last season with a major league club, he’s still a steal going in the late rounds.
Matusz has a huge upside and was expected to produce big numbers for the Orioles last season.
However, like most of the Orioles players, he struggled to live up to expectations. But the Orioles spent a lot of money this offseason revamping their offense.
The improved offensive support should help Matusz to pick up more wins this season, probably in and around 13 to 16.
Also, another season working with young catcher Matt Wieters, should help him to get his pitches under control this year.
Tampa Bay is not the same threat they have been in the past, and Toronto is in a rebuilding stage—saying they do not want to be the same home-run-based team they were last season.
While Matusz will still have to face the Red Sox and Yankees, he will get the benefit of facing Toronto and Tampa Bay.
The final prospect to keep an eye on is Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is eligible at both 2B and in the OF in most leagues, and showed he can compete at the major league level last season in limited time.
Now that he will be starting and playing more regularly, he should be able to produce similar numbers to last season and improve his average.
Also, Rodriguez will likely be batting ahead of Manny Ramirez in the No. 2 spot.
If Manny is taking his workouts as seriously as he claims, he could end up having a huge year and help Rodriguez score a lot of runs—not a bad option to have as a backup 2B or fourth OF option.
By Trey Nelson
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