Top 100 Prospects: #6 – JUSTIN SMOAK

6

Justin Smoak

Team: Texas Rangers

Position: 1B

Age: 22

Birthday: Dec. 5, 1986

It’s almost a humorous feeling when trying to figure out how nine teams in Major League Baseball passed on Justin Smoak in the 2008 MLB June Draft. Other scouting experts considered it a fact that the two best players available in the MLB Draft were Tim Beckham and Pedro Alvarez. As such, the Rays took Beckham with the 1st overall pick and the Pirates followed by taking Alvarez with the 2nd overall pick. I was one of the few scouts that preached Smoak as the clear-cut best player in the draft. So far, Smoak has done nothing but show scouts that he is one of the elite prospects in Minor League Baseball. He is an extremely polished switch-hitter that can drive the ball deep from both sides. He stands tall at 6’4” and towers over the plate both with his presence, as well as his bulking figure. His body work is unbelievable at the plate and when he gets a hold of the ball, he can drive it 350 ft with barely any effort. On top of being a phenomenally gifted hitter, Smoak has the capability to be a gold glove winner at first base. Despite many comparisons to Adam Dunn, I actually see him as more of a blend between Mark Teixeira and Lance Berkman. He is a big time power hitter that can easily bat .300 once he reaches the majors.  Unlike Adam Dunn, Smoak has fantastic plate discipline and will take more walks then strike outs. The Rangers currently have a surplus of first basemen, but Smoak could make a player like Chris Davis expendable if he fails to move to DH.

2008 Scouting The Sports Prospect Rank: 10

2008/2009 Scouting The Sports Prospect Rank Difference:+4

2009 Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade: 97.5

2008 Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade: 93

2008/2009 Prospect Grade Difference: +4.5

By: Sam Katz

President of ScoutingTheSports.com and author of the 2008 and 2009 Top 100 MLB Prospects Handbook

Explanation of Rankings:

This is the NEW Top 100 Baseball prospects for ScoutingTheSports.com. The difference between our top prospect rankings and other rankings that you might find from other sites, is that we included both the international players that have not signed with an MLB team yet, and amateur players who are not eligible for the draft yet, such as high school and college players. What’s the point of a TOP prospect list if you’re disregarding TOP prospects because of their current age or geographical status? Another key difference is that we do not include players that have played at some point in the Major Leagues. We also draw the cutoff line for players on opening day. If a player has never played in the major leagues, and is not on the opening day roster, they are eligible to be on this list. (Examples: David Price, Jay Bruce, Travis Snider). Each player is given a Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade, which ranges from 1-100.

To keep it simple, here is what you can categorize each grade as representing.

96-100 = Phenom Status Prospect

91-95 = Elite Prospect

86-90 = Excellent Prospect

81-85 = Great Prospect

76-80 = Good Prospect

71-75 = Above-Average Prospect

66-70 = Average Prospect

TOP 100 Prospects: #3- Bryce Harper

Team: Las Vegas High School

Position: C

Age: 16

What is the definition of a sure-thing prospect? Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez,  Justin Upton, and now, Bryce Harper. Most prospect fanatics haven’t even heard of Harper yet because of his shockingly young age. At age 16, Harper is the next high school hitting prodigy that is expected to be the unanimous #1 overall selection in the draft once he is eligible in 2011. Many scouts believe he easily could have been the first pick in the 2008 MLB draft, had he been four years older. The high school sophomore has already established himself as a future superstar because of his remarkable combination of tools, talent, and maturity. He was  easily the most dominant player in the 2008 Area Code Game. He also managed to steal the show at the International High School Power Showcase, where he mauled a massive 502 foot home run. Harper has a professional approach at the plate. It is easily the most impressive I have ever seen from a High School prospect. He is able to constantly get the bat on the ball and crush it to wherever he wants in or over the outfield. He has no problem with balls thrown in the 90-95 mph range which is remarkable for a player so young. His raw power, tremendous bat speed, and phenomenal hitting skills make him seem mature beyond his years. He already has a perfect hitting prospects frame at 6′3, 205. What makes Harper’s batting stance so effective is the unique jerk he does his with leg  right before crushing a ball. He uses his leg flicking motion as a spring for gaining extra power when he makes contact. His sometimes violent leg jerk does cause some scouts to worry about potential ankle injuries. So far though, durability has yet to be the main topic of anyone’s discussion about  Harper. As a catcher, he has elite arm strength and has a quick release, which goes hand and hand with his pinpoint accuracy.  It would be a surprise to hear anyone else’s name but Harpers called first in the 2011 MLB draft.

2008 Scouting The Sports Prospect Rank: 41

2008/2009 Scouting The Sports Prospect Rank Difference: +39

2009 Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade: 99.5

2008 Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade: 83.5

2008/2009 Prospect Grade Difference: +16

By: Sam Katz

President of ScoutingTheSports.com and author of the 2008 and 2009 Top 100 MLB Prospects Handbook

Explanation of Rankings:

This is the NEW Top 100 Baseball prospects for ScoutingTheSports.com. The difference between our top prospect rankings and other rankings that you might find from other sites, is that we included both the international players that have not signed with an MLB team yet, and amateur players who are not eligible for the draft yet, such as high school and college players. What’s the point of a TOP prospect list if you’re disregarding TOP prospects because of their current age or geographical status? Another key difference is that we do not include players that have played at some point in the Major Leagues. We also draw the cutoff line for players on opening day. If a player has never played in the major leagues, and is not on the opening day roster, they are eligible to be on this list. (Examples: David Price, Jay Bruce, Travis Snider). Each player is given a Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade, which ranges from 1-100.

To keep it simple, here is what you can categorize each grade as representing.

96-100 = Phenom Status Prospect

91-95 = Elite Prospect

86-90 = Excellent Prospect

81-85 = Great Prospect

76-80 = Good Prospect

71-75 = Above-Average Prospect

66-70 = Average Prospe