Three D-backs among top 50 prospects
Jul 13, 2012, 3:24 PM | Updated: 4:45 pm
Half of the 2012 baseball season is in the rear-view
mirror, so what better time to re-evaluate?
That’s exactly what ESPN baseball insider Keith Law has
done. Law put out his new list of the top 50 major
league prospects, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are
well-represented with three players on the list.
Left-hander Tyler Skaggs ranks 9th on the list (up from
Law’s preseason ranking of 25th). Law’s take:
He is still quite projectable even after his
velocity has increased to the 90-94 mph range. The
curveball shows plus; the changeup is there; and he is
very loose and athletic.
Skaggs is currently with Triple-A Reno and is 1-0 with a
4.50 ERA in two appearances with the Aces. The 21-year-
old
also made 13 starts for Double-A Mobile, going 5-4
with a 2.84 ERA.
Archie Bradley, one of the Diamondbacks’ two first round
picks in the MLB First-Year Player Draft a year ago, is
ranked 16th on Law’s list after being 19th in the
preseason.
His stuff is great, but his command and
control definitely are not where I expected them to be (57
walks in 81 2/3 innings this year). Same ceiling as
before, but lower probability.
Bradley is 8-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 18 starts at Single-A
South Bend this season.
And the final Diamondback on the list is third baseman
Matt Davidson, who ranks 34th, up from 82nd on Law’s
preseason list.
He continues to hit for power (.497 slugging)
and draw walks (.369 OBP) while playing good enough
defense to stay at the position, even though his feet are
a little heavy for third.
The 21-year-old Davidson leads the Southern League with 18
home runs for Double-A Mobile, but his batting average is
a modest .259 in 89 games.
