#36 Brett Jackson

Chicago Cubs

DOB: 8/2/1988

Previous Rank: 43

ETA: 2012

Jackson is hands-down the top player in the Cubs system, even after they drafted what some think was the highest upside bat in the 2011 draft in Javier Baez.  Jackson slashed .274/.379/.490 beginning the year in the Southern League and finishing up with a little over 200 plate appearances for Des Moines (Triple-A).

Jackson is a phenomenal athlete at 6-foot-2 and 210-pounds.  He posted a 20 home run/21 stolen base season in 2011 while walking 73 times in just over 500 plate appearances.  He strikes out too much, but the power numbers justify it to some extent.  As a 60-speed guy, Jackson has plenty to stay in center and challenge for 20 stolen bases in The Show.  With a 50 to 55 arm, he has a chance to be an above-average CF for years.

His speed plays well on the bases and should for at least a few years as he was successful in over 75% of his stolen base opportunities.  Jackson, despite having no obvious barrier in the way of playing time at the Big League level, still might end up starting 2012 in Triple-A.  The Cubs have once again managed to load up their outfield with overpaid trash in the form of Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd and, if they decide to give a guy like Tyler Colvin or one of these two old-timers a starting job, Jackson will return to Des Moines and destroy Minor League pitchers until Theo decides to get serious.  As it is, he has nothing left to prove in our eyes and is more than ready to take his talent to Wrigley.

#37 Will Middlebrooks

Boston Red Sox

DOB: 9/9/1988

Previous Rank: NR

ETA: 2012

Middlebrooks collected most of his at-bats for Double-A Portland in 2011.  As a 22-year-old across three levels, including 16 games in the International League, Middlebrooks slashed .285/.328/.506.  Obviously from those numbers, plate discipline is a big issue with Middlebrooks because he does not really have any.  He only walked 26 times in over 450 plate appearances, and that kind of reckless use of his time at the dish makes predicting offensive success in the AL East pretty tough.

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#38 Wil Myers

Kansas City Royals

DOB: 12/10/1990

Previous Rank: 15

ETA: 2013

Myers was ranked considerably higher last year, but a tough season in the Texas League as a 20-year-old has knocked him back a bit.  A triple slash line of .254/.353/.393 wouldn’t look nearly as bad if he was still behind the dish, but those numbers from a corner guy are far less impressive.  Nevertheless, he was a 20-year old in a very advanced league for someone that age, and all of the tools are still present.  Additionally he missed about a month of the first half due to a freak knee injury.

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#39 Taijuan Walker

Seattle Mariners

DOB: 8/13/1992

Previoius Rank: N/R

ETA: 2014

Walker was Seattle’s first pick in the 2010 draft, and the 6-foot-4 right-hander had a terrific first professional season in the Midwest League (A).  He threw up a sub-3.00 ERA with 113 strikeouts against 39 walks.  He only allowed four jacks in nearly 100 innings of work and has a chance to be a very fast mover in hopes of reaching the Bigs in time to join Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, and Danny Hultzen at Safeco.

Walker is extremely athletic with loads of projection and a fastball that reaches the high-90s.  With a big downer curve that receives consistent plus to double-plus gradings, Walker already has at least two plus pitches.  His changeup is way behind the other two pitches, but Walker is already making huge strides in terms of command and clearly seems to understand what it means to pitch.  The addition of an average or better changeup could see Walker land in the Show by 2013 so long as he breezes through the high Minors like he has with Class A.

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As you can see, Bryce Harper has fine-tuned his swing since making his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League in 2010.  Gone is the last minute, inward-foot-turn load.  Now, Harper has a more traditional stride and load that I would assume allows him to drive more off-speed and outer-half offerings.  But just because he’s made adjustments doesn’t mean he’s sacrificed any of his robust power.  From what I can see, and from what his Minor League and Arizona Fall League stats indicate, his power is just as ridiculous, if not more ridiculous – if that’s even possible.  All I know is that I can’t wait for Spring Training to roll around so that the “is Bryce Harper ready for the Major Leagues?” debate once again consumes the baseball world.