#45 Matt Harvey

New York Mets

DOB: 3/27/1989

Previous Rank: N/A

ETA: 2013

Harvey was the top collegiate arm in the 2010 class, but his career at North Carolina was not a smooth ride like most figured it would be considering that his fastball can reach 98 mph and he carries mid-90s velocity deep into nearly every start.  His mechanics and deception, as well as fastball life, have greatly improved in the last two years.  He throws two breaking ball variations, one of which is more of a slider while the other is more of a hard downer curve.

Scouts are fairly split on which one has the better prognosis, but at the Sombrero we think that each has its place when considering what side of the plate his opponent is hitting from.  His changeup is behind and he doesn’t throw it often or consistently enough yet, but it has some arm side action to it as well.  It profiles as a 50 while both breaking ball variations can be 60s or 70s given the day.

Harvey has a terrific frame at 6-foot-4 and 210-pounds, and his numbers suggest that he could reach the Big Leagues as early as 2013.  Across two levels, including 12 Double-A starts, Harvey struck out 156 guys next to 47 walks in 135.2 innings.  He kept the ball in the yard quite well too and finished the year with a 3.32 ERA.  The future looks bright for Harvey, and maybe, just maybe, the Mets might not blow it with him.

#46 Michael Choice

Oakland Athletics

DOB: 11/10/1989

Previous Rank: N/A

ETA: 2013

Choice had a terrific first full season of professional baseball as a 21-year-old. He had an outstanding career at UT-Arlington and was deservedly selected with the tenth overall pick in 2010. With Stockton this year in the California League, Choice slashed .285/.376/.542 and went deep 30 times. He struck out 134 times but walked enough to justify it.

There is some swing-and-miss with Choice, but no part of any park can hold him, and his defense is far better than one would expect from this kind of power bat. There is a realistic chance that Choice can stay in CF, and if he can, then he will be an all-star year in and year out. While his speed is a 60, he doesn’t necessarily use it very well stealing bases. It is better reflected in the field and moving from base to base on contact.

The down tool with Choice is his arm, so his value drops considerably if he is forced to move away of center, but by no means is that move imminent or even likely. Michael Choice can take a huge step forward perhaps even into the top 10 with a big 2012 in the high Minors.

Last night on The Baseball Show, Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers, M.J. Lloyd of Off Base Percentage, and I discussed the following topics:

-Our involvement with Tomahawk Take on the FanSided Network.

-Thoughts on the Braves shortstop situation, minor league prospects, Jason Heyward, the Jair Jurrjens rumors, and the Braves rotation for next season.

-We offer our thoughts on Derek Lowe’s departure to Cleveland.

-We talk about early hot stove off-season activity: Grady Sizemore, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Albert Pujols and many more free agents are discussed.

-We talk about the managerial possibilities around baseball: Sandy Alomar, Terry Francona, and Ryne Sandberg.

-We debate about the importance of a manager in the game of baseball today.

-I talk about Ozzie Guillen’s departure from the White Sox, and share my thoughts on Robin Ventura.

-As always, much more is discussed.

Hank Molina was my first, and best, boss.  Hank had been the Farmington Amateur Baseball Congress Umpire in Chief since before I was born, and he turned eighty years old the year I started working for him as an ump.  Never a large man, Hank’s body had shriveled considerably by the time I met him, and the top of his hunching head just reached my shoulders.  But he carried a spirit the size of the Bambino in that little old frame, and his mind was sharp as a spiked cleat.  He once told me, “I’ve forgotten more about baseball than you’ll ever know,” and his authority on the diamond was unquestionable. Whenever a game got ugly or coaches got belligerent disagreeing over a rule, all you had to do was call Hank.  Actually, all you usually had to do was threaten to call Hank.

But if threats didn’t work and you had to go through with the call, Hank would pull up in his old Chevy Blazer (always stuffed with so much umpiring gear that it couldn’t hold more than one passenger), make himself a parking spot as close to the gates as possible, and mosey up to the field.  He would meet with the umpires, away from any coaches’ earshot, and after a quick discussion, he would calmly inform the concerned parties that the right call had been made, and the umpires’ decision stood.  It didn’t matter if you had made the correct ruling or not, Hank always had your back and that was that.  No coach, parent, or player ever tried to argue with him about it.  Or if they did, Hank never bothered to listen.

#47 Jarred Cosart

Houston Astros

DOB: 5/25/1990

Previous Rank: N/A

ETA: 2013

This report is written under the assumption that Cosart will start in the Majors instead of relieve, as some suggest he is better equipped to do.  Cosart, alongside stud hitter Jonathan Singleton, was dealt at the deadline for Hunter Pence by Philadelphia.  Cosart immediately became the top-pitching prospect in the Astros’ organization and features a 95-97 mph heater that can jump up to 99.

His secondary offerings are at least 50s in terms of stuff, but he does not command them well enough to use in high volume.  At this point, his changeup is a 55 and the curve is a 50 with good shape when he works in front of his body with it.  Cosart has a 6-foot-3 frame with room to add some bulk.  His mechanics range from clean to jerky, but he is athletic and has time to gain consistency with them.

As far as stats go, 2011 was up and down.  He absolutely dominated through the middle of June, got shelled for a month and a half or so, was traded, and finally was promoted to Double-A where he was bad.  On the year his numbers are pretty meaningless, but he was able to keep his ERA near 4.00, take the ball in 26 starts, and strikeout over 100 guys in nearly 145 innings.

I personally don’t see a lot of reason to give these stats too much consideration, though, since his season was so full of off-the-field distractions that he could not control nor impact.  Regardless, Cosart’s position in our top 50 is based on his arm, age, level, and likelihood of assuming a top-of-the-rotation spot within five years.