Top 20 Prospects for 2012
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Upcoming stuff for next week:

*Smackdowns for Anthony Gose/Starling Marte and Cheslor Cuthbert/Miguel Sano
*Sleepers from the 2011 Draft (10th round or later)

Suggest some other things.

I am taking some family time this weekend. I will be around to make sure no one runs amok, but don't expect serious writing until Monday.

I was listening to Inside Pitch on SiriusXM radio yesterday afternoon, and Jim Bowden stated he thinks Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be an All Star within the next five years. Heck, he even predicted he could be a Triple Crown winner before his career is over, but let's stick with Hosmer being an All Star within the next five seasons.

When I first heard it, I said to myself "well yeah. He's a stud and will continue to get better over the next five seasons. He SHOULD be an All Star first baseman at some point." But wait.

The list of excellent first baseman in the American League seems to go on forever. And that was before this offseason, where we saw Albert Pujols sign with the Angels and Prince Fielder sign with the Tigers. You have that guy over in Boston-Adrian Gonzalez-who is a former All Star. And Mark Teixeira in New York is not too shabby if he can get back to hitting for a better average. Don't forget the guy Fielder is displacing from first base, Miguel Cabrera, and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko is still putting up All Star-like stats at the age of 36 even though every year some fantasy baseball writer will project a bust of a season for him.

More after the jump:

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Prospect Analysis: Elite Pitching Prospect from 2007

To finish the "learning from old prospect lists" series, I decided to take a look at the elite prospects from 2007. Although we have less data on these guys than with the previous lists, we can at least distinguish the complete busts from the guys who are having/will have successful careers. Remember, for these reports I am only looking at prospects graded with an A or A-.

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Prospect Analysis: Elite Prospects from 2007

To finish the "learning from old prospect lists" series, I decided to take a look at the elite prospects from 2007. Although we have less data on these guys than with the previous 2003-2006 lists, we can at least distinguish the complete busts from the guys who are having/will have successful careers. Remember, for these reports I am only looking at prospects graded with an A or A-. Anyone B+ or lower wasn't included, although B+ is very strong grade.

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As I stated with the high school prospects, I have not seen every player in my top 100 lists. I haven't seen any of them in person. I have seen several of them multiple times on TV though. I have not seen a full game of Roache's, only edited highlights, but I have a good feel for the player that he is. I have a link to a video for each player so you can see what I am seeing for these five. I hope to see more of these guys throughout the upcoming college season and I'll let you know what I see. Without further ado, here is the first five.

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Lessons Learned

Over the last week, I've been examining old prospect lists in an attempt to learn some lessons from history. We looked at where the best hitters in 2011 and the best pitchers came from, and how elite hitting prospects (Grade A or A-) and elite pitching prospects in the 2003-2006 window developed, or failed to develop.

Keep in mind that it takes a good five years (or longer) to truly know how some players will pan out. For example, before 2011, Brandon McCarthy looked like a total bust, but he had a great season last year and showed the talent that made him a strong prospect in the first place. We still don't know if guys like Ian Stewart or Daric Barton will be considered disappointments in two or three years, or how Delmon Young will use his talent. In any event, here are some observations/lessons I take away from this.

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We have a limited number of print copies of the 2012 Baseball Prospect Book remaining. At the current pace we will be sold out well before Opening Day, and there won't be a reprint. It is first-come, first-serve, so if you want a print copy, don't wait, order now.

Remember, the Baseball Prospect Book is 100% made in America! Written in the United States, printed in the United States, and about the American game.

We are also selling the .pdf electronic version, but a lot of people (like me) still like print copies.