Top Ten 2012 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Prospects (1-5)
By Adam McGill
In fantasy baseball one of the most important parts to building a competitive team year in and year out, is getting quality prospects. Every year there are guys who are supposed to be the next Johan Santana then fizzle out after a couple poor performances, but then there are guys like Clayton Kershaw who come in strong and never look back. Below are my top ten pitching prospects to grab before the season starts and more importantly to grab before your competition realizes who they are:
1. Julio Teheran, ATL – Teheran is the most promising pitcher to come out of the minors since Tim Lincecum came up in the Giants’ organization. He has all the tools to be a front-end starter and is much more mature than most 20 year olds about to receive a seven figure contract. Teheran can top out at 95 on his fastball, but needs to work on his movement on it. He also has a big league changeup and a very adequate curve, but he will need to choose which other pitch he wants to perfect. His size has been talked about, but his 175 pound frame is identical to Johan Santana when he came up through the minors. Teheran will get a chance to push for a rotation spot this spring, but will likely be the odd man out with the Braves’ deep roster. The kid will continue to dominant Triple-A Gwinnett until he gets the permanent call up, where he will only perfect his craft more in the majors.
2. Matt Moore, TB – Moore’s call up last year was a magical thing to watch. He struck out 15 batters in only 9.1 innings, looking every bit like the fire-baller that the team thought he was going to become. It should not be too surprising to see Moore’s dominance in his rookie debut, especially looking at his career strikeout totals in the minors. In 497.1 innings pitched in minor league ball, Moore struck out a phenomenal 700 batters and yet still scouts were denying his potential. Moore got quality innings of work at the end of last year, but more importantly he did not get run out of the league. “Eminem” has the ability to lead the majors in strikeouts at some point, with his deceptively fast fastball and a breaking pitch that is impossible to spot when he releases it. He will be a premier prospect moving forward and the south-paw is the best long-term prospect in the entire American League.
3. Shelby Miller, STL – The 21-year old has been dominant in Double-A, which still leaves him on track to make his big league debut in 2013. He is still a full year away from earning a spot in the team’s rotation, but it would not be surprising to see the Cards’ give their future ace a couple starts at some point this year. Miller has amazing command over his fastball and changeup, but the thing that sets him apart from most prospects is his ability to make his fastball dance. He gets phenomenal action on his two-seam fastball, an attribute which will help him rack up strikeouts at the major league level.
4. Jacob Turner, DET – Despite only being 20 years old, the Tigers’ prize prospect reached the majors last year. He only pitched 12.7 innings and looked nervous, but it is always promising to see a kid under 21 get some big league experience. He looked very mature in the minors with a career 3.36 ERA in 246.1 innings pitched, and amazingly only walked 58 batters in that span. Detroit loves to rush their pitching prospects through the minors (see Ricky Romero or Max Scherzer) so Turner will be no exception. He will head into spring training looking to win the fourth or fifth spot in the team’s rotation, and the kid has a shot considering the back-end of the Tigers’ rotation.
5. Trevor Bauer, ARI – Bauer is being pushed towards the majors with record pace since coming to Arizona. The UCLA star tore up Hi-A and Double-A last season with an amazing 43 strikeouts in only 26 innings pitched. He is predominantly a fastball/curve ball pitcher, who has looked disciplined in the minor leagues. His four-seam fastball can hit upwards of 97 MPH with a two-seam fastball that registers around 91-94 MPH. Bauer also has a major league curve ball in his repertoire. He throws it from several different release points to confuse batters and also mixes in a slider to work the bottom half of the plate. He could end up being a great strikeout artist in the big league and will get a shot at some point this season to showcase his skills. However, fantasy owners should not expect him to join the rotation regularly until 2013.
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[...] Top Ten 2012 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Prospects (1-5)Rant SportsBelow are my top ten pitching prospects to grab before the season starts and more importantly to grab before your competition realizes who they are: 1. Julio Teheran, ATL – Teheran is the most promising pitcher to come out of the minors since Tim … [...]
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