The All-Prospect Teams, 6/16 Update

Now about halfway into the minor league season is it time to update how the players are doing. All players are listed as I ranked them in March of this year.

The All Prospect First Team

C Matt Wieters BAL - steady - Wieters played well in AAA and is now adjusting in the majors.
C Buster Posey SF - steady - Having a great first professional season in A+.
1b Justin Smoak TEX - slightly rising - Smoak is tearing up AA and is on the cusp of the majors only a year after being drafted
2b Gordon Beckham CWS - steady - Already in the majors, Beckham's power hasn't quite shown up yet but he has had a very good year so far
SS Tim Beckham TB - steady - After a slow start he's starting to show why he was the #1 overall pick in 2008
3B Mike Moustakas KC - steady - Just like last year Moustakas struggled out of the gate but has steadily improved
CI Brett Wallace STL - slightly falling - Hard to fault a guy who is already in AAA, but his bat has not quite been as expected
MI Alcides Escobar MIL - steady - Defensive specialist is showing he may hit enough to be a solid player in the majors
LF Travis Snider TOR - slightly falling - Showed flashes in the majors before demotion but is currently sidelined with an injury
CF Dexter Fowler COL - slightly rising - Shockingly broke camp with the big club and held his own, much sooner than expected
RF Jason Heyward ATL - slightly rising - Showing more power this year, Heyward continues to look like a future star
CF Jordan Schafer ATL - slightly falling - Was pushed way too fast to the majors, now getting needed reps in AAA
COF Matt LaPorta CLE - steady - Mediocre big league cameos have not tarnished big AAA numbers
SP David Price TB - slightly falling - Command and movement on his slider have been inconsistent all year, but still massive potential
SP Tommy Hanson ATL - steady - Destroyed AAA, now trying to get on track in the majors
SP Neftali Feliz TEX - slightly falling - Command regression means Feliz is not quite as close to majors as originally thought
SP Madison Bumgarner SF - slightly rising - Now in AA, career 1.62 ERA in 200 minor league innings is off the charts
SP Brian Matusz BAL - steady - Has dominated A+ as expected, should be seeing AA action very soon
MR Aaron Poreda CWS - slightly rising - Secondary pitches have improved, is now in the big league bullpen
SU Wade Davis TB - steady - Davis has been solid in AAA and will probably get a shot in the majors soon
CL Daniel Bard BOS - rising - Totally dominated AAA, is now having success in the majors


The All Prospect Second Team

C Jesus Montero NYY - rising - 19-year-old is already in AA and has shown improved defense as well
C Carlos Santana CLE - rising - continues to show power and great plate discipline, last year was no fluke
1b Eric Hosmer KC - steady - After a very poor start, Hosmer is showing signs of breaking out
2b Adrian Cardenas OAK - steady - After early struggles in AAA, is now dominating AA
SS Elvis Andrus TEX - steady - Playing right on expectations as a 20-year-old in the majors
3B Pedro Alvarez PIT - slightly falling - Has not been bad, but would have expected more considering easy A+ assignment
CI Mat Gamel MIL - steady - Still raking, still a DH
MI Jason Donald PHI - falling - Has really struggled in AAA, mostly due to chasing too many pitches out of the zone
LF Fernando Martinez NYM - slightly rising - Really mashed in AAA, now in majors even though he is almost definitely not ready
CF Colby Rasmus STL - slightly rising - Has been respectable in majors and has shown steady improvement
RF Mike Stanton FLA - significantly rising - Showed much improved discipline in A+ without sacrificing power, now in AA
CF Cameron Maybin FLA - falling - couldn't stick in majors, has been merely average in AAA since demotion
COF Michael Saunders SEA - steady - Playing well in AAA, really close to being big league ready
SP Trevor Cahill OAK - steady - Rushed hard to the majors but has held his own thanks to great sinker
SP Chris Tillman BAL - slightly rising - Has been even better at AAA than expected, should see him in Baltimore real soon
SP Jarrod Parker ARZ - rising - Only needed 4 starts in A+, fireballer is now pitching well in AA ahead of schedule
SP Brett Anderson OAK - steady - Like Cahill, in the majors way before ready, but has not faired quite as well so far
SP Derek Holland TEX - steady - Trying to learn on job in the majors, stuff is there, consistency is not yet
MR Jose Ceda FLA - falling - Injuries have derailed his 2009 season
SU Jeff Samardzija CHC - steady - Currently starting in AAA, still looks like a reliever long-term
CL Chris Perez STL - steady - Control has been all over the place, but stuff is still filthy


The All Prospect Third Team

C Tyler Flowers CWS - steady - Flowers continues to show a combination of power and patience at AA
C J.P. Arencibia TOR - steady - As expected, over-aggressive approach being exposed at AAA, but still showing huge power potential
1b Logan Morrison FLA - steady - Just came back from injury and has caught fire early in AA
2b Carlos Triunfel SEA - slightly falling - Has been out since early April with a leg injury
SS Reid Brignac TB - slightly rising - Showed improved patience in AAA before injuries forced him into the big leagues
3B Wilmer Flores NYM - steady - 17-year-old is scuffling in low-A, but has done pretty well considering age
CI Lars Anderson BOS - slightly falling - Hasn't done much in AA so far this year but still plenty of time to turn it around
MI Chris Coghlan FLA - slightly rising - After a great start in AAA is holding his own in the majors
LF Nick Weglarz CLE - slightly falling - Still getting his walks but not hitting as expected just yet
CF Aaron Hicks MIN - slightly falling - In a very surprising move, Minnesota has kept Hicks in extended spring training all year
RF Jose Tabata PIT - slightly falling - Just returning from injury, will have to show that bad start was not a sign of things to come
CF Andrew McCutchen PIT - slightly rising - Continues to look like an impact leadoff hitter
COF Andrew Lambo LAD - steady - Slighty underperforming at AA but is young for the league
SP Tim Alderson SF - slightly rising - Now dominating AA, reminds me a lot of Kevin Slowey
SP Jake Arrieta BAL - slightly rising - Just promoted to AAA after great start, all Orioles top pitching prospects having great years
SP Jordan Zimmerman WAS - slightly rising - Has been inconsistent in majors but peripherals indicate the ERA is poised to fall
SP Rick Porcello DET - significantly rising - Not striking out many guys but has a 3.71 ERA in the majors at 20, very impressive
SP Michael Ynoa OAK - steady - Ynoa should be making his debut in SS or rookie ball shortly
MR Jason Motte STL - slightly falling - Has not performed quite as expected but fastball is still averaging 96 and slider is improving
SU Brad Holt NYM - slightly rising - Now in AA, Holt has not slowed down from his hot close to last year
CL Phillipe Aumont SEA - steady - Now officially a reliever, Aumont has the potential to be a dominating closer



The All Prospect Fourth Team

C Lou Marson PHI - steady - Continues to look like a great defensive catcher with enough bat to not be a detriment
C Taylor Teagarden TEX - steady - Another very good defensive catcher with enough hitting ability to be a big league regular
1b Yonder Alonso CIN - steady - Has lost some steam since promotion to AA but his polished bat appears to be as advertised
2b Jemile Weeks OAK - slightly rising - Opened year on DL but has raked at A+ since return
SS Chris Valaika CIN - falling - Appeared too have hit a wall at AAA and is now injured, really rough year so far
3B Dayan Viciedo CWS - slightly falling - Plate discipline issues make him look much farther from majors than originally thought
CI Chris Carter OAK - steady - Having another big offensive season, this time in AA, defense remains a concern
MI Nick Noonan PHI - slightly falling - Struggles at A+ have brought back concerns about his unorthodox swing
LF Nolan Reimold BAL - significantly rising - I was higher on Reimold than most but it appears even I underrated him; destroyed AAA, now slugging .550 in majors
CF Austin Jackson NYY - steady - The lack of power and K's are a concern but it is hard to ignore the .345 average and 12/12 on SB's
RF Josh Reddick BOS - steady - Hitting well in AA but again has spent time on the DL
CF Ben Revere MIN - steady - Keeps doing what he does, lots of singles and stolen bases
COF Aaron Cunningham OAK - steady - Is struggling in the majors after posting so-so numbers in AAA
SP Brett Cecil TOR - steady - Started year on fire but has scuffled in the last month
SP Daniel Cortes KC - slightly falling - Starting to doubt if he'll ever be able to command his powerful arsenal
SP Andrew Brackman NYY - steady - Not great numbers especially considering age (23) and level (low-A), but hasn't missed a start yet and that's more important
SP Jeremy Hellickson TB - steady - Had a great April but has been on the shelf with shoulder issues since
SP Christian Friedrich COL - steady - Has dominated both levels of A-ball as expected, true test comes when he reaches AA
MR James McDonald LAD - steady - Command fell apart in the majors, has righted the ship in AAA
SU Ryan Perry DET - steady - Way too many walks but is getting guys out in the majors
CL Jeremy Jeffress MIL - falling - Command issues are making his off-the-field problems more difficult to tolerate


The All Prospect Fifth Team

C Jason Castro HOU - rising - Astros only outstanding prospect dominated A+ and is now in AA
C Angel Salome MIL - slightly falling - Salome has really struggled to find his swing this year in AAA
1b Freddie Freeman ATL - steady - Having a solid year, expect to see more power in the near future
2b Luis Valbuena CLE - steady - Having trouble translating great AAA performance to the majors
SS Brandon Hicks ATL - falling - Contact issues have gotten far worse, Hicks is in danger of becoming a non-prospect
3B Matt Dominguez FLA - slightly falling - His glove is special but he has not hit at all in A+ this year
CI Angel Villalona SF - steady - I'm much lower on Villalona than most and while he has been respectable this year, my skepticism remains
MI Ivan Dejesus LAD - slightly falling - Injury will cost him all of 2009
LF Dominic Brown PHI - slightly rising - Having a very nice year in A+ so far
CF Desmond Jennings TB - significantly rising - Has jumped more this year than almost anyone; has shown power, patience, speed and most importantly, health
RF Daryl Jones STL - steady - Power has slid backwards a bit, but still a respectable season so far
CF Drew Stubbs CIN - slightly rising - Potential gold glover is figuring out how to be a leadoff hitter in AAA
COF Greg Halman SEA - significantly falling - I don't care if he has 13 home runs, he's hitting .183 and has struck out in roughly half his AB's
SP Jon Niese NYM - slightly falling - Has looked very hittable in AAA and the majors this year
SP Gio Gonzalez OAK - steady - Has great stuff, but still cannot control it well enough to win in the majors
SP Michael Bowden BOS - steady - Solid year at AAA, looks nearly ready to be mid-rotation big leaguer
SP Michael Main TEX - falling - Main is having a nightmare season at A+
SP Mat Latos SD - significantly rising - The stuff was always there, but Latos is turning himself into a complete pitcher; ERA under 1.00 this year
MR Mark Melancon NYY - steady - Has been very good at AAA, command vacated him in brief majors stint
SU Jordan Walden LAA - steady - Has shown signs recently that he's breaking out after a poor start
CL Cole Rohrbough ATL - slightly falling - Has been a little too hittable for someone with his stuff


The biggest movers up so far have been Brandon Jennings, Mike Stanton, Rick Porcello, Nolan Reimold and Mat Latos.
Only one player got the "significantly falling" tag, Greg Halman who I was never a huge believer in anyway, I threw him into the last OF spot due to the upside but probably should not have.