Prospect Report:
2003 Top 100—How...?

David Cameron

If you're reading this, I'm going to assume that you've already looked at the big old list. If not, then what are you waiting for? We'll still be here.

This is our second annual Top 100, and hopefully they only get better as we go along. We should realize the limitations of only listing one hundred players, however. There are several hundred players in the minor leagues with big-league potential, often at different stages of development. Some of those guys are going to advance quicker than expected and will spurn a hoard of "how did you leave him off your list?" e-mail. Last year, Oliver Perez and John Lackey were good examples of this. There will be guys that I don't include who will make an impact in the major leagues. It's just the nature of the beast.

In ranking these players, I try to balance long-term potential with the likelihood of reaching that goal. This is far from an exact science, and disagreements will ensue. I imagine most people will notice that I tend to value players who have a high probability of making the big leagues soon more than most. The path to the majors is littered with guys who had star potential and every All-Star Game has its share of players who were considered unprojectable. Until we can strengthen our understanding of how players develop, I'll take the bird in hand.

Below is the breakdown of players by organization and position. As is pretty much the consensus, the Indians have an unmatched amount of talent while the Orioles' futility is nearing historic proportions. There is a decent chance the Orioles wouldn't have placed anyone in the Top 200, had we stretched it that far.

By Organization			By Position
Anaheim	5		First Base	11
Arizona	3		Second Base	3
Atlanta	7		Third Base	10
Baltimore	0		Shortstop	11
Boston	3		Catcher	6
Chicago (A)	3		Outfield	18
Chicago (N)	2		LHP	14
Cincinnati	1		RHP	27
Cleveland	8
Colorado	3
Detroit	4
Florida	4
Houston	2
Kansas City	1
Los Angeles	3
Milwaukee	5
Minnesota	4
Montreal	1
New York (A)	2
New York (N)	5
Oakland	1
Philadelphia	3
Pittsburgh	2
San Diego	2
San Francisco	7
Seattle	5
St. Louis	2
Tampa Bay	4
Texas	5
Toronto	3

about the author

You'll be pleased to know David Cameron has also ranked the top 100 burgers he's ever eaten (of course, by "you'll be pleased," we clearly mean "you'll be weirded out"). Find out where the McLean Deluxe ranks at dac@strikethree.com.