5 MLB Prospects That Are Destined For Greatness


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Prospects Who are Destined for Greatness

Prospects
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The history of Major League Baseball is littered with players who were supposed to be great at the major league level and never panned out. It happens all of the time, players are talked about as big-time prospects who cannot miss. Scouts say that they are sure-fire big league stars, sometimes it just does not work. Sometimes a hitter has all of the talent in the world, he just cannot handle big league pitching. Or a pitcher can throw 99 MPH with an incredible breaking ball, he just cannot throw strikes. For whatever reason, it does not always work for prospects who you think will be great players. This is important to keep in mind when talking about and looking in to prospects.

That being said, one of my favorite things about following baseball, is the prospect aspect of it. The excitement that a fan base gets over the promise of a stud prospect is awesome. If your team has a few top prospects in the minor leagues it is hard not to imagine some sort of murders' row for your big league club in the future. Unfortunately, it rarely works out that way, but it sure is fun to speculate.

Obviously, not every minor league prospect is a bust. There are some guys who are considered to be great prospects and come up to the majors and live up to their potential. A perfect example of this is Derek Jeter. The New York Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school, with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 draft. While he did struggle early on as a minor league player, Jeter was always considered a top prospect. Obviously, Jeter more than lived up to his hype as a prospect, as he has had an incredible Hall of Fame type career and will surely go down as one of the greatest Yankee players of all time.

Sometimes, like in the case of Jeter, it just works out. That being said, you have been warned. It is very fun to get excited about top prospects in your team's minor league system, but be careful, they will break your heart as well. Here is a list of five prospects in baseball who are destined for greatness. As I have warned many times, the prospect game is hit or miss, so it is impossible to say that these guys will be great, but I believe all five of these guys have some serious star potential and a great chance to reach it.

Daniel is a Chicago Cubs writer for www.RantSports.com. He also contributes to other sports on the site including the NBA and NFL. Daniel also contributes to TotalSportsBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_Schmelzer and add him to your network on Google.

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Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins

Buxton
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Buxton was the second overall pick in the 2012 draft and is the youngest player on this list at 19 years old. Obviously, plenty can go wrong between now and when he reaches the majors, but Buxton is a fantastic baseball player. He has incredible speed that he uses very well when playing the outfield. Buxton is a natural base stealer and plays the game hard at all times. He does not have much power in his bat, but he is a very good contact hitter. Buxton could be a star for the Minnesota Twins for a very long time.

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Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs

Baez
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Javier Baez is arguably the top prospect in the Chicago Cubs minor league system. Baez was the ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft and is still very young at 20 years old. Baez has great contact skills and bat speed that he uses to generate incredible power. Baez is considered by many to have the best bat speed in all of the minor leagues. Many scouts would like to see less strikeouts and more walks, but Baez has improved on his plate discipline recently. Defensively, Baez has struggled with errors in his young career, but he definitely has the raw talent to play shortstop and I expect him to cut down on the errors as he matures as a baseball player. Baez caused an uproar in the prospect world recently when he hit four homeruns in one game. He is certainly a risky prospect, but the tools are all there for Baez to succeed at the major league level.

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Miguel Sano, 3B, Minnesota Twins

Sano
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Sano and Buxton make the best prospect duo in all of baseball. The Twins are very fortunate to have two outstanding prospects in their minor league system. Now playing in Double-A, the 20-year-old Sano shows great power to all fields. He potentially has the most power of all prospects in baseball right now. While the power is fantastic, the rest of is game lags behind a bit as he does not hit for great average and struggles defensively at times. That being said, Sano is a great athlete and I think he will fix his flaws to become a great MLB player.

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Oscar Taveras, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Taveras
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Oscar Taveras is widely considered the best prospect in all of baseball. Taveras is sitting at Triple-A just waiting for a spot to open up. I think Taveras is ready to become a major league player, unfortunately there are no spots open on a stacked St. Louis Cardinals roster. Taveras is a star in the making as he has elite contact skills and great power as a left-handed hitter. Defensively, Taveras is solid yet unspectacular in the outfield. The bat is where he will make his mark. Taveras is a star in the making, and only needs an opportunity.

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Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox

Bogaerts
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Xander Bogaerts is considered the best shortstop prospect for the Boston Red Sox since Nomar Garciaparra. Bogaerts shows great contact skills and outstanding pop in his bat. There has always been concerns whether he could stick at shortstop, but he appears to be athletic enough to handle the position. Things are looking up for Bogaerts who is now considered a top prospect in all of baseball, and a guy I see having great success at the major league level.


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