TOP TEN PROSPECTS 1. Jurickson Profar, ss 2. Mike Olt, 3b/1b 3. Martin Perez, lhp 4. Leonys Martin, of 5. Justin Grimm, rhp 6. Luke Jackson, rhp 7. Luis Sardinas, ss/2b 8. Cody Buckel, rhp 9. Jorge Alfaro, c/1b 10. Joey Gallo, 3b BEST TOOLS Best Hitter for Average Jurickson Profar Best Power Hitter Joey Gallo Best Strike Zone Discipline Jurickson Profar Fastest Baserunner Leury Garcia Best Athlete Lewis Brinson Best Fastball Wilmer Font Best Curveball Justin Grimm Best Slider Nick Tepesch Best Changeup Martin Perez Best Control Nick Tepesch Best Defensive Catcher Jorge Alfaro Best Defensive Infielder Luis Sardinas Best Infield Arm Leury Garcia Best Defensive OF Engel Beltre Best Outfield Arm Preston Beck PROJECTED 2016 LINEUP Catcher Jorge Alfaro First Base Mike Olt Second Base Jurickson Profar Third Base Adrian Beltre Shortstop Elvis Andrus Left Field Ian Kinsler Center Field Lewis Brinson Right Field Leonys Martin Designated Hitter Joey Gallo No. 1 Starter Yu Darvish No. 2 Starter Matt Harrison No. 3 Starter Derek Holland No. 4 Starter Martin Perez No. 5 Starter Justin Grimm Closer Neftali Feliz With nine games to go in the regular season, the Rangers had the best record in the American League and looked poised to make a run to their third straight American League pennant. But when Texas lost seven of its final nine contests, including five to the hard-charging Athletics, it ceded the AL West crown to Oakland. The A's defeated the Rangers 12-5 in the final game of the season, relegating them to the AL Wild Card Game, which Texas lost at home to the Orioles by a score of 5-1. Much like his team, Josh Hamilton faded down the stretch. He seemed destined for his second AL MVP award in three seasons when he batted .368/.420/.764 with 21 homers in the first two months, but he did little in June or July and didn't homer in his final 52 at-bats of the season. Rangers fans booed Hamilton lustily after he struck out twice and grounded out weakly, seeing just eight pitches, in the wild-card game defeat. No doubt they remembered that he dropped a routine flyball in center field the day before to key an A's rally. The boos were a sign of how much expectations for him—and the team—have changed during the last three seasons. Hamilton will test free-agent waters this offseason, with a cloud of uncertainty hovering over his potential return. If he departs Texas—as premier free agents Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson did following the 2010 and 2011 seasons—then the Rangers have the talent to replenish from within. The roster retooling actually began in 2012, when the Rangers spent $111.7 million ($51.7 million posting fee, $60 million contract) to import Yu Darvish from Japan. Rookie relievers Robbie Ross and Tanner Scheppers carved out significant bullpen roles, while second-year lefty Michael Kirkman held opponents to a .182 average. Texas also gave a preview of coming attractions by promoting shortstop Jurickson Profar and third baseman Mike Olt from Double-A before the end of the season. Two of the game's top prospects, neither played much but could carve out regular big league roles in 2013 despite being blocked by all-stars Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre at their best positions. For the third year in a row, the Rangers sacrificed minor league talent during the season to strengthen the big league team. The most significant losses came when they surrendered third baseman Christian Villanueva and righthander Kyle Hendricks to acquire Ryan Dempster from the Cubs at the July deadline. In years past, trades for Mike Adams, Cliff Lee and Koji Uehara cost the Rangers young players like Blake Beavan, Chris Davis, Robbie Erlin, Tommy Hunter, Justin Smoak and Joe Wieland. That the system continues to thrive even after the defections testifies to the job Texas does scouting at all levels, domestic, international and professional. The Rangers continue to be as active in Latin America as any club. One year after committing $13.4 million in bonuses to sign Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin and Dominican outfielders Ronald Guzman and Nomar Mazara, Texas agreed to terms in February with Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras for $4.5 million. MLB later suspended Beras for one year—though his contract was approved, and he can be reinstated July 1—when it learned that the outfielder originally had understated his age. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2013/2614430.html --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 112.105.111.217