Our #1 prospect, Pedro Alvarez, got himself dragged into a bloody contract dispute last summer (and you'll never guess who his agent is.)  As a result, he has yet to take the field as a professional.  A big left-handed slugger, Pedro has been on our radar since he was a freshman with Vanderbilt University.  We were fortunate enough to catch Ken Kaminski in a weak moment a few years ago, and traded the immortal Jeff "Screetch" Fiorentino to get Pedro.  An injury robbed him of most of his junior season (which is something we also experienced with Mark Teixeira), but he still managed to hit an impressive .317/.424/.593 in 167 at-bats, and was selected #2 overall in the June MLB draft.  We expect Pedro to rocket up the minor leagues, similar to the way Teixeira did, and eventually we expect Pedro to post Teixeira-like numbers for us.

The Parsippany Piranhas (High-A)

Our #2 prospect, Eric Hosmer, is probably also our most exciting prospect.  We've been reading his glowing scouting reports for two years now, and we are very anxious to see him in action.  From all accounts, young Eric owns prodigious power from the left-hand side, and is a gold-glove-caliber fielder at first base.  Because he also owns a strong arm (with a 93+ mph fastball), some scouts believe he will eventually be shifted to right field, but that remains to be seen.  With Teixeira locked up until 2011, and Alvarez a possibility to move to first, it's not like we don't have other options.  As long as we find a way to get his bat into the lineup, we don't care where he plays.

Stephen Strasburg was a highly-controversial acquisition for us last summer.  But given that only seven out of the 23 other teams in the league even listed him on their pick-up sheets, given that the two teams ahead of us in that mid-summer draft passed on him, and given that we traded an excellent prospect (Josh Vitters) to get him, we're not going to apologize for anything.  Stephen crept up on a lot of people, and seemed to come out of nowhere after an uneventful freshman season at San Diego State.  But something clicked last year, and Stephen developed into the best college arm I've seen since Mark Prior.  We first noticed Stephen when he struck out 23 batters in a game against Utah.  Granted, it was only Utah, but 23 strikeouts in one game is impressive no matter who the opponent is.  On the year, Stephen allowed just 61 hits in 97+ innings (an average of 5.6 per nine), with only one home run allowed, 16 walks (1.5 per nine) and a remarkable 133 strikeouts (12.3 per nine.)  He is the #1 prospect in this year's MLB amateur draft, we are extremely anxious for him to join the Salem rotation.  Traditionally, we have traded every pitching prospect we've ever owned on the farm, but this one is a keeper.

Another college pitcher who should go early in this year's MLB draft is Vanderbilt lefty Mike Minor.  Mike was named Baseball America's Summer Player of the Year following his performance with Team USA.  As a junior at Vandy, Mike allowed 99 hits and 28 walks in 103 innings, with 101 K's. This summer, he worked with Team USA's coaching staff and developed his curveball to the point where it is now a plus pitch against both lefties and righties.  Combined with an 89-91 mph fastball, a fading, sinking changeup and a promising low-80's slider, Mike has the stuff to become a frontline starter for us within a few years.

Our third and final college pitcher on the farm is Baylor righty Kendal Volz.  Kendal is a power sinker pitcher, similar to Brandon Webb or Fausto Carmona.  Playing in a drastic pitcher's park against stiff competition, Kendal allowed 75 hits and 28 walks in 70+ innings, with 85 strikeouts as a sophomore.  This year, we're looking for him to take a big step up and vault himself into the early first round of the MLB draft.

The New Britain Buzz (Low-A)

Our organizational philosophy is to never trade a long-term keeper for a short-term rental without getting a potential keeper thrown in.  This past winter, when we traded long-term keeper Cameron Maybin, we insisted on getting Aaron Hicks in return.  Aaron has a lot in common with Maybin, including a first-round pedigree and an impressive five-tool skills package.  In his first professional season, Aaron hit .318/.409/.491 in 173 at-bats in Rookie ball.  Unlike Maybin, Aaron seems to have a good idea of the strike zone, as he drew 28 walks against 32 strikeouts.  He also stole a dozen bases, and projects to have 20-25 home run power down the road.  He's also a switch-hitter, with well above-average range in center field and a strong throwing arm that would allow him to play any outfield position.  Baseball America compares Aaron to Torii Hunter, but with better plate discipline.  If that projection proves accurate, we'll be ecstatic.

Standing just 5'9" tall and weighing in at 195 pounds, Kentrail Davis reminds some of Kirby Puckett.  A draft-eligible sophomore with Tennesse, Kentrail owns the same power/speed combo Puckett once possessed, and is considered to be the top position player in the sophomore class.  As a freshman, Kentrail led his team with a .330 batting average, posted a .435 OBP, and slugged .583 with 13 home runs.  He was a first-team selection to the NCBWA Pre-season All-American list, and he is expected to be selected in the first round of June's MLB amateur draft.

Our first pick in this year's farm draft was somewhat controversial, as AJ Pollock didn't rank very highly on most draft lists.  But we feel that AJ is a very similar player to former Cowtippers prospect Jacoby Ellsbury (only batting from the right hand side), and we feel he was the safest bet by the time our pick finally came at #23 overall.  As a junior at Notre Dame, AJ led his team in batting for the second year in a row, hitting .352/.414/.505 with a stellar 24/10 BB/K ratio and 28 stolen bases in 31 attempts.  This summer, AJ finished second in hitting in the Cape Cod League with a .377 average, 4 homers and 11 steals in 15 attempts.  He was eventually named MVP of the league.

The New Milford Newbies

Austin Maddox is a power-hitting/power-throwing catcher from Eagles View Academy high school in Florida.  He is a big (6'3", 220 lbs) kid with enormous power potential that ranks at the top of the senior class.  Behind the plate, he shows off one of the strongest arms in the country, as evidenced by his fastball on the mound, which regularly reaches the mid-90's.  His size, bat speed and stature alone make him one of the top picks in June's draft, and we look forward to seeing where he lands.

Our second round pick from this year's farm draft, Matt Davidson, is another big kid (6'3", 210 lbs) who hails from Yucaipa, California.  Matt was considered to be among the top high school players in the Class of 2009 heading into his junior year, but he suffered through a disappointing spring, hitting just .329 as opposing pitchers pitched around him throughout the season and Matt admittedly suffered a lapse in concentration.  But he raised his performance to a higher level this summer while facing the nation's toughest high school competition at events such as Perfect Game, the World Wood Bat Classic and USA Baseball's Tournament of Stars.  At the Wood Bat Classic, Matt powered his team to the finals with four home runs in the tournament, making the adjustment to wood seamlessly.  As a result, he has now climbed back to the top of his class, and we expect him to enjoy a breakout year as a senior and an early first-round selection in the June draft.  We've done quite well in selecting high school hitters in the past (B.J. Upton, Casey Kotchman, Josh Vitters, Eric Hosmer, etc.), and we feel confident that Matt will continue that trend.

Because every team in the league now scouts the high school level so intensely, it has become impossible for us to draft the very best high school talent in the current year's draft, either during the mid-season free agent pick-up period or in the farm draft.  The only possible way we can secure these talented young players is to jump way ahead of the pack and select these players while they are still juniors -- or even sophomores -- in high school.  It's hard to believe that just one year ago, we were able to select the top high school hitter in the draft (Eric Hosmer) with the 24th pick.  And two years ago, we selected the top high school pitcher in the draft (Rick Porcello) with our FIFTH round pick.  Times have changed, so we must change, too, in order to remain relevant.  And that is why we selected 17-year-old high school junior Connor Narron with our third pick of the farm draft.  Connor, a switch-hitting, power-hitting shortstop from North Carolina, and the son of former big leaguer Jerry Narron, is currently considered to be the top position player prospect in the high school class of 2010.  These things change rapidly, though, and it is quite possible that a year from now, Connor's stock will have fallen.  Connor's scouting reports, however, are glowing, and we're confident that he will remain at the top of that class.

And that brings us to our final farm draft pick, and one that we never would have imagined we would ever make.  If it weren't for the existence of Bryce Harper, Christian Lopes would be the top prospect in the class of 2011.  A 16-year-old shortstop from Canyon Country, California, Christian's exploits have been well-documented since Little League.  (In fact, his name is mentioned in a book called Little League, Big Dreams.)  Since his days as a 12-year-old superstar on the small diamond, Christian has grown into a 6'0", 170 lb. frame.  He possesses a lean, athletic body, with "plus-plus" actions at short, soft hands and a very strong arm.  His glove is said to be "major-league-ready," yet he's only a sophomore in high school.  As special as he is defensively, he is equally talented at the plate, possessing excellent bat speed and good power.  If Christian were a 16-year-old Dominican or Venezuelan, no one would bat an eye at our decision to sign him.  But because he is a US citizen, the consensus is that we jumped the gun.  Time will tell.