MLB Draft

As I mentioned last week regarding the Boston Red Sox’s farm system, there’s arguably no such thing as an "underrated" prospect. If the player has a pulse, then it’s likely he’ll become over-hyped while ascending the organizational ladder.

As I highlighted in my ranking of the New York Yankees’ top 10 prospects, the organization has numerous young, projectable players on the rise, but very few capable of contributing in the major leagues during the 2013 season.

Each year, there are lower-level pitching prospects who narrow the gap between their present abilities and future potential, and as a result emerge as a highly projected prospect.

Usually, it’s someone who has battled injuries early in his career or simply a young, unrefined pitcher who suddenly puts everything together (stuff, command, consistency).

With the spring season edging closer every day, draft talk is beginning to heat up as each organization quietly evaluates the top talent in the 2013 class. However, the format has already endured a significant change, as the qualifying offer system under the new collective bargaining agreement will deprive two teams of a first-round pick.

As I mentioned in last week’s installment, it’s become increasingly difficult to compose a list of the winter league’s best pitching prospects. While the Dominican league’s regular season ended last week, the Mexican and Venezuelan leagues will both play their last regular-season contests on Sunday.

2012 was a banner year for rookies. Not only did it mark the arrival of two players with the potential to be generational superstars in Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, it also saw the graduation of other high-level prospects such as Manny Machado, Will Middlebrooks and Matt Harvey.

Although the 2013 season won’t feature anything close to what Harper and Trout did last year, there’s a new wave of elite prospects on the verge of becoming big-league regulars.

In each previous installment of this series, I highlighted both the hottest and coldest pitching prospects in the Caribbean Winter Leagues. However, with so few legitimate arms still active in the Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan leagues, it was impossible to find enough ice-cold prospects to fill out the category.

A trio of Twins’ prospects, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Oswaldo Arcia, highlight this week’s installment of the hottest and coldest hitters of the Caribbean Winter Leagues.

Is there ever a season where the Oakland Athletics’ farm system isn’t absolutely loaded? Headed into the 2012 season, power-hitting outfielder Michael Choice ranked as the team’s top prospect and was beginning to heat up when a hit-by-pitch resulted in a broken hand after the All-Star break.

The Cincinnati Reds’ top 10 prospects headed into the 2013 season actually looks similar to how it did one year ago. However, that's also a testament to the progress made by numerous players this past season.

After stealing 103 bases in 2011, the organization’s top prospect, Billy Hamilton, exploded for a record-setting 155 steals in 132 games while making substantial strides in his plate discipline and on-base skills.