Rankings/List

Earlier this week, Derek Jeter announced he will be retiring from baseball at the end of the 2014 season, his 20th, all of which have been spent with the New York Yankees.

While it will be several years until most of the 2013 draft picks are ready for the major leagues, there exists a small contingent of players with the potential to contribute at the highest level in 2014.

Teams that have patiently waited out the free-agent market in hopes that prices would fall are in luck. Even those teams that may not have been strategically planning for a last-minute acquisition could have a bargain fall into their laps in the near future. 

Late last offseason, the Cleveland Indians landed Michael Bourn at a discounted rate in mid-February, while the Milwaukee Brewers didn't sign Kyle Lohse until late March at a team-friendly rate of $11 million per season over three years.

The Cincinnati Reds farm system isn't quite what it used to be. Over the past five seasons, what was once a deep system—from top to bottom—has dropped into the middle of the pack.

The system suffered from numerous prospect graduations, including players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Tony Cingrani.

Here’s the first look at the 2014 Lester’s Legends Third Base Rankings:


1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

(2013 Stats: .348 BA, 44 HR, 137 RBI, 103 R, 3 SB)

Although Miguel Cabrera is playing first base this year, he maintains third base eligibility in most fantasy baseball leagues. Regardless whether you use him at first or third base, he's the premier player at his position.

Seriously, what more can be said about Cabrera after his second straight MVP-winning season?

The Texas Rangers boast one of the better farm systems in all of baseball.

Now it isn’t what it was a year or two ago, but is still ranked No. 13 overall by ESPN’s Keith Law (subscription required). The main reason for the drop is the collective age of talent. Many of the prospects still are a few years away from being ready for the big leagues.

Spring training has barely begun, and already, a trade involving a trio of prospects has taken place.

Playing armchair general manager is often met with skepticism. In an ideal world, the New York Mets would have outbid the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano’s services, subsequently adding one of the premier offensive threats at a notoriously light-hitting position.

It’s hard to believe it’s been roughly two decades since the last great wave of shortstop prospects reached the major leagues.

From 1994 to 1998, Major League Baseball saw the arrival of five future All-Star shortstops: Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Edgar Renteria, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada.

Whenever prospects get hyped up enough without reaching their ceiling or realizing their potential yet, people will want to compare them to current or former major league players. While it’s not an exact science, having someone who is in the middle of or has completed their MLB career as a comparison can sometimes give fans a better idea of the type of player that prospect may become.