Bryce Harper

OF – Harrisburg Senators (AA)

Bryce Harper doesn’t need much introduction here.  He’s probably the most famous minor-leaguer in baseball today.  At just 18 years old, he has already been promoted to the AA level and even played with the big leaguers at Spring Training camp.

He hit an impressive .297 with 17 homers in single-A Hagerstown before being promoted to double-A Harrisburg.  He hit a less-than-stellar .256 with 3 home runs in Harrisburg before pulling his hamstring and probably ending his season, but hey, he’s only 18.  We just hope he’s mature enough to handle all the money and stardom at such an early age.

Harper will probably start the 2012 season with Harrisburg and depending on how well he does, may make a Major League debut by the end of next season.

Mike Trout

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – CF

It’s always exciting to see teenagers playing in the big leagues.  Mike Trout has been touted as one of the best prospects out there, and he turns 20 this weekend.  While his .163 Major League batting average is not all that impressive, he has shown his great potential in the minor leagues, consistently hitting well over .300 over 3 seasons in A and AA ball.  Once he adjusts to Major League pitching, Mike Trout has the potential to win a few batting titles.

Eric Hosmer

1B – Kansas City Royals

Hosmer was selected in the first round (3rd overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft.  Since then, he has worked his way quickly up the Royals’ farm system.  He hit .313 in AA ball in 2010 and an astounding .439 in AAA ball earlier this season.

Since making his Major League debut May 6, 2011, Hosmer has hit .262 with 5 homers, making him one of the best rookie hitters in the American League this season.

Chris Marrero – 1B

Syracuse Chiefs (AAA affiliate of Washington Nationals)

Since being drafted out of high school as a 17-year-old by the Washington Nationals in the 1st round of the 2006 draft, Chris Marrero has steadily been working his way up through the minor leagues.  He can no doubt hit — he hit .294 with 18 homers last season in AA — but has struggled defensively.  With the Nationals’ new focus on defense, Marrero will probably stay in the minor leagues until his defense improves.  However, he has made great strides in improving his defensive skills so far in 2011 and might make his Major League debut later this season if he continues to show improvements.  He is currently batting .274 with 4 homers for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs.

Michael Pineda

Starting Pitcher, Seattle Mariners

Michael Pineda was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2005 as a 17-year-old and quickly showed his prowess in the Dominican Summer League, starting 15 games over 2 seasons and going 8-2 with a 1.82 ERA.  He rose quickly through the minor leagues and started 12 games for the AAA Tacoma Rainiers in 2010, going 3-3 with a 4.76 ERA, but striking out an average of 11 per nine innings.

This season, Pineda made the Mariners’ starting rotation out of Spring Training.  So far he has started 2 games, going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA.  He makes his 3rd start of his rookie season on Sunday against the Royals.

Mike Moustakas

3B – Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA, Kansas City Royals)

Mike Moustakas was chosen by the Kansas City Royals as the 2nd overall draft pick in 2007.  Since then, he has risen quickly in the minor leagues, showing off lots of power and hitting capability.  He split last season between AA and AAA, hitting a combined .322 with 36 home runs.  While playing in AA Northwest Arkansas last season, he hit 21 homers in only 259 at-bats.

While Moustakas failed to impress during Spring Training this season, another exceptional season in AAA will likely bring about his rookie debut with the Royals later this year.

Mike Stanton

RF, Florida Marlins

Florida’s got immense talent in the outfield.  Mike Stanton was taken in the 2nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of high school.  He is widely considered one of the best prospects in the game.  While initially struggling at the plate as a 17-year old minor leaguer in 2007, he quickly got the hang of things and spent his remaining two and a half seasons in the minor leagues hitting a home run every 13 at-bats.

Though Stanton’s 2010 rookie season was overshadowed by the debuts of Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward, he continued hitting home runs in the Major Leagues at an impressive pace.  He hit 22 home runs in 359 at-bats as a rookie in 2010.  Mike Stanton’s numbers so far are very similar (but slightly better) to Darryl Strawberry’s numbers as a 21-year-old.  Let’s just hope Mike lays off the drugs.

MLB.com recently released their list of the top 50 prospects of 2011.  So how did their top 12 compare with the top 12 that I selected back in October?

NOTES:

(a) Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison, and Juan Francisco were probably not considered for MLB.com’s 2011 list because they are no longer considered “prospects” for 2011.  However, they ranked numbers 3, 25, and 48, respectively, in MLB.com’s 2010 top prospects list.

(b) Michael Pineda was #13 on MLB.com’s list

(c) Jesus Montero was #2 on 25YearsOfBaseball.com’s 2009 list.

(d) Anthony Rendon hasn’t gone pro yet.  He is likely to be taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft.