Deric McKamey's Top 15 Diamondbacks Prospects

One of baseball’s preeminent minor league experts provides his top 15 Diamondbacks prospects as published in his third annual Minor League Baseball Analyst. Deric will answer reader questions on his list in a separate article next week.

Deric McKamey has been BaseballHQ’s Director of Minor League Analysis for ten years now and a baseball analyst for twenty. A long-time disciple of Bill James and formally trained by MLB Scout School, McKamey is uniquely skilled to integrate sabermetrics and scouting. His prospect evaluation skills and many contacts have served him well in all aspects of his job, including advising the St. Louis Cardinals since 2004.

McKamey and BaseballHQ publish their Organizational Ratings for all 30 major league teams annually, ranking and analyzing each organization’s top 15 prospects, as well as scoring each organization in the areas of hitting, pitching, and top-end talent.

McKamey takes his work much further in print form.  Year three of the Minor League Baseball Analyst is available to order. In this book, McKamey profiles 1000 prospects from across the game with in-depth scouting reports and stats that include batter skills ratings, runner speed, pitch repertoires, major league equivalents, ultimate potential, and much more.  If readers order the Minor League Baseball Analyst from HQ directly, McKamey will include online updates in March.

Through the generosity of McKamey and BaseballHQ, following is a subset of their rankings, which covers their top 15 Diamondbacks prospects, along with the rating system used to elucidate the rankings.

Note: As a supplement to this list, McKamey will respond to your questions about these Diamondbacks prospects and any others you might have on Arizona's farm system. To participate, either send your questions to or post them on our FutureBacks message board.  We’ll collect them all and publish his answers in a subsequent article. We will also publish a premium feature comparing his rankings to our own.

TOP 15 DIAMONDBACKS PROSPECTS
As Ranked by Deric McKamey

1. Max Scherzer (RHP) - 9C

2. Jarrod Parker (RHP) - 9D

3. Gerardo Parra (OF) - 8C

4. Wes Roemer (RHP) - 7B

5. Brooks Brown (RHP) - 8C

6. Juan Gutierrez (RHP) - 8C

7. Ed Easley (C) - 7C

8. Billy Buckner (RHP) - 7C

9. Emilio Bonifacio (2B) - 7C

10. Barry Enright (RHP) - 7C

11. Cyle Hankerd (OF) - 8D

12. Reynaldo Navarro (SS) - 8E

13. Hector Ambriz (RHP) - 6B

14. Esmerling Vasquez (RHP) - 8D

15. Jamie D'Antona (1B/C/3B) - 7C

PLAYER POTENTIAL RATING
Scale of (1-10) representing a player’s upside potential

10 – Hall of Fame-type player
9 – Elite player
8 – Solid regular
7 – Average regular
6 – Platoon player
5 – Major league reserve player
4 - Top minor league player
3 - Average minor league player
2 - Minor league reserve player
1 - Minor league roster filler

PROBABILITY RATING
Scale of (A-E) representing the player’s realistic chances of achieving their potential

A - 90% probability of reaching potential
B - 70% probability of reaching potential
C - 50% probability of reaching potential
D - 30% probability of reaching potential
E - 10% probability of reaching potential
 

Minor League Baseball Analyst profiles over 1000 minor league prospects and includes detailed scouting reports, sabermetrics, major league equivalencies, organizational lists, a top 100 list, and potential ratings.  The book can be purchased through Baseball HQ where the purchaser will also receive a free online update to the lists in the book.   You may also purchase the book through any of the major on-line bookstores.  The Minor League Baseball Analyst is expected to arrive mid-January.