On Wednesday night, MLB.com released Jonathan Mayo's top 100 MLB prospects going into the 2012 season, and it has its fair share of surprises, as one would expect. But most fans don't delve into these lists just to look for rankings that look a tad wonky; most fans are simply trying to figure out where their favorite team's prospects are ranked.
Considering that, we thought that it might be helpful to break these lists down on a team-by-team basis to give you guys a look. Here's a breakdown of MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list for the NL West.
Los Angeles Dodgers
No. 45, RHP Zach Lee: A big overslot pick by the Dodgers late in the first-round of the 2010 draft, Lee hasn't disappointed yet. He was expected to have some growing pains while playing baseball full-time after being a major football recruit in high school, but he pleasantly surprised many scouts. He's very athletic, and has a lot of upside.
No. 70, RHP Nathan Eovaldi: After a breakout season in 2011, Eovaldi is firmly in LA's long-term plans. The 21-year-old had Tommy John surgery as a high school junior, but finally looked fully recovered from that injury in 2011, hitting the upper 90's with his fastball.
No. 79, RHP Allen Webster: After pitching extremely well in the hitter-friendly California League, Webster moved up to Double-A and had mixed results. Scouts still love his ability to keep the ball on the ground, though, and he could move quickly from here.
San Francisco Giants
No. 48, OF Gary Brown: He's an extremely dynamic young athlete with exceptional speed and unexpectedly tolerable power. He projects as an impact defender in center field and a prototypical lead-off hitter that puts up big stolen base numbers.
No. 98, OF Francisco Peguero: The kind of talent that other people would describe as electric, Peguero has buckets of tools but a fairly raw skill set. He's got impressive hitting talent so he doesn't strike out much despite having an overly aggressive approach, but he also doesn't walk at all.
San Diego Padres
No. 39, 1B Yonder Alonso: Rated as the second-best first base prospect in the game behind the game that he's actually replacing as San Diego's first baseman of the future, the recently-traded Anthony Rizzo. Alonso is a great pure hitter with power and patience, so San Diego presumably projects him as a run producer even in that ballpark.
No. 50, RHP Casey Kelly: This likely seems fairly high to most fans, as Kelly hasn't really dominated the minor leagues like top prospects are supposed to. Many scouts still love his arsenal and groundball-heavy approach to pitching, though, and he's only 22.
No. 60, OF Rymer Liriano: Another extremely toolsy outfielder that needs significant progress to reach his potential. He's got impressive bat speed and foot speed, although he doesn't have great defensive instincts so most expect him to end up in right field, where his arm should work just fine.
No. 68, C Yasmani Grandal: Acquired along with Alonso in the Mat Latos trade, Grandal is one of the best catching prospects in the game. A switch-hitter with solid impressive potential, there's little reason to believe that he'll need to move out from behind the plate soon.
No. 71, 3B Jedd Gyorko: San Diego's second-round pick in 2010, Gyorko has done nothing but hit since becoming a pro. With a short, sweet swing that produces hard contract to all fields, he also showed scouts in 2011 that he should be able to stick at third base long-term.
No. 81, 2B Cory Spangenberg: San Diego's first-round pick in 2011, Spangenberg projects as a very good top-of-the-order hitter. He's got great hitting skills and a solid approach to the plate in addition to having good speed, so many scouts are bullish despite the questions regarding his ultimate power potential.
Arizona Diamondbacks
No. 9, RHP Trevor Bauer: He's gotten a ton of attention since being drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft, and he deserves it. He's extremely unorthodox, with an unusual delivery and atypical conditioning practices, but scouts don't believe that will limit his ability to succeed. He often gets Tim Lincecum comparisons.
No. 20, RHP Archie Bradley: It's pretty crazy to think that Bradley wasn't even the best player drafted by Arizona just a few months ago, since he's already a better prospect than the best that many organizations can offer. He's the prototypical high school pitcher that scouts just drool over, with the big build, a bigger fastball, and a big-time power curve.
No. 21, LHP Tyler Skaggs: The D-Backs acquired Skaggs in the Dan Haren deal, and his progress has gone just swimmingly since then. An athletic lefty with a projectable build, Skaggs projects to have three above-average pitches from the left side. Arizona has three of the top 13 pitching prospects in the sport.
Colorado Rockies
No. 22, 3B Nolan Arenado: The top third base prospect in the game, scouts have fallen in love with Arenado over the past two years. He's always had unreal hitting ability, but over the past year he's shown that he'll have some power and little trouble sticking at third base.
No. 24, LHP Drew Pomeranz: Acquired in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, Pomeranz is basically the big name that's expected to replace Ubaldo in the rotation. It's unclear when exactly that will happen, but the general expectation is that it'll happen in 2012, and most scouts see a potential No. 2 starter.
No. 63, C Wilin Rosario: He posted a .284 on-base percentage in 2011, which presumably turned off some evaluators. The ones that still love Rosario will continue to expound on the values of his power potential and defensive skills, although he may not offer much else.
No. 66, RHP Chad Bettis: Many still view Bettis as a relief pitcher, but ultimately it'll come down to how much progress he makes in developing a third pitch. He already has two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, but he'll need to improve his change-up to be in the rotation long-term.