Dan McCutchen — 24 year old starter, biggest sleeper prospect in the organization. Drafted out of Oklahoma in the 13th round of the 2006 Draft, the right-hander has never had an ERA above 2.50 at any minor league level and has already made it to AA. He should start there in ‘08. BA’s John Manuel said Dan has “plus compete.” People around the organization say his competitiveness is on the same level as Mark Melancon. McCutchen has the deep repertoire to project as a starter, but also has the power arm to make it as a reliever since starting opprotunities in the majors are scarce.

Brett Gardner — 24 year old speedy centerfielder, scouts call him Juan Pierre with patience. Gardner has great speed (one of the fastest in pro ball) which makes him a great basestealer and great fielder. Gardner is also one of the most disciplined hitters in the organization. Had a great first half in AA in ‘07 (.811 OPS), but had trouble adjusting to AAA (.674 OPS). He’ll probably start the year in AAA and we’ll probably see him in the Boogie Down Bronx later this year.

Jairo Heredia — 17 year old right-handed starter, GCL Manager Jody Reed compared him to Pedro Martinez. Pitched for the GCL Yankees in ‘07 (2.72 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 52 K in 46.1 IP).  Has a live fastball, command, great curveball, presence on the mound, the ability to make quick adjusments, knows how to expand the strike zone. People around the organization believe he’ll fly through the minor league system.

Brandon Laird — 20 year old 3B/1B. Despite being picked in the 27th round in the 2007 Draft, Laird might’ve done the most with his time in short season ball last year. Laird had a .339/.367/.577 line in 174 PAs in the GCL making him the steal of the draft so far. His offensive game is very advanced for his age. Don’t let the six walks fool you, he has very good vision of the strike zone, he just got ahead in counts and drove the ball. His defense is his main issue and has drawn the comparison to Kansas City’s Billy Butler, who despite defensive issues is finding a spot on a major league club. Expect him to be crushing the ball in Charleston this year with the possible chance of a call-up to Tampa towards the end of the year.

Carmen Angelini — 19 year old shortstop of the future. Angelini was named to the All-American team his senior year of High School when he hit .443, stole 38 bases and scored 58 runs in 40 games. The funny thing about him is how fitting the comparison to Derek Jeter really is. Angelini is a very mature hitter at the plate, with great defensive skills (not like Jeter now, but when he was young), good speed that translates to 20+ stolen base speed in the bigs, a great leader (captain of his HS team all four years) and projects to be a very good #2 hitter.