Bullpen Banter Top 10 Center Fielders

1. Mike Trout
2. Desmond Jennings
3. Aaron Hicks
4. Brett Jackson
5. Michael Choice
6. Trayvon Robinson
7. Engel Beltre
8. Jared Mitchell
9. Joe Benson
10. Anthony Gose

MIKE TROUT

Al Skorupa: Mike Trout is about as good a prospect as there is in the game right now. Impact defender in CF. High average hitter. Fantastic speed already translating to big SB numbers. Great approach at the plate. The power doesn’t rank up there with his other tools, but there is good reason for optimism on that front. Trout also savaged the competition in leagues where he was younger than the competition. He exploded onto the scene with a .362/.454/.526 slash line in the difficult-to-hit-in Midwest League (just don’t tell Trout, Will Myers or Nick Franklin that!). Trout snuck up on many people because he came from a cold weather state out of high school. He didn’t get the exposure sun belt prospects or players at major colleges & universities do. Between the tools and the performance he showed in 2010 there is now every reason to think he will spend a decade or more among the best CFs (if not players) in baseball. Trout looks like the rare kind of player who can be a game changer with all five tools.

Michael Herrick: I'm still not completely in love with Trout as so many other people are, but that said he was an easy choice to headline this list. He should be an above average hitter in center and at worst an average defender. I think there is a legitimate chance he ends up in RF sooner rather than later once he reaches the majors, as the less wear and tear on his body would be a big benefit for his bat long term. I'm curious to see him against better pitching in AA at some point in 2011, to see just how good his approach is.

Jeff Reese: I have a hard time seeing right field in Mike Trout's future. His present and future speed grades out as a pure 80, while his arm strength - one of his weakest tools - is merely fringe-average. I can envision a scenario where Peter Bourjos is the better defensive option in center field, but I would expect that to push Trout to left field rather than right. Even if that were to happen, he would be one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball (negating most of the loss in positional value).