Getting an early jump on this week’s column, since Friday sees me travelling down to Tucson to see the second game for the Diamondbacks in the Cactus League. They’ll be playing the Chicago White Sox, whom they also faced in today’s opener (winning that one 8-5); should be a good day out. Check AZ SnakePit for a full report on that roadtrip, late Friday.

In the meantime, I figure it might be interesting to talk about Arizona’s prospects. And by this, I don’t mean the ones you’ve already heard a lot about: the Drews, Quentins and Youngs of this franchise, who already tasted life at the major-league level. If you don’t know about those guys, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Instead, I’m drawing the cutoff line at anyone who has appeared in the majors at all, even if it was just a cup of coffee, such as the one enjoyed by Miguel Montero. Here are the top ten minor-leaguers, whom you may or may not see in 2007, but they’re all names you should definitely file away for the future.

1. Carlos Gonzalez 2007 stats (A+ level) .300/.356/.563, 21 HR, 94 RBI
Fox Sports’ Dayn Perry recently said of Gonzalez, “His upside screams, the next Vlad Guerrero.” Whether this will turn out to be the case, remains to be seen, but odds are, it won’t be long before we’ll be able again to break out those Gonzalez shirts, now gathering dust at the back of the wardrobe, as he patrols the Chase Outfield and smacks homers, just like Luis used to.

2. Justin Upton (A) .263/.343/.413, 12 HR, 66 RBI
This was a somewhat disappointing first season for Upton, which is why I can’t give him the top place. However, there are plenty of mitigating factors - not the least of which is, he didn’t turn 19 until the last week in August. He was also coping with a move to the outfield, and the undeniable huge change in lifestyle from high-school to the minor-leagues. This year, no excuses will be accepted from him, as he’s possibly the most complete player in the system.

3. Mark Reynolds (A+) .337/.422/.670, 23 HR, 77 RBI
Reynolds was the break-out player of 2006, as this 16th round draft pick exploded during the season. Despite playing a level higher than in the previous year, his OPS surged by more than 300 points in Lancaster, showing impressive power for an infielder. He added a further 8 homers in only 114 at-bats after his promotion to Double-A, giving him 31 for the year, and he may start this season in Triple-A.

4. Micah Owings (AAA) 10-0, 3.70 ERA.
Yes: 10-0. He’s a pitcher without overpowering stuff who, by all reports, just ‘knows how to win’. This is borne out by Owings’ overall minor-league record, which is now an amazing 17-3, to go with a 30-10 one from college. He is competing for the 5th spot in the D-backs rotation this spring, but a third pitch for Owings would be a big boost to his chances of sticking in the big leagues as a starter, rather than in the bullpen. Oh, and he hit .356 in 59 at-bats!

5. Brett Anderson No record
Anderson was the second-round pick by Arizona last year, drafted out of high-school where he posted a 0.37 ERA in his final year, pitching as a closer. He didn’t sign until the end of August, meaning he didn’t have a chance to play in the minors last year. Still, great things are expected from the 19-year old left-hander, whose control is his biggest asset. [We're still negotiating with 2006 first-round pick, pitcher Max Scherzer]

6. Emilio Bonifacio (A+) .321/.375/.449, 7 HR, 50 RBI
Thw second-baseman’s showed remarkable speed, swiped no less than 61 bases for Lancaster last season. Add that impressive batting average, and we have a top candidate for the long-awaited leadoff hitter the Diamondbacks don’t have this year. However, he struck out 104 times, while walking only 44: correcting that tendency should be a focus of his efforts in the coming season. Baseball America named him our best defensive infielder.

7. Chris Carter (AAA) .301/.395/.483, 19 HR, 97 RBI
Carter played first-base for Tucson this year, and no doubting his bat, where his 97 runs driven in, led the AAA-champion Sidewinders last year. But the book on Carter is that his glove is positively leaden, and with Conor Jackson firmly occupying first base, his most likely fate would seem to be a trade to an AL club. That way he could DH and avoid having to take the field at all. He should certainly fetch a good return.

8. Cyle Hankerd (A-) .384/.424/.519, 4 HR, 38 RBI
I don’t care what level minor-league baseball you’re playing at, hitting .384 is simply scary. Outfielder Hankerd then moved up a level, and discovered his power stroke: in eighteen games at A+ Lancaster, he smacked 8 homers in 65 at-bats, while still batting .369. The chief knock would be a K:BB ratio worse than 4:1 at Yakima, but he’s only just 22, so time enough for that.

9. Brooks Brown (A-) 0-2, 3.42 ERA
Not to be confused with the Columbine survivor of the same name (Google is your friend…), Brown was originally drifted out of high-school by the Braves in 2003, but went to the University of Georgia instead. He struck out 30 in only 23.2 innings for Yakima, mostly out of the bullpen. He kept the ball in the park too, allowing only two homers.

10. Gerardo Parra (Rookie) .328/.386/.469, 4 HR, 43 RBI
This Venezuelan outfielder was the Dominican Summer League batting champion in 2005, and treated American pitching with similar disdain last year, despite being only aged 19; he also stole 23 bases. Parra played in Venezuela over the winter, hitting better than .300 there, and may start this season in Low or High A, depending on where space can be found for him.

Obviously, the history of baseball is littered with players who’ve torn up the minors at every level, but hit a wall of some kind when they reached the major-leagues. Still, it’s clear that even after producing 2/3 of our Opening Day lineup this year [only Byrnes, Hudson and Young won't be home-grown players], the Diamondbacks farm system is still among the strongest in baseball. As a mid-market team, with the budget to match, producing from within is one of the key factors in long-term success. It’s comforting to realise that the future still looks bright for Arizona.

[Jim McLennan writes with near-fanatical zeal about the Diamondbacks at AZSnakePit.com, part of the SportsBlogs Nation network, and also set up DiamondbacksBullpen.org, a forum for fans. He lives on the wrong side of the Scottsdale tracks, with his wife Chris, two children, and is stockpiling Girl Scout Cookies for the coming Apocalypse.]

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