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Prospect rankings seem to bring at least one surprise every year. Be it an obscure name who makes his way onto a few lists, a big name left off a few, or as in the case of Brandon Jacobs, a mid-level player who earns a top position from one of the more respected names in prospecting.
This year, the list in question belonged to Kevin Goldstein, who placed toolsy outfielder Brandon Jacobs as the second best prospect in the whole system. And make no mistake, this is no condemnation of prospects number three-and-on, as Goldstein also ranked Jacobs as the 48th best prospect in all of baseball. And while the rest of the prospecting world might not be quite as convinced as Goldstein, there's no question amongst them that Jacobs is worthy of consideration.
As for the player himself, Jacobs hardly comes out of nowhere. While he was drafted in round 10, Jacobs is another one of those signability picks, only lured away from a football commitment to Auburn by a $750,000 signing bonus. A jack of all trades, there's not much Jacobs can't do. He hits homers (17 in 442 at bats last year), steals bases (30 in 37 attempts), and gets on base (.376 OBP). And while he may not wind up in a premium defensive position, he could very well develop into a solid-or-better defensive left fielder given more experience. There's a great deal to like, albeit not in superlative quantities.
Alright, that's nine men down. Time to round out the top 10.
1. Ryan Lavarnway, C/DH
2. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
4. Ryan Kalish, OF
5. Anthony Ranaudo, SP
6. Jose Iglesias, SS
7. Matt Barnes, SP
8. Garin Cecchini, SS
9. Brandon Jacobs, OF
Same story as always: your vote is your rec, just rec the comment for the player you want to vote for.