I'll be honest, I did not see this one coming, but Jose Iglesias has edged out Matt Barnes for the sixth spot on our top prospects list by all of one vote.
Iglesias has had a rough time of it at the plate since making the move to America. After a season which saw him hit to the tune of just .285/.315/.357 in his debut with Portland, Iglesias was never-the-less given the bump up to Pawtucket, where he struggled badly, seeing his OPS dip to just .554.
Still, there's some reason for hope with the bat. To begin with, Iglesias only just turned 22 last month, meaning he spent the year as one of the youngest players the level had to offer. And while there is something to be said for aggressive promotion potentially harming the defensive phenom's development, if he manages to avoid that pitfall Iglesias still has plenty of time to try to ramp the bat up to passable levels before it's really a statement on his long-term ability to hit in the majors. And, for what it's worth, his walk and strikeout rates both improved noticeably over last year.
It will be interesting to see where another year of experience and growth will leave Iglesias, but for now, he falls into place at #6.
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
Same process as always for voting. Head into the comments, rec your choice for #7, and if you're a moderator, please try not to accidentally hide your player instead! It doesn't actually work in their favor, particularly.