Top 10 Prospects- AL East

In a wierd little twist, I decided not to do top prospects, or top prospects by team, but by division. Hopefully I'll be around long enough to have a new "thing" every year. But for now, here's the AL East

1. Evan Longoria- Tampa Bay 3B- Longoria, some people's #1 prospect, had an On Base Percentage north of .400 last year between Double and Triple A. Look for Longoria to win a job as the Rays 3B right out of Spring Training.

2. Joba Chamberlain- New York RHP- The breakout sensation of 2007, Joba burst onto the scene as a middle reliever for the Yankees, with a .38 ERA, allowing just 1 run and 12 hits in 24 IP. While he was valuable as a reliever, Joba's future is in the rotation, where his 5 pitch repertoire will place him a solid #2 behind Phil Hughes in the Yankees rotation.

3. Clay Buchholz- Boston RHP- Buchholz already has one no hitter under his belt, and it's a good bet that won't prove to be a fluke. Buchholz has ace written all over him, with the stats and stuff to back it up. His fastball can reach 97, and his curveball is already stuff of legend.

4. Matt Wieters- Baltimore C- This is a pretty aggressive ranking for Wieters, the Orioles first round pick out of Georgia Tech, but Wieters has the potential to be even better than Joe Mauer. Wieters should post an OBP around .400 for his career with legit 30 HR power. Out of a catcher, that's golden.

5. Travis Snider- Toronto OF- As a 19 year old in the Midwest League Snider went .313/.377/.525. He did however strike out 129 times in 118 games. Snider is a big kid and extremely athletic, plus he has the most important tool- the hit tool.

6. Jacob McGee- Tampa Bay LHP- The lefty reached AA at age 20, although he spent most of his time at A+ Visalia. McGee should spend all of 2008 at AA, but one wonders if his place will be in Tampa or in another organization.

7. David Price- Tampa Bay LHP- The #1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, Price could be slated for a September callup in 2008. Price has fantastic stuff and could develop into the #2 behind Scott Kazmir that Tampa has been looking for. He would be ranked higher, but the fact that he hasn't thrown a professional pitch makes me a bit leery.

8. Ian Kennedy- New York RHP- Kennedy doesn't jump out when talking about the best prospects in baseball, but he certainly belongs up there. The USC product has mostly made the news lately in discussions about Johan Santana. Kennedy reached the majors as a 22 year old and has extremely good command and pretty good stuff. However, this is probably as good as he'll get.

9. Reid Brignac- Tampa Bay SS- A year after winning the California League Player of the Year Award, Brignac struggled at AA Montgomery. But, Brignac's walks increased and his strikeouts decreased, leading me to believe he will figure it out in 08 and force Jason Bartlett off short soon enough.

10. Jacoby Ellsbury- Boston CF- Another player who has been mentioned in the Johan Santana trade talks, Ellsbury was the darling of the 08 postseason, the player who could replace Johnny Damon in center. I like Ellsbury, and think he will be an all-star player, but I think his future lies more in being an exciting player rather than a great one. Still, his defense in center will be very valuable for whatever team he ends up playing for.