Top 10 Prospects: AL West

The AL West is loaded with tons of depth, and a lot of guys who could end up having similar careers. It was tough to decide who the top couple guys were, but perhaps even tougher to decide who to leave off the list.

1. Daric Barton-1B-Oakland- A darkhorse candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, Barton put up a .389 OBP in AAA. Yes he will be going from the PCL to one of the best pitchers parks in the American League, but Barton also walked more than he struck out last year. Don't expect that to continue, but expect Barton to control the strike zone very well.

2. Nick Adenhart-RHP-Anaheim- No I will not call them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But on to Adenhart. He seemingly has a lot of detractors, but it was only a year ago people viewed him as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He's Clayton Kershaw one year ago.

3. Jeff Clement-C-Seattle- Clement has been famous since high school: From Marshalltown, Iowa, Clement set the national record for most career high school home runs. With Kenji Johjima established in Seattle, people are split on whether Clement will get traded, switch positions, or kick Johjima out of town. He has been rumored in a deal to bring back Baltimore ace Erik Bedard, but I think Clement will be catching in Seattle fairly soon.

4. Carlos Gonzalez-OF-Oakland- Gonzalez is another player whose stats haven't caught up to his potential yet. He had a .356 OBP last year in A ball, but when moved up to AA, he dropped to a .294 OBP. Gonzalez is a potential three hitter for a big league lineup, a guy who could hit 30+ homers a year, but right now his biggest asset is his potential.

5. Brandon Morrow-RHP-Seattle- Morrow is one of the top arms in baseball. He has a very good fastball, but many sources say his secondary offerings are less than average. This is one of the reasons he is slated to have a big league career in the bullpen. But pitching in Safeco should help him post some low ERA totals throughout his career.

6. Carlos Triunfel-SS-Seattle- The 17, yes 17, year old has put up some admittedly unimpressive numbers in the Minors - just a .333 OBP in the California League last year - but Triunfel has tremendous potential. His age, combined with the fact that he should stick at short, provides a good template for an above average big leaguer.

7. Hank Conger-C-Anaheim- One of the best young catchers in baseball, Conger posted an over .500 slugging percentage as a 19 year old. Conger doesn't walk a lot, which could end up being a crutch, but if he continues to hit for power it may not matter. Many people think he won't stick at catcher, but if he does he could become among the elite prospects in the game.

8. Elvis Andrus-SS-Texas- As a 16 year old Andrus posted an astounding OBP in Rookie Ball. It has since settled to a more realistic .338. Andrus doesn't have tons of power (.343 slugging) but he should get on base more and more as he gets older and stronger, and should continue to show off his speed (40 SB in 2008).

9. Blake Beavan-RHP-Texas- The first thing you notice about Beavan is that he is a beast. He is 6'7" and 210 lbs, and he can throw his fastball into the mid 90s. People are semi worried about his control, but if he develops as he should, Beavan could develop into the ace Texas has been looking for.

10. Gio Gonzalez-RHP-Oakland- Many people would have Gio way higher on this list, but the fact that he has been with Chicago, then Philadelphia, then Chicago again, makes me a bit worried. Sure that means someone has to want him badly enough, but it also means that someone wanted to give him up. If there's one GM I'd trust to know that Gonzalez was a good prospect it's Billy Beane, but for now I think I will hold off on the Gio Gonzalez bandwagon.