1) Michael Taylor
2) Casey Weathers
3) Jason Knapp
4) Johnny Giavotella
5) Wilkin Ramirez
6) Oscar Tejeda
7) Tyler Sample
Luis Exposito9) Matt Brown
10) Brandon Hamilton
Other Prospects: Dusty Ryan, George Kontos, Jim Negrych, Jeremy Hefner, Eric Fryer, Collin DeLome, Yowill Espinal, Isaac Galloway, Blake Tekotte, Eric Fryer, Collin DeLome
Observation: Not a ton of surefire talent here, but there is FAR more depth than last year, and a lot of high-end talent. Will be interesting to see how each of these guys progress. I'd say Giavotella and Weathers are the closest to being surefire, while Taylor, Tejeda, Knapp, Ramirez, Sample, Exposito, and Hamilton all have huge ceilings, but limited success to date.
Top 10 25 and Under:
1) Edinson Volquez
2) Justin Masterson
3) Jair Jurrjens
4) Michael Taylor
5) Casey Weathers
6) Jesse Litsch
7) Jason Knapp
Johnny Giavotella9) Ryan Sweeney
10) Wilkin Ramirez
Others Under 25: Martin Prado, Travis Ishikawa
Observation: Well that looks even better. I may be more bullish on Sweeney and Litsch then others. Litsch continues to prove he can get MLB hitters out, and Sweeney has proven to be an excellent defensive outfielder who gets on base. They both are at, or close to, their ceilings - but they aren't bad ceilings.
Top 10 30 and Under:
1) Edinson Volquez
2) Milton Bradley
3) Justin Masterson
4) Adam Dunn
5) Jair Jurrjens
6) Joe Saunders
7) Chris Snyder
Michael Taylor9) Casey Weathers
10) Jesse Litsch
Others 30 and Under: Jesse Carlson, Cory Wade, Taylor Buchholz, Ryan Hanigan, Ramon Ramirez, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Theriot, Brian Wolfe, Alex Hinshaw, Doug Waechter, Charlie Zink, David Aardsma
Observation: I'm really happy with the 30 and under talent on my team, which includes 6 of my lineup spots, my entire rotation, and a lot of my bullpen. Chipper, Thome, Winn, and Fuentes are my big pieces not on the young side. Fuentes isn't too old and just had his best MLB season, and I have Weathers - so not too many concerns there. Thome is a DH I can always fill in. Winn is coming off a great season, and young, so getting two years out of him should lead into the Michael Taylor era. That leaves Chipper and the hope he plays until he's 45.
