Down On The Farm: More From Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects List

As promised, I have a few more player profile excerpts from Keith Law’s Top 100 prospects list over at ESPN. Here are a few from the 26-50 list:

Law had Ryan Westmoreland at #32 on his top 100 list. Here is what he wrote in his player profile:

Westmoreland is a top-10 talent with his combination of athleticism, power potential and feel for hitting, and he showed very advanced plate discipline in his limited season in Lowell last year while going a remarkable 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts. The combination of catastrophic injuries does raise the specter of Chris Snelling Disease, in which a prospect is so prone to injury that he can’t develop properly as a hitter. But with a full season in 2010, Westmoreland could largely put those concerns to rest.KLaw ranked A’s 1B prospect Chris Carter at #33 in his top 100. Here is what he wrote about Carter:

Carter has made impressive strides since his arrival in the Oakland organization as a power-or-nothing hitter with a long swing and no defensive value, and while he’s still probably a solid DH with thump, he has a chance to contribute in a few different ways. Carter is limited defensively and will probably max out as a fringe-average first baseman, although the positional logjam in Oakland may make him a DH by default. Even in Oakland’s ballpark he should be good for 30 homers a year and a solid on-base percentage by his peak.Carter went 28-115-13-.329-.422-.570 in AAA last year, and could be a sleeper in 2010 fantasy drafts.

Finally, KLaw ranked Padres outfield prospect Jaff Decker higher (at #27) than BA and Sickels, and I can’t blame him. Looking at his stats in Low-A, I am surprised Decker isn’t getting more press. Here is what KLaw had to say in his player profile:

Decker’s approach at the plate rivals that of most big leaguers; he’s not just patient, but he’s selective, and rarely swings at balls out of the zone. (Just for kicks: Decker has drawn 136 unintentional walks in a year and a half in pro ball; Josh Vitters, with an additional year in the minors, has drawn 26.) Decker’s swing is short but hard, and he has big pull power with some power to the opposite field as well. He’s got a plus arm, so he can handle right or left field. A .400 OBP with some pop from an outfield corner is a well-above-average player, and not far off from stardom if Decker can add more power than currently projected.Decker’s body type has been compared to Brian Giles and Matt Stairs, according to Law, but he says he is more athletic than either of the them. I am curious where he gets drafted in my minor league draft this year.