It’s a clean sweep.
Byron Buxton tops Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list
Prospects, meet Byron Buxton. He is your leader now.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Byron Buxton has now appeared at the top of every major prospect list heading into the 2014 season. He's even drawn some comparisons to all-time greats like Willie Mays. His emphatic combination of all five tools -- hit, power, glove, arm, run -- has drawn some pretty lofty praise from MLB scouts and executives.
Of course, Buxton isn’t the only fantastic player in the minors.
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There are a few names you might have become accustomed to seeing if you’ve looked at any other top prospect lists this winter. Baseball America agrees with most of their contemporaries about who’s No. 1 -- and who’s No. 2.
BA tabbed Boston's Xander Bogaerts as the second-best prospect in the game, which could mean an exciting year for Red Sox fans. Bogaerts is currently set to begin the year as the Sox everyday shortstop, and even if they bring back Stephen Drew in some capacity, Bogaerts will still see a significant number of plate appearances in 2014.
The Cardinals' Oscar Taveras comes in at No. 3.
After missing time last year with repeated ankle issues, Taveras needs a hot start to force his way into St. Louis’ right-field discussion.
The newest Yankees "prospect" -- Masahiro Tanaka -- checks in at No. 4. He just signed a contract that guarantees him more money than every other player on BA's list combined, but since he's never actually thrown a Major League pitch before, he's technically still a prospect. Don't expect him to appear on next year's list though. For $155 million, you can be sure the Yankees intend to use him enough to make his time as a prospect rather short.
Rounding out the top five, the Cubs Javier Baez. He's a power hitting shortstop that could see time in the majors this season, so it's easy to see why BA is high on him.
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