Top 50 Prospects from 2010: Where Are They Now?

We review MLB.com’s Top 50 Prospects of 2010. As we look through the list, think about how many of these guys you’d give up for an established superstar like Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado.

With big names such as Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado being dangled like carrots in the trade market, it presents an interesting conversation. Fans begin arguing over whether their team should exchange prized prospects for established star power. In the spirit of speculation, we take a look back at the top 50 prospects prior to the 2010 season and how they all have fared.

Conspicuously absent from this list of prospects is perhaps the best player of the past decade, Mike Trout. Keep in mind, Trout had just been drafted in the late-first round of the 2009 draft and would be appropriately ranked as the top prospect the following year.

MLB.com recently re-visited this list and re-ranked it based on actual production. Some of the names that didn’t crack the original top 50 prospects list back in 2010 show what an inexact science this can be. It also reveals the risk in trading prospects that aren’t necessarily your team’s highest-ranked at that time. Below is a list of notable players that were unranked in the 2010 Top 50 Prospects list. I have included the year they were drafted or signed to a major league organization in parenthesis.

*Players drafted in June of 2009 were omitted from the following list.

• Josh Donaldson (2007)
• Jose Altuve (2007)
• Freddie Freeman (2007)
• Corey Kluber (2007)
• Lorenzo Cain (2004)
• Anthony Rizzo (2007)
• Starling Marte (2007)
• Justin Turner (2005)

Next, we will go over some key names and interesting individual and collective statistics from this group of prospects. Then we will provide an overview of all fifty prospects and how they have each performed since the list was published.

On the next slide, we’ll begin reviewing some of the more intriguing statistics we have compiled upon examination of this group of 2010’s top prospects.

Navigating the Numbers

As with most prospect classes, there are a lot of recognizable major-league names throughout the list. Here are some numbers from the group:

• Total rWAR of 533.9 (as of the end of the 2019 season)
• 46 All-Star appearances
• Nine Gold Gloves
• Top 20 in MVP voting on 17 separate occasions
• Two MVPs
• Both MVP Awards were players ranked inside the top four
• Nine times in the top 10 of Cy Young voting
• Four Rookie of the Year Awards
• 13 Silver Sluggers
• 48% of players are not currently signed to MLB-affiliated organization
• The top 10 players on the list have averaged 2.24 rWAR per season.
• Players ranked 11-50 have averaged .94 rWAR per season with only one player never playing in a major league game.
• Buster Posey has the highest total rWAR with 42.1 and counting.
• Three of the top 10 players have accumulated more than 30 rWAR in their careers.
• One player outside of the top 10 has accumulated more than 30 rWAR in his career.
• That one player is Carlos Santana, who was ranked 11th. Four total players have reached 30 or more WAR in their careers and they were all ranked within the top 11 on the list.
• Jason Heyward has accounted for 56% of the Gold Glove Awards.
• Despite only averaging 116 games per season, Giancarlo Stanton has averaged the most WAR per season.
• The bottom 10 players, four have a negative rWAR for their careers.
• Buster Posey leads the group in All-Star appearances (6), top 20 MVP voting (6), Silver Sluggers (4), and total rWAR (42.1).

50. Jaff Decker

Jaff Decker, OF, San Diego – Dacker played in parts of five major league season and posted a -1.6 rWAR in his career. He was a former first-round pick by the Padres in 2008. He struggled with batting average and injuries while showing nice power potential. His first major-league hit came in the form of a solo homer on Aug. 26, 2013. He would spend time with five other organizations before being released the last time in July of 2018 by the Nationals.

49. Ethan Martin

Ethan Martin, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers – Martin only played in 17 major league games. He posted a 6.08 ERA in 15 games in 2013 with the Phillies and saw only four more innings in the majors the following season. He ended his career with a -0.5 rWAR and a 5.93 ERA. Not quite what the Dodgers were hoping for out of the 49th best prospect in the game.

48. Juan Francisco

Juan Francisco, 3B, CIN – Francisco was named the Minor League Player of the Year two seasons in a row. The consecutive awards were just a couple among many accolades he earned as an up-and-coming power hitter in the Reds’ system. The year following these rankings, Francisco would make the big-league club out of spring training and would be traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the 2012 season. His best opportunity came at the beginning of 2013 as he appeared to be the replacement for Braves’ legendary (and recently retired) third baseman, Chipper Jones. Francisco would ultimately lose the job to the red-hot Chris Johnson and was designated for assignment at the end of May. Francisco would bounce around between teams in the Major Leagues, Mexican Leagues, and a stop in Japan. Francisco is the first player on the list to finish his career with a positive rWAR at 0.9.

47.Phillippe Aumont

Phillippe Aumont, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies – Phillippe Aumont pitched in parts of four major-league seasons. Between 2012 and 2013 he pitched in 40 games for the Phillies and posted a respectable 3.97 ERA in 34.0 innings. The wheels came off in 2014 and 2015 when he registered an unfortunate 16.76 ERA across 9.2 innings. Yes, in 9.2 innings he gave up 18 earned runs, walking 12 batters and allowing 19 hits.

46. Michael Brantley

Michael Brantley, OF, Cleveland Indians – Brantley is the first player on this list that is still under contract with a major-league franchise. Not only is he under contract, but he’s also coming off three consecutive All-Star appearances. Brantley has accumulated 27.5 rWAR which is the eighth-most in the group. He is the only player in the top 10 in total WAR to be ranked outside of the top 45 prospects of 2010.

45. Jose Iglesias

Jose Iglesias, SS, Boston Red Sox – Iglesias has played in eight seasons and accumulated 10.5 rWAR in his career as a defensive specialist. He’s always been known for his glove but he’s coming off of a very solid offensive season in which he hit .288 with a career-high 11 home runs. He is currently signed to the Baltimore Orioles entering his age-30 season.

44. Jhoulys Chacin

Jhoulys Chacin, RHP, Colorado Rockies – This is the third consecutive player who has put together a very good major-league career. Chacin has racked up 20 wins above replacement in his 11 seasons. Jhoulys Chacin’s best season came in 2013 with the Rockies when he managed a 3.47 ERA despite pitching his home games in Coors Field. He racked up 197.1 innings and won 14 games for the Rockies. ERA+ helps adjust for ballpark adjustments and thus credited Chacin with a phenomenal ERA+ of 129.

43. Mike Montgomery

Mike Montgomery, LHP, Kansas City Royals – Montgomery didn’t make his major league debut until 2015 with the Mariners. His first full season came in 2016 when he played for both the Mariners and the Cubs. He compiled 100.0 innings pitched and a sparking 2.52 ERA. The mid-season trade was a stroke of luck for Montgomery. He started five games for the Cubs and appeared in relief in 12 more. He finished with a solid 2.82 ERA for the Cubbies. The Cubs would make it to the World Series that season and in a crucial moment in Game 7, they turned to Mike Montgomery. There was a runner at first and two outs and the Cubs were nursing a one-run lead. Montgomery earned his first career save and finished off the 108-year World Series drought for the Cubs. Montgomery currently boasts a career 3.83 ERA and is set to begin his second season in a Royals uniform.

42. Jacob Turner

Jacob Turner, RHP, Detroit Tigers – Turner’s best season came in 2013 when he made 20 starts for the Miami Marlins and registered a 3.74 ERA. His career ERA stands at a hefty 5.37. he pitched his last game in 2018 with the Detroit Tigers. He started the game and finished one inning, giving up five runs.

41. Aaron Crow

Aaron Crow, RHP, Kansas City Royals – Aaron Crow has an All-Star appearance to his name. His All-Star season of 2011 was his first full season in the big leagues. He sizzled with a 2.76 ERA in 62.0 innings pitched. It was during that 2011 season he was named the closer of the Royals. He took over for a struggling Joakim Soria, only to lose the job back to Soria without getting a save opportunity. Crow would go on to earn six saves in his career. His worst season saw a 4.12 ERA in 2014, which would also be his last. Aaron had a very solid four years in the majors. His final ERA ended at 3.43 with a phenomenal career ERA+ of 120.

40. Drew Storen

Drew Storen, RHP, Washington Nationals – Storen had a very successful career with 99 career saves, including a 43 save season in 2011 at age 23 with the Nationals. He required Tommy John surgery toward the end of 2017 and missed all of the 2018 season in recovery. He is currently a non-roster invitee with the Philadelphia Phillies this spring.

39. Tanner Scheppers

Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Texas Rangers – Following up his 1.88 ERA over 76.2 innings in 2013, Scheppers was named the Opening Day starter for the 2014 Rangers. He hit the DL after four starts that year. Injuries marred his 2015 season as well, preventing him from pitching in the final two months. Torn knee cartilage kept him out most of 2016. Scheppers promising career was derailed by injuries. He only pitched in 183 major-league innings across six seasons.

38. Austin Jackson

Austin Jackson, OF, Detroit Tigers  – Jackson is just the second player on this list to reach the 20 rWAR total. Jackson finished his career with 22.1 rWAR or 2.46 WAR per season. Early in his career, he displayed a power-speed combo as he hit double-digit homers in three of his first four seasons while exceeding 20 steals twice. Jackson scored 103 runs in his rookie season of 2010, but also led the American League in strikeouts with 170. He led the league in triples in 2011 and 2012, combining for 21 three-baggers. Jackson finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2010, finishing second behind another player on this list.

37. Chris Carter

Chris Carter, 1B, Oakland Athletics – Chris Carter was good at one thing in the majors, dingers. He led the NL in homers in 2016 with 41, at the same time he led the NL in strikeouts with 206. His career-high in Ks came in 2013 when he punched out 212 times with Houston. His career batting slash sits at .217/.284/.456. Carter ended his career with 158 home runs. Of his 536 career hits, 29.5% were homers.

36. Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers – Surprisingly, Gordon has only been worth a 12.1 rWAR in his nine seasons. He’s been a solid player through his career, earning an All-Star nod, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger award. He finished inside of the top 20 in MVP voting once. Gordon has led all of baseball in steals three times, finishing with 64 in 2014, 58 in 2015, and 60 in 2017. Gordon is currently signed with the Seattle Mariners.

35. Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor, OF, Oakland Athletics – Michael Taylor had some run in the Nationals outfield the past few seasons but has slashed .240/.294/.393. With Juan Soto and Victor Robles setting up shop in 2019, he was limited to just 53 games and 97 plate appearances. Taylor has 77 career steals and 48 homers. He is still under contract with the Nationals where he is slated to serve as the backup centerfielder in 2020.

34. Julio Teheran

Julio Teheran, RHP, Atlanta Braves – Teheran put together a streak of six consecutive Opening Day starts, tying Warren Spahn for the most in Braves’ history. Julio is one of the few that has a career rWAR over 20. Teheran has a career ERA of 3.67 and is set to begin his first season outside of the Braves’ organization. He will be a key starter for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020.

33. Wil Myers

Wil Myers, C, Kansas City Royals – Wil Myers would become one of the most highly-touted prospects in the game. He was ranked as high as the fourth-best prospect prior to the 2013 season. He lived up to the lofty expectations by crushing 13 homers and driving in 53 runs in just 88 games. He slashed .293/.354/.478 for the Rays on his way to the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Myers has had a solid career thus far, registering an OPS+ above 100 in five of his seven seasons. He is currently a member of the San Diego Padres.

32. Mike Moustakas

Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals – Despite only winning 67 games in 2010, the Royals had a reason for optimism in the minors. Mike Moustakas represented the highest-rated prospect in their system at the time. The former first-rounder would break into the big leagues in 2011 and earn his first All-Star appearance in 2015. He helped lead the Royals to two consecutive World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015. He won a championship with the Royals in 2015 when they defeated the Mets in five games. Moose was traded to the Brewers during the 2018 season and blasted 35 homers with them last year. This offseason, he signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Reds.

31. Jason Castro

Jason Castro, C, Houston Astros – Jason Castro has accumulated a total of 12 rWAR in his nine big-league seasons. He spent six years with the Astros and the past three with the Minnesota Twins. This offseason he signed a one-year deal with the Angels.

30. Yonder Alonso

Yonder Alonso, 1B, Cincinnati Reds – Yonder Alonso has earned an average of 0.84 Wins Above Replacement over his ten years in the big leagues. Through his first six seasons, Alonso was only slugging .387, then in his age-30 season, he found his power stroke. He entered the 2017 season with 39 total home runs and added 28 more that year. He slugged .501 that season and between 2017-2018 he slashed .257/.340/.458. He is currently signed to the Braves where he’ll likely serve as backup to Freddie Freeman.

29. Aaron Hicks

Aaron Hicks, OF, Minnesota Twins – Hicks has compiled 11.9 Wins Above Replacement in his seven seasons. Hicks has averaged only 93 games per season since 2013. When healthy he’s a very productive player. Last offseason the Yankees signed him to a seven-year extension. He’s posted 15 defensive runs saved in the outfield and finished with an OPS+ over 100 in each of the past three seasons.

28. Casey Kelly

Casey Kelly, RHP, Boston Red Sox – Casey Kelly was drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Red Sox. Kelly debuted with the Padres in August of 2012 against the Atlanta Braves. He shut the Braves out over six innings and was awarded the Win. Unfortunately, Kelly required Tommy John surgery the following spring. He made a couple of appearances in the minors in 2014 and converted to a relief pitcher in 2015. He was traded to the Braves in the Christian Bethancourt deal. He is currently playing in the Korean Baseball Championship League.

27. Ryan Westmoreland

Ryan Westmoreland, OF, Boston Red Sox –

“Ryan Westmoreland was the most talented player I’ve ever drafted,” the quote reads. “He would have been Boston’s lefthanded Mike Trout. A New England kid. It was a great story. He was a racehorse, 6-foot-3, strong, and as fast as can be. Raw power. Great defender. He could have been Boston’s center fielder for 15 years.”

Those were the words Jason McLeod, the Chicago Cubs Scouting Director, used to describe Ryan Westmoreland.

Westmoreland is the only player in 2010’s top 50 that never recorded a Major League appearance. In the previous season, he played in 60 games and hit .296 with a .401 on-base percentage. Boston had a local star to man centerfield for the foreseeable future. He was the next big thing. Not long after these rankings were released, Westmoreland required brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation that could eventually cause a variety of maladies from blindness to paralysis or even death. He went in thinking the surgery would, in essence, fill a pothole on his path to Major League stardom.

The surgery left him with a whole set of new issues, including trouble with his equilibrium, and numbness in his face, hands, and feet. After clawing his way back to the point that he was able to play in an instructional game in the Dominican in late 2011, they found a second cavernous malformation and a second surgery was required. He officially retired from baseball in March of 2013. He is currently an assistant coach UMASS Dartmouth and has his sights set on eventually making his way to a Major League front office.

26. Brett Lawrie

Brett Lawrie, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers – Brett Lawrie had a solid six seasons in the majors. He racked up 15.1 rWAR in a short period of time. His 2.52 rWAR/season is the eighth-best on this list, right between Madison Bumgarner and Michael Brantley. He made his debut during the 2011 season and played his last big-league game in 2016 at age 26. He had 31 defensive runs saved in his first 166 games at third base. His bat never quite came alive with a career OPS of .734.

25. Logan Morrison

Logan Morrison, 2B, Miami Marlins – Logan Morrison played ten years and accumulated just a 4.4 rWAR in the big leagues. He is currently a non-roster invitee in camp with the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to the 2017 season, Morrison was averaging just 12 homers per season through his first seven years. In 2017 at age 29 he crushed 38 homers with a .353 on base percentage and 85 RBI. He earned 3.4 of his career 4.4 rWAR in that one season. Since that year he has slashed .187/.275/.371.

24. Tim Beckham

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays – The former first overall draft pick has posted 5.5 rWAR in his six seasons. Beckham has showed decent pop for a shortstop with a career slugging percentage at .431, but he was on his way to a career year last season before being popped for a PED violation.

23. Christian Friedrich

Christian Friedrich, LHP, Colorado Rockies – Christian Friedrich was taken in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Rockies and is currently signed to a minor league contract with the White Sox. He has a career record of 10-28 with a 5.37 ERA in 296.2 innings. He hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2016. He has a -0.6 career rWAR.

22. Starlin Castro

Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs – Starlin Castro is a four-time All-Star, three with the Cubs and one with the Yankees. He has a career OPS+ of 98. From this list, he would go on to play in 125 games during the 2010 season, hitting a cool .300 with 31 doubles and 10 stolen bases. The following season he led the National League in hits with 207. He posted 91 runs, 36 doubles, nine triples, 10 homers, and 22 stolen bases. He hit .307 with a .341 on-base percentage. He looked like a star at just 21-years-old. Despite entering his 11th season in 2020, he’s still only 29 (turning 30 in March). His 18.1 rWAR is good for the 13th most of 2010’s Top 50 Prospects. He’s been a very solid major leaguer and hopes to continue that this season with the Washington Nationals.

21. Jarrod Parker

Jarrod Parker, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks – Jarrod Parker is also a former first-round draft pick. He was taken with the ninth overall selection by the Diamondbacks in 2007. He played his final game in 2013 at just 24-years-old. Parker put together two very good seasons for the A’s in 2012 and 2013. He went 13-8 in ’12 with a 3.47 ERA and 12-18 the following season with a 3.97 ERA. He started 61 games between the two campaigns. The A’s thought they had a future ace on their hands. He even started (and won) Game 3 of the 2013 American League Division Series. He was projected to be the Opening Day starter for the A’s heading into 2014 until he suffered a torn UCL. Parker underwent his second Tommy John surgery and 13 months later during a rehab outing in Triple-A, he suffered a broken elbow. He tried once more in 2016 and broke his elbow again. He officially retired prior to the 2018 season.

20. Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays – Jeremy Hellickson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He made his major league debut in 2010 and won the AL Rookie of the Year Award the following season. After a solid run with the Rays, he was traded to Arizona prior to 2015 and then to Philadelphia the following offseason. He posted a solid season in Philadelphia with a 3.71 ERA in 189 innings. He spent the past two seasons with the Nationals, posting a solid 3.45 ERA in 2018 in 91.1 innings. He dealt with a myriad of injuries during his time in Washington, and after receiving his World Series ring from the 2019 Nationals, he retired on Valentine’s Day of 2020.

19. Jesus Montero

Jesus Montero, C, New York Yankees – Jesus Montero was one of the most hyped minor leaguers in the game for a while. In 2011 the Yankees traded him for Michael Pineda. Montero played in 135 games for the Mariners in 2012 and posted .685 OPS. Things got worse in 2013 as he slashed .208/.264/.327 and finished the season with a 50-game suspension for his participation in the Biogenesis scandal. He would only appear in 42 more major league games with his final appearance coming in 2015. Montero posted a career rWAR of -0.3.

18. Martin Perez

Martin Perez, LHP, Texas Rangers – Martin Perez signed with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Perez has played in parts of eight seasons with a record of 53-56 and a 4.72 ERA. He’s only had one season with an ERA under 4.38 and he has a career WHIP of 1.49. He is currently signed to the Boston Red Sox where he projects to open the season as the third starter.

17. Kyle Drabek

Kyle Drabek, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays – Kyle Drabek was taken in the first round of the 2006 draft with the 19th overall pick by the Phillies. He has played in parts of seven seasons and has been worth a tenth of a point less than a replacement-level player.

16. Brett Wallace

Brett Wallace, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays register a second straight player. Brett Wallace added a -0.6 rWAR over six seasons.

15. Dustin Ackley

Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle Mariners – Dustin Ackley posted a career slash of .241/.304/.367 in parts of six seasons. He participated in 635 career games and finished with 8.1 rWAR. He had two seasons of more than 140 games.

14. Domonic Brown

Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies – Domonic Brown didn’t really get a full season in until 2013 at age 25. He blasted 27 homers for 83 RBI and a .272 batting average. The following season he hit 10 homers in 144 games with a .235 average and played his last game in 2015. He was worth a career -0.1 rWAR.

13. Wade Davis

Wade Davis, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays – Wade Davis was a pretty good starter over his first 388.1 innings. He moved to the bullpen in his fourth season and turned into a strikeout artist with 87 hitters in 70.1 innings while registering a 2.43 ERA. The Rays cashed in on his breakout performance and traded him to the Royals. Two years later Davis would finish eighth in Cy Young voting as a reliever when he went 72.0 innings with a 1.00 ERA and 109 strikeouts. He posted a phenomenal 3.7 rWAR as a reliever that season. Impossibly, he lowered his ERA the following season to 0.94 and earned 17 saves. Davis currently has 11.6 career rWAR and had three-consecutive seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA. He is currently on the Rockies major league roster.

12. Alcides Escobar

Alcides Escobar, SS, Milwaukee Brewers – Escobar posted -12 career defensive runs saved and had a career OPS of .636. Escobar earned his living with a stretch of slap hitting and stealing bases. He played 11 years and manned the shortstop position with the Royals during their 2015 championship run. He made his lone All-Star appearance that season. He never had a full season with an OPS+ over 96. He did have two seasons with 30+ steals and six seasons of 17 or more steals. Escobar posted a career rWAR of 10.1.

9. Justin Smoak

Justin Smoak, 1B, Texas Rangers – Justin Smoak has been a solid player in his career. He had a run as a trusted middle-of-the-order bat with the Blue Jays. He has just 7.7 WAR over his ten seasons. Three of his four 20+ homer seasons have come in the past three seasons with a career-high 38 in 2017. He is currently signed to the Milwaukee Brewers.

8. Pedro Alvarez

Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates – Pedro Alvarez ended his major-league run with 6.4 rWAR in nine seasons. Alvarez whetted everyone’s appetites when he led the National League in home runs in 2013 with 36. He also led the league in strikeouts with 186 that same year. Despite the power, he hit .233 with a .296 OBP. Alvarez finished with a career slash of .236/.310/.447 and had four seasons with 20+ homers.

7. Neftali Feliz

Neftali Feliz, RHP, Texas Rangers – The Rangers had two of the top nine players on the list in 2010. It’s always interesting to see things like this in retrospect. Feliz has had a solid career with a 3.49 ERA and 107 saves. He last pitched in 2017 with the Royals.

6. Desmond Jennings

Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays – Desmond Jennings was drafted in the 10th round of the 2006 draft out of a community college. He raked in the minors, getting on base and stealing bags. He hit for power as well with a .318/.401/.487 slash in

2009 between AA-Montgomery and AAA-Durham. His speed helped him finish 2009 with 10 triples and 52 stolen bases. He never reached the level of success the prognosticators projected him to at the major league level. Jennings finished his major league career after just seven seasons, all with the Rays. His final slash line was .245/.322/.393. He was the Rays’ number one prospect prior to the 2010 season. He finished with 13.4 total rWAR.

5. Brian Matusz

Brian Matusz, LHP, Baltimore Orioles – Brian Matusz played in parts of eight seasons and finished with 2.3 rWAR. Like so many on the list, he’s a former first-round pick. He had three nice seasons for Baltimore between 2013-2015 as a reliever before being traded to the Braves in 2016. The Braves designated him for assignment, and he was picked up by the Cubs. He played in just six games for the Cubs.

4. Buster Posey

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco – It’s safe to say that the Giants won this prospect list. Two of the top ten prospects were not only a part of the Giants’ organization but they helped lead them to three World Series Championships. Posey has amassed a 42.1 rWAR in his career, good for tops on this list. He has a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP, four Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, and a batting title.

3. Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami Marlins – Despite the long list of injuries that have plagued Giancarlo Stanton’s career, he landed in second place on this list behind Posey in total WAR with 39.9. When Stanton plays, he’s an absolute monster. The key is keeping him on the field. Stanton has average of 31 homers while only averaging 116 games per campaign.

2. Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals – Strasburg has been everything he was projected to be. He has a career WAR of 33.9 and a World Series MVP. He’s one of the true studs of the game who has lived up to the hype as one of the top two prospects of 2010.

1. Jason Heyward

Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves – Jason Heyward was a very exciting five-tool prospect. The bat showed flashes but also streakiness. The Braves experimented by moving him around the lineup, but his bat just couldn’t live up to the hype it received in the minors. That doesn’t take away from his contributions as a player. Some consider Heyward a bust as the former number one prospect, yet he has compiled the third-most wins above replacement on the list, behind Buster Posey and Giancarlo Stanton. He’s been one of the best outfield defenders of the past decade. Since 2010 no outfielder has more defensive runs saved than Jason Heyward.

How does this list make you feel about your team trading some of its top prospects for proven stars?