2011 Minor League Baseball Analyst
Rob Gordon and Jeremy Deloney
Triumph Publishing
SRP: $19.95

I received the 2011 Minor League Baseball Analyst prior to the beginning of the season and used it in one of my minor league drafts; I found the book very helpful.

The book takes an in depth look at more than 1000 minor leaguers. You receive the basics on the players (stats, team, positions, etc), but also listed the expected ETA for the majors, projected position in the majors, and a potential rating. The rating is what really caught my eye; it’s a number/letter dual ranking. The number represents the players potential upside (10=HOFer, 9=Elite, 8=Solid, etc). The letter represents the probability that the player will reach that potential (A=90%, B=70%, C=50%, etc). It gives you a solid idea of what these experts see in the player. They also list the players skills; there are 4 shown (Power, Average, Speed, Defense for hitters; Fastball, Curveball, Change Up, Slider for pitchers depending ont heir arsenal) and they can receive up to 5 “+”; an average tool will receive 3 “+”s. There is also a short bio for each player.

For an example, I’ll show you what they expect for Bryce Harper.
Estimated MLB Debut: 2013
Potential: Starting RF
Potential Rating: 10D (30% chance of a HOF career)
Bio: Strong, athletic prospect has as much raw power as anyone in the mionrs. Was moved to the OF to get plus bat to the majors quickly. Has mammoth power to all fields and could hit 40+ HR. Nice approach should allow for solid BA, but may have to tone down his swing. Strong throwing arm and mobility make move to the OF easy. Has HOF potential – now he has to deliver.
Skills:

Pwr: +++++
BAvg: ++++
Spd: +++
Def: +++

The book has more than just the bios. There are many essays, listing everything from sleepers to disappointments from 2010 to Insight into 9E pitchers. They also recap the 2010 draft with a little bit of commentary, look at the international prospect scene, and a look back at the top 30 Arizona Fall League Prospects from the past season.

For the list lover, this book will be a hit. Each author lists their top 100 prospects; they also combined to make a top 10 list for each organization. They take the list making a step further, listing their top 20 prospects for power, speed, average, fastball, and breaking ball, along with their top 100 fantasy prospects. If you become curious about their past selectsions, they have their archives of the previous Top 100 Fantasy Prospects from past years.

For the baseball reference person, they also have a very detailed glossary, a list of team affiliations, and Major League Equivalents (or a translation of minor league stats to the major league level). The MLE section is nice, as they break down how to use the MLEs and what to look for.

Overall, this is a nice book for stat-nerds, minor league die hards, and fantasy baseballer looking for an edge with minor leaguers.