Florida Marlins top prospect, Mike Stanton, received a lot of attention after blasting 39 Home Runs two years ago. However, he struggled to hit AA pitching last year, as he sported a .231 BA during his 79 game AA stint. Just how good was his 2008 season?

According to News & Record, Stanton was the first player in the amateur draft era to finish a pro season at the age of 18 and with 33 or more long balls. He finished with 39 long balls.
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We have rated a lot of baseball prospects over the past few years, but have no system in place to rank these prospects. Until now. The new system will be used to determine a baseball prospect’s future as a Major League Fantasy Baseball Player. It will consist of seven batting categories, and seven pitching categories. Each category will be given a letter grade (A-F). Each letter will then hold a numerical value. The maximum value any prospect can earn is 80 points.

Batting Categories

1. Power. How often does the prospect go for extra bases?
2. Contact. How often can the prospect get on-base safely?
3. Speed. Do opposing pitchers fear them on the base paths? Do they take the extra base?
4. Approach. Is there a hitch in the swing? Is the hitter over-aggressive?
5. Opportunity. Will poor defense hurt his chances to play? Is the prospect stuck behind a perennial All-Star?
6. Hype. Do scouts see what the numbers don’t? Is there a big-market bias?
7. Intangibles. Does the prospect have an injury history? Is the prospect going to play his home games at PETCO? Is the prospect really 15 years old?

Pitching Categories

1. Power. Can the prospect strikeout a couple batters to stop a rally?
2. Contact. Can the prospect come back from a 3-0 count to prevent a walk?
3. Stamina. Does the pitcher have the skills to last as a Starter, or is he destined for bullpen work?
4. Approach. Poor mechanics? Does the prospect “throw” rather than “pitch”?
5. Arsenal. How many major league quality pitches does the prospect have?
6. Hype. Do scouts see what the numbers don’t? Is there a big-market bias?
7. Intangibles. Does the prospect have an injury history? Is the prospect going to play his home games at Coors Field? Is the prospect really 15 years old?

Now that we have a system in place, be on the look out for upcoming prospect spotlights, as well as a Top 25 Fantasy Prospects list.

College Basketball has really heated up since our previous Rankings, two weeks ago. Then #1 Kansas got dethroned by the Walk-Ons of Tennessee, which made Texas the top dogs. Texas didn’t handle that well, losing their next two games.  Which led Kentucky to speak up and say “Hey guys, this #1 business isn’t so hard.”  Later that day, they get knocked off by Devan Downey South Carolina.

This leaves Basketball fans across the nation wondering just who is the best team in the country.  Since December 1st, Future of Fantasy has suggested that Kansas is indeed the #1 team.  However, Duke is right behind, and BYU keeps lurking in the Top 10.

Now the Top 25…

1. Kansas
2. Duke
3. Brigham Young
4. Syracuse
5. Kentucky
6. Maryland
7. Texas
8. Utah State
9. Wisconsin
10. Memphis
11. Continue reading this post…

Kentucky’s Freshman Phenom John Wall has taken the College Basketball scene by storm since day one. However, it is only due to their recent play that Kentucky has finally cracked the Future of Fantasy top 10. Are they the best team in the country? Not at this point, but they are very young and very well coached, which means they should continue to grow as the season progresses.

Another team to watch is Ohio State. Without their star player Evan Turner they fell from #3 to #17, but Turner is back from his back injury, and they will be a top 10 team once again.

Now the Top 25…

1. Kansas
2. Duke
3. Texas
4. Syracuse
5. Brigham Young
6. Kentucky
7. Michigan State
8. Purdue
9. Wisconsin
10. Miami (FL)
11. Continue reading this post…

Bing’s new Visual Search feature is way too good. The proof is in the photos.

It is still in Beta Mode, and their database of photo collections is pretty slim to what I’m sure it will become. However, they do have photo collections of NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL Players. Using the list of NBA Players, I decided to take a look at the highest paid players in the NBA. I categorized them based on what College they attended. Instead of listing every single College, here are the College’s, in no particular order, that have at least ten current NBA players:

Duke – 14 Players
Median Salary: $4.5 Million
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