1) Brian Matusz- SP

Had a cup of coffee in the bigs last year and showed that he’s going to be the future ace of the staff. Gotta like what he brings to the table from the left side. Is pretty polished for a kid at 22.

2) Chris Tillman-SP

The ying to Matusz’s yang. He could be the perfect compliment to Matusz from the right side. I don’t think he’s going to be a big strike out guy- but his stuff could be really really tough to square up in 2010 if he continues his development.

3) Jake Arrieta SP-

Low to mid 90’s right hander. Can be electric at times, but at other times throws a ton of pitches. I don’t know if he’ll transition to the bigs as a starter and I could see him as more of a reliever.

4) Josh Bell- 3B

Came over in the George Sherril trade last year and has surprising pop. He could be a David Bell type guy at third with 15-20 home run power. He would come as a cheap replacement for Melvin Mora, but don’t expect him to be an all star.

5) Zach Britton- SP

Left hander. Soft Tossing. Sinker ball like action. Gets a ton of ground balls. Hmmm. A Jason Marquis from the left side? Not exactly a bad deal

6) Ryan Adams- 2B

Seeing as he plays second- it’s going to take some time to get a real opportunity at the big league level. I do like him a little bit. He reminds me of a taller David Eckstein. A dirt dog scrappy ball player without a ton of natural talent and relies alot on the fundamentals and doing the little things.

7) Xavier Avery-OF

Ridiculous amount of power….when he makes contact. He has about….16 different kinds of holes in his swing, but the upside is that he can hit a ball 500 feet. It’s going to take some time but that kind of raw power is unteachable.

8) Brandon Snyder-1B

The door is open for Snyder to walk through in terms of being the long term solution at first base. The problem with that is- he’s got hands of stone. He’s just an awful defender and that’s something he has to work hard on if he wants to be more than a DH. He’s got pretty good power and could end up being in the 4 or 5 hole.

9) LJ Hoes-2B

Fast and a good defender. He’s got a long way to go with the bat, but is still real young, so by the time Brian Roberts starts to decline- Hoes has the chance to step in and be the every day guy if he develops the way some think he will. I don’t see it personally, but I’ll take the word of the organization and put him in my top 10.

10) Oliver Drake- SP

He’s got a long way to go, and Baltimore isn’t all that deep in terms of young arms- but he’s someone that could develop into a 3 or a 4. He’s just to young and green to say that with any sort of certainty. He could basically go either way right now.