Joba Chamberlain earns top honors in Shannon's rankings this week.

With the trade deadline looming and September call-ups in the not-so-distant future, it’s the perfect time to kick off our positional rankings here at The Farm Report. These are names you’ve probably heard and should definitely know; you’ll likely see some of these guys grab a cup of coffee in the majors when the rosters expand.

This week we’ll focus on the budding crop of right-handed pitchers. Guys like Phil Hughes, Matt Garza, Yovani Gallardo and Homer Bailey are not included in the rankings because they will have too many major league innings by the end of the season to qualify as prospects.

1. Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees

While the Chamberlain vs. Buchholz debate is extremely heated and both prospects are incredibly talented, there really is no contest. While the minor weight and health concerns are oft-recounted by some scouts, Chamberlain has some incredible stuff and a huge ceiling. Consider that the 21-year-old is in just his first season of professional baseball, and he’s rocketed through the Yankees’ minor league system like a cheetah on speed. In his Triple-A debut with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday (July 25), Chamberlain tossed five impressive scoreless innings and fanned ten batters. He gave up four hits and one walk in the effort. The Yankees announced on Sunday that Chamberlain was scratched from his scheduled start today and instead moved to the bullpen, setting him up for a Bronx debut in the near future in a new role—reliever. However, the Yankees have made it clear that Chamberlain’s future remains as a starter; for now though, he would be invaluable to the Yankees in middle relief.

2. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

When Roger Clemens made his rehab start at Double-A Trenton for the Yankees, this youngster stole the show by shutting down the Thunder over six innings while striking out eight. Buchholz has not had as flawless a transition from Double-A to Triple-A as Chamberlain, with an 0-1 record and a 4.50 ERA in three games with Pawtucket. However, his K/BB ratio has remained extremely impressive, as he has 21 strikeouts to six walks in the 12 innings he’s pitched since getting called up; that’s really all you need to know. Buchholz has a low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball with great movement, a slider, a hard 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup. The electric fastball tops out at 97 mph but usually sits in the 91-94 mph range over the course of the season. His changeup is generally around 78-82 mph; he is also working on a circle-change. The biggest thing Buchholz needs to work on is the command on his fastball, as well as consistency with the changeup, but there’s no question that he’s top-of-the-rotation material. Just as the Yankees plan to do with Chamberlain, do not be surprised if Buchholz is called up by Boston to get his feet wet in the bullpen before the season’s end.

3. Ian Kennedy, New York Yankees

Kennedy started out the season in Single-A Tampa, and he’s quietly dominated at every level as he’s quickly moved up in the ranks this season with teammate Joba Chamberlain. Like Chamberlain, Kennedy was recently called up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and also like Chamberlain, greatly impressed in his debut. He did not allow a run over six innings and only gave up two hits and two walks while striking out six. The difference between he and Chamberlain is that Kennedy really has not had any snags along the way; while Chamberlain has had the occasional rough outing, Kennedy has been consistently good. Unlike Chamberlain, however, Kennedy does not have the velocity; his fastball sits in the low 90s. But the key to Kennedy’s success is his pinpoint control and command of his pitches; he may not hit 97 mph with his fastball, but he can locate the heck out of it. Compared to a young Greg Maddux or Mike Mussina, Kennedy is a finesse pitcher whose secondary pitch is his outstanding changeup. If he keeps putting up the numbers he’s had all season long, there’s no way the Yankees will keep him in the minors in 2008.

4. Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals

Hochevar is a guy I’m familiar with from his days at Tennessee, when he would terrorize the Florida lineup every time they played the Volunteers. He’s an interesting story, as he was drafted in the first round (40th overall) of the 2005 draft, but did not sign due to heated negotiations—his agent was Scott Boras. He re-entered the draft in 2006 and was selected first overall by the Royals. That’s not something that happens very often. Since finally signing with a team and joining the minor league ranks, Hochevar has been very impressive. While his ERA while in Double-A may not be pretty, it is the Texas League, and his peripherals were very solid. Recently called up to Triple-A and the PCL, the numbers are a bit more aesthetically pleasing. Hochevar works in the low-to-mid 90s and has a hard-breaking curveball, a sharp slider, a changeup and a sinker. He commands the strike zone very well, which is probably his best asset. Look for Hochevar to make a major impact in Kansas City in the 2008 season.

5. Alan Horne, New York Yankees

Crazy to see three Yankees in the top five, isn’t it? But these rankings are well-warranted, as each of the three has been extremely impressive this season. Horne hasn’t been getting as much buzz as either Chamberlain or Kennedy, but he should be. Many Yankees fans were surprised when the promotions of Chamberlain and Kennedy were announced and Horne was left behind by his former Thunder teammates; if any of the young hurlers were to be promoted, Horne made the most sense, having pitched in Double-A the entire season and put up impressive numbers. However, Horne could very well find himself on the bus to Scranton soon enough, perhaps as soon as Phil Hughes gets back to New York. On the night after his former teammates were called up to SWB, Horne made his own case for a promotion, tossing eight innings of one-run ball and striking out seven. It would be no surprise to see Horne in the Bronx before the season is over, and he’ll undoubtedly get there in 2008.

6. Will Inman, Milwaukee Brewers

Inman dominated the FSL before being called up to Double-A, and the transition has not been smooth. However, the 5.45 ERA with Huntsville is extremely skewed by two horrible outings early in his career with the Stars; otherwise, Inman has been solid, and the K/BB is very good.

7. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Injuries have hampered Niemann, but he has been solid after finally joining Durham, with a 3.82 ERA over 115.1 innings pitched and 108 strikeouts to 45 walks. A power guy with four solid pitches, he should see time with Tampa Bay fairly soon.

8. Adam Miller, Cleveland Indians

While normally Miller would have made the top five, he’s been horrible in six straight starts for Triple-A Buffalo, with single-game earned run averages over 16.00. Whatever it is that has his numbers so out of whack, he won’t be seeing any time with Cleveland this season until he gets it straightened out. With the stuff Miller has, though, I don’t see his struggles continuing much longer.

9. Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles Angels

Adenhart had a mild blip in his season when he was placed on the 7-day DL with soreness in his throwing shoulder on June 21, but not much else has been able to hamper the Angels’ top prospect. He has put Tommy John surgery firmly behind him and has been solid in Double-A this season.

10. Eric Hurley, Texas Rangers

In many scouts’ eyes, Hurley has become not only the top pitching prospect in the Rangers’ organization, but their overall top prospect as well. Hurley has a plus-plus fastball that he can locate very well, and he tends to increase velocity the longer he’s in a game; he’ll usually sit in the low 90s early on during a start, but will climb up to 94-95 mph. Hurley also showcases a solid slider and a good changeup, and he has a great mound presence as many big, strong pitchers do. His K/BB ratio was impressive in Double-A, and his Triple-A numbers so far are very solid.

Questions and comments may be sent to Shannon at shannonmccarthy@sportsgrumblings.com