Where does this future A's stud rank among the top first base prospects?

My mass communications professor had a favorite saying: “Technology is great—when it works.” Truer words have never been spoken. But technical difficulties can only keep me down for so long; I’m back in commission and back with your top ten first base prospects.

The minor league playoffs are just about over and heat of the pennant race is on at the major-league level, so it’s pretty clear by now who’s still worthy of our rankings and who doesn’t make the cut.

Ah, first base. It’s the positional graveyard for all-bat, no-glove players. While many sluggers who are less than dexterous will most likely end up here if they do reach the majors, it’s virtually impossible to predict exactly who and where they would rank. Thus, only players that are actually listed as first basemen and are currently playing first base for the majority of the time are included in the rankings.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Matt LaPorta is not included on this list, because while some still see him being a first baseman in the majors, he has been playing left field for Single-A West Virginia. Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals and James Loney of the Los Angeles Dodgers have racked up too much time with their respective parent clubs to retain their prospect labels, and Jason Botts of the Texas Rangers is well on his way, so he’s out as well.

1. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

You may remember Votto as the guy on the World Team in this year’s Futures Game who slammed that home run off of Clay Buchholz of the Boston Red Sox. You might also be familiar with him as the third Red this season to homer in his first major-league at-bat (outfielder Josh Hamilton and catcher Ryan Jorgensen did it too). It’s certainly that power potential that has everyone excited about Votto. The 2007 International League Rookie of the Year hit .294 with 22 homers and 92 RBI this season for Triple-A Louisville; clearly the power is there. The one hole in Votto’s offensive game is that he strikes out a lot—he had 110 strikeouts compared to 70 walks. Votto is also speedy on the base paths, and he’s okay defensively. And he may just have the best quote ever (on coming to the majors): “I sat on the bench for a second. It smells like a sweaty man out there. A bunch of sweaty ballplayers sit on the bench. I can’t wait to join them.” How can you not love a guy who gets excited about the smell of sweaty men?

2. Daric Barton, Oakland Athletics

Barton was an afterthought in the Mark Mulder/Dan Haren/Kiko Calero trade, but one that looks to pan out pretty well for the A’s. Barton’s offense, not surprisingly, is his bread and butter. He has a sweet swing, explosive bat speed and great plate discipline, and he regularly walks more than he strikes out. Barton is known as an on-base machine. The only concern is whether he will develop enough power to be the impact bat normally expected from a first baseman. Barton hit .293 with nine home runs and 70 RBI for Triple-A Sacramento this season. On the defensive side, Barton is not particularly mobile or athletic. He was a catcher with St. Louis, but Oakland did not see him flourishing behind the dish, and he has left the tools of ignorance behind. He should be serviceable at first, at the very least

3. Steve Pearce, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pearce has not stayed in one place for very long this season, catapulting through the minor leagues and debuting with the big club as part of their September call-ups. Pearce first gained attention when he led the minor leagues in home runs for the month of April this year (he also led all Pirates prospects in home runs last season), and he was selected to the 2007 Futures Game. In his combined time in the minors, Pearce batted .333 with 31 home runs and 113 RBI. He also had an overall on-base percentage of .394 and a slugging percentage of .622. Nearly half of his hits this season went for extra bases, which is pretty darn good to say the least. Pearce has great plate discipline. He’s also a solid defender and has decent speed.

4. Lars Anderson, Boston Red Sox

Anderson is a big, powerful slugger with plus power potential and a smooth, fluid swing. Like many sluggers, Anderson also has a tendency to strike out a lot. Between Single-A Greenville and Single-A Advanced Lancaster, Anderson posted a .292 average with 11 home runs and 78 RBI. He also had 121 strikeouts compared to 82 walks. Anderson is considered to be Boston’s top power prospect, but I’d like to see a better K/BB ratio, even though the on-base percentage is solid at .393. The good news is Anderson, only 19 years old, still has some developing to do, so he can definitely improve his patience and selection at the plate. Defensively, he seems to project as more David Ortiz than Kevin Youkilis, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually starts to come along with the glove.

5. Joe Koshansky, Colorado Rockies

Considered one of the top prospects in Colorado’s farm system, Koshansky was more known for his pitching than his hitting while at the University of Virginia, but Koshansky has showcased plenty of power since leaving the pitching mound behind. The powerful lefty has drawn comparisons to Ryan Howard. He hit .295 with 21 home runs and 99 RBI with Triple-A Colorado Springs. He is also a decent fielder and is athletic for his size.

6. Mike Carp, New York Mets

Carp was selected as the Sterling Organizational Player of the Year last year as the top player in the Mets’ minor-league system, so you can tell how high they are on him.  While he suffered a minor setback earlier in the season with a hand injury, he still held his own at Double-A Binghamton, batting .251 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI. The young lefty is patient and disciplined at the plate and has excellent line drive/gap power. Carp is okay defensively and, while he does not have good speed, he is a smart base runner.

7. Kyle Blanks, San Diego Padres

Weighing in at a hefty 281 pounds, Blanks seems to evoke some discord among scouts and analysts. Some love him, and some hate him, but they all agree on one thing—the boy is big. That doesn’t seem to affect his defense, however, as he is known as a solid defender and pretty agile for his size. Of course, his saving grace is his power bat. He hit .301 with 24 homers and 100 RBI with Single-A Advanced Lake Elsinore. The downside is the many holes in his swing; his K/BB ratio is 98/44. Ouch. Blanks is still young, so there’s hope that he can improve his contact rate. There’s no doubt that when he does make contact, he gets good results. Conditioning will be the key for Blanks; because of weight maintenance concerns, he slips a little.

8. Beau Mills, Cleveland Indians

Mills was Cleveland’s first-round draft pick this year, going at No. 13 overall, and though he has only played a limited time in the minors this season, the potential is too great to not include him. Mills, the son of Boston Red Sox coach Brad Mills, impressed many with his exploits in the NAIA this season. Granted, it is the NAIA, but Mills’ numbers are still hard to ignore. Mills batted .453, with 38 home runs and 123 RBI overall. He also had an eye-popping 1.033 slugging percentage—yes, that’s right. The slugger was named the 2007 NAIA Player of the Year and was the Avista-NAIA World Series MVP as well. Over 62 games with three different teams this season, Mills hit .261 with six home runs and 42 RBI. Not too shabby. Defensively, Mills needs some work—hey, do you sense a theme here?

9. Chris Carter, Boston Red Sox

Another BoSox first-base prospect, it’s true. Anderson has a higher ceiling and more power potential than Carter, however. So even though Carter is closest to the Show, Anderson gets the nod in my book. Carter recently came to the Sox system as part of the Wily Mo Pena trade, and though he’s been successful with the bat at every level, he is not as well-known as the other first-base prospects.  Between Triple-A Tucson (Arizona) and Triple-A Pawtucket, Carter batted .316 with 19 home runs and 88 RBI. He also had a .377 on-base percentage and slugged .504. The big knock on Carter is his defense—he’s widely known as an awkward, clumsy, error-prone fielder. Don’t expect any Gold Gloves here.

10. Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins

Sanchez had an impressive professional debut last year, and while he did cool down somewhat this season, the potential is still there. He shows great plate discipline and has developing raw power, and is expected to hit for average. Sanchez batted .279 with nine home runs and 70 RBI with Single-A Advanced Jupiter. While the Marlins aren’t concerned about his bat, though they would like to see him develop a little more power, his defense is something of a concern. However, his bat could carry him. It remains to be seen if he will fulfill the potential scouts have seen in him.

Questions and comments can be sent to shannonmccarthy@sportsgrumblings.com