Diamond Futures’ Retrospective: Our 2004 Top 100

Joe Mauer climbed to the Top of our 2004 list

A number of you have inquired recently as to where you can find our previous Top Prospect Lists. In response, we have begun to post our previous lists and will get through all of them before the season starts.

Next up, we take a look at our Top 100 list from 2004. Looking back, 2004 was a bit of a mixed bag, as most everyone’s top players appear to be having solid careers, and the players that we missed on were fairly similar to the same one’s everyone else had…but there were a few differences. On the ‘miss’ side, there is a fairly lengthy list from our Top 50, these include: Greg Miller - #6; Andy Marte - #10; Jeremy Reed - #13; Josh Barfield - #19; Justin Jones - #23; Angel Guzman - #29; Adam Loewen - #30; Blake Hawksworth - #36; Kris Honel - #42; Sergio Santos - #44 and Kyle Sleeth - #49…but these were common misses. The players that we were all by ourselves on included: Emiliano Fruto - #46; Chris Shelton - #65; Gregor Blanco - #66; Josh Womack - #75 and Ruben Gotay - #84.

On the positive side, we, along with most everyone, scored with selections like: Joe Mauer - #1; BJ Upton - #2; Cole Hamels - #3; Prince Fielder - #4; Scott Kazmir - #5; Zack Greinke - #8; Felix Hernandez - #11; David Wright - #12; Justin Morneau - #18; Ervin Santana - #20 and Hanley Ramirez - #32. But the players where we were truly ahead of the curve on included: Grady Sizemore - #14; Matt Cain - #28; Chad Billingsley - #41; Nick Swisher - #50 and Joey Votto - #81. The complete list can be found below:


Diamond Futures 2004 Top 100

1 ) Mauer, Joe , MIN , C
2 ) Upton, B.J. , TB , SS
3 ) Hamels, Cole , PHI , LH
4 ) Fielder, Prince , MIL , 1B
5 ) Kazmir, Scott , NYM , LH
6 ) Miller, Greg , LA , LH
7 ) Young, Delmon , TBR , OF
8 ) Greinke, Zack , KC , RH
9 ) Kotchman, Casey , ANA , 1B
10 ) Marte, Andy , ATL , 3B
11 ) Hernandez, Felix , SEA , RH
12 ) Wright, David , NYM , 3B
13 ) Reed, Jeremy , CHA , OF
14 ) Sizemore, Grady , CLE , OF
15 ) Weeks, Rickie , MIL , 2B
16 ) Matsui, Kaz , NYM , SS
17 ) Gutierrez, Franklin , LA , OF
18 ) Morneau, Justin , MIN , 1B
19 ) Barfield, Josh , SD , 2B
20 ) Santana, Ervin , ANA , RH
21 ) Rios, Alexis , TOR , OF
22 ) Navarro, Dioner , NYY , C
23 ) Jones, Justin , CHN , LH
24 ) Francouer, Jeff , ATL , OF
25 ) Maine, John , BAL , RH
26 ) Loney, James , LA , 1B
27 ) Hermida, Jeremy , FLA , OF
28 ) Cain, Matthew , SF , RH
29 ) Guzman, Angel , CHN , RH
30 ) Loewen, Adam , BAL , LH
31 ) Stewart, Ian , Col , 3B
32 ) Ramirez, Hanley , BOS , SS
33 ) Zumaya, Joel , DET , RH
34 ) Mathis, Jeff , ANA , C
35 ) Hawksworth, Blake , STL , RH
36 ) Jackson, Edwin , LA , RH
37 ) Callaspo, Alberto , ANA , 2B
38 ) Encarnacion, Edwin , CIN , 3B
39 ) Willingham, Josh , FLA , C
40 ) Gonzalez, Adrian , TEX , 1B
41 ) Billingsley, Chad , LA , RH
42 ) Honel, Kris , CHA , RH
43 ) Floyd, Gavin , PHI , RH
44 ) Santos, Sergio , ARZ , SS
45 ) Wainwright, Adam , STL , RH
46 ) Fruto, Emiliano , Sea , RH
47 ) Blanton, Joe , OAK , RH
48 ) Petit, Yusmeiro , NYM , RH
49 ) Sleeth, Kyle , DET , RH
50 ) Swisher, Nick , OAK , OF
51 ) Stokes, Jason , FLA , 1B
52 ) McGowan, Dustin , TOR , RH
53 ) Pie, Felix , CHN , OF
54 ) Crosby, Bobby , OAK , SS
55 ) Tsao, Chin-hui , COL , RH
56 ) Hardy, J.J. , MIL , SS
57 ) Huber, Justin , NYM , C
58 ) Clevlen, Brent , DET , OF
59 ) Markakis, Nicholas , BAL , OF
60 ) Barton, Daric , STL , C
61 ) Danks, John , TEX , LH
62 ) Jenks, Bobby , LAA , RH
63 ) Nageotte, Clint , SEA , RH
64 ) Carlson, Jesse , HOU , LH
65 ) Shelton, Chris , PIT , 1B
66 ) Blanco, Gregor , ATL , OF
67 ) Aybar, Willy , LA , 3B
68 ) Clippard, Tyler , NYY , RH
69 ) Quiroz, Guillermo , TOR , C
70 ) Gaudin, Chad , TB , RH
71 ) Nolasco, Ricky , CHN , RH
72 ) McPherson, Dallas , ANA , 3B
73 ) McCarthy, Brandon , CHA , RH
74 ) Choo, Shin-soo , Sea , OF
75 ) Womack, Josh , SEA , OF
76 ) Oquendo (Snell), Ian , PIT , RH
77 ) Green, Khalil , SDP , SS
78 ) Kubel, Jason , MIN , OF
79 ) Bay, Jason , PIT , OF
80 ) Reyes, Jojo , ATL , LH
81 ) Votto, Joey , Cin , 1B
82 ) Aybar, Erick , ANA , 2B
83 ) VanBenschoten, John , PIT , RH
84 ) Gotay, Ruben , KC , 2B
85 ) Granderson, Curtis , DET , OF
86 ) Stevens, Jake , ATL , LH
87 ) LaRoche, Adam , ATL , 1B
88 ) Jackson, Conor , ARI , OF
89 ) Kendrick, Howie , ANA , 2B
90 ) Shell, Steven , ANA , RH
91 ) Napoli, Michael , ANA , C
92 ) Parra, Manny , MIL , LH
93 ) Saltalamacchia, Jarr , ATL , C
94 ) Hill, Aaron , TOR , SS
95 ) McLouth, Nathan , PIT , OF
96 ) Young, Chris , MTL , RH
97 ) Fox, Jacob , CHN , C
98 ) Francis, Jeff , COL , LH
99 ) Wood, Brandon , ANA , SS
100 ) Bourgeois, Jason , TEX , 2B