With pitchers and catchers ready to report in less than three weeks, it’s time to look at the future for many teams, especially those who don’t have much to look forward to this year. I’m looking at you, Royals.

Young talent is exciting in all sports, especially in baseball. Twenty-nine of my top fifty this season were number one picks, but drafting high isn’t the only way to collect elite talent. Look no further than Domonic Brown. Brown, the overall prospect in 2011, was the 607th pick in the 2006 draft and only received a $350K signing bonus. Many more gems can be found across the international market and in the later rounds of the draft.

For those teams with little to look forward to this year, help is on the way — at least for most of them. The Royals have six high-quality prospects, four of which are on in the top twenty-seven. The Rays have another four in the Top 40. Even the Nationals have some talent!

This season will be very exciting for big market teams like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, but every team has some reason for hope. Unless of course you’re a Pirates fan, but then you have Steelers. Maybe not so much either if you’re an Indians fans, but at least they have the Cava– I mean at least there’s nice weath– I mean at least you’re not living in Arkansas.

Without further ado, here are my Top 50 MLB prospects. My rankings are based on film I’ve seen, production, and scouting reports from trusted sources. Each player has a short scouting report straight out of my 2011 MLB Preview, which is due to be released in late March. If you missed last year’s issue, here is a medium resolution version of it. If you want the high-resolution version, comment on the bottom, and I’ll send it to you. Enjoy.

1. Bryce Harper		OF	Nationals
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 245	Age: 18	B/T: R/R
Unheard of power with plus plus athleticism, discipline, arm strength, and overall bat. Future superstar.

2. Mike Trout		OF	Angels
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 217	Age: 19	B/T: R/R
Star-in-the-making. Athletic, very fast, strong, great defender with solid arm strength. Great on-base skills.

3. Mike Moustakas		3B	Royals
Height: 5’11”	Weight: 230	Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Elite power hitter and great arm. Smooth swing, slow, but incredibly strong. Solid fielder, should stick at third.

4. Aroldis Chapman		LHP	Reds
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 185	Age: 22	B/T: L/L
Absolutely incredible stuff, fantastic fastball, slider. Stamina is in question, could be ace or shutdown closer.

5. Jeremy Hellickson		RHP	Rays
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 185	Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Effortless release with shocking velocity. Three plus off-speed pitches and great intangibles.

Notes: At the top, Harper has the biggest upside, but Trout will hit the show much sooner. Moustakas is the one most likely to be a bust, but he also has incredible upside. It’ll be interesting to see how Chapman and Hellickson will be used this upcoming season; Cincy will want to determine whether they want to stretch out Chapman into a starter or make him a closer, while Tampa will want to limit Hellickson’s innings to prevent future injury. All of the top five players will be a star in this league.

6. Jesus Montero		C	Yankees
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 225	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
One of the best power hitting prospects. Can hit well for average, too. Defense is defective, will settle at DH.

7. Domonic Brown		OF	Phillies
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 200	Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Plus in all five categories with much more power to fill out. Athletic, great defender, plus speed.

8. Dustin Ackley		2B	Mariners
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 185	Age: 22	B/T: L/R
Polished hitter with great discipline, speed, and a fantastic bat. Excellent pure hitter, versatile in the field.

9. Kyle Drabek		RHP	Blue Jays
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 190	Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Ace-type stuff, hard fastball and a knockout curve. Great command poise, and toughness.

10. Eric Hosmer		1B	Royals
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 215	Age: 21	B/T: L/L
Quick wrists, great feel for the strike zone. Plus power, fantastic total bat. Good defender.

Notes: Montero and Ackley could both win starting jobs in Spring Training depending on how well they can play against major league competition. Montero’s value will largely be based on where he plays; he can hit his way into any lineup, but his value will be doubled if he can catch every day. Brown won’t have the power of Jayson Werth, but he will be a mainstay in Philly’s lineup for a long time.

11. Desmond Jennings		OF	Rays
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 200	Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Very athletic and can absolutely fly. Great fielder, highly disciplined, hits well for average, okay power.

12. Julio Teheran		RHP	Braves
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 150	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
Electric stuff, specifically blazing fastball. Easy motion with high velocity, ace ceiling.

13. Manny Machado		SS	Orioles
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 185	Age: 18	B/T: R/R
True 5-tool potential, a future superstar. Very athletic with real no holes to speak of.

14. Casey Kelly		RHP	Padres
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 195	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
Great command, velocity with plus curve and nice changeup. Athletic with great poise and delivery.

15. Jameson Taillon		RHP	Pirates
Height: 6’6”	Weight: 225	Age: 19	B/T: R/R
Quick delivery, great poise and control. Explosive fastball, hard curve, very young with room to grow.

16. Martin Perez		LHP	Rangers
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 178	Age: 19	B/T: L/L
Big deceptive lefty with great changeup, curve. Very crafty, high ceiling. Struggled at upper levels.

17. Jacob Turner		RHP	Tigers
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 210	Age: 19	B/T: R/R
Big frame with above average fastball, plus curve and changeup. Slightly injury-prone.

18. Michael Pineda		RHP	Mariners
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 245	Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Plus fastball and slider, Number 2 starter potential. Swing-and-miss off-speed pitches.

19. Aaron Hicks		OF	Twins
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 185	Age: 21	B/T: S/R
5-tool potential with great plate discipline, more power to come. Very athletic with scary fast speed.

20. Mike Montgomery		LHP	Royals
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 180	Age: 21	B/T: L/L
Tall, lean frame with great potential as a starter. Plus fastball and changeup. Dominates his competition.

Notes: A lot of these players are high upside/high risk players (Taillon, Turner, and Hicks), but I feel that each and every one of them can make several All-Star games. Not all will make it big, but they all have fantastic tools and great potential. It’s getting about time for Desmond Jennings to step up after spending five years in the minors, and he should be presented a great opportunity with Carl Crawford’s departure. Martin Perez and Aaron Hicks are due for bounceback seasons after average years.

21. Zach Britton		LHP	Orioles
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 195	Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Plus fastball and slider along with great command. Elite potential as a starter, especially valuable as a lefty.

22. Brett Lawrie		2B	Blue Jays
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 213	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
High-quality bat with great power. Goes all-out, great athleticism, bat speed. May end up playing third or at a corner outfield position.

23. Shelby Miller		RHP	Cardinals
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 190	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
Aggressive strikeout pitcher with a great fastball. Frontline starter in the making, hasn’t scratched his ceiling yet.

24. Tyler Matzek		LHP	Rockies
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 230	Age: 20	B/T: L/L
Full arsenal of solid pitches, struggled with command. High ceiling, still young with room to improve.

25. Brandon Belt		1B	Giants
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 210	Age: 22	B/T: L/L
Great, smooth swing generating nice contact and elite power potential. Nice glove, but not much speed.

26. Matt Moore		LHP	Rays
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 205	Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Outstanding strikeout pitcher with plus fastball and curveball. Control can be his only issue.

27. Wil Myers		C	Royals
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 190	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
Great overall bat, plus plate discipline. Unclear where he’ll play in the majors, he may have to be moved to right field.

28. Kyle Gibson		RHP	Twins
Height: 6’6”	Weight: 210	Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Bulldog type innings-eater with a plus slider and changeup. Top-of-the-rotation potential.

29. Grant Green		SS	Athletics
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 180	Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Toolsy with nice power, above average speed and arm strength. Needs to improve plate discipline.

30. Lonnie Chisenhall		3B	Indians
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 200	Age: 22	B/T: L/R
Hits very well for average and has solid speed. Lanky frame, solid fielder with a plus arm. Big upside.

Notes: Lawrie and Green are personal favorites of mine. If Lawrie can stick at second, he’ll eventually be a Dan Uggla-type hitter, and any team could use that production out of a usually poor-hitting position. Green is another powerful middle infielder, something Oakland hasn’t had since Miguel Tejada left after the 2003 season. Gibson is also a nice sleeper to jump into the Top 20 next year; he fits in perfectly with the Twins’ pitching mantra.

31. Jarrod Parker		RHP	Diamondbacks
Height: 6’1”	Weight: 180	Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Outstanding stuff, particularly his slider and fastball. Coming off major shoulder surgery, should reach the majors soon.

32. Brett Jackson		OF	Cubs
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 210	Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Plus across the board, but no one tool is exceptional. Nice power ceiling and speed, above-average fielder.

33. Chris Sale		LHP	White Sox
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 170	Age: 21	B/T: L/L
Dominating with funky motion and plus fastball, changeup, slider. Can start, close. Could be an injury concern if he throws too many innings

34. Jonathan Singleton		1B	Phillies
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 215	Age: 19	B/T: L/L
Strong frame with great swing, plus power, and plate discipline. Eventually may be moved to the outfield.

35. Miguel Sano		SS	Twins
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 195	Age: 17	B/T: R/R
Raw, but has all the skills in the world. Great power potential, huge frame. Eventually will probably move to third base.

36. Jose Iglesias		SS	Red Sox
Height: 5’11”	Weight: 175	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
Ace defender with plus range and arm strength. Quick hands, compact swing, little more than gap power.

37. Dee Gordon		SS	Dodgers
Height: 5’11”	Weight: 150	Age: 22	B/T: L/R
Fantastic speed and athleticism, but not much else. Power and glove haven’t come along quite as well.

38. Derek Norris		C	Nationals
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 210	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
Low batting average, but has great power and walks a lot. Poor defender, fairly slow, but has a great arm.

39. Jenrry Mejia		RHP	Mets
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 160	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
Great fastball that touches the high 90s with nice movement. Health and future role are unclear.

40. Chris Archer		RHP	Rays
Height: 6’3”	Weight: 180	Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Has a plus fastball and a great strikeout rate, but he often loses control. High upside starter.

Notes: Jarrod Parker is very intriguing because he would have been Top 25 last year had he not a year after his shoulder surgery. If he bounces back right on track, he could be D-Backs ace in not too long. The trio of shortstops at 35-36-37 are all very different, but very talented. Sano is by far the best hitter with a great overall bat and the most room to grow. Iglesias is by far the best fielder, by most accounts the best fielding prospect of the last decade. Dee Gordon, son of former closer Tom, is by far the fastest and most athletic but needs a big year after a solid-at-best 2010 campaign.

41. Anthony Ranaudo		RHP	Red Sox
Height: 6’7”	Weight: 225	Age: 21	B/T: R/R
Huge-framed power pitcher with a great curveball. Dominating stuff, needs a little refinement.

42. Christian Friedrich		LHP	Rockies
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 215	Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Tall, aggressive starter with a nice four-pitch mix including a plus curve. Has had elbow issues.

43. Freddie Freeman		1B	Braves
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 215	Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Big frame and solid all around. Put up great numbers at a young age, even at higher levels. Big bat, makes hard contact.

44. Yonder Alonso		1B	Reds
Height: 6’2”	Weight: 210	Age: 23	B/T: L/R
Strong frame and very disciplined with a great bat. Still has some power to develop. Plays some outfield.

45. Tanner Scheppers		RHP	Rangers
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 200	Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Has an electric fastball and plus curveball. Could be ace or shutdown closer if he can avoid the injury bug.

46. Nick Castellanos		3B	Tigers
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 195	Age: 18	B/T: R/R
Great raw power with potential to be a great hitter. Solid fielder with great arm. High upside, but far from hitting the show.

47. Jared Mitchell		OF	White Sox
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 205	Age: 22	B/T: L/L
Extremely athletic with solid power potential and great speed. Smooth in the field. Injuries are a concern.

48. Chris Carter		1B	Athletics
Height: 6’5”	Weight: 230	Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Large frame with elite power and on-base skills. Poor fielder, slow, and undisciplined. Likely will be relegated to DH.

49. Arodys Vizcaino		RHP	Braves
Height: 6’0”	Weight: 189	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
Has a plus curveball and can crank up the heat, still with great control. Health is a concern, but otherwise has high upside.

50. Jordan Lyles		RHP	Astros
Height: 6’4”	Weight: 215	Age: 20	B/T: R/R
Durable innings eater who consistently pounds the zone. Nice slider, changeup, and control.

Notes: Vizcaino is another favorite of mine because of his arsenal, high velocity, young age, and fantastic name (of course). If he stays healthy, he could be a lesser version of his teammate, Julio Teheran. Castellanos and Ranaudo, both supplemental first-rounders in 2010, are way more talented than their draft slots would dictate. Castellanos was one of the top prep bats, but his giant bonus demands pushed him down to the 44th pick. Ranaudo would have been a top-5 pick if he wasn’t injured for his last college season, but dominated the Cape Cod League during the summer before he signed for top-5 money.