The Pacific Coast League (PCL) ties with the Texas League and the California League with seven FAB50 players each. The PCL has quality, with five of its seven in the top ten ranks. Fans in PCL parks will particularly want to keep an eye out for Jeff Francis and Travis Blackley when they come your way. The pair of hurlers are expected to add some major excitement to the MLB.

The cream of this year's crop comes from the International League, which boasts not only the number one player in the MLN Fab50, but also three of the top four. B.J. Upton leads a pack of Devil Rays that may form the future core for a baseball title in Tampa. Few may see Jason Kubel coming until he's already there. David Wright is high on the radar of Mets fans.

This is a more disappointing year for the Eastern League in our MLN FAB50 survey. This is the first time in two years that the EL hasn't generated a single top ten player, and only sports two top twenty-five players. The EL is raising Cain, one of our brightest pitching prospects, and Ryan Howard, one of the best "players to be named" that we're featuring.

 

The eyes of Texas League fans are upon Dallas McPherson, one of the hottest prospects in the Angels farm system in some time, who makes the top five of the MLN FAB50 for 2004. Ian Kinsler Josh Kroeger and Irvin Santana make the top 25. Shealy and Botts aren't far behind.

 

The Southern League is populated with some of the brightest rising talent in our MLN FAB50 2004 survey of minor league baseball, serving up six players including one top ten and three top twenty-five players. Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks breaks the top ten impressively. Prince Fielder, who we've dubbed the "Prince of Pop" because of the talking that his bat has been doing lately, rises from our MLN Midwest League Player of the Year for 2003 to the Southern League with no signs of slowing down.

 

The high Class-A California League has become one of the crown jewels of the developmental systems in recent years, featuring some of the best fast track talent to come out of the lower A leagues. The MLN 2003 Player of the Year in baseball was Josh Barfield of the Lake Elsinore Storm. This year, the California League serves up seven of the best fifty players in minor league baseball, including top-twenty pick Jeff Salazar, who was also the MLN South Atlantic League Player of the Year in 2003.

The Carolina League serves up two gems to the crown jewels of the MLN Fab50 for 2004. Michael Aubrey has the eyes of Cleveland upon him.

 

Thanks to the Yanks, Dodgers and Phillies, the Florida State League continues to showcase some of the bright new talents warming up to professional baseball. Chris Roberson, Mike Megrew, and Joel Guzman are fast-trackers in their organizations, while Sardhinha and Cabrera are carving names out for themselves that will make them prime trade candidates when George makes his next big-deal free-agent trade.

 

Delmon Young of the Charleston RiverDogs is the only Class A player to break the top ten in the MLN FAB50 2004 Baseball survey. If this is where he starts, we can only speculate as to where he might end up. Mets fans in the SAL should keep an eye on Lastings Milledge, and hurler hopefuls Petit and Tiffany.

 

The Midwest League is where the first signs of greatness can start to appear. Three players from this league debut on the FAB50 in the high forties. Barton, Chico, and Kendrick all look to have bright careers in the minors and a good shot at their big league clubs if they keep up their winning ways.