Here is a top 10 list by Matt Powers. How is Maitan listed at 40 speed by MLB?
1.Kevin Maitan, SS
Kevin Maitan is the consensus top prospect of the July 2 crop. He’s a kid compared to the Miguel’s, Sano and Cabrera, because of his advanced feel for hitting and power potential. That’s led to some talk that he’s a generational talent, though others think he’s more of just a good player in a great class. Some have even said he’s not the best player in this class as they believe his early maturity could mean there isn’t a ton of projection left.
Either way Maitan is a special player. He’s big, but could potentially stay at shortstop as a pro. If he does have to move, he would still be projected as a solid third baseman defensively, unlike Sano, because of his athleticism and big arm. Offensively he’s a switch hitting Venezuelan who projects to hit for both average and power- MLB.com slaps 60 grades(20/80 scale) on both his hit and power tools.
There is no reason that he can’t develop into the prototypical #3/4 hitter in the middle of a lineup. He is my top bat available this summer including everyone in the draft, though being only 16 and not being able to play until 2017 makes him further away than a Mickey Moniak, Kyle Lewis, or Corey Ray. It’s no secret that Maitan is expected to sign with the Braves. I don’t care how old he is, I would pick him up immediately. Here’s some video courtesy of Baseball America’s YouTube channel.
[video=youtube;-s4X-tmBV0Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4X-tmBV0Q[/video]
2.Lazaro Armenteros, OF
Also known to some by his nickname, Lazarito, Armenteros has seen an odd few months. He was cleared to sign prior to the start of the season and was thought to be close to signing, but decided not to. This led to his agent receiving death threats and dropping him as a client.
The Cuban outfielder is still a big time prospect despite the off-field concerns around him. He projects to be a guy with an excellent power/speed combination, getting a 60 grade from MLB.com on his power and a 65 on his speed. He’s got some stuff to work out with his swing, but for a 17 year old he’s extremely impressive. The Padres are a team that has been heavily linked to him, but that’s not a sure thing. Lazarito is another guy worth grabbing quickly.
4.Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP
Vladimir Gutierrez is a Cuban righty who had success in Cuba, though pitching more out of the pen. He’s got good stuff with a pair of pitches already grading out at 60+, but he’s already 20 years old.
He’s a guy that has the tools to start, but according to MLB.com he’s also a guy that teams are looking at as a reliever since he could be a back end of the bullpen guy. They also say many teams see him as a better prospect to Yadiel Alvarez, who got a $16M bonus from the Dodgers. Gutierrez is still being linked to multiple teams. He’s worth grabbing in a deeper league.
10.Abrahan Gutierrez, C
Venezuelan catcher Abrahan Gutierrez was compared to Mike Piazza by former Fangraphs analyst Kiley McDaniel last year. McDaniel left FanGraphs to join the Braves front office and the Braves are rumored to be signing Gutierrez this summer.
Gutierrez has seen his stock drop a bit since last year as he hasn’t made the necessary steps forward that everyone expects, but the tools are still there and the Braves are going to be paying him a large bonus. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.
http://www.faketeams.com/2016/6/19/11970732/july-2-international-free-agency-preview-top-10