Previewing 2013 Marlin Maniac Top 15 Prospect List

I have always been intrigued with prospects and how they are ranked. Last off-season, I wanted to do a top-15 prospect list for the Miami Marlins, but when I tried to get started, I quickly realized how time exhausting this task really is. Putting together a list takes a lot of research as well as time to process the research.

is one of the promising prospects the Marlins acquired in the blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this off-season, even before the Marlins big blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, I had started doing my research and groundwork on a top prospects list. The trade with the Jays obviously added great depth to the Marlins farm system, something which Marlins fans should look forward to, even though the team may not be competitive for the next couple of seasons.

That alone is a major reason why the focus on the Marlins farm system in 2013 will be huge. The other reasons include two of the top 20 prospects in baseball, according to our Fansided prospects site, Seedlings to Stars.

John Sickels ranked the Miami Marlins farm system as the 8th best in all of baseball.  Here is what he had to say about the Marlins farm system:

"8) Miami Marlins (29): Quick turnaround here. Strengths: star power at the top with Christian Yelich and Jose Fernandez. Trades have added some depth (Marisnick, Nicolino, Hechavarria, Dietrich, Brantly). Some sleeper pitching arms (Charlie Lowell, Mason Hope). Weaknesses: much of the improvement is due to trades and not internal development, especially on the hitting side."

I am going to start a countdown of the Marlins top 15 prospects. As of now, the plan is to release one name at a time, starting Monday with the Marlins #15 prospect, ranked by me.

There is not an exact science to making a top prospect list, some players will be ranked higher or lower on here, as opposed to other websites that rank Marlins prospects. For that reason, I will provide along with my rankings, the rankings from other websites, including Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, Baseball America, and others.

If you have any disagreements with my prospect rankings, please let me know in the comments section, but please try not to be too harsh. These rankings have taken a lot of time and I am proud of the list that I will be putting out.

Like I mentioned above, I will be starting on Monday with the Marlins #15 prospect. But there are more than 15 prospects that I covered during my research, so I will have a post tomorrow detailing the prospects that just missed the cutoff for my top 15, the #16-20 prospects.