Jacob Turner named Tigers' top prospect by Baseball America

There are always a lot of prospect lists in the offseason, but the list people mainly refer to comes from Baseball America. At last, they have announced their top 10 Tigers prospects.

You will see no surprises at the top, where right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner has a strangle hold, and third baseman Nick Castellanos brings up second.

From there, you have left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly, one of the system's big movers up five spots from last year to third. Fellow lefties Casey Crosby and Andy Oliver round out the top 5.

Right-hander Brenny Paulino makes his list debut at sixth -- and looks not unlike a Muppet according to Matt Wallace to me via gchat just now. Catcher Rob Brantly, left-handed pitcher Alex Burgos, and catcher James McCann also make their list debuts at seventh through ninth.

Rounding out the top ten, OF Avisail Garcia was the only prospect to drop while remaining on the list.

Ben Badler of BA writes:

Detroit's farm system is heavier on pitchers than position players, though getting those pitchers acclimated to the big leagues hasn't been easy. Jacob Turner and Andy Oliver both pitched in the majors in 2011, as did a handful of homegrown relievers, though none found much immediate success. Former top prospect Rick Porcello will be just 23 in 2012, but he's coming off two mediocre seasons and already is arbitration-eligible.

The other aspect of BA's lists that is interesting -- some people say more interesting than the actual rankings, is the "best of the system" ilst. That's where you get to see some names like Dixon Machado (best defensive infielder, best infield arm) or best slider (Shawn Teufel, because it's fun to say.)

So do head over to BA's site to explore everything for yourself.

TL;DR list form:

1. RHP Jacob Turner

2. 3B Nick Castellanos

3. LHP Drew Smyly

4. LHP Casey Crosby

5. LHP Andy Oliver

6. RHP Brenny Paulino

7. C Rob Brantly

8. LHP Alex Burgos

9. C James McCann

10. OF Avisail Garcia