4. David Cooper, 1B, 2/12/1987 - The UC Berkeley product was nabbed with the 17th pick in last year's draft and figures to be a fast mover.
In less than half a season, Cooper made it up to Dunedin, and overall, he put together a line of .333/.399/.502 in 273 AB, spread pretty evenly between NYP-Auburn, Low-A Lansing, and Dunedin.
He's a good bet to begin the year in AA and could debut in Toronto late in the year.
Cooper has been compared to the player he figures to replace in Toronto, Lyle Overbay, who is signed through 2010.
While not the traditional masher you'd expect to see at first base, Cooper makes up for it by hitting for average and getting on base at a high clip. He should hit a lot of doubles as well.
5. Justin Jackson, SS, 12/11/1988 - Unlike Cooper, Jackson won't be someone who shoots through the system.
A supplemental first rounder in 2007, he's supposed to be known for his defense, but he committed 26 errors last year, one behind the team lead.
His hitting needs a lot of work, too. In 121 games (454 AB) last year, he struggled for hit for average (.238) and had problems making contact (154 strikeouts). Despite the strikeouts, he showed decent patience by drawing 62 walks, most on the team.
He didn't hit for much power, going deep just seven times, but he was second on the team with 26 doubles.
He did show speed -- Jackson was 17 for 25 in stolen base attempts and he legged out six triples.
Jackson has a lot of potential, and at 19, has plenty of time to fulfill it. He's very raw and should be back in Lansing next year. He didn't do anything to show he's ready for the next level.
What he's done to date won't generate a lot of excitement, but what he could do, will. Jackson has one of the highest ceilings in the system, but is among the least likely to reach it.
NOTE: Only players with no more than 130 AB/50 IP in the majors qualify for this list.
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