2012 Community Prospect Rankings: The D.E.N.I.S System earned Phipps the 13th spot on our list

Denis Phipps is the 13th ranked prospect on RR this year, and that's really strange to be saying. Last year, he was barely even a non-prospect, and looked to be rounding the corner to being useless organizational filler. One year later, and we hear an interview yesterday that David Bell did with McAlister, where he's getting these kind of reviews:

Bell on OF Dennis Phipps: Struggled. Turned corner. Clicked. Sky limit. Could be superstar. ML sooner than later.

Obviously it's twitter shortened, but you get the idea. They're saying that about Phipps! Either way, he's on the 40-man roster, and as long as he starts 2012 as hot as he ended it, could very likely be the first outfielder called up.

Let's close out the week right.

Tucker Barnhart, C, 21, BA-UR, Sickels-#18
(Dayton) .273/.344/.387/.731, 3 HR, 43 RBI

Pros: Disciplined hitter (only 59 K in 326 AB), and was voted the best defensive catcher in the minors last year. Switch hitter.
Cons: Not a power threat, still questions as to if he'll hit in higher levels.

Donald Lutz, 1B, 23, BA-UR, Sickels-UR

(Dayton) .301/.358/.492/.850, 20 HR, 75 RBI

Pros: Lots of power, and had a breakout season this year where he started hitting for average too. German fella.
Cons: Strikeouts a major issue, and doesn't walk enough. A little old for his level after 3 years of rookie ball.

Kyle Lotzkar, RHP, 22, BA-NR, Sickels-#15
(Dayton) 4.32 ERA, 66.2 IP, 72 K, 25 BB, 1.14 WHIP

Pros: Throws 3 pitches, with a fastball in the mid-90s, a good curve and a developing changeup. Gets lots of strikeouts and doesn't allow many baserunners.
Cons: Injuries. Tommy John survivor, and his mechanics haven't changed much to help alleviate that risk.

Denis Phipps, OF, 26, BA-UR, Sickels-#20
(Carolina) .328/.382/.502/.884, 7 HR, 38 RBI
(Louisville) .380/.428/.576/1.004, 5 HR, 26 RBI

Pros: Toolsy outfielder who had a huge breakout season last year. Can play all outfield positions. On the 40-man roster.
Cons: Only one good season. Still kind of old to be a "prospect", so he's more of a late bloomer. Plate discipline is still pretty awful, and had a high BABIP last year.

Gabriel Rosa, 3B, 18, BA-UR, Sickels-#17
(AZL Reds) .245/.314/.406/.719, 2 HR, 10 RBI

Pros: Good speed on the basepaths, and scouts love his plate approach.
Cons: Rookie debut wasn't spectacular, still a very raw talent.

Josh Smith, RHP, 24, BA-UR, Sickels-UR
(Dayton) 2.97 ERA, 142.1 IP, 166 K, 33 BB, 1.09 WHIP

Pros: Struck out a lot of hitters last year, was the ace for a playoff team.
Cons: According to most scouting reports, doesn't really project as anything other than a back-of-the-rotation starter at best. Low 90s fastball, and his out pitch is a breaking ball that could get exploited by better hitters at higher levels.

David Vidal, 3B, 22, BA-UR, Sickels-#13
(Dayton) .280/.350/.498/.848, 20 HR, 85 RBI

Pros: Very lively bat, hitting for both average and power. Good defense.
Cons: Still questions about his size (he's listed at 5'11"), and struck out way too much (111 in 454 AB).