MiLB Top 10 Prospects Flashback: 1995 Gulf Coast League
Image credit: Roy Halladay (Photo by Tom DiPace)
The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League is where many high school and international prospects make their first domestic pro appearances. The GCL is where superstars ranging from Sammy Sosa (1986) to Andruw Jones and Vladimir Guerrero (1994) to Clayton Kershaw (2006) to Juan Soto (2016) first gained helium.
In 1995 the Gulf Coast League featured 10 first-round picks from that year’s draft, including No. 1 prospect Chad Hermansen, No. 2 Andy Yount, No. 5 Roy Halladay and No. 6 Michael Barrett. Halladay developed into a Hall of Famer, while two of the best prospects in the league turned out to be not draft picks but Venezuelan shortstops Alex Gonzalez (No. 3) and Carlos Guillen (No. 4).
1995 Gulf Coast League Top 10 Prospects
| No | Player | Pos | Team | Org | PA/IP | WAR |
| 1 | Chad Hermansen | SS | GCL Pirates | Pirates | 541 | -2.5 |
| 2 | Andy Yount | RHP | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | — | — |
| 3 | Alex Gonzalez | SS | GCL Marlins | Marlins | 5,528 | 11.3 |
| 4 | Carlos Guillen | SS | GCL Astros | Astros | 5,277 | 25.5 |
| 5 | Roy Halladay | RHP | GCL Blue Jays | Blue Jays | 2,749 | 71.1 |
| 6 | Michael Barrett | SS | GCL Expos | Expos | 3,873 | 5.9 |
| 7 | Julio Ramirez | OF | GCL Marlins | Marlins | 103 | -0.5 |
| 8 | D’Angelo Jimenez | SS | GCL Yankees | Yankees | 2,480 | 7.7 |
| 9 | Carlos Beltran | OF | GCL Royals | Royals | 11,031 | 67.9 |
| 10 | Gary Coffee | 1B | GCL Royals | Royals | — | — |
Halladay showcased a “93-94 mph fastball” and “above-average curve and slider,” though “nerves got the better of him” in his first few outings before he settled in. He struck out 48 batters and recorded a 3.40 ERA in 50 innings.
Beltran earned a comparison to a young Eric Davis from his own manager, because he had “exceptional speed and throws well.” Beltran hit .278 with five steals in 52 games in his pro debut but did not yet show the power he would later develop.
Guillen missed 1994 with a shoulder injury and did not play the field in 1995 because of an elbow injury. Injuries would continue to plague him throughout his 14-year big league career. In the GCL, Guillen showed “power to all fields,” was an “above-average basestealer” and had a “rifle arm.”
Managers singled out Gonzalez for his “exceptional hands, range, quickness and arm strength,” which were the foundation of his 16-year big league career.
Gulf Coast League All-Time BA No. 1 Prospects
Players listed with career major league plate appearances/innings and FanGraphs WAR. Stats for active players current through mid August.
| Year | Player | Pos | Team | Org | PA/IP | WAR |
| 1982 | Shawon Dunston | SS | GCL Cubs | Cubs | 6,276 | 7.4 |
| 1983 | Joel Davis | RHP | GCL White Sox | White Sox | 248 | 1.5 |
| 1984 | Drew Denson | OF | GCL Braves | Braves | 44 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | Glen Braxton | OF | GCL White Sox | White Sox | — | — |
| 1986 | Kevin Dean | OF | GCL Expos | Expos | — | — |
| 1987 | Mark Merchant | OF | GCL Pirates | Pirates | — | — |
| 1988 | Hugh Walker | OF | GCL Royals | Royals | — | — |
| 1989 | Sterling Hitchcock | LHP | GCL Yankees | Yankees | 1,286 | 8.8 |
| Year | Player | Pos | Team | Org | PA/IP | WAR |
| 1990 | Rondell White | OF | GCL Expos | Expos | 5,852 | 23.8 |
| 1991 | Cliff Floyd | 1B | GCL Expos | Expos | 6,063 | 24.7 |
| 1992 | Johnny Damon | OF | GCL Royals | Royals | 10,917 | 44.4 |
| 1993 | Julio Santana | RHP | GCL Rangers | Rangers | 479 | 0.5 |
| 1994 | Sergio Nunez | 2B | GCL Royals | Royals | — | — |
| 1995 | Chad Hermansen | SS | GCL Pirates | Pirates | 541 | -2.5 |
| 1996 | Luis Rivas | SS | GCL Twins | Twins | 2,290 | -0.2 |
| 1997 | Marquis Roberts | LHP | GCL Rays | Rays | — | — |
| 1998 | Juan Rivera | OF | GCL Yankees | Yankees | 3,787 | 6.4 |
| 1999 | Chip Ambres | OF | GCL Marlins | Marlins | 218 | -0.4 |
| Year | Player | Pos | Team | Org | PA/IP | WAR |
| 2000 | Tony Blanco | 3B | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | 65 | -0.6 |
| 2001 | Chad Petty | LHP | GCL Tigers | Tigers | — | — |
| 2002 | Hanley Ramirez | SS | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | 7,127 | 41.5 |
| 2003 | Eric Duncan | 3B | GCL Yankees | Yankees | — | — |
| 2004 | Luis Soto | SS | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | — | — |
| 2005 | Andrew McCutchen | OF | GCL Pirates | Pirates | 6,849 | 49.5 |
| 2006 | Clayton Kershaw | LHP | GCL Dodgers | Dodgers | 2,299 | 73.6 |
| 2007 | Michael Burgess | OF | GCL Nationals | Nationals | — | — |
| 2008 | Aaron Hicks | OF | GCL Twins | Twins | 2,570 | 12.2 |
| 2009 | Christian Bethancourt | C | GCL Braves | Braves | 489 | -1.9 |
| Year | Player | Pos | Team | Org | PA/IP | WAR |
| 2010 | Gary Sanchez | C | GCL Yankees | Yankees | 1,655 | 11.6 |
| 2011 | Dante Bichette Jr. | 3B | GCL Yankees | Yankees | — | — |
| 2012 | Byron Buxton | OF | GCL Twins | Twins | 1,440 | 7.9 |
| 2013 | Austin Meadows | OF | GCL Pirates | Pirates | 847 | 4.6 |
| 2014 | Rafael Devers | 3B | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | 1,534 | 7.4 |
| 2015 | Anderson Espinoza | RHP | GCL Red Sox | Red Sox | — | — |
| 2016 | Mickey Moniak | OF | GCL Phillies | Phillies | 18 | -0.2 |
| 2017 | Royce Lewis | SS | GCL Twins | Twins | — | — |
| 2018 | Luis Garcia | SS | GCL Phillies | Phillies | — | — |
| 2019 | Orelvis Martinez | SS/3B | GCL Blue Jays | Blue Jays | — | — |
Comments are closed.