No. 96 with a bullet

Projecting the path a baseball prospect will take is less than scientific . Some players, like Ken Griffey Jr., are easy to project. Others, like Mike Piazza (once a 62-round draft pick), aren't.

At any rate, Baseball America tries to do just that and, in their latest Top 100 prospects, tagged Sean West (right) No. 96.

The former Captain Shreve left-hander will be 20 years old on opening day and is expected to open the season either at High Class A Jupiter or possibly Double-A Carolina, where the Marlins have had great success with their young pitchers lately.

West is a hard-throwing left-hander. Velocity is something that can be improved. Being left-handed isn't.

Given the paucity of quality left-handed pitchers, it isn't hard to see West making a move upward from his No. 96 status in the coming seasons.