Baseball America, one of the most cited names in regards to ranking baseball prospects, has Seattle Mariners prospect Jharmidy DeJesus on their latest “Prospect Hot Sheet” at number 8, surrounded by some of baseball’s brightest prospects, including David Price, Zach McAllister, Elvis Andrus, Brandon Wood, Matt Weiters and others.  Here’s what they had to say about DeJesus:

Team: Rookie-level AZL Mariners (Arizona League)
Age: 18
Why He’s Here: .400/.455/1.050 (8-for-20), 1 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 BB, 4 SO
The Scoop:It takes a pretty impressive performance from a complex-league player to land on the Hot Sheet, but DeJesus turned some heads with the power he displayed this week. DeJesus was signed last year out of the Dominican Republic for $1 million as a shortstop, but his big frame has already warranted a move to third base. Many draw comparisons between DeJesus and Carlos Triunfel, another prized Mariners shortstop prospect, but DeJesus has shown more power than Triunfel displayed in his first two professional seasons. DeJesus’ success should not come as a complete surprise as he was highly touted coming out of the Dominican Republic and is a year older than most international signees from 2007, because he didn’t sign in 2006, when he was eligible, due to his bonus demands.

When I put together my All Minor League Team post a few days ago, DeJesus was merely an afterthought. Not because he didn’t deserve to be on there, but because I had written the entire thing before remembering him, not to mention he was playing for Seattle’s lowest minor league affiliate. Either way, this guy has just been promoted to Everett and will find himself top-5 prospect status sooner than later, if he hasn’t already.  You can see his complete 2008 statistics here.

UPDATE: Didn’t catch this, but Churchill’s latest “Farm Report” is focused on DeJesus as well.  It’s full of some good info, so check it out!

UPDATE: The photographer objected to me using the photo of DeJesus without purchasing it, so I had to remove it.  If you want to see what this kid looks like, follow the Baseball America link above.