Every Thursday, Minor Matters will unveil its Top 10 opposing players for the 2011 season. Yes, the Thunder are clearly the most interesting topic on this blog, but wouldn't be nice to hear about the next Matt Wieters, Carlos Santana or Stephen Strasburg to come through the Eastern League. Yeah, I thought so too.

No. 10 - Charlie Culberson













Bio: Culberson was selected in sandwich round, with the 51st pick, by the Giants in 2007, out of high school in Calhoun, Ga. He stands 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and is right-handed. He was a supplemental pick San Francisco received for the loss of Mike Stanton.

2010: With San Jose, he hit .290/.340/.797 with a career-high 16 bombs and 71 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts.

With the Scottsdale Scorpions during this Arizona Fall League, however, he's had quite the uptick in production. The slash line is a gaudy .383/.419/1.048 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and a stolen base.

What People Are Saying:

"Seeing the way he's swinging the bat right now in the Valley of the Sun, and his improved approach at the plate, I've definitely upgraded him. He's far from a finished product, but he's at least flashing the potential that made him a high pick in the first place. " -- Jason Grey, ESPN

"(A) much better hitter than I previously thought." -- Keith Law, ESPN

"Nearly all of Culberson's tools play up because of his advanced feel for the game. He has good bat speed, a patient approach at the plate, and a smooth line-drive swing. His speed is a tick above average, and he's an outstanding base runner. In the field, he has good fundamentals and a strong arm." Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus, 2008

When You Can See Him: Culberson will move up to Double-A for 2011. The Flying Squirrels come in to Waterfront Park from April 18-20 and July 28-31.