The Giants surprised some by paying him $2.5 million (late first-round money) in the third round in the 2020 draft. Wood still swung and missed too often the summer after signing, but his approach clicked in 2022 to the point that he was done a disservice not being promoted to High-A by Washington after being the headliner in the Juan Soto trade (ahead of Robert Hassell and Jarlin Susana, both later on this list, and MacKenzie Gore, who has graduated but was on last year's list). As a prep draft prospect in 2019, Volpe was seen as a skills-over-tools type with good makeup that was a likely big leaguer, but without big upside in large part because of the power ceiling due to his size (listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds.). Type: Another well-rounded, lanky center fielder with power questions. There's an inherent injury risk from simply throwing that hard, no matter how careful, strong and flexible you are, and Espino is all three of those. He was dealt to Baltimore last summer as the headliner in a package for closer Jorge Lopez. He is likely an offensive-oriented backup who can DH, play first base or offer depth at third until his defense gets to the level of a nailed-down starter. Hassell was the No. The Cardinals' offseason signing of Willson Contreras and retaining of Andrew Knizner blocks Herrera's path to immediate big league playing time, especially with the glut of young position players who are in St. Louis or close. He isn't the most nimble individual laterally, so his future at shortstop is a real question, though he could play at second or third base. First, "type," which categorizes a player for comparison among other players. He is shorter than you'd prefer an elite pitching prospect at 6-feet tall, but was a plus athlete with a plus-plus-slider, mid-90s heat and plenty of changeup and command to make it all work. That said, scouts I spoke with aren't getting the fuzzy feelings they got with Acuna and Tatis at the same stage and there's some worry that Chuorio could be more of a fringy on-base threat who needs to get to most of his power -- maybe more like Luis Robert? He might not be able to do all three of those, but even just two of the three means he ends up like Bichette, Adames, or Bogaerts, who last year put up 4.5, 4.7, and 6.1 WAR, respectively. Panthers in awe after ousting 'unbelievable' Bruins, Curry sets G7 record with 50 as Dubs move on, Bills sign veteran RB Murray to one-year deal, Harper may return Tue., 160 days post-TJ surgery, Sources: Wrexham rewarded with Vegas trip, LB Barrett's 2-year-old daughter drowns in pool, Grizz's Brooks doesn't regret verbal jab at LeBron, Kraken win 1st playoff series, oust champion Avs, 'It's going to be epic': Stephen Curry and LeBron James face off -- again. He'll turn 25 in a few weeks and is penciled in as Texas' Opening Day third baseman with no platoon partner, so there's some real immediate MLB upside here. As you'd probably guess, he's ranked up here now because his velocity is up from 90-92 mph in college to 93-96 mph, which plays as an above-average pitch. Type: Late-blooming midrotation righty with a great changeup. How the Savannah Bananas are changing the rules of baseball. The only real thing to nitpick on at this point is it's hard to imagine him having a 70- or 80-grade tool on the card, but not being able to find a substantive weakness is a good sign in a player. Mayo got an overslot bonus of $1.75 million, equivalent to an early second-round pick, in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He has above-average command of a 94-96 mph fastball and mixes in a plus slider as his primary out pitch, but his solid-average curveball and changeup also have their moments. Collier went to junior college and reclassified into the 2022 draft class, but Johnson won the draft head-to-head. In the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to the Padres, some rumors about behind-the-scenes details circulated across the industry. The upside is limited a bit by his average speed and likely long-term fit in right field. These tools also scale to commonly used numbers. I'm using the same description as last year because Dominguez is still the same player. He'll be 22 years old when the minor league season starts with a chase rate that is a 30-grade ability. The idea that Perez could be big league ready with four plus pitches and plus command as he's turning 20 years old this season is completely absurd so I'm going to stop worrying and enjoy the ride. Cartaya is a bit better defensively, with a better chance to stick behind the plate, helped by an easy-plus arm. Type: Hit-over-power catcher who is ready for the big leagues. Casas has held serve due to a sweet swing and an elite hit/approach/power combination that has continued to make him look like an above-average everyday player even while he has long shown little to no speed or defensive value. The profiles are similar -- Carter has a notch more hit/on-base ability and Cowser has a notch more power -- but the O's development group has a strong track record of improving hitters like this. That's plenty exciting, but the margin for error gets much smaller if he's first-base-only. The only real concern here is that if he loses a notch of athleticism and moves down the defensive spectrum, he's probably playing first base -- and would he then also lose some quickness at the plate? Some execs suggested scooting Espino down to the back of this tier due to that risk, but all of them recognized he could also break out this year. Its intent is to explain a player's ranking in a handful of simple words by saying they remind me of a current All-Star and have that as their high-risk upside, but you can also see why a lower-risk player might rank higher. I'll split the difference and call both Mayer's hit and power tools 55-grade ability (.270 with 20-25 homers), but either could also be a 60, and there are no concerns that he can post at least average defensive performances at shortstop. In Low-A, Rodriguez had walked 57 times and struck out 52 times through 47 games. He's now 21 years old and has been steadily moving along that path with no real hiccups since going No. He is also a level (or two) below Peraza defensively, so whenever they do both grab everyday roles, Peraza should be the shortstop with Volpe more likely to move to second base. LHP: Brandon Barriera (TOR), Matthew Liberatore (STL), Kyle Muller (OAK), Jared Shuster (ATL), Carson Whisenhunt (SF), Brandon Williamson (CIN) C: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Orioles. Now buzz is growing that Painter might break camp with the big league team this spring, as GM Dave Dombrowski remains one of few GMs in the league not trying to win a gold medal in the Service Time Olympics. That physical development now makes staying in the infield defensively a longer shot, but his bat will profile anywhere. It all adds up to arguably more upside at draft time than even Byron Buxton and almost any other prep hitter in recent memory. He also has a slider and changeup that both flash above average but are rarely used. It was a first for Topps. The Royals have had trouble getting to the next stage of their rebuild, but they haven't had trouble producing solid infielders. It's never likely any player turns into the Hall of Famer they resemble most, but even if comparing a prospect to Scherzer -- the outlier of outliers -- is a fool's errand, it's just hard to ignore the profiles being similar. This offseason's four biggest free agents signed massive megadeals that are not only risky, but that started a historic hot stove trend. Type: Power-over-hit with unclear positional future. The report On Mauricio has been about the same for four years: He has plus power potential, plus arm strength, slick actions at shortstop, and above average feel for the bat head, but swings far too often. You can see why the Padres wouldn't include both Wood and Merrill along with the others in the Juan Soto trade package: They could both be franchise cornerstones if it all clicks. The Orioles have the best farm system in baseball, but after landing Moreno in an offseason trade that sent outfielder Daulton Varsho to Toronto, Arizona has two of the top three prospects in the sport -- and both are ready for the big leagues right now. Today's list kicks off our 2023 top prospect coverage with our ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems coming Friday and our team-by-team prospect lists for both leagues scheduled to follow next week. I didn't think then and don't think now that this is an issue, as Holliday seems plenty coachable to dial things in. Ranking the top MLB prospects for all 15 NL teams, roughly the 200th-ranked prospect in basebal. The comp thing starts to bother me here, because Holliday, Merrill, Montgomery, Mayer and Henderson, all in the top 18, are all advanced hit/power combos at shortstop without great big league comps (unless you squint at their size, and say maybe Corey Seager). Hit: 35/55, Game Power: 35/55, Raw Power: 55/60, Speed: 45/45, Fielding: 45/50, Throwing: 60/60, Reminds me of: Christian Yelich, but at shortstop. Manzardo was a late-rising draft prospect at Washington State leading up to the 2021 draft, getting sandwich-round buzz despite a number of teams seeing him more as a third- or fourth-rounder. Type: Funky lefty with above average stuff and feel. He is now 23 and about average defensively at third base, but can contribute at all four corner spots. Johnson, like many of the hitters at the top of this list, has plus bat speed, pitch selection, raw power and in-game power. Collier, son of big leaguer Lou, reclassified into the 2022 class by enrolling at Chipola junior college and had a pretty remarkable spring for a 17-year-old facing largely 20- to-22-year-old pitchers: .333/.419/.537 with 8 homers, 12 doubles, 25 walks and 33 strikeouts. Miller was a tough evaluation at Texas A&M leading up to the 2021 draft. He's big league ready, and those defensive issues are the only thing making anyone hesitate. Those aren't major concerns right now, though, as he's got massive power in games, is young and talented enough to make adjustments, and is much younger than the pitchers he is facing. His glove looks like it'll be enough to be fringe to average at third base. James Triantos, 3B, Chicago Cubs He doesn't really use a changeup but more starters are now going multiple innings with two distinct breaking pitches, like Flores has. He had a fantastic 2021 season punctuated by a legendary duel with Kumar Rocker in a Super Regional, where Williams went 7.1 innings with 13 strikeouts in a losing effort. Jake Eder, LHP, Miami Marlins Type: A 6-5 (or possibly taller! Type: Plus athlete who is above average at everything. Kiley McDaniel's top 100 MLB prospects for 2023: Which future star is No. After Jones' shoulder surgery and with some positive post-signing performances, Holliday has now opened up a bit of a lead over the other two. Verlander's ability to change what he does every few years is that rare skill that separates him from the more ordinary outcomes we can also see from pitchers ranked this high. Reminds me of: If you put at shrink ray on Bryce Harper, trading some power for a lot more speed. Type: Big power, fine contact, unclear position. Over the past two seasons, he's hit 40 homers with a walk rate over 10% and strikeout rate under 20%, finishing 2022 at Triple-A. Type: Advanced hitter growing into his power. A 10-15 homer likelihood eats into his overall upside, but he may be plus at everything else on the field and has lots of pro scouting support for his ranking after an excellent 30-game stint in Double-A after signing. He's an above-average hitter with a good sense of the strike zone and average raw power, though his power production will likely be a tick below average. Martinez seems like a familiar kind of prospect. He lasted until the 22nd pick in the 2021 draft and was 13th on my board. Scouts now think he's a fringy defensive shortstop, right on the border of having to move to second base, basically as a tradeoff from that added power. It has worked out so far because he has plus stuff with plus athleticism and when you can marry that with good makeup, it's often all that matters. The question on Luciano's future is what position he'll play, with third base and corner outfield the leading options even though he's still only played shortstop in his pro career. Alcantara is a superlative athlete with plus raw power, plus speed once he gets going and an above-average arm. Cristian Hernandez, SS, Chicago Cubs Throw a dart.". Reminds me of: There isn't a perfect comp, but the best and most recent example is that huge 6.3 WAR season Brandon Crawford put up in 2021. Also, Justin Verlander was sort of like this in the low minors -- and that's after spending three years in college. Since he's a bottom-of-the-scale runner, Quero would become a first baseman if he can't catch, so his progress behind the plate (his arm is average, receiving is a bit behind that) will be important to monitor over the next couple seasons. This year, Painter will need to upgrade the command a notch, though his stuff is good enough that average control (throwing it over the plate) and fringy command (hitting his spot) could be enough to make him one of the Phillies' top five rotation options pretty soon. All this to say, the pick seemed like a great one for the White Sox at the time and has worked out even better than expected so far. Need to know what to make of the moves that shape the offseason? Lawlar has excellent feel for the game and has always hit well in games, along with being a plus-plus baserunner, while the defensive questions are mostly a matter of focus, so I have no doubt he'll round into a solid average defender. Quinn Priester, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates They are among six quarterbacks in our top 50. Now Manzardo may be knocking on the door of the big leagues late in 2023, just two years after being a divisive draft prospect. Type: One of the best amateur hitters in recent memory, with Jose Ramirez or Rafael Devers vibes. Arroyo got a promotion to High-A late in the year, hitting 14 homers and stealing 25 bases across both levels. He was preferred as a shortstop out of high school when he went 54th overall, but he was still raw at the plate. He spent a year at a junior college, then two years exclusively in the bullpen for the Aggies, eventually being passed over in the five-round 2020 draft. This is a somewhat familiar song to prospect watchers; Nate Pearson was sort of like this a few years ago, Forrest Whitley before him, and so on. Type: 6-foot-5 likely third baseman with plus power and arm strength. Lee was a late-first-round prospect in high school, but teams were ultimately scared off by a back issue. Cue the "how do they keep getting away with this" memes. Amador gives plenty of margin for error in his projection as the base of his skills -- plus hitter, plus pitch selection, switch-hitter, plus runner, plus arm, solid-average defender at shortstop -- check a ton of boxes while his performance in 2022 was better than anyone could've expected. Dave & Adams Card World has announced a bounty on the autographed 1/1 SuperFractor in 2023 Bowman. 1 overall pick as early as his sophomore year of high school in Southern California. 50 is major league average (which is a really good present tool for a minor leaguer), 55 is above average, 45 is below average, 60 is called plus (one standard deviation above average), 70 is plus-plus (two standard deviations), and 80 (three) is the top of the 20-80 scale, where just a handful of players in the big leagues reside. Reminds me of: A Giants low-slot lefty starter with above average stuff and command. 1, Panthers' Bryce Young is all 'business now', XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. Similar to Carter above, Cowser is a lanky 6-3, a solid center fielder with above average speed, plus hit and pitch selection abilities and good-not-great power. On the other hand, I think he'll be good enough to play an average shortstop (sliding over if the Bombers have a true plus defender to force him to shift over) and deliver an above average on-base percentage with a chance for 25-30 homers. His slider and changeup are both above-average-to-plus and his curveball plays around average but brings a nice additional look to the table. O'Hoppe delivered what many (including myself) thought would be a breakout 2022 season, hitting .275/.392/.496 with 15 homers in 75 games in Double-A for the Phillies before the trade. Type: Switch-hitting shortstop with massive upside, bad pitch selection. How bright is your team's future? Top MLB rookies for 2023 include Corbin Carroll, Gunnar He If this all feels negative, he is ranked this high because he could break out and hit .270 with 25 homers at shortstop if things ever just click into place. He does a version of the trendy mound positioning I describe in Kyle Harrison's blurb, slinging from a low slot with good extension. Join or start a league for free >>. As you can probably guess, the question here is on the overall offensive impact. On last year's list, I ranked Perez 55th and said he "has the most attractive rsum an 18-year-old pitcher can have" while explaining that a young, hard-throwing, super tall right-hander with changeup ahead of breaking ball isn't a type I like to bet on, and it also seems impossible that a kid this young and tall can keep throwing strikes like this. After publishing my final rankings, I heard lots of buzz that Rushing would go in the 20s and I would've slid him up into that range in the days before the draft, buying into his hit/power combo and trusting that he'd figure out a way to stick behind the plate. Garcia is a plus hitter with an excellent approach and a steady glove at shortstop, but below-average in-game power. The real reason for excitement here, like during that initial pitch by an agent, is that after a strong first full pro season, Montgomery may now have plus bat control, pitch selection, bat speed, and raw power -- so it's just a matter of how he wants to use those abilities at the plate, to be more contact- or power-oriented. His rise has been a slow burn as the Cards have tried to manage his workload, but Hence was outrageously good in 16 starts in Low-A last year. 2023 ESPN 100 Watchlist Hence was a late-rising prospect in the 2020 draft who probably would've gone higher with a healthy spring for scouts to watch him. He opted to go to a SoCal junior college so that he'd be eligible again in 2021. That's also gone something like scouts expected, as he's now facing competition closer to his talent level. Francisco lvarez, C, Mets. Caminero kicks off a three-man "maybe they haven't totally earned it on paper yet, but lots of smart people are buying in, so I am too" group as winners of a straw poll for spots near the end of the list. His numbers were actually better in 2022 than 2021 and his slider became his best secondary pitch. Hit: 40/55, Game Power: 40/60, Raw Power: 55/60, Speed: 50/45, Fielding: 40/50, Throwing: 55/55. Rocchio doesn't come with sexy upside as he's 5-10 and his best selling points are plus contact skills, a solid approach and a steady glove at shortstop. I've decided to put him at the back of that slam-dunk group yet ahead of the riskier, health-challenged, less-proven or less-talented prospects who follow on this list. Type: Similar to Anthony Rizzo at the plate, but less talented in the field. I mention this because Vargas is big-league-ready with plus bat control, plus pitch selection and 41 homers over the past two seasons -- even though his power will probably play closer to average at the big league level. Peraza had a solid 18-game big league audition at the end of last season and showed his plus speed, plus glove and above-average arm. WebStatcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Hit: 45/60, Game Power: 50/60, Raw Power: 60/60, Speed: 50/50, Fielding: 45/50, Throwing: 55/55, Type: Above-average offense from a pretty good defensive shortstop, Reminds me of: Bo Bichette or Willy Adames. That said, there's also a compelling argument that Carroll offers value in more facets. Type: Power-and-patience outfielder with limited pro experience. Joon Lee . His velocity is still new, he's only made 18 pro appearances, and his command is a notch behind Harrison's. But you have to nitpick at this point of the list. Like fellow two-way Mississippi prep player Austin Riley, position player was the right call and Keith hit the ground running at the plate with a solid year at High-A followed by an Arizona Fall League appearance at age 20. I tend to be more positive, especially with younger players, on issues like this because if a few teams really believe a prospect can stick at a position, there is a good chance he will. First base isn't the only option -- some scouts thought Soderstrom could play third at draft time, so don't rule out other corner spots. Jameson sits 96-98 -- sometimes reaching triple digits -- with solid fastball command and a plus slider that drew whiffs 40% of the time last year. Type: Easy plus power, some questions on contact and position. Caminero is a strong 19-year-old righty hitter with plus bat control, plus raw power and a decent idea of the strike zone already. There is a chance he's a 55-grade hitter with above-average pitch selection and 55 in-game power, average speed and average defense at second base, which is surprisingly similar to Gleyber Torres' 2022 season. Michael Hall*, DT, Ohio State. So I've given up on any doubt: Perez is the best pitching prospect in the minors. The list, ranking prospects from This makes the plane as close to flat as possible. The issue now is that the track record of pitchers with that title isn't great. 3 or 4 in a rotation looking most likely. Liover Peguero, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates In addition to talk that the Nats asked for Padres SS Jackson Merrill along with the package that ultimately landed Soto, there has been buzz that GM Mike Rizzo attempted to expand the deal to bring Painter (great pitcher name!) He also has a rare, plus-plus ability to put the bat on the ball and a good enough approach (call it average pitch selection) that his contact skills show up in his raw stat line. There's also a lot of uncertainty with prospects, so it's by default looking at the rosier potential outcomes compared to some current MLB players. I mention Realmuto as a comp since the athleticism is comparable and Realmuto had a power spike in his third full MLB year; the tools are here for Moreno to make a similar leap. Wood transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, was on the national stage for a couple summers, then had a bad spring while Merrill popped up. There's a real shot he torches spring training, continues being ahead of schedule and grabs a spot in the big league lineup sooner than later in 2023, making me look a bit silly for hedging. If he doesn't, he's a high variance corner wrong-side-of-the-platoon guy who is just an OK defender. He inexplicably slipped to the No. He's still young enough that he can dial things in, but his glove and simply putting the ball in play will likely make him a low-end starter at minimum. Harrison, an interesting low-slot lefty starter, had a good summer showcase season and a solid spring out of a NorCal high school, but he was still working mostly 89-92 with stuff that flashed above average to plus at times. You can expect a .260ish average with a plus walk rate (call it a .350 on-base percentage), plus power (let's say 25 homers -- but I bet he cracks 30 at least once) and above-average defense at third base, good enough to fill in at shortstop if needed. There's all kinds of conditions and exceptions beyond how I simply describe it there, but Craig Kimbrel and A.J. The start of spring training is just around the corner, and that means it is time for an annual rite of passage ahead of the new MLB season: ranking the top 100 prospects in baseball. At the plate, he has an average hit tool and pitch selection -- have to hope those don't end up being a notch or two lower -- with 25-30 home run upside if it all clicks. He also stole 28 bases and still looks like an above-average defender at shortstop, so all the elements are here. Team-by-team top 10 lists: NL | AL . Players. I graded him as a second-rounder that spring -- he was sitting 90-92 with 55-grade stuff -- and was when he lasted until the 91st pick. Prospect Rankings Depth Charts MLB Players He's also a really good player but further down that spectrum is Lewis Brinson, with both versions of Cody Bellinger somewhere between those two examples. He's behind Cartaya defensively and in arm strength (Alvarez, too). It is important to remember that he is facing pitchers who are generally five years older than him and these issues tend to be fixable for young, superlative talents. and, on the right night, he has three plus secondary pitches with enough control and command to turn over a lineup a few times. That said, Elly consistently hits the ball hard and can leg out infield hits, so I wouldn't just assume he's a locked-in .240 hitter against big league pitching, either. Before diving into pitchers that will almost certainly be available in your league, make sure you check if Jose Berrios (63% owned) has been dropped. ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel launched his annual list of the Top 100 Major League Baseball Prospects today on ESPN+. He was nearly the full package as a shortstop, with only power missing, and also a second-or-third round talent as a pitcher, with easy mid-90s heat, but he simply wasn't interested in pursuing pitching as a pro.
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