Davis is most likely a first baseman if catching doesn't work out. Now Manzardo may be knocking on the door of the big leagues late in 2023, just two years after being a divisive draft prospect. He was part of the pandemic-affected 2020 draft class and came out of the gates slower than expected that spring, then never got a chance to right the ship. The Guardians took him 23rd overall, which was seen as a gamble at the time for the aforementioned reasons, but Williams was up to 101 mph with two plus breaking balls and showing starter command and a playable changeup, so the Cleveland pitching development machine seemed like a great landing spot. Pro scouts have been doing backflips since his 28-game stint in Low-A, praising Rushing to the point where I just threw out my pre-draft eval and accepted I was too light, just like a number of teams were. Type: Late-inning-caliber power stuff, but he can turn over a lineup at least once. Michael Busch, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers Reminds me of: He's somewhere in the Venn diagram of Gary Sanchez, Cal Raleigh, Salvador Perez and Willson Contreras. He also would occasionally show a curve and changeup depending on if he needed them that day, and he hit his spots surprisingly well for a young power arm. WebHigh School Baseball Recruiting Database. In his full-season debut, Williams flipped his offensive scouting report on its head, striking out 32% of the time and hitting 19 homers, leaning into the power from his newly added bulk. Fast forward a few years and Gonzales isn't anywhere close to this list while Ortiz should get a big league look this year, tracking like a solid everyday shortstop. Throw a dart.". 21 overall in the 2021 draft as a high-floor lefty from Kansas State with a plus changeup and above-average command but a fastball, slider, and curveball that were all fringy. 9. I'm gonna stop you right there. ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel launched his annual list of the Top 100 Major League Baseball Prospects today on ESPN+. Luckily, he's good enough that he'll be in the big leagues well before that -- he's 19 now and finished his season with a trip to Double-A. He inexplicably slipped to the No. Type: Snake-bitten by injuries, but with a bag of above-average tools. He has a power-over-hit profile right now, but it's still early enough that it could evolve. He's also a solid-average runner and defender who is passable in center field in addition to having a plus arm. A handful of teams ran him up their boards after seeing him before the shutdown because the projection was so enticing. 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. 40 overall pick, where the Dodgers were fortunate to scoop him up with a slot bonus. Some advanced bat-to-ball prospects fall into bad habits against weak pitching in the minors -- swinging at anything close because they can hit it -- that creates issues against big league pitching; that isn't the case here. 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? The Texans would jump at the chance to take Bryce Young It helps his knockout, plus-plus changeup, which he throws almost as much as his heater, drew a 50% whiff rate last season across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. His changeup is still plus and with the added arm speed, his two breaking pitches now play above average. The analytics models that teams now use love nothing more than when a prospect is 1) young for his level, 2) plays an up-the-middle position well and 3) posts in-game exit velos that are way above average. There's all kinds of conditions and exceptions beyond how I simply describe it there, but Craig Kimbrel and A.J. The top of this year's list is ruled by two up-and-coming teams that boast the strongest farm systems in the sport -- the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks -- with their brightest young stars now starting to hit the major leagues. In his favor, Mead had a strong 2022 season with 13 homers in 76 games, showing control of the strike zone and posting gaudy surface numbers. You can see why he slid to the fourth round but also why some teams were excited to scoop up a power arm with a plus fastball, three other pitches that all flashed above-average potential, and success as an SEC starter. Before the Mariners took Ford with the 12th pick of the 2021 MLB draft, I described him as a powerlifter who is also a yoga instructor. Realmuto's career. Jung was 19th on last year's list -- and a strong second-tier AL ROY candidate. If he does, he'll hit 30 homers, give us fun bat flips and nobody will care much that he's just OK defensively. Ji-Hwan Bae, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates His limitation is that he probably will hit just 10 to 15 homers annually, with more gap power than anything else. He made the leap in 2022, crushing High-A and Double-A with a 70-grade heater that sits 95-97 with bat-missing life at the top of the zone along with a two-plane slider and changeup that are above-average to plus. Youth. He needed Tommy John surgery soon after turning pro, then had the lost 2020 minor league season, so he began his pro career in 2021 but only threw 35.1 innings because of a broken hand, with his breakout coming in the Arizona Fall League. The selling points here are three 70-grade tools: speed, defense in center field, and arm strength, along with a projectable frame that has plus power potential and a long track record of hitting strong pitching. Despite being young at every level, he has demonstrated above average pitch selection and, at least average contact skills. Going back to high school, he would sit in the upper 90s and regularly hit 100 mph or higher. Type: Big league-ready hit-over-power shortstop. Lewis isn't a slam dunk at the plate, either, as he has long had issues tinkering with his swing and dialing in his approach, but he is so naturally talented -- plus raw power, plus speed, feel for the game -- that he'll likely figure it out once he gets back onto the field. 3 or 4 in a rotation looking most likely. He likely would've gotten more money with a full spring, but he had an up-and-down summer with some swing tinkering. Type: Smaller-framed shortstop with sure bat and glove, sneaky power. Lewis has been on the verge of sticking in the big leagues for years now -- but the 2017 No. First, "type," which categorizes a player for comparison among other players. Type: Advanced hitter growing into his power. Henderson was No. I tend to round up on certain types (plus tools, plus makeup, middling stats) and round down on others (now velocity, teenaged right-handers). 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. Prospect Rankings Depth Charts MLB Players Miller was a tough evaluation at Texas A&M leading up to the 2021 draft. Type: Hit-over-power catcher who is ready for the big leagues. Type: Switch-hitting shortstop with above-average power and speed. Lee is fine as a fill-in shortstop but fits well at third base, and he's a savant in the batter's box. His fastball command is the main area for improvement, and he'll spend 2023 in the upper minors, where hitters are good enough to force him to improve. In the 2020 draft, Tiedemann was an intriguing 17-year-old prep lefty whose price wasn't met. ESPN's baseball experts released their list of top-100 players on Thursday, with 25 of 30 MLB teams represented. Flores is on a path to go from a completely anonymous junior college pitcher to a top-100 prospect making his big league debut in a three-year span. I mention Alonso as the comp because he also has a simple, low-maintenance swing and massive power that he regularly gets to in games. The sales pitch today is the same as draft time in 2020: plus hit/approach/power and the feel to get to it in games. 34 overall pick in 2019, as a mid-major pitcher from Ball State with some violence to his delivery and below-average command. Elly De La Cruz is going to become appointment viewing once he gets to the TV league, in the same way that Oneil Cruz and Fernando Tatis Jr. lit up Statcast on a nightly basis when they hit the big leagues, Velo: 95-99, Fastball: 65/70, Slider: 55/60, Curveball: 50/60, Changeup: 45/55, Command: 40/50, Reminds me of: (leans in, whispering, looking around) Justin Verlander. Tiedemann has east/west-oriented stuff with a tailing fastball, sweepy slider and diving changeup. He now sits at 94 to 98 with a plus run-and-ride to his heater, a plus-or-better-flashing hybrid 83 to 85 mph breaking ball and a changeup that's also above average at times. I usually try not to put too much weight on makeup reports because teams won't tell you bad stuff, but the raving out of San Diego on Merrill's is overwhelming. 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. If you can pair that dorky fastball plane theory with some good scouting meat-and-potatoes stuff like plus command and plus offspeed stuff, then you're talking about the ingredients for a guy capable of a lot of strikeouts. Play Ball Youth Baseball & Softball. To wit, two clubs that evaluate players in similar ways gave me wildly different feedback: One said he's probably not a catcher and to move him off the top 100, while another said he belonged in the top 30 spots. But it's TBD if this is indicative of what he'll be going forward, or if he should be given some grace from a rocky 2022 season, and we assume he'll revert back to the style of hitter he was the previous five seasons I've scouted him. Alcantara is a superlative athlete with plus raw power, plus speed once he gets going and an above-average arm. 1, Panthers' Bryce Young is all 'business now', XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. The Rays scooped him up in the fifth round and his breakout season occurred in 2021. They're similar in offering long-term performance, tools and having successful MLB time under their belts. 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. Type: Above average in all offensive facets, limited defensively. Even at just 19, Holliday has a chance to move quickly through the minors and up this list. Type: Power-and-patience package at the plate, probably a catcher. Julio Rodriguez improved a good bit on chase rate just last season after pitch selection was his biggest question mark as a top prospect. On top of that, he wasn't really experienced as a pitcher, learning how to be a starting pitcher in college and with no pitching guru help growing up, so there was room for development. I'll lean to the higher offensive potential in Mayo, who also happens to be in a better farm system for hitter development, though the White Sox are trending up with Colson Montgomery, Ramos, Oscar Colas and Lenyn Sosa having strong 2022 seasons. The next two players are catchers who either could be a first baseman with below average contact skills while the other likely never hits 20 homers. I think he'll be a superior backup option to Knizner by the end of 2023. Esteury Ruiz, CF, Oakland Athletics They are among six quarterbacks in our top 50. That's plenty exciting, but the margin for error gets much smaller if he's first-base-only. Now you can see where the dart throwing comes in. Type: Late bloomer with above-average tools. Dominguez has explosive, plus-plus raw power, plus foot speed, and a plus arm packed into a muscular 5-10 frame. That's largely the way things have gone from a performance standpoint, but with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt getting MVP votes on long-term deals ahead of him, the Cards moved him to the outfield part time in the 2022 regular season and then exclusively in the outfield in the Arizona Fall League. 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. If you look back over the past five to 10 years for players who did these things, you get a list that includes Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Chourio has the kind of upside where it's just normal to mention him next to those two names. I expect these two to be ranked next to each other again next year and at this trajectory, they'll be fighting for the top spot on the list. The value of six-plus years of control of a big league ready catcher with an above-average glove and offensive package is enormous, when a 2.0 WAR season (i.e. He's the Venezuelan-born younger brother of the major league utility infielder of the same name and signed for $20,000 as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of an Arizona junior college. If you liked my joyful scouting report for 13th-ranked Oneil Cruz on last winter's list, you're going to love De La Cruz, because everyone I've talked to about Elly has mentioned Cruz as they are the only players anyone can think of who are even close to similar. After three solid years at Cal Poly, his back was never an issue and he raked in the spring -- and in the summers for Team USA -- en route to going eighth overall last summer. Neto has a busy, max-effort swing that most scouts think he'll have to dial down when facing 95-plus mph on a regular basis, which would cut into his deceptively good exit velos and overall power production given his size. 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. In that case, Baltimore could slowly ramp him up to have the option to use him at full bore down the stretch and (whispers) in the playoffs. Cowser was a standout hitter at Sam Houston State who took a clear step forward athletically in his draft spring, going from outfield tweener to a center fielder with enough power to look like a potential everyday player. Both his contact ability and ability to stick at third base were open questions at draft time due to his 6-foot-5 frame. 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. 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. Tyler Freeman, 2B, Cleveland Guardians When I asked sources about Carter, everyone mentioned his excellent approach -- and, sure enough, per minor league TrackMan data, his chase rate (the rate at which he swings at pitches outside of the strike zone) is basically tied for best amongst everyone on this list. And there are other potential candidates including Jordan Westburg, Joseph Ortiz, Cade Povich, Connor Norby and Coby Mayo -- all of whom are on this top 100 -- along with Kyle Stowers and D.L. 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. Veen was surprisingly not well-known as a tooled-up prep hitter in the Orlando, Florida, area until he announced himself on the national stage as a junior by taking Matt Allan deep on a 96 mph fastball while Allan was being heavily scouted as a first-round prospect. 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. That's a big enough sample that it wasn't a fluke, and it would put him toward the risky end of the aggression/power-oriented spectrum, as opposed to Cowser and Carter above. He held serve all the way to draft day in 2021 as a toss-up with Jordan Lawlar for best prospect in the draft. The sales pitch was a real hit tool with a pretty lefty swing and good approach, but average raw power and a first-base-only fit. For a quick overview of the tools grades on the 20-80 scale that are used heavily throughout this list -- and are the industry standard across baseball -- along with other key terms used in the rankings click here. We've sorted the teams with the most star power under control through 2024. 1 overall pick as early as his sophomore year of high school in Southern California. He's behind Cartaya defensively and in arm strength (Alvarez, too). Hit: 40/50, Game Power: 50/65, Raw Power: 70/70, Speed: 45/40, Fielding: 45/50, Throwing: 60/60. Type: Rare hit/power upside from a teenager. 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. Brown's changeup and command are both fringy but fine, while his 95 to 98 mph heater, slider and curveball are all plus and his control is about average. If you see Espino pitch in person, you will immediately start texting your friends because his ability is what would happen if you had no limitations on the create-a-player function on a video game. 22 overall in the 2020 draft. Lawlar continues keeping pace with Mayer and the difference between them is basically a coin flip for me over a year after their draft. He made his big league debut last season playing mostly shortstop, but with Carlos Correa returning combined with the long-term questions on Lewis' ultimate position, it looks like a utility role mixing both infield and outfield duty will make more sense. Ortiz was famous to scouts for putting up gaudy numbers in a bandbox at New Mexico State and being the "the shortstop is pretty good, too" next to eventual top-10 pick second baseman Nick Gonzales. He is a plus runner and at least a plus defender in center field, with 15-20 homer upside and solid feel to hit, but he can get too aggressive at times, which would undermine his contact and power potential. Zavala ended the season with a broken hamate bone and was hanging around the 125-150 area of this list until the very end, basically at the top of the "if you have a good 2023 season, you're on next year's list" range. Last year, Cowser finished the season strong: He hit four homers in 62 games in High-A to start the year, then hit 15 more in the other 76 games, split across Double-A and Triple-A. He's a disruptor on the interior, and His in-zone miss rate (i.e. Turang has been famous to scouts for years, looking like a real candidate to be the No. Stone signed for a well-below slot bonus after going with the second-to-last pick in the five-round 2020 draft. contact skills) is also the best among that group, and he has plus speed to help leg out some infield hits. The striking rise in incredibly tall hitters succeeding (Oneil Cruz, Elly De La Cruz, and Spencer Jones all following in Aaron Judge's footsteps) gives Wood a little more credence than scouts would've given him five or so years ago when Judge and Richie Sexson were the comps at that height. Westburg was a late bloomer who didn't do the full showcase/tournament circuit in high school and was just starting to grow into his tools in his draft year at Mississippi State before he went No. Most importantly, Moreno is a definite catcher. Lee was a late-first-round prospect in high school, but teams were ultimately scared off by a back issue. Type: One of the best amateur hitters in recent memory, with Jose Ramirez or Rafael Devers vibes. Type: Lanky right fielder who is above average at everything. Henderson looked like he'd be a late first-round pick in 2019 as a well-rounded high school shortstop in Alabama. 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. while run grades equate to specific times on a stopwatch, a 50 hit tool is about a .260 batting average, average fastball velocity is 92-93 depending on your role and handedness, and so on. As a 22-year-old in 2021 he was dealing, but made only 10 starts because of a bout with COVID-19. Quero was a nice sleeper pick at this time last year, then he had a huge 2022 season, particularly at the plate: He hit .312/.435/.530 with 17 homers, 12 stolen bases, 14% walks and 18% strikeouts as a teenage catcher at Low-A. He followed that with an excellent summer and went ninth overall in the 2020 draft. It's hard to put Chourio ahead of similarly talented prospects who are big league-ready with long track records of performance. Meyer should return this season and I'm still expecting him to be an impact starter with the backup plan of a standout closer. 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. Wicks might be big league-ready by midseason and is looking like a midrotation starter with the risk being that the velo bump regresses and he ends up more of a steady backend type. At that point, Rodriguez was an intriguing multipositional prospect with a feel to hit. That said, there's also a compelling argument that Carroll offers value in more facets. 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. Espino is all systems go for 2023 and could 1) grab a big league rotation spot in short order 2) be a dangerous relief pitcher down the stretch or 3) continue treading water due to health or command or other issues. In his first full minor league season, Sweeney hit better than league average at High-A and got a late promotion to Double-A. Sources can get overwhelmed by all the names when I send them out for thoughts, but when I boiled it down to a list of 20-30 players and told them to pick a few guys they feel strongly about, almost every source named Zavala -- so here he is, despite only 176 plate appearances in U.S.-based professional leagues. Stroud had a great pro day and it further solidified his case as one of the two best QBs in this draft class. That hasn't happened, as he still has a lanky build and runs well, but is exclusively playing a corner outfield spot. Abel was a standout pitching prospect early in high school, standing 6-foot-5 and getting into the mid-90s with feel for a breaking ball and throwing strikes. Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox. He could've posted even better numbers if he threw more breakers, but the developmental focus was fastball command. Type: The biggest post-draft riser in baseball. Four players cracked the top 10 on all six lists, listed here with Oh, and he's still just 19 years old. With the new ROY service time rules, the O's could and should put Rodriguez on the Opening Day roster, as he's probably their third-best starter right now. Our experts predict every series, Memphis wasn't 'fine in the West' -- getting there hinges on massive culture questions, Why the Lakers' real test begins now, after dispatching the No. Type: Shortstop with a chance to stick and have plus hit/power from the left side. Graceffo wasn't a big name when he went in the fifth round of the 2021 draft with athleticism and command at Villanova his main selling points. To give further context, I've also included some categories along with tool grades. His slider is a 60-to-70-grade pitch depending on the day. He also now looks like he'll be an average defensive catcher with an average arm. Who can wait six months for the deadline to arrive? He's polished, and the concrete is pretty dry for his age -- he just needs to prove it at higher levels. Realmuto, Sean Murphy, Will Smith, and Willson Contreras for NL All-Star spots every year. Type: Late-blooming midrotation righty with a great changeup. His velo jumped from 88-92 mph to 92-94 mph almost immediately after he signed and that's where it stood for all of 2022. Rodriguez was bitten by the aforementioned Best Pitching Prospect in Baseball snake last season, when he was limited to just 75 innings because of a right lat strain after earning the title on my preseason list. Type: Power-and-patience outfielder with some defensive value. Hit: 40/45, Game Power: 55/65, Raw Power: 65/70, Speed: 40/35, Fielding: 45/50, Throwing: 55/55, Type: Powerlifter who catches and will hit 30 homers some day. There probably isn't a plus tool here, but an average defensive catcher with solid-average offensive numbers is in the top 10-15 of the position and O'Hoppe might be that by the end of 2023. Topps Prospects Signed En Masse; $250k Bowman Jones SuperFractor Bounty; Most Watched Auctions April 26, 2023 By Rich Mueller A couple of months before Wednesdays release of 2023 Bowman Baseball, about 50 young players gathered at a house in Arizona to sign cards that would wind up in packs. He'll be in Triple-A this year after hitting 30 homers in Double-A as a 20-year-old, so bet against him at your peril. Merrill is probably the best recent example of why teams should consider taking a chance on a spring pop-up player with almost no history. He has advanced feel in all aspects of the position, grading out above average as a defender, thrower, and athlete behind the plate with rare speed for the position. Type: Shortstop who is above average at everything, but still a teenager. 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.
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