Discussion: Top 100 lists this year

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

From CBS "Top 100 fantasy prospects for 2021" by Scott White

1. Wander Franco, SS, Rays
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .327 BA (425 AB), 9 HR, 27 2B, 18 SB, .885 OPS, 56 BB, 35 K
One of the big teases of the abbreviated 2020 was whether Franco would get the call, but it's a foregone conclusion for 2021. His ability to put bat to ball sets him apart from other young hitters, giving him an 80-grade hit tool and possible Juan Soto outcome if the power develops as hoped.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

2. MacKenzie Gore, SP, Padres
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 9-2, 1.69 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 101 IP, 28 BB, 135 K
The left-hander was suspiciously bypassed for the Padres' postseason push, with some chatter about him possibly underachieving at the alternate training site. But there are no challengers to his top spot among pitching prospects, and with his high leg kick, big extension and deep arsenal of four plus pitches, he's well equipped to dominate.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

3. Jarred Kelenic, OF, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .291 BA (443 AB), 23 HR, 20 SB, .904 OPS, 50 BB, 111 K
The Mariners managed to resist the urge to call up Kelenic even as they found themselves on the fringes of contention, but there may not have been a prospect who screamed for a promotion more. He's an advanced hitter with a plan for each at-bat and enough speed to make him a true five-category threat when he arrives.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

4. Spencer Torkelson, 3B, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The top pick in the 2020 draft feels like the sort of inevitability Kris Bryant was as a prospect, delivering the optimal combination of floor and ceiling. He'll take his walks and drive the ball to all fields, boasting the sort of power bat that was good enough to break Barry Bonds' freshman home run record at Arizona State.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

5. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .326 BA (328 AB), 12 HR, 26 2B, .929 OPS, 25 BB, 76 K
It's a worthy debate whether Kelenic or Rodriguez is the better Mariners outfield prospect, but with Rodriguez a step behind and a couple steps slower, Kelenic gets the nod on this list. Rodriguez's bat might play even louder, though, which could make him the best hitter the Mariners have developed since that other Rodriguez guy 25 years ago.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

6. Andrew Vaughn, 1B, White Sox
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .278 (205 AB), 6 HR, 17 2B, .832 OPS, 30 BB, 38 K
When a true first baseman -- and a right hand-hitting one at that -- goes third overall, as Vaughn did in 2019, the bat better play, and by all accounts, his will, putting him in line to be the next young stud welcomed to the White Sox lineup. Power and plate discipline are his game, earning him the Golden Spikes Award for best college player in 2018.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

7. Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, short-season Class A, low Class A
2019 minors: .254 BA (130 AB), 4 HR, 8 2B, .774 OPS, 20 BB, 27 K
While the threshold for becoming an impact catcher in Fantasy baseball is high, the top pick in the 2019 draft is the rare sort of generational talent you can bet on meeting it. His defense won't be an impediment to his playing time, and his bat could be MVP-caliber, getting compared to some of the all-time greats at the position.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

8. Ian Anderson, SP, Braves
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: 8-7, 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 135 2/3 IP, 65 BB, 172 K
2020 majors: 3-2, 1.95 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 32 1/3 IP, 14 BB, 42 K
The No. 3 pick back in 2016 had mostly gathered detractors since then, but it all clicked for him at the alternate training site, where he refined his changeup into a true put-away pitch on the level of Luis Castillo. From his one-hit debut against the Yankees to his three scoreless playoff outings, he showed unusual confidence in a three-pitch mix that included a loopy curveball.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

9. Sixto Sanchez, SP, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 8-6, 2.76 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 114 IP, 21 BB, 103 K
2020 majors: 3-2, 3.46 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 39 IP, 11 BB, 33 K
The questions about Sanchez's strikeout potential persist, but he actually had a better swinging-strike rate in his major-league stint than Anderson and dominated the other two legs of the FIP triangle with an elite strike percentage and sinking 98 mph fastball. Those two skills will take him far even if he never fully develops the third.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

10. C.J. Abrams, SS, Padres
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A
2019 minors: .393 BA (150 AB), 3 HR, 15 SB, 1.083 OPS, 11 BB, 14 K
The first of four consecutive shortstops is perhaps the most foolproof, showcasing 80-grade speed and a hit tool to match. He's young enough that we shouldn't rule out the possibility of some power development, especially given how prevalent it is in today's game, but it's worth noting Abrams could wind up in center field.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

11. Austin Martin, SS, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft was probably the No. 2 talent after Spencer Torkelson, standing out most especially for his hit tool and on-base ability. He's a shortstop for now but will more likely wind up at third base (or even the outfield), where he projects to be an Anthony Rendon-type contributor.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

12. Marco Luciano, SS, Giants
Age (on opening day): 19
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, short-season Class A
2019 minors: .302 BA (179 AB), 10 HR, 13 2B, .981 OPS, 32 BB, 45 K
Luciano is beginning to garner the same sort of hype Julio Rodriguez did as a teenager, with MLB.com going so far as to peg him for a .300 average and 40 homers "on an annual basis." In a field defined by it's tepid takes, that's really saying something, but he of course has several levels still to climb.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

13. Bobby Witt, SS, Royals
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: Rookie
2019 minors: .262 BA (164 AB), 1 HR, 9 SB, .670 OPS, 13 BB, 35 K
The No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft has face-of-the-franchise potential with a chance for a Trevor Story-like five category-outcome. He's also rates as a good enough defender to stick at shortstop, but like Luciano, he's still in the fledgling stages of his minor-league career.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

14. Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays
Age (on opening day): 26
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A, majors
2019 minors: .344 BA (343 AB), 15 HR, 17 SB, 1.003 OPS, 37 BB, 71 K
2020 majors: .281 BA (64 AB), 7 HR, 4 SB, 1.022 OPS, 6 BB, 22 K
A late bloomer who couldn't even crack this list last year, Arozarena wound up hitting .333 with 17 homers in 141 at-bats between a late-season tear and postseason explosion. The performance was too loud for too long to dismiss as a fluke, which justifies a bold ranking in a process that's mostly wish-casting anyway.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

15. Dylan Carlson, OF, Cardinals
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: .292 BA (489 AB), 26 HR, 20 SB, .914 OPS, 58 BB, 116 K
2020 majors: .200 BA (110 AB), 3 HR, 1 SB, .616 OPS, 8 BB, 35 K
One of the most hyped prospects heading into 2020 struggled initially but looked better in a late-season return and into the playoffs, which should give him a role from the get-go this year. As a hitter, he profiles a bit like Michael Conforto, but there's a speed element that could make him potentially more impactful overall.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

16. Alex Kirilloff, OF, Twins
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Double-A
2019 minors: .283 BA (375 AB), 9 HR, 18 2B, .756 OPS, 29 BB, 76 K
2020 postseason: 1 for 4
The Twins showed supreme confidence in Kirilloff by calling him up to start their lone playoff game and then doubled down by non-tendering Eddie Rosario in the offseason. A wrist injury hindered his production in 2019, but a strong performance at the alternate site suggests he's more like the guy who hit .348 with 20 homers, 44 doubles and a .970 OPS in 2018.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

17. Michael Kopech, SP, White Sox
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: did not play -- injured
2018 minors: 7-7, 3.70 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 126 1/3 IP, 60 BB, 170 K
2018 majors: 1-1, 5.02 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 14 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 15 K
The prospect hype for Kopech has gone a bit stale because of some uneven minor-league performances followed by Tommy John surgery followed by his decision to opt out last year. His fastball was as breathtaking as ever in spring training, though, and he made huge strides in the control area prior to the 2018 promotion that ended with him hurting his elbow.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

18. Nate Pearson, SP, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: 5-4, 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 101 2/3 IP, 27 BB, 119 K
2020 majors: 1-0, 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 18 IP, 13 BB, 16 K
Pearson was one of several high-profile pitching prospects who didn't quite pan out in 2020, his big fastball and wipeout slider failing to translate to whiffs as expected, but he ended on a high note, striking out five in two scoreless playoff innings following an IL stint. HIs careful handling to this point may hinder his progression some.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

19. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, Triple-A
2019 minors: .261 BA (436 AB), 10 HR, 31 2B, 13 SB, .745 OPS, 45 BB, 92 K
2020 majors: .376 BA (85 AB), 5 HR, 2 3B, 7 2B, 1 SB, 1.124 OPS, 9 BB, 20 K
Known for being a defensive standout with above-average contact skills, Hayes long projected to be a better player in real life than in Fantasy. But it turns out he may be one of those prospects who finds another gear at the highest level, absolutely crushing the ball in his debut with hard contact to all fields and surprising over-the-fence power.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

20. Jasson Dominguez, OF, Yankees
Age (on opening day): 18
Where he played in 2019: did not play
The hype for Dominguez continues to build even though he has yet to play his first minor-league game. Word has it he was on scouts' radar since age 13, has produced exit velocities of 108 mph from both sides of the plate since age 16, and could make it as a shortstop if he wasn't so good in center field. We may have a genuine baseball prodigy here.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

21. Kristian Robinson, OF, Diamondbacks
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: short-season Class A, low Class A
2019 minors: .282 BA (255 AB), 14 HR, 17 SB, .881 OPS, 31 BB, 77 K
Robinson is becoming a favorite of Fantasy evaluators after making quicker than expected work of the lower minors. He was thought to be more of a project after signing out of the Bahamas but already has a simple swing and disciplined approach, generating the sort of hard contact that should neutralize any contact deficiencies.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

22. Ha-Seong Kim, 2B, Padres
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: Korea
2019 KBO: .307 BA (540 AB), 19 HR, 33 SB, .880 OPS, 70 BB, 80 K
2020 KBO: .306 BA (533 AB), 30 HR, 23 SB, .921 OPS, 75 BB, 68 K
Though he's still only beginning his prime, Kim had already established himself as one of the biggest stars of the KBO, and the Padres' four-year commitment is itself a vote of confidence. There's no easy formula for converting stats between those leagues, but Kim's plate discipline and stolen base success should make him useful even if the power doesn't translate.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

23. Royce Lewis, SS, Twins
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .236 BA (517 AB), 12 HR, 22 SB, .661 OPS, 38 BB, 123 K
The first overall pick in the 2017 draft fell on hard times in 2019, but a mechanical tweak helped him rebound enough to win MVP of the Arizona Fall League later that year. His swing apparently still makes some scouts nervous, which is why his stock continues to slide, and questions about his eventual defensive home don't help.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

24. Nick Madrigal, 2B, White Sox
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: .311 BA (473 AB), 4 HR, 35 SB, .792 OPS, 44 BB, 16 K
2020 majors: .340 BA (103 AB), 3 2B, 2 SB, .745 OPS, 4 BB, 7 K
Madrigal's contact skills are unmatched among prospects and will ultimately be his carrying tool even if the White Sox free him up to run more. This ranking presumes that they do, which would make him an exciting Rotisserie target, but if not, his lack of power puts his upside somewhere in the David Fletcher range.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

25. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 6-8, 2.42 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 122 2/3 IP, 37 BB, 179 K
2020 majors: 1-4, 5.63 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 32 IP, 11 BB, 37 K
Skubal's secondary pitches are a little underdeveloped since he was able to dominate using mostly his fastball in the minors, notably averaging 17.4 K/9 in nine Double-A starts. But he gained confidence in changeup during his major-league stint and ended it on a high note. The tools are there.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

26. Casey Mize, SP, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 8-3, 2.55 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 109 1/3 IP, 23 BB, 106 K
2020 majors: 0-3, 6.99 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 28 1/3 IP, 13 BB, 26 K
Mize's debut in 2020 was memorable only because of how unimpressive it was, and despite him being the first pick in 2018, many evaluators aren't extending the same grace to him that they are to, say, Nate Pearson. His pitches are impressive individually, but since they're all variations of a fastball (splitter, cutter, etc.), he may need to go back to the lab for more.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

27. Matt Manning, SP, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Double-A
2019 minors: 11-5, 2.56 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 133 2/3 IP, 38 BB, 148 K
The third of the Tigers' big pitching prospects is the most conventional and the favorite of some evaluators, but a forearm strain prevented him from debuting alongside the other two. Blessed with height and extension as the son of an NBA player, his high-90s fastball and downer curve have made him a consistent bat-misser in the minors.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

28. Joey Bart, C, Giants
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .278 BA (313 AB), 16 HR, .824 OPS, 21 BB, 71 K
2020 majors: .233 BA (103 AB), 2 3B, 5 2B, .609 OPS, 3 BB, 41 K
Given how little minor-league experience Bart had at a position that requires more than most, it's not surprising he didn't rise to the occasion after Buster Posey chose to opt out. He'll go back down for some more development time this year and still profiles as a big bat at a position mostly devoid of them.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

29. Logan Gilbert, SP, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 10-5, 2.13 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 135 IP, 33 BB, 165 K
Gilbert dominated across three levels in 2019, which might have positioned him to debut if he had a better team or a longer schedule to work with in 2020. His velocity has picked up since signing and plays up because of the extension on his 6-foot-6 frame, but it's his four pitches and command of each that make him largely foolproof.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

30. Spencer Howard, SP, Phillies
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 3-1, 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 71 IP, 16 BB, 94 K
2020 majors: 1-2, 5.92 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 24 1/3 IP, 10 BB, 23 K
Howard had barely played above A-ball prior to his debut, and while his velocity was down in 2020, his slider still played up nicely, presenting a path to success even if his development slows from here. He was shut down early with a stiff shoulder, too, so it's likely we weren't even seeing him operate at full capacity.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

31. Jordan Groshans, SS, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: .337 BA (83 AB), 2 HR, 6 2B, .909 OPS, 13 BB, 21 K
Groshans' eventual home is likely third base, where Vladimir Guerrero no longer looks like a long-term fit, and he's already drawn comparisons to David Wright for his opposite-field power and command of the strike zone. Of course, we've hardly seen him play at all thanks to a foot injury early in 2019, followed by the pandemic.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

32. Nick Gonzales, SS, Pirates
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
Gonzales is most often compared to Dustin Pedroia and Keston Hiura for his plus-plus hit tool and likelihood of winding up at second base. There's hope that the seventh pick in last year's draft offers something in the way of power, too, but it's more likely batting titles he'll be competing for.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

33. Asa Lacy, SP, Royals
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The most talented pitcher of the 2020 draft class is expected to move quickly thanks to a well-developed arsenal consisting of four plus pitches. The best is the fastball, his downhill delivery ensuring it's thrown especially hard for a lefty. You can't rule out a 2021 debut either given how aggressively the Royals promoted Brady Singer and Kris Bubic last year.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

34. Emerson Hancock, SP, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
Some inconsistencies in college dropped Hancock to the sixth pick in 2020 when he at one point seemed destined to go first or second, but he still has the skills of a front-liner and the polish to move quickly. His control is exceptional for a pitcher with so varied an arsenal, which includes a sinking, mid-90s fastball, a plus changeup and two developing breaking balls.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

35. Triston McKenzie, SP, Indians
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: did not play — injured
2018 minors: 7-4, 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 90 2/3 IP, 28 BB, 87 K
2020 majors: 2-1, 3.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 33 1/3 IP, 9 BB, 42 K
McKenzie's low point as a prospect came when he missed all of 2019 with a back injury, seemingly validating the durability concerns that centered on his wiry 6-foot-5 frame. So he kind of blindsided people by so thoroughly dominating after hiding away at the alternate training site. It doesn't mean the durability issues are solved -- small sample and all -- but the skills are conclusively there.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

36. Nolan Jones, 3B, Indians
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .272 BA (430 AB), 15 HR, 22 2B, .851 OPS, 96 BB, 148 K
Cleveland is going to need offense however it can get it in 2020, which would suggest Jones is on the verge of a promotion. His 96 walks in 2019 were enough to lead the minors and are part of what makes him good, but an overly patient approach might keep him from maximizing his hit tool and artificially suppress his batting average.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

37. Ryan Mountcastle, OF, Orioles
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: Triple-A
2019 minors: .312 BA (520 AB), 25 HR, 35 2B, .871 OPS, 24 BB, 130 K
2020 majors: .333 BA (126 AB), 5 HR, 5 2B, .878 OPS, 11 BB, 30 K
Mountcastle can't field, but he can hit, and now we know he can hit in the majors as well, his all-fields approach and modest strikeout rate giving him a high batting average floor. It's a profile not too unlike Nick Castellanos, actually, but the defensive limitations nonetheless gives him a narrow margin for error.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

38. Cristian Pache, OF, Braves
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: .277 BA (487 AB), 12 HR, 9 3B, 36 2B, .802 OPS, 43 BB, 122 K
2020 majors: 1 for 4, 2 K
Pache rates as a perennial Gold Glove winner in center field, which is largely the reason he shows up in the top 10 on traditional prospect lists. But evaluators seem reluctant to put a limit on his offensive potential, presumably because he's so athletic and makes such consistent contact that it won't take much to set him off. He didn't seem overmatched when pressed into action in the NLCS.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

39. Triston Casas, 1B, Red Sox
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .256 (429 AB), 20 HR, 26 2B, .830 OPS, 58 BB, 118 K
The scouting reports for Casas always read like Cody Bellinger for me, with the natural leverage of his left-handed swing pointing to a massive power ceiling that hasn't fully manifested yet. He has a setup like Joey Votto, a follow-through like Freddie Freeman and glowing reports out of the alternate training site that suggests big things are coming.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

40. Vidal Brujan, 2B, Rays
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .277 BA (429 AB), 4 HR, 48 SB, .735 OPS, 37 BB, 61 K
Brujan is kind of the go-to prospect for stolen bases, which are normally difficult to project for a minor-leaguer, but his 80-grade speed makes them a foregone conclusion. A switch-hitter who mostly aims to put the ball in play, Brujan has shown enough pop from the left side of the plate to make a Rafael Furcal-like 15-homer ceiling possible.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

41. Jeter Downs, SS, Red Sox
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .276 (460 AB), 24 HR, 35 2B, 24 SB, .888 OPS, 60 BB, 107 K
Downs was the piece that finally pushed the Mookie Betts deal through last offseason, and his time with the Dodgers helped develop him into a patient hitter who can drive the ball the other way. The steals may be a mirage since he's not especially fast, and it's part of the reason his future is at second base.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

42. Noelvi Marte, SS, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 19
Where he played in 2019: Rookie
2019 minors: .309 BA (262 AB), 9 HR, 17 SB, .883 OPS, 29 BB, 55 K
Marte is at a stage in his development where the range of possible outcomes is especially high, but the best is something in the vicinity of Hanley Ramirez, which means we could see him in the top 10 here someday. He may outgrow shortstop before reaching the majors, possibly inhibiting his steals potential as well, but the hitting profile is strong.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

43. A.J. Puk, SP, Athletics
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A, Triple-A, majors
2019 minors: 4-1, 4.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 25 1/3 IP, 10 BB, 38 K
2019 majors: 2-0, 3.18 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 11 1/3 IP, 5 BB, 13 K
Puk didn't make it back from Tommy John surgery for long before needing a clean-up procedure in his shoulder that cost him all of 2020. He's at a critical stage of his development, still needing to prove he can throw strikes consistently if he's to make the most of the massive strikeout potential his imposing 6-foot-7 figure and electric fastball/slider combo give him.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

44. Luis Patino, SP, Rays
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 6-8, 2.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 94 2/3 IP, 38 BB, 123 K
2020 majors: 1-0, 5.19 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 17 1/3 IP, 14 BB, 21 K
Patino's first look in the majors came as a reliever during a stretch when the Padres were looking for a bullpen spark, which wouldn't be particularly noteworthy except that he's now with the Rays, who throw everybody's role into question. He has a good enough pitch mix to start and presumably still will, but he needs to work on locating his pitches.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

45. Grayson Rodriguez, SP, Orioles
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: 10-4, 2.68 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 94 IP, 36 BB, 129 K
Every report that comes out for Rodriguez seems to be more promising than the last, with the latest out of the alternate training site suggesting he's beginning to master the subtleties of pitch sequencing and game planning. The stuff is electric, his fastball itself standing out as a swing-and-miss pitch, and his command of it is equally impressive. He may be too low here, frankly.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

46. Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A
2019 minors: .316 BA (174 AB), 2 HR, 14 2B, .831 OPS, 18 BB, 32 K
Jung is like Alec Bohm in that you don't see a lot of players his size stand out for their contact skills and pitch discernment, and as with Bohm, there's enough momentum for him developing into a power hitter that it's difficult to put a limit on his upside. He reportedly made big strides in his ability to drive the ball at the alternate training site.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

47. J.J. Bleday, OF, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: high Class A
2019 minors: .257 (140 AB), 3 HR, 8 2B, .690 OPS, 11 BB, 29 K
The fourth overall pick in 2019 got an aggressive assignment straight out of college but held his own at high Class A. A full season of numbers would have made for a more confident outlook now, but given the Marlins' apparent confidence and the track record of the Vanderbilt baseball program, Bleday seems likely to meet his potential as a middle-of-the-order bat.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

48. Riley Greene, OF, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, short-season Class A, low Class A
2019 minors: .271 (221 AB), 5 HR, 5 SB, .749 OPS, 22 BB, 63 K
Though he was drafted straight out of high school, Greene nonetheless made it to full-season ball in his first partial professional season, which goes to show how advanced he already is as a hitter. The power has a ways to go still, but it should be a light lift given what he's already able to do.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

49. Max Meyer, SP, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
Meyer actually went ahead of Asa Lacy in the 2020 draft (third overall), and if he can develop a third pitch (most likely a changeup) that allows him to stick as a starter, it may well be justified. The two he already has working, a fastball that pushes 100 mph and a slider that pushes 95, form a devastating combo that should allow him to fall back as a closer.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

50. Deivi Garcia, SP, Yankees
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: 5-9, 4.28 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 111 1/3 IP, 54 BB, 165 K
2020 majors: 3-2, 4.98 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 34 1/3 IP, 6 BB, 33 K
Garcia never had any trouble piling up strikeouts in the minors, but 2020 was the year his profile stabilized. A move to the opposite side of the rubber transformed him into an elite strike-thrower, and it may turn out to be his carrying tool given that he lacks a true put-away pitch. His newfound efficiency backed by the Yankees lineup could make him a big winner.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

51. Jazz Chisholm, 2B, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Double-A
2019 minors: .220 BA (395 AB), 21 HR, 16 SB, .761 OPS, 52 BB, 147 K
2020 majors: .161 BA (56 AB), 2 HR, 2 SB, .563 OPS, 5 BB, 19 K
Chisholm is the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect, and the Marlins didn't do him any favors by rushing him to the big leagues to provide a playoff spark. He may never develop an approach that allows him to get the most out of his tools, but if he does, his power/speed combo is exactly the kind that Rotisserie players long for.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

52. Nolan Gorman, 3B, Cardinals
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .248 BA (456 AB), 15 HR, 30 2B, .765 OPS, 45 BB, 152 K
Gorman's power is supposed to be what propels him to the big leagues, and he reportedly rediscovered it at the alternate training site after hitting just five home runs in 215 at-bats upon reaching high Class A two years ago. There's no reason to think he'll ever be of much help in batting average, but if you're looking for a prospect in the Joey Gallo and Miguel Sano mold, here he is.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

53. Dane Dunning, SP, Rangers
Age (on opening day): 26
Where he played in 2019: did not play — injured
2020 majors: 2-0, 3.97 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 34 IP, 13 BB, 35 K
Despite putting together a 2.74 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 across three seasons in the minors, Dunning was always lacking in prospect hype, but his debut fresh off Tommy John surgery certainly opened some eyes. His pitch selection changed for the worse in his later starts, but presumably the Rangers will steer him right after giving up Lance Lynn for him.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

54. Forrest Whitley, SP, Astros
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, high Class A, Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: 3-7, 7.99 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 59 2/3 IP, 44 BB, 86 K
Once regarded as the game's top pitching prospect, Whitley had a lot to prove after a disastrous 2019 but didn't even get the chance, his time at the alternate training site derailed by arm soreness. It's the latest in a pattern of health issues, mechanical tweaks and off-the-field issues that have the right-hander reeling, but the talent could still shine through.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

55. Zac Veen, OF, Rockies
Age (on opening day): 19
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
Veen's already interesting offensive profile became doubly so when the Rockies selected him ninth overall, setting him up for a best-case outcome in the BABIP-boosting paradise that is Coors Field. He has numerous hurdles to clear before then, but he has the size and leverage to become a first-division slugger.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

56. Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, short-season Class A
2019 minors: .299 BA (154 AB), 2 HR, 7 3B, 9 2B, 18 SB, .896 OPS, 29 BB, 41 K
Though he may never develop even average over-the-fence power, Carroll's hit tool is special and his speed significant. A Jacoby Ellsbury comp seems appropriate, except that Carroll may have better on-base skills. It's an atypical skill set for today's game, but one that presents a high floor.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

57. Luis Campusano, C, Padres
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A
2019 minors: .325 BA (422 AB), 15 HR, 31 2B, .906 OPS, 52 BB, 57 K
2020 majors: 1 for 3, HR, 0 BB, 2 K
Campusano's one appearance at DH in 2020 actually cost him catcher eligibility, but it will be short-lived now that Francisco Mejia's departure makes him the heir apparent at the position. Few catchers are capable of winning a batting title, as Campusano did in 2019, and few hitters of any kind are capable of swinging a 40-ounce bat, which he has been known to do on occasion.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

58. Trevor Larnach, OF, Twins
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .309 (476 AB), 13 HR, 30 2B, .842 OPS, 57 BB, 124 K
Larnach's swing is so opposite field-minded that it's prevented him from tapping into his power fully in the minors, but it's also kept his batting average high. He can hit, clearly, and knows how to work the count, but he may not have the ceiling of an impact player and is reaching an age where he needs to stake his claim.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

59. Drew Waters, OF, Braves
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: .309 BA (527 AB), 7 HR, 9 3B, 40 2B, .819 OPS, 39 BB, 164 K
Waters is a lot like fellow Braves outfield prospect Cristian Pache in that the scouts adore him for his athleticism even though he hasn't actually produced much yet. The big difference is that Waters is sorely lacking in bat-to-ball skills, and while he does profile for a high BABIP, that's a tightrope walk to success.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

60. Brennen Davis, OF, Cubs
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: .305 (177 AB), 8 HR, 4 SB, .907 OPS, 18 BB, 38 K
A basketball player in high school, Davis was expected to need more time in the lower minors but made quick work of them with a surprisingly polished approach at the plate. HIs 6-foot-4 frame projects for more power as he begins to grow into it, and there's enough speed for him to steal bases if he makes it an area of focus.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

61. George Kirby, SP, Mariners
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: short-season Class A
2019 minors: 0-0, 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 23 IP, 0 BB, 25 K
It's a wonder Kirby doesn't rank even higher given his double-plus control, high-90s fastball and two distinct breaking balls. While it's asking a lot for lightning to strike twice with that particular profile, it's nonetheless worth pointing out that his is a lot like Shane Bieber's. Perhaps the hesitance is because he's under-leveled for his age.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

62. Oneil Cruz, SS, Pirates
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .298 (265 AB), 8 HR, 11 SB, .832 OPS, 24 BB, 74 K
Though he's still free to play as of now, Cruz faces criminal charges in the Dominican Republic for a fatal car crash in which he was the driver, which could alter his outlook. As a prospect, he's a genuine curiosity, standing 6-feet-7 and possessing a wide range of outcomes that has some evaluators assigning him a 70 grade for power.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

63. Orelvis Martinez, SS, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 19
Where he played in 2019: Rookie
2019 minors: .275 BA (142 AB), 7 HR, 5 3B, 8 2B, .901 OPS, 14 BB, 29 K
Martinez is another recent international signee who has a long way to go but a considerable enough ceiling to make him worth the wait. He uses his whole body to maximize his power and has a surprisingly advanced approach for his age, which gives him a good foundation to build on as he makes his way up the minor-league ladder.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

64. Garrett Mitchell, OF, Brewers
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The toolsiest player of the 2020 draft class slid to the Brewers at 20th overall and may be getting shortchanged on prospect lists as a result. His game is mostly speed right now (which happens to be the skill most in demand in Rotisserie leagues), but if he learns to adjust his swing path instead of hitting balls into the dirt, he could take off.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

65. Xavier Edwards, 2B, Rays
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .322 BA (503 AB), 1 HR, 34 SB, .771 OPS, 44 BB, 54 K
Having come over from the Padres in the Tommy Pham deal last year, Edwards is so much of a Vidal Brujan redundancy that it's unlikely the Rays commit to both. But provided he plays enough, whether in Tampa Bay or elsewhere, he could win you the stolen base category while also reaching base at a good clip.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

66. Daniel Lynch, SP, Royals
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: Rookie ball, high Class A
2019 minors: 6-2, 2.99 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 96 1/3 IP, 29 BB, 96 K
Lynch may not have broken into the big leagues last year like Brady Singer and Kris Bubic did, but his strides at the alternate training site established him as a more promising long-term option than both. He offers much more of a power arsenal than is reflected in the 2019 numbers, but his newly refined delivery should help.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

67. Matthew Liberatore, SP, Cardinals
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: 6-2, 3.10 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 78 1/3 IP, 31 BB, 76 K
The Rays' seemingly light return for Liberatore last year looks a little different now when you consider ... it was Randy Arozarena. Maybe it was less about what they were selling, then, than what they were getting. Fantasy Baseballers would like to see more strikeouts, sure, but he's so polished for his age that the final outcome figures to be solid.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

68. Edward Cabrera, SP, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 9-4, 2.23 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 96 2/3 IP, 31 BB, 116 K
Because of the pandemic and cancelation of the minor-league season, Cabrera didn't get a chance to validate his breakthrough 2019, when some improvements to his secondary arsenal upped the effectiveness of his fastball. It's a true 70-grade pitch that both induces whiffs and limits hard contact, and with continued refinement of everything else, he could have big things in store.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

69. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Orioles
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The Orioles made the surprising choice to take Kjerstad with the second pick of the 2020 draft, but there's a chance for a stud outcome still. Few question his power potential, but some mechanical issues leave him vulnerable to strikeouts, potentially capping his hit tool. Given his age, we should know sooner than later.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

70. Bobby Dalbec, 1B, Red Sox
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: Triple-A
2019 minors: .239 (472 AB), 27 HR, .816 OPS, 73 BB, 139 K
2020 majors: .263 (80 AB), 8 HR, .959 OPS, 10 BB, 39 K
Dalbec was a big find for Rotisserie players looking to make up ground in the home run category, delivering on his 70-grade power right away and establishing himself as the Red Sox's new first baseman in the process. Still, he's an all-or-nothing hitter who may come closer to the "nothing" side with increased exposure.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

71. Brandon Marsh, OF, Angels
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, Double-A
2019 minors: .287 BA (380 AB), 7 HR, 19 SB, .776 OPS, 47 BB, 99 K
Marsh is like Jesse Winker in that he's about 90 percent of the way to being a great hitter but may not be able to tap into the power needed to get him all the way there. Switching to a more upright stance midway through 2019 helped, leading to a .924 OPS in 51 games between Double-A and the Arizona Fall League, but "solid regular" remains the more likely outcome for him.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

72. Simeon Woods-Richardson, SP, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: 6-10, 3.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 106 2/3 IP, 24 BB, 126 K
He's no Jarred Kelenic, but Woods-Richardson is yet another prospect whose stock has soared since being dealt by former Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen. He has an excellent grasp of pitching for his age, playing his changeup off his fastball for maximum effect, and could find himself contributing for the big club as early as this year.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

73. Heliot Ramos, OF, Giants
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .290 BA (389 AB), 16 HR, 24 2B, .850 OPS, 42 BB, 118 K
After a step back in 2018, Ramos reasserted his prospect standing with improved power output that ultimately led to him becoming one of the youngest players at Double-A. It's unlikely he has a superstar outcome, but he's still playing with house money developmentally and could continue to improve.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

74. Brailyn Marquez, SP, Cubs
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: 9-5, 3.13 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 103 2/3 IP, 50 BB, 128 K
2020 majors: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Rare is the report of a minor-leaguer hitting 102 mph with his fastball. Rarer still is the left-hander who does it, and that accomplishment in itself points to a high ceiling for Marquez. He's still in need of major refinement but has smoothed out his delivery enough that it's now possible to envision an ace outcome.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

75. DL Hall, SP, Orioles
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: high Class A
2019 minors: 4-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 80 2/3 IP, 54 BB, 116 K
Hall's walk rate might scare some prospect hounds away, but the reason he still ranks so high on most lists is because it's thought to be a temporary condition attributable more to growing pains than a flaw in his delivery. His fastball/changeup combo equips him to be a big bat-misser, and his breaking balls are coming along.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

76. Nick Lodolo, SP, Reds
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A
2019 minors: 0-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 18 1/3 IP, 0 BB, 30 K
The top pitcher taken in 2019 got an easy assignment out of the gate and killed it, but reports from the alternate training site last year were less than complimentary, most notably due to a drop in velocity. The oddities of 2020 may be to blame, though, and since he was widely praised for his polish and command before that, he gets a pass.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

77. Josiah Gray, SP, Dodgers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 11-2, 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 130 IP, 31 BB, 147 K
Gray doesn't light up the radar gun, but the movement on his fastball and the Dodgers' history of getting the maximum outcome from some of their fringier pitching prospects makes it easy to believe in Gray, who may be as high as seventh in the rotation pecking order entering this year.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

78. Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets
Age (on opening day): 19
Where he played in 2019: Rookie
2019 minors: .312 (157 AB), 7 HR, 10 2B, .916 OPS, 21 BB, 37 K
Catchers are notoriously difficult to project, especially so far out from the majors, but in becoming the youngest player in the Appalachian League in 2019, Alvarez put himself on the short list of those worth the price of admission. He barrels up balls with impressive regularity and just needs for his glove to keep up with his bat as he climbs the ladder.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

79. Garrett Crochet, SP, White Sox
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
2020 majors: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Crochet became the first member of the 2020 draft class to reach the majors, his fastball alone proving to be an effective enough weapon for him to contribute to the playoff push. His success in that relief role could pigeonhole him in it, especially since he's still working to develop a changeup, but at 6-feet-6, he's built to handle a workload.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

80. Brendan McKay, SP, Rays
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A, majors
2019 minors: 6-0, 1.10 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 73 2/3 IP, 18 BB, 102 K
2019 majors: 2-4, 5.14 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 49 IP, 16 BB, 56 K
McKay has such good command and offers so many different looks that minor-league hitters never stood a chance against him, but it was a different story once he got to the majors, where his lack of a standout pitch was exposed. And now that he's coming back from a torn labrum in his shoulder, it's possible his stuff has been compromised as well.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

81. Shane Baz, SP, Rays
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: 3-2, 2.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 81 1/3 IP, 37 BB, 87 K
As with Tyler Glasnow, who came over in the same trade for Chris Archer, the Rays have done their best to reprogram Baz with an approach more befitting his natural gifts, and he's now firmly on the fastball-slider path. Whether they're good enough to sustain him without a real changeup remains to be seen, and the Rays' messy role designations are a factor as well.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

82. Austin Hendrick, OF, Reds
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: not under contract
The 12th player picked in the 2020 draft has the makings of a middle-of-the-order hitter, particularly for his ability to draft the ball out of the park. Whether he's more than a pure slugger depends on how much contact he makes, which of course remains to be seen, but he's a disciplined hitter whose on-base ability should make up for any shortages in batting average.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

83. Sam Huff, C, Rangers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .278 BA (475 AB), 28 HR, 22 2B, .845 OPS, 33 BB, 154 K
2020 majors: .355 BA (31 AB), 3 HR, 3 2B, 1.136 OPS, 2 BB, 11 K
Huff looks ready to step in as the Rangers' regular catcher, his power playing up as expected in his first big-league look. Striking out one-third of the time of course presents a thin margin for error, especially at a position where he's liable to split time, but he does produce the sort of elite exit velocities that would allow him to excel anyway.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

84. Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .290 (310 AB), 7 HR, 31 2B, .868 OPS, 56 BB, 39 K
2020 majors: .375 (24 AB), 1 HR, 2 2B, .983 OPS, 1 BB, 4 K
Kirk is the kind of prospect everyone likes to rally behind, being short and round and yet strangely competent in a skill that's fallen out of favor: contact hitting. It comes easily to him and will earn him at-bats at both DH and catcher, with a Pablo Sandoval outcome being squarely on the table.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

85. Alek Thomas, OF, Diamondbacks
Age (on opening day): 21
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: .300 BA (447 AB), 10 HR, 15 SB, .829 OPS, 52 BB, 105 K
The enthusiasm for Thomas, particularly in Fantasy circles, is a bit curious considering he's basically maxed out his power projection already. He has some intangibles working for him, runs well enough and is a plus defender in the outfield, but he's basically a lesser form of Corbin Carroll with maybe an Adam Eaton-like outcome.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

86. Kris Bubic, SP, Royals
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A
2019 minors: 11-5, 2.23 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 149 1/3 IP, 42 BB, 185 K
2020 majors: 1-6, 4.32 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 50 IP, 22 BB, 49 K
Bubic clearly outclassed his level of competition in 2019, making him one of the statistical standouts in all the minors and putting him on the radar for an early promotion, but his stint in the majors offers a fairer assessment of his abilities. He's deceptive, plays his fastball off his changeup well and finished better than he started, but his ceiling is a limited one.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: pencil him in

87. Clarke Schmidt, SP, Yankees
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 6-5, 3.47 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 90 2/3 IP, 28 BB, 102 K
2020 majors: 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
Schmidt's prospect standing is built on a high-spin curveball that drops out of the zone, coercing some ugly swings, but he's basically all fastballs otherwise. There's certainly a path to success for him but also a road to ruin since righties who lack a changeup often fall prey to left-handed sluggers.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

88. Jonathan India, 3B, Reds
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .259 BA (428 AB), 11 HR, 11 SB, .767 OPS, 59 BB, 110 K
India hasn't done much to improve his stock since being drafted fifth overall in 2018, but he hasn't disqualified himself as a prospect either, sustained mainly by his on-base skills. Word is his power began to play up at the alternate training site, which isn't far-fetched given how easy it is to cultivate in today's game, so he may catch people by surprise this year.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

89. Jose Garcia, SS, Reds
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: high Class A
2019 minors: .280 BA (404 AB), 8 HR, 37 2B, 15 SB, .779 OPS, 25 BB, 83 K
2020 majors: .194 BA (67 AB), 1 SB, .400 OPS, 1 BB, 26 K
The hype began to build for Garcia when he hit a few homers last spring and then crescendoed with his promotion in late August, but his contributions amounted to just a few singles. Defense is his carrying tool, so while it's likely he's the Reds shortstop of the not-too-distant future, he's probably not a first-division regular.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

90. Lewin Diaz, 1B, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: .270 (455 AB), 27 HR, 33 2B, .851 OPS, 33 BB, 91 K
2020 majors: .154 (39 AB), 2 2B, .400 OPS, 2 BB, 12 K
Diaz's first audition for the Marlins' long-term first base job went poorly, but with his profile, there aren't many mysteries left to sort out. He should put the ball over the fence at a good rate and doesn't look like he'll have major strikeout issues, but as narrow as the path to first base is, he can't afford too many misfires.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

91. Shane McClanahan, SP, Rays
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: low Class A, high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 11-6, 3.36 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 120 2/3 IP, 45 BB, 154 K
2020 postseason: 4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
The addition of McClanahan to the postseason roster backfired for the Rays, but it puts him in the rotation mix for this year. The stuff is electric, featuring a fastball that pushes triple digits and a slider that he delivers with varying shapes and velocities, but given the Rays' anything-goes approach to pitching, it's difficult to say if he'll ever be deployed like a conventional starter.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

92. Jackson Kowar, SP, Royals
Age (on opening day): 24
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 7-10, 3.52 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 148 1/3 IP, 43 BB, 144 K
Kowar has a changeup to rival those of Luis Castillo and Ian Anderson and is comfortable using it in any count, but its effectiveness largely depends on if he can develop a breaking ball that provides a different look. He's certain to arrive this year regardless, following in the footsteps of Brady Singer and Kris Bubic.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: miseason hopeful

93. Hunter Bishop, OF, Giants
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, short-season Class A
2019 minors: .229 BA (105 AB), 5 HR, 8 SB, .867 OPS, 38 BB, 39 K
The Adam Dunn comp is an easy one for Bishop, whose imposing size and natural loft project for easy power, and like Dunn, he may even run a little early in his career. Judging by his walk and strikeout rates in his professional debut, he'll live and die by the three true outcomes.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee

94. Ronny Mauricio, SS, Mets
Age (on opening day): 20
Where he played in 2019: low Class A
2019 minors: .268 BA (470 AB), 4 HR, 20 2B, .665 OPS, 23 BB, 99 K
Mauricio's prospect standing is all projection right now, but he has the defensive chops to be a regular shortstop and the size and athleticism to develop into a worthy contributor at the plate as well. He needs to get bigger and see more pitches before we know what kind of ceiling he has, but he's projectable enough for Dynasty leagues.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: don't count on it

95. Adbert Alzolay, SP, Cubs
Age (on opening day): 26
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Triple-A, majors
2019 minors: 2-5, 4.80 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 69 1/3 IP, 33 BB, 94 K
2020 majors: 1-1, 2.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 21 1/3 IP, 13 BB, 29 K
According to the data, Alzolay's most-thrown pitch after the fastball in 2020 was one he didn't throw at all in his previous stint. But his slider is indeed real and it is spectacular, giving him a wipeout offering that frankly he was getting by without. It's such a recent development that it's liable to sneak up on people, provided it wasn't just a blip.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

96. Michael Busch, 2B, Dodgers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A
2019 minors: .125 BA (24 AB), .496 OPS, 7 BB, 5 K
Busch is exactly the sort of player Billy Beane would have gone after in Moneyball, not really caring how his glove played as long as he got on base. Changing priorities make Busch less of a shoo-in, but if all breaks right, he gives the Dodgers another Max Muncy in waiting.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

97. Kody Hoese, 3B, Dodgers
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: Rookie, low Class A
2019 minors: .299 BA (147 AB), 5 HR, 8 2B, .863 OPS, 18 BB, 25 K
There's little consensus right now over how to rank Hoese, who's way behind the developmental curve as an older draft pick who then saw his first full season canceled, but if he can make enough hay in an organization that never seems to be lacking in talent, he has a future as a patient hitter with opposite-field power.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful

98. Isaac Paredes, 3B, Tigers
Age (on opening day): 22
Where he played in 2019: Double-A
2019 minors: .282 BA (478 AB), 13 HR, 23 2B, .784 OPS, 57 BB, 61 K
2020 majors: .220 BA (100 AB), 1 HR, 4 2B, .568 OPS, 8 BB, 24 K
Paredes' contact skills and strike-zone judgment made him seem like a low-risk proposition when he got the call, but the Tigers would have been better off keeping the mystery alive. As young as he is, there's still time for him to develop more power -- and he'll need to given that he's no standout defensively.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

99. Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins
Age (on opening day): 23
Where he played in 2019: high Class A, Double-A
2019 minors: 6-10, 2.90 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 136 1/3 IP, 33 BB, 150 K
2020 majors: 1-2, 6.11 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 28 IP, 13 BB, 39 K
Rogers' fastball plays up because of its spin rate and pairs with his changeup to make him a surprisingly effective bat-misser. He wasn't so highly regarded coming up through the minor-league system, though, and hit a wall in his first big-league stint. He's not a bad gamble, but you shouldn't be putting all of your hopes in him either.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

100. Tanner Houck, SP, Red Sox
Age (on opening day): 25
Where he played in 2019: Double-A, Triple-A
2019 minors: 8-6, 4.01 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 107 2/3 IP, 46 BB, 107 K
2020 majors: 3-0, 0.53 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 17 IP, 9 BB, 21 K
Houck was a fairly obscure prospect with an uninspiring minor-league track record when he got the call in mid-September, but it's hard to ignore him giving up just six hits in 17 innings across three big-league starts. He did tweak his delivery at the alternate training site and has a slider that's worthy of distinction, so let's keep an open mind.
Scott's 2021 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

Razzball top 100:

Rank Player Team
1 OF Randy Arozarena TB
2 OF Jarred Kelenic SEA
3 OF Julio Rodriguez SEA
4 RHP Ian Anderson ATL
5 RHP Sixto Sanchez MIA
6 OF Dylan Carlson STL
7 1B Ryan Mountcastle BAL
8 SS Wander Franco TB
9 1B Andrew Vaughn CHW
10 OF Jo Adell LAA
11 SP Nate Pearson TOR
12 SP Triston McKenzie CLE
13 SP Tarik Skubal DET
14 SP MacKenzie Gore SD
15 1B OF Alex Kirilloff MIN
16 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT
17 C Joey Bart SF
18 RHP Casey Mize DET
19 C Alejandro Kirk TOR
20 2B Nick Madrigal CHW
21 2B Jeter Downs BOS
22 RHP Tejay Antone CIN
23 SS Jazz Chisholm MIA
24 RHP Michael Kopech CHW
25 RHP Luis Garcia HOU
26 RHP Dean Kremer BAL
27 2B Vidal Brujan TB
28 3B Spencer Torkelson DET
29 LHP Garrett Crochet CHW
30 RHP Luis Patiño SD
31 RHP Clarke Schmidt NYY
32 RHP Dane Dunning CHW
33 LHP Brailyn Marquez CHC
34 RHP Spencer Howard PHI
35 C Adley Rutschman BAL
36 1B Lewin Diaz MIA
37 OF Pavin Smith ARI
38 RHP Logan Gilbert SEA
39 RHP Brent Honeywell TB
40 RHP Forrest Whitley HOU
41 RHP George Kirby SEA
42 OF Cristian Pache ATL
43 LHP Trevor Rogers MIA
44 OF Drew Waters ATL
45 RHP Max Meyer MIA
46 LHP Reid Detmers LAA
47 SS Jose Garcia CIN
48 RHP Deivi Garcia NYY
49 RHP Tanner Houck BOS
50 OF Jared Oliva PIT
51 OF Trevor Larnach MIN
52 RHP Joe Ryan TB
53 RHP Josiah Gray LAD
54 RHP Simeon Woods Richardson TOR
55 OF Monte Harrison MIA
56 LHP AJ Puk OAK
57 RHP Daulton Jefferies OAK
58 C Sam Huff TEX
59 3B Bobby Dalbec BOS
60 C Ryan Jeffers MIN
61 LHP David Peterson NYM
62 C Luis Campusano SD
63 RHP Adbert Alzolay CHC
64 RHP Jackson Kowar KC
65 C Daulton Varsho ARI
66 OF Leody Taveras TEX
67 3B Isaac Paredes DET
68 RHP Edward Cabrera MIA
69 LHP Ryan Weathers SD
70 C Tyler Stephenson CIN
71 SS Oneil Cruz PIT
72 OF Jesus Sanchez MIA
73 RHP Jhoan Duran MIN
74 OF Edward Olivares KC
75 RHP Miguel Yajure NYY
76 2B Brendan Rodgers COL
77 LHP Kris Bubic KC
78 LHP Keegan Akin BAL
79 OF Mickey Moniak PHI
80 LHP Daniel Lynch KC
81 OF Seth Beer ARI
82 3B Nolan Jones CLE
83 OF Josh Lowe TB
84 RHP Jonathan Stiever CHW
85 C Rafael Marchan PHI
86 OF Daz Cameron DET
87 OF Yusniel Diaz BAL
88 OF Jorge Oña SD
89 OF Brandon Marsh LAA
90 OF Stuart Fairchild ARI
91 C Keibert Ruiz LAD
92 OF Jarren Duran BOS
93 LHP Shane McClanahan TB
94 RHP Sam Delaplane SEA
95 LHP Tucker Davidson ATL
96 RHP Cory Abbott CHC
97 2B Zack McKinstry LAD
98 OF Daniel Johnson CLE
99 RHP Thad Ward BOS
100 LHP Jay Groome BOS

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

Others with shitty cut and paste ability:

MLB top 100 2021: www.mlb.com/prospects/top100/

Prospectslive top 500 for baseball: www.prospectslive.com/lists/2020/10/15/top-500-prospects-for-dynasty-leagues

Prospectslive top 100 for fantasy: www.prospectslive.com/lists/2021/1/17/2021-top-100-fantasy-prospects

BP top 101 (need a free login tho): www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/64061/2021-prospects-the-top-101/

[KC Royals GM (Kevin)]

Can someone with BA post that one please?

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

I can post BA and Law from The Athletic later on probably if someone doesn’t get to it first

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

That would be awesome thanks. Is Sickles still doing it at the Athletic? I assumed that it would be the same time for release as he did last year around April

[Cubs GM (Scott B)]

Keith Law/Athletic
1. Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay, Age (as of 7/1/21): 20
Franco nearly showed up in the majors during the Rays’ run to the World Series, traveling with the team in October, and then played five games in his native Dominican Republic before a biceps injury ended his winter. He retains the top spot on this list as he approaches his 20th birthday this March 1, but I’d bet he loses it this year by spending a good chunk of 2021 in the majors, because he wasn’t that far off even when 2019 ended. Franco has ridiculous hand speed and one of the best batting eyes in professional baseball, rarely striking out and making consistent, hard contact even as a teenager, with the projection of above-average power as he matures. He hit a combined .327/.398/.487 as an 18-year-old in Low A and High A in 2019, while striking out just 7 percent of the time. Franco is a shortstop now and has the hands, actions and arm to stay there, although he could move to second or third if he loses any foot speed as he gets into his 20s. He’s going to play a skill position regardless, and his bat will make him a star at any of those spots, with high averages and OBPs early while the power develops, boasting the ceiling of an MVP candidate at his peak.

2. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, San Diego, Age: 22
Gore was the top pitching prospect in the game last winter and spent the summer and fall at the Padres’ alternate site, so he retains his rookie eligibility into 2021. Gore has everything you’d want in a potential No. 1 starter, with four above-average pitches that can all show plus, tremendous athleticism, and deception from the extreme high leg kick in his delivery. He’s regularly up to 97, with a big-breaking power curveball, a plus changeup with deception and good fading action, and an upper 80s slider he added after getting into pro ball and that’s become another swing-and-miss weapon for him. His delivery is difficult to repeat, but he’s such a good athlete that he’s able to do so, even with a leg kick that would knock most pitchers over. The Padres might have used Gore down the stretch last year, cycling through a number of starters for their fifth spot before trading for the now-injured Mike Clevinger, but Gore had some timing issues in his delivery at the alternate site, affecting his command enough that the team felt it was better to let him work it out before bringing him up. Stuff this good, with the performance Gore showed in 2019, doesn’t come along very often. If he stays healthy he’ll be one of the best left-handed starters in baseball within a few years.

3. Cristian Pache, OF, Atlanta, Age: 22
Pache is an 80 defender in center who draws comparisons to Andruw Jones, and not just because of the Atlanta connection. He’s a plus runner with plus raw power who didn’t homer at all until his third year in pro ball, seeing his power increase in the last two seasons toward an ultimate projection of 20-25 homers a year. His reads and range are at the top end of the scale, and he has a huge arm to go along with the glove. All that remains for Pache beyond further physical maturation is working on his approach at the plate, where he’s been very aggressive, making plenty of contact but limiting his OBP and not always waiting for a pitch he can drive. That defense alone will give him a very long career in the majors, but a 25-homer/25-steal center fielder with top-of-the-line defense and even a .330 OBP is a star.

4. Jarred Kelenic, OF, Seattle, Age: 21
Kelenic was the sixth overall pick in 2018, and if anything that seems too low in hindsight, even though four of the five guys taken ahead of him have already reached the majors. Kelenic is a true five-tool player, grading out above average in his hit, power, glove, arm and run tools, projecting to stay in center field but with the arm for right if he ever has to move there (e.g., with Kyle Lewis in center). He played in three levels in 2019 as a 19-year-old and continued to hit up through Double A, showing more discipline than expected for a cold-weather high school kid. His power should get him to 25-30 homers, with 20+ steals and strong OBPs. He probably would have debuted in 2020 had there been a full minor-league season, and I expect he’ll be up by the middle of 2021. I know it pains Mets fans to read this, but I think Kelenic is going to be a superstar.

5. Nate Pearson, RHP, Toronto, Age: 24
Pearson’s debut in the majors was tantalizing, but as with his first full pro season in 2018, it was interrupted by injury, leaving him still eligible for these rankings. Pearson averaged 96.3 mph on his four-seamer, showed a full four-pitch mix, all three of which at least missed bats, although he leaned most on his slider and the pitch wasn’t as consistent as it has been in the past. He’s 6 feet 6 inches and 250 pounds, with a good delivery that he has learned to repeat since the Jays signed him, so in theory he should be durable. Still, he had several fluky injuries in 2018 that limited him to one inning, and a flexor strain sent him to the injured list in late August, after which the Jays used him for just a single relief appearance. If he can stay healthy, there are very few starting pitching prospects who can match his stuff and size, which give him the ceiling of a No. 1 starter.

6. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore, Age: 23
The Orioles took Rutschman with the first overall pick in 2019, and he probably would be on the cusp of the majors if it weren’t for the pandemic. A switch-hitting catcher with power and incredible patience at the plate, Rutschman is also an advanced defensive catcher who earns raves for his work with pitchers and shows a plus arm, nailing 7 of 11 runners in pro ball after he signed. His right-handed swing can get long, but his left-handed swing is more compact, and he should be able to hit for both contact and power. If he hits for enough average, he’s going to be a frequent MVP candidate, and his power/defense combo gives him a floor as a solid regular.

7. Alex Kirilloff, OF, Minnesota, Age: 23
Kirilloff is now on the very short list of players who made their major-league debuts in the postseason, also known as the Mark Kiger All-Stars, but unlike Kiger, Kirilloff will be back. He’s among the very best hitting prospects in baseball, thanks to a beautiful left-handed swing, an advanced approach to the strike zone, and all-fields power. Kirilloff was a pitcher and outfielder in high school and missed the 2017 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he returned without a trace of rust and has continued to make hard contact at a high rate. His power was down in 2019 after he injured his wrist that spring, so look for a big power spike from him in 2021, whether he does so in Triple A or in the majors.

8. CJ Abrams, SS, San Diego, Age: 20
Abrams, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft out of a Georgia high school, rose significantly in the industry’s eyes after his strong pro debut that year, and reports from this past summer and fall have been even more glowing because he’s showing more power than expected at this young age. Abrams is an 80 runner with great bat speed and a direct, contact-oriented swing, but as he’s gotten stronger he’s now driving the ball with more authority and showing bigger exit velocities as a result. While the presence of Fernando Tatis Jr. might lead to a position change, Abrams is a no-doubt shortstop with a quick release and good actions; he could play center, or he could be a Gold Glove-caliber defender at second. He’s a star at any position, and if the Padres ever do have to move Tatis because he outgrows shortstop, they have a replacement on the way.

9. Dylan Carlson, OF, St. Louis, Age: 22
Carlson was the talk of spring training last March, with much debate over whether he should make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, but the shutdown put the kibosh on that idea and delayed Carlson’s major-league debut until mid-August. He’s a very disciplined hitter for his age and struggled in the majors in part because he was too patient, falling behind in the count more often than he’d get ahead, taking a more passive approach than he had in the minors. St. Louis sent him back to their alternate site for two weeks in September, and he returned for his best stretch of the short season with more damage in hitters’ or even counts, albeit in a tiny sample. Carlson is an above-average runner who can handle center field but may be best served as a plus defender in right, for which he has plenty of arm strength. He should be a strong OBP guy who eventually gets to 25 homers a year along with that strong defense, and he has star-level upside that depends mostly on where his hit tool ends up.

10. Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Chicago White Sox, Age: 23
The best pure hitter in the 2019 draft class, Vaughn showed exceptional patience and contact rates in his last two years at Cal, and carried that over into a pro debut where the White Sox pushed him to High A by the end of the summer. Vaughn has a simple right-handed swing that gets good loft for line-drive power, so while he’s barely 6 feet tall (if that), he’s going to hit 20-25 homers in the big leagues, if not more. The main question on Vaughn is his position; he’s capable at first base but not great over there, while the White Sox have worked him out at third both to try to get him some versatility and improve his agility back at first. The hot corner seems unlikely, but even at first, Vaughn offers a high floor with his patience and hit tool, with the upside of .400+ OBPs and above-average power to make him a good No. 2 or 4 hitter in a championship lineup.

11. Casey Mize, RHP, Detroit, Age: 24
Mize was the first overall pick in 2018, but his ascent to the majors stalled in 2019, right after he threw a no-hitter in Double A, when he hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation. He was healthy in 2020 and throwing as hard as he had before the injury, but became homer-prone in the majors, marring an otherwise promising debut. Mize can touch 97 and sits 92-94, throwing both a four-seamer and sinker according to Statcast data, although the two pitches are pretty similar in velocity. His off-speed stuff ranges from above-average (slider) to plus-plus (his splitter), and MLB hitters swung and missed at 14 percent of all non-fastballs he threw in 2020, so there’s a clear path for him to miss bats and avoid hard contact by pitching less with his fastballs and more with his splitter, slider and curve. He ran into trouble by leaving too many sinkers and sliders up in the zone in the majors, and his slider in particular is more of a chase pitch against right-handed batters than a pitch to generate whiffs in the strike zone. Mize has all the ingredients to be a No. 1 starter, especially with that devastating splitter, so it’s a matter of refining his pitching plan, and working to locate better to the top and bottom of the strike zone. Given his intelligence and athleticism, there’s no reason to doubt his ability to do just that.

12. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland, Age: 23
McKenzie was absolutely electric in his major-league debut in August, showing exceptional command of the best stuff he’d ever shown, but his velocity tapered off in subsequent starts and Cleveland eventually began to limit his workload after one outing where his average fastball velo dipped from 93-97 in that first game to an average of 90.7. McKenzie gets great extension out over his front side, peaking at 7.4 feet in 2020, giving hitters less time to react and improving his deception, all of which allows him to succeed even if he isn’t sitting at the velocity he showed in his first outing. His changeup doesn’t have much action, and it was better in that first outing when his velocity was up and he could get more separation between the change and the fastball; after that, his slider was his best weapon, with a 20 percent whiff rate on the year, thanks again to how far he extends out front. The entire question about McKenzie’s future revolves around his durability. While I don’t believe his MLB.com listing at 6-5, 165 pounds, he is not and never will be a big guy, given his narrow frame and a metabolism so fast it could do the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs. Maybe he’s a Blake Snell type of starter, limited to 5-6 innings per outing but incredibly effective when he pitches; but I’ll hold out some hope that he eventually fills out and becomes durable enough to pitch at the top of a rotation.

13. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh, Age: 24
Hayes was the best rookie in the National League in 2020, not that any voters bothered to check the stats before sending in their ballots last year; his month in the majors was worth 1.6 (FanGraphs) to 1.9 (Baseball-Reference) WAR, putting him ahead of eventual winner Devin Williams by a sizable margin. Hayes is an elite defender at third base who’ll rival Nolan Arenado for the title of best in baseball, with great hands and reads off the bat as well as a plus arm. He’s always been more of a hitter for average than big power, so the 5 homers he hit in September were a surprise and probably not indicative of 30-homer seasons to come. He just hits the ball hard, and often: Had he qualified, his hard-hit rate of 55.4 percent would have ranked ninth in baseball, between two guys named Yelich and Trout. His swing doesn’t have a ton of loft, so there’s the potential for a tweak later on that unlocks big-time power, but as is he should hit for a high average with a slew of doubles. Add that to his defense at third and you’ve got a 4-5 win player even if his homer total tops out in the teens.

14. Austin Martin, SS, Toronto, Age: 22
The best prospect in the 2020 draft class slipped to the Blue Jays, who picked fifth and were probably delighted to have a player with his kind of potential get to their selection. Martin has exceptional hand-eye coordination and plus-plus bat speed, striking out only 36 times with 50 walks in 392 PA over his last year-plus at Vanderbilt. He’s probably best suited to third base, but the Jays intend to try him out at shortstop — which he has the athleticism and foot speed to handle — with third, second or even center field all possibilities. He did have some throwing trouble in the brief college season in 2020, but it’s not supposed to be a long-term issue and the Jays seem comfortable with his throwing post-draft. This bat at a skill position is pretty unusual and gives him some MVP upside, although we should be a little cautious since he has yet to take a pro at-bat.

15. Ian Anderson, RHP, Atlanta, Age: 23
Anderson has long been a top prospect, as the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft and the No. 27 prospect in baseball last winter, but he was better than anyone expected when he saw the majors last year, thanks to a changeup that big-league hitters could not figure out. Anderson’s fastball velocity is above average, but the pitch doesn’t have great spin, so he uses the changeup heavily as a swing-and-miss pitch (hitters whiffed on 20 percent of the changeups he threw) and to keep hitters off the fastball. His curveball is above average despite a low spin rate because that increases its deception, giving him one of the larger deviations between the spin-based movement and the observed movement on the pitch of any curveball in the majors. Even with a fastball that plays below its velocity, he has two real offspeed weapons in his quiver, pitches aggressively, and is built to eat innings, the way you’d want a No. 2 or better starter to do.

16. Luis Patiño, RHP, Tampa Bay, Age: 21
Patiño was the main prospect coming back to the Rays in the Blake Snell trade and could end up taking Snell’s spot in the Rays’ rotation by the middle of 2021. Working mostly as a reliever for the Padres in 2020, Patiño was up to 99 and sat 96-97, with very high spin on both the four-seamer and his plus slider, with batters whiffing on 18 percent of the 61 sliders he threw. His mid- to upper-80s changeup can also flash plus, although he has to get the pitch down more frequently, missing too often in the middle-up part of the zone. His arm is very quick, with a little effort to the delivery and some cutoff when he lands, but he’s very balanced and stays well over the rubber, and his extension out front — as high as 7.6 feet — is among the best in the majors. He could be a No. 1 starter with this three-pitch mix as long as he develops his command and stays healthy.

17. Daniel Lynch, LHP, Kansas City, Age: 24
Brady Singer and Kris Bubic saw the majors in 2020, but Lynch was and still is their best pitching prospect, a lefty who’s up to 99 with three off-speed pitches that can all grade out as plus, coming from a 6-6 or 6-7 frame too. Lynch missed some time in 2019 because of shoulder soreness but returned with the same power stuff he’d shown before, hitting 99 in the Arizona Fall League, and was doing so again at the Royals’ alternate site last summer while he worked on improving his changeup and developing more confidence in the pitch. His fastball doesn’t play up to its velocity, so he’ll need to pitch more with his secondary stuff, but his slider was already plus and his changeup looks like one now too. He’ll have to keep working on repeating his delivery to boost his command and control, but this is elite stuff from the left side, and his arsenal has only improved since we last saw him.

18. Spencer Torkelson, 1B/3B, Detroit, Age: 21
Torkelson was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, following a career at Arizona State in which he hit 54 homers in 129 games for the Sun Devils, including a .780 slugging percentage last spring before the world fell apart. He’s an advanced hitter with a fairly simple right-handed swing and plus-plus power now, as he’s already well filled out and quite strong for his age. Torkelson is competent at first base, but the Tigers have tried him out at third and will continue to develop him there, at least in the short term, since playing the more difficult position would boost his value quite a bit even if he’s just a fringe defender there. Even at first base, this would be an impact bat who’ll hit 30+ homers on a regular basis with a strong OBP, but if third base works out — and it is a longshot — he’d probably make some MVP ballots in his prime.

19. Francisco Alvarez, C, NY Mets, Age: 19
Alvarez signed with the Mets in July 2018 for $2.7 million, then a club record for a signing bonus for an international player, and hasn’t stopped hitting since. He’s a force at the plate, with a compact but powerful swing as well as impressive command of the strike zone for someone who just turned 19 in November. He rarely strikes out and already has enough power to project as an above-average regular at catcher when he gets to the majors. Behind the plate, he’s a solid-average receiver with an arm that might be a tick above that, enough of everything that he’s going to stay at the position. With his contact skills and present power, he’ll be very good, but if the power develops, or he maintains his strong walk rates, the Venezuelan teenager will be a star.

20. Edward Cabrera, RHP, Miami, Age: 23
As good as Sixto Sánchez is — and he’s very very good — there’s a solid chance Cabrera will be better, because he has the swing-and-miss secondary pitch Sánchez lacks. Cabrera is 96-100 with a plus-plus changeup that’s among the best in the minors; it’s 90ish with huge tumble and might be a grade 80 pitch. He might have debuted in 2020 with the Marlins contending but had a minor shoulder issue, so they chose to be cautious, recognizing the top-of-the-rotation potential he has with those two pitches. His slider is average to above-average, with a little less power than you’d expect from his arm speed but enough to miss some bats. He’s 6-5 and 217 pounds, and probably has room on that frame to fill out, so he has a size advantage over Sixto as well. Pick your poison: They’re both potential aces and very, very valuable prospects right now.

21. Matt Manning, RHP, Detroit, Age: 23
Manning would have seen the majors along with teammates Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal last year but for a minor forearm strain that led the Tigers to shut him down in late August. A former two-sport star in high school who had a scholarship to play basketball at Loyola Marymount, the 6-foot-6 Manning was more of a thrower with a golden arm when the Tigers took him ninth overall in 2016, but Detroit has turned him into a polished pitcher, with a much-improved delivery that gets him over his front side better and a real breaking ball that was absent when he was in high school. He can sit comfortably at 92-95, with more in there if needed, and has the curve and changeup as above-average secondary pitches. He did have serious trouble with his control the winter after he signed, but that’s long behind him. I think he can be a No. 2 starter if healthy, especially given his athleticism and how well he’s already taken to the adjustments the Tigers made with him.

22. Tarik Skubal, LHP, Detroit, Age: 24
Skubal can show the best combination of stuff, delivery and athleticism of the Tigers’ big three pitching prospects (along with Casey Mize and Matt Manning), but major-league hitters hit Skubal very hard last year, and that’s not consistent with the quality of his pitches. Skubal sat 92-97 in the majors with an upper-80s slider, both of which finished in the zone far too often, the main reason he was hit so hard. Skubal’s approach is to try to go up with his high-spin four-seamer, down and away to lefties with his breaking pitches, and away to righties with the changeup, but he executed the curve and change far better than the fastball and slider. Most of the damage he gave up was from right-handed batters, and his failure to execute the fastball is probably the reason. He should dominate with this stuff, and I still think he will, but there are clear adjustments he needs to make to get to that No. 2 starter ceiling.

23. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona, Age: 21
The Diamondbacks were ecstatic to get Carroll, the No. 4 prospect on my draft board in 2019, with the 16th overall pick, and he has impressed across the board since signing, even showing more power than anticipated once he got into pro ball. Corbin can flash all five tools, as he’s already a 70 runner, projects to stay in center with above-average defense, and has shown a real feel to hit, with an advanced idea of the strike zone already despite playing amateur baseball at a private high school in Seattle. He’s just 5-10, which hurt his draft stock but hasn’t kept him from making hard, loud contact. He may not have the most pure upside in the Diamondbacks’ system, but he has the best combination of ceiling and probability, and may be advanced enough to move quickly to High A or Double A this year.

24. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle, Age: 20
Rodriguez was just 18 years old when he ripped through Low A and High A in 2019, hitting like someone three years his senior, with a very impressive contact rate for any prospect at those stops, and he probably would have spent most of 2020 at Double A had there been a season. He’s a big, strong kid with long levers and an easy, rotational swing that looks geared to hit the ball a long way. He’s played mostly center field to date, but he’s going to end up in right field or left given his frame, with the power to profile in a corner. What remains to be seen is how much he’ll hit — his pitch recognition isn’t that advanced and his swing can get long — which will determine whether he’s a star who can hit cleanup or just a very solid regular with power and lower OBPs.

25. Sixto Sánchez, RHP, Miami, Age: 22
Sánchez was every bit as good as advertised and then some when he debuted for the Marlins in late August, and held that form through the Marlins’ run into the playoffs. Sánchez, the main piece coming back to Miami in the J.T. Realmuto trade, averaged 98.5 on his four-seamer as a starter, and showed a wipeout changeup as well as two pretty functional breaking balls. The latter was always the main question he faced as a prospect, other than health, as he doesn’t naturally spin the ball that well, but he got whiff rates over 10 percent on both his curveball and his slider. His strikeout rate in the majors was lower than you’d expect, but he has the weapons to put away hitters, needing to work more on location when he’s ahead in the count. He still has to maintain his conditioning and show he can hold velocity like this over a regular season’s workload, but this is No. 1 starter material with this new, more complete arsenal.

26. Jazz Chisholm, SS, Miami, Age: 23
Chisholm was the Diamondbacks’ top prospect before they traded him to Miami at the 2019 deadline for starter Zac Gallen, who’s been outstanding for Arizona since the trade. Chisholm is still a very high-upside prospect, a plus-plus runner with incredible bat speed, strong hands, and the quickness and arm to stay at shortstop, but he lacks polish on both sides of the ball and could really use a year in the high minors in 2021. He wasn’t ready for the majors last year, struggling in particular with big-league breaking stuff (whiffing on one of every seven breaking pitches he saw), but the Marlins saw value in getting him a cup of coffee after a summer at the alternate site. He’s still an elite prospect, with 20-homer upside and great speed at a premium defensive position, but also the sort of prospect who might be most hurt by a year of lost reps facing live pitching.

27. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City, Age: 21
Witt was the second pick in the 2019 draft class, beating his father by one spot (Bobby Sr. went third overall in 1985, and the next year walked 143 men in 157.2 innings for Texas), with arm strength inherited from his dad but the potential for five tools out at shortstop too. Witt is a plus runner with great instincts and projects to be a plus defender with a cannon for an arm. He has a simple swing but collapses his back side, adding to power but possibly costing him contact as he faces better pitching. He played extremely well at the Royals’ alternate site, where they also had him work on smaller things like bunting for hits, and could move very quickly once minor-league games resume. He’s the long-term shortstop solution for the Royals, and if he hits for average as well as everything else, he’ll be their best player by his peak.

28. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati, Age: 21
Greene was back from Tommy John surgery last summer and throwing hard once again at Cincinnati’s alternate site, clocked up to 102 there while he would pitch at 97-98. Greene has remarkably easy velocity, and while he rehabbed from the surgery he gained a substantial amount of muscle, which should help him work deeper into games. He’s added a cutter, along with the improving slider and hard changeup, although that last pitch might be too firm and doesn’t have a lot of action to it. He was working six innings or so per outing by the end of the summer, which should set him up for a full season of pitching if we get a regular minor league schedule — and he could potentially make his debut by the end of the year.

29. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Houston, Age: 23
Whitley still hasn’t made his major-league debut after what amounts to two lost seasons, the first due to poor performance and the second due to the pandemic, but he’s still a potential front-of-the-rotation prospect if he can recapture the form he showed in 2018. Whitley is listed at 6-7 and 238 pounds, and comes at hitters with five distinct pitches, headlined by a fastball that was sitting 97-98 in short stints at the Astros’ alternate site last summer, as well as a plus-plus changeup, plus cutter, and two solid-average breaking balls. His loss of command in 2019 remains a puzzle, and maybe he would be better served via an internship in the Astros’ bullpen before they stick him in the rotation, but there is still so much to like here between the stuff and the size that I remain a believer that he’ll be an impact big-league starter in time.

30. Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City, Age: 22
Lacy had a legitimate argument to go first overall in 2020 as the best college pitcher in the draft, and a left-hander to boot, but the early end to the season probably put an end to that possibility. He flashed No. 1 stuff before the world ended, touching 98, sitting 93-94 deep into starts, with a plus changeup and an above-average slider, all with a good delivery that has him taking a big step toward the plate. His command and control lagged behind a little, especially when he just tries to throw hard and harder when he falls behind or needs a swing and miss, but that’s more a function of inexperience than mechanical or physical deficiency. I don’t think the year off hurts guys like Lacy as much as it hurts most prospects — I’d rather he take a few months off than work deeply into June because his team runs to Omaha — and wouldn’t be surprised to see him get to Double A in his first pro season, with No. 2 to No. 1 starter potential.

31. Marco Luciano, SS, San Francisco, Age: 19
Luciano was the Giants’ big signing in the July 2018 international period, getting $2.6 million as a bonus, and had a tremendous U.S. debut in 2019 in the Arizona League at age 17. He did so well, and is so important in the Giants’ eyes, that they had him at their alternate site last summer even though he was just 18, and then had him play through instructs, all to try to replace some of what was lost when he would have been in Low A. Luciano has plus bat speed and loose hands at the plate, with the ability to drive the ball to all fields and power to come as he fills out. He’s a shortstop for now, with a plus arm and soft enough hands, although he might grow big enough to move to third base in time, especially since his foot speed is already fringy. Even at third base, though, he could have the hit/OBP/power tools to project as a superstar there, just needing some reps against real pitching in Low A to prove it.

32. Ronny Mauricio, SS, NY Mets, Age: 20
Mauricio may have been passed by Alvarez in the Mets’ system but is still a potential star thanks to his ability to add value on both sides of the ball, with his upside really a function of how strong he ultimately gets. He’s a dynamic athlete who plays above-average defense at short, and his hands are extremely quick, generating a ton of bat speed, although so far that’s put the ball on the ground far too often and he’ll have to learn to put the ball in the air more often to get to his ceiling. He did make a lot of contact at age 18 in Low A, however, so there’s reason to think he can improve his line-drive rate and possibly get to some power in a few years. Mauricio won’t turn 20 until April but has already spent a full year in Low A, despite the loss of the 2020 season to the pandemic, and could still head to High A this year at an appropriate age. There’s huge upside here; last offseason I said he could become a top 5 prospect with a big year at High A, and I’m sticking to it.

33. Brendan McKay, LHP, Tampa Bay, Age: 25
McKay was a top 20 prospect in the game going into 2020, but he tested positive for COVID-19 in July, and then had surgery on his left shoulder in August that ended his season. Pre-surgery, McKay showed exquisite command with an above-average fastball and plus changeup as well as two breaking balls, although he barely used the change in his major-league time in 2019 and right-handed batters made him pay for it. His delivery was not violent or high-effort, and he’s a superb fielder, so if the velocity comes back he’d be the same high-floor prospect he was before. He might still hit occasionally, but he was already showing he’s a pitcher first and foremost and that he’d need a lot more reps at the plate to make him a viable two-way player. We’ll just have to see how well he comes back from the knife.

34. Riley Greene, OF, Detroit, Age: 20
Greene was the fifth overall pick in 2019, out of a Florida high school, but impressed the Tigers so much in his pro debut that they had him finish his first summer in full-season ball. That decision looks great in hindsight, since there was no season in 2020, and at least he heads into 2021 with a little experience outside of short-season leagues. Greene is a bat-first prospect, with very good feel to hit and a mechanically sound swing, projecting to get to above-average or plus power in his 20s. He’s played all three outfield spots, with good instincts in the field, but projects to go to a corner and be above-average there, given his speed now and the likely decline as he gets bigger. Like so many teenage prospects, he needs a minor-league season to continue to develop, or just to show us how advanced he already is.

35. Vidal Bruján, 2B, Tampa Bay, Age: 23
I thought Bruján might get a callup for the Rays during their pennant run, giving them another infielder, right-handed bat off the bench, and possible pinch runner, although there’s still no obvious place for him to play right now in St. Petersburg. Bruján has gotten much stronger since the Rays first signed him, when he was somewhere near 120 pounds, and is now driving the ball with more authority without any real change to his swing or ability to make contact. He’s a 70 runner and plus defender at second, and a switch-hitter who’s much better batting left-handed, with large platoon splits the last two years in the minors. The Rays had him, Wander Franco and Taylor Walls at their alternate site, so all three players moved around the field, with Bruján getting reps at short, second and in center field, which might be a hint at how he’ll debut in the majors — playing multiple positions while waiting for a full-time job to open up at second or in center. He could be an All-Star at either spot, and probably could be someone’s shortstop if they were willing to bet on his bat and speed while accepting more average defense.

36. Brandon Marsh, OF, LA Angels, Age: 23
Jo Adell debuted for the Angels last year but struck out 42 percent of the time and struggled in the field, so perhaps the Angels will let Adell spend the year at Triple A and give Marsh a shot at the right field job. Marsh impressed the Angels at the alternate site as his power continued to develop, including power the other way as well, while still playing above-average defense in center. He cut his strikeout rate significantly from 2018 to 2019 despite moving up to Double A for the full season, and if he holds that while also adding a grade of power, he could be a 5+ WAR player in center, or maybe something like peak Brett Gardner with more pop in a corner spot.

37. Kristian Robinson, OF, Arizona, Age: 20
Robinson is a swing-for-the-fences prospect in both literal and figurative terms: He has otherworldly power, but his approach is still crude and he may have trouble with contact when he can return to Low A at some point this year. Robinson is a big, athletic kid, with plus raw power and plus speed, quick enough to play center but with the arm to handle right if he outgrows the middle of the diamond. He’s shown some patience in short-season ball but has struggled with off-speed stuff, in part due to low recognition and in part because he overstrides at the plate and ends up out in front. In instructs this past fall, he showed enormous power to the opposite field, but also showed he still has a ways to go picking up anything other than fastballs. He just turned 20 in December, and between the lost pandemic year and his relative inexperience growing up in the Bahamas, he’s probably more like 18 in baseball years, but the upside here is undeniable even if it’s far away.

38. Luis Campusano, C, San Diego, Age: 22
Campusano has come on so quickly as a prospect on both sides of the ball that the Padres have been willing to trade away most of their other catchers — Austin Hedges, Francisco Mejía, Blake Hunt and Luis Torrens have all left the organization in deals in the last six months — to clear the way for him to be their catcher of the future. He has great bat control, rarely striking out, and as he’s gotten stronger he’s been making harder contact and driving the ball more in the air; his one ball in play in his brief major-league call-up was a flyball hit at 101.1 mph. He’s also improved substantially as a catcher since signing, with a plus arm and at least average receiving skills. The Padres are right to bet on him; a catcher with this kind of bat is extremely valuable. (He is currently facing felony charges in Georgia for marijuana possession, under an archaic law that will likely fall to the tide of decriminalization, so there is some chance he’ll miss part of the 2021 season.)

39. Josiah Gray, RHP, LA Dodgers, Age: 23
Gray came to the Dodgers along with Jeter Downs (since traded to Boston) as part of a big salary dump for the Reds, a trade in which the Dodgers used their resources to essentially buy two very good prospects, and Gray has emerged as the best part of the deal. A second-round pick out of Division II Le Moyne College in 2018, Gray has a four-pitch mix and has worked to improve his deception by maintaining a consistent release point for all of his pitches. His fastball is 93-95 with good run and carry despite the low release height, generating a lot of swings and misses on the pitch. The Dodgers saw more consistency and quality to the curveball in 2020, adding depth against left-handed batters. Gray was just so-so at the alternate site over the summer, but the Dodgers chose to bring him to their playoff bubble in case they needed another right-handed arm in the bullpen. He’s still developing, and talks quite a bit about working with different grips to improve the characteristics on his pitches like spin efficiency. As a converted guy who was primarily a shortstop until 2018, he has a lot of room for continued growth as a pitcher.

40. Max Meyer, RHP, Miami, Age: 22
Meyer might only be a 6-foot right-hander, but he’s been up to 100 mph as a starter with a hellacious slider, and there’s as much consensus that Meyer can start as I’ve ever heard scouts offer on a right-hander this size. The University of Minnesota had him throw sliders way too often, but his fastball plays, and it turns out he has a pretty good changeup that was gathering dust on a shelf in Minneapolis the last few years. He’s very athletic and has a great delivery for someone who throws this hard, also earning raves for how hard he competes. It’s easy to project him as a top-end, 2-3 win reliever, but the Marlins see him as a starter and he could give them another above-average or better option in their rotation along with Sixto Sánchez and Edward Cabrera as soon as the end of 2022.


Joey Bart (Kyle Terada / USA Today)
41. Joey Bart, C, San Francisco, Age: 24
Bart only debuted out of need, and his lack of experience really showed, especially once pitchers adjusted to him and started pounding him with soft stuff away. The No. 2 overall pick in 2018, Bart missed a chunk of time in 2019 due to injury, so he reached the majors with just 130 games of pro experience, and that exacerbated the problems he already had with contact. Bart has plus power, a plus arm, and gets raves for his receiving and game-calling, so it comes down to how much he can hit. With his deep hand load and some recognition issues with off-speed pitches, he’s not an advanced hitter right now, and there’s a good chance he ends up a 40/45 hitter but is still a regular because he’s a great defensive catcher with power. I generally argue that we should dismiss stats from 2020, but Bart whiffing on more than a quarter of the non-fastballs he saw this year is at least a tiny bit concerning, especially with previous concerns on his hit tool. I think he’s a longtime regular, with the high floor from his defense, but maybe doesn’t have the hit tool to be a star.

42. Bo Naylor, C, Cleveland, Age: 21
Naylor continues to make great progress behind the plate, to the point now where he’s not just likely to stay there but has a chance to end up a plus defender with the glove and arm, a testament to his athleticism and his work ethic. Naylor was the 29th overall pick in 2018, following in the footsteps of his brother and fellow first-round pick Josh, but was more of an infielder who’d tried catching rather than a polished backstop — and maybe that’s good, considering the poor track record of high school catchers who were drafted in the first round. He’s an above-average runner with good bat speed, making contact at a rate above league average in Low A in 2019, even though he was young for the level at 19 years old. His results on balls in play were just fair, however, with more power but a lower BABIP than I would have forecast. He’s going to catch, and there’s a lot of untapped potential in the bat, enough that he could leap into the top echelon of prospects with a strong year at the plate in High A or Double A in 2021.

43. Zac Veen, OF, Colorado, Age: 19
The best all-around high school player available in the 2020 draft, Veen certainly looks the part of an elite position player prospect — tall, athletic, projectable, with plenty of tools. Veen has plus raw power now, with a pretty (if sometimes long) left-handed swing that should produce long drives with some swing and miss. He plays center now and I imagine he’ll stay there a few years, but he’s already 6-4 and might end up 225-230 pounds even if he doesn’t get any taller, so right field seems far more likely. As with most high school hitters, it’s going to come down to how ready he is to face pro pitching, which we won’t see until we get minor-league games back this summer.

44. Leody Taveras, CF, Texas, Age: 22
Taveras played 33 games in the majors last year and just barely sneaks under the wire to retain his rookie eligibility for one more year. He showed flashes of how good a defender he is in center, making more out-of-zone plays in center than many highly regarded defenders who played more innings there in 2020, including Kevin Kiermaier, Harrison Bader and George Springer, thanks to his top-end sprint speed in the 96th percentile. At the plate, he struck out far more often than he ever has in the minors, with breaking stuff his bugbear, but did make harder contact than expected when he did put the ball in play. He’ll play all of 2021 at age 22, and in a non-pandemic year probably wouldn’t have seen the majors last season. Right now the Rangers should just hand him the everyday centerfield job, where he’s going to be a 70 defender, and hope that his longstanding ability to put the ball in play, with strikeout rates down around 20 percent in the minors, comes back as he gets used to major-league curveballs and sliders.

45. Randy Arozarena, OF, Tampa Bay, Age: 26
So … he’s not actually that good, but he’s good, and certainly enough to be a regular in an outfield corner, even if he’s no longer hitting 7-8 homers a month. Arozarena never showed this kind of power in the minors, but he did hit the ball hard everywhere he played, and in 2020 he boosted his launch angle so that far more of those hard-hit balls became Barrels (thus very likely to become hits). He’s not a plus runner but has good instincts on the bases and in the outfield, where he projects to be at least above average in a corner. The Arozarena with the flat swing we saw in 2019 and earlier was more like a fourth outfielder with some everyday upside, but with contact this hard and now a launch angle near 10 percent, he’s more like a 25-30 homer guy who could hit fourth in any lineup. Arozarena was arrested in Mexico this offseason following a situation involving a custody dispute, but was released when his former partner did not want to press charges.

46. Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota, Age: 22
Lewis was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft but hit a bump in his ascent to the majors in 2019 after some offseason workouts led to a breakdown in his mechanics at the plate. Lewis is a plus-plus runner who projected to hit for average without a ton of power, but before the 2019 season, he adopted a high leg kick and big hand movement, but instead of driving the ball more he would bail out more often and make weak contact on stuff away. The Twins have worked with him to get him more online so he can work toward the middle of the field, making better quality contact and letting him use his legs more often. Lewis is rough at shortstop, with all of the athleticism and speed to play there but well below-average actions and instincts; the Twins have tried Lewis a little in center but plan to continue to work him at shortstop, which I think is smart from a value perspective but an uphill battle on the field. There’s a ton of natural ability here, and just restoring Lewis’ swing from 2018 would go a long way to demonstrating the type of player he can be. I see Lewis as a leadoff hitter with huge speed and plus defense in center, different from the player he was in high school but still a valuable player on both sides of the ball.

47. Logan Gilbert, RHP, Seattle, Age: 24
Gilbert is one of the most likely mid-rotation starter prospects in the minors, perhaps lacking the upside of some guys ahead of him who throw harder, but with a higher floor and more probability. Gilbert was the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2018 after a spring when he pitched well but with less velocity due to a case of mono; since then, he’s picked back up to pitch more at 92-95 with a plus breaking ball. At the alternate site in 2020, the Mariners had him work on his changeup to further round out his arsenal, although he didn’t show any platoon split in 2019. Gilbert’s delivery is so easy that it’s almost boring, and he has some of the best command of anyone on this list, so while he probably doesn’t have a 70 pitch anywhere, he should be an above-average starter for someone for a very long time, maybe outlasting a lot of guys who burn twice as bright.

48. Clarke Schmidt, RHP, NY Yankees, Age: 25
Schmidt made three appearances for the Yankees in 2020, two in relief and one as a starter, where he was uncharacteristically wild, but his pitch mix in short stints isn’t a good reflection of how he’s going to pitch as a starter. Schmidt’s slider is plus, with huge tilt and an average spin rate in the majors of over 3,000 rpm, and he gets whiffs on it out of the zone, but in his major-league time he didn’t miss any bats with his four-seamer or sinker in the zone. The four-seamer is 92-95 with a high spin rate, but Schmidt didn’t command the pitch in the majors, missing middle-middle or above the zone too much. That was less of an issue in the minors, where he worked as a starter on a regular schedule. With a changeup and sinker, he has a legit four-pitch mix and a couple of weapons that should miss bats, and has a delivery that is far cleaner than it was in college before he blew out his elbow. I think he just needs a regular routine and pitching schedule to be a mid-rotation or better starter.

49. DL Hall, LHP, Baltimore, Age: 22
Hall was the Orioles’ first-round pick in 2017 and has missed a ton of bats in pro ball, striking out 29 percent of batters he faced in full-season ball, but he’s been wild and walked nearly 1 in 6 batters he faced in High A in 2019. Hall is a great athlete who’ll show three above-average to plus pitches, pitching at 93-96 with a very tight, two-plane curveball and low-80s changeup; the curveball has helped him destroy left-handed batters, while his main issue with right-handers is walks rather than contact. His delivery is fine, but he rushes through it and tries to overpower guys rather than using his swing-and-miss stuff as is, which really should improve with repetitions and maturity. Hall has at least No. 2 starter stuff, and I’m betting on the athleticism and delivery to get him to average control, although that’s not going to improve until we get minor league games.

50. Matt Liberatore, LHP, St. Louis, Age: 21
Liberatore’s trade to St. Louis last winter was a surprise at the time, but the trade netted Tampa Bay Randy Arozarena, without whom they probably don’t win the second pennant in franchise history, so with a bit of hindsight it makes more sense that the Rays would give up one of their top pitching prospects. Liberatore is a great athlete who can touch the mid-90s and gets big spin on his curveball, while also mixing in a slider and changeup, with the slider especially promising given how new the pitch is for him. One concern on Liberatore is that his delivery doesn’t provide that much deception, an issue many pitchers with premium stuff and very pretty mechanics have had before. He’s also had some trouble keeping the delivery together with men on base, although that’s easier to remedy than insufficient deception. If hitters see his fastball too well, that’s a bigger concern, because it has sunk some very talented pitchers before, from Luke Hochevar to Casey Kelly to Jeff Hoffman. We’ll see if St. Louis can find a way to keep hitters off Liberatore’s fastball, because the rest of the package looks like a No. 2 starter in the making.

51. Brennen Davis, OF, Chicago Cubs, Age: 21
Davis was the Cubs’ second-rounder in 2018, a two-sport athlete who starred in basketball and baseball for Basha High School in Arizona, but has turned out to be more advanced at the plate than most players who split time across multiple sports. Davis has a balanced swing with good extension, although it can get kind of long because he’s so lanky. He showed solid plate discipline in his full-season debut in 2019, although he was limited to 50 games when a finger injury effectively ended his season that July, with more power than anticipated given how much room he has left to fill out. He was a shortstop in high school but has handled the move to center field well, showing enough range already to project to stay there over the long term and even end up an above-average to plus defender. He just needs reps, as with so many players drafted in 2018-19 who haven’t gotten much playing time yet, but has star upside between the OBP/power potential and his range in center.

52. Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS, Tampa Bay, Age: 21
Edwards went to Tampa Bay in the Tommy Pham trade but has yet to play a pro game for the Rays due to the pandemic. He’s a natural shortstop who played more second base in the Padres’ system, although the Rays might try him back at shortstop to maintain some versatility and see if his speed and arm stroke are good enough to play there. He’s a plus runner with great bat-to-ball skills and quick wrists, generating good bat speed that should translate into fringe-average power when he fills out — although without that, he’s going to have a hard time generating enough extra-base power to be a regular. His ultimate ceiling depends on that, and whether he stays at short, or perhaps becomes a plus defender at second or even in center field.

53. Michael Kopech, RHP, Chicago White Sox, Age: 25
Kopech opted out of the 2020 season, which gives him one more shot at these rankings before he likely loses his eligibility early in the 2021 campaign. He threw 14 big-league innings in 2018 before his elbow barked and he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2019, but all reports are that his stuff had returned, with a mid-90s fastball and two potential plus pitches in the slider and changeup. He’s modeled himself after Noah Syndergaard in his delivery and conditioning, and he’d been healthy before the torn elbow ligament, with the size and athleticism to be a 200-inning guy. We just need to see him on a mound to assess his progress post-surgery, which may come in Triple A after the White Sox added Lance Lynn via trade this winter, and to see if he can turn either of his breaking balls into a consistent swing-and-miss option. He still has the ceiling of an ace, even though his timeline has been shifted forward by a few years.

54. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle, Age: 22
The Mariners took Hancock with the sixth overall pick in 2020, although a full spring might have given him more of a chance to go higher in the draft, as he didn’t show his full complement of stuff before the pandemic arrived. The University of Georgia tried to make Hancock a groundball guy, telling him to work down in the zone, but that’s not a good fit for his delivery or arsenal. He was 93-97 for the Bulldogs last spring, with two fringy breaking balls and a changeup he never used, but the Mariners directed him to use the changeup over the summer and saw an above-average pitch, as well as a much-improved slider and good ride on the fastball when he stopped trying to sink it. He’s a good athlete, and still has a lot of room to fill out even though he’s already 21. The Mariners do have a lot of work to do here, more than you’d expect with a college arm taken in the top 10, but he has No. 2 starter upside if that slider is consistently plus for him going forward.

55. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Baltimore, Age: 21
Rodriguez was the Orioles’ first-round pick in 2018 and dominated Low A the following year as a 19-year-old, working on a very restrictive set of pitch and innings counts where he only pitched into the seventh inning once all year. Rodriguez is built like a workhorse at 6-5 and 220 pounds (listed), and could blow his 94-96 mph fastball right by Low-A hitters, elevating it when he needed to. He has three secondary pitches, led by a tight 11/5 curveball that isn’t consistent but can show good depth and that he can throw for strikes, while his slider remains a work in progress. His delivery has a big pause in it that limits how much power he can derive from his lower half, and some cross-body action because of where his front leg strikes. Despite the mechanical stuff, he shows close to average control, and command I’d call good for someone his age. When he gets to pitch in games again, I’d like to see improvement to his off-speed stuff and a smoother delivery that lets him drive with his legs more, so he can get to his No. 2 starter upside.

56. Jeter Downs, SS/2B, Boston, Age: 22
Downs has been traded twice now, with the second deal bringing him to the Red Sox as part of the return for Mookie Betts, just in time for the second base job in Boston to open up right in front of him. Downs is an advanced hitter for his age, making hard contact with a line drive-oriented swing that helped him lead the High-A California League in doubles in 2019 while he had the league’s 11th-lowest strikeout rate. He’s played primarily shortstop, but he’s going to end up at another position, most likely second base, where he should be above average. He may not have the huge upside of other prospects on this list, but he has a pretty high floor as someone who’ll hit around .300 with a ton of doubles, a strong OBP, and some added value on defense at second or third.

57. Nolan Gorman, 3B, St. Louis, Age: 21
Gorman has grade-80 power with a lot of swing and miss in his game, but that formula has worked well for many hitters, notably Joey Gallo, who wouldn’t have had careers 10 or 20 years ago. For Gorman, as with those hitters, the key is getting to enough contact so the power plays. The Cardinals were aggressive with Gorman in 2019, sending the 19-year-old to High A in the middle of the season, and his strikeout rate crept up to 31 percent — within tolerable limits, but it can’t get any higher while he’s still facing minor-league pitching. He just swings very hard, even with two strikes, also like Gallo always has. Gorman worked extensively with coach José Oquendo at the Cardinals’ alternate site, giving the Cardinals more reason to think he can stay at third base in the long term; he may never be more than fringy there but has enough athleticism to stick. He has a 40-homer bat if he just keeps that contact rate to 70 percent or better.

58. Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco, Age: 21
Ramos is still just 21, since he was only 17 when the Giants took him in the first round in 2017, and should start this year in Double A after spending the tail end of the summer of 2019 at that level, which puts him on track for a debut when he’s 22. He’s an aggressive hitter who can be all-or-nothing at the plate, with good enough hand-eye coordination that he’ll hit for some average, and plus power even with a high strikeout rate. Ramos has mostly played center in pro ball, but he’s already put a lot of muscle on his 6-foot frame and he’s going to have to move to a corner in the majors – probably left field, given how large right field is in San Francisco – but he has 30-homer power and I think enough hard contact in his approach to profile as an above-average regular there.


Josh Lowe (Jonathan Dyer / USA Today)
59. Josh Lowe, OF, Tampa Bay, Age: 23
Lowe had shoulder surgery that would have kept him out until at least May of 2020 had there been a season but instead got the entire year to rehab and will be good to go whenever spring training starts. He was a first-rounder who didn’t produce at all until 2019, when he tightened his approach at the plate and improved his offense across the board, hitting for more power and stealing 30 bags, while playing plus defense in center. Lowe still swings and misses, but he does everything else you want: he runs deep counts and takes walks, hits for plus power, runs the bases well, and shows excellent range in center. His swing can get a bit long but he repeats it well, and you’ll take 150 strikeouts a year with all of the rewards he offers on both sides of the ball.

60. Robert Hassell, OF, San Diego, Age: 19
Hassell was the first high school player off the board in the 2020 draft, going eighth overall to the Padres, who loved his swing and think he’s got a chance to stay in center for the long haul. The swing is a classic left-hander’s, and Hassell has great bat speed and good loft in his finish for line-drive power, probably more doubles with 15-20 homers at his peak. He showed impressive plate discipline over the summer at the Padres’ alternate site, facing many big-league or other hard-throwing pitchers who were a huge step above what he’d faced in high school. He’s a solid-average runner with a plus arm, but his reads in center have been good enough that he’ll play there for at least the short term.

61. Alek Thomas, OF, Arizona, Age: 21
Thomas, the team’s second-round pick in 2018, started to show more power in 2019 in full-season A ball without a big jump in his strikeouts, giving more reason to think he’ll end up showing all five tools when he gets to his prime. Thomas has a lot going on in his swing, but he’s shown very good feel to hit and strong pitch recognition so far, striking out less than you’d think from his swing mechanics while getting good lift to drive the ball. He’s a plus runner with the potential to stay in center and be above average there, although the Diamondbacks have other outfielders who may push him to a corner. He may strike out more as he moves up the ladder — his contact rate dropped after a promotion to High A late in 2019, albeit in a small sample — but it looks like he’ll have the OBP and slugging to profile as a regular in a corner or an above-average regular in center, if not even more.

62. Spencer Howard, RHP, Philadelphia, Age: 24
Howard’s debut in 2020 was disappointing on a few levels, as he didn’t miss as many bats as he should have with his stuff and saw his season end in mid-September after another bout of shoulder stiffness. Howard’s biggest problem was location; he left a lot of pitches right over the heart of the strike zone, or middle-up, and paid for it, allowing four homers just in his first two starts and giving up way more hard contact than you’d expect, most of them on four-seamers and changeups middle-middle or middle-up. There are glimmers of good news here: Hitters whiffed on nearly a quarter of the sliders he threw, a rate that held up even on sliders in the zone, and he landed his breaking stuff for strikes. He’s going to have to locate his four-seamer better, and get the changeup – his weakest offspeed pitch – down in the zone more, but I still see a mid-rotation starter here if he can get past this on-and-off shoulder issue.

63. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota, Age: 22
Balazovic has always shown really good feel to pitch, working well to all sides of the plate with advanced command for his age, and his physical projection has started to come out in the last two years, giving him at least mid-rotation potential. Balazovic, the Twins’ fifth-round pick in 2015, now sits 93-95 and can flash better, with an above-average hybrid breaking ball and a solid-average changeup. He’s a strike-thrower who has already shown a willingness to pitch in to hitters, and gets good deception from his delivery thanks to where he holds his glove. There’s still some more projection left here, and he worked in the weight room last summer to continue filling out. If he picks up more velocity or turns either of those secondary pitches into plus offerings, he could end up a No. 2 or better.

64. Braden Shewmake, SS, Atlanta, Age: 23
When Shewmake came out of Texas A&M in 2019, scouts’ expectations were that he’d have to move to another position, either third base or possibly center field, where he’d looked very good during BP and infield/outfield. Now he’s almost a lock to stay at shortstop after a strong showing there in Low A after he was drafted, and he worked at the alternate site with Atlanta in 2020, with a bat that could make him a quiet star over there. Shewmake has good bat-to-ball skills with loose hands at the plate, but his swing is handsy and doesn’t make much use of his lower half, so even as he fills out – and he has a lot of room to do so – he may not automatically add power without some mechanical changes to make him less linear and more rotational. As is, he might hit .300 thanks to his high contact rates, and he’s an above-average runner who’ll add some value on the bases. All that with reliable, solid-average defense at short points to a regular, and a great pick for Atlanta with their second first-round selection in the 2019 draft.

65. Reid Detmers, LHP, LA Angels, Age: 21
Detmers and the Angels were a perfect fit: He, the most polished starter in the 2020 draft class; they, a team with a chronic need for starting pitching, and the urgency of Mike Trout’s peak slipping away while they look for it. Detmers has plus command already and came in with three pitches that graded out as average above-average. The curveball is his best offering, and the Angels let him use his slider more after he barely did so at Louisville. He works to all parts of the zone with his 88-93 mph fastball, although there’s some small concern that velocity might slip when he’s working every fifth day rather than every seventh. The Angels have also worked with him to keep him better aligned toward the plate so he can locate more effectively to his arm side. He’s a starter, for sure, and the question of just what kind of starter is probably a function of how his velocity looks in a pro rotation, a question I hope we’ll answer this summer.

66. Jasson Dominguez, OF, NY Yankees, Age: 18
Dominguez was the top prospect in the 2019 international free agent class and received a $5 million bonus from the Yankees, who seemed ready to move him aggressively until the pandemic hit. Dominguez had an extremely mature body for a 16-year-old when he signed, and even though he won’t turn 18 until early February, he already is more filled out than many players two or three years his senior. He’s big, but still retains explosiveness in his movements, including plus running speed and great hand acceleration at the plate, leading to elite exit velocities. We haven’t seen Dominguez in games yet, so any take on his readiness to hit pro pitching (and work the count, pick up spin, and so on) is just a guess, but his physical tools point to an elite bat who right now can stay in center field.

67. Luis García, RHP, Houston, Age: 24
García was the Astros’ No. 3 prospect going into 2020, but hadn’t pitched above High A, so there wasn’t much reason to expect him in the majors last year … but debut he did, making one start and four relief appearances for Houston in September. He was 93-97 in the big leagues with a plus slider and plus-plus changeup, although he pitched mostly off the fastball. He threw 37 changeups in the big leagues and hitters swung and missed at 10 of them, a 27 percent rate that’s higher than Zach Davies got on his changeup (the most valuable changeup from any starter, per FanGraphs) and close to the rate Devin Williams got on his (30 percent). García has to throw more strikes, although he didn’t work too much in the heart of the strike zone. All three of his pitches could be plus, especially with good vertical movement on the four-seamer, and whether he starts will be a function of his ability to execute a plan and cut his walk rate. That may mean another year in the minors, or an internship in the Astros’ bullpen, before he joins the rotation permanently.

68. Ivan Herrera, C, St. Louis, Age: 21
Herrera is the heir apparent behind the plate in St. Louis, even with Andrew Knizner, a very capable hitter, ahead of him on the depth chart, as Herrera has more potential on both sides of the ball. Signed out of Panama in 2016, Herrera has an excellent approach at the plate, rarely striking out and working the count well to try to get to pitches he can drive. He can really throw, a credit to the Cardinals’ development staff after they worked with him on arm strength and his throwing motion, nabbing 33 percent of opposing runners since he entered pro ball, and when playing in the Mexican Winter League this offseason he threw out 11 of 21 for a 52 percent success rate. He continues to improve behind the plate to the point where he’s going to be an asset on both sides of the ball, and I still believe there’s more power in this bat that we may not see for a few more years.

69. Shane Baz, RHP, Tampa Bay, Age: 22
Baz has the pure stuff to be a No. 1 starter but needs to work on the non-stuff aspects of pitching to get there, so he’s probably one of the guys most hurt by a lost season where he didn’t get reps facing live hitters in games. He did spend the summer at the Rays’ alternate site, where he was one of the youngest guys there, and still showed the same quality of pitches as before. He’s hit 100 in the past and can hold 95-97 as a starter, with a power slider that will probably end up in the 88-90 range and hit 92 in a relief outing in the AFL in 2019. He does need to improve his changeup, the weakest offering he has, although he gets good fading action on the pitch, and he definitely has to improve his command and control, which isn’t helped by the fact that his arm is late relative to his landing. He gets huge spin rates on his fastball and both breaking balls, and he’s going to miss bats in any role. Whether he’s a starter will depend on his getting into games and showing improvement in his command and feel to pitch.

70. William Contreras, C, Atlanta, Age: 23
Contreras got a cup of coffee in 2020, going 4 for 10 in four games, despite having just 60 games above A ball coming into the season. He’s an exceptional athlete with good strength, moving better than you might expect from his stocky build. He’s got a great, easy swing with good follow-through that generates hard contact, and despite being young for his levels he’s posted low strikeout rates. Atlanta has had him work with catching instructor Sal Fasano, and Contreras has come a long way in his defensive skills, where he might end up an above-average defender there. The bat is the part that’s special, where he might become a star, and he’ll probably go to Triple A now at age 23, so he’ll be around the right age for his level for the first time and we should see more of that hard contact turn into doubles and home run power.

71. Seth Corry, LHP, San Francisco, Age: 22
Corry is a high-upside lefty who has started to fill out physically and now has to finish developing as a pitcher to get to his ceiling as a potential No. 2 starter. He’s now pitching at 94-96 and the curveball is plus, although he doesn’t command the pitch well enough yet, and has improved his changeup enough to talk about him as a starter long term. He’s getting stronger and has shortened his arm stroke since high school, allowing him to repeat it more and giving him a little more deception. He may never have above-average control, but could get to average and succeed because his pure stuff will miss bats in the zone. Corry was unhittable in the second half of 2019, after he brought his walk rate down, with a 1.18 ERA in 68.2 innings, 18 walks and 92 strikeouts. He still wasn’t throwing a ton of strikes, but threw enough, especially when behind in the count, to let the quality of his stuff take over. That’s what we’re looking for when games resume as a measure of how likely he is to get to that upside.

72. Brailyn Márquez, LHP, Chicago Cubs, Age: 22
Márquez’s major-league debut didn’t quite go as planned, but he remains the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, with the upside of a top-end starter or similarly high-impact closer. He can hit 101 and averaged 98 in that one major-league outing, with a wipeout slider that’s going to make left-handed hitters’ lives extremely difficult. He does have a changeup that has improved in the last few years, although it’s still a clear third pitch for him and he may always show a modest platoon split. The main concern I have on Márquez is his delivery, which is tough for him to repeat because of the way he spins off his front heel, how late his arm is relative to when his front foot lands, and his tendency to let his arm slot drift downward, all of which put his command at risk and may lead to a bullpen role in the future. In short bursts, however, he could be one of the best relievers in baseball, with stuff that may rival Aroldis Chapman’s from the same side.

73. Quinn Priester, RHP, Pittsburgh, Age: 20
Priester was the first high school pitcher selected in the 2019 draft and was dominant in instructional league this past fall, bumping 97 in an outing where he faced the first high school pitcher selected in the 2020 draft, Philadelphia’s Mick Abel. Priester was mostly a fastball/curveball guy in high school, with the curveball projecting to plus, but the Pirates have added a slider that shows some promise and have had him use his changeup more, since he barely needed it in high school. He’s got a great frame with broad shoulders and is already starting to fill out; while his delivery was already good in high school, with a repeatable arm action and good use of his lower half to generate velocity. High school pitchers are a risky bunch, but this is exactly where you’d want such a prospect to be 18 months out of the draft, and if he keeps getting stronger his ceiling might be higher than I previously thought.

74. Michael Busch, 2B/1B, LA Dodgers, Age: 23
Busch was a first baseman at the University of North Carolina when the Dodgers took him in the first round in 2019, but they had seen him play a little bit of second base on the Cape before that and decided to try him at the position after he signed. He’s looked OK over there, enough that the Dodgers plan to keep him at the keystone going forward, where his hit tool gives him a chance to become an All-Star. Busch can really hit, with a fast bat and rotational swing that generates strong contact, although he didn’t hit for average while he was with the Tar Heels. He was a high-walk guy in college and could be an impact regular even just as a walks/power guy, but I think he’s going to hit for average as well. We’ll see how his glove looks at second when he’s playing at game speed, but there’s some unexpected upside here now that he’s moved to a harder position.

75. Diego Cartaya, C, LA Dodgers, Age: 19
Cartaya might be a top-50 prospect if he’d had a summer of performance – and of scouts seeing him – but the Dodgers have seen him, and seem to like him enough that they’re willing to discuss Keibert Ruiz in just about every major trade proposal. Cartaya is an advanced hitter for his age with tremendous bat speed and plus power, potentially a 30-homer guy who’ll also hit for average because of how well he can go the other way. He’s improving behind the plate, with the tools to end up above-average there and a plus arm, playing with a lot of energy and setting a good target for pitchers. Like any teenage prospect learning a skill position, he needs reps in game settings, although at least in the alternate site he could catch major-league quality stuff. With a strong season in 2021 that proves he’s the hitter he appears to be, he’ll be much higher in everyone’s estimation.

76. George Valera, OF, Cleveland, Age: 20
Valera missed most of 2018 with a broken hamate bone in his hand and didn’t seem completely recovered when he returned to play the following summer, although he was also very young for the New York-Penn League (may it rest in peace) and still showed great promise in the power department. Valera was healthy for all of 2020 and even came to Cleveland’s alternate site as a 19-year-old, then showed off in instructional league with a beautiful swing that produced hard contact and plus-plus power. He can really hit a fastball already but tends to chase stuff out of the zone too often, something that may improve as he’s facing more pitchers who are around the plate and he gets more pitches he can square up. On defense, he’s adequate in a corner, but could get to above-average with the right instruction. He’s a flashy player, but that’s great if you can bring it, which Valera certainly can, with 30-homer upside and the potential to hit for a high average even if he continues to swing and miss.

77. Ryan Weathers, LHP, San Diego, Age: 21
When the Padres took Weathers with the seventh overall pick in 2018, it was a function of his polish as a starter rather than the projection you’d associate with a high school arm or a typical Padres draft pick, and in 2019 his fastball had backed up so it was barely major-league average. In 2020, however, his stuff took a big jump forward, and he was working at 95-97 over the summer, holding that into his major-league debut in the playoff series (another one of the Mark Kiger All-Stars) against the Dodgers. Weathers, the son of longtime big leaguer David, has four pitches, with his changeup his best secondary offering, and his slider improved as his arm has sped up. He’s always been a strike-thrower who projected to get to above-average or better command. Weathers does have his dad’s physique, and will have to work on his conditioning as he gets older. I don’t know if Weathers will really pitch at 95+ as a starter going forward, but even if he’s 92-95 with the improved slider and the same command/control, that’s at least a mid-rotation starter.

78. Tyler Freeman, SS, Cleveland, Age: 22
Freeman has filled out some more since we last saw him in games, which does help address one of the biggest concerns about him as a hitter – whether he’d be strong enough to keep hitting the ball hard and thus hold up his consistently strong batting averages. Freeman rarely strikes out, with just 87 strikeouts so far in 997 pro plate appearances, and is a solid-average to tick above-average runner who plays a competent shortstop but will probably end up at second base, especially in a system with so many superior defenders at short. Everything Freeman does plays up because he shows such good instincts and feel for the game, earning the dreaded “ballplayer” tag from scouts and coaches (as if the other kids on the field are not also ballplayers, which would create a substantial ontological dilemma for those of us who evaluate the sport for a living). I don’t think this swing is going to generate power, but he looks like he’ll hit .300+ consistently with solid OBPs, average defense at short or plus defense at second, and a little added value on the bases as well.

79. Alek Manoah, RHP, Toronto, Age: 23
Manoah was the top college right-hander in the 2019 draft but the Blue Jays got him with the 11th pick on some concerns about his size and minor health issues before his draft year. It looks like a steal now as Manoah continues to stay healthy and throw hard, while improving his conditioning over the course of 2020 and the last two offseasons. Manoah sits 93-94 and can touch 98, with an above-average slider and above-average changeup as well as a curveball he can land for strikes. He is big, 6-6 and 260 in college, and only pitches from the stretch, but he throws strikes and attacks guys consistently with his fastball, an approach that should continue to serve him well as he moves up the ladder. He does have to keep his body in shape, but if he stays healthy he should be in the Blue Jays’ rotation within the next two seasons, with mid-rotation upside.


Keibert Ruiz (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
80. Keibert Ruiz, C, LA Dodgers, Age: 22
Ruiz made his major-league debut in 2020, hitting his first big-league homer, and earned rave reviews from how well he hit at the Dodgers’ alternate site, although we still have to see him do that in games. Ruiz has always been a great hitter for contact, with a career strikeout rate under 10 percent in pro ball, but hasn’t translated that contact into any in-game power yet. The Dodgers, who have an excellent track record of altering swings to improve launch angle (Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Will Smith), are working with him to generate more leverage at the plate. He’s an adequate receiver with a fringy arm, but does enough behind the plate to stay at the position, where his potential high batting average/moderate power/low strikeout bat would make him an above-average regular.

81. Deivi García, RHP, NY Yankees, Age: 22
The little right-hander who could, García brought his four-pitch mix and very deceptive delivery to the majors last year and continued to miss bats with all three of his secondary pitches, even though it just doesn’t look like he should be as good as he is. García will pitch at 90-95 with his four-seamer, which doesn’t have great spin but does drop less than the typical four-seamer does, and hitters cut right through it like he’s throwing 100. They don’t pick up the ball well out of his hand; his fastball, changeup and slider all come from about the same slot, but go to different parts of the zone in addition to being different pitches entirely, and he gets a lot of swings and misses on all three secondary offerings (he does raise his arm slot just slightly to get on top of the curveball). He is on the small side for a starter, listed at 163 pounds, and when hitters do connect with his four-seamer they tend to hit it hard, but maybe he’s just a great twice-through-the-order starter or a “five and dive” guy who can regularly strike out seven or eight batters in those five innings of work.

82. Ryan Rolison, LHP, Colorado, Age: 23
Rolison is the Rockies’ top pitching prospect and also the closest to the majors of their potential starters, so there’s a good chance we’ll see him in Coors Field in 2021. Rolison pitches at 92-94 with a plus curveball that is an out pitch against left-handed batters and good enough to help get right-handers as well, and he’s refined his changeup since we last saw him in games. He also throws a slider that’s more of a fourth pitch but gives him a second option against lefties. The Rockies have done a great job cleaning up Rolison’s delivery, taking him from a cross-fire arm action when they drafted him to getting him online to the plate so he can pitch to his glove side and improve his chances to stay healthy. He’s a solid fourth starter now but could be an above-average one if he develops that changeup to an above-average pitch.

83. Jhoan Duran, RHP, Minnesota, Age: 23
Duran is best known for his unusual out pitch, a splitter-sinker hybrid that carries the awkward “splinker” moniker, but he’s got enough of a complete arsenal that he’s more than just a one-pitch guy who’ll have to go to the bullpen. He’s 95-99 with his four-seamer and his curveball can be plus, although he doesn’t land the breaking ball as often as he will probably need to do in the majors. He has starter size, listed at 6-5, 230, and his delivery should allow him to start as long as he maintains his tempo and avoids rushing through it, especially the way he gets on top of the ball to take advantage of his height. He has less probability to start than his Twins teammate Jordan Balazovic, but has the better swing-and-miss pitch in that splinker, and might be closer to helping in the majors because that pitch can carry him as he works on the breaking ball and on improving his control and command.

84. A.J. Puk, LHP, Oakland, Age: 26
Puk and Jesús Luzardo seemed to be tied at the hip as they marched toward the majors in 2019, both with troublesome injury histories and premium stuff, but Luzardo stayed healthy enough to pitch a full season in 2020 while Puk had to have surgery on his shoulder. The procedure was supposedly minimal, cleaning out the joint, and his rehab is apparently going very well, so he’s still Oakland’s top prospect. Puk was sitting 97 in relief in the majors in 2019, with a power slider up to 90 mph, and his changeup was actually the better of his two offspeed pitches. The A’s reworked his delivery after drafting him to make better use of his 6-foot-7 frame, getting him to finish better over his front side, and he seemed on track to be an above-average starter even with what would probably be fringy command in the end. If his stuff is intact after the latest operation, that’s still his ceiling.

85. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore, Age: 22
The Orioles took Kjerstad, an outfielder at the University of Arkansas, with the second overall pick in 2020, cutting an under-slot deal with him so they could overpay two high school players in the fourth and fifth rounds. Kjerstad has a big bat with excellent hand acceleration and history of hard contact … when he makes contact, which has been an issue for him in the past when facing better competition in the SEC. He’s a capable right fielder who should be no worse than average with the glove, although he played some first base in college as well. There’s some noise early in his approach at the plate, which may be behind the swing and miss, but when he squares something up he hits the ball hard, with 30-homer power to go with what will likely be a 25 percent strikeout rate or more.

86. Nolan Jones, 3B, Cleveland, Age: 23
Jones looks like a good three true outcomes hitter in the making, running deep counts already with high walk totals (96 in 2019), showing some power now but with much more projected now that he’s 22 and filling out physically. He doesn’t show much of a two-strike approach, keeping the same swing even when behind in the count, relying more on his strong ball/strike recognition to allow him to get to something he thinks he can drive. Jones’ main concern is that he doesn’t hit left-handed pitching at all; across 2018 and 2019, he had 250 PA against lefties, and hit just .167/.316/.286 with a 36 percent strikeout rate. That can improve, but it hasn’t yet, and he was worse in 2019 than 2018. He’s the kind of player who will probably be more hurt by the lost year in 2020, because this will only get better with more repetitions against the very pitchers he can’t hit. There’s also some concern that he won’t stay at third base, potentially ending up in right field, although that’s likely to be more driven by who’s ahead of him (e.g., José Ramírez) than by his defense, as he can play a capable hot corner already. At third base, with the 25-homer power I expect from him and high walk totals, he’d be an above-average regular — but he has to start to hit lefties in the next year or two to keep that ceiling in play.

87. Triston Casas, 1B, Boston, Age: 21
Casas was the Red Sox’s first-round pick in 2018 based on their belief that he was an advanced bat with power potential who would play even at first base. Casas lets the ball travel deep at the plate, helping him control the zone, and worked on handling hard stuff on the inner half over the summer at Boston’s alternate site. When he rotates his hips, he can show big power, especially to his pull side, although he showed vulnerability on fastballs up in the zone in 2019, something he worked on over the summer. He has a clear two-strike approach, unusual for a teenage hitter and even more so for hitters today, where he gets very wide and shortens up to put the ball in play at the expense of some power. The Red Sox have tinkered with him at third base, but that’s a longshot to be more than an emergency option. If his bat is what they think it is, and he can continue to hit for power and draw walks as he did in 2019, he’ll profile just fine over at first.

88. Jonathan India, 3B, Cincinnati, Age: 24
The baseball world gave up on India after a terrible 2019 season at the plate where he tried to play through a wrist injury he suffered in April, but in 2020 he looked like he had all his hand strength back and was hitting the ball harder all summer at the Reds’ alternate site. India came out of nowhere to have a huge junior year at the University of Florida that moved him from something like second- or third-round status all the way up to the fifth pick in 2018. He was always seen as an instinctive, tough player who would get the most out of his tools, but it wasn’t until that spring that he showed he could drive the ball for extra-base hits, with 21 homers for the Gators before the draft, although in pro ball with wood bats that will probably look more like 35 doubles and 15 homers. He’s an above-average defender at third who could certainly move to second and handle short in a pinch. If the Reds decide to move Eugenio Suárez’s contract at some point, it could be in part because of their faith that India will man one of those two infield spots by the end of this year.

89. JJ Bleday, OF, Miami, Age: 23
Bleday was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, coming off a spring where he led Division I hitters with 27 homers despite playing in the SEC. Bleday is athletic for a big corner outfielder, moving well for his size with a plus arm, and at the plate he has quick hands and a disciplined approach that should let him race through the low minors (if such a thing still exists). He had a substantial hand hitch in college, which led to some concerns about his ability to hit with a wood bat against better pitching, but the Marlins have worked with him to reduce the size of that hitch, and there are certainly big-league hitters who’ve hit despite such mechanical issues – Hunter Pence comes to mind – because they had quick wrists and great hand-eye coordination. Bleday seems to have those things, and while he’s going to have to work on hitting left-handed pitching, he has the power and patience already to project as a middle-of-the-order bat who adds value on defense in right.

90. Matt Allan, RHP, NY Mets, Age: 20
The Mets went all in on Allan in the 2019 draft, taking him in the third round and giving him most of the remaining money in their bonus pool that year, going under slot with their picks in the rest of the top 10 rounds because of their belief that they were getting a first-round arm. So far that appears to be the case, as Allan has looked like a potential No. 1 starter. He’ll pitch at 92-95 with more in the tank and his curveball is at least a 60 already, a power pitch with tight, downward break, along with a much-improved changeup that had left-handed batters in Mets camp raving. His four-seamer can play down a bit below his velocity, but he’ll get a lot of outs with the secondary stuff and isn’t afraid to attack hitters with all of his weapons. He’s probably more of a No. 2 starter than an ace, with all the risks associated with a pitcher who will pitch all of this year at age 20.

91. Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Arizona, Age: 21
Perdomo is a no-doubt shortstop with outstanding instincts for his age, showing it on both sides of the ball with great strike zone knowledge and excellent reads and actions on defense. He’s a very disciplined hitter who has gotten a little bit stronger but needs to keep adding muscle so he can convert all that contact into more impact; he’s starting to drive the ball now but can turn that into more extra-base hits and some home runs when he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame. He’s an average runner with a plus arm and those aforementioned instincts, so he projects as a plus defender at short. The Diamondbacks rave about his makeup and feel for the game, giving more reason to think he’ll get the most of his tools; we’re just waiting on that physical projection to come through to see if he’ll be a regular or make enough hard contact to become a star.

92. Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto, Age: 22
Kirk got a surprise call-up to the majors and was very impressive for a kid who’d never played above High A, and had just 151 professional games total before he reached the big leagues. His bat-to-ball skill and swing decisions are both excellent, leading to very low strikeout rates, while he’s got explosive acceleration at the plate and showed in the majors he can hit for power the other way and turn on 97 in. He’s a solid catcher who can frame, block and throw well, but he’s on the big side already for a catcher at age 22 and has to maintain his conditioning. He was listed at 5-8 and 265 pounds last year, and while he’s apparently lost weight heading into spring training, that’s going to be an ongoing issue for him so he can stay behind the plate, as there’s no other position for a player with his build. His bat will make him a longtime regular as a catcher, with a chance to be a star if he keeps his body in shape for it.


Jarren Duran (Reinhold Matay / USA Today)
93. Jarren Duran, OF, Boston, Age: 24
Duran changed his swing in 2020 to drive the ball more in the air, addressing what I thought was the big issue with his outlook: He struck out too much for a guy who wasn’t hitting for power or making consistent hard contact. Duran is a 70 runner who is a plus defender in center and might end up a 70 out there as well, while at the plate he has been a good singles hitter so far in pro ball, but with an isolated power of just .105 in 2019 between High A and Double A at age 22. Now that he’s lofting the ball more, and has gotten stronger, he should at least see double digits in homers and more doubles (and triples, thanks to his speed) that will balance out any swing and miss he’s likely to have. We’ll see how well it carries over into games, but it’s enough to change his outlook from someone outside the top 100 in 2020 to on the list now.

94. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, NY Mets, Age: 19
Crow-Armstrong went to the same high school baseball factory, Harvard-Westlake, that gave us Lucas Giolito, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty, and boosted his draft stock last spring before the shutdown by getting stronger in the offseason and starting the season very well before the pandemic ended it. Crow-Armstrong is a future 70 defender in center with a plus arm, and a 60 runner with good instincts on the bases. At the plate, he has good feel to hit with bat speed, although his front side can go soft and he’s shown more swing and miss, including at showcase events, than you want from a player of this profile. He’s also faced better pitching in his amateur career than most high school kids, which could be skewing that last variable. He has a high floor because of his glove and speed; if he firms up that front side he could also become a great lead-off hitter with high averages and OBPs to go with the plus defense.

95. Garrett Mitchell, OF, Milwaukee, Age: 22
Mitchell had the tools to go in the top 10 in the 2020 draft, but he’s a type 1 diabetic and many executives were uncomfortable using a high pick on a position player with that condition. (There have been several MLB pitchers with type 1 diabetes, including Brandon Morrow, who was himself a top 10 overall pick in 2006.) Mitchell is at least a 70 runner with plus range in center, and he has good hand-eye coordination, rarely striking out in college but often mistiming so that he doesn’t always hit the ball as hard as he should. I said at the time of the draft that his defense and speed would make him a regular even with just a 45 hit tool and 45 power, which is still a realistic projection for him. If he gets that timing issue at the plate worked out, and can use his speed more out of the box, he could get to a 55 hit tool and be a borderline star.

96. Brice Turang, SS, Milwaukee, Age: 21
Turang spent the summer at the Brewers’ alternate site and logged a lot of at-bats against the Brewers’ best left-handed pitching prospects, including hard-throwing Antoine Kelly and the more polished Aaron Ashby, looking good even against their better breaking stuff. Turang is starting to drive the ball out to the gaps more even though he probably has another 10-15 pounds to gain, probably profiling as a low-average power hitter once he’s filled out, with average bat speed but a history in high school of showing good rotation and loft in his finish to eventually hit for more power. He’s a plus defender at short and a plus runner who has excellent instincts on the bases. We’ll see what type of hitter he is in games this year — he was a high-contact guy in 2019, a more strikeout-prone guy with some more power in high school — but either way he’d project as a solid regular or more at a position where any offense is a bonus.

97. Taylor Trammell, OF, Seattle, Age: 23
Trammell has now been traded twice, going from the Padres to the Mariners this past summer in a deal that brought catcher Austin Nola and two relievers to San Diego, and between the two trades and the lack of a minor league season, his development has slowed. Trammell has great feel for the game, showing it in particular on defense where he should be a plus or better defender in left, with the range and reads to play center but probably not the arm for it. He has plus raw power and makes hard contact, but over the past two years it’s become more evident that his hit tool isn’t as advanced as it appeared off his breakout year in 2018, even though he’s shown good ball/strike recognition. He’s received raves from all three organizations for his makeup and work ethic, and has the physical tools to become a star, but needs more at bats, maybe even to repeat Double A, to convert that strike zone command and hard contact skill into higher batting averages so the power can play.

98. Orelvis Martinez, SS, Toronto, Age: 19
Martinez is still just 19 but finished the summer at the Blue Jays’ alternate site, impressing the team with his production against older pitching. The ball explodes off his bat thanks to his plus bat speed and present power, while he has already shown glimpses of advanced plate discipline. In the field, he’s got a plus arm and great hands, still playing shortstop but with a body that might eventually push him to third base. I noted last winter that he might be the Jays’ best prospect in a year, but with no minor league season to show progress and the addition of the best player in the 2020 draft in Austin Martin, Martinez has to wait a year for any such coronation. He has an enormous ceiling as a strong OBP guy with 25-30 homers and plus defense at third. We just need to see how the bat plays at higher levels.

99. Brayan Rocchio, SS, Cleveland, Age: 20
Rocchio is on the smaller side, but he does just about everything well and gets some comparisons to Francisco Lindor, although Lindor was a more polished hitter at 20 than Rocchio is. Rocchio has a very good eye at the plate and above-average speed on the bases, giving him a good chance to stay at shortstop in the long term. He’s a switch-hitter, with a slightly better swing from the left side, staying back on the ball more than he does when hitting right-handed, although both swings are very direct to the ball. He just may hit for some power left-handed because he rotates more and transfers his weight more with contact. Rocchio was unable to come from his native Venezuela to the U.S. in 2020 due to the pandemic, so unfortunately he’s missed even more time than most prospects, so he may be a year behind some of his short-season teammates from last year, but he still above-average or better upside as a high-OBP shortstop who might get to 15 homers or more.

100. Nick Lodolo, LHP, Cincinnati, Age: 23
Lodolo is close to the majors at this point, a lower-ceiling starter who should pitch in the majors for a long time with a fairly safe floor. He’s working at 90-94 now with two breaking balls, including a hard slider that breaks well away from left-handed hitters and works as a chase pitch, while he’s developing the changeup he’ll need to keep getting right-handers out as he faces better competition. Lodolo comes from a low three-quarter slot that makes him really tough on lefties, with good extension that so far has given him an edge against right-handed batters even without an average changeup. He’s probably a fourth starter in the end but could also have value right now in the bullpen as a left-on-left guy or long man while he works on developing that fourth pitch.

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

Jan 30, 2021 13:08:41 GMT -5 D Backs GM (Tyler) said:

That would be awesome thanks. Is Sickles still doing it at the Athletic? I assumed that it would be the same time for release as he did last year around April

He gave it up to be a fictional history writer/liberal whack-a-do.

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

Baseball America Top 100


1
Wander Franco
RaysSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 1
Tools: Hit: 80 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The precocious switch-hitter has potential batting titles in his future and a chance to reach the majors by 20 years old.

2
Adley Rutschman
OriolesC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 3
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 70

Skinny: The face of the Orioles rebuild is primed to be the rare catcher who is an offensive force while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense.

3
Julio Rodriguez
MarinersOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 6
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 70
Skinny: The “man-child” has the physical traits of a middle-of-the-order masher and the effervescent personality to be the face of the Mariners franchise.

4
Jarred Kelenic
MarinersOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 9
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: With a sweet swing, growing power and a ceaseless drive to win, Kelenic should join Rodriguez as a star in the Mariners outfield for years to come.

5
Spencer Torkelson 2021
Spencer Torkelson
Tigers1B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 8
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 80 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The No. 1 overall pick in 2020 draws comparisons to Paul Konerko and Paul Goldschmidt as a potential franchise icon who anchors the middle of the lineup.

6
Sixto Sanchez
MarlinsRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 14
Tools: Fastball: 80 | Changeup: 70 | Slider: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Control: 60
Skinny: With elite fastball velocity, a devastating changeup and rare control for a power pitcher, Sanchez is primed to build on his excellent MLB debut.

7
Cristian Pache
BravesOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 10
Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 80 | Arm: 70
Skinny: Arguably the best defensive center fielder to come along since Andruw Jones, Pache also has growing power that bodes well for his offensive future.

8
Ian Anderson
BravesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 39
Tools: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 60
2019 Average Fastball Velo: 93

Skinny: With his mix of stuff, command and rare poise for his age, Anderson is in position to show his spectacular 2020 debut was no fluke.

9
Dylan Carlson
CardinalsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 7
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 45
Skinny: Carlson struggled in his first stint in the majors, but by his second was batting cleanup in the playoffs. His plate discipline and well-rounded athleticism give him lofty potential.

10
MacKenzie Gore
PadresLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 4
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 60
Skinny: Gore battled his delivery at the alternate training site, but at his best he’s a rare talent with four swing-and-miss pitches and immaculate control.

11
CJ Abrams
PadresSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 19
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 50 | Run: 80 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 50
Skinny: A dynamic athlete who hit .401 in the AZL in his pro debut, Abrams has the makings of a future star on both sides of the ball.

12
Marco Luciano
GiantsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 17
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Whether Luciano sticks at shortstop or moves to third base is up for debate, but his bat should make him a standout regardless of his position.

13
Jo Adell
AngelsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 2
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 70 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Adell’s MLB debut was rough, but his physical talents, ability to adjust and elite makeup have him primed to rebound in a big way.

14
Nate Pearson
Blue JaysRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 5
Tools: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Pearson has arguably the best pure stuff of any pitching prospect. Staying healthy and improving his control are his next steps to fulfilling his frontline potential.

15
Ke'Bryan Hayes
Pirates3B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 52
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 70 | Arm: 60 >
Skinny: Hayes won’t hit .376 or slug .682 over a full season, but his debut nonetheless showed he can be an impact hitter as well as an elite defender at third base.

16
Bobby Witt Jr.
RoyalsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 21
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The athletic, well-rounded shortstop drew raves for his work at the alternate training site. If he shows he can make consistent contact in actual games, he’ll be a star.

17
Randy Arozarena
RaysOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 100
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: The breakout star of the postseason is bound to face an adjustment period, but his tools and athleticism should help him remain a standout.

18
Alex Kirilloff
TwinsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 27
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The sweet swinger became the first player to make his MLB debut by starting a playoff game. No matter his position, he should be an impact hitter.

19
Austin Martin
Blue JaysSS/OF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 13
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The fifth overall pick in 2020 is an impressive young hitter, although his future position is up in the air.

20
Tarik Skubal
TigersLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 30
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Skinny: The hard-throwing young lefty struggled a bit in his MLB debut, but it’s rare to find his quality of stuff from the left side.

21
Andrew Vaughn
White Sox1B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 26
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: An advanced hitter who projects to hit for average and power, Vaughn is set to be the next impact youngster in the White Sox’s lineup.

22
Grayson Rodriguez
OriolesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 31
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60
Skinny: With premium size, stuff and advanced command, Rodriguez is one of the few pitching prospects with true No. 1 starter potential.

23
Luis Patino
RaysRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 16
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50
Skinny: Few players have arms as electric as Patino. His potential is enormous if he can harness his command and maintain a good pace on the mound.

24
Michael Kopech
White SoxRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 29
Tools: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
Skinny: Kopech is a bit of a question mark after two years away, but he has the talent to make an impact in the White Sox’s rotation if his stuff remains intact.

25
Daniel Lynch
RoyalsLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 36
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Lynch has loud stuff with a mid-90s fastball and two swing-and-miss secondaries from the left side. He’s potentially the best of the Royals bevy of young pitchers.

26
Triston McKenzie
IndiansRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 93
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60
Skinny: The lanky righthander impressed in his MLB debut in 2020. If he holds up physically, he has the talent to be the Indians next great homegrown pitcher.

27
Spencer Howard
PhilliesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 24
Tools: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Howard’s stuff dropped during a difficult MLB debut, but at his best he has the power arm to slot into the middle of the Phillies rotation.

28
Casey Mize
TigersRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 11
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Slider: 60 | Splitter: 70 | Control: 55
Skinny: Mize’s debut wasn’t pretty in 2020. He still has the stuff to project as an impact starter if he can regain the command he showed in the minors.

29
Royce Lewis
TwinsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 23
Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Lewis’ athleticism is undeniable. Whether he improves as a hitter will determine if he lives up to his status as the top overall pick in the 2017 draft.

30
Matt Manning
TigersRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 15
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Manning has the look and stuff of a potential frontline starter. His forearm strain late last year is reason for caution.

31
Riley Greene
TigersOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 50
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Greene doesn’t get the same hype as draft classmates Bobby Witt Jr. and CJ Abrams, but he may end up the best hitter of the three.

32
Drew Waters
BravesOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 32
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Waters' plate coverage and strike-zone discipline are causes for skepticism amongst evaluators, but there’s no denying he’s produced at every level so far.

33
Jasson Dominguez
YankeesOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 35
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Dominguez is a mystery having barely played in years. His raw tools at last sight made him one of the game’s most promising young talents.

34
Jordan Groshans
Blue JaysSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 25
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: There is a strong belief in Groshans' bat, but both the Blue Jays and general observers are more than ready to see him return to playing games that count.

35
Logan Gilbert
MarinersRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 55
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55
Skinny: The Mariners' pitching development has helped Gilbert regain fastball velocity and improve his curveball, giving him three plus pitches.

36
Luis Campusano
PadresC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 77
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Legal troubles in Georgia cloud his status, but on the field Campusano is one of the best young catchers in the game.

37
Asa Lacy
RoyalsLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 33
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55
Skinny: Kansas City's rebuild has largely been focused on college arms. Lacy has a chance to be one of the best of that large bunch.

38
Brandon Marsh
AngelsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 38
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 70
Skinny: At some point Mike Trout is going to stop roaming center field. Marsh's speed, defense and solid bat give them a plan for the day Trout slides to a corner.

39
Trevor Larnach
TwinsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 40
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 45 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The White Sox are giving the Twins plenty to worry about in the AL Central. Larnach's power is one of the reasons Minnesota may be able to stay ahead.

40
Nick Madrigal
White Sox2B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 43
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Few players have Madrigal's contact skills, while many hit the ball harder. He's a throwback player, and one who could hit .300 regularly.

41
Joey Bart
GiantsC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 28
Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Bart's MLB debut was a pretty rocky one. He needs to show more selectivity at the plate, but his power and glove are solid.

42
Corbin Carroll
D-backsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 87
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 45
Skinny: Carroll is short, but he's not weak. He's a well-rounded center fielder who should get on base at a high clip while producing at least average power.

43
JJ Bleday
MarlinsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 41
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The Marlins' rebuild has picked up speed, and Bleday is part of the next wave of solid prospects that could help the team keep up in the competitive NL East.

44
Max Meyer
MarlinsRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 51
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: The minute he signed his first pro contract, Meyer had one of the best sliders among pro prospects, and his fastball is impressive too.

45
Nolan Jones
Indians3B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 45
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The Indians may look at Jones in the outfield in 2021, as his combination of contact ability and power could help fix their glaring need.

46
Matthew Liberatore
CardinalsLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 37
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Yes, Randy Arozarena was the best player in baseball last October, but the Cardinals' trade return for Arozarena is a pretty impressive prospect as well.

47
Triston Casas
Red Sox1B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 65
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Boston is still in the early stages of rebuilding its farm system. Casas is one of the team's cornerstones for the future as he has preternatural hitting ability to go with his impressive power.

48
Francisco Alvarez
MetsC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 61
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Alvarez has a very advanced bat for a teenaged catcher. He's shown the aptitude to be a solid defensive catcher as well. Now he just needs plenty of work behind the plate.

49
Josh Jung
Rangers3B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 92
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: A polished hitter whose power has begun developing after he showed he knew how to hit, Jung loves to smoke line drives to the opposite power alley.

50
Oneil Cruz
PiratesSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 53
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 70 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Cruz has massive potential, but he is facing DUI charges in the Dominican Republic after a wreck that left three dead.

51
Nick Gonzales
Pirates2B/SS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 49
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: One of the best pure hitters in the 2020 draft class, Gonzales' value to an MLB club will depend in part on how his glove develops.

52
Brailyn Marquez
CubsLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 34
Tools: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45
Skinny: The Cubs have long had trouble developing pitching prospects, but Marquez provides hope that they will do better at that in the 2020s.

53
Keibert Ruiz
DodgersC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 78
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Fielding: 50
Skinny: The Dodgers already have one of the best young catchers in the game in Will Smith. Now they have the well-rounded Ruiz coming right behind him.

54
Nolan Gorman
Cardinals3B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 50
Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 45 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Gorman's power potential makes him a potential middle-of-the-order corner bat. He's working on proving he can stick at third long term.

55
Deivi Garcia
YankeesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 59
Tools: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55
Skinny: Garcia is a pretty unconventional prospect. He doesn't blow hitters away, but he's always figured out how to miss bats.

56
Vidal Brujan
Rays2B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 46
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 40 | Run: 80 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The best athlete in a Rays system loaded with athletes, Brujan does almost everything well except hit for power. And he is stronger than you may think.

57
Emerson Hancock
MarinersRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 47
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 60
Skinny: One of the best arms in the 2020 draft class was dominating in 2019, but not as impressive in his abbreviated 2020 college season.

58
Quinn Priester
PiratesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Skinny: Few players garnered more praise during the little-seen alternate training site outings than Priester. Evaluators love him. Now they want to get to see him pitch regularly.

59
DL Hall
OriolesLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 42
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45
Skinny: Hall's walk rate climbed significantly in 2019, but some of that was the Orioles' new pitching development system's approach. He's an impressive athlete.

60
Ryan Jeffers
TwinsC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 20 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 45
Skinny: The Twins believed in Jeffers' glove coming out of the draft. He's returned that faith by quickly developing into a polished receiver with plenty of power.

61
Brendan Rodgers
RockiesSS/2B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 20
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 60
Skinny: It is the Rockies' wish that a healthy Rodgers will graduate off this list early in 2021. Injuries have kept him from being at his best for quite a while.

62
Heston Kjerstad
OriolesOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 86
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Kjerstad's power potential should fit nicely into Camden Yards. If his improved ability to draw walks early in 2020 can continue in pro ball, watch out.

63
Ryan Mountcastle
OriolesOF/1B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 94
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 30
Skinny: Mountcastle provides very little defensive value, but if you hit for average and power like he can, teams will find a way to get that bat into the lineup.

64
Clarke Schmidt
YankeesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 57
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50
Skinny: Schmidt is a student of the game and has reshaped his arsenal to fit the trends of the modern pitcher.

65
Ronny Mauricio
MetsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 60
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Mauricio has plenty of questions about his future defensive home, but has the chance to be an impactful offensive player regardless.

66
Andres Gimenez
IndiansSS/2B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 96
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Part of the deal for Francisco Lindor, Gimenez should step in immediately in Cleveland and build on a strong rookie year.

67
Daulton Varsho
D-backsC/OF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 48
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 45
Skinny: The rare catcher/center fielder, Varsho is more of a well-rounded player than a future star, but his defense and versatility give him a shot at a lengthy career.

68
Josiah Gray
DodgersRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 80
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55
Skinny: The converted infielder has blossomed on the mound and stands as the best pitching prospect in an excellent system.

69
Simeon Woods Richardson
Blue JaysRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 56
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60
Skinny: Woods-Richardson combines youth and an excellent arsenal into a prospect with both poise and upside.

70
Alejandro Kirk
Blue JaysC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 98
Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 50 | Run: 20 | Fielding: 45 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Evaluators are split on whether Kirk can stay behind the plate, but he should hit for average and power.

71
Jeter Downs
Red Sox2B/SS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 82
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: One of the prizes in the Mookie Betts trade, Downs could provide offensive thump at a middle-infield position.

72
Brennen Davis
CubsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 90
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Davis is extremely tooled-up and, after playing basketball in high school, might be just beginning to tap into his abilities on the diamond.

73
Noelvi Marte
MarinersSS
Notes:
Final 2019 Ranking: 88
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The Mariners showed their confidence in Marte by making him one of the youngest players at an alternate training site.

74
Garrett Crochet
White SoxLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 99
Tools: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50
Skinny: Whether a starter or reliever, Crochet has the arsenal to be a potent weapon on a rising White Sox club.

75
Geraldo Perdomo
D-backsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 67
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Perdomo combines excellent contact skills and smooth middle-infield defense for a table-setter's profile.

76
Adrian Morejon
PadresLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 89
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45
Skinny: Morejon has struggled in the big leagues but is still young and has three potentially plus pitches.

77
Jazz Chisholm
MarlinsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 84
Tools: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Chisholm has boom-or-bust tendencies at the plate and could be an electric player with more consistency.

78
Ha-Seong Kim
PadresSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The Padres added Kim to their system on the strength of four potentially average or better tools and defensive versatility.

79
Jose Garcia
RedsSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Garcia's excellent glove and offensive upside help him top the Reds' system and earned him a big league cameo.

80
Forrest Whitley
AstrosRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 22
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 40
Skinny: The game's former top pitching prospect, Whitley has a high ceiling but needs to get back on track after three seasons of treading water.

81
Edward Cabrera
MarlinsRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 62
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
Skinny: A back injury slowed Cabrera in 2020, a year after a breakout season put him among the system's elite arms.

82
Tyler Freeman
IndiansSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 64
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: In an organization flush with middle infielders, Freeman stands as one of the more polished of the group.

83
Heliot Ramos
GiantsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 58
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Ramos doesn't have one standout tool, but also doesn't have any glaring weaknesses in his game.

84
Ryan Weathers
PadresLHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60
Skinny: Weathers, who made his MLB debut in the postseason, could bring a three-pitch arsenal to the middle of a rotation.

85
Robert Hassell
PadresOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 85
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 55
Skinny: The top outfielder in the Padres' system, Hassell has a chance to be a plus hitter with average power in center field.

86
Zac Veen
RockiesOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 63
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Colorado's first-round pick has exceptional athleticism and potentially average or better tools across the board.

87
Michael Busch
Dodgers2B
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 45
Skinny: Busch earned raves in instructional league for his bat. If he can stick up the middle, he could rise further up this list.

88
Brice Turang
BrewersSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Turang added strength to a mature approach, which should give him a shot as a table-setting threat in a lineup.

89
Trevor Rogers
MarlinsLHP
Notes:
Final 2019 Ranking: 97
Tools: Fastball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 50
Skinny: Rogers showed stuff and poise after being pressed into duty after Miami's roster was wracked by coronavirus.

90
Bobby Dalbec
Red Sox3B/1B
Notes:
Final 2019 Ranking: 73
Tools: Hit: 40 | Power: 70 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 70
Skinny: Dalbec has some of the most prodigious power in the league but needs to make more contact for it to matter.

91
Garrett Mitchell
BrewersOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 68
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 80 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Mitchell was one of the toolsiest players in the draft, but questions about his health and hittability caused him to drop.

92
Tyler Soderstrom
AthleticsC
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Even against older pitchers, Soderstrom's bat quickly impressed evaluators. It should play even if he doesn't catch.

93
Kristian Robinson
D-backsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 70
Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 70 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Robinson posseses an extraordinary combination of tools. Now, he needs time to put them together.

94
Alek Thomas
D-backsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 83
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 45
Skinny: Thomas has a sneaky combination of contact, power and extremely graceful defense in center field.

95
Jackson Kowar
RoyalsRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 76
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 55
Skinny: Kowar has a plus fastball and double-plus changeup. Now, it's about getting his curveball to its average ceiling.

96
Orelvis Martinez
Blue JaysSS
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Martinez might have to move to third base, but potentially plus hittability and power will help him profile there.

97
Austin Hendrick
RedsOF
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: 72
Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The 12th pick in the 2020 draft has hittability and power but was one of the older players in the prep class.

98
Matt Allan
MetsRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50
Skinny: A devastating arsenal and competitive drive give Allan the highest ceiling among Mets pitching prospects.

99
2021 Mick Abel
Mick Abel
PhilliesRHP
Notes:
Final 2020 Ranking: NR
Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Skinny: A combination of power and pitchability immediately puts Abel among the game's best pitching prospects.

100
Shane McClanahan
RaysLHP
Notes:
Final 2019 Ranking: 79
Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45
Skinny: McClanahan, who debuted in the postseason, has a power arsenal and could be a weapon either as a starter or reliever.

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

Are we sure that Razzball list is up to date? Tons of people not ranked and some questionable ones ranked.

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

razzball.com/top-100-prospects-for-2021-redraft-fantasy-baseball-leagues/

[White Sox GM (alligatorchris)]

Gawd I hate these lists. They are absolute crap and when I search a player in GroupMe this is the crap that comes up.

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

Jan 30, 2021 17:15:55 GMT -5 D Backs GM (Tyler) said:

razzball.com/top-100-prospects-for-2021-redraft-fantasy-baseball-leagues/

Ah, he ranked by redraft leagues so really it's just a list of those he thinks will contribute this year. Got it.

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

So many lists now. Redrafts, top 100, top 100 fantasy, top 100 draft prospect. Who can keep it straight lo

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

blogs.fangraphs.com/2021-top-100-prospects/

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

Baseball America put out their mid-season Top 100 update if anyone has and can post 😁

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

Same request but for Keith Law (that hack)

[Nationals GM (corkzilla)]

I dropped The Athletic a few months ago.

[Cubs GM (Scott B)]

By Keith Law Jul 22, 2021 325
Now that the draft is over and we’ve passed the All-Star Break, I’m updating my ranking of the top prospects in professional baseball, with a top 50 here that includes players who were just drafted last week.

This list differs from my offseason rankings in one important way: I exclude any players currently in the big leagues, whether or not they have exhausted their rookie eligibility. Thus Jarren Duran and Jarred Kelenic aren’t here, since both are in the majors. They could be on this winter’s list if they return to the minors without reaching the limits for rookie status.

1. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles

I don’t think this is really debatable at this point; Rutschman is a plus defensive catcher who is hitting .268/.394/.472, with just one fewer walk than strikeout, in Double A, despite coming into the year with just 130 pro at-bats. There’s no real reason to keep him at that level at this point, and if the Orioles were trying to win this year, they’d probably have him in the majors already. I’d advocate for a September call-up just for developmental reasons, since we’ve seen plenty of good hitting prospects struggle at first with big-league pitching. With this power/patience package, even if he doesn’t always hit for average, he still has an everyday floor, with a chance for some down-ballot MVP years thanks to that 30 homer upside.

2. C.J. Abrams, SS, San Diego Padres

Abrams is the only other player I even considered for 1-1, but he broke his left tibia and sprained the MCL in his left knee a few weeks ago and he’ll be out for at least three months. Speed is a significant part of Abrams’ game, so I’d at least like to see him back and running with 80 speed again, although he has done so much of everything else so far — hitting .296/.363/.420 as a 20-year-old in Double A this year — that he’d still be a top 5 prospect in baseball even if he were just a 60 runner now. He’s going to stay at shortstop, which at some point will force the Padres to make a decision; if Abrams does move, he could be a plus defender in center as well.

3. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds

Greene has been up to 104 mph this year, unsurprising given how hard he’s thrown ever since he was a 17-year-old senior in high school, but he’s also fully recovered from 2019 Tommy John surgery and showing real signs that he’s developing more as a complete pitcher. Greene’s introduction to Triple A was rough, as he allowed four homers, all solo, in four innings at Omaha, but he’s allowed just one more home run in five outings since then. His fastball can be too true, and despite its unbelievable velocity he can’t just rely on that pitch to miss bats, so the development of his slider, which is more of a 50/55 now but projects to be a plus pitch, is key. The Reds will have to deal with the temptation to bring Greene up to help their beleaguered bullpen, even though he needs to continue to work on his entire arsenal as a starter.

4. Shane Baz, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

Baz was part of the Chris Archer trade that brought Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow to Tampa, and might turn out to be the best player in the deal, as he’s been up to 99 mph as a starter with a plus changeup and hard slider. He started in Double A and walked just 2 guys in 7 starts before a promotion to Triple A, where he’s been only slightly less dominant, still striking out 36 percent of batters at the higher level with just a few more walks. He has No. 1 starter upside as long as he stays healthy, which so far hasn’t been a concern.

5. Gabriel Moreno, C, Toronto Blue Jays

Moreno broke his thumb in mid-June, which might be the only thing stopping his ascent to the majors right now, as he hit .373/.441/.651 in 32 games in Double A as a 21-year-old before the injury, while showing plus defensive skills across the board for the Fisher Cats. Moreno has quick hands and excellent bat control, with a short swing that should produce average power but a ton of hard contact, while he’s made substantial progress as a receiver. His hand strength may not be all the way back until next year due to the injury but it’s not a factor for the long term. He’s a future star.

6. Bobby Witt, Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

Witt Jr. got off to a slow start in Double A this year, but after Northwest Arkansas’ first two series, he hit .322/.390/.643 over 50 games before a promotion to Triple A this past week. There’s still some swing-and-miss here, and he might have a similarly slow ramp-up when he reaches the majors, but he does everything else, showing power, speed, an 80 arm, and good range at shortstop. I know there’s been talk of moving him to another spot with Adalberto Mondesi at shortstop in the majors, but I would move Mount Rushmore to leave Witt at shortstop for now.

7. Reid Detmers, LHP, Los Angeles Angels

Detmers had the best command and control in the 2020 draft class, but his ceiling was limited by his average fastball and the expectation that it wouldn’t get much better, since he was 21 and didn’t seem to offer any projection. He’s been up to 97 as a starter this year, however, with two above-average or better weapons in his slider and changeup, striking out 97 men in 54 innings (43 percent of batters faced) in Double A already. With this kind of stuff and his present command, he could be an ace.

8. Francisco Álvarez, C, New York Mets

Álvarez’s bat would play anywhere; he’s showing ridiculous power for a 19-year-old, with 10 homers in 56 games and a lot of hard-hit line drives. He wrecked Low-A pitching for two weeks — Low A is not what it used to be, but still, Álvarez hit .417/.567/.646 there — and then moved up to High-A Brooklyn, where he’s still taking good at-bats and showing power. The one weakness in his game right now is throwing; he has arm strength but has thrown out just 17 percent of runners this year between the two levels. As long as he stays behind the plate, he’s a potential MVP.

9. Riley Greene, OF, Detroit Tigers

Greene is part of a trio of Tigers hitting prospects with Double-A Erie, including Spencer Torkelson (on this list) and catcher Dillon Dingler (who’d be on a top 100), who are marching towards the majors to provide some offensive support for the Tigers’ ongoing rebuild. Greene has played centerfield almost exclusively this year, but he’s more likely to end up in a corner outfield spot — where he could be a plus defender, given how well he’s moving around now. His bat will play anywhere; he has power and bat speed, and has actually hit better against left-handed pitching so far than right-handed, a good sign given how often young left-handed hitters struggle with platoon issues. He’s also just 20 in Double A and hitting well, with just a bit more swing and miss than you’d like, so he might get to the majors behind his two college-draftee teammates, but he’s a strong regular with some All-Star upside.

10. Spencer Torkelson, 1B/3B, Detroit Tigers

Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick last June, destroyed High A for a month before the Tigers promoted him to Double A, where he’s continued to show patience and power but has had an inexplicably low BABIP of .222, a fluky number that I think masks how good he’s been overall. He’s been splitting time between third and first, but he’s a below-average defender at the former spot and I don’t think he’ll be ready to play it competently in the majors when his bat is ready to rock. He’s a 30-homer, high-OBP guy who’ll be the Tigers’ cleanup hitter for a long time, wherever they decide to play him.

11. Cristian Pache, CF, Atlanta

I think there’s a lesson here in not promoting glove-first prospects too quickly; Pache hasn’t looked ready for the majors at all, with 25 strikeouts this year in 68 PA before Atlanta sent him down, and he hasn’t hit as well in Triple A either. Pache is an 80 defender in center with 65-70 raw power, but his plate discipline has always lagged behind other parts of his game and it really showed in the majors, especially on changeups. I’m still bullish on his long-term outlook, given the power/defense combination and his age — he’s 22, younger than two players just drafted in the second round last week — but he definitely needs time to hit the reset button at the plate and shouldn’t be back up until he’s shown better pitch recognition.

12. Austin Martin, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Martin’s swing has become a bit more inside-out this year than it was in college, possibly because of a hand injury he sustained on a slide in mid-May, but he’s still getting on base at a high clip — .409 so far on the season in Double A, .428 since the start of June — just without power. He’s been splitting time between shortstop and center field, with the latter the more likely position of the two, especially as his throwing hasn’t been great when he has to move to his right at short. He hasn’t had an extra-base hit in a month, which is almost certainly a result of that inside-out approach, but he’s doing all the other things he’s supposed to be doing, and has a strong leadoff profile once he gets back to his usual swing.

13. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

This was going to be Carroll’s big coming-out party, and he started with a bang, hitting .435/.552/.913 in the first week of play in High A … and hurt his shoulder on a home run swing, requiring season-ending surgery. He could be back for winter ball, but probably won’t be back till spring training, so that’s another lost year of at-bats, but he still looks like a superstar in the making, with an incredible approach at the plate, power (preferably not the labrum-tearing kind), plus speed, and plus defense in center. As long as the shoulder doesn’t hold him back — and sometimes it does, if hitters try to protect the shoulder on follow-through — he still has All-Star upside. We just have to wait another year.

14. Marcelo Mayer, SS, Boston Red Sox

There was no runaway top prospect in this year’s draft class, but Mayer was the closest thing we had to a consensus No. 1, bringing the mix of floor and upside that tends to separate the best high school prospects from the rest. Mayer, who went fourth overall to the Red Sox, is a true shortstop who should develop into a plus defender there, and has the potential to hit for both average and power once he fills out.

15. Henry Davis, C, Pittsburgh Pirates

The top college position player in the draft class, Davis emerged this spring as a serious power threat with advanced feel for the strike zone and a 70 arm behind the plate. There was some disagreement among scouts over his glove, but I saw more than enough to buy into him as a long-term catcher, between his hands, his energy behind the plate, and his work ethic. He should move as quickly as his defense allows, which may also have helped him go first overall to the Pirates.

16. Zac Veen, OF, Colorado Rockies

The Rockies’ first-round pick in 2020 has had a tremendous pro debut so far as a 19-year-old in Low A, hitting .283/.399/.487 for Fresno with 27 steals in 62 games, even showing no platoon split so far despite being a left-handed hitter. The Rockies moved Veen to right field, which was his most likely long-term position anyway. He has a great swing, a better feel for the strike zone than I thought, and should end up with 65 or 70 raw power and above-average speed. Colorado hasn’t developed a position player like him since Story and Arenado.

17. Marco Luciano, SS, San Francisco Giants

San Jose has never been a good place to hit, but Luciano doesn’t seem to mind, hitting .282/.379/.560 there with 16 homers already, leading the Low-A West (ex-California) League even though he’s young for the level at age 19. He’s not a shortstop, though — he’s already too big for it and I am not entirely sure where the positional wheel will stop spinning given his size. He’s only played short this year, but I think a move to third is in the offing, and his bat will play enough there to still make him a potential star and No. 2 hitter.

18. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

Rodríguez had no trouble with High A to start the year and has since moved up to Double A, where he’s now hitting .280/.410/.500 in 61 PA despite being the second-youngest regular at that level (behind Cardinals third base prospect Malcom Nuñez). Rodríguez has gotten even bigger since last we saw him, with huge power aided by a big stride forward in the box; he’s patient and will run deep counts, but he’s also still learning some pitch recognition, as we saw in the Futures Game a week and a half ago. He might end up a 40-homer guy with high walk rates, an old-school cleanup hitter who plays solid defense in right.

19. Nate Pearson, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Pearson still has No. 1 starter stuff, but his trouble staying healthy is enough of a concern to slide him down from where he was before the season. This year it’s been a sports hernia and groin injuries, which have set him back to the point that the Jays are talking about moving him to the bullpen for the rest of this season, which could also help the Jays in their playoff push. He can show multiple plus pitches and hit 100 mph when healthy — even sometimes when he’s not fully healthy — and they seem committed to letting him start again next spring, which is the right call given his upside.

20. Brennen Davis, OF, Chicago Cubs

Davis was great in 50 games in Low A in 2019 in between injuries, but he’s been even better this year between High A and Double A, hitting .273/.385/.500 at the latter level as a 21-year-old. If you watched the Futures Game, you saw his bat speed and his game power, with homers on a 95 mph fastball and a hanging curveball. He’s played center and right for Double-A Tennessee, probably because he might outgrow the former and end up in a corner. He is striking out just under 30 percent of the time in Double A, so his arrival in Wrigley might not be imminent, but there’s 25 homer/plus defense in rightfield upside here.

21. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

Lawlar was in the mix at No. 1 overall but ended up going sixth to the Diamondbacks, who were ecstatic to get the player whom they rated first in the class. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with great bat speed and the potential for plusses in all five tools, with the hit tool the biggest question (if it weren’t a question, he probably would have gone first overall). He is already 19, the same age as many prospects already in Low A, so there’s a slight time pressure to get him moving up to the ladder, although he could start next year in full-season ball and be fine.

22. Diego Cartaya, C, Los Angeles Dodgers

Cartaya got a $2.5 million bonus from the Dodgers in 2018, made his pro debut in the complex in 2019, and has been unbelievable so far in Low A as a 19-year-old, hitting .298/.409/.614 with solid defense behind the plate. His season started a little late, but he’s been unstoppable in 31 games since late May, with consistent exit velocities over 100 mph as well. He’ll need more refinement on defense, and the sample on the bat is still small, but I don’t see any limit on how good he can be.

23. Jack Leiter, RHP, Texas Rangers

Leiter was the No. 1 prospect on my draft board in the first half of the spring, before a pair of bad outings and a surprise week off put some questions around his durability, but he finished very strongly and still ended up the second overall pick. Leiter misses a ton of bats with his fastball, and uses it to set up all three of his offspeed pitches, making each of them more effective in turn. His curveball is potentially his best secondary weapon, but it wasn’t consistent this spring; he did often show he could pitch effectively without it, however, and there really aren’t questions about his feel for pitching or his baseball IQ. I don’t think he has No. 1 starter ceiling, but if he stays healthy he has an extremely high floor for a pitching prospect, and the most likely outcome is that he’s an above-average starter.

24. Matt Liberatore, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals

Liberatore came to the Cardinals in the Randy Arozarena trade, but he’s going to make Cardinals fans feel better about the deal soon enough. Liberatore has been up to 95 in the rotation, but it’s his curveball and changeup, both plus pitches at their best, that will make him an above-average starter. His fastball doesn’t have huge life or spin, but he also seems to know how to pitch off of it, and his delivery has always been good. He’s also added a slider in pro ball, which does fit his arm slot better and I suppose gives him a second breaking ball if the curveball isn’t working. He’s been homer-prone in Triple A, mostly on the fastball, and that’s the one thing that keeps him from projecting as an ace.

25. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, San Diego Padres

Gore was my No. 1 pitching prospect coming into the year, but he’s in purgatory right now; he lost his release point back in April and his fastball command went with it, so the Padres sent him to their spring training facility in Peoria to work on restoring his mechanics. He’s also seen a recurrence of the blister problems that plagued him in 2018. When he’s healthy and mechanically right, he has better stuff than any pitching prospect in the minors — four legit pitches that you could all grade as plus, athleticism for days, and, once upon a time, above-average control. We won’t know where he stands until he’s on a rubber again.

26. Noelvi Marte, SS, Seattle Mariners

Marte finally made his stateside debut this year, and he’s looked even better than advertised, showing an advanced bat for his age with present plus power and far better defense at short than expected. Marte is one of the youngest players in full-season ball and is hitting .275/.359/.477, ranking fifth in the Low-A West league in homers with 12. He’s actually a month younger than Marco Luciano, who is outhitting Marte in the same circuit but less likely to stay at short. The cavalry is coming in Seattle, for the first time in over a decade.

27. Daniel Lynch, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Lynch was tipping his pitches in the majors, according to the Royals, and they’ve been ironing out some mechanical stuff in Triple A, where he’s had a few disaster starts but mostly been missing bats. He’ll get up to 99 and can comfortably pitch at 94-97, but the fastball is too true to be his primary pitch, so he comes at hitters with a four-pitch mix that features a wipeout slider and a vastly improved changeup. It doesn’t matter if he can’t command them, or keep hitters from sitting on the fastball, so while his ceiling remains very high, there’s at least a little cause for concern in the short term. (For more on Lynch and other Royals prospects, read our own Alec Lewis’ interview with Royals assistant GM JJ Picollo.)

28. Kumar Rocker, RHP, New York Mets

Rocker has the makings of an ace — a fastball up to 97, a wipeout slider, an imposing 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame, athleticism, and actually better control than you’d think — but just doesn’t pitch like one often enough. His fastball can get hit, and his responses to adversity on the field aren’t always ideal — often it’s just “throw harder.” Guys do grow out of that mentality, and maybe getting to call his own game will help. There’s no physical reason why he can’t become a No. 1 starter.

29. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

With lefty D.L. Hall on the shelf with a sore elbow, Rodriguez is the Orioles’ unquestioned top pitching prospect, and he has torn through High A and Double A so far this year, posting a 1.86 ERA with 97 strikeouts and just 13 walks allowed in 63 innings. The Orioles still haven’t unleashed the full Grayson, as he’s averaging less than five innings a start at age 21 – he’s actually gone more than five innings once all year, and he hasn’t thrown more than 83 pitches in any start. I’d like to see how his stuff looks and plays when he’s turning a lineup over three times, rather than two. Right now, it’s a plus fastball that sits 96-99 and an above-average changeup with a developing breaking ball, and I can’t imagine that’ll be that much worse when they finally take his training wheels off.

30. Robert Hassell, OF, San Diego Padres

Hassell went 8th overall last year on the Padres’ belief that he could really hit, and it turns out that, yes, he can really hit. Hassell is probably a hit over power guy in the end, but he’s already hitting .306/.400/.460 as a 19-year-old in Low A. He has a pretty, classic left-hander’s swing, with some loft for maybe average power, but with his ability to square up the ball and advanced plate discipline, he’s almost a throwback hitter who’ll contend for batting average titles. He’s also played better defense in center than anticipated, based on what he looked like in high school. With him and C.J. Abrams, the Padres have multiple players who could end up All-Star center fielders on the way.

31. Matt McLain, SS, Cincinnati Reds

McLain was supposed to be a top ten pick this year, and I don’t really know what happened to make him slip to the Reds at pick 17, but they’re probably not asking too many questions. McLain broke out this spring as a junior for UCLA, hitting .333/.434/.579, making harder contact, walking as often as he struck out, and playing the best defense of his life at shortstop. A year earlier, he looked like a second baseman whose bat might be light for the position; now there’s a great chance he stays at short and he has an above-average hit tool with future average power. The Reds could use a true shortstop who can hit — it’s been one of their few organizational weaknesses in recent years — and lo and behold, here he is.

32. Josh Lowe, CF, Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have already called up two of their top prospects, but Lowe might be the player they need the most. A plus center fielder with patience and power, Lowe is hitting .287/.360/.556 in Triple A, while Rays centerfielders as a whole are hitting .228/.291/.329 in the majors this year. Lowe might rack up strikeouts in the majors, but he isn’t currently in the top 20 in the Triple-A East league in that category. I know the Rays’ current centerfielder is well paid, but Lowe is ready.

33. Kahlil Watson, SS, Miami Marlins

Watson was supposed to be in just about every team’s mix in the top 6 except maybe Baltimore’s, but when this year’s draft came around he ended up going 16th overall to the Marlins. He’s a very strong kid for 5-foot-9, with power, speed, and arm strength, projecting to stay at shortstop, with some questions about how much swing and miss there might be given how hard he swings the bat. There are some ifs around his game but he was discussed in the top six for good reason; if — there’s that word again — he works on his defense and continues to hit the ball as hard as he has before, he’ll be an occasional All-Star.

34. Luis Campusano, C, San Diego Padres

Campusano’s season hasn’t been ideal from a development standpoint, as he was in the majors for a stretch but didn’t get regular playing time, although he showed strong exit velocities when he did play and his ceiling hasn’t changed. He’s always hit the ball hard, and has posted strong contact rates at every level, along with solid-average defense behind the plate. He’ll be back, and I feel very confident that he’ll be better once he gets to play every day.

35. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

The 18-year-old Dominguez has been in Low A for all of six games so far as I write this, and he’s gone 9 for 25 with a double, a triple, and a homer, and just four strikeouts. I have never seen an 18-year-old this physically maxed out, but the flip side of that is that we’re not waiting for any kind of growth — he’ll move as fast as his approach at the plate allows, and the faster he gets those repetitions against better pitching, the sooner we’ll see him in the majors. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him debut by the end of 2022. He’s going to outmuscle Low-A pitching and it looks like he’ll make adjustments as the pitching gets better — although we did see at the Futures Game that he’s not quite ready for major-league caliber stuff yet.

36. Ronny Mauricio, SS, New York Mets

Mauricio has unbelievably loose hands and bat speed, with 10 homers already for High-A Brooklyn as a 20-year-old, although he’s also been too aggressive and given away some at-bats for the Cyclones, showing his youth and inexperience. He’s built for shortstop with the arm strength for it, but when I saw him in June he was about a 40 defender there, and either he wasn’t focusing in the field or he needs to move to another position — maybe third, maybe centerfield. Or maybe he’s the guy the Mets trade because they just signed a shortstop for the next decade. Mauricio has All-Star upside, and he’s still so young, but I would like to see more consistency in his at-bats and in the field.

37. Edward Cabrera, RHP, Miami Marlins

Cabrera missed the start of 2021 with an inflamed nerve in his right biceps, but he has since returned and threw very well in High A and Double A, with 44 strikeouts and 6 walks in 32 innings at those levels, before a promotion this week to Triple-A Jacksonville. He’s up to 100 mph, sitting in the upper 90s, with a devastating changeup that has huge tumble and will miss bats in the majors. His slider is a clear third pitch, a little above-average now, and improving that would boost his ceiling somewhat, but even as is he has two pitches that might grade out as 80s and just has to stay healthy to get to the Marlins’ rotation this year.

38. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota Twins

As I write this, Balazovic hasn’t given up a run in four weeks — 25.2 innings, 10 hits, 4 walks, 30 strikeouts, zero runs. He’s made nine starts in Double A this year, and in six of them, he hasn’t surrendered any runs at all. The Canadian righty has added 2 mph to his fastball this year, averaging 95 mph on it, and his curveball has been sharper with more depth, giving him two plus pitches in his arsenal that have helped him lay waste to right-handed batters this year — they’re hitting .134/.202/.195 against him. His changeup is still a third offering, maybe just on the low side of average, and he will have to improve that to be an above-average or better starter in the majors. He has the size, delivery, and now the two plus pitches to get there.

39. Alek Thomas, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Thomas is a four-tool guy, lacking anything more than average power, with an advanced approach at the plate that favors contact and that has seen him hit well against lefties as well as righties. He’s a center fielder and likely to stay at the position unless he’s pushed aside by a 70 defender at some point, and has the patience to potentially end up a leadoff guy. He’s a safe prospect, without big upside unless he finds some extra power lying on the sidewalk, very likely to get to the majors and play a long time as a regular or an above-average one.

40. Orelvis Martinez, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Martinez has been on an incredible tear of late, with seven homers in his last seven games to seize the lead in the Low-A East League by three over Anthony Volpe, who’s already been promoted; no one else in the league has more than 10 homers. Martinez has tremendous bat speed and the ball comes off his bat extremely well, while he’s played mostly shortstop this year and has the plus arm and soft hands for it. He’s 6’1″ and is going to end up over 200 pounds, so he might move over to third, but this hit/power tool combination is going to play anywhere, and it’s going to come down mostly to how good his plate discipline — which still lags his other tools — becomes.

41. Max Meyer, RHP, Miami Marlins

Meyer was the Marlins’ first-rounder in 2020, a six-foot right-hander who’d been up to 100 with a plus-plus slider up to 92. Double-A hitters haven’t been able to touch him, although he hasn’t struck out as many batters as I might have expected, and he’s not touching triple digits now that he’s pitching every fifth day instead of every seventh. He and lefty Jake Eder, who would be in the 51-75 group if I continued the rankings, give the Marlins two more high-upside starters from the 2020 draft, and maybe some small solace after Sixto Sánchez went down with shoulder surgery.

42. Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees

I was way off on Volpe, who looks like a star at this point. He’s at least a 60 hitter, with bat speed and an advanced eye at the plate, and a 60 runner too. He’s definitely a shortstop, although he could get pushed off the position if the Yankees (or whoever) have a plus-plus defender there; what Volpe might lack naturally in range he makes up for in instincts and quick reactions. And while I don’t think there’s power per se, he hits the ball hard enough that I could see him hitting 15 homers, if not a little more. The Yankees’ scouts deserve a lot of credit here, as Volpe, their first-round pick in 2019, looks like their best first-rounder since Aaron Judge.

43. Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets

Baty crushed high-A pitching to a .309/.397/.514 line before a promotion last week to Double A, and I think that line doesn’t even reflect how much raw power he has. He’s also slimmed down a little bit and looks like he’s more than capable of staying at third base, as he was visibly lighter on his feet and he’s always had the arm for it. He’s 21 now and young for his level for the first time in his career, which will probably tell us just how advanced his bat is, but I think there’s 30 homers in here when he reaches his peak.

44. Joey Bart, C, San Francsico Giants

Bart, like Campusano, probably just needs to play regularly in the majors at this point, although at least the Giants can credibly point to an MVP candidate playing behind the plate for them in the big leagues. Bart is a plus defender with a plus arm and plus raw power; he’s going to strike out more than you’d like and I don’t think he’ll ever hit for average, but a catcher who has his power and his value on defense will never lack for work.

45. Cole Winn, RHP, Texas Rangers

Winn has been outstanding in Double A as a 21-year-old despite just 68 pro innings before this season, allowing just 22 hits in 52.2 innings with 61 strikeouts and 19 walks allowed for Frisco. He’s a four-pitch guy with a plus changeup and fastball up to 95, showing good feel for his breaking stuff (despite hanging a slider at the Futures Game). If that changeup keeps getting better, maybe his ceiling is better than that of a No. 2 starter, but even that would have to be welcome for the Rangers at this point.

46. Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Pratto reworked his swing at the alternate site last year to get back to where he was in high school, using the whole field more while also looking for pitches he can drive out to right, and it’s worked. He hit .271/.404/.570 for Double-A Northwest Arkansas — which also had M.J. Melendez, another top-100 prospect for the Royals — before a promotion last week to Omaha. Pratto is an above-average defender at first, and with this power and patience, he should be at least an above-average regular. Here’s your one warning sign: He punched out 29 percent of the time in Double A, even with the swing changes and the newfound patience. That’s down from 2019 (34 percent) but still higher than it should be against Double-A pitching.

47. Nolan Gorman, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

Gorman is among the minor-league leaders in home runs with 15, splitting his season so far between Double A and Triple A at age 21, and he’s kept his strikeouts under control at both levels. Gorman has a big swing with 80 raw power, and he still has trouble with left-handed pitching, with a huge platoon split so far this year. He’s played both third and second base this year, but given his arm (great) and agility (so-so) I think the hot corner is his destination.

48. Quinn Priester, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Priester was the Pirates’ first-round pick in 2019, took a step forward at the alternate site and in instructs last year, and now looks like he’s close to hitting his projection; he was 95-97 at the Futures Game in Denver and comfortably sits 92-95 with four pitches, including a new cutter at 89-92 that is one reason why lefties have done nothing against him this year. He’s still just 20 and has to refine his control, which has been a bit worse the last month, but his delivery is so good I don’t think throwing quality strikes will be a problem for him. He has more No. 2 starter ceiling but as long as he stays healthy he has a strong chance to get there.

49. Jordan Walker, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

Walker was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2020, a high-upside but very high-risk athlete from Georgia whose hit tool was still in doubt. Signed by area scout Charles Peterson, who died last August from COVID-19, Walker debuted this year and hit .374/.475/.687 in Low A before a promotion to High A, where he’s scuffled initially, but even that is miles ahead of expectations from when he was an amateur. He’s a big kid, 6-foot-5, and might end up moving to the outfield despite a plus arm, although his plus speed could make him an elite defender in right — and he has plus raw power, too. If his hit tool really is a grade or more better than we thought last spring, the Cards might have found a superstar.

50. Xavier Edwards, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays

Edwards is an outstanding contact hitter with plus speed who could probably play shortstop if he weren’t in an organization that grows shortstops in a greenhouse they keep outside their stadium. He’s played almost exclusively second base this year, with a little third, and given his speed he could probably handle center. There’s no power here and I don’t expect that to come in the future, but his ability to put the ball in play and run will generate some extra on-base value, and the positional versatility up the middle adds even more.

[D Backs GM (Tyler)]

Thanks Scott!