Move over Clayton Kershaw, there is a new ace headed for Dodger Stadium

Your eyes read that correctly. This is the first 2017 edition of MLB Prospects that you can find anywhere. You might be wondering why this information is useful, or even worth trusting. If you only play in re-draft leagues, then it is really nothing more than a fascinating article to you, but for the many of you that play in deep keeper leagues or dynasty leagues, this original idea may help spur numerous championships in your future. You see, the only current value of a prospect is his trade value because he isn’t going to hit you 30 homers or win you 15 games. At that point, he would no longer be a prospect. Many of the players that will appear on this list are hardly respected as prospects yet, so they have little or no trade value. My goal is to help you target which players will see their stocks boom as their trade value soars forward next season. If you buy a guy extremely low now, then trade him for quite a bit more next season, then it was a perfect draft pick. If you want to see where the top 400 prospects are currently ranked, take a look at the list I posted earlier this month.

So how do we know this works? I have studied the ebb and flow of prospect rankings from month to month and year to year for a very long time. Prospect movement up and down these charts is so consistent that it has become easily predictable. No, I am not suggesting that I will get the rankings exactly right, or that I will even be able to avoid missing on a dozen players who breakout or fall apart, but you can be sure I’m following the general trends, which will give you far more information than you had before. Everyone that I anticipate will lose their rookie eligibility this season, from Corey Seager and Lucas Giolito, all the way to Luis Yander La O and Socrates Brito, will be removed from the list, as well as some players (Billy McKinney, Phil Bickford, Daniel Robertson, etc.) that I expect to either regress, or be passed up by players who breakout. Between 15-25 players from the MLB Draft are always added, along with a handful of international free agents that are making the move to the big leagues. Many players will realize their potential and move from No. 200, and even No. 450, all the way up into the top 150.

If you have any questions regarding why I see a player moving into the top 150, being excluded from it, or perhaps why someone is ranked as high/low as they are, don’t hesitate to shoot me an e-mail at bobby@fantasypros.com and I’ll be quick to answer. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this and find success as a result of the projections.

2016 MLB Draft Additions

Often times, better talents will drop down into the late first round or early second round because of signability issues, where big market teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Nationals will scoop them up and pay the ransom. Likewise, teams like the Marlins and A’s are notorious for “reaching” in the first round to save money and reallocate their allotted bonus budget to players in other rounds. There is a little risk with prospects that haven’t been drafted, so don’t be surprised if one or two of these names disappears because of injury, regression, or signability issues, and when we see a few fresh names burst their way into the top of mock drafts.

Top International Free Agent Additions

None of these players have signed yet, and in Kishi’s case, we don’t even know for sure that he is coming over next season. Gurriel and his brother defected earlier this month and are primed to be perennial all-stars. Maitan and Abe Gutierrez are just 15 years old, but are elite talents. Vlad and Ruiz are older Cuban imports that were considered the two top pitchers on the island before they left. All five are expected to sign July 2nd, and the four teams listed are expected to be major players. In Maitan’s case, he is nearly certain to sign with the Braves.

Top 150 Prospects

–The ages listed here reflect what each prospect’s age will be this time next season.

If you want to know which players will have the biggest movement this season, you can compare this list to my worldwide top 400 prospects. Thanks for reading! Make sure to run through an auction mock draft when you have a few spare minutes today. It is our newest addition to the great Draft Wizard tool, and you will surely love it as much as I do.