The Astros’ future is very bright even beyond Altuve and Correa

In the late 90’s we saw the New York Yankees make the leap from contender to dynasty with additions via home-grown talent (Jeter, Posada, Bernie, Mariano, Pettite). This decade, the Cubs  may be on the verge of making a similar leap, thanks to a massive influx of young talent (Bryant, Rizzo, Russell, Hendricks, Schwarber, Baez, Soler, Contreras). Is your team next? Let’s take a look at which clubs have the best farm teams in baseball, according to our top 200 prospect list.

(1) Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have already seen recent call-ups (Correa, Altuve, Springer) turn their organization around in a heart beat, but the flow of talent is going to continue, as they carry the No. 1 ranking, thanks in large part to Alex Bregman (No. 2) and Yulieski Gurriel (No. 23) who will both make an impact in their current playoff run. They also carry depth, however, with Kyle Tucker (No. 35), A.J. Reed (No. 45), Francis Martes (No. 48), David Paulino (No. 58), Albert Abreu (No. 71), Joe Musgrove (No. 79) and Derek Fisher (No. 96) all squeezing into the top 100. It is safe to say that the Astros, and not the Cubs, are most likely to be the future of baseball.

(2) Atlanta Braves

Everything is falling into place for the narrative the Braves have been building: that with the new ballpark in 2017, will come a new brand of Braves’ baseball. The rebuild has seemingly taken forever, but is finally nearing completion. Their top prospect (No. 14, Dansby Swanson) came via the Shelby Miller trade, and they just signed perhaps the best international free agent since Miguel Cabrera, in Kevin Maitan (No. 22). They have built their core of future stars from all aspects of general managing. Sean Newcomb (No. 36) was acquired via trade, Kolby Allard (No. 44) represents a risky draft pick, and Ozahino Albies (No. 46) was another international signing.

(3) New York Yankees

Brian Cashman finally had his way this July, as the Yankees finally entered a true rebuild, and in the process, fleeced both the Cubs and Indians. Their shiny new shortstop (who’s ceiling is similar to Barry Larkin), Gleyber Torres (No. 21) is their top asset. The Yankees also added Clint Frazier (No. 25), Dillon Tate (No. 105) and Justus Sheffield (No. 114) via trade this season. Add those names to the blooming prospects they already had: Domingo Acevedo (No. 47), Aaron Judge (No. 70), Jorge Mateo (No. 73), James Kaprielian (No. 85), Gary Sanchez (No. 93), Blake Rutherford (No. 99) and Yankees fans have themselves a real bright future to look forward to.

(4) Milwaukee Brewers

Like the Yankees, the Brewers were able to leap forward in these rankings right before the trade deadline. Their big move with the Rangers brought them a potential 30/30 hitter in outfielder, Lewis Brinson (No. 16) and Luis Ortiz (No. 52), while their deal with the Giants gave them breakout pitching prospect, Phil Bickford (No. 24). Additionally, they already possessed Josh Hader (No. 26), Trent Clark (No. 64), Brett Phillips (No. 77), Corey Ray (No. 84), which gives Brewers fans something to hope upon for the first time since Prince Fielder was mashing minor league pitchers eons ago.

(5) Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies did not make a big splash in the trade market this season, like some of the teams above them, but a few recent draft picks have cemented them among future contenders. Shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 11) is oddly similar to long-time Phillie, Jimmy Rollins, while Mickey Moniak (No. 29) may have several batting titles in his future. Add in the best power hitter in the minor leagues, Dylan Cozens (No. 75), and smooth athlete Nick Williams (No. 76) and the Phillies’ lineup should strike fear into the NL East for years to come. Just outside the top 100 the Phillies hold Jake Thompson (No. 107), Franklyn Kilome (No. 116) and Jorge Alfaro (No. 127)

Others in the Top 10

(6) Rockies – David Dahl (13), Jeff Hoffman (54), Riley Pint (57), Raimel Tapia (118) — four more from No. 130 to No. 175

(7) Padres – Anderson Espinoza (15), Adrian Morejon (50), Hunter Renfroe (51), Jorge Ona (80), Manuel Margot (86), Michael Gettys (101) — three of the top four were added since July

(8) Indians – Bradley Zimmer (18), Bobby Bradley (28), Brady Aiken (41), Triston McKenzie (43), Francisco Mejia (87), Mike Clevinger (88) — voided Lucroy trade only included Mejia

(9) Cardinals – Alex Reyes (3), Delvin Perez (68), Junior Fernandez (78), Luke Weaver (83), Harrison Bader (100), Sandy Alcantra (113), Jack Flaherty (119) — surprise, surprise, five starting pitchers

(10) Dodgers – Jose DeLeon (10), Yadier Alvarez (19), Cody Bellinger (60), Yusniel Diaz (69), Alex Verdugo (94) — and they just graduated Urias and Seager!

Full List

*Count shows how many players they place among the top 215 prospects

Corresponding Links

Top 200 Prospects
Amateur and International Prospects
Bold Prospect Hot Takes
Prospect Questions and Answers
Why we are bullish on certain prospects (To be released Wednesday, August 24th)