Things are finally starting to settle into a clearer picture as it relates to top prospect lists. There’s always movement at the beginning of seasons, but things were sent into overdrive following the cancellation of last year’s minor league campaign. So much was happening, which is an idea I’ve covered more than once in this weekly piece. Alas, I now think we have some clarity — at least for the top 25-30, which is where I’ve been most focused when constructing these.
Last week I broke down the starting pitcher position among prospects. This week we’re back to the status quo with a new top-20 and some tidbits on each player.
Reminder to reach out with questions on Twitter anytime – @toomuchtuma.
View your league’s top available players with My Playbook 
| RANK (LW) | NAME | POS | TEAM | NOTES |
| 1 (1) | Wander Franco | SS | TB | Hitting .314 with a .920 OPS. five homers, and four steals in 28 games at Triple-A. He’s coming soon, but Rays are showing patience. |
| 2 (2) | Jarred Kelenic | OF | SEA | The struggles and subsequent demotion are a bummer for redraft leagues, but nothing has changed with his long-term outlook. |
| 3 (3) | Julio Rodriguez | OF | SEA | Drawing rave reviews from the recent Olympic qualifier tournament. A promotion to Double-A should be coming soon. |
| 4 (4) | Spencer Torkelson | 1B | DET | Finally heating up after a slow start to his professional career. |
| 5 (5) | Bobby Witt | SS | KC | 10 homers and eight steals through 28 games in Double-A. Strikeouts are a bit of an issue and he’s hitting just .254. |
| 6 (6) | C.J. Abrams | SS | SD | Likely to compete with J-Rod for top prospect to stash for ’22 redraft leagues. |
| 7 (7) | Marco Luciano | SS | SF | So much talent and hard-hitting ability in this 19-year-old bat. Really hoping we see it translate to the stat sheet in a big way ROS. |
| 8 (8) | Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | PIT | 8-for-22 (.364) since returning from his wrist injury. Stud. |
| 9 (10) | Adley Rutschman | C | BAL | Similar to Tork, has been especially hot over the past few weeks. |
| 10 (9) | Alex Kirilloff | 1B/OF | MIN | A little worried he hasn’t hit well since returning from the wrist injury, but that’s more so for redraft leagues. Love the bat for dynasty leagues. |
| 11 (13) | Vidal Brujan | 2B/OF | TB | Already on the 40-man roster, expecting to see him in mid-to-late June. Lethal power/speed combo. |
| 12 (12) | Alek Manoah | SP | TOR | One dominant start and one so-so start to begin his big league career. Gets the White Sox on Wednesday. |
| 13 (14) | Triston Casas | 1B | BOS | I believe in the bat in a big way, and I want to remain higher than consensus on him for fantasy purposes. Potential power and OBP stud. |
| 14 (NR) | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | BAL | Baseball America anointed him as the No. 1 pitching prospect earlier this week. More on that below. |
| 15 (18) | Austin Martin | SS/OF | TOR | Already has four multi-hit games in June. Beginning to adjust to aggressive Double-A assignment to begin his pro career. |
| 16 (11) | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | The power display has been impressive, but concerns over his plate discipline skills are as prevalent as ever. |
| 17 (17) | Logan Gilbert | SP | SEA | Most recent big league start was his most impressive by far. 20 swinging strikes! |
| 18 (15) | Noelvi Marte | SS | SEA | Hitting .300 with an .888 OPS in 29 games at High-A. Exactly what we were hoping to see from his pro debut. |
| 19 (NR) | Jarren Duran | OF | BOS | No matter where he goes, Duran impresses. His latest conquest was the Olympic qualifying tournament for Team USA. |
| 20 (16) | Jasson Dominguez | OF | NYY | The prospect community anxiously awaits seeing him in game action later this summer. |
Honorable Mentions
OF Riley Greene, DET: Baseball America ranked him 10th in their June top-100 update.
C Francisco Alvarez, NYM: Recently promoted to High-A and has already become the No. 2 catcher in most prospect rankings. At worst, he’s third behind Rutschman and Joey Bart. Won’t turn 20 until November.
SP MacKenzie Gore, SD: Fell from No. 8 overall to No. 39 in BA’s latest update. This doesn’t mean we should sell at all costs or anything like that, but his stock has surely fallen over the past calendar year. I’d flip for any of Rodriguez, Manoah, or Gilbert without hesitating.
SP Sixto Sanchez, MIA: Cleared to resume throwing this week but this shoulder injury has been a problem all year. We likely won’t see him in the majors until August, if at all.
OF Trevor Larnach, MIN: Statcast numbers are extremely strong but it has yet to translate into massive box score success.
On the Rise
SP Grayson Rodriguez, BAL: “G-Rod” was one of the “risers” in my starting pitcher breakdown last week. From what I was seeing there was still a chance to buy on the cheap as recently as last week, before the hype really blew up. That window has likely come and gone, however, as Baseball America anointed him the No. 1 pitching prospect in their June, top-100 update. The 21-year-old is up to 14 strikeouts through 10 innings of one-run ball for Double-A Bowie.
Prospects who have risen in my rankings the most since the '21 minor league season began:
The obvious:
Alek Manoah
Vidal Brujan
Jarren DuranBut also:
Grayson Rodriguez
Francisco Alvarez
Noelvi Marte
Hunter Greene
Triston Casas
Shane McClanahan
Cade Cavalli— Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma) June 8, 2021
On the Way Down
OF Brandon Marsh, LAA: 23-year-old was placed on the injured list for Triple-A Salt Lake this week, which is concerning after he dealt with a shoulder injury dating back to last summer. Hopefully (?) this helps explain the weak .183/.338/.317 triple slash line through 16 games. Adell is now the heavy favorite to be promoted first.
Stat of the Week
Through 29 games for Double-A Bowie, Adley Rutschman has an absurd 26:26 K:BB ratio. A true plate discipline monster, Rutschman is one of three high-end prospects currently playing for the Orioles’ Double-A organization (alongside the aforementioned Rodriguez plus DL Hall).
Get award-winning advice with our fantasy baseball tools
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like How to Make Custom Fantasy Baseball Rankings with Microsoft Excel – to learn more.
Brendan Tuma is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brendan, check out his archive and follow him @toomuchtuma.
