These prospect rankings are based on FANTASY value, not on real life value. Considering such, hitters generally weigh a bit heavier for me due to the injury risk and higher volatility of prospect pitchers. Proximity to the majors is also prominent in the equation, though these rankings are taking a longer-term / dynasty look on these guys (think of it more as a 5 year plan).

Rather than getting into writing little bios on all of these hitters, I’ve decided to keep my rankings simple by providing the 2024 stats of each player across all levels, plus a player comp, a small blub on the player’s prime skills for fantasy and an explanation of my ranking. I’ve also included updated fScores for any players I still expect could debut in 2024, which highlights what my fScore projections believe the player is capable of at the pro level for immediate impact.

I know most people don’t care to read 250 – 500 words on each player, so using both box score scouting and film review, I have provided my personal comps for each prospect and how I think each prospect will perform once in the majors over the next five or so seasons. All-in-all I think the rankings paired with statistical info and a player comp will hit the sweet spot for the broadest category of people who are reading this prospect rankings (or listening on the Fantasy Aceball podcast via Apple pods or Spotify).

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Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report

NOTES: Rookie status is determined by 130 ABs, or 50 IPs at the Major League level. This article was written over the course of one week with statistics entered from August 10th through the date of release therefore some stats may be out of date by the time of your reading.

1. 3B Junior Caminero (Rays)

2024 AAA: .269/.326/.486 | 7 BB% / 21.1 K%| 21 XBH, 12 HR, 1 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Late August

fScores: 101 fContact, 80 fDiscipline, 124 fPower, 78 fSpeed

Comp: Ronald Acuna w/o the wheels

Prime Skills: Probably the quickest bat speed in the minors with some big time power potential. He could be one of the best hitters in baseball sooner rather than later. The lack of a higher walk rate and being overly aggressive might ding him a bit in points leagues, but the power will be his carrying tool right out of the gate as he should at worst put up numbers similar to Willy Adames, but with a better batting average. He’s running a 92.6 average EV at the time of this writing in AAA and has an over 117 max EV on the season; only six major league hitters have posted a higher max EV this season. Caminero also has a higher average launch angle than guys like William Contreras and Vlad Guerrero Jr., the batted ball profile looks pretty similar to Ketel Marte in 2024.

Ranking Explanation: Caminero has better exit velocities and a better batted ball profile than Holliday, while Holliday has the edge in speed and batter’s eye. I might lean Holliday in points or OBP due to the plate skills, but in every other league I’m going Caminero.

Previous Rank: 2

 

2. SS Jackson Holliday (Orioles)

2024 AAA: .271/.431/.477 | 21.7 BB%, 22.3 K% | 35 XBH, 10 HR, 8 SB

2024 MLB: .167/.225/.364 | 5.6 BB%, 38 K% | 5 XBH, 4 HR, 0 SB

Age: 20

ETA: In Majors

fScores: 112 fContact, 141 fDiscipline, 91 fPower, 91 fSpeed

Comp: Wander Franco

Prime Skills: Quick bat that can reach all fields, but projects out more as a line drive and doubles hitter than a big power bat. Holliday has ridiculous Kwan-esk plate discipline. Not the fastest runner, but could steal 15-20 bags at the major league level in a season.

Ranking Explanation: He has great tools for real baseball as a stud #2 hitter or a leadoff guy earlier in his career, but for fantasy I don’t see a ton of power upside (of course he could grow into it), but I think he’s more like a Luis Arraez that can go 20/20 and prefer the potential 30-35 homer bat of Caminero for fantasy. Not to mention Caminero actually has a much better Z-Contact% at 85.2% vs 78.6% on the season. He’s been on a power tear lately though and that will probably bump his value for short-term minded owners.

Previous Rank: 5

 

3. OF Jasson Dominguez (Yankees)

2024 AA/AAA: .301/.353/.488 | 11 XBH, 6 HR, 5 SB (32 games)

Age: 21
ETA: Late August

fScores: 104 fContact, 78 fDiscipline, 119 fPower, 147 fSpeed

Comp: Switch hitting Mookie Betts-light

Prime Skills: Dominguez has top notch plate skills, while also demonstrating he can be a game changer on the base paths. He smashes pitches high in the zone from both sides of the plate, but needs to work on lifting pitches low in the zone instead of smashing them into the ground. He was doing a good job of this before the injury at the major league level in 2023.

Ranking Explanation: Dominguez posts above average EVs and has a ridiculous 97.5% Z-contact% at AAA on the season, so smashes anything in the zone consistently. He has superior launch angles averaging in the 15-16 degree range which optimizes his power, showing better bat control than both Caminero and Holliday without the power ceiling of Caminero or the ridiculous plate skills of Holliday – he might have the best all around hit tool of the three and has the best speed of the three. Dominguez has been very aggressive this year with a much higher chase rate than normal, but I assume this is him pushing to do damage to get back to the majors.

Previous Rank: 7

 

4. 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles)

2024 AAA: .301/.375/.586 | 10 BB%, 24.3 K% | 44 XBH, 20 HR, 4 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Late August

fScores: 98 fContact, 105 fDiscipline, 120 fPower, 74 fSpeed

Comp: Nolan Arenado as a hitter (w/ better power, worse hit tool)

Prime Skills: Mayo has a quick and powerful swing that portends to future 25-30-ish homer power with 5-ish steal speed. He has an average enough hit tool, but the potential strikeout rate is a bit concerning if he can’t hold it down closer to 25% at the major league level. The contract rates are still slightly below average, but the near 115 max EV and an over 91 average EV means Mayo has some of the best power in this prospect group behind Junior Caminero, but he has more optimal launch angles for homers with a 19 degree launch angle this year.

Ranking Explanation: Mayo has the best proximity power in the class outside of Junior Caminero and maybe Deyvison De Los Santos (if he can keep the Ks in check). I might like Basallo a bit more long-term myself, but the difference is so slight I would recommend Mayo ahead of him if all things are even due to the proximity and position preference if Basallo ends up at 1B.

Previous Rank: 11

 

5. C / 1B Samuel Basallo (Orioles)

2024 AA: .286/.350/.468 | 8.9 BB%, 20.1 K% | 33 XBH, 15 HR, 9 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Kyle Schwarber with a better hit tool

Prime Skills: Good plate discipline and great power and young for his level, Bassallo has seen some regression this year in the batted ball data as he has not been lifting the ball in the air enough to reach his power potential and he’s been dinged in the plate skills category this year seeing a decent increase in swinging strike and K rate, while also seeing an even larger decrease in walk rate. The dude is built for his age with fast hands, but a tight / weird batting stance. He will likely move off the catcher position full-time because of Rutschman.

Ranking Explanation: The fact Basallo is doing these things in AA at the age of 19 is insane. He has a 130 wRC+ at a level where the average player is 22-23, which means when factoring age to level Basallo is really closer to a 200 wRC+ player.

Previous Rank: 12

 

6. OF Roman Anthony (Red Sox)

2024 AA: .267/.363/.479 | 12.6 BB%, 25.7 K% | 36 XBH, 14 HR, 16 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Jarred Kelenic with a better eye

Prime Skills: Very good eye with a strong power tool for a young kid who still needs to fill out. He could be a five tool guy, but needs to be more consistent on the base paths for steals to be a big part of his game long term.

Ranking Explanation: Anthony has a little bit of Emmanuel Rodriguez syndrome, as the SwStr% is only at 9.1%. He ran into this same problem in A+ last year, but course corrected – so there is no reason to doubt he can’t fix this issue a second time, which is being too patient or maybe having a better eye than the umps. Anthony put his raw power on full display during the All Star game skills competition and he needs to start working to translate the raw power to game power. Somewhat like Basallo, we have to give Anthony an age-to-level bump being 20 at AA with a 137 wRC+ which should stick him closer to the 180 wRC+ range.

Previous Rank: 19

 

7. OF Walker Jenkins (Twins)

2024 A/A+: .285/.408/.425 | 18.5 BB%, 11.3 K% (A ball) | 17 XBH, 3 HR, 4 SB (50 games)

Age: 19

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Larry Walker

Prime Skills: Big, strong lefty for his age and one of the top five guys from the 2023 draft class. He has a ton of pull power, but can hit for extra base hits through all fields. Jenkins’ carrying tool thus far has been the combo of his excellent hit tool (86% contact rate and 91.8 Z-contact% at A ball) alongside his killer plate skills. He hasn’t grown into the game power yet and has been primarily a doubles hitter, but he was also in the Florida League where all his games are at sea level in the muggy Fort Myers stadium (basically no breeze, literally the hottest stadium I’ve been to in my life and when there is breeze it’s blowing in, not out).

Ranking Explanation: Jenkins has been rocking a 13-14 degree launch angle with a near 110 max EV and upper 80s average EVs in a bad ballpark in single A, so I’m excited to see how the power gains look getting out of Florida now that he’s in high A. Jenkins needs to get to the power to match up against someone like Anthony in my opinion and Basallo is barely older and basically two levels ahead of him.

Previous Rank: 12

 

8. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Twins)

2024 AA: .298/.479/.621 | 25.1 BB%, 27.5 K% | 22 XBH, 8 HR, 9 SB (37 games)

Age: 21
ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Rafael Devers meets Edouard Julien

Prime Skills: Great eye and insane power with a tad of speed mixed in despite being a bigger boy, quick hands though. Like many of these guys, Rodriguez has to work on his hit tool a bit and cut down on the strikeouts. The power and speed potential is ridiculous and Rodriguez for points leagues should be ranked ahead of Dominguez and Mayo due to his super high walk rates.

Ranking Explanation: He’s dealt with injuries the last couple of years, but has been ridiculous on a per plate appearance basis. The only issue with his game is he strikes out way too much by being too patient, because a 9.4% SwStr% portends to a way better K rate than 27.5%. Rodriguez is on a rehab assignment right now in Complex league (as of this writing), it would be nice to see him get up to AAA before the end of the season. Jenkins gets the edge to Rodriguez, because I worry less about the overall plate approach.

Previous Rank: 17

 

9. OF Max Clark (Tigers)

2024 A/A+: .286/.386/.426 | 14.4 BB%, 17.4 K% (A ball) | 27 XBH, 7 HR, 27 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Corbin Carroll

Prime Skills: Multi-sport athlete; has a really nice hit tool (though it is down from last year to a 79.3 Contact% and 89.9 Z-Contact%), a lot of speed and should develop more power as he ages. He’s likely to develop more into a speed first, 15-20 homer type based on the small sample size of what we have seen in the minors and pre-draft. The plate skills are also much better than when you look at first glance as he has a near elite 7.7 SwStr% and only a 22% chase rate on the year.

Ranking Explanation: Clark has similar skills to Dylan Crews, but has a much better hit tool and plate skills to date and he’s a better athlete who should end up posting much higher steals totals than Crews, but Rodriguez gets the edge to Clark right now due to the much higher power potential.

Previous Rank: 27

 

10. OF Dylan Crews (Nationals)

2024 AA/AAA: .267/.339/.448 | 8.8 BB%, 15.9 K% (AAA) | 37 XBH, 10 HR, 21 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Late September (cup of coffee)

fScores: 96 fContact, 77 fDiscipline, 99 fPower, 120 fSpeed

Comp: Nick Castellanos with Speed

Prime Skills: He has great all fields power, he’s a good defender and he has a great eye at the plate. The speed is slightly above average (he has improved this aspect of his game since last season) and he’s more of an all around XBH / damage guy than a home run threat.

Ranking Explanation: The EVs aren’t as strong as I was expecting from him coming out of college and at AAA he’s running a pretty high chase rate with only average contact-ability. He’s really only grading out to be a slightly above average major leaguer with a little bit of speed, but based on the pedigree I think there’s more in here and I don’t want to downgrade him too far when a year ago we all thought he would be a super star, but Rodriguez looks like the better future fantasy contributor at the moment and Walker Jenkins has better underlying tools and sabermetrics.

Previous Rank: 8

 

11. 2B Travis Bazzana (Guardians)

2024 College: .407/.568/.911 | 48 XBH, 28 HR, 16 SB

2024 A+: .208/.406/.375 | 21.9 BB%, 31.3 K% | 2 XBH, 1 HR, 1 SB (7 games)

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Daniel Murphy with more athleticism and quickness

Prime Skills: Bazzana has the killer Oregon State hit tool and has professional experience already with wood bats, playing in Australia as a pro while he was a teenager. He has power and speed, but to what degree will both show up as a pro is the big question to me, as the game power just appeared in 2024 and is relatively a newer tool. He has a lot of movement pre-pitch at the plate

Ranking Explanation: It will be interesting to see how he does against higher level pitching, the SEC traditionally has better pitchers than what Bazzana faced on the west coast.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

12. SP Jackson Jobe (Tigers)

2024 AA: 47 2/3 IP | 14.3 K-BB%, 12.8 SwStr%, 37.9 CSW% (select stadiums only) | 2.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: George Kirby

Prime Skills: Excellent command of his pitches for a guy his age and has a ton of spin on his pitches. The fastball is riding as an above average pitch, but it allows him to use his elite slider to get Ks. The walk rate is higher this year, but I think it’s an aberration and wouldn’t be too concerned.

Ranking Explanation: A large part of Jobe’s appeal when he was moving up my rankings was his excellent command, but he is rocking over a 14% BB rate this year in AA and has also been limited on innings. I’m starting to come back around on Painter being a better pitcher than Jobe, but at this point health plays a big part of this ranking.

Previous Rank: 6

 

13. SS JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals)

2024 College: .331/.472/.589 | 16 XBH, 8 HR, 6 SB (36 games)

2024 A: .231/.432/.423 | 21.6 BB%, 8.1 K% | 3 XBH, 1 HR, 0 SB (9 games)

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Corbin Carroll / Marcus Semien mash-up

Prime Skills: Wetherholt hits the crap out of the ball for a smaller guy, is athletic and has a great eye at the plate. He has quick, an easy swing and great bat control that will likely lead to an early career high doubles profile that later translates into more power as he gets closer to his peak. Wetherholt had an average EV of 99.4 through his first 15 batted balls at low A.

Ranking Explanation: I originally had Wetherholt as my third ranked player from the 2024 draft, but after seeing him live just smashing every ball he made contact on with excellent swing decisions, I decided to bump him up ahead of Condon considering there are some concerns with the ability for Condon to hit breaking balls. The exit velocities thus far are just ridiculous.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

14. SS Sebastian Walcott (Rangers)

2024 A+: .255/.342/.436 | 11.4 BB%, 25.9 K% | 36 XBH, 10 HR, 18 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)N/A

Comp: Fernando Tatis Jr. – light, similar build and swing

Prime Skills: Super raw, a huge 18-year-old kid with power for days. He has to develop the hit tool and plate skills, but the tools are there and he debuted at high A as a 17-year-old. We are just now really seeing him come into his own and since June he’s hitting .303/.356/.532 with 25 XBH, 7 homers and 12 steals over 48 games.

Ranking Explanation: The kid is still super raw and we are seeing the talent develop mid-season from a set of tools into a baseball player. Walcott has posted stronger EVs than Mayer and has the greater ceiling, even if the floor could be dangerous if he reverts toward the bad K rates that haunted him earlier in the season.

Previous Rank: 114

 

15. SS Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox)

2024 AA: .307/.370/.480 | 9 BB%, 19.7 K% | 36 XBH, 8 HR, 13 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Lefty Dansby Swanson with better doubles power

Prime Skills: Fast hands and a good eye lead to an advanced hitting prospect, but how much power will he hit for in his prime? He’s better than the 2023 stats and struggled hard at AA before losing a lot of time to injury. I predicted a rebound this year and was right as he is showing of a very good hit tool and ability for big time doubles power.

Ranking Explanation: Mayer is getting bigger and might not be a super star, but he should be an above average major leaguer or all star in his peak years and provide decent fantasy value. Mayer is still young for the level and I believe he could translate the doubles power into homer power in Boston once he gets closer to his peak.

Previous Rank: 18

 

16. OF Charlie Condon (Rockies)

2024 College: .433/.566/1.009 | 58 XBH, 37 HR, 3 SB

2024 A+: .333/.385/.667 | 7.7 B%, 46.2 K% | 2 XBH, 1 HR, 1 SB (3 games)

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Less athletic righty Cody Bellinger

Prime Skills: Condon is all about the power, but how much of the power will translate from college and can he hit breaking pitches are the big questions. He’s a big time fastball hunter and guys at the higher levels might expose him. He has a long body, but keeps his hands in so he doesn’t get exposed inside. He smashes pitches up in the zone and it will be interesting to see if he can keep the strikeout rate down.

Ranking Explanation: I originally had Condon ranked ahead of Bazzana and discussed on Prospect Onea a bit at length and I knew this going into the draft, but looking further into it Condon’s home/away splits are incredibly concerning amongst the rumors of SEC teams using a live feed in the dugout when at home (.482/.530/1.125 HOME vs. .279/.367/.698 ROAD). Like the Astros with their trash cans, I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on Condon before I move him back up ahead of Bazzana.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

17. 2B Matt Shaw (Cubs)

2024 AA: .279/.373/.468 | 12.1 BB%, 17.5 K% | 28 XBH, 14 HR, 25 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Jonathan India with more speed

Prime Skills: Really great plate approach with above average power and speed. Should be one of the better second basemen in the majors sooner, rather than later and has the power and speed combo to put up some 20/20 type seasons.

Ranking Explanation: It might be easy to rank Shaw ahead of Mayer considering he has more power and speed in his profile, but I think Mayer has a better hit tool and the doubles power will translate into more peak power than Shaw. Condon’s power potential gives him the edge to Shaw, but Mayer is so safe that he gets the jump on these two.

Previous Rank: 20

 

18. SS Leodalis De Vries (Padres)

2024 A: .234/.353/.438 | 13.2 BB%, 24.2 K% | 32 XBH, 12 HR, 12 SB

Age: 17

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Switch hitting Alfonso Soriano at SS

Prime Skills: De Vries has super high upside across the board and is a five-tool talent, but at 17-years-old is way above his age-to-level. De Vries is absolutely electric and has a long swing despite quick hands, giving me that Soriano feeling. He has a 112 wRC+ as a 17-year-old, which translating age-to-level might place him closer around 150-160 or so.

Ranking Explanation: De Vries is a huge riser for pretty much everyone and his been jumping up my board every week since the beginning of June. Like Walcott he has been insane the last couple months and since May 23rd, he has a .249/.372/.480 slash with 28 XBH, 11 homers and 11 steals over a 55 game span.

Previous Rank: 144

 

19. SP Andrew Painter (Phillies)

2022 A/A+/AA: 103 2/3 IP, 155 Ks, 25 BBs, 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Mid/Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: A bigger Jacob deGrom, or a Tyler Glasnow with more control

Prime Skills: Painter regularly touches 99 MPH on his fastball and throws it up in the zone with some ridiculous ride, then loves to use his curve up in the zone to finish guys off when they are dead red fastball. He has pin-point control for a pitcher his age, which plays his stuff up even more. He has an excellent pitch mix and knows how to throw his changeup and breaking stuff off his money fastball.

Ranking Explanation: We’re getting closer to an Andrew Painter return from TJ (2025) and many of the prospects I had ahead of him are either graduating or simply struggling, thus Painter moving up in the rankings despite doing nothing this year or last year.

Previous Rank: 16

 

20. SS Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks)

2023 AA/AAA: .278/.378/.496 | 47 XBH, 20 HR, 36 SB

Age: 21

ETA: 2025

fScores: N/A (not enough data)

Comp: Trea Turner light w/ some Jeter in there

Prime Skills: Lawlar has a nice power swing, but it may affect his contact ability in the majors – he has all fields power and ridiculous speed, he’s a very aggressive base runner and puts himself in good positions to make things happen on top of having way above average plate discipline for his age..

Ranking Explanation: The power, speed and enough of a hit tool are here to build up a very intriguing player for fantasy purposes and potential top end player, however he has been hurt basically the entire season enough so that I’m re-using his 2023 stats instead of posting the small sample size of 2024.

Previous Rank: 9

 

21. SS Carson Williams (Rays)

2024 AA: .260/.354/.475 | 11.4 BB%, 26.8 K% | 37 XBH, 15 HR, 28 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Trevor Story

Prime Skills: Power, speed, plate skills the only thing this kid is missing right now is the hit tool. He’s young enough that he can develop the hit tool on his rise up the minors. He has quick hands and changed his stance from a slight crouch to be more upright since last year, but those Ks need to go down for him to reach his potential as a 20/20 type with a good walk rate.

Ranking Explanation: Williams has had basically the opposite type season of De Vries and Walcott with a terrible .220/.321/.390 slash since June, dragged down slightly by a .273 BABIP, but this still has translated to a 111 wRC+ over this period, because he has still managed to do some damage despite the inability to get hits.

Previous Rank: 24

 

22. 1B Xavier Isaac (Rays)

2024 A+/AA: .283/.380/.531 | 12.3 BB%, 30.1 K% (A+ ball) | 33 XBH, 15 HR, 14 SB

Age: 20

Comp: A better Vinnie Pasquantino

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Prime Skills: Sweet lefty swing and wide open stance with all fields power. Some of his best highlights are him lining high heat out of the park, how he still gets under those and hits them hard enough to get out is a pretty sight to see. A ridiculous number of his homers are no doubters; the kid is big bodied and also maintains his athleticism. He straight up rakes.

Ranking Explanation: Isaac was finally promoted to AA, but is only 6 games in thus far and it’s a small sample size to draw on. It’s fun to get a 1B who can also steel some bags, which gives him an even higher upside than most 1B prospects, even if he could get buried in a Rays organization that hates promoting prospects.

Previous Rank: 26

 

23. 2B Luke Keaschall (Twins)

2024 A+/AA: .303/.420/.483 | 12 BB% / 19.1 K% (AA ball) | 37 XBH, 15 HR, 23 SB

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Age: 21

Comp: Jordan Westburg

Prime Skills: Great bat speed with killer EVs.. the HR power should be greater and will increase as he ages. I’ve been waiting for a big week like this to put Keaschall on the list. He’s had a strong season to date and has been fairly consistent week in and week out and while the swing reminds me of Westburg, I think there’s also a bit of a Matt McLain profile, but with a more consistent hit tool.

Ranking Explanation: I wasn’t joking when I said on the Prospect One podcast that if Luke Keschall was a stock, Nancy Pelosi would be buying. He’s had a fantastic season at both levels and I’m very impressed how the power tool has progressed, as that was my biggest concern during my last rankings update. He’s a dude and the White Sox are dumb for passing on him in the Fedde trade.

NOTE: Post writing these rankings up, Keaschall has been diagnosed with a torn UCL and is getting Tommy John. Remember Jasson Dominguez just went through this and was back on the field in 9-10 months, figure a May / June return for him next year.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

24. SP Noah Schultz (White Sox)

2024 A+/AA: 65 2/3 IP | 23 K-BB%, 9.9 SwStr%, 28.9 CSW% | 1.64 ERA, 0.97 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Randy Johnson

Prime Skills: Giant lefty, he might be the tallest player in baseball history by the time he gets to the majors (currently 6′ 9″). He has had pinpoint command for someone of his size – it’s incredible to see. He gets Chris Sale and Nick Lodolo comps often because of the slider.

Ranking Explanation: Schultz has had a pretty significant downtick in his swinging strike rate from high A to AA and he’s only been pitching a few innings at a time. I’m assuming this all has something to do with trying to save his bullets for next year and less breaking stuff is being thrown right now, so I’m not overly concerned.

Previous Rank: 29

 

25. SP Chase Burns (Reds)

2024 College: 100 IP | 191 Ks, 30 BBs | 2.70 ERA, 0.92 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Hunter Greene / Dylan Cease mash up

Prime Skills: Insane fastball / slider combo that could be one of the best in baseball. He’s bigger than some of the other guys with this type of fastball / slider combo like Jones and Strider and could also just be a better version of Jared Jones.

Ranking Explanation: Burns could be better than Schultz, but since we have seen Shultz against professional hitters and we have not yet seen Burns against similar competition I’m giving Schultz the slight edge for now.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

26. SP Tink Hence (Cardinals)

2024 AA: 62 2/3 IP | 26 K-BB%, 16.1 SwStr%, 31.2 CSW% | 3.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: September 2024 (cup of coffee)

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Dylan Cease

Prime Skills: Tink has some serious ride on his fastball (but not Espino ride) that averages in the mid 90s – guys swing under it a lot. The curve is pretty sick and to counter the riding fastball, guys swing over it a lot. He has to work on the consistency of his third and fourth pitches to achieve his top of the rotation potential.

Ranking Explanation: The big question about Tink has always been durability, but he’s proving this year he can consistently go more than 6 innings in starts and despite the smaller stature for a starter at 6′ 1″, he can build up and maintain his electric stuff deeper into games. He has not only proven durable, but he’s showing increased dominance with the fastball this season hitting some upper 90s velos as well. He did have an injury earlier this year and the Cardinals have been slow playing him ever since, but are they being cautious to bring him up this year or next year?

Pre-Season Rank: 31

 

27. OF Lazaro Montes (Mariners)

2024 A/A+: .284/.384/.456 | 34 XBH, 15 HR, 3 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Lefty Paul Goldschmidt in the OF

Prime Skills: Big strong kid with a great hit tool, Montes has some insane lefty power and good plate skills. He’s also really improved his body from 2023 to 2024, which has likely helped him cut down the K rate, while also shrinking the gap between BABIP and his batting average. I can’t wait to get some additional statcast numbers on him.

Ranking Explanation: Montes killed it in low A and has since moved up to high A and stagnated. Montes reminded me a little of a more athletic Yanquiel Fernandez when I first watched him and now he’s running into similar bumps in the road in his development.

Previous Rank: 28

 

28. 1B Jac Caglione (Royals)

2024 College: .419/.544/.875 | 43 XBH, 35 HR, 4 SB

2024 A+: .182/.308/.273 | 15.4 B%, 23.1 K% | 1 XBH, 0 HR, 0 SB (3 games)

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Matt Olson

Prime Skills: Massive power potential, so much so that he only hit 8 doubles in college. Cags could get some reps pitching, but it’s highly doubtful unless they try him as a RP / 1B perhaps.

Ranking Explanation: The dude is going to hit tanks, but the big question is whether or not he can make enough contact to be a Matt Olson rather than a Joey Gallo type. He had similar home / road splits as Charlie Condon

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

29. SS Felnin Celesten (Mariners)

2024 Cpx: .342/.431/.568 | 12.5 BB%, 19.4 K% | 17 XBH, 3 HR, 5 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Switch hitting Gunnar Henderson with a little Juan Soto in the mechanics

Prime Skills: Celesten is a good sized switch hitting, athletic shortstop who was seen coming into complex as one of the top players and has only performed even higher than expected. I’m especially impressed with the plate skills of such a raw talent.

Ranking Explanation: I’m a big Felnin fan as the big switch hitting SS prospect had a broken hamate bone just as he was about to hit A ball and is likely out for the season. While hamate breaks are power sapping, the power usually returns the next season. Between Felnin and Farmelo the Mariners have had some rough prospect injury luck this year.

Previous Rank: 46

 

30. SS / 3B Brayden Taylor (Rays)

2024 A+/AA: .252/.371/.483 | 15.9 BB%, 24.8 K% (A+ ball) | 45 XBH, 14 HR, 26 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Brandon Lowe with speed

Prime Skills: He has solid MI power and will likely end up over at 2B considering Caminero and Carson Williams will likely hold down 3B and SS for the rest of the decade. He has a similar skillset to Brandon Lowe as a lefty bat and will probably fill right in as soon as Lowe becomes a free agent.

Ranking Explanation: I was the big Taylor guy at the beginning of the season, but I admittedly dinged him too much last prospect ranking update because of the Rays not promoting him and slow rolling guys. The talent here is too strong even to suppress the Rays. He’s had a rough first week at AA, but he will catch on and was just killing high A, there was no point for him to be there anymore. Felnin is younger and has top 10 prospect potential whereas Taylor in my opinion will get kind of capped in the Matt Shaw 10-20 prospect range as a similar player to Shaw with a worse hit tool, but similar everywhere else.

Previous Rank: 98

 

31. 2B / SS Colt Emerson (Mariners)

2024 A: .293/.440/.427 | 18.1 BB%, 14 K% | 15 XBH, 2 HR, 6 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Bigger Brendan Donovan w/ more natural talent and athleticism

Prime Skills: Great hit tool for his age and plate skills for a big lefty who is still developing and has some solid wheels. He was playing A ball as a 17-year-old and is skinny with a ton of room to build on his frame for power as he moves up levels.

Ranking Explanation: This kid is going to move fast, because he takes professional ABs for his age. He should grow into some more power with a big body, but we haven’t seen the power translate yet. He was promoted to high A recently and it will be interesting to see how the Mariners navigate all of these middle infield prospects like Emerson, Celestin, Young and Arroyo.

Previous Rank: 35

 

32. SP Noble Meyer (Marlins)

2023 Rk/A: 11 IP | 15 Ks, 7 BBs | 4.09 ERA, 1.63 WHIP

2024 A/A+: 57 IP | 14.2 K-BB%, 12 SwStr%, 27 CSW% | 2.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP (A ball)

Age: 19

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Logan Gilbert

Prime Skills: Big fastball can hit 100 MPH as a high schooler. Seeing him live, the dude has at least five pitches. He runs in the 95-97 MPH zone on the fastball with excellent control, plus rocks a 94 MPH sinker (I think), 91 MPH sweeper, 85-86 MPH slider and a sick 82-84 MPH change up. The fastball, changeup and slider all netted some killer swinging strikes, while the sweeper looked like a frisbee with the movement it had.

Ranking Explanation: This ranking could be proximity bias since I saw him pitch live and absolutely dominate, but he looks like a future ace (even though he has a baby face). The command and stuff combo at this age is just ridiculous as I saw him completely dismantle a good Yankees A ball team for 11 Ks in 5 innings. The stuff I saw was so good, I’m ignoring the high A stats and poor command overall. Tink gets the edge in the pitching rankings for me since he’s closer and has been more consistent. Meyer has the higher ceiling overall, but I don’t think it’s that much higher than a healthy Tink Hence that the proximity and production of Tink doesn’t matter.

Previous Rank: 41

 

33. 1B Nick Kurtz (Athletics)

2024 College: .306/.531/.763 | 34 XBH, 22 HR, 4 SB

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Joey Votto

Prime Skills: Big time plate skills with above average power and a very solid hit tool. Think Kyle Manzardo with more power and a higher ceiling on the hit tool.

Ranking Explanation: Kurtz is getting an Athletics bump for me surprisingly, because if you haven’t noticed they have been right on the dot with developing the players they drafted over the last few years. He hasn’t debuted yet in the minors, but I trust the hit tool and plate skills to lead to more consistent power against the next guy on the list, Spencer Jones.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

34. OF Spencer Jones (Yankees)

2024 AA: .246/.332/.425 | 11 BB%, 36.3 K% | 35 XBH, 13 HR, 21 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Shohei Ohtani Super Light (just the hitter)

Prime Skills: He’s huge at 6′ 6″ and has ridiculous power potential with decent speed to boot. Everyone wants to comp him to Judge since they are both Yankees, but I think Ohtani makes more sense, even the stance is more like Ohtani. He has a ton of sneaky speed to go along with the huge power potential, but the swing has some holes in it.

Ranking Explanation: There is no age-to-level advantage here with Jones, however he is getting exposed due to way too long of a swing. We will need to remember Judge didn’t debut until he was 24-years-old and didn’t stick until he was 25, so let’s give Jones a little room to figure it out before burying him like we did with Judge pre-breakout based on the super high strikeout rate.

Previous Rank: 32

 

35. OF Josue De Paula (Dodgers)

2024 A/A+: .250/.381/.393 | 21 BB%, 18.5 K% (A+ ball) | 24 XBH, 8 HR, 18 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Lefty Jordan Walker

Prime Skills: Big kid has a body that power can grow into with a solid hit tool, great plate skills and none zero speed. The plate skills have continued to grow even at high A, while a .236 BABIP has been dragging those high A level numbers down. The power should develop further as he grows into his big 6′ 3″ frame.

Ranking Explanation: Spencer Jones and de Paula have similar peak potentials with de Paula a couple years behind him, but Spencer Jones has the higher power potential against de Paula, while de Paula has the better overall plate skills. These two are close, but Jones gets the nudge due to his proximity while de Paula could get buried in a deep system as we have seen with the Dodgers in the past.

Previous Rank: 45

 

36. SP Quinn Mathews (Cardinals)

2024 A/A+/AA: 107 IP | 29.3 K-BB%, 17 SwStr%, 35.4 CSW% (A+ ball) | 2.52 ERA, 0.90 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Cole Ragans light

Prime Skills: Matthews is a big college lefty with a ridiculous fastball / slider combo with a big fastball sitting between 95-97 MPH with some elite rise to it and the slider is a swing and miss machine paired with that fastball. He has elite command of these pitches and has shown himself in college to be a workhorse. He also has a curve and a 60/65 grade change up he didn’t even need when I saw him in A ball.

Ranking Explanation: Mathews will likely spend the rest of the season in AA and be ready for an early season call up in 2025. Despite being older, I believe Tink Hence is higher on the depth chart for the Cardinals at the moment and obviously Michael McGreevy is the next guy up for them right now. I’ve seen both Mathews and Noble Meyer (the pitcher just in front of him pitch) and was blown away by them both, but think Noble Meyer is likely to be the better long-term starter with an ace profile while I think Mathews might be more of a #2 or high end #3 starter.

Previous Rank: 88

 

37. C Agustin Ramirez (Marlins)

2024 AA/AAA: .272/.364/.503 | 11.2 BB%, 18.4 K% | 42 XBH, 21 HR, 19 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: 90 fContact, 104 fDiscipline, 108 fPower, 126 fSpeed

Comp: Gary Sanchez with speed

Prime Skills: Big time power swing with some sneaky speed, but a questionable hit tool. He’s posted EVs up to 111 in Miami with increased average velos in the low 90s. He hit a bump in AAA with the Yankees, but has been rolling in AAA with the Marlins and should be up early next year if not for a cup of coffee this season.

Ranking Explanation: Ramirez was traded to the Marlins in the Jazz trade, so this one is going to be fun to follow on both sides. The power stroke looks real with quick hands, but the question is if he can shorten it against major league pitching. He has actually posted better numbers this year than Spencer Jones and was looking to possibly pass him before the trade, but unless Ramirez ends up getting reps at DH too he will lose ABs as a catcher. ‘

Previous Rank: 121

 

38. C Kyle Teel (Red Sox)

2024 AA: .294/.387/.456 | 12.7 BB%, 23.1 K% | 30 XBH, 11 HR, 9 SB

Age: 22

TBD: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Buster Posey

Prime Skills: He’s an athletic catcher with a big hit tool. He gets some comps to J.T. Realmuto, but I think he is more of a high average hitter who will get on base than the primarily power / speed threat of Realmuto.

Ranking Explanation: He’s an across the board very solid hitter who should maintain primary catcher duties and is a good enough hitter he should find the lineup even when he’s not catching. Teel will definitely run better batting averages than Ramirez, but Agustin Ramirez gets the edge due to the potential power production. There may be years Teel has more bombs or steals than Ramirez because he will be in a better park and have a better lineup, but both of these guys are locked in to be productive fantasy catchers for a long time.

Previous Rank: 54

 

39. SP Zebby Matthews (Twins)

2024 A+/AA/AAA: 97 IP | 27.3 K-BB%, 13.8 SwStr%, 31.4 CSW% (AA ball) | 2.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: 106 fStuff, 159 fControl, 119 fERA

Comp: Zach Eflin w/ less pitches

Prime Skills: He’s a big righty at 6’5 225 lbs out of Western Carolina. His curve is his best weapon, though he has a decent heater that plays better up in the zone. The control is his best attribute as the dude has only walked one hitter on the entire season.

Ranking Explanation: Matthews is a pop-up prospect as a former 8th rounder and has really shined as he’s only walked 22 guys over the past two seasons to date (more than 200 IPs). The control Zebby has is elite, which means he is likely to step right into success as a starter in the majors, but the stuff is only above average so he will likely max out as a #3 type starter or low end #2, which is why I have Quinn Mathews ranked higher – the stuff is better.

Previous Rank: 93

 

40. SP Caden Dana (Angels)

2024 AA: 118 IP | 20 K-BB%, 12.4 SwStr%, 29.6 CSW% | 2.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Young Noah Syndergaard

Prime Skills: Dana looks like old school Thor on the mound with his Viking hair, 94-95 MPH fastball and power slider. The curve is only average, but he has a pretty nifty two seamer to pair against the four seamer with some nice ride.

Ranking Explanation: The Angels are always a team to promote players quickly, but Dana’s swinging strike rate reminds me of AJ Smith-Shawver last year and that he might not be ready yet. He’s young for the level, therefore should get an appropriate bump even though the K rate isn’t elite at AA compared to what he was doing in A ball. Dana has the age advantage to Zebby Mattews and Quinn Mathews, but Quinn has better stuff, while Zebby has better control. Dana is built up for a strong work load in 2025 and has been striking more guys out the longer he has been in AA with a 23% K-BB rate since June 1st.

Previous Rank: 74

 

41. OF Jaison Chourio (Guardians)

2024 A: .278/.409/.415 | 18.5 BB%, 15.7 K% | 30 XBH, 5 HR, 43 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Jackson Chourio mechanics, TJ Friedl outcome

Prime Skills: He’s a switch hitting version of his brother with fantastic plate skills, a better hit tool, but less power potential (with more speed). He’s only one year younger than his brother, but the Guardians are infamous for slowly moving their hitters, so it’s unlikely we see him debut in a year like his brother since he’s only in A ball.

Ranking Explanation: Chourio should be a quick mover like his brother, but he hasn’t been as the Guardians are often a bit slower when it comes to moving prospects up the organization as we have seen with Kyle Manzardo and Chase DeLauter this season. He needs to be up in high A, but gets a little dinged by his own organization here in my rankings. We don’t have any EVs on him yet, but 30 XBH portends possibly to him being a 15 homer guy or so, he has top 25 prospect upside.

Previous Rank: 52

 

42. SP Hagen Smith (White Sox)

2024 College: 84 IP | 161 Ks, 34 BBs | 2.04 ERA, 0.89 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Yusei Kikuchi w/ some Chris Sale-esk arm action on the slider

Prime Skills: Big strong lefty with a quick 3/4 -esk arm action that almost just snaps his fastball and slider straight in there at high 90s velocity. He’s working on a changeup / splitter pitch as well to throw against his primarily fastball and slider combo.

Ranking Explanation: The White Sox have a large arsenal of starters in the AA level right now all slated for 2025-ish debuts. Smith should jump right into the mix and could be a quick riser in the organization. Smith has better stuff than Dana, but Dana has such a strong track record and is young for the AA level – so I’m giving him the edge over Smith who has had TJ in the past and has yet to perform in the minors.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

43. 2B/OF Kristian Campbell (Red Sox)

2024 A+/AA: .346/.453/.569 | 14.2 BB% / 14.7 K% (AA ball) | 44 XBH, 14 HR, 20 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Bigger Gleyber Torres

Prime Skills: Big righty picked in the fourth round out of Georgia Tech last year with a killer hit tool to pair with a 20/20-like profile. He has a big frame with a pretty sweet swing and has shown more power than the scouting grades have given him, especially from the pull side and has not really shown off his 60 grade speed on the base paths yet.

Ranking Explanation: Campbell is a guy I had to move up my rankings about twenty spots or so based on the results of the P1 ADP draft. I thought I would be the high guy on Campbell going into the draft and I missed him in both drafts I took part in, thus Campbell moved up to where he deserves to be rather than where I thought I could justify ranking him and still get him. Chourio has higher potential than Campbell thus I slot him just ahead, even though Campbell has a proximity bonus and should be up relatively quickly in 2025.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

44. SP Bubba Chandler (Pirates)

2024 AA/AAA: 87 1/3 IP | 21.2 K-BB%, 13 SwStr%, 29 CSW% | 3.70 ERA, 1.01 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Luis Gil with a Zach Wheeler slider

Prime Skills: Big fastball and slider guy, known as a dual sport athlete who is not finally focusing on baseball rather than football. A lot of upside here as he has never been focused only on baseball until a couple years ago; he had committed to Clemson to play QB. He throws 97-99 MPH with a 12/6 killer vertical slider and a sick change up with nice fade that tunnels well and against his other two pitches.

Ranking Explanation: Chandler started coming into his own starting around June where he has an improved 26.8 K-BB% since June 1st and a 2.30 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, which has really bumped him way up my rankings while before he was just on my radar as a stuff guy without performance. Hagen Smith gets the slight edge to Chandler for me primarily because he has that sick lefty slider and I want to see how Chandler’s control adapts as he hits AAA and has to deal with the ABS.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

45. 1B Bryce Eldridge (Giants)

2024 A/A+: .280/.365/.478 | 17.4 BB%, 25.4 K% (A+ ball) | 35 XBH, 13 HR, 4 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Taller Matt Olson with more gaps in the hit tool to work on

Prime Skills: Big time power potential at a huge 6′ 7″ 223 lb., but he needs to close the gaps in his swing in order to avoid being over exposed to strikeouts. He’s done a much better job at showing a good eye for walks at high A, but the K rate and swinging strike issues are still existent

Ranking Explanation: Eldrige has big time power potential and the athleticism to rack up doubles in the event San Francisco bay winds hold back the power ala Brandon Belt. Campbell gets the edge to Eldridge in my rankings due to the superior hit tool and proximity boost of him being a year or year and a half closer to the majors, plus a stadium and lineup bonus, though Eldridge is a possible 30 homer guy while Campbell is not, but I’ll take 20/20 most of the time over 30/5.

Previous Rank: 107

 

46. SP David Festa (Twins)

2024 AAA: 60 1/3 IP | 24.7 K-BB%, 16.4 SwStr%, 33.6 CSW% | 3.14 ERA, 1.36 WHIP

2024 MLB: 24 1/3 IP | 23.1 K-BB%, 12.6 SwStr%, 29.6 CSW% | 5.55 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: In majors

fScores: 115 fStuff, 98 fControl, 108 fERA

Comp: George Kirby without a curve and worse control

Prime Skills: Festa rocks a mid-90s fastball, a plus slider and above average changeup with way above average control, which will help him cement a starter’s role in the majors in the near future.

Ranking Explanation: I’ve been a team Festa guy here for a while and he’s been even better this season. The walk issues have actually improved going from AAA to the majors, likely because of the ABS in AAA. Festa has a 3.22 SIERA to date against his 5.55 ERA in the majors, so he’s performing much better than it looks on the back of the baseball card. Chandler gets the edge to Festa because I think the stuff is ultimately better, but it’s only a slight edge as I think they both have #2/#3 upside.

Previous Rank: 63

 

47. SP Chase Dollander (Rockies)

2024 A+/AA: 89 1/3 IP | 27.7 K-BB%, 18.4 SwStr%, 31.4 CSW% (A+ ball) | 2.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Zach Wheeler light in Coors

Prime Skills: Big time fastball with a slider and curve. The major questions are if he can correct back to his 2022 levels and if he can figure out how to pitch in Colorado. The fastball sits in the high 90s, while the curve has been a deadly tunnel pitch with guys swinging right over the top of it.

Ranking Explanation: Pitching in Colorado is a killer chore, however with his stuff he has the potential to be their best starter since Jon Gray. Dollander is finally in AA and I think the worst case scenario for him is he will hover around a 3.50 – 4.50 ERA due to Coors, but rack up a ton of strikeouts ala Diamondbacks Robbie Ray. Dollander has better stuff than Festa and would be ranked higher if he were out of Coors, but he’s likely stuck there for a while so it is what it is.

Previous Rank: 69

 

48. OF Colby Thomas (Athletics)

2024 AA/AAA: .284/.347/.570 | 7.1 BB%, 26.4 K% (AAA ball) | 62 XBH, 24 HR, 14 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: 98 fContact, 62 fDiscipline, 113 fPower, 113 fSpeed

Comp: Taylor Ward and Matt McLain mash

Prime Skills: Thomas has all fields power and does a great job of shooting the ball through the gaps and has an over 35% line drive rate this year. He has an open stance with hands up, loaded pre-pitch. He’s an extra base hit machine and may run into some strikeout issues with a below average hit tool, but he’s aggressive in the zone and runs an optimal batted ball profile with a killer sweet spot percentage which will keep the average up ala McLain.

Ranking Explanation: Thomas had a strong season last year, but needed to cut down on the K rate to maximize his skills – he’s done that and he’s lifting the ball a lot more this year and looks like a potential stud. He’s also showing off the pull power this year after putting up a near 25/25 season in 2023. I love this dude and the Athletics have aggressively moved him to AAA and he just keeps producing.

Previous Rank: 75

 

49. SP Rhett Lowder (Reds)

2024 A+/AA: 95 2/3 IP | 17.3 K-BB%, 11.6 SwStr%, 30.1 CSW% | 4.05 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Logan Webb

Prime Skills: He has three above average pitches and is known for his pin-point control. His change up and 2-seamer are both nasty. He’s a smart pitcher and knows how to mix well, but the question is how much GASP will hurt him. He should be striking out more guys than he has based on his swinging strike and CSW ratings and it should carry forward into more Ks.

Ranking Explanation: Lowder has been battling a .338 BABIP in AA, which might just be a sign of things to come in Cincy, but his 3.07 xFIP at AA appears more in line than his 4.61 ERA at the level. I like Dollander’s stuff more than Lowder enoughso that I’m giving him the bump to Lowder even despite having to fight Coors. Honestly, Great American Ballpark isn’t really any more pitcher friendly.

Previous Rank: 56

 

50. 2B Christian Moore (Angels)

2024 College: .375/.451/.797 | 55 XBH, 34 HR, 5 SB

2024 A/AA: .542/.579/1.114 | 7.7 BB%, 19.2 K% (AA ball) | 8 XBH, 6 HR, 0 SB (8 games)

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Stronger Alex Bregman at second

Prime Skills: Moore is a big secondbasemen with a sweet righty swing through the zone with some easy power for a middle infielder. Killer middle infield power with a great field of hit and very good place skills.

Ranking Explanation: Moore has been absolutely killing it so far post-draft, picking up right where he left off in college. The dude is a winner, a game and has a lovely swing. There is a lot of wind behind his sales right now, but he deserves to be Top 50 with this start.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

51. 3B Brady House (Nationals)

2024 AA/AAA: .240/.305/.412 | 7.8 BB%, 24.5 K% (AA ball) | 30 XBH, 15 HR, 5 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A (need more AAA data)

Comp: Austin Riley / Alec Bohm mash

Prime Skills: Big frame with room to grow at 6′ 4″ and has completely moved off SS to 3B this season. He has shown a ton of improvement in the plate skills in 2023 and has a ton of power potential that has yet to play out. He is pretty good at going the other way. He reminds me a ton of Austin Riley coming up where everyone liked him, then nobody liked him, then everyone liked him again. The EVs this year have been a tad disappointing though.

Ranking Explanation: House was one of the bigger fallers in my updated rankings as the power has not progressed the way I had thought it would this season and he has really struggled at AAA, where I thought he would benefit from a better stadium than in AA. I’m not ready to drop him out of the Top 50 yet, but if he continues to trend this way the rest of the season, he might find myself outside of the Top 50 in my offseason rankings. House is the start of a tier / grouping of less exciting proximity guys that spans from 50 – 59.

Previous Rank: 14

 

52. SS Aidan Miller (Phillies)

2024 A/A+: .242/.359/.411 | 11.9 BB%, 24.9 K% (A+ ball) | 33 XBH, 7 HR, 18 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA data)

Comp: Royce Lewis w/ a worse hit tool

Prime Skills: This dude is an athlete, I had a live look on him and he’s really just a super athlete and a gamer. A lot of people thought he would move off SS to 3B, but he looks super smooth and athletic and he should stay at SS as long as he can. Miller has a great eye at the plate with only a 19.5% chase rate at A ball and has great EVs for his age at an average of 87.5 and max over 108. The hit tool is only average and needs the most work, but he gets an ideal launch angle and is adept at barreling when he does make contact.

Ranking Explanation: He does have a decently high floor as a further away prospect and seeing him in person, I know he’s a gamer. I saw him strike out three times, then come back to hit a 2 RBI double and score on a wild pitch – he’s in it even on the bad days, which he has had a lot of since moving up to high A. I wasn’t ready to knock him down in my rankings based on his high A struggles, but I would like to see some progress at this level before bumping him into the Top 50, because he’s either popping out or striking out too much right now.

Previous Rank: 57

 

53. 1B Kyle Manzardo (Guardians)

2024 AAA: .272/.401/.557 | 16.7 BB%, 17.3 K% | 34 XBH, 16 HR, 2 SB

2024 MLB: .207/.247/.329 | 3.4 BB%, 26.4 K% | 10 XBH, 0 HR, 0 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Debuted

fScores: 97 fContact, 115 fDiscipline, 114 fPower, 64 fSpeed

Comp: Joey Votto

Prime Skills: Manzardo is a professional hitter with great contact skills and super star level plate discipline skills already. He also has easy 25 homer power and should produce more power as he adapts to the level, for now he could be a 40 doubles guys with 20 bombs.

Ranking Explanation: Manzardo has been great in AAA and even demonstrated big time doubles power in the majors in his short stint, pacing for like 60 doubles. He only had a small sample size in the majors and I think he’s closer to the AAA version of him than the major league version, but between the Guardians and the Rays – every team has had a tough time trying to corner him in as a 1B eligible only player. Aidan Miller has a higher ceiling, so he gets the edge.

Previous Rank: 34

 

54. SS Cole Young (Mariners)

2024 AA: .259/.353/.390 | 11.5 BB%, 15.3 K% | 30 XBH, 8 HR, 18 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA data)

Comp: Zach Neto

Prime Skills: Young has a top of the line hit tool to go along with great plate skills, especially for a player his age and as a 20-year-old. The speed is good, but not great. He has quick hands and is starting to hit the ball in the air more as he moves up each level. He’s going to be a winner in points leagues.

Ranking Explanation: I like Young as a real life player better than for most fantasy leagues, but unless he can reach back for more power he’s just going to be a filler for most leagues unless you are in a points league. Manzardo has the edge to Young as he has significantly more power upside and even considering them both for points, my preference is Manzardo.

Previous Rank: 40

 

55. C Harry Ford (Mariners)

2024 AA: .238/.362/.353 | 13.7 BB%, 21.6 K% | 25 XBH, 5 HR, 23 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA data)

Comp: J.T. Realmuto light (less power, better discipline)

Prime Skills: Ford has power, speed, plate discipline and great contact skills – he’s the real deal. I think he’s a better version of Bo Naylor, but a couple years behind in development. He may also move off the position ala MJ Melendez and be an OF and backup catcher, because Big Bopper will be blocking him at the position and he’s been DH-ing about 33% of his games.

Ranking Explanation: Ford got off to a ridiculous start this year and I thought he was going to carry that forward into a promotion to the bigs, but he has stagnated a bit into more of a Bo Naylor type than a JT Realmuto type and has not hit a homer since my last prospect update in May. Young gets the edge to Ford by being a bit younger while also demonstrating a better hit tool, but the ability is there for a breakout and I’m not ready to drop him out of the Top 75 range.

Previous Rank: 13

 

56. SP Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers)

2024 AA: 82 2/3 IP | 15.9 K-BB%, 13.9 SwStr%, 30.2 CSW% (AA ball) | 3.59 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

Age: 23

Comp: Tyler Glasnow

ETA: September, 2024

fScores: 115 fStuff, 88 fControl, 111 fERA

Prime Skills: Killer fastball, he throws it 101 and it’s at an odd arm angle, so it’s difficult to pick up. He’s had some control issues, especially in his short stint at AA, but if he can harness the control he could be an elite starter – otherwise he will be a back of the bullpen beast.

Ranking Explanation: The control issues limit the upside a bit compared to the upside of his stuff, but he has a range of outcomes that goes from ace to top setup guy. I trust he will find success in one role or another. Remember Glasnow had the same concerns with Pittsburgh due to his size and has had control and durability issues at different times throughout his career Misiorowski had gone on a nice stretch with limited walks and I thought he had a breakthrough, but he has reverted back to bad control his last few starts. I’m sure the AAA ABS is not helping.

Previous Rank: 49

 

57. SP Cade Horton (Cubs)

2024 AA/AAA: 34 1/3 IP | 13.6 K-BB%, 14.5 SwStr%, 30.5 CSW% (AAA ball) | 4.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: 120 fStuff, 106 fControl, 113 fERA

Comp: Hunter Brown with control and a third pitch

Prime Skills: Dude looks like a righty Jon Lester throwing 98 MPH darts and has a nasty curve. He has shown insane command with three plus pitches between the fastball, slider and curve and should be moving pretty quickly next season due to his well above average command. The CSW

Ranking Explanation: Horton was a multi-sport guy until recently and now that his full focus is on baseball, he’s showing he can be even better than advertised. The transition from AA to AAA has been a little rough and he’s been hurt with his last start coming in May. Misiorowski gets the edge right now due partially because he’s healthy, but also because the stuff is better and Horton has also had control issues at AAA (though not to the extent as Misiorowski)

Previous Rank: 22

 

58. 1B Deyvison De Los Santos (Marlins)

2024 AA/AAA: .318/.375/.623 | 5.2 BB%, 22.9 K% | 53 XBH, 32 HR, 1 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Sept. 2024

fScores: 104 fContact, 62 fDiscipline, 122 fPower, 66 fSpeed

Comp: Cristian Encarnacion-Strand

Prime Skills: Big time power potential with an improved contact rate and decrease in strikeouts this season. De Los Santos has rocked a 116 max EV this year (better than Mayo) and has about a 92 average EV in AAA this season.

Ranking Explanation: De Los Santos continues to crush, now with the Marlins. The question is going to be if he can keep the K rate down enough to be an effective major league hitter. The chase rate is still high at 42.8% at AAA with only average contactability. Harry Ford gets the edge to Deyvison as I prefer the potential power / speed at catcher to the potential volatile power profile of De Los Santos.

Previous Rank: 120

 

59. OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians)

2024 AA: .217/.292/.337 | 10.4 BB%, 15.1 K% | 8 XBH, 3 HR, 1 SB (25 games)

Age: 22

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores (May): 98 fContact, 111 fDiscipline, 101 fPower, 80 fSpeed

Comp: Josh Lowe and lefty Matt Holliday mash

Prime Skills: He’s shown a really strong hit tool and has some unrealized power in his small sample size at the minor league level. The pull power from his college days is tantalizing. Coming off injury, we just need to see some health from this doubles machine.

Ranking Explanation: DeLauter just can’t stay healthy and that’s tanked his prospect profile a bit for me. He had a big spring, looked like he was going to make the big league team and has just been hurt all season for the second consecutive year.

Previous Rank: 44

 

60. 2B James Triantos (Cubs)

2024 AA/AAA: .294/.339/.423 | 5.1 BB%, 9.7 K% (AA ball) | 30 XBH, 7 HR, 38 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need more AAA data)

Comp: Luis Rengifo

Prime Skills: Good hit tool with a solid set of wheels and some developing pull power from the right side. He’s a bigger kid who projects for more power than he’s shown at this point in his minor league career.

Ranking Explanation: There’s a chance to get to a little more power, but the key to Triantos’ value is in points leagues where he’s going to rack up a ton of hits and get additional points for steals. Triantos has had a good year and I gave him a nice bump in the rankings, because if he’s going to supply this much speed he’s going to be useful in most league types.

Previous Rank: 109

 

61. SP Logan Henderson (Brewers)

2024 CPX/A+/AA/AAA: 61 2/3 IP | 28.7 K-BB%, 15.2 SwStr%, 32 CSW% | 2.77 ERA, 0.84 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA data)

Comp: Spencer Strider-light (dude has some quads) and really ramps up

Prime Skills: Henderson is of slight build (5′ 11″) and has jumped up a couple levels already this season after destroying at low A most of last season. He has excellent command and a nice fastball / changeup combo. The fastball runs 94-96 MPH and the change up is one of the better change ups in the minors.

Ranking Explanation: Henderson zoomed up my rankings, just like he has zoomed up from A ball last year all the way into AAA. He has excellent command and also some big time strikeout stuff, especially on the fastball / changeup combo. I love the stuff, but we have seen a lot of struggles from the fastball / changeup / command guys lately (ie: Mazur, Thorpe, etc.) and while I think Henderson might have a better fastball than those guys, it’s worth playing him a little safe against someone like Horton who has a better pedigree.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

62. 2B / SS Jett Williams (Mets)

2023 A/A+/AA: .263/.425/.451 | 43 XBH, 13 HR, 45 SB

2024 AA: .179/.360/.308 | 16 BB%, 10 K% | 4 XBH, 0 HR, 2 SB (11 games)

Age: 20

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jose Altuve light (think Nico Hoerner stats)

Prime Skills: Plate skills and speed, the contact tool is still developing, but should ultimately be a good tool for Williams, however quality contact is lacking right now. He has non-zero power and because he has a quick swing can get to a surprising number of extra base hits.

Ranking Explanation: Williams was bumped up to AA at the end of the year as a teenager, so you know the Mets are high on him. The hit tool needs to catch up to the other tools, but Jett projects as a future 20/30 or 20/40 type with an insanely good plate approach. Take the stats this year with a grain of salt, because Williams is out with a wrist injury and had a .206 BABIP in a small sample size. He was still rocking a 105 wRC+ 2-3 years below the proper age-to-level pre-injury and has yet to return.

Previous Rank: 50

 

63. SS Franklin Arias (Red Sox)

2024 Cpx/A: .307/.421/.514 | 16.5 BB%, 17.5 K% (CPX ball) | 27 XBH, 8 HR, 30 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Righty Lindor w/ some

Prime Skills: Good plate skills with above average power, really quick bat speed and hands and great speed. He could be a five tool guy as long as he can continue to develop the hit tool and hit the ball in the air like he did at complex this year.

Ranking Explanation: Arias is a big time gainer in my rankings and I almost want to jump him up into the top 50, but Jett Williams is still ahead of him in development even with the lost seasons and he doesn’t have the same natural tools and build as a guy I compared him with on P1, Felnin Celestin.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

64. OF Justin Crawford (Phillies)

2024 A+/AA: .306/.353/.440 | 5.5 BB%, 17.8 K% (AA ball) | 30 XBH, 7 HR, 34 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Carl Crawford w/ less power

Prime Skills: Speed, lightning speed like his dad. The hit tool is developing and the plate skills are improving and now we are getting 10-15 homer power to go along with the rest of the tools.

Ranking Explanation: Last update I mentioned I wanted to see more power from Crawford before moving him up and this year he has seven bombs against the three he hit all of last year. He’s already in AA at only 20-years-old now and is hitting .328 there through sixteen games, showing he is holding his own at the next level. Arias has a bit more power in the bat and has a better eye than Crawford, so he gets the edge despite losing in the proximity battle between the two.

Previous Rank: 112

 

65. SS Jacob Wilson (Athletics)

2024 AA/AAA: .438/.475/.687 | 7.8 BB%, 3.3 K% (AAA ball) | 32 XBH, 7 HR, 2 SB

Age: 22

ETA: In MLB

fScores: N/A

Comp: Nico Hoerner with a little bit of power, rather than speed

Prime Skills: Wilson was a first rounder last year and has gotten the bump to AAA after decimating AA pitchers. He’s been a doubles machine, it almost looks like he’s been at batting practice since the draft because he’s been generating so many hits. I thought the pick was a reach when the Athletics drafted him, but he’s moving quickly and is hitting at every level.

Ranking Explanation: Wilson has the best hit tool of any prospect with an insane 97.4% contact rate and 98.9% Z-contact rate. Crawford gets the edge thanks to the insane speed skills he brings to the table, but if you need batting average or are in points leagues, don’t sleep on Jacob Wilson.

Pre-Season Rank: 117

 

66. SP Brandon Sproat (Mets):

2024 AAA Stats: 47 2/3 IP | 25.3 K-BB%, 12.2 SwStr%, 31.5 CSW% | 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Pablo Lopez

Prime Skills: Sproat is an athletic righty who has a quick action in his delivery and hits 97-99 MPH on his fastball regularly, which is his best pitch, but he pairs it against a nasty cutter that can get nasty at 94-96 MPH, an average-ish change up and a slider with some nice run against righties. He pounds the fastball in the zone against lefties, while running slider and cutter against righties with the improved command at AA really carrying him there.

Ranking Explanation: Henderson gets the nod to Sproat for me, because of the better command and the better slider. Sproat runs pretty fastball heavy and then uses his other pitches more to just mix it up, while Henderson is very slider heavy with a really good slider instead of just slightly above average secondaries.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

67. 1B/2B Tyler Black (Brewers)

2024 AAA: .276/.389/.448 | 12.8 BB%, 16.6 K% | 27 XBH, 11 HR, 16 SB

2024 MLB: .235/.316/.294 | 10.5 BB%, 31.6 K% | 2 XBH, 0 HR, 3 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Debuted

fScores (May): 100 fContact, 128 fDiscipline, 81 fPower, 147 fSpeed

Comp: Faster Ben Zobrist

Prime Skills: He has ridiculously good plate skills to go along with high end speed, a very good hit tool and above average power. Under the radar guy who will kill it at 2B as soon as next season. The contact rates are much improved from last season, which could result in more of a doubles profile moving forward.

Ranking Explanation: Black has been good this year, but the fact he is bad defensively is likely to limit him to being a super utility guy, DH or 1B – for which he doesn’t have enough power. If he could play a solid second base for the Brewers, he would be higher on my list, but Wilson will get way more playing time and be the ultimately better points league get even with Black’s speed because of the defensive concerns here.

Previous Rank: 25

 

68. SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox)

2024 AAA Stats: .207/.328/.380 | 12.6 BB%, 28.6 K% | 31 XBH, 13 HR, 7 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores (May): 92 fContact, 137 fDiscipline, 94 fPower, 84 fSpeed

Comp: Lefty Carlos Correa

Prime Skills: Montgomery has fantastic plate discipline, which by now you know I love as a projecting skill toward future fantasy baseball stardom. He should grow into significantly more power as he builds muscle onto his 6-4 frame and even though he’s not slow, I doubt we see steals from him in the future. He has some big time power potential, but he pulls the ball too much for a lefty that seems to see him hit into the shift too much to be a good batting average guy.

Ranking Explanation: Montgomery has seen his K-rate tick up this season, despite having a good chase rate and swinging strike rate which means he may be fouling too many balls off and getting caught looking. This is an adjustment he will have to make to maximize his skillset as a power guy with a new 114 max EV this year already. The decrease in his potential batting average and lack of ability to maximize his power is concerning to me hence the drop in his ranking. Black is the better hitter in my mind and thus gets the nod.

Pre-Season Rank: 33

 

69. OF Owen Caissie (Cubs)

2024 AAA: .272/.365/.448 | 12.3 BB%, 27.7 K% | 36 XBH, 12 HR, 6 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores (May): 94 fContact, 117 fDiscipline, 116 fPower, 77 fSpeed

Comp: Cody Bellinger meets Joey Gallo

Prime Skills: The power is legit (115.5 max EV this year and around 90 average EV), but the hit tool and plate skills need some serious work. There is a lot of potential here however, hence the ranking. He just needs to work on making more contact and putting the ball into the air to maximize his skill set.

Ranking Explanation: Caissie is young for the age and I expect more power to develop, but will the hit tool keep up and can he reign in the Ks? These are the major hurdles that will determine whether or not Caissie leans toward good Cody Bellinger production or bad Joey Gallo production.

Previous Rank: 59

 

70. OF Jhostynxon Garcia (Red Sox)

2024 A/A+: .295/.369/.594 | 5.2 BB% / 21.8 K% (A+ ball) | 44 XBH, 21 HR, 15 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

Comp: Manny Ramirez super light (aggressive righty swing with the dreads in the Sox uniform looks so much like him!)

Prime Skills: Already nicknamed the Password, he has 14 bombs and 14 steals when combining his low A and high A numbers. He’s rocking a 177 wRC+ in high A right now. This guy is basically a better version of Isaac Paredes as a hitter, rocking an over 46% flyball rate and 46% pull rate equals a near 30% HR/FB rate in high A.

Ranking Explanation: Garcia went from a ridiculous amount of steals in a short time in A ball to smashing everything out of the park in high A. He’s doing Owen Caissie better than Owen Caissie right now, but Caissie is at AAA and has the higher pedigree, so I’m giving him the nod for now.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

71. OF Dylan Beavers (Orioles)

2024 AA: .231/.333/.398 | 13.2 BB%, 24.1 K% | 29 XBH, 12 HR, 25 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Kyle Tucker light w/ a worse hit tool

Prime Skills: Big lefty outfielder who killed it in the doubles department last year and is not transitioning some of that into homerun power. There’s a potential 25/25 player here if he can hit enough to make it work.

Ranking Explanation: As if the Orioles didn’t have enough talent, former first rounder Dylan Beavers is really coming into his own this season, but is on a bit of a slump since mid June or so, thus he’s a bit stagnant in my rankings because he still has nice power / speed, but not really moving up with the graduations.

Previous Rank: 76

 

72. 2B / SS Michael Arroyo (Mariners)

2024 A+/AA: .285/.406/.516 | 13.9 BB%, 27.7 K% | 44 XBH, 19 HR, 10 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: More athletic Ronnie Belliard

Prime Skills: Short swinging stocky athlete with quick hands and a ton of power in his fire hydrant frame along with some speed.

Ranking Explanation: Arroyo has been much better than Beavers the last 6-8 weeks or so, but I still am giving Beavers the edge because of the upside. Arroyo is right there and this is a close one, but Beavers has a pretty legit power / speed toolset, whereas long term Arroyo is going to be more hit and power, maybe like Jorge Polanco.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

73. SP Sean Sullivan (Rockies)

2024 A+/AA: 92 1/3 IP | 29 K-BB%, 17.7 SwStr%, 31.8 CSW% | 1.95 ERA, 0.82 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Skinny, lefty Tanner Houck

Prime Skills: Sullivan was a second round pick out of Wake Forest last year and is showing why with authority this season. He’s a big dude with a funky arm action that is under a 3/4 arm slot. Fastball / slider with a funky arm-slot and might play up better on the left side than the right.

Ranking Explanation: Just like Dollander, Sullivan would be ranked higher if he wasn’t stuck pitching in Colorado; however it is, what it is and that’s likely where he will pitch the first half of his career. His arm slot might actually play up better in Colorado than other pitchers, like Houck in Boston. Sproat really only gets the edge over Sullivan for me because of the Colorado home park factor, because I think Sullivan has the superior stuff / command combo.

Pre-Season Rank: 81

 

74. OF Robert Calaz (Rockies)

2024 CPX/A: .340/.449/.621 | 15.2 BB%, 22.4 K% (CPX ball) | 30 XBH, 10 HR, 14 SB

Age: 18

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Teoscar Hernandez

Prime Skills: Big time power potential who has to combat swing and miss to make it. There are a ton of tools here, but also some massive swing and miss issues. There could be an Emmanuel Rodriguez light type profile once he gets rolling in A ball.

Ranking Explanation: Calaz put up absolutely ridiculous power and speed numbers, but he’s very far away and there are some big swing and miss concerns. Arroyo gets the edge since he’s proven it in A ball and high A and is only a year older, but Calaz could be a top 25 prospect in a year and it wouldn’t surprise me.

Previous Rank: 143

 

75. 3B Brock Wilken (Brewers)

2024 AA: .222/.324/.395 | 12.7 BB%, 24.9 K% | 26 XBH, 14 HR, 1 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Austin Riley w/ a worse hit tool

Prime Skills: This dude has massive power, but the question is if the hit tool can be average enough to allow him to mash 30-40 homers.

Ranking Explanation: Brock Wilken missed time earlier this year after taking a pitch to the face and dealing with facial fractures and it’s been a little slow going in the plate skills department as he’s striking out more than last year and walking less. It may take some time for him to get back into the groove, so the stats to date should be taken with a grain of salt. The Calaz power / speed combo takes the edge here, even with Wilken’s proximity. While Wilken could break out with some better health, I feel he’s not going to hit for a high enough average to beat out a power / speed type.

Previous Rank: 68

 

76. C Edgar Quero (White Sox)

2024 AA/AAA: .291/.378/.485 | 13.5 BB%, 18 K% (AAA ball) | 32 XBH, 16 HR, 1 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Yasmani Grandal

Prime Skills: Quero has fantastic plate discipline with more walks than Ks as a young 21-year-old at AA. He has 20-ish homer power in the bat and can steal a few bags as a rare switch hitting catcher.

Ranking Explanation: Quero has been absolutely destroying AAA as a 21-year-old. It’s impressive to see the power come into its own as I’ve been very high on Quero for a few years now. Him falling in these rankings is no negative reflection on Quero, but more an adjustment in moving catchers down my rankings as they won’t have the same number of PAs as other position players.

Previous Rank: 71

 

77. 1B Ralphy Velazquez (Guardians)

2024 A: .246/.364/.420 | 14.9 BB%, 20.4 K% | 32 XBH, 10 HR, 8 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: More athletic Anthony Rizzo

Prime Skills: Great hit tool with power, plate skills and some speed – really this is an exceptional rising prospect under the radar.

Ranking Explanation: Velazquez was the Guardians first round pick, so this isn’t coming out of nowhere, but he has been especially impressive and despite being a corner guy is a big name to watch moving forward based on his stellar hitting skills. I moved him up due to the great skillset, even though he’s actually been worse the last couple of months since my last update. For now, Quero is closer and as a catcher at age-to-level has shown to be a stud offensively and defensively whereas Ralphy is moving off catcher to first in an organization with a bunch of guys like Manzardo blocking him.

Previous Rank: 103

 

78. OF Cole Carrigg (Rockies)

2024 CPX/A+: .285/.358/.493 | 9 BB%, 18.3 K% (A+ ball) | 40 XBH, 12 HR, 39 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jarren Duran as a switch hitter

Prime Skills: Ridiculous power / speed skill set that reminds me of Dylan Beavers a level behind, but Carrigg is a switch hitter that matches the Zac Veen / Benny Montgomery skillset and the Rockies have a ton of these guys.

Ranking Explanation: I dinged him a bit, because apparently he had been sent down to Complex as a punishment of some sort for something he did, but the power / speed combo is irresistible and I’d like to see the Rockies actually make one of these OFs work some day.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

79. SP George Klassen (Angels)

2024 A/A+/AA: 67 1/3 IP | 25.3 K-BB%, 17.2 SwStr%, 38.4 CSW% | 2.54 ERA, 1.08 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Mid 2024

fScores: N/A

Comp: Luis Gil

Prime Skills: Klassen is a major pop-up prospect as a 2023 6th rounder who has increased velo with a 98-99 MPH rising fastball, 91 MPH sweeper and 87 MPH vertical hard slider.

Ranking Explanation: Klassen had some erratic command when I had my live look on him, especially on the high fastball and had some wild pitches, also allowing some hard hits in the first inning, but it was his first game back after an injury. I can’t believe he was traded already with the upticks we have seen, especially for a reliever. I think the stuff is ridiculously good, but Sullivan has way better command and gets the nod.

Previous Rank: 118

 

80. 2B / SS Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)

2024 A/A+: .309/.401/.452 | 12.9 BB%, 8.9 K% (A ball) | 25 XBH, 5 HR, 22 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Chase Utley wannabe (w/ less power), mix in some Jeff McNeil

Prime Skills: This kid has probably the best hit tool of the high school guys from the last class and he’s showing it in the minors; he also has some speed, but will he generate enough power to avoid the Luis Arraez trap?

Ranking Explanation: McGonigle is following the James Triantos pathway here, but a year behind. He’s been a great contact, avoid strikeouts and steal bags type of profile. Carrigg has a lot more juice (yes, he’s older) at the same level, so I give him the edge.

Previous Rank: 138

 

81. SP Hunter Barco (Pirates)

2024 A+/AA: 66 IP | 21.7 K-BB%, 14.2 SwStr%, 30.3 CSW% | 3.27 ERA, 1.06 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Chris Sale light / Brandon Williamson mash

Prime Skills: Barco is a big lefty with an almost side arm delivery playing up a killer slider with excellent command. It looks like he put on some size since his pre-draft days at FL, which might help in building up the innings and trying to add velo to the fastball.

Ranking Explanation: Barco missed all of 2022 and a big part of 2023 recovering from TJ after being one of the higher rated pitching prospects in the 2022 draft, which delayed his pro debut, however he destroyed in his small sample size in 2023 and 2024 should be about building him back up as he climbs through the ranks of the minors. Klassen has better stuff than Barco and is at the same level, so I give him the edge even though Barco has the pedigree edge.

Previous Rank: 94

 

82. C Carter Jensen (Royals)

2024 A+/AA: .267/.380/.443 | 15.2 BB%, 22.1 K% | 34 XBH, 13 HR, 17 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Bo Naylor w/ a bit of a Will Smith batted ball profile

Prime Skills: Jensen is a beast of an athlete for a catcher. The Royals are the masters at developing stud catchers it would seem. He has some solid pull power while also showing the ability to hit the ball the other way, which should keep him from getting shifted to death. He’s a line drive hitter rather than a fly ball hitter, so he should run some higher BABIPs like he is right now, but is probably more like a .250 batting average guy. He has some fantastic plate skills and is great on the basepaths.

Ranking Explanation: Jensen’s BABIP came back down to Earth, just as I had projected last rankings update, but he’s maintained the solid power / speed combo with great plate skills, especially for a catcher. McGonigle beats Jensen across the board in tools, outside of power and a batting eye, but perhaps McGonigle walking less is due to him wanting to put balls in play since he has such a good hit tool.

Previous Rank: 92

 

83. SP Hayden Birdsong (Giants)

2024 AA: 57 1/3 IP | 20.6 K-BB%, 11.3 SwStr%, 30.7 CSW% | 2.51 ERA, 1.17 WHIP

2024 MLB: 32 1/3 IP | 15 K-BB%, 13.6 SwStr%, 29.7 CSW% | 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: In Majors

fScores: 109 fStuff, 92 fControl, 108 fERA

Comp: Charlie Morton

Prime Skills: Pounds the top of the zone with a 96-97 MPH fastball and has a beautiful curve that generates a lot of swinging strikes. He has a great pitch mix and gets a of whiffs on his three plus pitches (fastball, slider, curve).

Ranking Explanation: I had Birdsong in my August Top 150, but ended up moving him out pre-season for some proximity guys and he barely missed the cut. Now that some of those proximity guys have passed and Birdsong is dominating AA in his repeat there, it’s evident he is a clear future top of the rotation option for a team that has a lot of success at developing pitchers, which bumps him over the stuff guys like Brown and Iriarte who might not have the control long-term to stick in the rotation. Barco has better command of his stuff and gets the edge to Birdsong, who does have some ridiculous breaking pitches.

Previous Rank: 87

 

84. SS Echedry Vargas (Rangers)

2024 A: .278/.329/.468 | 6.2 BB%, 20 K% | 31 XBH, 12 HR, 20 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Mini Xander Bogaerts

Prime Skills: Great line drive hitter with a ton of pull power. He has a bit of a swinging strike issue, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to strike outs. He’s likely to move off SS to 2B, especially with Walcott ahead of him on the depth chart.

Ranking Explanation: Vargas has a nice power and speed combo, but at this point I would like to see him up at high A continuing what he’s doing, which is why Jensen has the edge for now in my rankings.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

85. C Moises Ballesteros (Cubs)

2024 AA Stats: .292/.361/.493 | 8.8 BB%, 20.1 K% | 35 XBH, 16 HR, 1 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Lefty only Pablo Sandoval w/ more pop

Prime Skills: Above average hit tool and power for a catcher, but he has a bad body ala Pablo Sandoval, which may negatively affect him down the line.

Ranking Explanation: Ballesteros has shown to be a pure hitter with a 114 wRC+ as a 20-year-old at AA ball, and rates out as someone who could be an Alejandro Kirk with power or young Pablos Sandoval as a catcher type, but he would be better off working on his body before a promotion to get in better shape for a better career, which hurts him a bit in my eyes and stops me from having him any higher despite the killers stats for his age.

Previous Rank: 83

 

86. 2B / 3B Jace Jung (Tigers)

2024 AAA: .262/.383/.466 | 16.2 BB%, 22.2 K% | 38 XBH, 14 HR, 2 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Nolan Gorman meets Josh Jung

Prime Skills: The pull power is legit. His swing reminds me a ton of Nolan Gorman and his approach is very similar to his brother Josh. All things look good for success, except that he will have to hit in Detroit.

Ranking Explanation: As expected pre-season, Jung would be moving up closer to the top 50 as the season progresses. He’s going to strike out, just like Gorman and his brother – but the power is going to make the Ks worth it. Jung could still come up this year, but there’s not really a point unless he’s going to break camp next year and they just want to get him a cup of coffee. Vargas takes the cake here as a power / speed combo guy and while I think Jung could be a 25 homer guy who hits .250 in the majors, Vargas could be a stud.

Previous Rank: 73

 

87. SP AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves):

2024 AAA: 46 2/3 IP | 15.2 K-BB%, 13.7 SwStr%, 28 CSW% | 5.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

2024 MLB: 4 1/3 IP | 11.1 K-BB%, 10.3 SwStr%, 24.1 CSW% | 4.62 SIERA, 1.15 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Debuted

fScores: N/A

Comp: Giovanny Gallegos as a starter

Prime Skills: A super over the top arm slot that he repeats really well makes it difficult to pick up on what pitch is coming out of his hand. He throws heat (hits 99 MPH) and the arm slot makes it come on even faster. His curve is his best pitch and he might be better working in a slider to counter the curve and change up since he’s so vertical.

Ranking Explanation: Smith-Shawver has not had a good season thus far by any means and was just injured in his first MLB start of the season. He’s still super young for the level and I think projects better as a mid-rotation type than top of rotation and as a fast mover we need to keep expectations more in check. He has not been good this year, while Birdsong has shown better stuff and gets the edge – since they have both been terrible on a command perspective.

Previous Rank: 64

 

88. OF Jordan Beck (Rockies)

2024 AAA Stats: .312/.399/.554 | 12.6 BB%, 24 K% | 20 XBH, 8 HR, 6 SB

2024 MLB Stats: .190/.198/.316 | 1.2 BB%, 37 K% | 6 XBH, 2 HR, 2 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Debuted

fScores: 94 fContact, 104 fDiscipline, 103 fPower, 130 fSpeed

Comp: A Hunter Renfroe and George Springer mash up

Prime Skills: Big country boy with a future 30 homer power. He has a little speed to boot, a nice arm and unlike Renfroe (despite the Ks), he can take walks.

Ranking Explanation: Beck is running into some big time plate discipline and contact issues in the majors, but the same thing happened when he first got to AA last year, he will adapt. Beck was injured in the majors a couple months back and is now back in AAA working his way back. Jung gets the slight edge to Beck only because I think he has a locked in starting gig, while the Rockies tend to block some of their guys.

Previous Rank: 70

 

89. OF Braden Montgomery (Red Sox)

2024 College: .322/.454/.611 | 32 XBH, 17 HR, 6 SB

Age: 21

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Bigger Jasson Dominguez with less speed

Prime Skills: Athletic, switch hitting power hitter. He has an arm as a former pitcher as well and a quick, short swing where he gets to the ball no matter where it’s thrown.

Ranking Explanation: Montgomery is going to miss the rest of the year after breaking his ankle in college ball, which might make him a bit of a discount. He’s going to be a stud in my opinion, but we have some time to wait on him. Now is a good time to buy and while I think Montgomery has a much higher ceiling than Beck ultimately, his value is dinged until he gets back on the field.

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

90. SS Cooper Pratt (Brewers)

2024 A/A+: .290/.380/.401 | 12.2 BB%, 18.3 K% (A ball) | 17 XBH, 3 HR, 25 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Giant Ha-Seong Kim

Prime Skills: Pratt is a huge athletic SS that is far away as a high school guy, but has five-tool potential, especially due to his size.

Ranking Explanation: Pratt could grow into 25-30 homer power due to his size, but for now he works off a killer plate approach teamed with speed. If he sticks at SS, watch out! Montgomery is closer to the majors, even with the injury and has a much more developed plate approach.

Previous Rank: 145

 

91. SP Alejandro Rosario (Rangers)

2024 A/A+: 77 2/3 IP | 30.6 K-BB%, 16.6 SwStr%, 35.7 CSW% (A+ ball) | 2.43 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Bryan Woo

Prime Skills: Fifth round pick with a ridiculous 2 seam fastball at 96-98 with some crazy arm-side run that matches well with a mid 80s change up with beautiful fade. His big problem in college was control, but he seems to have fixed that in pro ball this year. The sinker is also a hell of a pitch, while he also has a below average 12-6 slider this dude is super underrated.

Ranking Explanation: I’m a big Rosario guy, but I’ve been big on a number of Rangers pitchers that kill it in the lower levels then struggle once they hit AAA or the majors. His fastball is so different, it’s one of my favorite pitches in the minors right now. He could be a big time mover with a strong finish and he might be better than Birdsong and AJSS, but they’re getting a little age-to-level bump over Rosario for me.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

92. OF Jonny Farmelo (Mariners)

2024 A: .264/.398/.421 | 16.3 BB%, 23.5 K% | 17 XBH, 4 HR, 18 SB (46 games)

Age: 19

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Charlie Blackmon

Prime Skills: Big long levered lefty with some big time power / speed potential with quick back speed. He tends to coil up as the pitch is coming in and unleashes to make some nice driving contact that I think will lead to a big doubles profile.

Ranking Explanation: Farmelo has been out since mid June after suffering a right knee injury that required surgery, but we should see him up in high A at the start of 2025. The injury definitely knocked him down the rankings an unknown amount, because we can’t be sure what level he would be at or what he would be doing statistically if you had doubled his PT.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

93. C Jeferson Quero (Brewers)

2023 AA: .262/.339/.441 | 10 BB%, 17.8 K% | 28 XBH, 16 HR, 5 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Wilson Contreras with a better glove

Prime Skills: Pretty above average skills across the board and young for the level. He showed increased power and plate skills in 2023, along with a better hit tool all as a 20-year-old catcher at AA.

Ranking Explanation: Quero is going to be a solid major league catcher for a long time, the development of his hit tool and plate skills to match his solid power potential have bumped him up the Quero rankings along with the total rankings as a really nice looking player long-term. He’s out for the season with a shoulder injury, which pushes his timeline back by around a year. It’s a good thing he was so far ahead of schedule to begin with in regards to age-to-level.

Previous Rank: 62

 

94. OF Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers)

2024 CPX/A: .323/.454/.444 | 17.6 BB%, 19.3 K% (CPX ball) | 14 XBH, 3 HR, 29 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Late 2026

Comp: Wander Franco with less power and more speed

Prime Skills: Fantastic plate skills and a heck of an athlete. Quintero has a killer hit tool with a knack for barreling the ball and brings a ton of athleticism to the plate.

Ranking Explanation: Quintero and Vargas are a fun combo of guys at the same level as Quintero jumped up to A ball and Vargas hasn’t. There are a lot of these hit tool, speed guys at the back end of my top 100 and the guys who find a power stroke will bump up ahead of those that don’t.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

95. SS Joendry Vargas (Dodgers)

2024 CPX: .303/.406/.493 | 12.3 BB%, 22.8 K% | 16 XBH, 4 HR, 11 SB

Age: 18

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Taller Bobby Witt Jr. mashed up with Jordan Lawlar

Prime Skills: Great hit tool that can get to all fields with a nice quick swing with good reach. The swing reminds me of Bobby Witt Jr., hence the comp, but there’s less power as he’s more lanky – which gives him more reach to get bat to ball, but it will likely result in less barrels and overall power.

Ranking Explanation: The reason some of the other complex guys are ranked higher for me is the batted ball profile, he did not line many despite having the great contact skills and I think a lot of that is him just throwing the bat out with his reach and not being able to really get his hands in quicker, which is going to take some adjusting against more breaking stuff.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

96. SS Bryce Rainer (Tigers)

2024 CPX: N/A

Age: 18

ETA: 2028

fScores: N/A

Comp: Lefty Carson Williams

Prime Skills: Big lefty bat with a nice stroke that should lead to an above average hit tool, he could grow into some nice power and has a little bit of speed. He was also a pitcher and has a killer arm, so should be a prime defender as well.

Ranking Explanation: I have to place a guy like Vargas ahead of Rainer, just because we have some professional stats to go on vs. Rainer who is all potential. I like Rainer over Konnor Griffin, because I trust for a smoother development based on his profile than Griffin who has more moving parts.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

97. SS / OF Konnor Griffin (Pirates)

2024 CPX: N/A

Age: 18

ETA: 2028

fScores: N/A

Comp: Light Fernando Tatis Jr.

Prime Skills: Griffin is a big righty with a good arm as a high school pitcher and he has some massive power upside. The high stance and high and tight hands in his swing reminds me of Fernando Tatis Jr. and like Tatis, he will probably have plenty of swing and miss to go with the damage.

Ranking Explanation: I have a good feeling Griffin moves to the OF based on his size, but then again this is a team that developed Oneil Cruz as a SS. I think like Tatis, he moves out to RF to utilize the arm.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

98. C Eduardo Tait (Phillies)

2024 CPX/A: .307/.359/.498 | 6.1 BB%, 14.6 K% (CPX ball) | 24 XBH, 9 HR, 5 SB

Age: 17

ETA: 2027

Comp: A lefty version of the Contreras brothers

Prime Skills: Nice lefty swing from the catching prospect from Panama (ala lefty Ivan Herrera) with some big power potential, especially for a catcher. He’s been absolutely raking through all of the complex league with 34 RBI in 32 games, but really took off toward the end of complex from a power standpoint and has kept on raking up through A ball as a 17-year-old.

Ranking Explanation: Tatis has put up some incredibly impressive numbers for this age and I love the swing and power, it’s going to play either at catcher or at 1B if they move him off as we expect the Orioles to move Basallo off catcher.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

99. OF Victor Scott II (Cardinals)

2024 AAA: .219/.302/.318 | 9.8 BB%, 14.3 K% | 15 XBH, 6 HR, 29 SB

2024 MLB: .115/.155/.205 | 2.4 BB%, 25 K% | 5 XBH, 1 HR, 2 SB

Age: 23

ETA: in MLB

fScores (MAY): 94 fContact, 89 fDiscipline, 61 fPower, 268 fSpeed

Comp: Bigger Juan Pierre

Prime Skills: Speed and contact, he has limited power, but it’s not nothing. He will instantly be a top 5 runner in baseball once he’s up and should have more value than Esteury Ruiz once he is up and established into the Cardinals lineup with a regular role.

Ranking Explanation: Scott lines up as a one trick pony (steals) for fantasy baseball and he has had an incredibly tough season weighted down by ridiculously bad BABIPs for a speed guy (.241 AAA and .138 MLB). This is both a combination of incredibly bad luck teamed up with not making hard enough contact (average EV of 85 in AAA). He should be closer to a .260-.280 batting average guy because the contact rates are still good (81.7 Contact % and 89.7% Z-contact at AAA) with the steals and while I am disappointed and knocking him a bit, I don’t think he’s toast by any means. Since 7/25, Scott had a .370 batting average in AAA after adjusting his batting stance and has a near 93 average EV with 2 XBH going 4/19 in the majors since being recalled.

Previous Rank: 80

 

100. SP Emiliano Teodo (Rangers)

2024 AA: 78 1/3 IP | 18.4 K-BB%, 16.4 SwStr%, 32.4 CSW% | 1.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jared Jones

Prime Skills: Slight frame, but big fastball in the high 90s (can hit 102) … could be an assassin in the pen and might run into a pen to rotation back and forth type trajectory due to the command ala DL Hall or Garret Crochett. He formerly ran with a fastball / curve, but now mixes in a low 90s changeup and a killer upper 80s slider. The development of the breaking balls is killer, because guys are waiting to blast that fastball and seem to lock up and freeze on the breaking stuff.

Ranking Explanation: Ridiculous swinging strike rates at every level, Teodo’s issue is control and he could be a high variance starter with a good number of Ks or he could end up a stud high leverage pen guy.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

101. SP Travis Sykora (Nationals)

2024 A: 63 1/3 IP | 31 K-BB%, 20.4 SwStr%, 34.2 CSW% | 2.42 ERA, 0.85 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Logan Gilbert

Prime Skills: Sykora has some really sick stuff as a former third rounder and is a big time name to watch. He’s a giant at 6′ 6″ with a 44.4% whiff rate in the minors and needs to be up in A+ or AA at this point. Sykora rocks a mid 90s fastball with obviously ridiculous extension due to his size with more run than ride and he also has a devastating 81-83 mph splitter and 85 mph hard slider.

Ranking Explanation: This dude is a freak and the only thing keeping him outside of the top 100 is proximity. I want to see him pitching against higher level competition.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

102. SP Carson Whisenhunt (Giants)

2024 AAA: 77 IP | 16.8 K-BB%, 15.4 SwStr%, 30.7 CSW% | 5.84 ERA, 1.66 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: September

fScores (MAY): 121 fStuff, 93 fControl, 107 fERA

Comp: A plus version of Braxton Garrett or lefty Brandon Pfaadt

Prime Skills: He has a super slurvy-like curve and possibly the best change up in the minors, but he’s playing these against a below average fastball. Whisenhunt missed basically all of the second half in 2023 and was thrown to the wolves in the PCL in 2024, so his damage stats shouldn’t be held too much against him.

Ranking Explanation: The stuff is ridiculous despite the lack of killer fastball velocity and I think he has what it takes to be a #2 or #3 in the rotation, however the control this season with a tough full-time assignment in the PCL has been an issue. It’s hard for me to move Whisenhunt down this much, but the Giants promoting Birdsong ahead of him despite his own command issues is a big tell to me on that Whisenhunt might have real command issues rather than ABS forced issues.

Previous Rank: 42

 

103. 2B Termarr Johnson (Pirates)

2024 A+: .234/.372/.376 | 16.2 BB%, 21.2 K% | 28 XBH, 11 HR, 15 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Short Jason Kipnis, might have some Dozier-esk or Brandon Phillips-esk seasons

Prime Skills: Amazing plate skills for his age, but he’s super raw right now despite the plate discipline. Contact, power and speed have a lot of room to grow to figure out how good he can really end up.

Ranking Explanation: The power has been surprisingly above average, but that may be at the expense of the hit tool, which was supposed to be his top tool when he was drafted. Johnson needs to develop more of a doubles profile to really make it, he’s looking like a worse version of Edouard Julien, which isn’t bad and he’s still a young 20-years-old. Ignore the prospect fatigue, Scott gets the edge in case he does steal 60 bases in a season, but Termarr is still a good prospect buy and stock is down right now for most.

Pre-Season Rank: 135

 

104. SP Jarlin Susana (Nationals)

2024 A/A+: 81 1/3 IP | 30.4 K-BB%, 17.9 SwStr%, 31.7 CSW% | 3.98 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Paul Skenes light

Prime Skills: Another 6′ 6″ righty for the Nationals, but Susana came to them in the Juan Soto trade from San Diego… the gift trade that keeps on giving. Susana has an insane 100-102 MPH fastball with a 94 MPH changeup and 87-91 mph power slider that continues to improve.

Ranking Explanation: The Nationals are flooded with ridiculous pitching prospects right now at the lower level. Susana and Sykora are going to cause problems for a long time.

Pre-Season Rank: N/A

 

105. OF Jonatan Clase (Blue Jays)

2024 AAA: .276/.370/.481 | 14.3 BB%, 25.7 K% (Mariners) | 29 XBH, 11 HR, 28 SB

2024 MLB: .195/.233/.220 | 4.7 BB%, 32.6 K% | 1 XBH, 0 HR, 3 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Debuted

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jonathan Villar in CF with a little Jorge Mateo mixed in

Prime Skills: Lightning speed with power and the ability to take walks. He has shown above average power to go along with the wheels, however the hit tool and K rate are a problem.

Ranking Explanation: A bad hit tool means Clase has a low floor, but the power and speed combo means he has a ridiculously high ceiling despite his size. He’s a fun player, but could also be a complete bust and this is likely why the Mariners sold while they still could. They might have gotten more if he never had an MLB run at all.

Previous Rank: 78

 

106. 1B / 3B Zach Dezenzo (Astros)

2024 CPX/AA/AAA: .306/.386/.517 | 11.3 BB%, 18.9 K% | 19 XBH, 6 HR, 5 SB

2024 MLB: .238/.273/.429 | 4.5 BB%, 18.2 K% | 2 XBH, 1 HR, 0 SB

Age: 24

ETA: In MLB

fScores (MAY): 95 fContact, 83 fDiscipline, 101 fPower, 145 fSpeed

Comp: A bigger, more athletic Chas McCormick – ceiling would be Adolis-light type stats.

Prime Skills: Power / speed guy who has to work on his hit tool, but can take a walk and will excel against fastballs. Needs to work on reducing the K rate, which he had done at high A.

Ranking Explanation: Dezenzo has missed the entire season thus far with a wrist injury and the reason he has dropped this far in the rankings is not really his fault, it’s just younger more interesting guys passing him up, but now he’s up as a major league regular with upset potential. He’s been excellent when healthy and is finally up in the majors, playing 1B!

Previous Rank: 104

 

107. SS Adael Amador (Rockies)

2024 AA: .219/.339/.355 | 13.9 BB%, 21 K% | 17 XBH, 10 HR, 27 SB

2024 MLB: .171/.194/.200 | 2.8 BB%, 16.7 K% | 1 XBH, 0 HR, 1 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Short switch hitting Jake Cronenworth

Prime Skills: He has a compact swing and gets out of the box fast, which helps him reach for hits, because he does hit the ball on the ground too much. He has surprising power for his size, because he is good at turning on the ball quickly when pitchers make mistakes. His contact and plate discipline skills are his calling card with above average speed, but below average power.

Ranking Explanation: Amador has had a terrible 2024 season and last update I mentioned I wasn’t ready for a large drop yet… then just when it looked like he was ready for a rebound the Rockies promoted him from AA and he has been crap since. Amador deserves the drop this time around and even Clase’s risky profile gets the edge of what was seemingly a high floor guy a year ago.

Pre-Season Rank: 43

 

108. C Ethan Salas (Padres)

2024 A+: .195/.285/.299 | 10.9 BB%, 21.6 K% | 24 XBH, 4 HR, 9 SB

Age: 18

ETA: Late 2026
fScores: N/A

Comp: Mini Jonah Heim

Prime Skills: Salas displayed 25 homer power at the A ball level as a 17-year-old, but since has struggled to hit at the higher levels, which are not aided by bad BABIP luck and despite having a great eye. Salas has great discipline for his age, 20-25 homer power plus above average speed as a catcher. He has a quick lefty swing and has shown some very strong EVs.

Ranking Explanation: Salas might end up as a better real life player than a fantasy player, especially as a catcher so keep that in mind when you’re riding the hype. However, he is playing at a difficult age-to-level considering other players his age are still in complex league or in the DSL. He has not been impressive with the bat and it’s possible Preller made a mistake by promoting him so quickly.

Previous Rank: 53

 

109. 2B / SS / 3B Thomas Saggese (Cardinals)

2024 AAA: .251/.310/.419 | 5.8 BB%, 24.2 K% | 35 XBH, 14 HR, 9 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Sept. 2024

Pre-season fScores: 96 fContact, 82 fDiscipline, 100 fPower, 98 fSpeed

Comp: Righty Matt Carpenter with more speed

Prime Skills: Saggesse has a good hit tool, very solid plate skills and underrated power and speed for a guy that plays multiple infield positions.

Ranking Explanation: He won’t be a super star, but he should be a very valuable deeper league asset sooner, rather than later. He’s going to provide stats in all categories and will be great for points leagues. Since June 4th, Sagesse has picked it up a bit with a .275/.329/.456 slash with 8 homers and 4 steals. He has next Cardinals super sub Donovan type written all over him.

Previous Rank: 95

 

110. OF Kevin Alcantara (Cubs)

2024 AA: .277/.348/.424 | 9.2 BB%, 24.6 K% (AA ball) | 24 XBH, 11 HR, 8 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Righty Shawn Green with more swing and miss

Prime Skills: Wiry frame with projectable power once he starts filling out, but for now he’s filling out more in the Elly De La Cruz mold than in the Gioncarlo Stanton mold. Right now he’s still pretty raw, the swing is a little too loopy and leads to a lot of swing and miss, but he can crush it when he connects.

Ranking Explanation: Alcantara has high upside due to the frame and the above average wheels, but if he strikes out too much he will just be the next Aristides Aquino. There’s a lot of upside here, but he hasn’t started performing near his max as of yet, while other recent draftees or pop-up guys are just simply passing him in development. He has tools, but where is the on-field production?

Previous Rank: 96

 

111. OF Brailer Guerrero (Rays)

2024 CPX: .330/.452/.466 | 17.5 BB%, 25.4 K% | 8 XBH, 2 HR, 13 SB

Age: 18

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Lefty Vlad Guerrero

Prime Skills: Good sized kid with killer plate skills and showing complete athletic dominance in complex league. He has some solid power potential with a great hit tool, keeping in mind he was playing in Florida Complex as a 17-year-old (tougher hitting league).

Ranking Explanation: I wanted to bump Guerrero higher, but I couldn’t based on a slower back end of the complex league and the fact he didn’t jump up to A ball yet due to a shoulder injury.

Previous Rank: 122

 

112. SP Thomas White (Marlins)

2024 A/A+: 76 IP | 22.4 K-BB%, 15.4 SwStr%, 28.9 CSW% (AA ball) | 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

Comp:

Prime Skills: White is a big 6′ 5″ lefty who I saw live pitching against Quinn Mathews pitch for pitcher earlier in the season. He throws a 95-97 MPH riding fastball with a killer 85-87 MPH changeup and 78-82 MPH slurve.

Ranking Explanation: White has been getting better as he goes and is evidently working on developing a sweeper to replace his slurve with. It was interesting pitting White against new teammate Robby Snelling as the Marlins form the basis for their next stellar rotation with a Perez/Noble Meyer/White/Snelling/Max Meyer or Mazur rotation in the future. While Snelling has a command edge to White, White has much better stuff and a higher ceiling.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

113. OF Zyhir Hope (Dodgers)

2024 A: .322/.446/.579 | 14.9 BB% / 24.3 K%| 17 XBH, 7 HR, 5 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Lean Josh Naylor

Prime Skills: Shorter dude with not the most athletic build, but he has quick hands and a beautiful lefty swing with some major lefty pull power.

Ranking Explanation: Hope had a shoulder injury and missed a decent chunk of the season, but it appears to have not affected him as he has a .362/.511/.594 slash since coming back on July 15th with four bombs. He should be up in high A now and I must admit the Dodgers are great at developing guys in the lower minors and making them look great, but have had problem with later stage prospect development and this concerns me.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

114. SP Robby Snelling (Marlins)

2024 AA: 73 1/3 IP | 10.3 K-BB%, 11.3 SwStr% | 6.01 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

2024 AA (Marlins): 10 IP | 36.1 K-BB%, 16.8 SwStr% | 0.90 ERA, 0.60 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2025

Pre-season fScores: 97 fStuff, 95 fControl, fERA 126

Comp: Jesus Luzardo-light

Prime Skills: The 3/4 arm-slot helps create a lot of deception between his fastball and slider, which also gets classified as a curveball – so we will call it a slurve. He’s a three pitch guy with an above average fastball, a good changeup and a stellar breaking pitch with a knack for avoiding hard contact.

Ranking Explanation: Snelling won Baseball America’s 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after a stellar second half closing out what was already an impressive campaign as a 19-year-old and when looking at his 2024 numbers, it’s easy to be disappointed by them considering the stuff some of the other top 100 starters are showing, but he’s young for the level by 2-3 years and is showing an incredible propensity to avoid hard contact and damage, similar to Emmanuel Clase. Snelling gets a big drop in the rankings after being very bad all season until he got to the Marlins and also because he’s just getting passed up by other guys.

Previous Rank: 32

 

115. OF Yeremi Cabrera (Rangers)

Season: .290/.421/.532 | 19 BB%, 20 K% (CPX ball) | 25 XBH, 9 HR, 20 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A

Comp: Lefty Jackson Chourio

Prime Skills: Quick hands, great load. The dude has power, speed, hit tool and an eye to boot. He’s run into some strikeout issues at AA after putting up some of the most impressive stats in complex league, because his swing is a little long, but he’s still managing to do damage, especially on the base paths and this will act as a nice transition for full season ball next year.

Ranking Explanation: Cabrera was incredibly impressive in complex league, but the hit tool and swing and miss is below average, so there is some work to do there to get live up to his potential Tommy Edman-esk statline potential.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

116. SP Parker Messick (Guardians)

2024 AAA: 107 1/3 IP | 27.7 K-BB%, 17.2 SwStr%, 28.9 CSW% (AA ball) | 2.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Mid 2025

Comp: Framber Valdez / lefty Sonny Gray light

Prime Skills: Shorter heavy set lefty who is a classic Guardians command guy who is breaking ball heavy and a former second rounder out of FSU. He’s very sweeper heavy, it’s a killer pitch, but I’d like to see him generate more GBs so he gets more toward the Framber Valdez pendulum than Andrew Abbott.

Ranking Explanation: He’s a bit of a bull dog on the mound and as a command first guy there should be a pretty smooth transition up level, but he doesn’t have the same #2/#3 starter ceiling as someone like Snelling who is now looking like he’s turning stuff around with the Marlins.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

117. SP Kumar Rocker (Rangers)

2024 CPX/AA: 18 IP | 38.5 K-BB%, 26.7 SwStr%, 28.9 CSW% (AA ball) | 2.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Early 2025

Comp: Hunter Greene with a better slider / worse fastball

Prime Skills: Big boy with a dominant fastball / slider combo. He throws 97-99 with one of the best hard vertical sliders you will see. There’s a below average changeup in there too he has to throw in order to mix things up.

Ranking Explanation: It’s only been a small sample size since his return and he has yet to get length out of his starts, but the stuff has been absolutely phenomenal and is the top end starter stuff we thought we were going to see when he was first drafted. I need to see more before I bump him even more.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

118. SP K.C. Hunt (Brewers)

Season A/A+/AA: 74 2/3 IP | 28.3 K-BB%, 17.9 SwStr%, 34.1 CSW% (A+ ball) | 1.93 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Late 2025

fScore: N/A

Comp: Corbin Burnes light

Prime Skills: He’s a 12th rounder from Mississippi state on that George Klassen, Zebby Matthews, Quinn Mathews ride. He lives 93-94 with a five pitch mix and Baseball Performance Center gave him a Trevor Bauer comp. He has an 86 MPH hard slider against a ridiculous 80 mph 12/6 hook that is simply disgusting.

Ranking Explanation: This is a pitching glob right here and Hunt might have a better starter’s repertoire than Rocker, but Rocker has some insane stuff and I have to give him the edge based on ceiling right now.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

119. OF Jacob Melton (Astros)

2024 AA: .244/.312/.424 | 11.9 BB%, 26.9 K% | 27 XBH, 11 HR, 24 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Early 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: James Outman with more speed

Prime Skills: There are some nice power, speed skills here, but the hit tool and plate skills are lacking. Dude has an interesting wide open stance with a lot of movement, but he hits some moon shots and he could debut in 2024 if the Astros have some bad injuries and Melton can progress the hit tool.

Ranking Explanation: The power / speed combo is top 100 stuff, but the big question is if he can get to enough contact to make them work. It’s slightly concerning that he has more HR power than doubles power as it begs how boom or bust he is as a hitter and limits his speed upside if he’s not just getting on base at a higher clip to utilize his tools. Melton can improve the strikeout rate, but he also has inconsistencies in his power with a lower average EV than he should have for his power potential, because he’s too willing to chase for bad contact.

Previous Rank: 85

 

120. C Dalton Rushing (Dodgers)

2024 AA/AAA: .268/.378/.497 | 11.4 BB%, 20.7 K% | 34 XBH, 17 HR, 0 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Daulton Varsho without the baserunning ability

Prime Skills: Stout kid with a quick swing and nice lefty pull power with great plate discipline and an average hit tool. The lack of speed definitely dings his max potential a bit for fantasy purposes.

Ranking Explanation: Rushing is still a decent prospect, but the Dodgers tend to let some of their guys stew and he’s older for the level. Taylor has higher fantasy upside in standard one catcher leagues, but Rushing is probably going to be a solid two catcher guy if he starts or splits time as a starter. He runs into some trouble each time he goes up a level and he’s seeing it again at AAA now, but there’s a good chance he ends up in LF and backup C for the Dodgers by mid next season.

Previous Rank: 99

 

121. SP Hurston Waldrep (Braves)

2024 A/AA/AAA: 66 IP | 14.5 K-BB%, 15.4 SwStr%, 29.3 CSW% (AA ball) | 3.95 ERA, 1.53 WHIP

2024 MLB: 7 IP | 8.3 K-BB%, 8.3 SwStr%, 28.6 CSW% | 16.71 ERA, 2.43 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Mid 2024

fScores: 110 fStuff, 86 fControl, 111 fERA

Comp: Kevin Gausman-light

Prime Skills: Waldrep has an above average rising fastball to go with a slider, splitter and curve. The splitter is an excellent pitch, but he doesn’t have the same heat to pair with it as Gausman, at least not yet.

Ranking Explanation: I have some concerns about his control and volatility hence him being a bit lower in my rankings than others. He has been jumping around levels, which makes his progress a bit hard to follow and he’s been getting smoked since he got hurt in May and hasn’t regained his command. He’s volatile and that hurts him in my rankings.

Previous Rank: 119

 

122. SP Tekoah Roby (Cardinals)

2024 AA: 33 1/3 IP | 13.6 K-BB%, 13.7 SwStr%, 28.2 CSW% | 6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: 112 fStuff, 103 fControl, 92 fERA

Comp: Jose Berrios

Prime Skills: Four plus pitches with above average command. He likes to play his 95 mph heater up in the zone then goes low with the curve, his best pitch when he’s on. He needs to work on the pitch mix, because he has great stuff, but whatever his approach is seems to not be working and he might be tipping this year.

Ranking Explanation: Shoulder injuries have weighed down his potential and likely allowed him to get traded at the deadline, but he’s back and healthy now. The ratios play up for Roby and as long as he can build up the durability, he can be a mid-rotation starter. He’s getting rocked this season by a .340 BABIP and nearly 25% HR/FB rate, so take the ERA with a grain of salt. The big issue with Roby has always been health and health has knocked out most of his 2024 season, just like his issues in 2023 kept him to about 60 innings.

Previous Rank: 67

 

123. Emil Morales (Dodgers)

2024 DSL: .331/.474/.669 | 20.5 BB%, 22.6 K% | 22 XBH, 13 HR, 11 SB (43 games)

Age: 17

ETA: 2028

fScores: N/A

Comp: Fernando Tatis Jr. light

Prime Skills: Big, athletic shortstop with a solid hit tool along with high end power potential and decent speed. Another big SS with the mimic Fernando Tatis Jr. swing, he’s making it work and has a similar batted ball profile (though beware of the 27% swinging strike rate), the less than 30% GB rate is great for power potential.

Ranking Explanation: I’m hard pressed to rank complex league guys this high, muchless even dominican summer league guys. Morales has been so impressive, I couldn’t wait to get him on the list.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

124. 2B / 3B Sal Stewart (Reds)

2024 A+: .279/.391/.454 | 14.8 BB%, 16.9 K% | 32 XBH, 8 HR, 10 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Righty Josh Naylor

Prime Skills: Big dude who should develop more power, but for now has a fantastic plate approach and hit tool for his age. This is a guy I got a live look on and I think he’s going to be a dude. He might end up moving off the position, because he’s a big boy. He has a good hit tool, great plate skills and 20-25 home run power potential.

Ranking Explanation: Stewart is a heavier set dude and I don’t see him stealing more than 10-15 bags in the majors when he’s young, just as I don’t really see him at 2B. His ceiling is capped as I don’t see more than 25-ish bombs with 10 steals as a good season for him, but I think he’s pretty safe as a hit first guy.

Previous Rank: 115

 

125. OF Aidan Smith (Rays)

2024 A: .284/.402/.470 | 14.5 BB% / 24.3 K%| 36 XBH, 9 HR, 28 SB

Age: 19

ETA: 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Righty Josh Lowe – light

Prime Skills: There’s a new Aidan dominating A ball now that Aidan Miller is in high A and of course, it’s another killer Mariners prospect. Smith has been a doubles machine all year (19 doubles) and has been way better this year after being drafted out of high school last year, by hitting the ball on the ground way less (33.3% GB rate).

Ranking Explanation: It’s hilarious I had this guy compared to Josh Lowe and Snelling linked to Jesus Luzardo pre trade deadline and then those teams acquire them both. The fact the Rays wanted Smith in the Arozarena deal only makes me want him more, they are a smart organization and when they make trades, they usually win.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

126. 2B / SS Edwin Arroyo (Reds)

2023 A+/AA: .252/.324/.433 | 52 XBH, 13 HR, 29 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Ozzie Albies with a worse hit tool

Prime Skills: Speed guy who projects out for above average power as a switch hitting middle infielder.

Ranking Explanation: The stats aren’t great, but he debuted in AA this season as a 19-year-old and is likely out for the year after getting shoulder surgery. The hit tool isn’t great and the plate skills are only okay, but hopefully once he is healthy and catches up to a level for his age these will neutralize, because the power / speed combo is legit. It’s been a lost year for him, but I still think he’s interesting and he was already ahead of the curve age-to-level prior to the injury.

Previous Rank: 123

 

127. SP Trey Yesevage (Blue Jays)

2024 College: 93 1/3 IP | 145 Ks, 32 BBs | 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Righty Kershaw light

Prime Skills: Big righty with a super over-the-top trebuchet like delivery that throws a solid fastball (93-95 MPH), slider and changeup combo.

Ranking Explanation: Yesevage slid in the draft compared to where a lot of the draft guys thought he would go and I get it, that arm slot might lead to some shoulder troubles in the future. I ding him a bit, because the Jays have been pretty bad at developing their prospect pitchers and have had bad injury luck with them as well (Pearson, Tiedemann, Barriera).

Previous Rank: N/A (2024 Draft)

 

128. OF Colton Ledbetter (Rays)

2024 A+: .277/.344/.494 | 8.6 BB% / 27.7 K%| 38 XBH, 14 HR, 31 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Garrett Mitchell

Prime Skills: Ledbetter was the Rays second round pick last year and has had a good year all around. He should both be in AA right now. He’s a great athlete known for good defense and while there has been a bit too much swing and miss, the ability to do damage is there. There are great tools in this package.

Ranking Explanation: Ledbetter should have been promoted with Taylor, which concerns me a bit (as I always am with Rays prospects), not from a skills standpoint but from an organizational philosophy standpoint, because he’s been a stud all season. If he was with a different organization that was more aggressive with promotions, he might be in the top 100.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

129. SP Drue Hackenberg (Braves)

Season A+/AA: 94 1/3 IP | 24 K-BB%, 13.7 SwStr%, 29.4 CSW% | 3.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Kutter Crawford

Prime Skills: The Braves 2nd rounder last year (got some crap during the draft for picking him that high) he has some decent fade on the fastball, but the slider and curve are his money pitches. The cutter makes the fastball play up some and he’s kind of a kitchen sink type with five or six different pitches at his disposal and has an almost old school approach as more of a pitcher than thrower.

Ranking Explanation: He’s only given up one homer on the season and has these insane strikeout games, but is prone to blow ups once every five games or so, but a .390 BABIP against at AA is not helping him out.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

130. SS Angel Genao (Guardians)

2024 A+: .329/.376/.501 | 8.6 BB% / 27.7 K%| 43 XBH, 10 HR, 23 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Tommy Edman

Prime Skills: Athletic switch hitting middle infielder with a classic hit and speed type profile with a little power built in. He’s a small dude and will have a limited power upside, but he does have 15 homer power just based on how much hard contact he generates in the smaller frame.

Ranking Explanation: The Guardians have a lot of these hit first switch hitting middle infielders and while Genao might be the best of their massive middle infield crop behind Bazzana, they haven’t exactly hit on all of them (see Rocchio and Gimenez).

Previous Rank: N/A

 

131. 2B Hao-Yu Lee (Tigers)

2024 AA: .301/.366/.494 | 8.6 BB% / 17.4 K%| 36 XBH, 12 HR, 16 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Jorge Polanco

Prime Skills: A little bit of power, a little bit of speed and hit first. Lee start with his hands up and they’re quick to get around on most pitches in the zone. He has a pretty above average across the board profile that won’t lead to him being a super star, but he should have a nice career as a consistent starter.

Ranking Explanation: Lee isn’t the sexiest prospect, but he does have a very safe profile with a fairly standard batted ball profile with nothing that sticks out as negative to go along with an above average hit tool, above average power and above average speed. Genao gets the edge with the much higher fantasy upside, but that doesn’t mean Lee is not a player.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

132. SP Jaden Hamm (Tigers)

2024 A+: 88 1/3 IP | 22.8 K-BB%, 13.9 SwStr%, 32.9 CSW% | 2.75 ERA, 1.10 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Late 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Andres Munoz as a starter

Prime Skills: Hamm is a fastball, changeup, curveball guy. The curve is ridiculous, a Waino-esk rainbow (which looks strange coming from his smaller frame) then an insane change up that simply disappears against righties, while the FB is a 92-94 MPH average-ish pitch with above average ride.

Ranking Explanation: Hamm was a fifth round pick last year by the Tigers and is the definition of a pop-up prospect as he has just completely dominated since coming on the scene. He looks like a stud pen arm at the floor and the ceiling is probably a top 40-50 starter. He has excellent control on top of the great secondaries noted above. He’s fallen back quite a bit since June, but I still like the stuff and want to see if there’s a rebound.

Pre-Season Rank: 72

 

133. 1B Tyler Locklear (Mariners)

2024 AA/AAA: .282/.390/.499 | 12.2 BB%, 24.2 K% (AAA ball) | 39 XBH, 14 HR, 5 SB

2024 MLB: .156/.224/.311 | 6.1 BB%, 40.8 K% | 3 XBH, 2 HR, 1 SB (16 games)

Age: 23

ETA: Debuted

fScores: N/A

Comp: Mitch Haniger-ish with a righty Beltran stance

Prime Skills: Hit tool, check. Power tool, check (near 92 MPH average EV at AAA). Slight speed with improving plate skills, I’m in! Locklear is coming off an injury shortened season so don’t take those counting stats for granted, I think he paces out for a 25 homer 10 steal guy in the future.

Ranking Explanation: Locklear is a 1B and I’m just not someone who will generally be high on 1B prospects, because it’s easy for them to get blocked. He’s a very good player who could make some All Star games, but I doubt he’s any sort of super star, so keep in mind the proximity is close, the floor is high, but the ceiling is limited. He dropped quite a bit for me in these rankings and there’s more than a little of it being a philosophy change away from proximity and more toward peak outcome in my evolution as a prospector.

Previous Rank: 60

 

134. SP Owen Wild (Rays)

Season (A+): 102 2/3 IP | 25.4 K-BB%, 18 SwStr%, 31 CSW% | 2.89 ERA, 1.16 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Joe Ryan / Nick Pivetta mash up

Prime Skills: Interesting overhand delivery with some crazy ride on a lower 90s velo fastball with his delivery. There’s some deception in this delivery that makes for a very interesting pitcher. He also has a slider and change up. He gets a lot of extension and has a ton of zip on his fastball, it has some fun run to it and the slider tunnels against it nicely.

Ranking Explanation: Wild has kind of come out of nowhere, but he’s been excellent all season and like Thomas White has been even better at high A than low A.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

135. OF Braylin Morel (Rangers)

2024 CPX: .307/.407/.575 | 11.5 BB% / 23.6 K%| 22 XBH, 7 HR, 12 SB

Age: 18

ETA: 2027

fScores: N/A (need AAA statcast data)

Comp: Wyatt Langford

Prime Skills: Big, strong OF who is more athletic than he looks and has a solid eye, but could work on cutting down the swing and miss.

Ranking Explanation: Morel has a lot of potential, especially in the power department, but is super raw. While I’m moving closer to peak value as more important than proximity value in the grand scheme of my rankings, I’m giving Locklear the edge because I really do think there’s a solid major league hitter in there and we could get some light Spencer Steer type stats out of him at first base.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

136. 2B / OF Luisangel Acuna (Mets)

2024 AAA: .269/.315/.375 | 6 BB%, 15.9 K% | 29 XBH, 6 HR, 31 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Sept. 2024

fScores (MAY): fContact 93, fDiscipline 86, fPower 66, fSpeed 200

Comp: Andres Gimenez with a Ronald Acuna batting stance

Prime Skills: Acuna has decent plate skills and speed for days. The power is about average and he could tap out at a 12-15 homer guy with 35-40 steals.

Ranking Explanation: I actually thought Acuna would be up by now, but the hit tool and plate skills haven’t really come together to make the athleticism play up. I still wouldn’t be surprised to see him come up in September and the dude should be nice for steals for fantasy, but he needs to get the ball off the ground more.

Previous Rank: 108

 

137. SP Owen Murphy (Braves)

2024 A+: 41 IP | 31 K-BB%, 13.7 SwStr%, 31.9 CSW% | 1.54 ERA, 0.73 WHIP

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Bryce Miller

Prime Skills: Murphy is a former first rounder who has a ridiculous fastball (up to 22″ IVB on it.) The fastball runs in the mid-90s has some nice ride to it and he’s good and pounding it into the top of the zone. He also has upside 60 grades on his slider and curve. He also throws a curve against a 12/6 slider, it would be killer if he could add a sweeper to the arsenal or something with more horizontal movement.

Ranking Explanation: I love Murphy and he would probably be closer to a top 50 guy if he didn’t just get TJ surgery. We probably won’t even see him pitch again until the end of 2025, but it’s a good thing he’s a younger guy so he will still only be 22 or so once he’s back in action.

Pre-Season Rank: 84

 

138. SP Matt Wilkinson (Guardians)

2024 A/A+: 102 2/3 IP | 23.9 K-BB%, 14.2 SwStr%, 34.9 CSW% (A+ ball) | 1.84 ERA, 0.90 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Lefty Lance Lynn

Prime Skills: Matt Wilkinson (otherwise known as Tugboat) is a big bodied lefty who pounds the zone with a high ride low 90s running fastball (tons of movement), a nice 78-80 MPH sweeper and a change up.

Ranking Explanation: He might end up pitching out of the pen unless he can raise the velo, but his stuff has some real movement to it and the resulting stats can’t be easily discounted despite not having killer velo.

Pre-Season Rank: N/A

 

139. OF Yoeilin Cespedes (Red Sox)

2024 CPX: .319/.400/.615 | 11.4 BB%, 18.1 K% | 16 XBH, 5 HR, 3 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jose Altuve

Prime Skills: Tiny dude who plays shortstop, but has some nice power for the size. The swing is mechanically sound and a thing of beauty that should lead to a high end hit tool.

Ranking Explanation: Cespedes broke his hamate bone and has not been able to play in A ball and when checking out his stats, it should be taken into consideration that he was playing in Florida Complex League (a more difficult hitting environment), not Arizona.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

140. C Josue Briceno (Tigers)

2024 CPX: .319/.400/.615 | 11.4 BB%, 18.1 K% | 16 XBH, 5 HR, 3 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Mid 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Bigger MJ Melendez

Prime Skills: Huge 6′ 5″ catcher who will probably move off due to the size and has not really developed the power to match his EVS or size, but the hit tool has been spectacular, as are the plate skills.

Ranking Explanation: This is a guy who needs to develop more bat speed and better swing mechanics to maximize his potential. He’s big, strong, has a great eye and can make contact, but just needs to get around on pitches faster to generate more hard contact that results in damage.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

141. OF Yanquiel Fernandez (Rockies)

2024 AA/AAA: .277/.331/.420 | 7.5 BB%, 19.1 K% (AA ball) | 28 XBH, 10 HR, 1 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: Yordan Alvarez-light w/ worse plate skills

Prime Skills: Big time power bat who will be in Colorado and started in AA as a 20-year-old. Generally his hit tool is solid, but he needs to develop good plate skills to be an elite player at the major league level. The upside is there if he can reign in the Ks, because the power is legit 30 homer power if he hits his peak outcome like he did in high A.

Ranking Explanation: Fernandez has actually been a more consistent hitter this year and it’s good to see, but what happened to the power from A ball and high A? He is ahead on age to level, but until we see the power I can’t bump him over guys that might have higher potentials like Briceno.

Previous Rank: 110

 

142. SP Carson Palmquist (Rockies)

2024 AA/AAA: 90 1/3 IP | 23.9 K-BB%, 14.8 SwStr%, 31.9 CSW% | 3.79 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Mid 2025

fScores: N/A

Comp: mini Chris Sale

Prime Skills: Palmquist has a funky arm action that is less than 3/4 that helps his stuff play up since it comes out from such a different angle. The fastball runs at 92-93 MPH and he also rocks a slider and change up with very Chris Sale-light type vibes.

Ranking Explanation: Palmquist gets hurt in the rankings by being a Rockies pitcher, but the arm action might actually play up in Coors. He started off the season hot, but has not been the same guy since the last week of May (basically since my last rankings came out).

Previous Rank: 101

 

143. SS Jefferson Rojas (Cubs):

2024 A+: .251/.315/.345 | 5.8 BB%, 15.8 K% | 19 XBH, 6 HR, 21 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Smaller Xander Boegaerts

Prime Skills: Rojas has a good hit tool and enough power and speed to fill all categories as a solid to above average player across the baord.

Ranking Explanation: Rojas is young for his age-to-level, which is a boost to his potential as he’s holding his own hit wise in high A as only a 19-year-old. He’s been pretty bad since my last rankings update, but he’s still ahead on age-to-level and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt to stay on my Top 150 for at least until the next iteration based on some of the upside we have seen.

Pre-Season Rank: 123

 

144. OF Henry Bolte (Athletics)

2024 A+/AA .258/.366/.473 | 9.6 BB% / 38.2 K% (AA ball) | 47 XBH, 15 HR, 38 SB

Age: 20

fScores: N/A

Comp: Righty Nolan Jones

Prime Skills: Bolte put up a decent steals total and some solid power numbers last year, but a high BABIP and high K rate made him look like a small ball version of Nolan Jones in a bad organization, but this year even though the concerns are the same (.406 BABIP in high A), the power is way up and he looks like he could kind of be an actual copycat Nolan Jones where he’s just going to project as a 25/35 type guy with a volatile batting average. Super toolsy though, which is fun.

Ranking Explanation: This dude has a terrible hit tool, but the power and speed especially at age-to-level are so enticing it makes him a fun upside gamble this late in the rankings. I’m not buying the hit tool coming around or he would be much higher in my rankings, but if he can develop even an average hit tool, he’s going to be a fantasy stud.

Pre-Season Rank: N/A

 

146. SP Jonah Tong (Mets)

2024 A/A+: 88 IP | 20.1 K-BB%, 13.7 SwStr%, 30.3 CSW (A+ ball) | 2.86 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

Age: 21

ETA: 2026

Comp: Jared Jones light

Prime Skills: Killer IVB on a mid 90s fastball (hitting 95-96 MPH now) and a big curve that drops right in on hitters. He had some big time velo increase this year and we are seeing a decrease in command at high A vs. A ball.

Ranking Explanation: Tong demolished A ball, but has only been very good at high A rather than continuing to destroy like Matt Wilkinson. The stuff actually looks better than Wilkinson, but Wilkinson seems to get a lot more production out of his stuff than Tong (who has some control issues). Palmquist only gets the edge to Tong because of production, though Tong has better stuff and an ultimately better home destination in the bigs.

Pre-Season Rank: N/A

 

147. 1B / OF Ryan Clifford (Mets)

2024 A+/AA: .212/.364/.400 | 15.5 BB%, 29.2 K% (AA ball) | 36 XBH, 14 HR, 4 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Early 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Vinnie Pasquantino with more Ks

Prime Skills: This kid has a big time power and a decent eye to take a walk, but the hit tool and K rate are both suspect.

Ranking Explanation: The power is legit at a young age, he might struggle at upper levels with the Ks, but he makes good contact. The lack of speed and the fact he’s a lefty will probably make him a lower BABIP hitter. He’s performed much better from a power standpoint in AA than high A and is running only a .259 BABIP there, so there might be more of a hit tool in the bat, but we haven’t seen it yet.

Previous Rank: 140

 

148. SP Ty Madden (Tigers)

2024 AA/AAA: 90 1/3 IP | 16.7 K-BB%, 14.8 SwStr%, 27.2 CSW% | 7.07 ERA, 1.59 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Early 2025

fScores (MAY): 110 fStuff, 97 fControl, 107 fERA

Comp: Jack Flaherty

Prime Skills: Four quality pitches, including a 93-94 MPH fastball with really nice ride that he likes to burn guys with high in the zone, a killer slider that tunnels his fastball well and a curve that is best used down in the zone. The changeup is also solid against righties.

Ranking Explanation: It’s been a tale of two seasons between the two different levels. Obviously the AAA schedule includes robo umps, which infamously have been affecting a good deal of pitching prospects when they jump levels. It makes me think some of these guys should just skip AAA in general, because who’s to say the ABS doesn’t do more damage (changing mindset) than good (tightening the zone for better control). Who is the real Ty Madden, dominate AA Madden or depth starter AAA Madden? He has a near .400 BABIP against him all year at AAA.

Pre-Season Rank: 79

 

149. C Blake Mitchell (Royals)

2024 A: .255/.389/.465 | 16.8 BB%, 29.7 K% | 35 XBH, 16 HR, 23 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Austin Wells with speed

Prime Skills: Mitchell was the eighth overall pick in 2024. He’s been an absolute wrecking ball in A ball this year with the big questions being the hit tool, too many strikeouts and the fact he’s still in A ball at 20-years-old.

Ranking Explanation: Mitchell never hits the ball on the ground, which is great for power, but not for batting average. He has enough speed that it might be beneficial for him to lift the ball a little less. If the K rate was closer to 20%, he would be closer to a top 100 prospect for me than on the edge of 150.

Previous Rank: N/A

 

150. OF Yasser Mercedes (Twins)

2024 CPX/A: .292/.391/.488 | 27 XBH, 6 HR, 21 SB

Age: 19

ETA: Late 2026

fScores: N/A

Comp: Jackson Chourio / Luis Robert

Prime Skills: Mercedes is repeating complex right now and should be up in A ball sooner, rather than later. Mercedes has really quick hands and has a frame to build more muscle as well, he’s more wiry at this point than muscular and at 19-years-old is a tad older for complex and while despite destroying DSL last year, he struggled to get going at complex with a near 30% swinging strike rate.

Ranking Explanation: Mercedes has some super fun potential, but he’s had a rough go at A ball and he’s had trouble when he moves up from level-to-level in the same year. I had to sneak him in here though, because I love the swing and he could be fun if he figures out the hit tool.

Previous Rank: 146

Graduated from the May ranking update: 1. OF Wyatt Langford (Rangers), 3. OF James Wood (Nationals), 4. SP Paul Skenes (Pirates), 15. 3B Noelvi Marte (Reds), 21. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), 30. SP Shane Baz (Rays), 51. OF Joey Loperfido (Blue Jays), 90. SP Ben Brown (Cubs), 132. C Tyler Soderstrom

***Note, Prematurely removed due to them being so close to graduation, or due to age and injuries bumping them from prospect status by the next time we see them: 23. SP Christian Scott (Mets), 38. OF Heston Kjerstad (Orioles), 39. SP Drew Thorpe (White Sox), 47. SP Max Meyer (Marlins), 77. 2B Ronny Mauricio (Mets), 89. SP Robert Gasser (Brewers), 97. SS Brooks Lee (Twins)

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