Today's list kicks off our 2023 top prospect coverage with our ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems coming Friday and our team-by-team prospect lists for both leagues scheduled to follow next week. He has plus power potential and solid-average tools across the board. He has always been built like a bowling ball, so his mobility isn't his biggest strength defensively. Ortiz was famous to scouts for putting up gaudy numbers in a bandbox at New Mexico State and being the "the shortstop is pretty good, too" next to eventual top-10 pick second baseman Nick Gonzales. Cowser was a standout hitter at Sam Houston State who took a clear step forward athletically in his draft spring, going from outfield tweener to a center fielder with enough power to look like a potential everyday player. Type: A 6-5 (or possibly taller! Type: Square-framed corner type with big lefty thump. He is shorter than you'd prefer an elite pitching prospect at 6-feet tall, but was a plus athlete with a plus-plus-slider, mid-90s heat and plenty of changeup and command to make it all work. Alex Ramirez, CF, New York Mets 1 overall pick as early as his sophomore year of high school in Southern California. If you look back over the past five to 10 years for players who did these things, you get a list that includes Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Chourio has the kind of upside where it's just normal to mention him next to those two names. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Now imagine a homerun hitter with a natural uppercut to his swing. De La Cruz actually hit over .300 at both High-A and Double-A last year in big samples. Zavala ended the season with a broken hamate bone and was hanging around the 125-150 area of this list until the very end, basically at the top of the "if you have a good 2023 season, you're on next year's list" range. He's an above-average hitter with a good sense of the strike zone and average raw power, though his power production will likely be a tick below average. His numbers were actually better in 2022 than 2021 and his slider became his best secondary pitch. The upside here is 55 or 60 hit, 60 pitch selection, 55 or 60 power and a fine defensive catcher. It's never likely any player turns into the Hall of Famer they resemble most, but even if comparing a prospect to Scherzer -- the outlier of outliers -- is a fool's errand, it's just hard to ignore the profiles being similar. Arroyo got a promotion to High-A late in the year, hitting 14 homers and stealing 25 bases across both levels. All this to say, the pick seemed like a great one for the White Sox at the time and has worked out even better than expected so far. Neto popped up in the 2021 fall as a potential late first-round pick and followed up with an excellent spring at Campbell en route to going No. His pitch selection is among the best in the minors -- let's call it plus-plus -- he has had all-field plus power and a swing geared to getting to it for years. The selling points were deception, feel and knowing how to pitch, more than the raw stuff. How he hits at higher levels this year will give us an idea of what sort of hitter he'll be against regularly 95 mph-plus velocity, but he has the tools to be an above-average hitter with above-average pitch selection and 30-plus homers. 1? His slider and changeup are both above-average-to-plus and his curveball plays around average but brings a nice additional look to the table. He spent a year at a junior college, then two years exclusively in the bullpen for the Aggies, eventually being passed over in the five-round 2020 draft. Prospect Rankings Depth Charts MLB Players 42 overall pick, mainly because of questions about his ability to make contact and stick at shortstop long term. Lee is fine as a fill-in shortstop but fits well at third base, and he's a savant in the batter's box. The Cards now have a glut of young position players at-or-near the big leagues that need to sort themselves out, but Winn figures to get a crack at the shortstop job, probably in 2024. Hit: 40/50, Game Power: 50/65, Raw Power: 70/70, Speed: 45/40, Fielding: 45/50, Throwing: 60/60. LHP: Brandon Barriera (TOR), Matthew Liberatore (STL), Kyle Muller (OAK), Jared Shuster (ATL), Carson Whisenhunt (SF), Brandon Williamson (CIN) C: He didn't pitch the summer after signing, but buzz started growing. He also stole 28 bases and still looks like an above-average defender at shortstop, so all the elements are here. Michael Busch, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers contact skills) is also the best among that group, and he has plus speed to help leg out some infield hits. The second is "reminds me of." In 2021 (and behind closed doors because of the canceled 2020 minor league season) he took a massive step forward, adding about 20 pounds of muscle and a new swing geared to that frame, hitting 27 homers in 109 games. Stroud had a great pro day and it further solidified his case as one of the two best QBs in this draft class. That also puts a cap on potential upside if he basically has to be valued like a first baseman, whether that's where he's playing or not, and it makes him another prospect with small margin for error if he doesn't hit at the level that's expected. He might not be able to do all three of those, but even just two of the three means he ends up like Bichette, Adames, or Bogaerts, who last year put up 4.5, 4.7, and 6.1 WAR, respectively. Frelick has plus-plus contact skills and above-average pitch selection along with plus speed and an intense mentality. Type: Late-inning-caliber power stuff, but he can turn over a lineup at least once. I find it difficult to come up with comparisons for the players at the top of these lists as they are outliers in many ways, which you then have to compare among the other outliers in the big leagues, and they rarely match up perfectly to another player. Ranking all 30 MLB systems for 2023 As you can probably guess, the question here is on the overall offensive impact. He flashes four plus pitches, plus athleticism, and starter command pretty regularly now, but the quality of the total package and his feel for execution still come and go. Type: Flashes three plus pitches, athleticism and starter command. 10. Normally, if this type of prospect has two good pitches as a teenager that would be enough to rank among the best prospects in the game, with the main question if they can come up with a third, or have enough command to be a starter. Reminds me of: He's somewhere in the Venn diagram of Gary Sanchez, Cal Raleigh, Salvador Perez and Willson Contreras. Play Ball Youth Baseball & Softball. Are you gonna make me say it? The selling point was that I didn't know his name because he wasn't playing much summer baseball due to getting Power 5 interest as a 6-4 point guard in Indiana. Abel was a standout pitching prospect early in high school, standing 6-foot-5 and getting into the mid-90s with feel for a breaking ball and throwing strikes. He was part of the pandemic-affected 2020 draft class and came out of the gates slower than expected that spring, then never got a chance to right the ship. Type: Positionless Canadian-born hitting robot sent from the future. 34 overall pick in 2019, as a mid-major pitcher from Ball State with some violence to his delivery and below-average command. WebStatcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Lee was a late-first-round prospect in high school, but teams were ultimately scared off by a back issue. He's a 55 runner, and I don't think he's quite quick enough to be a plus defender at short, but has (no surprise) strong instincts in all phases. Lesko was on the national scouting scene as early as his freshman year in high school, when he was sitting in the low-90s, mixing in a plus changeup and understandably putting up goofy numbers. He'll be in Triple-A this year after hitting 30 homers in Double-A as a 20-year-old, so bet against him at your peril. There's a non-zero chance he turns into an ace, but I'd expect an outcome more like a second/third starter -- which the Giants could really use after a tough offseason. Type: Simple, powerful righty swing but not sure about the rest. Mayer has the choice to lean more into power or contact, but either way he will come with defensive value, like Yelich did in the outfield. That said, Elly consistently hits the ball hard and can leg out infield hits, so I wouldn't just assume he's a locked-in .240 hitter against big league pitching, either. Type: Late bloomer with three plus pitches, chance to start. Arroyo and Williams are back-to-back here because they're pretty similar prospects. As a 19-year-old in Low-A, Amador hit .292/.415/.445 with 15 homers, 26 stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts. Cristian Hernandez, SS, Chicago Cubs Expectations have come down a bit as Veen looks more like he might give you 55-grade tools across the board as a right fielder, which is a good-not-great player -- though there's still some chance he could still develop into a middle-of-the-order terror. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, as an under slot choice that set up the rest of the Pirates' draft. Hit: 30/40, Game Power: 40/65, Raw Power: 65/70, Speed: 70/70, Fielding: 45/55, Throwing: 45/45, Reminds me of: A sealed mystery bag of fireworks with a wick sticking out, I wasn't sure where to put Chourio so I sent this list around for thoughts with him here, and nobody told me to move him. Veen was expected to turn into a middle-of-the-order terror and has largely stayed the same while Hassell was expected to continue being the same sort of player and largely has -- with the most notable change in Hassell's career being that he was included in the four-player package for Juan Soto. He's big league ready, and those defensive issues are the only thing making anyone hesitate. We've all been burned dreaming on a fireballing young prospect, but Espino is so fun to watch that he makes me want to believe he's one that will click. Need to know what to make of the moves that shape the offseason? He likely would've gotten more money with a full spring, but he had an up-and-down summer with some swing tinkering. Type: Premium hitter with enough other tools to be a strong everyday player. Bradley was a late prep pop-up prospect in the 2018 draft as a 17-year-old with above-average arm strength and some idea how to spin the ball. Type: Smaller-framed shortstop with sure bat and glove, sneaky power. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft, going one pick before another prep outfielder from the southeast, Zac Veen (No. The D-backs took him in the fifth round of the pandemic-affected 2020 draft, and he showed that he was bound for a big league rotation. Rodriguez was part of Pittsburgh's return in the convoluted three-way deal that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego, coming from the Mets for lefty Joey Lucchesi, who has thrown just 38 innings in the big leagues for New York. Scouts are now projecting above-average command of a 70-grade fastball that is 95-98 mph with plus life and a plus curveball. LIke the Braves just did on the NL side, the O's have a shot to sweep the AL ROY voting with Henderson and Rodriguez finishing 1-2. It wasn't shocking because of Painter's 2022 velo spike that helped his stuff play even a notch higher than it did when he went No. Type: Switch-hitting shortstop with above-average power and speed. First the good: He is 6-7 with deceptively plus speed and loose, easy actions in all phases, especially a low-effort lefty swing that creates massive raw power. Other tools like throwing for position players or off-speed pitches are more based on visual evaluations, but there are some objective figures to round observations up or down. Marte currently looks like an above-average hitter with above-average in-game power, but his physical development, ultimate defensive home and offensive approach will evolve over the coming years. Type: Corner-utility type who can really hit. Type: Dynamic athlete with an everyday shortstop look. This isn't a true comparison, because most players don't have a one-for-one perfect analog. Following the graduation of Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza, Mets 2022 first-round draft pick Jett Williams became the latest addition to MLB's Top 100 prospect list. James Triantos, 3B, Chicago Cubs 2023 ESPN 100 Watchlist The Dodgers are hoping Vargas can be an average defender at third base, but he's a bit below that there and at second base. The sales pitch today is the same as draft time in 2020: plus hit/approach/power and the feel to get to it in games. This is a somewhat familiar song to prospect watchers; Nate Pearson was sort of like this a few years ago, Forrest Whitley before him, and so on. With the new ROY service time rules, the O's could and should put Rodriguez on the Opening Day roster, as he's probably their third-best starter right now. Davis missed about half of the 2022 season with a broken wrist and later some lingering soreness, so we can't fully judge him on his 2022 surface stats, but he has been a bit below expectations thus far. Hayden Wesneski, RHP, Chicago Cubs Johnson is a squatty, second-base-only fit with average speed and arm strength, but that's not why he was the fourth overall pick. Wicks went No. Its intent is to explain a player's ranking in a handful of simple words by saying they remind me of a current All-Star and have that as their high-risk upside, but you can also see why a lower-risk player might rank higher. Biggest challenge in my job is keeping these players straight:Logan S. Allen, LHP, Guardians (went to HS in FL)Logan T. Allen, LHP, Guardians (went to HS in FL)Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi StateTanner Allen, LF, Marlins (formerly Miss. Pfaadt took even another step forward in 2022, dominating Double-A and Triple-A over 167 innings, with scouts raving about his feel and competitiveness while penciling him in as a mid-rotation fit as soon as the middle of 2023. He's also a switch-hitter and, unlike Oneil Cruz, De La Cruz has a skinnier build that allows him to actually play a big-league-caliber shortstop. Reminds me of: A Giants low-slot lefty starter with above average stuff and command. The Rays scooped him up in the fifth round and his breakout season occurred in 2021. His rise has been a slow burn as the Cards have tried to manage his workload, but Hence was outrageously good in 16 starts in Low-A last year. Over the past two seasons, Rocchio has hit 33 home runs and stolen 35 bases, showing his feel for the game by getting the most out of good-not-great raw tools. He was nearly the full package as a shortstop, with only power missing, and also a second-or-third round talent as a pitcher, with easy mid-90s heat, but he simply wasn't interested in pursuing pitching as a pro. Henderson hit his 90th-percentile projection, crushing Double-A then crushing Triple-A then crushing the big leagues -- all at age 21. Henderson was No. He returned with some swing tweaks and performed well in 2022, hitting his way to High-A with 16 homers and 32 stolen bases. Hence has thrown only 60 pro innings, but there are some who think he could become the top pitching prospect in the game when St. Louis lets him loose. Type: Advanced hitter growing into his power. A handful of teams ran him up their boards after seeing him before the shutdown because the projection was so enticing. Type: Above-average-to-plus fastball, slider, curveball and command. The flat fastball and uphill swing don't intersect for long, which means less contact. If this all feels negative, he is ranked this high because he could break out and hit .270 with 25 homers at shortstop if things ever just click into place. He's the Venezuelan-born younger brother of the major league utility infielder of the same name and signed for $20,000 as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of an Arizona junior college. To those in the industry though, he was the name that drew the most intrigue because of his massive upside while having appeared in only eight official pro games at the time of the deal. Now buzz is growing that Painter might break camp with the big league team this spring, as GM Dave Dombrowski remains one of few GMs in the league not trying to win a gold medal in the Service Time Olympics. I'll lean to the higher offensive potential in Mayo, who also happens to be in a better farm system for hitter development, though the White Sox are trending up with Colson Montgomery, Ramos, Oscar Colas and Lenyn Sosa having strong 2022 seasons. The Texans would jump at the chance to take Bryce Young But with a strong 2023, he'll move up into that 60 FV tier with Harrison. He leaned on his split-grip changeup more at Florida International, and the Guardians made him a second-round pick in 2020 due largely to his feel as a pitchability left-hander. He will likely find a happy medium on the contact vs. power spectrum in the coming years, but even when striking out a lot, Williams had above-average pitch selection.