March 14, 2015
It’s prospecting time again with yet another list of
baseball’s top young players. Unlike the ones produced by Baseball
Without further adieu, I give
you my top fantasy prospects for 2015 and beyond:
1) Byron Buxton
Last year’s #1 is still at
the top despite struggling through an injury-plagued season. There’s nothing to
indicate that his injuries lessened his tools and all of them grade above
average. Power is probably his weakest tool but even that
projects to a hitter with 15-20 home run power, perhaps more. His speed
and defense both grade out as high as the scouting scale allows so we’re
talking about a potential Eric Davis-type impact player. Granted, the frequency
of his injuries is concerning long-term but when he’s on the field he’s a top
10 talent. I comped him last
year with Cesar Cedeno, whose average season during
his peak was 20 homers and 56 steals with a slashline
of .295/.362/.481 despite playing his home games in the uber-pitcher-friendly
Astrodome. Target Field is a little more hitter friendly but the stats sound
about right once he reaches maturity.
2) Lucas Giolito
I know pitchers usually get a
bad rap as prospects because their injuries are so high profile but I am
surprised more evaluators don’t have Giolito higher.
In his first season coming back from Tommy John surgery he was throwing in the
high 90s topping 100 a few times with very good control. The velo wasn’t surprising but the control coming back so
quickly was. Granted, it was in the Sally League but he’s still only 19 years
old. He was once considered one of the best high-school right-handers ever and
had it not been for the elbow injury he would have likely been the first to be
taken first overall in the amateur draft. That talent didn’t go away. Scouts
grade his fastball at the top of the scale, his curve at the top or very near
the top, his change as above average as well as his control, and his make-up
off the charts. He’s essentially a bigger, stronger version of Felix Hernandez.
3) Kris Bryant
Bryant answered many of the
questions I had about his ability to make contact last year but I do think it’s
still a concern. He struck out 162 times in under 500 at bats last split
between Double-A and Triple-A. He was still young for the level (22) but not
especially young that one could dismiss it completely. What plays and will be
his calling card is his top of the scale power. The last Cubs farm product that
had this much power was… well, no one. Sammy Sosa was a product of the Ranger’s
system and came to the Cubs as a major leaguer. Andre Dawson came as a
free-agent. Ron Santo didn’t have this kind of power. Ernie Banks was a product
of the Negro Leagues. Hack
4) Yoan
Moncada
This name might be surprising
this high but his ability is likened to that of Robinson Cano with speed. So, a 19-year old switch-hitting middle-infielder with the size and
build to produce 25-homer power and speed to steal 30-40 bases? Basically Mike Trout playing in the infield. The only reason
I don’t have him ranked higher is because he hasn’t played in the minors yet so
I don’t know how he’ll handle the cultural adjustment. Nor do we really know
how disciplined he is at the plate. His stats in the Cuban League indicate he
has a pretty good eye, but so did Alex Guerrero at the same age and under the
same circumstances and he hasn’t quite panned out. The tools are there for
greatness and he’s still young enough to learn how to apply them. The
unanswered question is make-up and that could be significant. Still, the payoff
could be huge.
5) Joey Gallo
I don’t think there is any
question that Gallo has more power than Bryant, which is hard to believe
because Bryant is basically King Kong. But anyone who watched Gallo hit in the
Future’s Game will not debate that point at all. The question, like Bryant but
even moreso, is how much contact he will make as he
ascends toward the majors. One of the reasons I had him in my top 50 last year
where no one else did was because of the immense improvement in plate
discipline he showed over the final two months of that season. That fact would
go unnoticed to someone who was only looking at his season-ending stats.
Giancarlo Stanton was wrongly under-appreciated in the low minors for the very
same reason. Gallo surprised many observers with the early adjustments he made
that resulted in a torrid start in the Carolina League. Even though we didn’t
see the same kind of dramatic improvements after he made the jump to Double A
that we saw in 2013, there were still discernable improvements in his
decision-making at the plate. Since he is two years younger than Bryant, I’m a
little more optimistic that his path will more resemble
6) Carlos Correa
I will admit that Correa
showed better than I thought he would last year. Even injury-shortened it was
still an impressive year. I haven’t changed my view on his physical tools (he’s
definitely no young ARod) but I was very impressed
with his ability to comprehend the game. His stolen base rate went way up but I
would far more attribute that to his ability to read pitchers and understand
optimal times to run rather than any raw physical asset. His understanding of
the strikezone also improved significantly. His home
run total was not very impressive but the power was still evident with a
significant increase in triples. It will be very interesting to see how he
continues to develop this season at Double-A. I still see him at third base
long term but I don’t have as many questions about his ability to become a
star.
7) Addison Russell
Unlike everyone higher than
him on this list, Russell does not have any tools that grade out as exceptional.
What makes him special is that there is no question what position he will play
in the majors and that he has no real weaknesses in his game. The only thing
holding him back is experience. Last year began with a bumpy start and then he
got traded to a team that has more shortstop prospects than positions on the
field. But I have great confidence that when he gets his chance he will be the
Cubs starting shortstop for the foreseeable future. I’ve likened him to a
poor-man’s Barry Larkin but I don’t think that is true any more. He’s not a
poor man’s anyone. From age 24-35 Larkin averaged 13 homers and 25 steals a
season with a slash-line of .305/.383/.467. That doesn’t seem beyond Russell’s
capability although I think Russell might have a little more power and a little
less speed. Even though Starlin Castro is signed
through 2019, I think the Russell era will begin in 2016 with Castro either
moving to second or to another team.
8) Corey Seager
The more talented Seager brother (which is saying something since Kyle is a
terrific third baseman) will probably begin his major league career in earnest
in 2016. The Dodgers acquired the final year of Jimmy Rollins contract
presumably so they did not have to rush Seager into
the spotlight at short but all signs point to his being ready to go now. Seager is not blessed with great speed but everything else
in his toolbox is high-quality. Still only 20 years old, there are still some
minor refinements he will be able to work on in Triple-A this season with a
likely late season call-up. He looked very comfortable in his first few spring
at bats against major league competition, which is usually a good sign that he belongs there. If Rollins gets injured there is
no reason why Seager can’t fill in immediately.
9) Julio Urias
Could Urias
become the next Cliff Lee? It’s certainly possible. I normally don’t trust
pitchers who don’t have a plus fastball, but his curve, cambio
(that’s Spanish for change-up) and control are so good already at age 18 that I
am naturally drawn to believing that he could be the next great control
pitcher. That’s not to say his fastball isn’t good. It’s still an above average
offering and as young as he is there’s a decent chance he’ll add some more
velocity. He still has the significant
hurdle of facing Double-A hitters, but if he handles them the same way he’s
handled the last two levels the Dodgers will be hard pressed to keep him in the
minors past his 19th birthday. He’s a little undersized (Lee stands
6’4”, while Urias is 5’11”) so he doesn’t have the
advantage of downward plane which will probably limit his upside but this is
still one tremendous pitching talent. The Fernando Valenzuela comps might not
be too far off.
10) Daniel Norris
This offseason Norris became
known as much for his tour of the States living out of his VW minibus as he was
for his ability to pitch. But to refresh your memory on how good a pitcher he
became in 2014, he scorched through three levels striking out a ridiculous 163
batters in a little more than 124 innings before making his major league debut
striking out David Ortiz with the game in the balance during a relief
appearance. The rest of his major league experience was not as impressive but
that might have been because he was pitching with bone chips in his elbow.
Surgically cleaned up this winter and healthy for spring, he is probably the
favorite to break camp as the Blue Jays fifth starter this year. He offers four
average or better offerings including a fastball with life that reaches 95 mph.
That stuff plays up even better though because of his tremendous maturity and
instincts.
11) Carlos Rodon
Rodon was at the top of just about everyone’s draft list
last year – with the obvious exceptions of the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins
– and with good reason. Lefties with live fastballs and wipeout sliders are
pretty rare. More than a few evaluators have said that once Rodon
makes the majors that his slider will be one of the top four of five sliders in
the bigs. His change-up is a work in progress but
should be average to a tick above. The biggest issue he needs to address is
command of his fastball, which he’s had trouble locating on the edges resulting
in a high rate of walks. Once he gets settled, along with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana
and Jeff Samardzija, the White Sox will have the best
starting staff in the AL Central and one of the best in baseball.
12) Tyler Glasnow
Baseball
13) Miguel Sano
Sano wouldn’t be on this list were it not for an injury that cost him his entire 2014 season. He possesses upper end power but like the Cubs’ Javier Baez appears to have some holes in his swing that will make it difficult for him to fully implement it. Still, a 20-year old hitting 35 homers split between the extremely hitter friendly Florida State League and Double A New Britain? That’s a hitter to have a lot of patience with as he figures it out, just as the Cubs will with Baez. Unfortunately for fantasy teams, that patience may require enduring some brutal summers where he hits .200. The key for both players is how quickly they really understand their limitations. Pitchers in the majors don’t make nearly as many mistakes as they do in the minors. The sooner Sano realizes that he’ll have to take his lumps waiting for the mistakes rather than getting himself out on pitches he can’t handle, the sooner he’ll become a very useful fantasy asset.
14) Jon Gray
My brain says “no” but my gut says “yes” to putting Gray here. I have no doubt he’s a top 20 talent but
last year’s struggles left me with some trepidation. I say “struggles” because
I expected him to be in the majors before the end of his first full
professional season but in retrospect that was unrealistic. Fatigue was a
significant factor as to why his numbers and mechanics deteriorated late but
that’s not uncommon for pitchers in their first full season of professional
ball. Last spring his velocity was down around 92-93 and he peaked at around 96
during the season. This spring he’s already been clocked at 97, which was what
he was pitching at regularly when he was drafted. The
15) Alex Jackson
16) Aaron Nola
Nola’s fastball is a tick
above average but his control of both his stuff and his emotions on the mound
are probably the best in the minors. For three years he pitched in the toughest
conference in the NCAA and on the college game’s biggest stage. Over his last
two seasons he was 23-2 with an ERA of 1.52, striking out more than a batter
per inning and walking an average of 1.6 batters per game. And in LSU’s biggest
games he was always money: in conference and post-season games last year, he
finished 7 innings or more in 10 of his 12 starts and held the opposition to 2
runs or less nine times. He might very well be pitching in
17) Dylan Bundy
Bundy has been the Orioles
top prospect for the last three years, largely due to injuries that have kept
him from developing as quickly as everyone thought he would. In 2013 he made a
huge splash in his professional debut, striking out 40 in 30 innings at Low-A
Delmarva while only allowing 5 hits and 2 walks. Few pitchers at any level or
any circumstance attain that kind of dominance. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen
anything close to that from Bundy since. Control has been the biggest issue but
that in large part can be attributed to the arm injury he suffered and the
recovery period after surgery. Late last season he began to flash the same form
as displayed in Delmarva, leaving hope that he is fully recovered this spring.
When healthy, his fastball is consistently in the high 90s which he mixes with
a good curve and change.
18) Jorge Soler
Many comparisons to Vladimir Guerrero have been drawn for Soler and they aren’t altogether unfair. He does swing and make contact with a lot of pitches and he does have good power and a strong throwing arm. However, Vlad had longer arms and was thus able to make contact with many more pitches that seemed otherwise unhittable. He also had more power, more speed, a better eye at the plate and his throwing arm was considered one of the best in the history of the game. But yeah, I can see where they were coming from. Seriously, Soler is a fine hitter but he’s not Vlad Guerrero mk.2. A better comp might be a right-handed Josh Reddick. Still very good and useful for fantasy purposes, but not someone you blow the budget on. Ever.
19) J.P. Crawford
Crawford was already the heir
apparent to Jimmy Rollins in
20) Joc
Pederson
I really do like Joc Pederson and it might seem crazy to place a hitter who
just posted the first 30/30 season in the PCL since 1934 this low on a prospect
list. But part of his success there has to do with the ballpark and the
altitude in Albequerque, as well as his manager’s
willingness to let him run into outs. Sure, he stole 30 bases but he also got
caught 13 times. He also struck out in over a third of his at bats. And that
30-home run power came at the expense of doubles power, which given the
divisional parks he’ll be playing in will revert back to doubles power. He’s
much closer to 20-homer power than 30-homer power. He’s got a good eye at the
plate for balls and strikes so he’ll get his walks but this talent set is that
of a good-to-very-good player, not a great one. It’ll be interesting to see if
the contact issues he experienced in his cup of coffee last year were due to
small sample or a larger problem but he reminds me a lot of Jeremy Hermida.
21) Archie Bradley
Bradley would appear to be a
carbon copy of Tyler Glasnow (that should probably be
reversed as Bradley is a year older) but with slightly shorter levers (he
stands only 6’4”). Both possess premium fastballs, above average curveballs and
significant command issues. However, Bradley’s fastball and curve both grade a tick lower than Glasnow’s
and Bradley’s struggles with command have only increased as he’s progressed to
the higher levels despite being a year older. There’s still a good chance that
Bradley will develop into a very good starting pitcher but, unlike Glasnow, it’s looking more likely that he’ll be outside of
the elite.
22) Yasmany
Tomas
With Jose Abreu’s spectacular
debut last season, it seems like the whole world thinks that
23) Noah Syndergaard
Syndergaard is not as bad as he
looked last year but also not as good as he looked in 2013. All that to say
that he’s still a good pitching prospect but I’m not convinced he’s as good as
everyone says he is. His stuff grades well with good velocity on his fastball
and good break on his curve. However, his mechanics, while not poor, don’t help
his cause. He lacks deception in his motion and he’s struggled with consistency
in his delivery, which makes good stuff play down. He has the raw potential to
dominate yet doesn’t… kind of like Edwin Jackson. Call it a lack of make-up or
focus or determination or whatever. When he was traded from
24) Aaron Sanchez
Sanchez has some of the most
unhittable stuff in the minors, not just because of the velocity but also
because of the movement. So it’s surprising to hear so many suggest that his
eventual job will be as a closer or a late inning reliever rather than as a
starter. Part of that is due to the lack of command, but part of it is due to
his inability to maintain his composure when things don’t break his way. He
seems to pitch with more passion than precision, which is more the hallmark of
a short reliever than someone who is asked to go two or three times through a
line-up. How he performs this spring might have a huge impact on the direction
his career takes. If he handles starting duties well, the Jays would like to
see him there. But with concerns about Brett Cecil’s shoulder, Sanchez is a
strong candidate to become the default closer. He’s already proven he can
handle pitching in short bursts so if the starting gig isn’t immediately
obvious, he could end up getting stuck in the same career track that Jonathan Papelbon did. Once a pitcher is proven capable in the back
of the bullpen it’s rare for them to move back into the rotation
25) Francisco Lindor
Lindor is a perfect example of why this list is
significantly different than most other prospect lists. Lindor’s
glove is exceptional and he should find his way to the majors this year on the
strength of that. He’s a very good contact hitter but his power is average at
best. He’s registered a good number of stolen bases in the minors but that’s
mostly been due to instincts, not raw speed. In fact, he got caught 7 of 10
attempts in Triple-A. So he’s not going to get the green light much. So what you
have is a high average shortstop with modest speed and modest power… basically
a one-category fantasy player depending on where he bats in the line-up… which
is why he’s ranked here rather than closer to the top 10.
26) Henry Owens
There’s nothing exceptional
about Owens’ raw physical ability so his upside is rather limited. His
instincts and maturity on the mound, on the other hand, are about as good as it
gets. The result is that his stuff plays up better than it actually is and that
his downside is also rather limited. He’s going to be a solid major league
pitcher with an outside chance of having a few Cliff Lee type years once he
gets acclimated
27) Tyler Kolek
Kolek is a mountain of a human being, standing 6’5” and
weighing in at 260 pounds. He’s also what they call country-strong, having
worked on his father’s cattle farm for a good portion of his young life,
presumably bench-pressing steers and curling bales of hay. In baseball terms,
he possesses a fastball that has been clocked at a high school record 102 mph
with heavy sink, and supplements it with two potentially above average breaking
pitches (curve and slider). He’ll need to develop a change-up before he’s ready
for the majors but that’s at least a few years away. His rawness was in plain view
during his first professional season: he walked or struck out more than a third
of the batters he faced (31 of 88)
28) Brandon Finnegan
Finnegan drew much attention
for the unique feat he accomplished last season of pitching in both a College World
Series and Major League World Series in the same calendar year. Used as a lefty
set-up man in the Royals bullpen, his real role will be as a starter beginning
this season. His performance in spring training will determine whether or not
he begins in the minors to refine his change-up or if he’s ready now. He’s not
tall but his delivery is easy and can bring mid-90s heat in short outings. It
will probably sit in the low 90s once he gets established in the rotation. His
slider is graded as average or slightly above but it’s a pitch he can rely on
consistently. That’s one of the reasons he was so
successful as a reliever: he always had at least two pitches he could throw
where he wanted every time he took the mound. His upside is limited but he has
almost no downside.
29) Alex Meyer
For the past two years Alex
Meyer has spent at least some time on the shelf for shoulder soreness. That has
no doubt delayed his major league debut by at least a year. Last year’s bout
was attributed to fatigue and it kept him off the September roster. Meyer
features a high 90s fastball that occasionally touches 100, a low 90s sinking
fastball, a very good knuckle curve and an improving change-up. His 6’9” frame
gives him not only a release point that is closer to the plate than most
pitchers but also a significant downward trajectory that makes his fastballs
very tough to elevate. He turned 25 in January which is a little older than
most top prospects are when they make their major league debut but it should
happen this year and probably early in the season.
30) Jung-Ho Kang
The first thing I heard about
Kang was that he hit 40 home runs in the Korean League last year. My first
reaction was a yawn. The parks there are small and the pitching might only be
Double-A level. But then I heard that Marcus Thames was playing there and he
only hit 36 homers. Marcus Thames?! Hey, he wasn’t that bad a major league
hitter. A couple times he hit 25 homers in a season. And then I found out it
wasn’t Marcus Thames but Eric Thames, career minor leaguer. Big
difference. Back to the yawning. And then I saw
video of Kang hitting, with a huge timing step in his swing that will be abused
by major league pitchers. Still, the Pirates saw something in him and they are
focused on getting him playing time at second, third and short so I better take
a closer look. Good thing, too. This spring his step isn’t nearly as pronounced
and he’s actually pretty good at barreling up a fastball. We’ll have to wait
and see what he does with major league breaking pitches but there’s definitely
major league potential here. His power probably translates closer to 15 homers
rather than 40, but that’s still useful for a utility player.
31) Blake Swihart
Remember how Matt Wieters was going to become Joe Mauer,
but with more power? It hasn’t really
worked out that way yet. I’m not saying it couldn’t still, but we’re six years
into Wieters major league career and he hasn’t really
come close to hitting for high average over a full season,
much less win a batting title. I’m not knocking Wieters
or Swihart, who is an excellent hitter in his own
right. But comps to Mauer or Buster Posey for any
minor league catcher are ambitious at best and grossly unfair at worst. Those
two players are exceptional. I expect Swihart to
become a solid hitting catcher but it may take a few years for him to fully
develop as a hitter. His first few seasons will be focused on the things that
catchers do that don’t show up in the numbers like handling the pitching staff
and defensive responsibilities. This is why I rarely recommend taking minor
league catchers as prospects. So few develop quickly you’re simply better off
taking a veteran rather than paying the premium price for a prospect. And that
is one reason why Swihart is so low on this list.
Frankly, I’m not sure I understand why the Red Sox are so loathe to part with him if it will bring back a top pitcher. Sure,
he’s a solid hitter with some power but he does not show the same command of
the strikezone that any of the aforementioned
demonstrated at the same age, nor does he show the upper end power potential of
a Derrek Norris. Statistically, he looks more like Dioner Navarro.
32) Jesse Winker
Although it hasn’t shown up
in his home run numbers, Winker has the type of power that makes people stop
what they are doing to watch him hit. He has a good eye at the plate and even
when he struggled upon his promotion to Double-A last year, his walk and
strikeout numbers were pretty closely matched. Right now, the power is mostly
line-drive power to the alleys but with his eye and a little tweaking it could
develop into above average home run pop. Not much of a runner with only an
average arm, he’s best suited for left field.
33) Luis Severino
Severino, like all slight Dominican pitchers with a good fastball
and change-up, is often compared to Pedro Martinez. That doesn’t do either
player any favors but it is a decent starting point to look at who he is. He
features a mid-90s fastball that’s been clocked as high as 99 mph, a change-up
with lots of fade that he’s confident using in any count or situation, and a
decent slider that has the potential to be above average. What makes him not
just another young hard-thrower is that he works all four quadrants of the strikezone like a veteran and has maturity beyond his years
in both his decision-making and attitude on the mound. He won’t be Pedro but he
won’t put that comparison to shame either.
34) Kyle Schwarber
A catcher by trade,
evaluators are undecided as to whether he can stay behind the plate. The
temptation is to get his bat as quickly to the majors as possible. But the Cubs
have an avalanche of young hitting talent pushing its way to the majors so
there’s no rush if Schwarber can prove he can make it
wearing the tools of ignorance. His bat profiles as a middle of the order
hitter, with potential to hit .300 with 30-homer power. He has no speed to
speak of which is not surprising given his position.
But that’s the tricky part. Will he have enough speed to cover a corner
outfield spot or will he be relegated to first base, because DH is not an
option on the North Side of Chicago. And with Anthony Rizzo manning first base,
that’s not an option either for at least another decade. His catching skills
are barely rudimentary but he’s a tireless worker so no one is ruling it out as
a possibility. If the Cubs decide they just want the bat, he’ll have a chance
to break with the team as early as next year.
35) Manuel Margot
Margot is farther down most
lists largely because he’s had so little minor league experience. But he was
one of five players in the entire minors to produce a 10-homer, 40-steal season
last year and over .300 for the year with excellent plate discipline. He’s not just
a potential lead-off hitter, but a potentially great lead-off hitter. Even
those who aren’t as high on him admit that his floor is as a major league
fourth outfielder due his excellent defense alone. He’s probably not going to
develop above average power but the rest of his game is all plus.
36) Aaron Judge
Another prospect whose numbers
don’t match the perception, Judge looks like a hitter
who could hit 90-homers a season. He’s a giant in the box, standing 6’7”,
weighing 255 pounds and is built like a linebacker. He has the raw power one
would expect upon first inspection, but in the game his swing is short, compact
and geared toward hitting to all fields. His size opens holes in the strikezone to expploit but he’s
shown a keen ability to differentiate good pitch from bad so his walk totals
are closely aligned with his strikeouts. He’ll make his money in right-field
once he’s ready and like Winker previously on this list, with a few tweaks to
his approach we could see a massive shift from line-drives falling in the
alleys to balls soaring over the fences.
37) David Dahl
From a strictly tools
standpoint, I like Dahl more than Joc Pederson. He
has more raw power and speed and is at least as good at putting the bat to the
ball. He’s also a better defender. My concern with him is his ability to
distinguish which pitches he can handle. He’s still young but at this point
he’s a little too aggressive going after everything near the plate which will
become an issue as he gets closer to the majors. Fortunately, he has two things
that weigh heavily in his favor: 1) he’s still only 21 and 2) he’ll be playing
half his major league games in
38) Braden Shipley
The Diamondback have moved
Shipley along pretty quickly, having never let him stay at one level for very
long. The result is that he’s established some pretty solid peripheral numbers
like strikeout rate and K/BB ratio but his ERAs have
not been overly impressive. Still, at each stop
39) Hunter Harvey
40) Raul Mondesi
I give high marks to Mondesi for fighting through an entire season in the High-A
Carolina League, but the 19-year old was clearly overmatched with a
.211/.256/.354 slash line. This was clearly an organizational error and no
fault of his. The raw tools are there, as evidenced by the 8 homers and 12
triples but that’s not enough to offset the poor contact rate and the nearly
6:1 strikeout to walk ratio. He’ll go back to
41) Mark Appel
Even though his stuff would
seem to be the tools of a top of the rotation ace – mid 90s fastball, wipeout
slider and command of a good change – his delivery lets hitters get a good look
at what’s coming and he has trouble maintaining consistency. The result is that
in game action it plays down a tick, making him far more hittable than
expected. He was drafted as “major-league ready” but it’s been two years in the
minors since and it looks like at least a portion of another coming. He looked
strong at times in the Arizona Fall League after some mid-season minor
refinements but there’s still more work to do.
42) Andrew Heaney
Heaney makes this list
because he’s talented, but I made sure I put him in the Top 50 because of the
tweet he sent out right after he was traded in consecutive days from the
Marlins to the Dodgers to the Angels. “Well, @Dodgers we had a good run! Great to be a part of such a storied franchise. #thanksforthememories” Funny, to be sure, but it’s also
an insight into who he is. Most players are devastated the first time they are
traded; Heaney understood it’s simply part of the game and made the best out of
an awkward situation. That kind of awareness and ability to remain unfazed is
often what separates merely talented pitchers from All-Star pitchers. Make no
mistake: Heaney is very talented. With his delivery it looks like his low 90s
fastball is coming from first base and headed toward the opposite on deck
circle when it crosses the plate. It’s got some serious run to it. He also features a very good slider and
change and decent control of all of them. He might very well be second only to
Garrett Richards as the Angels’ best starting pitcher by next year.
43)
The Blue Jays cleared the way
for Pompey to be their every day centerfielder this year after a solid showing
in the Arizona Fall League. He possesses the type of speed an on base ability
to become a premier lead-off hitter. He also possesses enough power in his bat
to become a home run (or at least a doubles) threat to lead off a game. He’s
got a right-fielder’s arm and the range and instincts to play center field and
might be the best centerfielder the Blue Jays have had since Devon White (with
apologies to Vernon Wells).
44) Jameson Taillon
Taillon is another one of the recent crop of young hurlers
who touch 100 mph with his fastball. He’s also got a knee-bucking up-and-down
curve that’s already a plus pitch and could develop into a plus-plus. He has
struggled with a change-up which could mean his future could be at the back end
of a bullpen rather than the rotation. He missed all of 2014 after Tommy John
surgery so he’ll be brought back cautiously, but we should see him in
45) Rusney Castillo
Last season it looked as
though the Red Sox had signed Superman out of
46) Brandon Drury
The Diamondbacks have two
solid third base prospects: Drury and Jake Lamb. Lamb is the better defender
and has arguably more power, but Drury has a better plan when he comes to the
plate and his swing is not as long to the ball. In my view that makes him the
better bet to stick in the majors.
47) Steven Matz
Matz has often been listed in the addendum when it comes
to the Mets’ top tier pitching prospects, but that is quickly changing. He has
yet to post an ERA over 2.62 at any level and has the stuff to prove that’s not
a statistical anomaly. His fastball sits in the low 90s generally but has
touched as high as 98, and he compliments it with a plus change. He also has a
show-me curve to keep hitters honest and decent
command of all three. At worst, he’s a high leverage reliever in the Mets pen
this year and at best he’s the second best starter on the team behind Matt
Harvey.
48) Rafael Devers
Devers is the youngest player
on this list and with that his future brings the greatest amount of
uncertainty. Foremost in that regard is his eventual position. He’ll never be a
great defender at third but he has the hands, feet and arm to be at least
average there. There are also questions as to how well he’ll handle left-handed
pitching, although that is a common concern and no reflection on his current
ability. What Devers does bring and figures to bring more of as he matures is
plus power to all fields and a reasonably advanced understanding at the plate.
His potential with the bat virtually assures he’ll be in the majors one day and
probably as a middle-of-the-order hitter.
49) Michael Taylor
The most common comp for
50) Touki
Toussaint
I have to admit that part of
the reason Mr. Toussant is here is because he has a
great name. But one doesn’t get on this list without some ability and TT has a
bushel of it. His 95 mph fastball has a lot of life to it and he also features
a curveball that is one of the best in the minors. And if that wasn’t enough he
also has a change-up that could develop into a plus pitch. The only reason he’s
not much higher on this list is because his command last year was pretty poor.
On the bright side, the D-backs worked on his mechanics in instructional league
and the results were reportedly encouraging. He’ll turn 19 this June so there
is no rush to promote him. However, if the adjustments made last fall pay off
with improved control, he could ascend quickly. He has true ace potential.
That’s this year’s list. Good
luck prospecting and I’ll try to do better next year.
Others who were considered:
Josh Bell, Robert Stephenson,
Jose Peraza, Jose Berrios,
Austin Meadows, Jorge Alfaro, D.J. Peterson, Eddie Butler, Eduardo Rodriguez,
Aaron Blair, Nick Gordon, Hunter Renfroe, Maikel Franco, Kevin Plawecki,
Jake Thompson, Kyle Zimmer, Nomar Mazara,
Brandon Nimmo, Tim Anderson, Sean Manaea,
Daniel Robertson, Sean Newcomb, Matt Wisler, Kyle
Freeland. Marco Gonzales, Stephen Piscotty, Trea Turner, C.J. Edwards, Jeff Hoffman, Kohl Stewart, Alex
Reyes, Grant Holmes, Franklin Barreto, A.J. Cole,
Michael Conforto, Orlando Arcia,
Clint Frazier, Andrew Susac, Austin Hedges, Alex
"Chi Chi" Gonzalez, J.T. Realmuto, Reynaldo Lopez, Mike Foltynewicz,
Dilson Herrera, Reese McGuire, Steven Souza, Willy Adames, Vince Velasquez, Jake Lamb, Matt Olson, Ryan
McMahon, Raisel Iglesias, Ahmed Rosario, Albert Almora, Raimel Tapia, Bradley
Zimmer, Joe Ross, Billy McKinney, Lucas Sims, Justin O'Conner, Alen Hanson, Nick Kingham,
Christian Bethancourt, Brian Johnson, Tyrone Taylor,
Domingo Santana, Miguel Almonte, Erick Fedde, Greg Bird, Kyle Crick, Hunter Dozier, Rob Kaminksy, Max Fried, Rio Ruiz, Colin Moran, Derek Hill,
Steven Moya, Ozhaino Albies, Spencer Adams, Lewis Brinson, Jorge Mateo, Garin Cecchini, Max Pentecost, Francelis Montas, Brett Phillips,
Dominic Smith, Michael Lorenzen, Nick Williams, Luis
Ortiz, Chance Cisco, Rafael Montero, Micah Johnson, Tyler Beede,
Pierce Johnson, Lance McCullers, Tyrell Jenkins, Lewis Thorpe, Yoan Lopez, Gary Sanchez, Devon Travis, Luke Jackson,
Francisco Mejia, Roman Quinn, Adelberto Mejia, Rymer Liriano, Robert Refsnyder, Marcos Molina, Nick Burdi,
Jacob Lindgren, Manny Banuelos, Jorge Polanco, Randal Grichuk, Pete O'Brien,
Kendall Graveman, Roberto Osuna,
Giovanny Urshela, Anthony Ranaudo, Gabriel Guerrero, Hak-Ju
Lee, Michael Feliz, Adam Miller, Will Inman, Chuck
Lofgren, Brandon Erbe, Billy Rowell, Eric Hurley