Here is the list of prospect rankings that we have released thus far:
81) Mike Foltynewicz – RHP – Atlanta Braves
82) Albert Almora – CF – Chicago Cubs
83) Brandon Drury – 2B – Arizona Diamondbacks
84) Raisel Iglesias – RHP – Cincinnati Reds
85) Dalton Pompey – OF – Toronto Blue Jays
86) Max Fried – RHP – Atlanta Braves
87) Marco Gonzales – LHP – St. Louis Cardinals
88) Amed Rosario – SS – New York Mets
89) Justin O’Conner – C – Tampa Bay Rays
90) Stephen Piscotty – OF – St. Louis Cardinals
91) Orlando Arcia – SS – Milwaukee Brewers
92) Grant Holmes – RHP – Los Angeles Dodgers
93) Michael Lorenzen – RHP – Cincinnati Reds
94) Raimel Tapia – OF – Colorado Rockies
95) Miguel Almonte – RHP – Kansas City Royals
96) Andrew Susac – C – San Francisco Giants
97) Christian Bethancourt – C – Atlanta Braves
98) Chance Sisco – C – Baltimore Orioles
99) Max Pentecost – C – Toronto Blue Jays
100) Michael Taylor – OF – Washington Nationals
You can find the scouting reports on prospects numbered 100 through 91 here, and 90 through 81 here.
Top-100 Prospect List Disclaimer/Process Explanation:
I have compiled this list through a number of different avenues. First, I’ve seen a great number of these ballplayers in live game action throughout last season. In no way can you make a clear scouting call on a player by seeing him play one or even two games, but you can get a good feel for a player’s bat speed, especially around the batting cage, as well as the raw stuff a pitcher possesses. However, I have watched extensive video on every prospect I could, in some cases video wasn’t readily available. On prospects that I haven’t seen personally or on video, I have read every scouting report I could get my hands on from sources I respect. I have also talked to as many people as I could to get a good grasp on the players and their future projections. For fantasy purposes I will include a fantasy note on a players that I feel have a shot to stick on an MLB roster in the next year or two. In the end, I am going to try and keep my scouting reports, especially on the guys lower on this list, concise but thorough.
When ranking prospects, if there is a pitcher and a hitter that could possibly be ranked in the same spot, I will always put the hitter higher on the list. There are a couple reasons for this but the biggest reasons are risk of injury and the higher bust rate seen in pitchers, especially young pitchers, before or when they reach the Big Leagues.
After completing the list there is only one team without a top-100 prospect and that is the Detroit Tigers. There are four teams that place six players in the top-100, they are the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets. Overall, the Cubs have the deepest system when looking at the top-200 prospects or so, the organization has the most impact talent combined with the players’ proximity to the Majors, but that is a discussion for another article. So, here is installment number three, and prospects numbered 80 through 71:
80) Willy Adames – SS – Tampa Bay Ray – ETA 2018
Adames was sent to Tampa in the deal that included David Price being shipped north to Detroit. If this offseason proved anything to me personally it was that the average fan does not understand the value of an MLB average player especially at a premium position like shortstop. I say that because everything about Adames’ game screams that he will be a solid everyday shortstop with average or above average grades across the board. This scouting report may not be the sexiest report you’ll see but there is significant value to a young player that is pretty much a lock to stick at shortstop once he hits the Majors with a league average bat, and that is exactly what Adames projects to be in the future. Adames has the bat control to hit for a solid average, think .260 to .275 range, with a very patient approach that lead to a walk rate of 10.5% in 2014. Adames won’t hit for a ton of power but could see 12-15 homers a year during his prime. Adames isn’t a speedster, but again it’s another average tool that will serve him well enough at the MLB level. Defensively, Adames has above average hands and range and a plus arm, so as noted before he should have no trouble sticking at shortstop. Finally, everyone that has interacted with Adames personally rave about his moxie and feel for the game, which should make for a strong clubhouse presence once he makes it to Tampa. Overall, Adames is solid and should enjoy a solid, if unspectacular, career.
79) Franklin Barreto – SS – Oakland A’s – ETA 2017
Barreto was one of the key pieces that came back to Oakland when they shook up their roster by trading superstar third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays. Barreto was signed for almost $1.5m by Toronto out of Venezuela and has always been considered as an advanced bat, and he’s only just turned 19 years old. Barreto is a plus runner that knows how to take a walk, so he will be a constant threat on the base paths as he continues to mature at the plate. I really like Barreto as a hitter and I am of the opinion that he will have no problem sticking at shortstop if the A’s want to keep him there due to his plus range and arm. However, Barreto is athletic enough to play both second base and centerfield, and the A’s love nothing more than a versatile, multi-position player with plus ability at the plate. Though Barreto is constantly young for the level he is competing at in the minor leagues, he has produced at all three stops in the Blue Jays system and could really move quickly through the A’s system if he continues to show that improvement. I could see Barreto making his debut in 2016 and locking down an everyday spot by 2017, and my belief in his potential is one huge reason I actually liked the trade the A’s made while many pundits seemed a bit perplexed by the move.
78) Clint Frazier – OF – Cleveland Indians – ETA 2018
Frazier was taken 5th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2013 draft and was an absolute joy to watch in the batting cage. Frazier has electric bat speed in the mold of a player like Javier Baez, but he also has some of the same contact issues that plagued Baez in his recent debut with the Cubs. These contact issues, which resulted in an almost 30% K-rate at Single-A in 2014, but the tools are too impressive to ignore for a 20 year old entering only his second season of full season pro baseball. The elite bat speed translates into plus raw power that will eventually translate into plus useable power as Frazier matures at the plate. Once Frazier hits his prime he could be a 30-35 homer bat and with his athletic ability I believe he will turn into a league average contact hitter, but like many sluggers in today’s game strikeouts will always be prevalent. Defensively, Frazier is athletic enough right now to continue in centerfield but by the time he hits the Majors I see him as more of a corner outfielder, presumably right field, due to his plus arm. No matter where Frazier ends up on the defensive spectrum it will be his bat that carries him and makes him valuable as a Major League asset. I am still a believer in the tools, and you’ll get to know that I love power hitters in this depleted offensive environment.
77) Rafael Devers – 3B – Boston Red Sox – ETA 2018
Devers was a July 2nd signing out of the Dominican Republic by the Red Sox in 2013 and showed quite an advanced bat despite his smaller, 6-0 195 pound frame. Since Devers first set off on his minor league career last year he has proven the reports on his bat to be true. In just 70 minor league games last year, Devers hit his way to a slash line of .322/.404/.506 with 7 homers 5 triples and 17 doubles. Once Devers matures physically and reaches his prime I can see him replicating some of those numbers at the Major League level, but I don’t see his average being quite as high, but more power should come. Defensively, Devers won’t be confused for a Gold Glove winner but he has solid defensive tools that will allow him to stick at the hot corner, and coupled with his ability to hit for some power, take a walk and avoid the strikeout, Devers will be a solid contributor that might even make a couple of all star games.
76) Vincent Velasquez – RHP – Houston Astros – ETA 2017
The story of Velasquez’s career thus far has been his inability to stay healthy and this has really hurt his overall stock. When Velasquez is healthy the stuff can be solid, as he sits in the low to mid 90s with a solid changeup that makes him effective against lefties. Velasquez is still developing a curveball, but it doesn’t project to be a true out pitch and his command leaves some room for improvement. In 2011, Velasquez fell victim to Tommy John surgery, so it could be argued that his command is still being affected by the operation, which makes 2015 a big step in his development. Velasquez was unimpressive in his stint in the Arizona Fall League, so my view on him could be a bit distorted by the small sample size that I took in this past October, but I truly question his ability to stay healthy and stick in a Major League rotation. It’s the raw stuff that has lead me place Velasquez as high on this list as I have, but at 23 years old, 2015 is going to prove crucial in his development and future roster projection.
75) Michael Conforto – OF – New York Mets – ETA 2017
Conforto has always been seen as a bat first prospect while in college at Oregon State, and earned the reputation as a bit of a butcher in the outfield. Some reports suggest Conforto has really taken to instruction as a professional and improved his defense but it will be the bat that undoubtedly carries him to the Major Leagues. Conforto has a smooth swing from the left side of the plate that shows the plus raw power that made scouts love him at Oregon State, and once that translates into game power he could be a force at the dish and turn into 25-30 home runs a season during his prime. However, though I love power, I really like that Conforto is willing to take a walk and seems to have an advanced approach at the plate that could allow him to maximize his OBP as he progresses. I see Conforto as an above average overall player even if he struggles a bit defensively as he makes his way to the Big Apple, and a truly fun offensive player to watch.
74) Brandon Nimmo – OF – New York Mets – ETA 2016
Watching the rise of Nimmo and Conforto alongside one another will be fun to watch if you’re a Mets fan or you love lefties with smooth classic swings. I got to see a lot of Nimmo in both Double-A and this past October at the Arizona Fall League and I really like his offensive game. Nimmo’s background is also intriguing as he was drafted out of a high school that does not even have organized baseball. Nimmo has all the tools to be a solid MLB regular with some all star games in his future if he can find a little more power. Right now, I view Nimmo as a 15-20 homer guy at his offensive peak but he has the ability to rack up the doubles by his ability to use the whole field. Plate patience and discipline are an impressive trait in Nimmo, as he has had no trouble racking up walks throughout his minor league career. In 2014, Nimmo’s BB% was 15.4% in 558 plate appearances between Single-A Advanced and Double-A, so there is no question that he will take his walks, but some are concerned he’s too passive at times. For my money, I would rather have a player with Nimmo’s limited power profile take his walks than be over aggressive, but eventually Nimmo should find a nice balance between the two approaches. Defensively, Nimmo is ticketed for a corner outfield spot. Nimmo possesses average to above average speed, defensive ability and throwing arm. I think we could see Nimmo in New York as a September call-up in 2015 and locking down an everyday spot heading into 2016, and player’s with his profile rarely fail miserably at the Big League level and he is destined to be a well above average Major League contributor.
73) Kyle Zimmer – RHP – Kansas City Royals – ETA 2016
Zimmer is the kind of pitcher that is going to be ranked in a wide range of places as you read these prospect lists throughout the spring because Zimmer has a filthy mix of pitches in his arsenal when he is healthy, but as of yet, that has been a major issue for the Royals’ 2012 first round, and 5th overall pick. Shoulder injuries are scary for pitchers and can completely derail careers, and in a 2014 season plagued by injuries for Zimmer, the final nail in his developmental coffin this year was a shoulder injury that flared up in the AFL which required surgery ending his year with just a total of 14.1 innings pitched. The shoulder was just the latest in a long line of arm trouble for the right hander, so the biggest question for Zimmer is whether he will ever be healthy enough to reach his potential or even handle a starter’s workload. When healthy, Zimmer works in the mid 90s with his fastball, a plus curveball, a changeup that flashes plus potential and a decent slider, so the arsenal is most definitely not the issue. Zimmer finds himself at number 73 on my list based on his stuff alone, but I have serious doubts about his durability, and since he won’t be throwing in game action until May, at the earliest, I suspect a bit of a tumble once the mid-season list comes out. Hopefully, Zimmer gets himself healthy and puts these injury problems behind him because he has the potential to be a a solid mid-rotation starter, but if the injuries continue to plague him he will be jettisoned to the bullpen so the Royals can attempt to get some return on his potential.
72) Trea Turner – SS – Washington Nationals – ETA 2018
Turner’s situation is one of the most unique in all of baseball, as he was drafted by San Diego with the 13th overall pick, and was then traded to Washington in a three team deal this offseason. What makes Turner’s situation so unique is the fact that drafted players cannot be traded for a full calendar year after signing with the team that drafted him. So, he is going to be sent to Washington in June but will play the first half of 2015 in the Padres organization. Going into his junior year at North Carolina State, Turner was considered a candidate to go first overall in the draft, but he was inconsistent and fell to the Padres at 13. Turner will never be confused with a slugging prospect and I doubt we see him hit double digit homers more than a couple of times in his Major League career, but the rest of the tools are there to be a solid hitter that could top out in the mid 300s in terms of OBP. Turner’s biggest tool is his elite speed where he will contend for some stolen base titles early in his career as long as his legs stay healthy. Finally, defensively, Turner is solid and should have no trouble sticking at shortstop as a Major Leaguer. Depending on how he continues to develop, Turner should be a regular in Washington in 2018 at the latest but could move quicker if he starts to show faster development at the plate, because the rest of the tools are ready for the Show.
71) Aaron Blair – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks – ETA 2016
Blair is a curious call for me, because I feel like he might be the better of the three Arizona pitching prospects when all is said and done, but right now the raw stuff isn’t as impressive as Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley, so I am holding off until I see a bit more of him this season. I do think that we might see Blair in the desert before we see Bradley or Shipley because he has improved every season of his professional career and he isn’t that far from being ready. Blair stands at 6-5 and 230 pounds, so there is no question about his body being up for the rigorous workload of a Major League starter. Blair also has a solid three pitch mix with a fastball that sits in the low 90s but can touch the mid 90s on occasion, a curveball that has developed quite nicely. and a changeup that has been his best pitch throughout his career. Blair will probably never be an elite strikeout pitcher because he relies on movement and control to induce weak contact, but his stuff and his ability to improve at every stop thus far shows that he should be a solid MLB mid-rotation starter.
Fantasy Outlook: Blair has the potential to be a mid-season call-up for Arizona, but will always be the kind of pitcher you’ll want to use only in a situation with a favorable matchup, especially early in his career. If Blair can continue to develop his curveball into a true out pitch then his fantasy future will be a little brighter but that will probably come in 2016 or 2017.
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