Updated Top Five MLB Prospects

Which prospect will be the next one to come up? Some might come sooner than later. Many are doing extremely well, while some are plagued with injuries, and might never even go to the Majors anymore. These next five guys might be the next biggest players in baseball.  You can check out the rest of my updated list here.

5. Carlos Correa, SS, Astros

Original Rank: 8

MLB Rank: 7

MLB Comparison: Derek Jeter

Just this past week, Carlos Correa was ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured fibula. This is a tremendous blow to the Astros, as he might not even get to the Majors until 2017 now. The 19 year old will undergo a rehab session soon on his ankle.

Correa was somewhat a surprise pick, as the Astros took him #1 overall in the 2012 draft, a draft class that also had Byron Buxton and Mark Appel. But this guy is special, and still very young.

Correa can hit very well, both for contact and power. His arm is exceptional at short, and he could start there in Houston for years. You might think comparing him to Derek Jeter is way too much, and it might be. But let’s compare the two.

When Derek Jeter was 19 in Class A, Jeter batted .295/.376/.394 with 5 home runs and 71 RBI’s in 128 games in 1993. This year, Correa batted .325/.416/.510 with 6 home runs and 57 RBI’s in 62 games in A+ ball. But since that’s much less games, Correa’s stats are a little skewed in favor of him. But how about a year earlier, when Correa, at age 18, batted .320/.405/.467 with 9 home runs and 86 RBI’s in Class A?

They have put up almost the same numbers in the minors at this age, but Correa has a bit more power with a little less defense and speed as Derek Jeter. I doubt Correa will have an influence on baseball as Derek Jeter has had, but he should still be one special player.

4. Taijuan Walker, RHP, Mariners

Original Rank: NR

MLB Rank: 5

MLB Comparison: James Shields

Ok, so I’m kind of cheating here. Walker is an MLB player already really, and just got called up to the Majors. He started three games last year for Seattle, and pitched well to get himself one win while putting up a 3.60 ERA. This year, they want him to become their #3 pitcher in order to push for the playoffs. Nevertheless, he still is someone to watch out for.

Walker could actually have the potential to be like Felix Hernandez, but I don’t think that he will have enough control on his curveball and changeup to strike out as many players. He’s mostly a fastball pitcher anyways that is more known for getting ground balls. He is very young at only 21 years old, and was one of the youngest players in AA last year.

Walker came late into pitching in college, as he played shortstop and basketball in high school while trying to develop into a pitcher. He can throw his fastball into the mid to upper 90’s, so watch him start out like Gerrit Cole of the Pirates did last season.

It looks like he’ll get the start tonight against the Astros. Walker makes the Mariners season a make or break; if he can perform well, like Michael Wacha came in for the Cardinals late last season, they could make a wild card spot (though I doubt they could beat Oakland for the division).

3. Archie Bradley, RHP, D-Backs

Original Rank: 2

MLB Rank: 4

MLB Comparison: Gerrit Cole/Jeff Samardzija

Walker or Bradley? It’s a toss-up. Bradley has a better curveball than Walker, but both get the job done. Bradley is also a more fastball dominated pitcher, throwing it into the upper-90’s. He probably won’t get a whole lot of strikeouts, but don’t let that fool you. At 6’4” and 235 pounds, Bradley gets a steep downhill angle to get good sinking action and force ground balls. If he does manage to force guys on, he can easily get double play balls.

His command has gotten so much better over the Minor Leagues so that it offers a Major-League average pitch. He is managing a 12-6 curveball right now, which, who knows, could get as good as Clayton Kershaw’s (but I doubt it).

While Walker will land as a backup to Felix Hernandez or even 3^rd in the rotation, Bradley might become the ace at the start of 2015. Expect him to appear sometime this year, probably a little later than scouts expect, but he might show up in September.

2. Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs

Original Rank: 10

MLB Rank: 8

MLB Comparison: Evan Longoria (though many say he’s the next Chipper Jones)

There is no other player in the minor leagues that is dominating as much as Kris Bryant is. He has torn through every single system so far, including hitting a home run in each of his first games at each club.

The #2 overall pick in the 2013 draft, Bryant was considered by far the best hitter and many thought he’d go first overall. He has enormous power and a great arm, plus his fielding has improved greatly.

In just 68 games in AA this year, Bryant went .355/.458/.702 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI’s. He tore up every pitcher he saw! As a reward, he was called up to AAA Iowa, and since has batted .317/.391/.756 in 11 games. His first five hits in AAA were home runs.

The Cubs might want to consider moving Bryant to right field, and if that’s the case he’ll be the best right fielder the Cubs have had since Sammy Sosa. If he sticks at third base, he’ll be the best since Hall-of-Famer Ron Santo.

So is he the next Chipper Jones? When Chipper was ranked as the number one prospect in 1993, he batted .325/.387/500 with 13 home runs and 89 RBI’s in 139 games. Evan Longoria’s best year in the minors was when he batted .299/.402/.520 with 26 homers and 95 RBI’s in both AA and AAA when he was 21.

The plan is to keep Bryant in the minors until the end of the year, but watch him come up in late August or early September.

1. Byron Buxton, OF, Twins

Original Rank: 1

MLB Rank: 1

MLB Comparison: Mike Trout

Nobody comes close to Buxton’s potential in the minor leagues. He’s the only player with all five tools, and does each one incredibly well. As of now, Buxton is injured, but at only 20 years old, it’s not hurting the Twins much if they keep him in the minors an extra year.

Buxton was also a #2 overall pick, this time in 2012. Nobody is quite sure when he will come up, but it will most likely be late 2015. Comparing him to Trout might seem a little cautious to some, but there’s nobody else like Buxton. He has better speed than Trout with a little less power, and can field just as well.

How’s this for a stat line? In A-A+ ball last season, Buxton batted .334/.424/.520 with 19 doubles, 18 triples, 12 homers, 77 RBI’s, and 55 steals in only 125 games. Plus with one of the best gloves in the minor leagues, he was by far the best in the minor leagues.

He is accelerating towards the Major Leagues, and hopefully he can recover from this injury soon. If you love watching Mike Trout, get ready to watch Buxton soon.

That’s it for the prospects! Can’t wait to see the future of baseball.

Updated Top 10 Prospects: First Half

Since MLB.com released its top 100 prospects, a lot of the players have increased their stock, but others have fallen flat. Here are the top 10 prospects that they came out with this past offseason:

1.      Byron Buxton, OF, Twins

2.      Oscar Taveras, OF, Cardinals

3.      Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins

4.      Archie Bradley, RHP, D-Backs

5.      Taijuan Walker, RHP, Mariners

6.      Javier Baez, SS, Cubs

7.      Carlos Correa, SS, Astros

8.      Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs

9.      Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians

10.  Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets

And here were my top 10 prospects. Note: I did not include players that already planned on being in the MLB at the beginning of the year (Xander Bogaerts, Walker, Taveras). Also when MLB’s list came out, Bogaerts was ranked #2 before moving to the big leagues.

1.      Byron Buxton

2.      Archie Bradley

3.      Javier Baez

4.      Miguel Sano

5.      Andrew Heaney, LHP, Marlins

6.      Jonathan Singelton, 1B, Astros

7.      Noah Syndergaard

8.      Carlos Correa

9.      Gregory Polanco, OF, Pirates

10.  Kris Bryant

Gregory Polanco and Jonathan Singleton have both played their games in the MLB now, so I’m taking them off my list. Andrew Heaney was just called up, so I’ll take him off too. 

So let’s take a new look at the list, shall we?

10. Henry Owens, LHP, Red Sox

Original Rank: NR

MLB Rank: 26

MLB Comparison: Jon Lester

So far in the minors this year, Owens is 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA, holding opponents to a .176 batting average in AA Portland. At times he can throw gems, and at other times it might be otherwise.

He’s not going to be the next great left handed pitcher like Clayton Kershaw (nor will have as good of a no hitter!). But he could be another good left-handed pitcher for Boston, maybe even the next Jon Lester?

Right now he is in AA, but he might make the move to AAA quite soon after throwing a seven-inning shutout Friday. He struck out eight, walked two, and allowed eight ground balls while throwing 98 pitches. He has thrown at least seven scoreless innings in four of his past five starts. During that stretch, he is 5-0 with a 0.25 ERA.

If you want a young left arm, you look at Heaney and Owens. Nothing else compares to them.

9. Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins

Original rank: 4

MLB rank: 3

MLB Comparison: Andres Galaragga/Adam Dunn

Miguel Sano would be higher on this list if he was healthy. However, he was required to have Tommy John surgery in March. Mind you, he is a hitter and not a pitcher, so having Tommy John isn’t as devastating as you may think, but he still will be out for the season. According to Sano, the surgery “went well” and he is optimistic about playing baseball in the fall.

Sano is only 20 years old, getting signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. He was expected to come up towards the beginning of the 2015 season, but he will now come up towards the end of the all-star break next season. He plays third base and shortstop, but will probably stay at third base to focus more on hitting than fielding.

He’s a fine fielder, has a great arm (even with Tommy John), but he’s most known for his power. His raw power is by far the best in the minors. In 2013, he had a combined 35 home runs in A+ and AA ball. In AA, he batted just .236, but his OPS was .915, which is above average.

He can hit 40 home runs a year, the question is how he can get on base without hitting one out. He struck out 142 times last year, or about 27% of the time for each plate appearance. So he is going to strike out a lot in the majors, but he is a solid four hitter.

You can arguably compare him as the next Sammy Sosa from the Dominican Republic, but if he keeps a low batting average, than he might be another Adam Dunn or Mark Reynolds, maybe even Pedro Alvarez. Either way, you’re still getting a good hitter. I hope for the best for Sano that he can make a speedy recovery, because he might be the next four hitter in Minnesota for years to come.

8. Javier Baez, SS Cubs

Original Rank: 3

MLB Rank: 8

MLB Comparison: Pedro Alvarez

Another guy just like Sano with lots of power, Baez might come up sometime next month. However, he has really struggled in his first year in AAA.

At the beginning of the year he was batting under .150, but has had some hot weeks to get his average to .222. A .222 average is still not good, but he seems much more comfortable in AAA now, and he is more likely to be called up to the big leagues this year.

What needs to be more focused on is not the average, but the strikeout rate. He has struck out 90 times in 64 games… 90 times! To a team that already leads the majors in strikeouts (offensively, not pitching wise), it’s something that can plague Chicago.

Home run wise, he’s still killing the ball. He has 11 home runs and 42 RBI’s, hitting home runs out of the park… literally. Why he is still an incredible prospect is because he has the fastest bat speed in the minors. Some scouts have said that they have never seen at bat speed as his before.

That’s why despite a low average and a high strikeout rate, Baez is something special. He can hit 40 home runs a year, home runs that will land out of Wrigley. Like Sano, Baez has a chance to be either Alex Rodriguez or Pedro Alvarez. Either way, you’re still getting something decent, especially with a team that really struggles offensively.

Baez might be the next one to come up, but the Cubs are loaded with infielders right now. Starlin Castro is back as one of the best offensive shortstops, so they are trying to convert him into a second or third baseman. However, they have Luis Valbuena playing both positions (and doing quite well), Kris Bryant tearing up the minors and to be up soon, and Arismendy Alcantara playing second base and shortstop in the minors as well.

When will Baez come up? We’ll just have to wait and see.

7. Addison Russell, SS, Athletics

Original Rank: NR

MLB Rank: 11

MLB Comparison: Hanley Ramirez

Addison Russell, 20, was drafted 11^th overall by Oakland in 2012, but probably could have easily gone fourth or fifth. He is an all-tool guy and won’t flash you with anything TOO special… but he does not have much flaws.

As of now, he’s flirting with AA and AAA, and will probably stay in the minors until the middle of 2015. He arguably had the best debut of any member of his draft class… and that’s saying something. Baez, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton were all members of that draft. In his first full season in the minors (110 games), he batted .269/.369/.495 with 17 homers and 21 steals. Like I said, he has nice all around talent.

One thing to take from the most with this kid? He gets on base. His OBP-Average difference is 0.100, which is very good. Plus, when you take that into an Athletics team that LOVES drawing walks… he’ll fit in well.

He could lead-off, bat second, or even clean-up. It’ll be interesting to see where he will bat, when he will come up, and (sadly) how long he will stay in Oakland.

6. Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians

Original Rank: NR

MLB Rank: 9

MLB Comparison: Andrleton Simmons

Another shortstop, I know. It’s the most abundant position in the minors right now, and there’s even more to come.

All of the shortstops we’ve been talking about are mostly offensive shortstops, which you don’t really see very often, and is why they are on so many people’s lists of top 10 prospects. Lindor, however, is a little different.

Lindor is a defensive shortstop, as he has one of the best arms in the minor leagues, plus a sharp glove. I compare him to Simmons because he has the potential to win one or two gold gloves, but probably won’t have the best defensive year of all time like Simmons did.

He makes a lot of contact and shows good pitch recognition offensively, so he won’t strike out too much. If you want offense, then pick up Baez, but if you want defense, take Lindor.

Some argue that Lindor will have the best career because he’s been progressing well and plays smart. He has attacked each level in the minors, and can be up in the Majors by the all-star break. Currently, he is batting .281/.360/.403 in 71 games in AAA, with 19 steals. He can hit for contact as well as, say, Starlin Castro, but he can draw more walks too.

At only 5’11”, Lindor might be a small guy, but he’s on his way to becoming the next star in Cleveland.

Keep reading as I’ll unveil the Top 5 prospects later this week!