Hope that his many late-bloomer characteristics (multi-sport, Northeast background, reps lost due to a 2019 knee surgery and then the pandemic) would lead to an eventual breakout in the power department buoyed his draft stock into the middle of the first round. M.J. Melendezs 2019 and Bo Naylors 2020 are recent examples of otherwise good-hitting catchers who had a terrible offensive season in the mid-minors followed by an immediate and significant rebound the following year. Among the high school prospects, he not only had perhaps the best chance to remain at shortstop, but he also had one of the better bat-to-ball track records in the class, accumulating a 3-to-1 ball in play-to-whiff ratio on the showcase circuit. His internal clock is precise and allows him to make fundamentally uncompromised throws to first with confidence because he knows hes going to beat the runner there. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. He looked great at the start of the Fall League before pitchers figured out they could get him to chase whatever and started junk-balling him to death. He has an ideal pitchers frame, his gorgeous delivery generated mid-90s velocity with huge riding life at the top of the zone, his changeup is one of the better amateur changeups most scouts have ever seen, and before his elbow blew out during his draft spring, his curveball looked like it had gotten better. While he was closer to the 50/55 FV line last offseason, the snapshot of the defensive piece of the puzzle pulls him more comfortably into the 50s for this list cycle, one of many Guardians upper-level middle infielders with the talent to be an everyday player. Hall didnt throw harder in a relief role he was still parked in the 95-97 mph range and in fact his velo keeled off a little bit right at the very end of the season. Already armed with plus-plus velocity after coming out of a Division-II school in Michigan, Brown has added a plus-plus curve and slider since turning pro. He doesnt have big, over-the-fence power, and instead boasts premium feel for contact and a great idea of the strike zone that makes him a dangerous lefty stick who grinds away at opposing pitchers. To call Naylors 2022 a return to form isnt exactly correct, however, because much of his resurgence was due to swing alterations that made his bat path a little more variable, which he outlined in an interview with our own David Laurila. He showed a tendency to expand the zone and make some sub-optimal contact as an amateur and in his 2022 pro sample, but there are times when Johnson does this and rather than frustrate scouts and analysts, he impresses them with his ability to identify and adjust to breaking balls, his barrel feel, and his hand-eye coordination. small market teams) get a little bonus pool boost. Tracking the status and signings of all 2023 MLB international players. During his time in New Yorks system, he underwent an overhaul to his mechanics and now throws with a more typical starters delivery, characterized by impressive flexibility in his shoulders and back. : Twins ($2,100,000) More 39. : Royals+ ($450,000) More 50. Enmanuel Bonilla, OF, D.R. Millers upshot mid-90s fastball should, on its own, make him some kind of impact arm. Henry Ramos, OF, Dominican Republic Royals ($797,500) More 46. Top prospect Brown focusing on slider mechanics after spring debut. His desert lethargy was understandable, but its still the most recent thing the industry has seen. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Darling Fernandez, OF, D.R. This is an attempt to graphically represent how likely each FV outcome is for each prospect. Before prospects debut, there are some wildly inaccurate hit tool grades on the international talent. There was some worry that Carroll wouldnt be quite the same player when he returned, but he quickly allayed those concerns by dominating the upper minors as soon as the 2022 starter pistol fired, notching an amazing 53 extra-base hits in just 91 Double- and Triple-A games before he slashed .260/.330/.500 during a September big league call-up. He made his debut with Cubas Serie Nacional with Sancti Spiritus in 2021 and defected later in the year while playing for the Cuban U-23 team in Mexico. He slid within this FV tier but his grade didnt change, and hes still a pretty good bet to be a no. Diaz is a bat-first catching prospect close to the big leagues. Caminero has plus-plus bat speed, but his pitch recognition and swing path are concerning. The closest contemporary statistical predecessors and tool-based comps to make for De La Cruz are Willy Adames (a 29% K% hitter who has performed like a 60 because he gets to his power and plays great defense) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (27.6% K%). Keith added 30 pounds of bulk between when he was drafted and now, and he weighed in at 245 pounds when he showed up in Arizona for the 2022 Fall League. It ends Dec. 15, 2023. 2022 Top 100 Midseason Prospects Reports Live Looks Baseball Cards TDBC Sign Up ADP Standings More Beyond Baseball Games Shop Article Archives Staff Patreon Search Prospects Live Staff MLB Draft, 2023 MLB Draft A new year, a new board and new ranks. In 2022, he dominated the upper levels (.260/.374/.511) and made his big league debut at age 20 with a five-game cup of coffee. Hes a little more tightly wound than is typical for a big league shortstop, but Hendersons straight-line speed is plus and so is his defensive range, and his arm strength enables him to make some plays that many other infielders cant. In totality, Miller made 24 starts (if you count his Futures Game outing), worked 113 innings and posted a top-25 K-BB% among minor leaguers who threw at least 100 frames. A patient, discerning hitter, Carters breaking ball recognition and feel for the strike zone is excellent. When he returned, he was a completely different hitter. Typically, we roll out most of our international amateur free agent reports during Prospect Week, which falls just five months ahead of those players' usual signing day on July 2, with a few more trickling in as the signing date approaches. 2022 was the first season where Soderstroms time at first base surpassed his time behind the dish. He can shorten up and punish inner-third velocity from the left side like few other hitters in the 2022 draft could, and he rarely expands the zone. Still, hes poised to be a franchise cornerstone for the Orioles looming renaissance. He started the 2022 season at Triple-A and wasnt quite as dominant as hed been at the close of 2021, with just a 21.5% strikeout rate throughout April and May. A rookie more than he is a prospect, Sengas splitter and fastball velocity fit in the middle of a contenders rotation. In fact, his fastball locations are still pretty scattered and his delivery remains quite violent. Theres definitely relief risk here for that reason and because it may take two seasons to put Eder in a position to work an entire load of starters innings at the big league level. Across the 2022 calendar, Davis had nearly as many HBPs as he did extra-base hits, to which the wrist fracture likely contributed. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 7:42 AM ET, Park Factors
Even more precocious than Prezs velocity is his fastball command, which is absurd for a 19-year-old, let alone one who throws this hard and is also this size. The curve has enough depth to have bat-missing utility below the zone and generate groundballs even when hitters sniff it out in mid-air. Even with the back issue, the Giants put Luciano on their 40-man roster during the winter. Hes a good hitter who will stabilize an infield spot in Cincinnati for the next half decade or so. : Astros+ ($2,250,000) More 18. His mid-80s slider was his go-to secondary, but his command was spotty throughout the season, to the tune of a 5.44 BB/9 over the course of his 92.2 innings. Andy Acevedo, OF, D.R. Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 15, 2022. Mauricio has gotten big and strong while remaining at shortstop, but his approach remains a huge concern. Unless otherwise noted, clubs have not confirmed the deals. At the plate, he exhibits above-average bat-to-ball skills and strike zone awareness. But while these setbacks may indicate hes not quite the stud his draft position wouldve implied, we think there will be bounce back in 2023 and beyond. He has impeccable hitters timing and a swing that is equal parts balanced and explosive, generating plus all-fields power despite barely utilizing any sort of stride. Yorke and his French swing (because it is evocative of Ty France) looked like a high-probability big league hitter with a well-rounded contact and power combination in Arizona, enough to project as a regular if he can stay on the dirt. Significantly increasing Soto's long-term . Though hes been playing a lot of shortstop, he isnt a fit there and his hands and actions are below average. A newer offering for him (at least based on the previous notes and data FanGraphs has), it spins at 2,900 rpm, 300 rpm more than his trademark slider. He was throwing all of his pitches in bullpens and had started facing live hitters just a couple weeks before list completion. Power on par with Salvy seems in play here, too. Fantasy Fallout: With Gavin Lux Out, Could A Sleeper Emerge? The Yankees only had $4,232,700 in bonus money to dish out. Of those accolades, perhaps the most promising was his durability; given the violence in his delivery, our biggest concern has been Cavallis ability to stay healthy, so the fact that he notched over 123 innings of work without an IL stint was a welcome development. His swing is a spectacle, lots of fun when hes on time and frustrating when hes late, utilizing a narrow, open stance and a huge leg kick. OF Cristian Vaquero, Cuba: MLB.com's describes Vaquero as a "potential five-tool player with lots of potential," adding he "plays hard with lots of energy and shows tons of natural instinct in practice and in games." The draft covers players born in the United States, Canada, and Puerto. 2022 Top 250 MLB Prospects To win World Series Astros +600 Yankees +750 Mets +750 Dodgers +850 Braves +900 Padres +950 Blue Jays +1300 Phillies +1700 Cardinals +1800 Mariners +1800 Rays +2000. Their ability as a group to rapidly move their way through the Minor Leagues was unprecedented. He practically straddles the plate and was hit by 20 pitches during an injury-shortened regular season, then was somehow beaned seven more times in just 17 Arizona Fall League games. As is customary for pitching prospects near the tippity top of prospect lists, Rodriguez got hurt in 2022, suffering a Grade 2 lat strain in early June. Even though premium velocity is rare in Japan, Sengas fastball doesnt play like a premium pitch due to its shape and angle. He can get extended on pitches out away from him and drive them into the opposite field gap, and has the power to do damage that way, and can also move the bat head all over the strike zone. The bumps and bruises suffered from catching can sometimes level players for whole seasons, and Davis had a lot of them in 2022. Theres enough hit/power combination for Neto to be a first-division regular there. The Dodgers and Rangers each forfeited $1,000,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers to lower their pool to $4,144,000. Jameson sits 95-96 mph, touches 99, can add and subtract sink from his fastball, and his mid-80s slider is comfortably plus. Hes graded with the optimism that these traits will help him manage the swing-and-miss enough to be a multi-time All-Star. If most hitters leg kicks and move forward are outies, Mayos is an inny his front foot often lands closer to his rear foot than where it began. 2022 Onyx Vintage Extended Series Baseball Box, Don't miss all the Hot Prospects, phenoms, international prospects and big leaguers with this years edition of Onyx Vintage Extended Trading Cards. A physical lefty with mid-90s arm strength and a mind-bending slider, Tiedemann has become one of the minors highest-ceiling arms. International players under 25 can sign minor league contracts only. He shows good throwing mechanics and a strong arm. Susana is expected to sign with the Padres. His pre-trade numbers were impressive and only improved when he joined Rocket-City: In his 29 games with the Angels Double-A affiliate, OHoppe slashed .306/.473/.673 and walked more than he struck out, good for a 194 wRC+ over that span. He has a big frame, a mature approach, and a left-handed stroke so gorgeous that its now rumored to be dating Pete Davidson. Before the 2022 draft there was again buzz that some teams were off Lee because of his medical, and also that Lee and his family preferred that he stay as close to home as possible by joining a team that trains in Arizona. Just in time, I'm happy to share my updated rankings, and add some of the prospects expected to sign in the next couple of days.