MLB.com releases 2014 Top Prospect list
By Matt Fisher
This evening, the list of top prospects in minor league baseball was released in a live, televised event.
Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, MLB.com’s draft and prospect experts, compile the list each year based on scouting reports and front-office executives. The list is published by MLBPipeline.com and is frequently looked forward to each year to predict who will have large impacts on their team, either on the field or via trade.
Last year, Texas Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar was listed as the game’s number one prospect. He will no longer be on the list this year as he was called up in June to replace the then-injured Ian Kinsler. Profar then spent the remainder of the year on the 25-man roster, making 2013 his Rookie Year.
Profar grossly underperformed for the Rangers, batting only at a .234/.308/.336 clip with 6 home runs over 85 games, although many attributed that to his lack of regular playing time and being used as a utility infielder. In his second season for Texas, he looks to be the primary candidate to be the team’s starting second baseman (Kinsler was traded to Detroit in the off season), and has the potential to perform up to the expectations set on him.
This year, the prospect class looks like this. These are the top 50 candidates as outlined by MLBPipeline.com, Jim Callis, and Jon Mayo.
50. Jonathan Singleton – First Baseman – Astros
49. Jorge Soler – Outfield – Cubs
48. Clint Frazier – Outfield – Indians
47. Gary Sanchez – Catcher – Yankees
46. Allen Webster – Pitcher – Red Sox
45. Austin Meadows – Outfield – Pirates
44. Lucas Giolito – Pitcher – Nationals
43. Max Fried – Pitcher – Padres
42. CJ Edwards – Pitcher – Cubs
41. Eddie Butler – Pitcher – Rockies
40. Kohl Stewart – Pitcher – Twins
39 – Jorge Alfaro – Catcher – Rangers
38. Raul Mondesi – Shortstop – Royals
37. Billy Hamilton – Outfield – Reds
36. Joc Pederson – Outfield – Dodgers
35. Yordano Ventura – Pitcher – Royals
34. Corey Seager – Shortstop – Dodgers
33. Jackie Bradley, Jr. – Outfield – Red Sox
32. Kyle Crick – Pitcher – Giants
31. Kevin Gausman – Pitcher – Orioles
30. Henry Owens – Pitcher – Red Sox
29. Andrew Heaney – Pitcher – Marlins
28. Alex Meyer – Pitcher – Twins
27. Tyler Glasnow – Pitcher – Pirates
26. Maikel Franco – Third Base – Phillies
25. Kyle Zimmer – Pitcher – Royals
24. Austin Hedges – Catcher – Padres
23. Aaron Sanchez – Pitcher – Blue Jays
22. Travis d’Arnaud – Catcher – Mets
21. George Springer – Outfield – Astros
20. Dylan Bundy – Pitcher – Orioles
19. Robert Stephenson – Pitcher – Red Sox
18. Albert Almora – Outfield – Cubs
17. Mark Appel – Pitcher – Astros
16. Jameson Taillon – Pitcher – Pirates
15. Nick Castellanos – Third Base – Tigers
14. Jonathan Gray – Pitcher – Rockies
13. Gregory Polanco – Outfield – Pirates
12. Addison Russell – Shortstop – Athletics
11. Noah Syndergaard – Pitcher – Mets
10. Francisco Lindor – Shortstop – Indians
9. Kris Bryant – Third Base – Cubs
8. Carlos Correa – Shortstop – Astros
7. Javier Baez – Shortstop – Cubs
6. Taijuan Walker – Pitcher – Mariners
5. Archie Bradley – Pitcher – Diamondbacks
4. Miguel Sano – Third Base – Twins
3. Oscar Taveras – Outfield – Cardinals
2. Xander Bogaerts – Shortstop – Red Sox
1. Byron Buxton – Outfield – Twins
Below, we have a different breakdown.
By Position:
Pitchers – 23
Catchers – 4
First Base – 1
Second Base – 0
Shortstop – 6
Third Base – 5
Outfield – 11
And By Team:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – ZERO
Texas Rangers – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
Seattle Mariners – 1
Houston Astros – 4
Detroit Tigers – 1
Minnesota Twins – 4
Kansas City Royals – 3
Cleveland Indians – 2
Chicago White Sox – ZERO
Tampa Bay Rays – ZERO
New York Yankees – 1
Toronto Blue Jays – 1
Boston Red Sox – 5
Baltimore Orioles – 2
San Francisco Giants – 1
San Diego Padres – 2
Los Angeles Dodgers – 2
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1
Colorado Rockies – 1
St. Louis Cardinals – 1
Milwaukee Brewers – ZERO
Pittsburgh Pirates – 4
Cincinnati Reds – 1
Chicago Cubs – 5
Atlanta Braves – ZERO
Philadelphia Phillies – 1
Washington Nationals – 1
Miami Marlins – 1
New York Mets – 2
The position breakdown shows that pitching is still the hottest, most sought after commodity in Major League Baseball, whether to use as a playing piece or as a trade chip.
The team breakdown lends itself to the idea of parity when it comes to playoff contention. Also, the teams that have ZERO prospects in the top 50 tell two different stories. For the Yankees and Angels, it shows that they still do not have enough depth and foundation to build an adequate future ‘from scratch.’ For the Rays and Braves (and even the Rangers and Cardinals, who have one each) it shows that the farm systems are likely depleted of Major League ready talent and that their window of contention is now.
The full list of the Top 100 Prospects in the game are available now on MLBPipeline.com