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MLB: 10 best farm systems in baseball

By Robby Sabo

Oct 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (65) during workouts on the day before game one of the 2014 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (65) during workouts on the day before game one of the 2014 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (65) during workouts on the day before game one of the 2014 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (65) during workouts on the day before game one of the 2014 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

With opening day right around the corner, this becomes the perfect opportunity to countdown the 10 best minor league systems in MLB.

The sound of a bat cracking and mitt popping are oftentimes described as beautiful by the true baseball fan.

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Add those sounds to the warmth of the Florida/Arizona air and we come to an equation which equals pure enthusiasm. For fans off all 30 Major League Baseball cities, “hope springs eternal” as nobody is in last place and even the worst lineups on paper enjoy 2015 World Series aspirations.

In just two short days, on April 5, baseball is finally and officially back.

As March Madness dwindles to its usually exciting conclusion, MLB is springing back up. It’s the very contrasting style between basketball and baseball which peaks many of our interests.

While the NBA (and NFL for that matter) rely on big time Division 1 collegiate athletics as its own personal feeder system, baseball brings its own unique element with multiple levels of minor league systems.

Mar 18, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

While a Thomas Dimitroff might have to deal with 90 or so roster spots during training camp, the Theo Epstein’s of the world need to cover ground spreading across eight-separate affiliated minor league teams.

The intricacies surrounding personnel in baseball surpass anything decision makers in other leagues are faced with.

Minor league options, waivers, Rule-5, arbitration, 40-man rosters and 60-day disabled lists – the baseball general manager truly deserves his tag as boss.

The question we ask ourselves today is which boss in the bigs has out-paced the competition?

Unlike football or basketball where rookies become household names in college, we hear and read about baseball prospects in the pipeline but never truly know what they’re made of until they arrive.

It is this unsettling optimism which makes a fresh baseball season so special.

It is this unsettling optimism which makes a fresh baseball season so special. For anything could happen when all of these minor league unknowns are thrown into the major league mix.

Here are the 10 best Farm Systems in Major League Baseball entering 2015:

  • Note: we used Baseball America to list the top prospects for each team. In parenthesis is their ranking within Baseball America’s Top 100 entering 2015.

H/T Baseball America

Next: Number 10

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