MLB: Top Ten Prospects of the Rookie Leagues – GCL, AZL

MLB’s major league season is now ended, and the offseason reviews have begun. Today, we will review the top prospects that played in the lowest levels of rookie leagues this season, the Gulf Coast League and the Arizona Rookie League.

This will be the first in a series of posts on the top ten prospects in each league. This series is not entirely indicative of where a player may end up in a top 100 MLB prospect list as a player may not have played long enough to be considered. There aren’t hard and fast rules here, just a general “was this guy here long enough to be considered” feel. On a short-season league, that’s probably about 40-50 plate appearances or a handful of starts. For a full-season league, it’d probably be about double that, but once again, that can be waived in general if a guy made such an impact on the league that it’s hard to ignore his impact on being part of that league.

Call To The Pen will be having a top 100 list released in the early winter, so be looking for that as well, but for now, this should whet your prospecting appetite outside of scouting reports to come on some of the top prospects in the game!

Gulf Coast League

1. Mickey Moniak, OF, Phillies – Moniak was the #1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, and he showed exactly why. He’s a guy who is just out of high school, yet he shows an advanced approach at the plate and really showed well in the field. I was surprised at some of his lack of success on the base paths as he does have great speed, but more than anything, I think that’s part of adjusting to the level of catching behind the plate and judging better when to take off. His power won’t be a 20-homer guy, but he should be a guy who can put up a good amount of triples along with double-digit home runs as a gap power guy.
2. Delvin Perez, SS, Cardinals – Perez was rumored as high as #2 in pre-draft discussion before he was flagged for reportedly testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in pre-draft testing. He has incredible speed and a monster arm at shortstop. He struggled some with controling those tools on the field, but he should be a guy who could steal a ton of bases and play high-level defense at shortstop. What impressed me most in Perez’s pro debut was his exceptional bat control. He could add some power as he has a good frame at 6’3 and 175 pounds, but he was 17 and able to make solid gap contact against many pitchers 3-5 years his senior in the GCL.
3. Ian Anderson, RHP, Braves – Many believed that Anderson was a money “reach” pick for the Braves when they selected him 3rd overall and paid him significantly below slot. The pick is now looking like a steal. Every review out there is calling Anderson one of the top 3-4 prospects from the 2016 draft. Anderson did not get a ton of exposure pre-draft, but he showed excellent stuff in his big league debut with more velocity than seen in his high school season (up to 97 on the radar gun) and much better command of his off speed stuff than had been scouted. He could be a guy who shows up in a lot of top 100 lists this offseason.
4. Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Phillies – Sanchez could end up the international signing bargain of the decade as he was signed for just $35,000 out of the Dominican Republic as he had auditioned for most teams as an infielder and just happened to throw for the Phillies. He has a loose delivery that he repeats well, and the ball absolutely explodes from his arm. He gets up to 98-99 MPH on the top end of his velocity, but the impressive thing is the sink that he gets on the ball, making it not just high velocity, but heavy as well, very difficult all on its own. On top of that, he shows a breaking ball that can act between a slider and a curve (in a good way, not a loose slurvy way) and a change that was very effective to left-handed hitters.
5. Jhailyn Ortiz, OF, Phillies – I’ll gladly admit to being a much bigger fan of Ortiz than most. Watching his swing is reminiscent of a right-handed David Ortiz, and he simply smashes balls that he gets a hold of. He does have issues with pitch recognition and a bit of a hitch before his swing, but he’s only 17, and he’s already 6’3 and 240 pounds of decent weight. Ortiz played right field this year and showed an excellent arm, but his size and youth may end up leading to a 1B/DH profile, but he should play even in that profile with one of the best pure power tools in the lower minor leagues.
6. Matt Manning, RHP, Tigers – Manning gets high marks for his athleticism, and he has NBA bloodlines through his father. While his results were incredibly impressive in the GCL and many were very high on him (Baseball America ranked him #2 in the GCL), I was concerned when watching his delivery as he really comes across his body and exposes the ball for an extended period. He is a tall pitcher and gets good sink on his fastball from that angle with a power curve ball that when he is on top of it gets hitters looking foolish. Even in my concerns and a 3.99 ERA in the league, it’s tough to argue with 46 strikeouts in 29 innings.
7. Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays – Bichette has major league blood lines, but he was dropped in many pre-draft rankings due to a “unique” swing, but then again, his father, Dante Bichette, had a unique swing of his own and found plenty of success with it. Bichette stayed at short in the GCL, but he projects to move off the position due to range issues and may not quite have the arm for third base, but he would be an elite level bat at second base if that’s where he ended up. He really impressed me with the consistency of his swing and his crazy power when he really squared a ball.
8. Juan Soto, OF, Nationals – While Victor Robles is rocketing up prospect lists this season, the Nationals have another teenage outfielder getting big time notice. Soto won the MVP of the GCL by hitting .361/.410/.550 with 5 home runs and 5 stolen bases. Soto is 6’1 and 185 pounds, and he has some room to grow, but he’s already a fringe defender, so he’ll likely be a left field only type defensively. Hitting is his carrying tool, however. He has an elite hit tool and his power is very solid as well, and if he focused his swing toward power, he very well could be a guy who hits 25+ home runs with the way the ball rockets off of his bat. Baseball America had Soto as #3 in the league, and I have some concerns about his defense playing as he moves forward, but this “hedge” could look silly very soon.
9. Cristian Pache, OF, Braves – The Braves have a teenage outfielder by the name of Ronald Acuna that would be getting a ton of notice if not for an injury this year. Next year, it may be a contest between Pache and Acuna for who can rocket up the prospect lists the fastest. Pache doesn’t have Acuna’s power, but he’s very probably a better defender with an absolute rocket for an arm in the outfield. Pache showed a high-end hit tool in his first professional season after being signed in 2015, but he is a guy who should have a similar offensive make up to a guy like Starling Marte with double-digit home run power and high-end stolen base numbers.
10. Josh Lowe, 3B, Rays – Lowe was viewed as a guy who could pitch or hit, but he was a guy who would be an early first round pick as a hitter and a second-round prospect as a pitcher. Hitting looks like a wise choice. Lowe has the frame and swing to build to a high level of power in his swing, but he exhibits solid pitch recognition and the ability to cut down on his swing when he needs to protect the zone, a mature approach for a player directly out of high school. Lowe has much better speed than you’d think at his size, but he didn’t use it on the base paths in his pro debut. That speed is highlighted by an incredibly quick first step, which serves him very well at third base along with a big time arm that should allow him to age well at the hot corner.

Next: Arizona Rookie League