MLB: The Most Underrated Prospects Heading into 2017
By Jason Reed
A few days ago, we took a look at the most overrated prospects in MLB. Now we are flipping the script and looking at the other end of the spectrum. Heading into 2017, who are the most underrated prospects in baseball?
Unlike any other sport, baseball fans are consistently clamoring for the future of their favorite teams. Being a Dodgers fan, I remember being extremely hyped up for Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias to make their debuts. Although Urias came up quicker than expected, all three guys are playing in Los Angeles and I must await the next wave of great prospects. Cody Bellinger, I expect you in Los Angeles as soon as Adrian Gonzalez‘s contract is up.
Nonetheless, prospects in the game of baseball hold an allure that can determine the future of a franchise. If prospects work out, they can be the cornerstones of a franchise for years to come. If they don’t, well, teams always want to play the “what if” card. Because of this hype that comes with MLB’s farm systems, various sites rank the best prospects in baseball. While we discovered that there are some overrated prospects within these rankings, there are underrated prospects as well.
To make this list, we again are using MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list. Every year the guys over at MLB.com arrange together a list of the top 100 prospects in baseball, subsequently releasing top 10 lists by position and top 30 lists for individual teams.
Although those lists are not yet released, we can easily use the top 100 list to establish who exactly is underrated.