MLB Pipeline Re-Ranks Top Farm Systems

After this week’s trade deadline, MLB Pipeline has re-ranked the top farm systems in baseball for their annual mid-season list.

It should come as no surprise that the New York Yankees, who were outside of the top ten to begin the year, made the jump all the way to number two after acquiring some of their trade partner’s top prospects over the last week or so while the Milwaukee Brewers claim the top spot (up from 9th) after adding Phil Bickford, Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz. All three new additions rank within the top 65 minor league players according to Pipeline, and make up three of the Brewer’s top six prospects overall. That’s a lot of top tier talent.

The Houston Astros made a similar jump up the rankings from tenth to third, but their jump is a little more complicated. After trading away a number of top prospects, some of which make up the Brewers current depth as well as Mark Appel and Vincent Velasquez to Philadelphia last offseason, they remained quiet this trade deadline. Whether that’s because they were a little gun shy due to missing on some of their recent acquisitions, or the week the big league team had leading up to the deadline, the fact remains that the only real move they made was to trade away Scott Feldman.

Due to Houston’s inaction and the trades made by some of the top teams to start the season in Los Angeles and Texas, along with some of the Astros top prospects being in the big leagues but not accumulating enough at-bats or innings pitched thus far to remove their names from the prospect list, the Astros remain one of the top farm systems in baseball.

Start clicking around to learn a little more about some of each of the top system’s in baseball and which players to keep an eye out for. As an added bonus, I also provide the best name in each of these team’s top 30. There are some doozies.

Next: Lots of Talent a Year or Two Away

#9 Atlanta Braves

The Braves were out acquiring 2015 draft picks before it was cool to do so. Their top prospect, Dansby Swanson, was brought over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Shelby Miller deal last December and has already played in 75 games for Double-A Mississippi. Swanson was taken out of college, which generally means a player needs less time in the minor leagues before making their big league debut. This is especially true for high draft picks, and you can’t get much higher than being selected first overall.

Ozzie Albies, the Braves number two prospect, is still just 19 years old and like Swanson, mans shortstop. After spending the first month of the season in Double-A, Albies was promoted to Triple-A Gwinett for May and June before finding himself back in Mississippi for the month of July and now into August. He has played in 56 games with Gwinett and 54 with Mississippi, but his stat line is almost identical in both spots, belting two home runs at each stop, along with driving in 20 runs. The biggest difference between the two stops statistically speaking has been his batting average, which is nearly 100 points higher in Double-A at .341 to .248 in Triple-A. Give him a break though, because in Triple-A his age is seven and a half years below the average.

Through the Braves top twelve prospects, eight of them are pitchers and the four holdouts all reside in the middle infield with shortstop (yes, another one) Kevin Maitan and second baseman Travis Demeritte coming in at eighth and ninth.

Of those top prospects, Swanson and Albies look to be the closest to the big leagues with a number of the others being in the low minors at the moment. It may take a couple of years, but the Braves have been acquiring depth for the last year or so, and their position on the MLB Pipeline rankings show it. The Braves fell from second to ninth in the rankings.

The Braves have five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. Best name in the top 30:

Touki Toussaint (#10), although there are a lot of good names in this system.

Next: They'll Probably Get Booed at Some Point

#8 Philadelphia Phillies

Ever since the Cole Hamels trade last year I have been paying some extra attention to the Phillies farm system, and the guy pictured above, number one prospect J.P. Crawford, has been the focal point of many a Google search. If the Phillies weren’t in rebuild mode, Crawford could certainly be getting more attention as a potential addition to the big league roster, which will likely happen come September, but there just hasn’t been a need for him just yet.

After spending the first month and a half in Double-A Reading and hitting for the exact same average (.265) that he did across 86 games there a year ago, Crawford got the call to Triple-A in late May. While his batting average of .257 is 25 points below his career mark, is OBP is still a solid .340.

According to FanGraphs, Crawford’s walk rate in Lehigh Valley is one of the lowest of his pro career at 10.8%, down from the 12.1% and 18.1% rates he enjoyed in Double-A both in 2015 and this year. His strikeout rate is also up by two percent (14.7) from his Double-A rate, but given the Phillies timeline, Crawford will have all the time he needs to improve. He’s still just 21 and will be a major building block for Philadelphia moving forward.

Way down on the Phillies top 30 is Edubray Ramos, who debuted in San Francisco at the end of June. I was able to watch him pitch his first full inning, and the fact that I remember watching him should say something about his stuff. In 18.1 innings, Ramos has a 3.44 ERA and a 2.15 FIP to go along with a 0.5 WAR. For so few innings, that’s a pretty impressive feat. That’s just about the same rate of WAR accumulation as Cardinals rookie closer Seung Hwan Oh. Whether or not he can keep up that pace remains to be seen, but Ramos holds a strikeout rate of 10.90 and a walk rate of 2.08, so chances are if those maintain he’ll be pretty darned good.

Oh, and Ramos was ranked as the Phillies #26 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. If half of the players in between him and Crawford are this good, then the Phillies should be a force in the coming years. The Phillies fell one spot from the preseason rankings from seventh to eighth.

The Phillies have five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. I can’t pick a favorite name in the top 30, but here are some of the contenders: JoJo Romero (#25), Adonis Medina (#17) and Rhys Hoskins (#13). Any time you can have a first name with no all-the-time vowels, you’re in the running.

Next: Dombrowski's Weapons

#7 Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are in the thick of the playoff hunt and have a pretty deep farm system, which should make them a dangerous team for years to come. After promoting Andrew Benintendi earlier this week, their stock may fall slightly in the offseason, but there are plenty of pieces to work with in building their own big league club, whether it’s through the promotion of second overall prospect in baseball Yoan Moncada, who has stolen 44 bags this season, or through moving some of these pieces to improve upon what has been a lackluster rotation this year–even with the addition of David Price.

Moncada and Benintendi hold down the top two spots, and half of the top 30 is comprised of position players. Of the 15 pitchers on the list, a number of them are in the low levels of the minor leagues, including one of the best pitchers in the 2016 Draft, Jason Groome.

Both left-hander Brian Johnson (#7) and Chandler Shepherd (#18) are in Triple-A Pawtucket, but Shepherd is a bullpen arm, and Johnson, 25, has been struggling with his command having walked 26 in 42 innings while only striking out 34 for a strikeout to walk rate of 1.31. Johnson also made it to Boston last season and allowed four runs in 4.1 innings in a July start in Houston.

The hope for Boston is that Eduardo Rodriguez turns things around and recaptures some of his 2015 form when he sported a 3.85 ERA, instead of the 5.91 mark he holds now. It won’t be easy, as Rodriguez has allowed 61 hits in 53.1 innings, along with 20 free passes, earning him a 1.52 WHIP. Since the All-Star break he has posted a 2.63 over 24 innings pitched, so if this trend continues, the Red Sox may not have to dip into their farm to acquire another pitcher for the rotation.

That theme holds large for the Red Sox postseason run in general, as their performance will largely be dictated by the production of their entire rotation. If Boston can win a playoff series, Dombrowski may let it ride for 2017. If Boston gets bounced early, or *gasp* fails to make the playoffs, you can bet that he’ll partake in one of his favorite pastimes: Trading prospects.

The Red Sox possess five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. Best name: Michael Kopech, if only for the fact that I will say his name “capeesh”.

Next: Natinals. Yes, Natinals

#6 Washington Nationals

If it weren’t for the stable of arms that the Nationals have at the big league level, top prospect Lucas Giolito would have more than a trio of cameos on his resume. It’s a good problem to have if you’re Washington.

Giolito is the fourth ranked prospect in all of baseball and the top pitcher on the list. Not terribly far behind him as the #11 prospect in baseball is Trea Turner, who has found his way on to the Nats roster in recent weeks.

Outside of these two well-known names, centerfielder Victor Robles (Nats #3, #16 in baseball), righty Reynaldo Lopez (4, 47) and Erick Fedde (5, 90) round out the top five for Washington. Lopez made two starts with Washington in July and was optioned back to Triple-A following each one. Between the two, he earned a 9.35 ERA and a 2.31 WHIP over 8.2 innings. His fastball sits in the mid 90s and can reach triple digits, but he’ll need more than the 20 innings at Triple-A Syracuse before he’s ready to be a big league mainstay.

Fedde needed Tommy John surgery right before the draft in 2014, and the Nationals took him at number 18 anyway. He is currently in Hi-A after making his pro debut around mid-season last year and has solid peripherals with a 9.04 strikeout rate and a 2.02 walk rate over 84.2 innings.

Down the list a little is an interesting name in A.J. Cole, who is slotted as the Nats #15 prospect. At one point Cole was thought to be one of the top arms in the system, but he was included in the trade with Oakland that brought Gio Gonzalez to Washington, then reacquired by the Nats in a three-team deal that sent Michael Morse to Seattle and John Jaso to Oakland. In the time since, Giolito, Lopez and Fedde among others have passed him by on the depth chart.

The Nationals have five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. Best name in the top 30: #7 ranked shortstop Carter Kieboom for obvious, explosive reasons.

Next: The Rich Get Richerer

#5 Los Angeles Dodgers

At the top of the Dodgers pipeline is the name you’re likely most familiar with in Julio Urias, who is the top left-hander in the minor leagues, and the only pitcher ahead of him is Giolito with the Nationals. Overall, Urias finds himself sixth.

Urias has been up and down with the Dodgers since his debut at Citi Field back on May 27. In his first two outings the southpaw gave up eight runs in 7.2 innings, which has helped to keep his ERA a bit bloated, currently sitting at 4.98. Yet in his eight appearances since, Urias has totaled 35.2 innings pitched and put up a 4.09 ERA, which is just below the league average of 4.12. Not bad for a 19-year-old. It’s also worth noting that his FIP is a much prettier 3.53.

What keeps the Dodgers so high on the list, even after trading away Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton at the deadline, is their overall depth. Cody Bellinger is the team’s number two prospect, and finding a spot for him on the roster when he’s ready shouldn’t be much of an issue. While most of his playing time this season has come at first base, he is also athletic enough to roam the outfield, and not just left, but center. Currently in Double-A Tulsa, Bellinger is batting .258, not too far off of his career average of .263, while his on-base percentage is a solid .361.

Bellinger’s development is trending in the right direction as well, as he put up walk and strikeout rates of 9.6 and 27.6 a year ago in the California League, but this season his walk rate is up by 3.8 percent and his strikeout rate is down to 21 percent.

The Dodgers other top pitching prospect, Jose De Leon comes in as their third ranked prospect, and there have been rumors circulating that he could be brought up for a spot start when Bud Norris left his most recent outing. Norris’ turn in the rotation is this coming Saturday, so we should find out soon. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican climbed through both Hi-A and Double-A last season to land in Triple-A this year, but has spent a decent amount of time on the disabled list which has limited him to just 51.2 innings in 2016.

The Dodgers have four players on MLB Pipeline’s top 100, including the three mentioned above as well as outfielder Alex Verdugo. Their fifth-ranked prospect, second baseman Willie Calhoun, isn’t in the top 100, but is considered to be the fourth-best second baseman in the minors.

Best name in the top 30: Walker Buehler (RHP) has a certain ring to it. He’s ranked number eight in the system even though he underwent Tommy John surgery almost a year ago to the day. Johnnie Walker and Ferris Buehler’s Day off combined to make a pretty darn good pitcher.

Next: ARRR Matey

#4 Pittsburgh Pirates

Three of the Pirates top four prospects have made their big league debuts this year, with number one Tyler Glasnow, and third and fourth ranked Josh Bell and Jameson Taillon each receiving brief stints in the majors.

Glasnow has made two starts, and while the line on his first is a bit deceiving at four runs over 5.1 innings (the bullpen allowed a three-run shot after the 22-year-old had departed), his second outing was off to a much more promising start, allowing just one run over three innings before shoulder discomfort landed him on the disabled list. Glasnow is rehabbing at the moment, having thrown a bullpen session on Tuesday.

Over 100 games in Triple-A Indianapolis, Bell had accumulated a wRC+ of 157, mashing 15 homers and driving in 55, all while batting .311 with a .398 OBP. He went 2-for-2 with two walks and a grand slam (against the Cubs no less) in his four plate appearances in the majors, so his big league average is still sitting at a cool 1.000. A switch-hitter, Bell ranks first among first base prospects and 27th overall.

Directly behind Bell on the top 100 is Taillon, who will likely lose his rookie eligibility in his next start (today), as he currently sits at 46 innings pitched on the season. In those innings he has accumulated a 3.52 ERA and a 3.90 FIP. The big worry when it comes to Taillon in the majors has been the long ball, as 21.2 of the fly balls hit off of him have ended in home runs, resulting in a 1.37 home runs per nine rate. While his strikeout rate is decent, sitting at 7.24, his walk rate per nine of 0.98 is superb.

The one Pirates propect in the top four that has yet to debut has been Austin Meadows, who ranks as the 12th best prospect in baseball. While the other three names on this list have big leaguers holding their spots on their paths to the majors, it’s Meadows that is truly blocked with the trio of Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the Pittsburgh outfield, two of whom have been All-Stars. Injuries have piled up for Meadows this season as he missed the first few weeks of the season after suffering an orbital fracture, and another month and a half with a hamstring strain. He is currently on a rehab assignment.

Interesting note on Meadows: He was selected with the ninth overall pick back in 2013 with the Pirates compensation pick for not signing Mark Appel in 2012.

The Pirates have six players in MLB Pipeline’s top 100, and number seven on their list, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is also ranked as the fourth third baseman in the minors. Their 8th ranked prospect, right-hander Chad Kuhl, also made his big league debut this season.

Best name in the top 30: Second baseman Max Moroff (#24), if only for the fact that Homer Simpson picked Max Power as his name in one episode, and since then I find the name Max to be amazing.

But wait, there’s a bonus name in this group! Down at number 27, right-handed pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas because Lithuanian names tend to be awesome, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Next: In Luhnow We Trust?

#3 Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have made their way back into contention over the past two years on the back of their farm system, so it’s no surprise that they continue to have one of the best in the game. As you may have noticed in the intro, the way that they arrived at the number three spot just doesn’t sit quite right with me.

It would have been nice to see the Astros add another piece or two at the deadline, and while you can argue that they’ve added Alex Bregman and will soon add Yulieski Gourriel to the 25-man roster, they are far from sure bets having never played in the majors before. Case in point: Bregman is 2-for-35 (.057) to start his career in Houston. I have no doubts that he will be a very productive player for a very long time, but in the interest of winning while you have the opportunity to do so, I would have liked to have seen a big addition.

With a system ranked this high, they should certainly have the talent to have acquired either a Chris Sale or Chris Archer, either of which would be a huge shot in the arm for the Astros down the stretch, and for a number of years to come.

Ok, that’s it for the rant. On to the prospects!

Bregman is the Astros top prospect, as well as the top prospect in all of baseball. By the time the season is out he will likely lose his rookie eligibility, as will second ranked prospect and #36 overall A.J. Reed. Francis Martes is third on the list, 39th in baseball, and after a rough first month to the season in Double-A, he has rebounded quite nicely, holding a 3.69 ERA for the season.

Down at number seven on the list is Joe Musgrove, who started the Futures Game in his hometown of San Diego this year, and made his MLB debut earlier this week. In 4.1 innings of relief he struck out eight, allowed one hit and walked one. Musgrove’s control has been his calling card as he has shot through the Astros system, and if he can continue to pile up outs like he has the past two seasons, he could be a valuable addition to a bullpen that has had its ups and downs this season.

An intriguing name on the Astros list is Teoscar Hernandez down at number 12. Hernandez was available in the Rule 5 Draft in December, and nobody wanted to take a chance on him after a down year in Double-A where he hit .219 with a .275 OBP, focusing more on home runs than hits. This year, he cut down on his strikeout rate by nearly 7.5% in his time in Corpus Christi (was 24.5), and in his month in Triple-A Fresno, that rate has dropped even lower to 13.1%. He has combined to hit .313 between both stops this season and is boasting a .382 OBP. His power numbers are a bit down as he only has ten home runs this year compared to 17 last year, but FanGraphs has his isolated power on the rise at .212 in 31 games with the Grizzlies.

The Astros have eight prospects in the top 100.

Best name in the top 30: Daz Cameron because Daz is such a cool name.

Next: The Baby Bombers

#2 New York Yankees

Growing up in the Bay Area, I have become accustomed to my Oakland Athletics being the farm team for the Bronx Bombers, but over the past few days the Yankees have built a farm system all their own! It’s disconcerting.

That said, the new young Yankees core is hard not to be excited about. Out at the Arizona Fall League last year I was able to get a glimpse of Gary Sanchez, and he my friends is the real deal. At 23, he has a little bit of pop that figures to increase in time, and has hit for a pretty decent average of .282 in Triple-A this season. Hell, he’s even stolen seven bases. All of that, and he’s thrown out 40% of potential base stealers. Oh, and he comes in at fifth in the New York system.

New additions Clint Frazier from the Indians and Gleyber Torres from the Cubs hold down the top two spots, while lower level middle infielder Jorge Mateo and outfielder Aaron Judge rank third and fourth. From Frazier to Sanchez, the Yankees have five prospects in the top 37. 2016 draftee Blake Rutherford comes in at number six (61st overall) and another new addition, left-hander Justus Sheffield rounds out the Yankees top 100 appearances at number seven in their system, 92nd overall.

Notice anything? It’s that the Yankees top six prospects, all of whom are in the top 61 in baseball right now, are offensive players. That’s nearly enough to fill out a lineup, and you can add one more name to the list in first baseman Greg Bird, who has missed all of 2016 to injury.

In the next two to three years all of these players should make it to the big leagues and could have a big impact in the next wave of winning seasons in the Bronx. But we won’t have to wait for some of these guys, as Gary Sanchez has started each of the last two games as the team’s DH in place of Alex Rodriguez. In addition to Sanchez, Judge has a good shot at getting a call before long, showcasing even more of the young Yankee talent.

Outside of Sheffield, there are no top 100 arms down on the farm, but that is the beauty of the position that the Yankees find themselves in. If they need an upgrade at any position, they are able to throw a crap ton of money at any player they choose, and more often than not, they get their man.

Best name in the top 30: Dietrich Enns (#27, LHP) because double consonants get me every time.

Next: Cruisin For a Brewsin

#1 Milwaukee Brewers

I can’t remember the last time the Brewers won anything, but they are on quite the roll this week. At first glance, they appear to have landed a good deal for Will Smith, and finally ended the Jonathan Lucroy drama that has persisted all season long with the addition of number two prospect in the Brewers system Lewis Brinson and number five in right-hander Luis Ortiz.

As Jim Callis said in putting the Brewers above the Yankees on the list: “If not for the Brewers’ Monday moves, the Yankees’ Trade Deadline activity would have given them the best farm system in all of baseball.” In yesterday’s Pipeline Inbox, he continued: “When it came time to separate them, I liked Milwaukee’s blue-chip prospects just a little bit more than New York’s. I’d take shortstop Orlando Arcia and outfielder Lewis Brinson over any Yankees prospect, and I’d take left-hander Josh Hader and right-hander Luis Ortiz over any pitcher in the Yankees system.”

Where the Yankees are front-loaded with positional talent, the Brewers have a nice mix of everyday players and potent front-line starters with Hader (#3), Ortiz (#5) and recent addition Phil Bickford (#6) from the Smith deal with San Francisco all presenting a lot of upside.

Arcia has gone 0-for-6 to start his big league career, but with Jonathan Villar moving over to third, the Brewers top prospect will get plenty of playing time to finish out the year in preparation for 2017.

Five of Milwaukee’s top eight prospects were acquired in deadline deals over the past two seasons (one calendar year), so they are loading up on talent. It should be a year or two before the Brewers really start to compete again. They have some solid arms and some good offensive players to build around, but the problem that could rear its ugly head is the division in which they play. The Cincinnati Reds are also in rebuild mode, while the Pirates, Cubs and Cardinals don’t figure to be going away any time soon. It’ll be tough, but I like what the Brewers have been doing quite a bit. Hopefully it ends up paying off for them.

The Brewers ended up with eight players inside the top 100. Well, top 75 to be exact, with Brett Phillips, the team’s number eight prospect taking that spot on the overall list.

Best name in the top 30: Lucas Erceg (#17, 3B) who was drafted this June in the second round at 46th overall.

Next: Top Position Players Under 25