20. Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies, Rockies #1
People seem to forget that among all those college shortstops that have done so well from the 2015 draft (Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Kevin Newman, etc.), there was a high school SS that was highly regarded as the best overall talent in the draft. Rodgers jumped up to low-A as a 19 year old for most of the 2016 season, and he really never looked out of place, posting an .822 OPS with 19 home runs on the season in his first full season as a professional. Rodgers may not have the perfect size of a future slugger, but he has tremendous body kinetics, which allows him to maximize the effect of each swing. While he likely won’t be a guy who wins Gold Gloves at short, he’s worked hard to be able to stay at the position as well, and even if he has to move, he should work very well up the middle at second base with elite offensive skills for that position as well.
19. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros, Astros #1
While Tucker’s brother, Preston Tucker, is also an outfielder in the Astros organization, it’s fairly easy to see who the better athlete of the two brothers. Kyle was the #5 overall selection in the 2015 draft, and while some of that was for money savings, Tucker was considered a legit top-10 talent. He has a very impressive balance of power and speed to his game, even though his power hasn’t exactly translated to over-the-fence power quite yet. He still hit 25 doubles, 7 triples, and 9 home runs across two full-season levels as a 19 year old in 2016, which is quite impressive. His best tool is his contact ability that allows him to really keep the bat in the hitting zone for a crazy amount of time and use his plus speed to create singles when he doesn’t strike the ball perfectly. Tucker’s not got an elite arm, but it’s certainly above-average and even fringe-plus overall defense, even though he’s likely to be a corner outfielder more than a center field type. He will be likely opening 2017 as a 20 year old in AA, which is incredible progression to consider, and if he keeps pushing forward like this, Tucker could end up in the Houston outfield sooner rather than later.
18. Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays, Rays #1
When the Rays traded away their big ace arm in David Price, they definitely wanted to get a major league quality arm back, and they got that in Drew Smyly, but they also wanted an elite talent, and Adames was that. He’s been a guy who has flummoxed many prospect folks for quite some time as he is certainly a unique prospect. He has a frame and body type that is not ideal for short, yet he seems to get even better at the position every season. Offensively, his swing isn’t the path that you’d like to see, but each season he seems to get a little better in generating contact and power both. He’s always shown solid pitch recognition, though he did see an uptick in his strikeouts at AA in 2016. All in all, Adames has really defied the odds many would have given him to become one of the elite prospects at the elite position in the game. If he ever is moved off of shortstop, he has enough arm and high-level instincts to be a very, very good third baseman, and his power has developed such that he’d be no slouch offensively in a corner infield.
17. Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirates #2
While the discussion was often heated over which Georgia prep high school outfielder was the better choice in 2013, Meadows took a step forward while fellow Georgian Clint Frazier seemingly took one backward in 2016, really giving them their first ever separation as prospects since being drafted. Meadows has established himself as a future outfield piece for the Pirates such that the Pirates reportedly backed away from talks regarding ace pitchers such as Chris Archer, Chris Sale, and Jose Quintana when Meadows was insisted as part of any deal for a big arm. Meadows has struggled with health along the way, but when he’s been on the field, he’s always been an elite player on the field, and that was no different in 2016. Meadows has a sub-par arm in the outfield, but otherwise is elite on every other tool in the tool box. He’s likely going to be a CF/LF profile, due to his arm not playing in right. With Andrew McCutchen being discussed on the trade block this offseason, Meadows could end up patrolling the Pittsburgh outfield in 2017!
16. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, San Diego Padres, Padres #1
If the Padres take the steps to winning anything of significance in the next decade or so, they should be sure to cut Dave Dombrowski in on the celebration, as he certainly aided in the expedience of the Padres rebuild with a few deals after taking over in Boston. Espinoza came over in a summer deal, and while there will always be some question about his size and being a front line starter due to that, there’s really never been a question about his stuff. Espinoza was only 18 in 2016, yet he pitched in full season ball and acquitted himself quite well, outside of some poor performances centered around a couple of injury dings. His elite fastball/curve combination could lead to Espinoza becoming a premium reliever if he cannot make it as a starter, but there’s little reason to believe that he won’t be able to as his change could be his best pitch overall, giving him three legit plus pitches. He’s still a bit off, but Espinoza certainly has elite stuff on the mound.
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