MLB: The Most Underrated Prospects Heading into 2017

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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.

Manuel Margot – 23rd

Manuel Margot is a name that many casual baseball fans do not know, perhaps due to the franchise he plays with. Margot is an outfielder within the San Diego Padres organization and is in the running for the starting center field spot on Opening Day. My personal belief is that Margot will land the job over Travis Jankowski, perhaps moving him to left field. Despite being a name that many casual fans do not know, Margot will make his mark in MLB as a great outfielder.

Margot’s biggest weapons at his disposal are his speed and fielding. Margot is an electric runner, thriving on the base paths and in the field. His speed allows him to track down balls, make athletic plays and steal bases. In 466 games in the minors, he stole 162 bases and was caught 56 times. Margot has a pretty good bat as well; while his power ceiling is likely 10-15 home runs, he batted .288 in the minors.

Margot provides the speed and contact hitting that are the mark of any good center fielder. To me, Margot resembles Dexter Fowler, and could produce very similar numbers while stealing more bases. Margot undoubtedly belongs in the top 20 prospects in baseball, and can arguably even be ranked in the top 15.

Yadier Alvarez – 49

Yadier Alvarez is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher that the Los Angeles Dodgers signed out of Cuba. Alvarez was the focal point of a two-year spending frenzy that saw the Dodgers spend over $150 million on international players. Alvarez, who received a $16 million signing bonus, is the next great arm within the Dodgers franchise. Now that Julio Urias has made the big leagues and Jose De Leon was dealt, Alvarez remains as the best pitching prospect the Dodgers have to offer.

While he has a very slim sample size, the sample size Alvarez did have should propel him up the rankings. While it is hard to rank a player very high on so little exposure, Alvarez proved that he can get professional hitters out and can do so convincingly. In 2016 Alvarez pitched in 14 games in the Dodgers farm system, five in rookie ball and nine in Class A. In these outings, Alvarez posted a 4-3 record with a 2.58 ERA and a 12.3 K/9. As previously stated, the sample size is small and Class A is nothing like MLB, but it isn’t absurd to think Alvarez can post a 10 K/9 once he reaches the big leagues.

Heck, this is a very bold statement, but Clayton Kershaw had a 12.39 K/9 during his tenure in Class A back in 2007. If you look at Kershaw’s overall minors numbers he posted a 11.4 K/9 with a 2.43 ERA, pretty similar to Alvarez. No, I am not attempting to say Alvarez is the next Clayton Kershaw, as they are two entirely different pitchers, but his dynamic stuff should at least put him in the top 25.

Tyler Beede – 88th

Seeing Tyler Beede ranked as low as 88th was pretty upsetting. Despite being on my rival team, Beede is a great talent who should at least be in the top 50, if not even higher. Scouts do have concerns with his accuracy, and none of his stuff really jumps out as electric, but he gets batters out. Forget the flashy pitches and blow-it-by-you fastballs, Beede shows great potential to develop into solid big league pitcher.

In the minors, Beede has put together better numbers than some of the highest rated prospects yet remains so low on this list. In three seasons Beede has started 52 games and racked together a 3.32 ERA. Pretty solid stuff. His win-loss record isn’t great at 13-18, but the win is arguably the most useless stat in baseball. In 2016 particularly, Beede boasted a 2.81 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Being at the AA level, those numbers could show Beede may be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher in the big leagues once he is developed.

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He may allow a good amount of hits per game, and may lack any particular “it” factor, but that shouldn’t take away from his ability to pitch. The game of baseball today is obsessed with flashiness, and because he cannot provide that flash he is assumed to burn out. I think Beede is easily a top 50 prospect, and rightfully should be much further up the ladder than he is.

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