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MLB Top Ten First Base Prospects For the 2017 Season

By Benjamin Chase

Mar 4, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Cody Bellinger (61) at bat during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park. The Cubs beat the Dodger 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Cody Bellinger (61) at bat during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park. The Cubs beat the Dodger 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports /
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8. Josh Naylor, San Diego Padres

To say Naylor had an “interesting” 2016 season would be selling it quite short.

In early June, Naylor reportedly played a prank on fellow Marlins prospect Stone Garrett that led to Garrett having an injury to his thumb that caused him to miss significant time.

The coverage of the incident did mislabel the incident a “stabbing”, which it truly was not, but it did really paint Naylor’s season in a different light from that point forward until he ended up traded to the Padres in a mid-season deal.

Naylor is a large human being, standing only 6′ tall, but weighing in at 225 listed pounds, though I could believe he holds another 10-15 pounds on top of that.

He also didn’t exactly set the world on fire in game with power in spite of that size. His batting practice displays are well-known, and his display at the Futures Game in San Diego was discussed among prospect guys for the rest of the summer.

Naylor is a surprising athlete for his listed weight. He does remind me plenty of Mo Vaughn in that respect, being a guy of heft that still could move and had athleticism at the position.

Naylor will likely open the season with high-A in 2017 and won’t turn 20 until mid-June.

7. Ronald Guzman, Texas Rangers

Guzman has been on the prospect radar for some time. He has the ideal size (6’5″ and 205 pounds), big power stroke, and enough contact skills to make one think he could be a guy to hit for power and average.

After a solid partial season at 18 in low-A Hickory, his return to the level in 2014 at 19 exposed some of the contact issues that could be a plague for Guzman as he’s worked up the Rangers’ system.

While he’s flashed power, he’s struggled to offer a good batting eye to keep his strikeouts manageable.

In 2016, he really showed well at higher levels, hitting .274/.333/.449 with solid power production and a respectable 7.63% walk rate and 20.55% strikeout rate.

Guzman is still just 22 and will be at AAA to open 2017, so he’s by no means “old” for a prospect, even if it may seem as if he’s been on the prospect radar for a long time.

Next: #6, #5

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