6. Manuel Margot, San Diego Padres
Margot was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as part of their 2011 international free agent class. He stole 33 bases in his first year in the Dominican Summer League in 2012, flashing his big time speed and defense.
From that point forward, Margot has had the eye of evaluators, expecting him to fill in some to his 5’11” frame and provide both power and speed along with his elite defense.
In 2014, in his first full season in the minors at 19 years old, Margot hit .293/.356/.462 between low-A and high-A with 12 home runs and 42 stolen bases.
Boston continued to push Margot, and he really showed no adverse affects as he pushed forward each season.
Before the 2016, Margot was part of the group of prospects that the Padres acquired for closer Craig Kimbrel along with Logan Allen, Javier Guerra, and Carlos Asuaje.
Margot has elite speed and defensive ability along with plus contact ability that allows him to keep his batting average high and his strikeout rate low. His aggressive contact approach has led to a fairly low walk rate.
Margot will open the season as the Padres center fielder, and barring a major issue with his performance, he should be in that role for many years to come.
5. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
Tucker was selected 5th overall in the 2015 draft by the Astros as part of a “money deal” to allow the Astros to use their large bonus pool from having the #2, #5, and #40 picks to secure three talents that they believed to be top 10-15 talents in the draft.
So far, the strategy has worked in 2/3 of the selections. #2 selection Alex Bregman had an incredible 2016 and has entrenched himself in the Astros starting lineup for years to come already. Tucker has established himself as a legit top-50 and even top-25 prospect in the entire game. The last of those three selections, outfielder Daz Cameron, has struggled out of the gate some, but there is still plenty of time for him to gain his footing as well.
Tucker had family connections in the Astros organization with brother Preston Tucker in the major leagues as a backup outfielder. Preston is a different type and build of player than Kyle.
Kyle has an athletic, 6’4″ frame that is currently quite lean, though he has added strength since being drafted. He’s flashed his impressive athleticism on the base paths, stealing 50 bases in his minor league career thus far in spite of what I would deem average to below-average instincts as a base stealer.
Tucker has the instincts and tools to play any outfield position, with his excellent instincts allowing him to handle center field very well at this time. Tucker has a premium arm that should allow him to handle either corner.
Tucker will likely open with Houston’s high-A affiliate in 2017, but it’d certainly not surprise if he moved quickly to AA, and looking at spring video, he’s certainly continued to add positive strength to his frame that should allow for impressive numbers to continue.
Next: #4, #3