KISSIMMEE, FL - JANUARY 28: Baseball gloves and a baseball lie in the dirt during the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring on January 28, 2011 at the Houston Astros Spring Training Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. Jim Evans was a Major League Umpire for 28 years that included umpiring four World Series. Many of his students have gone on to work on all levels of baseball including the Major Leagues. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
KISSIMMEE, FL – JANUARY 28 (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
As MLB gets on track in the second half, let’s look at how the top prospects have shifted over the first half.
Last offseason, Call to the Pen contributor Benjamin Chase presented a top 125 MLB prospects list, and he has updated that list over the last week here.
This post will contain the entire top 50 in list format, but also if you continue paging through, Ben has selected one prospect from each organization to keep an eye on in the second half for a possible jump up the end of season rankings. We’ll explore those players by division.
Now to the players to watch, starting with the National League West
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks – Jon Duplantier, RHP, 23 years old: Duplantier had a shoulder injury coming out in 2015 as a draft-eligible sophomore, went undrafted, and returned to school. That led to him being drafted in the third round by the Diamondbacks in 2016. He’s pitching in his first full pro season, and so far, he’s dominating, splitting time between low-A and high-A with 87 1/3 innings thrown, a 1.34 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 23/95 BB/K ratio.
Colorado Rockies – Ryan McMahon, 2B, 22 years old: McMahon is a guy who has always had big power and the ability to do well with the bat, but finding a defensive spot has been an issue. However, this year, the Rockies may have found a spot by putting him at second base, where he’s playing very well defensively, and he’s hitting very well between AA and AAA, slashing .352/.396/.583 with 33 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, and 11 stolen bases.
Los Angeles Dodgers – D.J. Peters, OF, 21 years old: A physical “freak” at 6’6″ and 225 pounds, yet able to ably man center field, Peters is on his second year of drawing rave reviews after being picked in the 4th round last summer. He has a high strikeout rate, but with the production he’s put forth, the Dodgers will take that as he’s hit .285/.394/.543 with 20 doubles, five triples, and 19 home runs in just 91 games in high-A.
San Diego Padres – Adrian Morejon, LHP, 18 years old: Easy choice here as Morejon was in strong consideration for my top 50 with just six professional appearances under his belt. Morejon has incredible stuff, but more impressive than his raw stuff is his ability to control that stuff. It will be impressive to watch Morejon as he goes through his first year in pro ball, and it would not surprise if he’s a top 50 guy at the end of the year.
San Francisco Giants – Bryan Reynolds, OF, 22 years old: Blessed with a balanced skillset, Reynolds slipped to the second round, in spite of high-level production with one of the best programs in the nation in Vanderbilt. He’s produced well this season in high-A, likely earning a AA promotion soon. He’s hitting .305/.353/.455, 19 doubles, 8 triples, and five home runs.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs – Brendon Little, LHP, 20 years old: The Cubs’ first pick in the first round of this summer’s draft, Little has a dynamic arm from the left side and could move quickly in a bullpen role, perhaps even helping this season if the Cubs chose to use him in that way.
Cincinnati Reds – Taylor Trammell, OF, 19 years old: Trammell was a two-sport athlete, but he was a baseball player first, and he’s shown that polish in his first full season, playing at low-A ball in the Midwest League. He’s hit .286/.358/.456 with 18 doubles, nine triples, eight home runs, and 28 stolen bases. Trammell is an exceptional athlete, with true five-tool potential.
Milwaukee Brewers – Corbin Burnes, RHP, 22 years old: Burnes was taken in the fourth round after a strong career at St. Mary’s, but no one could have imagined the season he’s having this year, establishing his four pitch mix in a dominating way at high-A and AA, posting a 1.36 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over 112 1/3 innings with a 24/109 BB/K.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Cole Tucker, SS, 21 years old: Tucker was the Pirates’ first round selection in 2014, but a torn labrum kept him out for much of 2015 and stalled his development defensively. Tucker is blessed with plus speed, and when he’s fully healthy, his arm and defense are both plus as well. With high-A and AA this season, Tucker has combined for a .280/.357/.416 slash line with 15 doubles, six triples, four home runs, and 36 stolen bases.
St. Louis Cardinals – Sandy Alcantara, RHP, 21 years old: Alcantara really is a spitting image of Alex Reyes in stuff, albeit not in stature. He has incredible velocity that can bump triple digits and a change/curve combo that can both individually flash plus at times. Alcantara has struggled in the first half in AA to the tune of a 5.22 ERA, however, a lot of that is due to a high BABIP, and he could correct to a much better second half and make a big push at the end of the season for top-100 consideration.
National League East
Atlanta Braves – Yunior Severino, 2B, 17 years old: The second-rated international free agent that the Braves signed last spring, Severino has certainly played like there should not be much gap between he and fellow 2016 signee Kevin Maitan with his impressive work on defense in moving to second base along with an explosive bat at the plate.
Miami Marlins – Brian Anderson, 3B, 24 years old: Anderson has been a slow-developer in spite of being a college pick in 2014, but he’s really come on well in the last couple of years, making a big impression at the Arizona Fall League and at this year’s Futures Game. He has solid line drive power and plays very good defense that should allow him to be quality lower-tier regular at 3B in the majors.
New York Mets – Merandy Gonzalez, RHP, 21 years old: You thought I’d say Tebow, didn’t you?! Seriously, Gonzalez is another in a long line of excellent pitchers to take a big step forward with the Mets organization. Gonzalez has an impressive three pitch mix, with a change that is impressive. His numbers are incredible this year, which is finally bringing the attention that he’s due, as he’s thrown 99 1/3 innings, with a 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 18/88 BB/K ratio.
Philadelphia Phillies – Jhailyn Ortiz, OF, 18 years old: The big power bat in the 2015 class, Ortiz has certainly shown the power, yet he’s also shown an excellent ability to take a walk in his pro time already. He is athletic for a big guy, which could allow him to handle the outfield even at a fairly large size. Ortiz may profile as a .240-.260 hitter, but the power will allow that to play. This year in the New York-Penn League, he’s hitting .286/.427/.558, with seven doubles, four home runs, and three stolen bases.
Washington Nationals – Carter Kieboom, SS, 19 years old: If he’s not used in a trade to improve the Nationals for 2017, the team will be rewarded handsomely in the future with Kieboom’s quickly developing skill set at the plate and in the field. He was injured in the midst of a breakout season with low-A Hagerstown, hitting .333/.398/.586 with 10 doubles and six home runs over just 29 games.
American League West
Houston Astros – Forrest Whitley, RHP, 19 years old: Whitley was my #51 on my top 50 list. He was selected 17th overall in 2016 by the Astros out of high school. He’s 6’7″ and 235-245 pounds, so he’s filled out well and throws well with a repeatable delivery for a guy at his height. He’s already earned his way up to high-A. On the season, he’s thrown 65 2/3 innings, with a 2.47 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 25/98 BB/K ratio.
Los Angeles Angels – Griffin Canning, RHP, 21 years old: Canning had an excellent year for UCLA this spring, but he threw a ton of innings this year, and that scared off a number of teams. He has tremendous stuff that should work well as a #2-#3 starter, though he won’t start throwing again until December.
Oakland Athletics – Lazaro Armenteros, OF, 18 years old: “Lazarito” was considered a huge international free agent during the 2016-2017 signing period. Blessed with five-tool talent, Armenteros has made his debut now in the states, and he’s hit well so far, showing both power and speed in the Arizona Rookie League.
Seattle Mariners – Nick Neidert, RHP, 20 years old: Neidert was one I liked in the preseason after some excellent work in 2016. He’s got a four pitch mix that is keyed by his change and is likely never going to be a front line guy, but he’s developing quickly as a mid-rotation starter that can eat up innings with quality performance like his showing at high-A this season, where he’s gone 104 1/3 innings, with a 2.76 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 17/109 BB/K ratio.
Texas Rangers – Cole Ragans, LHP, 19 years old: Ragans was the Rangers pick at #30 overall last year, and he has a tremendous three pitch mix coming out of high school. The Rangers are bringing him along slowly to help him develop as he fills into his 6’4″ frame, but the results have been impressive in the Northwest League this season, as he’s thrown 29 innings, with a 2.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 21/42 BB/K ratio.
American League Central
Chicago White Sox – Alec Hansen, RHP, 22 years old: Projected to be a top pick in the 2016 draft, Alec Hansen struggled in his last season with Oklahoma. That dropped him down to the 2nd round, where the White Sox took a chance on his 6’7″ frame and elite four-pitch mix. So far that chance is paying off well, as Hansen has split time between low-A and high-A this year, throwing 96 1/3 innings, with a 2.62 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 34/119 BB/K ratio.
Cleveland Indians – Brady Aiken, LHP, 20 years old: Aiken was originally selected #1 overall by the Houston Astros in 2014, but they found issues in his medicals, so he ended up unsigned. He did have elbow issues and have Tommy John surgery, but the Indians selected him 17th overall in 2015. Aiken is still getting the feel back for his pitches, and he’s walked more than he’s struck out thus far in the season, but he has excellent stuff and could shoot up lists with a strong finish.
Detroit Tigers – Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, 23 years old: Considered an elite starter coming out of college, Funkhouser had a rough final season of college and slipped to the fourth round. Funkhouser is in his first full season, throwing at low-A and high-A. He’s combined to throw 62 2/3 innings with a 2.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 19/83 BB/K ratio.
Kansas City Royals – Jake Junis, RHP, 24 years old: Junis was a late draft pick in the 2011 draft, developing slow due to signing late, but he’s really turned into a solid pitcher that would work well in the middle of a rotation. He has made a half dozen starts in the majors thus far and may not end up prospect eligible at the end of the season, but the progress he has made is impressive.
Minnesota Twins – Lewin Diaz, 1B, 20 years old: Diaz was a fairly big signee out of the Dominican in 2013, getting $1.4M. His swing looks very similar to that of David Ortiz. Diaz really exploded on the scene with his production in advanced rookie ball last year, and he’s continuing that play at low-A this year showing a very impressive lefty power swing.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles – Ryan Mountcastle, SS, 20 years old: Mountcastle has really shown his hitting ability this year with Frederick in the Carolina League, earning a recent call up to AA. Hitting .314/.343/.542 with 35 doubles and 15 home runs in just 88 games. He may end up moving off of shortstop in the end, but he’s handled the position to this point.
Boston Red Sox – Jay Groome, LHP, 18 years old: Groome rubbed a few teams the wrong way coming into the 2016 draft despite being considered the best prospect in the draft by many sources. That allowed him to fall to the Red Sox at #12, and he’s been working to build up innings ever since. After a solid start in the New York-Penn League, he’s found the South Atlantic League a bit tougher sledding so far, but he could jump up lists if he can finish strong.
New York Yankees – Estevan Florial, OF, 19 years old: Florial is one of the elite prospects in the Yankees system at this point, likely a guy headed up significantly in top 100 lists by the end of the year the way he’s shown out in his first full season exposure at low-A in the South Atlantic League. Florial has hit .286/.366/.479 with 18 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, and 15 stolen bases in 83 games so far this year.
Tampa Bay Rays – Jesus Sanchez, OF, 19 years old: Sanchez was a modest $400K signing in 2015 as an international free agent, but he outperformed many of his more highly-priced classmates in his pro debut in 2016, and he’s doing such again in 2017 with a five-tool spread of talent, hitting .297/.342/.465 with 18 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, and five stolen bases in 81 games at low-A Bowling Green in the Midwest League.
Toronto Blue Jays – T.J. Zeuch, RHP, 21 years old: The Blue Jays have seen many of their top arms in their system struggle in 2017, but Zeuch has performed steady all season long. He may not end up being a front line guy, but Zeuch is quickly developing as an inning-eating mid-rotation starter whose 6’7″ frame gives his four pitch mix excellent plane, posting a 3.23 ERA at high-A this year in his first full season after being drafted in the first round in 2016.
