110. Freicer Perez, RHP, New York Yankees
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 3/14/1996 (22)
Likely 2018 opening level: high-A
Info: A late signee for a Latin pitcher, Perez was already 18 when he signed in 2014. Perez fits the profile of a Yankee target recently, long and lanky with a monster fastball. Perez stands 6’8″ and he’s filled out a little each season of his Yankees career.
Perez’s signature pitch is a fastball that can bump the triple digit mark with late sink and wiggle both, making it a wicked pitch to square up, and coming from his height, he has excellent weight on the pitch as well. Perez has three offspeed pitches all working in the same velocity range, all in the 80s. His change is his best of the group, though both breaking pitches have a plus projection on them.
Perez does have some delivery issues as is typical of a guy his height, but it’s more due to not repeating what is an otherwise clean delivery. When he gets off of his best delivery, his arm slot will vary to get the pitch movement he desires, giving a tell to his stuff. Otherwise, he comes from a similar arm slot on all pitches in his clean delivery.
Perez has a big upside with a floor that should allow him to be a dominant reliever if he doesn’t work in the rotation. He’ll get his turn at high-A this season and could find himself in the upper minors by the end of the year.
109. Bryse Wilson, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/20/1997 (20)
Likely 2018 opening level: high-A
Info: One of the downfalls of the depth of pitching in the Braves system for the pitchers is that they often can get lost in the shuffle among other strong arms. That’s absolutely the case with Wilson, who had an incredible high school career, but was almost immediately overshadowed by three other arms in his own draft class in 2016.
Wilson has a bit of an unorthodox arm slot that hides the pitch and allows his change to play up to hitters from both sides along with a fastball that works with good movement in the mid-90s and a slider that consistently improved over the season, both of which were excellent pitches at generating weak contact.
Wilson will move up to high-A this season, but with an athletic, sturdy build and an ever-improving command of all of his stuff, he could be a mid-rotation guy or even more in a rotation down the line.
108. Tyler Mahle, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/29/1994 (23)
Likely 2018 opening level: MLB
Info: Not a guy with blazing stuff, Mahle caught the attention of many in the game by throwing a perfect game early in the minor league season, but that perfect game was simply part of a dominant season from minor leagues and even to the majors for Mahle.
Mahle lives more with manipulating his stuff and locating it than with a fastball that hits 99, though he can reach the mid-90s with his heater. He works with an excellent array of pitches, and can manipulate the movement on each as he works. That allowed Mahle to post a 2.06 ERA over 24 minor league starts and 2.70 ERA over 4 major league starts.
Mahle should open in the Reds rotation in 2018, and while he may not be a future frontline arm, he’s the type of guy whose intelligence on the mound could allow him to play up his raw stuff and have a Brad Radke-esque career.
107. Kevin Maitan, SS, Los Angeles Angels
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/12/2000 (18)
Likely 2018 opening level: low-A
Info: Many viewed Maitan’s 2017 as a step back for one of the most hyped international prospects in over a decade, but when you peel back the layers on his season, he’s not far off of the player he was coming into the season outside of being with a new organization.
Maitan ended up with a hamstring injury that really hampered his play in 2017, but the flashes were certainly there in spring training before the injury and then after the season once he was healthy and back in the cage, having trimmed back to his previous trim and cut physique.
Maitan likely is going to be too large for the shortstop position long term, but he does have excellent first step instincts that could allow him to get most of the way through the minor leagues playing the position. It’s his rare blend of power from both sides of the plate along with an ability to make consistent solid contact that should allow Maitan to develop into a force, though he is still just 18 this season, so the variance on what he could become is still wide.
106. Chance Sisco, C, Baltimore Orioles
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/24/1995 (23)
Likely 2018 opening level: AAA
Info: When the Orioles allowed starting catcher Welington Castillo to walk after the 2017 season, many assumed it was to give a full-time role to Sisco, but the word from the Orioles is that they would like to ease him into a starting job in 2018, likely opening him in AAA.
Sisco may be the current catcher of the future in Baltimore
Sisco may be the current catcher of the future in Baltimore, but he fits there due to the team’s penchant for a willingness to allow for defensive variance behind the plate as long as there’s an offensive contribution at the plate, something not as common in the game anymore. Sisco is an average catcher, though he has worked hard to improve his skills behind the dish and is willing to be coached, which is certainly a positive attribute.
Sisco’s best tool is his contact ability. He could develop more over-the-fence power down the road, but right now he has more gap power than anything. Sisco isn’t a guy who likely will end up a future superstar, but he should be a consistent performer that offers a steady batting average at the position.
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