20. Estevan Florial, OF, New York Yankees
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/25/1997 (20)
Likely 2018 opening level: AA
Info: A season ago, Florial was just cracking some scouting notebooks after an Appy League season where he made some big impressions but overall had as many big flops as big hits. This season, the positive definitely won the day.
Florial pushed his way through both A-ball levels in 2017, hitting 13 home runs and stealing 23 bases while putting together an .851 OPS. His numbers were nothing compared to the comments from scouts watching him in the field who discuss Florial sticking out on every field he was on for his talent compared to all those on the field.
Florial has the instincts and plus speed that allow him to play center, but his raw power and swing lead to the thought he could eventually be a guy who could hit 25+ home runs to go along with 25+ steals. He should open 2018 in AA.
19. Lewis Brinson, OF, Miami Marlins
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 5/8/1994 (23)
Likely 2018 opening level: MLB
Info: Brinson will certainly be the first return the Marlins see out of the Christian Yelich deal, and he has the highest current value, so that’s a positive thing.
Brinson has long been a guy with incredible raw talent that either his lack of plate discipline or injury issues held back. His 2017 was the latter more than the former, as he did hit .331/.400/.562 when healthy with good power and speed in the minors, but his major league debut didn’t go as well.
Brinson should take over in center field for the Marlins, likely working at or near the top of the lineup with good zone recognition skills, but at times an overly aggressive approach that will probably be more forgivable in this season’s young Marlins lineup.
18. Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/9/1996 (21)
Likely 2018 opening level: AA
Info: Rodgers has always been known for his bat, with some in the 2015 draft considering him a better draft choice than Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman in the same draft class. Rodgers opened 2017 on a roll with the bat, hitting nearly .400 in high-A before he was promoted.
Rodgers opened 2017 on a roll with the bat
Rodgers has a natural quick swing that leaves the bat in the zone for quite a long time, allowing him to have consistent quality batting average, and his above-average power allows for gap power with 20-ish home run projection, though there’s certainly more if Rodgers fills out off of shortstop.
Rodgers is a middle infield guy, though some are not certain of his long-term future at short due to his range and footwork. He’ll likely open at AA and move quickly up to AAA in the 2018 season, likely working to the majors in 2019.
17. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland Indians
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/2/1997 (20)
Likely 2018 opening level: AA
Info: Many thought that the gangly, tall McKenzie would be a long-term project out of high school in Florida, needing to fill into his long frame before he could advance and be counted on.
Instead, McKenzie’s stuff has matured while his body remains a lean 6’5″, 165-170 pounds. He has seen his velocity stabilize in starts better, holding his low-90s stuff deeper in games, touching 95-96 with very high spin on the pitch. He tosses an above average curve and has learned how to sequence his change, even if his pitch isn’t as advanced as it could be in its raw movement.
McKenzie will head to AA in 2018, but he still has some questions whether his body can hold up to a starter’s workload long term, even though he has some of the most elite raw stuff in the game.
16. Walker Buehler, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 7/28/1994 (23)
Likely 2018 opening level: MLB
Info: Buehler worked his way all the way to the major leagues in 2017. Buehler was an outstanding prospect in high school, but his strong commitment to Vanderbilt led to him making his way to college and having a storied collegiate career before falling victim to injury in his draft season and falling to the 24th overall selection.
The Dodgers found Buehler needed Tommy John surgery upon his selection, and he missed essentially the entire 2016 season. He returned to the mound in 2017 with velocity that he’d not seen before, with a fastball that sat in the upper 90s, touching 102 at the very top end after sitting more low-90s with a top end of 96-97 before surgery.
Buehler has a dominant pair of breaking pitches and above average control, but his injury history and his lack of “meat on the bone” worries scouts about his ability to remain as a starter.
The Dodgers could open Buehler in a long-relief role in 2018 to allow him to build innings at the major league level, akin to the way the Minnesota Twins used Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano when they first came up to the big leagues.
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