MLB Top Prospects: Top 10 RHP prospects for 2018
After exploring both the team top 10 lists, overall top 150, and system rankings in our MLB Top Prospects series, we finish with a look at positional rankings. Today, we look at the top 10 right-handed pitching prospects for 2018.
Our MLB Top Prospects series at Call to the Pen is spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten right-handed pitching prospects for 2018.
We will explore each position with a top 10 list, and then after we get to #1, don’t leave as we will also highlight one player who is “on the rise” and could factor into the positional rankings after the 2018 season if they hold their current trajectory.
Each of these MLB Top Prospect rankings have come through the hundreds of games each summer Ben watches as well as speaking with multiple people throughout the game and gauging their opinions as well on players he has not had a good look at. This is a personal opinion, and a ranking position higher or lower than industry standard does not indicate “liking” or “hating” a certain player more or less – by just showing up on this list, there is a degree of appreciation of the talent a player brings!
We will start each position list with an overall look at the position itself within the game and the strength of the position.
Position overview
Outfield is the deepest of the hitting positions in rankings, but none is as deep as right-handed pitchers in minor league baseball right now. There is a tremendous depth of impressive right-handed arms among MLB top prospects.
Most of this list will be those pitchers who are at the upper levels of the minor leagues as the depth of right-handed pitchers among MLB top prospects allows to be picky and require a pitcher to prove himself in the upper levels of minor league baseball before getting jumped too much on a list. Only one player in the top 10 will open his 2018 season outside of the upper minors.
There is one pitcher on this list who will miss all of 2018 due to Tommy John surgery, and one on the list missed all of 2017 due to TJS. The surgery has become prominent enough to put some level of assumption to the recovery from surgery, however, it is not 100% assured.
Let’s take a look at the right-handers….
Next: #9 and #10