MLB Top Prospects: Updated top 10 list for every team

As we hit the midway point of the big league season, it’s a good time to look at MLB Top Prospects and see what’s changed

The 2018 MLB season has seen a number of MLB Top Prospects graduating to the major leagues, which has changed prospect rankings significantly. That made changing the rankings midseason much more difficult than in years past, but also more needed than typical mid-year re-ranks.

Before we get into things, we’ll discuss what to expect as you get into the rest of these lists…

I have taken the 2018 MLB draft into account for each team, though this is based primarily on pre-draft rankings, and not a lot on performance since the draft, which means there is plenty of volatility to each of these lists, whereas in the offseason I typically take a bunch of time to ensure I’m very comfortable with the placement of each player on the list in reference to where he is versus other players on the list.

I will not be including July 2nd players, however, as there is so much unknown on those players right now that they are too difficult to shuffle into a top 10 list at this point for my comfort. The first time you will see those players in rankings for me will be the offseason.

We will see an overall update to the overall top 150 list later this week, but for this post, we will be focusing on team lists. Each page as you go will have all of the top 10 lists for a division, with each team having a bit of commentary on their top 10, but not in-depth commentary on each player. I will be glad to answer any questions in the comments section on why a player fell off the list or was added to the list or any other similar question.

Let’s get started with the division currently hosting the best team in MLB, the American League East:

Next: American League East

Baltimore Orioles

1. Ryan Mountcastle, 3B, AA
2. DL Hall, LHP, low-A
3. Austin Hays, OF, AA
4. Hunter Harvey, RHP, AA
5. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, GCL
6. Cedric Mullins, OF, AAA
7. Keegan Akin, LHP, AA
8. Blaine Knight, RHP, short-season A
9. Zac Lowther, LHP, high-A
10. Cadyn Grenier, SS, low-A

One of the major misnomers in the industry is the repeated theme that the Baltimore Orioles are horrible at developing pitching. Perhaps they WERE horrible at one time, but since John Wasdin took over pitching development in the minor league system before the 2017 season, the organization has seen tremendous growth in their arms, and the six arms on this list could be as many as 8 by season’s end.

Boston Red Sox

1. Michael Chavis, 3B, AA
2. Jay Groome, LHP, has not pitched
3. Michael Shawaryn, RHP, AA
4. Triston Casas, 3B, GCL
5. Tanner Houck, RHP, high-A
6. Danny Diaz, 3B, DSL
7. Nick Decker, OF, GCL
8. Roniel Raudes, RHP, high-A
9. Jhonathan Diaz, LHP, high-A
10. Bobby Dalbec, 3B, high-A

This is a mess of a system, to say the least. Coming into the trade deadline, the Red Sox will be hoping to convince a team on potential rather than production as the production in the system this season has been sorely lacking.

New York Yankees

1. Estevan Florial, OF, high-A
2. Justus Sheffield, LHP, AAA
3. Dillon Tate, RHP, AA
4. Garrett Whitlock, RHP, high-A
5. Anthony Seigler, C, GCL
6. Chance Adams, RHP, AAA
7. Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP, MLB
8. Albert Abreu, RHP, high-A
9. Wilkerman Garcia, IF, low-A
10. Nick Nelson, RHP, high-A

The Yankees by this point should be well-regarded for their ability to work with strong-armed pitchers and maximize their ability. Tate has looked like a legit mid-rotation guy this year after being lost just 18 months ago, Loaisiga was released by his original signing team 2 years ago, and many of the arms you see here are guys selected in day 2 or 3 of the draft. That’s getting great value from your farm system for sure!

Tampa Bay Rays

1. Willy Adames, SS, MLB
2. Brett Honeywell, RHP, has not pitched
3. Jesus Sanchez, OF, high-A
4. Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, MLB
5. Wander Franco, SS, advanced rookie
6. Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, high-A
7. Matthew Liberatore, LHP, GCL
8. Lucius Fox, SS, high-A
9. Shane McClanahan, LHP, has not pitched
10. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B/OF, AA

The Rays are a team without the MLB top prospects of a system like the Braves or Padres, but their system is as deep as those systems in quality prospects that grade out as guys with a major league future, which is an impressive collection of talent!

Toronto Blue Jays

1. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 3B, AA
2. Bo Bichette, SS, AA
3. Danny Jansen, C, AAA
4. Nate Pearson, RHP, high-A
5. Anthony Alford, OF, MLB
6. Jordan Groshans, 3B, GCL
7. Eric Pardinho, RHP, advanced rookie
8. Griffin Conine, OF, short-season A
9. Kevin Smith, IF, high-A
10. Cavan Biggio, IF, AA

The Blue Jays have seen their AA club put together quite a performance this year, and that’s really raised the profile of many players on that team, but their quality drafting has pushed even their 2017 first-rounder off of this list, which says a lot for the work of the Toronto front office.

Next: American League Central

Chicago White Sox

1. Eloy Jimenez, OF, AAA
2. Luis Robert, OF, high-A
3. Michael Kopech, RHP, AAA
4. Zack Collins, C, AA
5. Nick Madrigal, IF, AZL
6. Dane Dunning, RHP, AA
7. Dylan Cease, RHP, AA
8. Blake Rutherford, OF, high-A
9. Alec Hansen, RHP, AA
10. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF, AA

A few injuries have sent some of the highly regarded players in the system for a tumble on the national scale, but at the same time, guys like Collins have moved up significantly this year with his bat coming alive and tremendous showing defensively behind the plate, showing his hard work has really paid off. In the first draft of the top 150 list, it was the White Sox with the most MLB Top Prospects.

Cleveland Indians

1. Francisco Mejia, C, MLB
2. Triston McKenzie, RHP, AA
3. Ethan Hankins, RHP, has not been assigned
4. Nolan Jones, 3B, low-A
5. Bobby Bradley, 1B, AA
6. Sam Hentges, LHP, high-A
7. Noah Naylor, C, AZL
8. Yu-Cheng Chang, SS, AAA
9. Aaron Civale, RHP, AA
10. Aaron Bracho, SS, DSL

The Indians had a very productive draf, but they’ve seen some significant regression from players in the system, particularly bats. The organization has shown proficiency in maximizing the profile of guys like Shane Bieber, and they’re seeing success from similar pitchers in the system, like Hentges and Civale.

Detroit Tigers

1. Matt Manning, RHP, high-A
2. Casey Mize, RHP, has not been assigned
3. Franklin Perez, RHP, high-A
4. Alex Faedo, RHP, AA
5. Daz Cameron, OF, AA
6. Beau Burrows, RHP, AA
7. Christin Stewart, OF, AAA
8. Jake Rogers, C, AA
9. Isaac Paredes, SS, high-A
10. Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, AA

The Tigers have put together an impressive collection of arms, to say the least. When the #1 pick in the draft isn’t even your top prospect, you know you have a solid system going, and the growth in Matt Manning absolutely warrants his spot here.

Kansas City Royals

1. Nick Pratto, 1B, low-A
2. Brady Singer, RHP, has not pitched yet
3. MJ Melendez, C, low-A
4. Jackson Kowar, RHP, low-A
5. Khalil Lee, OF, AA
6. Nicky Lopez, IF, AAA
7. Kris Bubic, LHP, advanced rookie
8. Seuly Matias, OF, low-A
9. Trevor Oaks, RHP, MLB
10. Carlos Hernandez, RHP, low-A

The Royals are in their first step of a rebuild, but the top-end talent on the system is already impressive, and they’ve quietly gone about things the right way in loading up their Dominican Summer League teams with plenty of options to develop into something that can help the team down the line.

Minnesota Twins

1. Royce Lewis, SS, high-A
2. Alex Kirilloff, OF, high-A
3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, high-A
4. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, AAA
5. Nick Gordon, IF, AAA
6. Wander Javier, SS, has not played
7. Trevor Larnach, OF, has not played
8. Brent Rooker, 1B/OF, AA
9. Zack Littell, RHP, MLB
10. Luis Arraez, 2B, AA

An injury ended the season for one of the Twins’ most intriguing prospects in Javier before it began, but unlike the big league club, the majority of the news at the minor league level has been very positive, with big performances from those players who have been considered among MLB top prospects, along with an impressive return from Arraez, a slick defender at second base that has plus to double-plus contact skills.

Next: American League West

Houston Astros

1. Kyle Tucker, OF, MLB
2. Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, AAA
3. Forrest Whitley, RHP, AA
4. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, low-A
5. Seth Beer, 1B/OF, low-A
6. Corbin Martin, RHP, AA
7. Hector Perez, RHP, AA
8. Freudis Nova, SS, GCL
9. Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, AAA
10. Myles Straw, OF, AAA

It just doesn’t seem fair that the defending World Series champion would also have three MLB Top Prospects that would rank in the top 25 overall. The Astros have plenty of Latin talent depth that could jump up each year, so by the end of the season, it would not surprise if a name not on the list is even threatening for a top-5 slot.

Los Angeles Angels

1. Jo Adell, OF, high-A
2. Jahmai Jones, 2B, AA
3. Griffin Canning, RHP, AAA
4. Brandon Marsh, OF, high-A
5. Kevin Maitan, IF, advanced rookie
6. Jordyn Adams, OF, AZL
7. Jose Soriano, RHP, low-A
8. Jose Suarez, LHP, AAA
9. Jeremiah Jackson, SS, AZL
10. David Fletcher, IF, MLB

The Angels have developed themselves into a very legit farm system. They have an elite talent in Adell, they have two pitchers that have flown through the minors in Canning and Suarez this year, and they have plenty of players who have come up well this season like Fletcher and Luis Rengifo, who have both pushed up through the farm system in a hurry with their play this year.

Oakland Athletics

1. Jesus Luzardo, LHP, AA
2. A.J. Puk, LHP, has not pitched
3. Sean Murphy, C, AA
4. Kyler Murray, OF, has not played
5. Jorge Mateo, SS, AAA
6. Austin Beck, OF, low-A
7. Jameson Hannah, OF, short-season A
8. Lazaro Armenteros, OF, low-A
9. Sheldon Neuse, 3B, AAA
10. Jeremy Eierman, IF, short-season A

An incredibly productive 2018 draft adds to an already-stocked system that could feature as many as a dozen players in MLB top prospects lists by season’s end. Murray will be incredibly intriguing to follow as he won’t officially be playing until next summer with the A’s as he focuses on football this fall with Oklahoma.

Seattle Mariners

1. Kyle Lewis, OF, high-A
2. Evan White, 1B, AAA
3. Julio Rodriguez, OF, DSL
4. Logan Gilbert, RHP, has not pitched
5. Sam Carlson, RHP, has not pitched
6. Braden Bishop, OF, AA
7. Joe Rizzo, 3B, high-A
8. Juan Querecuto, SS, DSL
9. Max Povse, RHP, AAA
10. Bryson Brigman, IF, high-A

The Mariners have made a focus on college players in the first round or two and they’ve really done well in the Latin market recently. However, they tend to trade away many of those top guys before they get a chance to impact the big league club.

Texas Rangers

1. Julio Pablo Martinez, OF, short-season A
2. Willie Calhoun, OF, AAA
3. Leody Taveras, OF, high-A
4. Hans Crouse, RHP, short-season A
5. Cole Winn, RHP, has not pitched
6. Anderson Tejeda, IF, high-A
7. Bubba Thompson, OF, low-A
8. Cole Ragans, LHP, has not pitched
9. Owen White, RHP, has not pitched
10. Tyler Phillips, RHP, low-A

The Rangers love to shoot for upside, and they certainly got a big fish in Martinez, who could end up a guy in the top 50 of MLB top prospects lists at midseason, let alone by the end of the season. The pick of Winn adds more depth to what is becoming a very impressive pitching system.

Next: National League East

Chicago Cubs

1. Alex Lange, RHP, high-A
2. Aramis Ademan, SS, high-A
3. Nico Hoerner, SS, low-A
4. Miguel Amaya, C, low-A
5. Oscar De La Cruz, RHP, AA
6. Mark Zagunis, OF, MLB
7. Cory Abbott, RHP, high-A
8. Adbert Alzolay, RHP, AAA
9. Jose Albertos, RHP, low-A
10. Duane Underwood, RHP, MLB

While the Cubs remain among the worst farm systems in the game, they have seen some breakthroughs this year. Amaya has a chance to be among MLB Top Prospects lists by the end of the season, and Abbott as a college arm has developed better than many assumed of him coming out of school.

Cincinnati Reds

1. Nick Senzel, 3B, AAA
2. Hunter Greene, RHP, low-A
3. Jonathan India, 3B, advanced rookie
4. Taylor Trammell, OF, high-A
5. Tony Santillan, RHP, AA
6. Jeter Downs, SS, low-A
7. Shed Long, 2B, AA
8. Mike Siani, OF, advanced rookie
9. Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP, AA
10. TJ Friedl, OF, AA

The Reds system is getting stock full of MLB Top Prospects, and the major league team is outplaying expectations, leading many to think the very near future and long-term future is going to be very bright in Cincinnati. The positional talent, specifically, is incredible in the Reds system from top to bottom.

Milwaukee Brewers

1. Keston Hiura, 2B, AA
2. Corbin Burnes, RHP, MLB
3. Freddy Peralta, RHP, MLB
4. Corey Ray, OF, AA
5. Luis Ortiz, RHP, AA
6. Brett Phillips, OF, MLB
7. Brice Turang, SS, AZL
8. Zack Brown, RHP, AA
9. Cam Roegner, RHP, AAA
10. Tristen Lutz, OF, low-A

The Brewers are using a farm system the way the Detroit Tigers did for years – building up a team to compete at the major league level, and then filtering the pieces that can be used to the big league level or into trades for what is needed at the big league level. That means less guys who will show up on MLB top prospects lists, but the purpose is to keep the big league club in contention, not worry about rankings when a team is in this modality.

Pittsburgh Pirates

1. Mitch Keller, RHP, AAA
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, AA
3. Shane Baz, RHP, advanced rookie
4. Travis Swaggerty, OF, short-season A
5. Cal Mitchell, OF, low-A
6. Oneil Cruz, SS, low-A
7. Luis Escobar, RHP, high-A
8. Kevin Newman, SS, AAA
9. Taylor Hearn, LHP, AA
10. Cole Tucker, SS, AA

The big improvement from the bats of Cruz and Mitchell have been huge for the Pirates system, who have seen plenty of success from their hard-throwing arms, but struggled to produce bats, but with a re-birth of Kevin Newman, this system suddenly looks significantly deep.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Alex Reyes, RHP, MLB
2. Dakota Hudson, RHP,
3. Tyler O’Neill, OF, MLB
4. Andrew Knizner, C, AAA
5. Oscar Mercado, OF, AAA
6. Nolan Gorman, 3B, advanced rookie
7. Ryan Helsley, RHP, AAA
8. Randy Arozarena, OF, AAA
9. Daniel Poncedeleon, RHP, AAA
10. Delvin Perez, SS, short-season A

The Cardinals continue to produce quality arms through their system, but their bats have significantly slowed of late, which made the pick of Gorman almost a “need” pick.

Next: National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Jon Duplantier, RHP, AA
2. Taylor Widener, RHP, AA
3. Pavin Smith, 1B, high-A
4. Jasrado Chisholm, SS, low-A
5. Drew Ellis, 3B, high-A
6. Daulton Varsho, C, high-A
7. Jake McCarthy, OF, short-season A
8. Kristian Robinson, OF, AZL
9. Alec Thomas, OF, AZL
10. Taylor Clarke, RHP, AAA

Losing their first-round pick to UCLA really doesn’t hurt the Diamondbacks as bad as they were able to make some excellent picks during the draft, including a very talented young shortstop in Blaze Alexander that could find his way onto this list by the offseason. Widener is proving to be a great pickup from the Yankees in the deal that brought over Steven Souza.

Colorado Rockies

1. Brendan Rodgers, IF, AA
2. Colton Welker, 3B, high-A
3. Garrett Hampson, IF, AAA
4. Peter Lambert, RHP, AAA
5. Ryan Rolison, LHP, advanced rookie
6. Ryan Castellani, RHP, AA
7. Riley Pint, RHP, low-A
8. Forrest Wall, OF, AA
9. Roberto Ramos, 1B, AA
10. Chad Spanberger, 1B, low-A

Losing an arm like Kumar Rocker hurts for sure, but this system has been seeing impressive performances from a lot of corners this year, both at the plate and on the mound, which should make the end-of-season list very interesting!

Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Alex Verdugo, OF, MLB
2. Keibert Ruiz, C, AA
3. Yusniel Diaz, OF, AA
4. Dennis Santana, RHP, MLB
5. Will Smith, C, AA
6. Dustin May, RHP, high-A
7. DJ Peters, OF, AA
8. Mitchell White, RHP, AA
9. Gavin Lux, SS, high-A
10. Ronny Brito, SS, advanced rookie

The Dodgers graduated one of the best arms in the game, but they still have plenty of depth for MLB Top Prospects lists. The prospect depth should be very valuable as they head toward the trade deadline, especially the organization’s unique depth in quality catching prospects.

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San Diego Padres

1. Fernando Tatis, Jr., SS, AA
2. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, low-A
3. Luis Urias, 2B, AAA
4. Adrian Morejon, LHP, high-A
5. Michel Baez, RHP, high-A
6. Cal Quantrill, RHP, AA
7. Chris Paddack, RHP, AA
8. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, has not pitched
9. Logan Allen, LHP, AA
10. Ryan Weathers, LHP, AZL

The Padres are building a farm system that we could be talking about for ages to come. This year’s MLB top prospects lists will feature 10 and more Padres with an incredible amount of players that could draw interest of evaluators.

San Francisco Giants

1. Joey Bart, C, short-season A
2. Heliot Ramos, OF, low-A
3. Steven Duggar, OF, MLB
4. Sean Hjelle, RHP, short-season A
5. Shaun Anderson, RHP, AA
6. Chris Shaw, 1B/OF, AAA
7. Melvin Adon, RHP, low-A
8. Heath Quinn, OF, high-A
9. Logan Webb, RHP, high-A
10. Gregory Santos, RHP, short-season A

The Giants will be very pleased that they made the Eduardo Nunez trade for years to come as Anderson and Santos have already exceeded their expectations. This system is still quite barren, but the rebound of Heath Quinn and strong performance of Duggar certainly gives some hope for future offense for the Giants.

Next: Futures Game roster review

That’s the top 10 prospects for each team in the league. Are there any MLB Top Prospects that you see missing? Comment below!