MLB Top prospects: Midseason top 150 prospects

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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 04: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Braves 6-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

As the major league side of the game is at the midseason break, it’s a good time to see how our MLB top prospects list has changed

We at Call To The Pen have a focus on the entire game, from the major leagues on down to amateur players that will be part of upcoming draft classes. After the June draft, how does the 150 MLB top prospects list change?

A number of players have graduated since the initial top 150 MLB top prospects list was released before the season. We’ll check out the top players who have graduated before we get into the new list.

Ronald Acuna was our top prospect before the season. He didn’t start the season in the major leagues, but he’s now just passed the rookie requirements and is no longer eligible. He’s shown flashes of brilliance for the Braves, hitting .249/.304/.438.

The #2 prospect on the list was Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese import that was a huge story of the offseason. He’s been allowed to play both ways with the Angels, hitting .283/.365/.522 with 7 home runs over 157 plate appearances and throwing 49 1/3 innings with a 3.10 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 20/61 BB/K ratio.

One of the best teams in baseball has used their top prospect coming into the season very well until he was recently injured. Gleyber Torres was the #8 prospect on our list. He’s a current favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, as he’s hit .294/.350/.555 with 15 home runs and played premium defense at second base.

The Dodgers brought up Walker Buehler, the preseason #16 prospect, to be in their rotation, and he’s been a big positive for them, with a 4.05 ERA over 66 2/3 innings, with a 1.22 WHIP and a 21/71 BB/K ratio.

Lewis Brinson was the Marlins opening day center fielder after being our #19 prospect. He’s played good defense, but his bat has struggled, hitting .176/.233/.329 with 12 home runs, but also with 111 strikeouts over 105 games.

Phillies infielder J.P. Crawford was our #22 prospect after a strong finish to his 2017 season, and he’s known for his defense, but he’s had some lapses in that area in 2018, and his bat hasn’t been good enough to overcome it for playing time, hitting just .202/.332/.319.

Oakland’s Franklin Barreto was our #24 prospect and has just passed the rookie requirements to bump him off prospect lists. He’s struggled this year, but he’s been consistently on a shuffle between AAA and the majors, hitting .203/.246/.390.

While these debuts have not exactly all been shining, it’s only a half season so far, so there’s plenty of chance for each player to do more!

Now, we’ll head into our midseason list, 20 players at a time until our final 10, with a quick sum of each 20 at the end of each group and a list of where the player was ranked in the preseason list.

Next: #131-150

Prospects #131-150

131. Logan Allen, LHP, San Diego Padres (146)
132. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF, Chicago White Sox (NR)
133. Hunter Harvey, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (NR)
134. Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers (NR)
135. Beau Burrows, RHP, Detroit Tigers (137)
136. Jasrado Chisholm, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (NR)
137. Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers (NR)
138. Bryse Wilson, RHP, Atlanta Braves (109)
139. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners (NR)
140. DJ Peters, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (147)
141. Travis Swaggerty, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (NR)
142. Nick Neidert, RHP, Miami Marlins (NR)
143. Wil Crowe, RHP, Washington Nationals (NR)
144. Jeter Downs, SS, Cincinnati Reds (NR)
145. Jackson Kowar, RHP, Kansas City Royals (NR)
146. Alex Lange, RHP, Chicago Cubs (NR)
147. Andres Gimenez, SS, New York Mets (133)
148. Cal Mitchell, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (NR)
149. Andrew Knizner, C, St. Louis Cardinals (NR)
150. Joey Wentz, LHP, Atlanta Braves (NR)

The very bottom of the list is a bit misleading. I could go 300 deep with guys that I see with some level of feasible major league future. That doesn’t mean that they’re likely to reach that future by any means.

There are plenty here with tremendous talent, though, like Rodriguez, Downs, and Mitchell who have really shown plenty this year in small exposure that could indicate big things to come.

The two Braves arms here both could rank much higher on a lot of lists, but with the depth in the Braves system, they get buried a bit. Wilson has seen some struggles in his promotion to AA, though he’s got a tremendous fastball/change/slider combo that could play very well as a multi-inning reliever. Wentz’s inconsistent velocity is still an issue at times, but he’s really pitched well around it, and he could find himself much higher in the offseason list.

Next: #111-130

Port Charlotte, FL – JUL 06: 2018 Tampa Bay Rays first round pick 18-year-old left-hander Matthew Liberatore makes his professional debut as the starting pitcher for the GCL Rays during the Gulf Coast League (GCL) game between the GCL Orioles and the GCL Rays on July 06, 2018, at the Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Prospects #111-130

111. Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays (NR)
112. Austin Beck, OF, Oakland Athletics (93)
113. Chris Paddack, RHP, San Diego Padres (NR)
114. Monte Harrison, OF, Miami Marlins (54)
115. Nolan Jones, 3B, Cleveland Indians (85)
116. Alec Hansen, RHP, Chicago White Sox (40)
117. Isan Diaz, IF, Miami Marlins (124)
118. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, San Diego Padres (100)
119. William Contreras, C, Atlanta Braves (NR)
120. Seth Beer, 1B/OF, Houston Astros (NR)
121. Michael Shawaryn, RHP, Boston Red Sox (NR)
122. Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants (80)
123. Jordan Groshans, IF, Toronto Blue Jays (NR)
124. Ranger Suarez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies (NR)
125. Shane Baz, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (101)
126. Tony Santillan, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (NR)
127. Hans Crouse, RHP, Texas Rangers (117)
128. Wander Javier, SS, Minnesota Twins (77)
129. Anthony Seigler, C, New York Yankees (NR)
130. Chance Adams, RHP, New York Yankees (45)

A number of draftees in this bunch, including two personal favorites that I’ll admit I probably push up the list more than most simply because I’m a big fan of what both guys can do. The first is Jordan Groshans, who was the Blue Jays first pick this season out of high school in Texas. Groshans is a kid with the build that you’d assume is headed to third base, but he’s worked hard to stay at shortstop thus far, and he plays a fairly good shortstop right now. If he can keep his body in check, he could play the position for some time as he ascends in the Blue Jays system.

The other guy I’m a big fan of is Anthony Seigler, the Yankees first-round selection. Seigler is incredibly unique in that he’s a legit draft prospect as a catcher and a pitcher. He is only going to hit and play behind the plate, but I have to admit the idea of a switch-pitcher that also switch-hits was plenty intriguing.

While many Yankees are soaring up the ranks, one guy that has really just not looked good for me this season is Chance Adams. Inside my top 50 preseason, he’s just not handled AAA ball well, and he’s not shown good composure on the mound when dealing with those frustrations, which may be as big a sign to me of future issues as a guy gets to the big leagues and gets knocked around a time or two.

Next: #91-110

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 15: Adonis Medina of the World Team pitches in the seventh inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Prospects #91-110

91. Adonis Medina, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (102)
92. Kyler Murray, OF, Oakland Athletics (NR)
93. Jay Groome, LHP, Boston Red Sox (88)
94. Garrett Whitlock, RHP, New York Yankees (NR)
95. Daz Cameron, OF, Detroit Tigers (122)
96. Jorge Mateo, SS, Oakland Athletics (46)
97. Drew Waters, OF, Atlanta Braves (NR)
98. Nick Gordon, SS/2B, Minnesota Twins (43)
99. Evan White, 1B, Seattle Mariners (NR)
100. Ian Anderson, RHP, Atlanta Braves (73)
101. Pavin Smith, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks (87)
102. Dustin May, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (NR)
103. Nate Pearson, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (84)
104. Brandon Marsh, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (120)
105. Jorge Guzman, RHP, Miami Marlins (NR)
106. Anthony Alford, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (32)
107. Corey Ray, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (NR)
108. Peter Lambert, RHP, Colorado Rockies (NR)
109. Jarred Kelenic, OF, New York Mets (NR)
110. JoJo Romero, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies (NR)

Later in the list, and we’ll start to definitely see more new guys on the list. One of the guys who is probably not done jumping for me this year is Whitlock. He has taken to the Yankees pitching development system, and he is showing tremendous ability to control the ball and also manipulate movement, quickly moving up the list to the top arm in the Yankees system.

Corey Ray was initially drafted with plenty of thought that he would move quickly through the Brewers system with a high ceiling of power/speed. The Brewers pushed him up the system, in spite of Ray not playing well enough to earn the promotions. He has still struggled with contact this season, but he’s been able to show the power and speed that he flashed so frequently in college.

A pair of guys here would have been very interesting to follow if not for Tommy John surgery. Jay Groome was drafted in 2016 as one of the best young arms many had ever seen at the high school level, but he’s not pitched to that level when he’s been on the mound, and he is now recovering from surgery. Nate Pearson was a guy coming out of JuCo in 2017 that had great stuff, but many worried about his ability to control it. Those worries were being quickly eliminated, along with more velocity and raw stuff than had initially been thought before his elbow popped this spring.

Next: #71-90

Prospects #71-90

71. Dillon Tate, RHP, New York Yankees (NR)
72. Austin Hays, OF, Baltimore Orioles (39)
73. Brusdar Graterol, RHP, Minnesota Twins (92)
74. Jahmai Jones, 2B, Los Angeles Angels (59)
75. Corbin Burnes, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (48)
76. Danny Jansen, C, Toronto Blue Jays (NR)
77. Griffin Canning, RHP, Los Angeles Angels (NR)
78. Touki Toussaint, RHP, Atlanta Braves (NR)
79. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Minnesota Twins (42)
80. Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves (63)
81. Kyle Lewis, OF, Seattle Mariners (138)
82. Michael Chavis, 3B, Boston Red Sox (35)
83. Dakota Hudson, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (NR)
84. MJ Melendez, C, Kansas City Royals (144)
85. Cal Quantrill, RHP, San Diego Padres (72)
86. Tyler O’Neill, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (132)
87. Blake Rutherford, OF, Chicago White Sox (62)
88. Luis Garcia, SS, Washington Nationals (NR)
89. Alex Faedo, RHP, Detroit Tigers (130)
90. Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins (53)

Some arms that have really made big strides find themselves in this range. Dillon Tate has taken to the Yankees instruction and developed into a strong pitcher with a high floor as a late-inning reliever.

Canning and Toussaint have both seen big jumps this year due to simply harnessing their incredible stuff and seeing that better control allow them to jump up within systems, both of them to AAA. Both certainly could end up in a bullpen, but their raw stuff in the rotation could have them as frontline guys.

Garcia is one that should be fun to track. The way that the Nationals move their top prospects aggressively, he could be in the upper minors next season after opening this season in low-A in his first full season.

Next: #51-70

Prospects #51-70

51. Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals (126)
52. Michel Baez, RHP, San Diego Padres (38)
53. Cristian Pache, OF, Atlanta Braves (75)
54. Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies (NR)
55. Willie Calhoun, OF, Texas Rangers (26)
56. Jonathan India, 3B, Cincinnati Reds (NR)
57. Jon Duplantier, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (116)
58. Carter Kieboom, SS, Washington Nationals (64)
59. Brady Singer, RHP, Kansas City Royals (NR)
60. Garrett Hampson, 2B/SS, Colorado Rockies (NR)
61. Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (NR)
62. Ethan Hankins, RHP, Cleveland Indians (NR)
63. Dane Dunning, RHP, Chicago White Sox (74)
64. Leody Taveras, OF, Texas Rangers (68)
65. Dylan Cease, RHP, Chicago White Sox (70)
66. Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (82)
67. Taylor Widener, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (NR)
68. DL Hall, LHP, Baltimore Orioles (NR)
69. Franklin Perez, RHP, Detroit Tigers (58)
70. Sean Murphy, C, Oakland Athletics (141)

Eight players in this group of 20 were not ranked coming into the season, which gives a good idea of just how volatile things get once you get outside of the top 50 prospects. Half of those 8 were 2018 draft picks.

The one hitter who was not ranked before the season in this group and not a draftee is Hampson, a speedy middle infielder for the Rockies. After a big emergence season in 2017, he’s followed it up with another just as good at the upper levels of the minor leagues, and he could end up factoring into Rockies 2B plans for 2019 with DJ LeMahieu a free agent after 2018.

Both Widener and Hall have established themselves as legit prospects on the mound, with Hall having a shot to be something very special. Widener has the floor of a very good reliever, and he’s developed significantly as a starter in the upper minors this year.

Next: #31-50

Prospects #31-50

31. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, San Diego Padres (23)
32. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (65)
33. Alex Reyes, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (31)
34. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Houston Astros (76)
35. Luis Urias, 2B/SS, San Diego Padres (89)
36. Yusniel Diaz, OF, Baltimore Orioles (131)
37. Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (NR)
38. Adrian Morejon, LHP, San Diego Padres (83)
39. Kolby Allard, LHP, Atlanta Braves (34)
40. Taylor Trammell, OF, Cincinnati Reds (79)
41. Colton Welker, 3B, Colorado Rockies (143)
42. Adam Haseley, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (NR)
43. Joey Bart, C, San Francisco Giants (NR)
44. Matt Manning, RHP, Detroit Tigers (86)
45. Kyle Wright, RHP, Atlanta Braves (37)
46. Casey Mize, RHP, Detroit Tigers (NR)
47. Julio Pablo Martinez, OF, Texas Rangers (NR)
48. Nick Madrigal, 2B/SS, Chicago White Sox (NR)
49. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates (140)
50. Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, Tampa Bay Rays (90)

Here we have the first draft picks show up in the list, led by Bart. While Mize was the top pick, the inherent risk of a pitcher has him just a tick below Bart for me. Six players were in this grouping that were unranked preseason, and only three were draft picks.

The other three unranked players are led by Wander Franco, and he joins Julio Pablo Martinez to explain the “why” of that. I’m typically a bit more hesitant to “buy in” on Latin prospects until I’ve had a chance to get a good eye on them, and with those two, I did not have that look until this year. Franco especially could find himself much higher by the end of the year.

My other unranked player to jump into this range is Phillies outfielder Adam Haseley. I watched a significant amount of video on Haseley before my offseason list, and he did not make my list. This season, Haseley has cleaned up his approach significantly, and he’s made adjustments in his swing slightly that is allowing him to get to balls better with authority.

Next: #11-30

WASHINGTON, D.C. – JULY 15: Yordan Alvarez #45 of the World Team singles in the fifth inning during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Prospects #11-30

11. Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Houston Astros (121)
12. Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (14)
13. Brendan Rodgers, 2B/SS, Colorado Rockies (18)
14. Mitch Keller, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (13)
15. Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox (44)
16. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Houston Astros (11)
17. Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Oakland Athletics (96)
18. Michael Kopech, RHP, Chicago White Sox (12)
19. Estevan Florial, OF, New York Yankees (20)
20. Alex Kirilloff, OF, Minnesota Twins (145)
21. Mike Soroka, RHP, Atlanta Braves (21)
22. Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians (15)
23. Brent Honeywell, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays (25)
24. Alex Verdugo, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (41)
25. Justus Sheffield, LHP, New York Yankees (67)
26. Zack Collins, C, Chicago White Sox (113)
27. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland Indians (17)
28. A.J. Puk, LHP, Oakland Athletics (21)
29. Ryan Mountcastle, 3B, Baltimore Orioles (55)
30. Keibert Ruiz, C, Los Angeles Dodgers (49)

I will fully admit that I was not a Yordan believer before the list came out, but it was not long afterward that I was convinced, watching him take cuts against a big league arm and not be fooled at all. His athleticism is what truly blew me away. It’s feasible that he could play a corner outfield and be an asset defensively, not just be forced to first base, in spite of his huge size.

The other two big leapers as hitters were Kirilloff and Collins. Kirilloff was coming off of Tommy John, so I had him conservative before the season, but the bat has been all I thought it could be and even a bit more. Collins has blown away my previous views on him this year with his improvements behind the plate and at the plate.

Finally, the big jumper among arms was Luzardo, a guy who was just coming back from his own Tommy John in 2017 and got a couple handful of starts under his belt to show he was healthy. As great as those performances were, even the biggest Luzardo fan would never have seen him leaping forward like he has. He’s firmly established as the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game right now.

Next: #1-10

TORONTO, ON – MAY 23: Toronto Blue Jays fans hang a sign calling for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be brought up to the big league club during MLB game action against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Rogers Centre on May 23, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vladimir Guerrero Jr. /

Prospects #1-10

1. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 3B, Toronto Blue Jays (3)
2. Fernando Tatis, Jr., SS, San Diego Padres (7)
3. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox (4)
4. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros (10)
5. Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels (51)
6. Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals (5)
7. Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds (6)
8. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (9)
9. Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (27)
10. Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota Twins (36)

More from Call to the Pen

Left infield and outfield dominates the top ten right now, and really should at the end of the season, with only Tucker likely to find his way off this list right now, though if their teams head into a downward spiral, certainly Vlad Jr, Eloy, Adames, and Robles, when healthy should be candidates to get plenty of major league time.

Injuries have been a theme of the top prospects this season. Whether it was the early start to the season, the abnormally weather-filled April, or the seemingly violent twists in temperatures across the country this year, something has led to a significant rise in player injuries across the country at all levels, as it seems every top guy has missed significant time.

As much as Adell has jumped already, he very well could be a top 3 guy by the end of the season. He’s shown all the positives coming in his draft last summer and been able to show them at the pro level now, already jumping up to high-A in his first full season out of high school.

Any questions on #1? Really? No? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Right now, Vlad Junior has the look of a once-a-generation player, and he’s just barely older than high school players drafted this June!

Next: Updated top 10 for each team

That’s our updated 150 MLB top prospects here at Call To The Pen. Who is too high? Who is too low? Comment below!

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