clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Nick Melotte's Top 10 Prospects

New, 6 comments

Better late than never, right?

What took so long?
What took so long?
David Banks/Getty Images

Each year I begin the offseason with overly ambitious plans to follow along in John's footsteps and put out my own Top 20 prospect lists for each team. About halfway through January I realize how absolutely crazy I am for even attempting to do so on my own. The first time I did this, I gained so much more respect for John seeing how much time and effort goes into compiling these rankings.

So I learned, and figured out that is way too many players. I'm sure I will upset some by leaving off a favorite player of theirs, and I'm sure I also probably left out a deserving player (or two) due to a brain fart(s). I dialed it back and now I present to you, the fine and knowledgeable readers of Minor League Ball, my own personal Top 10 Prospects for each team.

Questions, comments, or concerns? Leave a comment and let's talk some baseball.

NL East

Atlanta Braves

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Dansby Swanson SS 22 A-
2 Sean Newcomb LHSP 22 AA
3 Ozzie Albies SS 19 A
4 Kolby Allard LHSP 18 R
5 Aaron Blair RHSP 24 AAA
6 Austin Riley 3B 19 R+
7 Max Fried LHSP 22 INJ
8 Hector Olivera 3B/LF 31 MLB
9 Touki Toussaint RHSP 20 A
10 Mallex Smith CF 23 AAA

Miami Marlins

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Tyler Kolek RHSP 20 A
2 Jarlin Garcia LHSP 23 AA
3 Josh Naylor 1B 19 R
4 Stone Garrett CF 20 A-
5 Kendry Flores RHSP 24 MLB
6 Brett Lilek LHSP 22 A-
7 Isaiah White CF 19 R
8 Austin Dean LF/RF 22 A+
9 Isael Soto RF 19 A
10 Jordan Holloway RHSP 20 A

New York Mets

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Steven Matz LHSP 25 MLB
2 Amed Rosario SS 20 AA
3 Marcos Molina RHSP 21 A+
4 Gavin Cecchini SS 22 AA
5 Dominic Smith 1B 21 A+
6 Desmond Lindsay CF 19 A-
7 Brandon Nimmo CF/RF 23 AAA
8 Luis Carpio SS/2B 18 R+
9 Rob Gsellman RHSP 22 AA
10 Wuilmer Becerra RF 21 A

Philadelphia Phillies

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 JP Crawford SS 21 AA
2 Nick Williams LF 22 AA
3 Roman Quinn CF 23 AA
4 Jorge Alfaro C 23 AA
5 Franklyn Kilome RHSP 21 A-
6 Jake Thompson RHSP 22 AA
7 Cornelius Randolph LF 19 R
8 Andrew Knapp C 24 AA
9 Mark Appel RHSP 24 AAA
10 Malquin Canelo AA 21 A+

Washington Nationals

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Lucas Giolito RHSP 21 AA
2 Victor Robles CF 19 A-
3 Trea Turner SS 23 MLB
4 Reynaldo Lopez RHSP 22 A+
5 Eric Fedde RHSP 23 A
6 Anderson Franco 3B 18 A-
7 Wilmer Difo SS 24 MLB
8 Rafael Bautista CF 23 A+
9 Drew Ward 3B 21 A+
10 Andrew Stevenson CF 22 A

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Gleyber Torres SS 19 A+
2 Ian Happ CF 21 A+
3 Willson Contreras C 24 AA
4 Dylan Cease RHSP 20 R
5 Billy McKinney LF 21 AA
6 Duane Underwood RHSP 21 A+
7 Oscar De La Cruz RHSP 21 A-
8 Albert Almora CF 22 AA
9 Eloy Jimenez RF 19 A-
10 Carl Edwards Jr RHP 24 MLB

Cincinnati Reds

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Jesse Winker LF 22 AA
2 Robert Stephenson RHSP 23 AAA
3 Cody Reed LHSP 23 AA
4 Jose Peraza 2B/CF 22 MLB
5 Tyler Stephenson C 19 R+
6 Amir Garrett LHSP 24 A+
7 Keury Mella RHSP 22 A+
8 Alex Blandino SS 23 AA
9 Tyler Mahle RHSP 21 A
10 Rookie Davis RHSP 23 AA

Milwaukee Brewers

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Orlando Arcia SS 21 AA
2 Brett Phillips CF 22 AA
3 Trent Clark CF 19 R+
4 Josh Hader LHSP 22 AA
5 Jorge Lopez RHSP 23 MLB
6 Gilbert Lara 3B 18 R+
7 Isan Diaz 2B/SS 20 R+
8 Kodi Medeiros LHSP 20 A
9 Tyrone Taylor CF 22 A
10 Michael Reed RF 22 AAA

Pittsburgh Pirates

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Tyler Glasnow RHSP 22 AAA
2 Austin Meadows CF 21 AA
3 Jameson Taillon RHSP 24 INJ
4 Harold Ramirez CF 21 A+
5 Josh Bell 1B 23 AAA
6 Kevin Newman SS 22 A
7 Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B 19 A-
8 Stephen Tarpley LHSP 23 A
9 Cole Tucker SS 19 A
10 Reese McGuire C 21 A+

St. Louis Cardinals

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Alex Reyes RHSP 21 AA
2 Jack Flaherty RHSP 20 AA
3 Luke Weaver RHSP 22 A+
4 Junior Fernandez RHSP 19 R+
5 Magneuris Sierra CF 20 A
6 Jake Woodford RHSP 19 R
7 Nick Plummer CF 19 R
8 Marco Gonzales LHSP 24 MLB
9 Sandy Alcantara RHSP 20 R
10 Harrison Bader CF 22 A

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Braden Shipley RHSP 24 AA
2 Archie Bradley RHSP 23 MLB
3 Alex Young LHSP 22 A-
4 Wei-Chieh Huang RHSP 22 A
5 Brandon Drury 2B/3B 23 MLB
6 Socrates Brito CF 23 MLB
7 Yoan Lopez RHSP 23 AA
8 Tyler Wagner RHSP 25 MLB
9 Cody Reed LHSP 20 A-
10 Peter O'Brien LF/1B/C 25 MLB

Colorado Rockies

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Brendan Rodgers SS 19 R+
2 Jon Gray RHSP 24 MLB
3 Jeff Hoffman RHSP 23 AA
4 David Dahl CF 22 AA
5 Ryan McMahon 3B 21 A+
6 Trevor Story SS/2B 23 AAA
7 Raimel Tapia CF 22 A+
8 Dom Nunez C 21 A
9 Antonio Senzatela RHSP 21 A+
10 Forrest Wall 2B 20 A

Los Angeles Dodgers

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Corey Seager SS 22 MLB
2 Julio Urias LHSP 19 AAA
3 Jose De Leon RHSP 23 AAA
4 Yadier Alvarez RHSP 20 J2
5 Grant Holmes RHSP 20 AAA
6 Alex Verdugo CF 20 A+
7 Cody Bellinger 1B/CF 20 A+
8 Austin Barnes C 26 MLB
9 Yusniel Diaz OF 19 J2
10 Frankie Montas RHSP 23 MLB

San Diego Padres

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Manuel Margot CF 21 AA
2 Javier Guerra SS 20 A+
3 Ruddy Giron SS 19 A
4 Hunter Renfroe CF 24 AAA
5 Logan Allen LHSP 19 A-
6 Travis Jankowski CF 25 MLB
7 Jacob Nix RHSP 20 R
8 Austin Smith RHSP 19 R
9 Enyel De Los Santos RHSP 20 A-
10 Jose Rondon SS 22 AA

San Francisco Giants

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Christian Arroyo SS 21 A+
2 Phil Bickford RHSP 20 R
3 Tyler Beede RHSP 23 AA
4 Lucius Fox SS 18 J2
5 Clayton Blackburn RHSP 23 AAA
6 Chris Shaw 1B 22 A-
7 Sam Coonrod RHSP 23 A
8 Mac Marshall LHSP 20 A-
9 Andrew Suarez LHSP 23 A+
10 Jalen Miller SS 19 R

AL East

Baltimore Orioles

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Dylan Bundy RHSP 23 AA
2 Hunter Harvey RHSP 21 INJ
3 Jomar Reyes 3B 19 A
4 Chance Sisco C 21 AA
5 Trey Mancini 1B 24 AA
6 Mychal Givens RHP 26 MLB
7 DJ Stewart LF 22 A-
8 David Hess RHSP 22 AA
9 Dariel Alvarez RF 27 MLB
10 Chris Lee LHSP 23 AA

Boston Red Sox

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Anderson Espinoza RHSP 18 A
2 Yoan Moncada 2B 21 A
3 Rafael Devers 3B 19 A
4 Andrew Benintendi CF 21 A
5 Sam Travis 1B 22 AA
6 Brian Johnson LHSP 25 MLB
7 Michael Kopech RHSP 20 A
8 Luis Alexander Basabe CF 19 A-
9 Michael Chavis 3B 21 A
10 Deven Marrero SS 25 MLB

New York Yankees

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Jorge Mateo SS 21 A+
2 Domingo Acevedo RHSP 22 A-
3 Aaron Judge RF 24 AAA
4 James Kaprielian RHSP 22 A-
5 Dustin Fowler CF 21 A+
6 Gary Sanchez C 23 AAA
7 Tyler Wade SS/2B 21 AA
8 Ian Clarkin LHSP 21 INJ
9 Wilkerman Garcia SS 18 R
10 Brady Lail RHSP 22 AAA

Tampa Bay Rays

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Blake Snell LHSP 23 AA
2 Brent Honeywell RHSP 21 A+
3 Willy Adames SS 20 A+
4 Jake Bauers 1B/OF 20 AA
5 Taylor Guerrieri RHSP 23 AA
6 Jacob Faria RHSP 22 AA
7 Daniel Robertson SS 22 AA
8 Garrett Whitley CF 19 A-
9 Chih-Wei Hu RHSP 22 AAA
10 Kevin Padlo 3B 20 A

Toronto Blue Jays

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Anthony Alford CF 21 A+
2 Jon Harris RHSP 22 A-
3 Richard Urena SS 20 A+
4 Sean Reid-Foley RHSP 20 A+
5 Connor Greene RHSP 21 AA
6 Max Pentacost C 23 INJ
7 DJ Davis CF 21 A
8 Ryan Borucki LHSP 22 A-
9 Rowdy Tellez 1B 21 A+
10 Clinton Hollon RHSP 21 A

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Tim Anderson SS 23 AA
2 Spencer Adams RHSP 20 A+
3 Carson Fulmer RHSP 22 A+
4 Jordan Guerrero LHSP 22 A+
5 Tyler Danish RHSP 21 AA
6 Trey Michalczewski 3B 21 A+
7 Adam Engel CF 24 A+
8 Jacob May CF 24 AA
9 Micker Adolfo RF 19 R
10 Courtney Hawkins RF 22 AA

Cleveland Indians

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Bradley Zimmer CF 23 AA
2 Bobby Bradley 1B 20 A+
3 Clint Frazier CF 21 A+
4 Brady Aiken LHSP 19 INJ
5 Rob Kaminsky LHSP 21 A+
6 Justus Sheffield LHSP 20 A
7 Mike Clevinger RHSP 25 MLB
8 Tyler Naquin CF 25 AAA
9 Triston McKenzie RHSP 18 R
10 Francisco Mejia C 20 A

Detroit Tigers

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Michael Fulmer RHSP 23 AA
2 Beau Burrows RHSP 19 R
3 Derek Hill CF 20 A
4 Mike Gerber RF 23 A
5 JaCoby Jones SS 24 AA
6 Joe Jimenez RHP 21 A
7 Spencer Turnbull RHSP 23 A
8 Christin Stewart LF 22 A
9 Kevin Ziomek LHSP 24 A+
10 Tyler Alexander LHSP 21 A-

Kansas City Royals

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Kyle Zimmer RHSP 24 AA
2 Ashe Russell RHSP 19 R+
3 Raul Mondesi SS 20 MLB
4 Foster Griffin LHSP 20 A
5 Scott Blewett RHSP 20 A
6 Miguel Almonte RHSP 23 MLB
7 Bubba Starling CF 23 AA
8 Nolan Watson RHSP 19 R+
9 Matt Strahm LHSP 24 A+
10 Pedro Fernandez RHSP 22 A+

Minnesota Twins

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Byron Buxton CF 22 MLB
2 Jose Berrios RHSP 22 AAA
3 Max Kepler 1B/LF 23 MLB
4 Tyler Jay LHSP 22 A+
5 Nick Gordon SS 20 A
6 Stephen Gonsalves LHSP 21 A+
7 Jorge Polanco SS 22 MLB
8 Kohl Stewart RHSP 21 A+
9 Nick Burdi RHP 23 AA
10 Wander Javier SS 17 J2

AL West

Houston Astros

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 AJ Reed 1B 23 AA
2 Francis Martes RHSP 20 AA
3 Alex Bregman SS 22 A+
4 Tyler White 1B/3B 25 AAA
5 Kyle Tucker CF 19 R+
6 Derek Fisher CF 22 A+
7 Daz Cameron CF 19 R+
8 Joe Musgrove RHSP 23 AA
9 Colin Moran 3B 23 AA
10 David Paulino RHSP 22 A+

Los Angeles Angels

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Taylor Ward C 22 A
2 Joe Gatto RHSP 21 R+
3 Nate Smith LHSP 24 AA
4 Victor Alcantara RHSP 23 A+
5 Kyle Kubitza 3B 24 MLB
6 Kyle McGowin RHSP 24 AA
7 Jake Jewell RHSP 23 A
8 Jahmai Jones CF 18 R
9 Jaime Barria RHSP 19 R+
10 Julio Garcia SS 18 R

Oakland Athletics

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Franklin Barreto SS 20 A+
2 Sean Manaea LHSP 24 AA
3 Matt Chapman 3B 23 A+
4 Chad Pinder SS 24 AA
5 Matt Olson 1B 22 AA
6 Renato Nunez 3B 22 AA
7 Casey Meisner RHSP 21 A+
8 Dakota Chalmers RHSP 19 R
9 Richie Martin SS 21 A-
10 Daniel Mengden RHSP 23 A+

Seattle Mariners

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Edwin Diaz RHSP 22 AA
2 Alex Jackson RF 20 AA
3 Drew Jackson SS 22 A-
4 Nick Neidert RHSP 19 R
5 Boog Powell CF 23 AAA
6 Tyler O'Neill RF 21 A+
7 Christopher Torres SS 18 DSL
8 Brayan Hernandez CF 18 DSL
9 Luiz Gohara LHSP 19 A
10 Luis Liberato RF 20 AA

Texas Rangers

Rank Name Pos Age Level
1 Joey Gallo 3B/LF 22 MLB
2 Lewis Brinson CF 22 AAA
3 Nomar Mazara RF 21 AAA
4 Dillon Tate RHSP 22 A
5 Luis Ortiz RHSP 20 A
6 Yohander Mendez LHSP 21 A
7 Michael Matuella RHSP 22 INJ
8 Ariel Jurado RHSP 20 A
9 Eric Jenkins CF 19 A
10 Ryan Cordell UT 24 AAA