The Cuban was lights out all year, sporting a spectacular 1.03 ERA and 1.43 FIP through 52.2 innings of work. The best off-speed pitch in Stones repertoire is his plus mid 80s changeup that features an abnormal amount of late drop and ASR. He could debut as soon as 2023. Though we have seen Henderson moved around the diamond in Triple-A and at the MLB level, that is more a testament to Hendersons natural fielding ability and versatility than an inability to stick at shortstop. Green seems to know his swing and repeats his moves pretty well. Already possessing an advanced approach for this age, Montgomery struck out less than 20% of the time across Low-A, High-A and Double-A while walking at a 13% mark. He is explosive rotationally, uncorking like a rubber band on pitches middle-in. Here is a list of a few names to watch in the coming years. A strong hitter with plenty of raw bat speed, Cartaya produces impressive exit velocities with ease along with a swing that is built for lift and carry. 3 ceiling. The pitch is comfortably above average and plays up off of his lively fastball. Fantasy Baseball: Top 100 prospect rankings for 2023, featuring Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Walker, Anthony Volpe . The good news is Meyers fastball ticked up a notch prior to his injury, helping him get more whiffs on the pitch. He starts upright and takes a short stride before just letting his bat speed and elite hand eye coordination kick in. His takes are easy and he rarely gets fooled in the box. Even in his brief MLB stint this year, Aranda has seen action at second base, first base and third base as well as some games in left in the minors. Burleson has enough strength to leave the yard to all fields when he really gets a hold of one, hitting a handful of opposite field home runs this season. Height/Weight: 58, 175|Bat/Throw: L/R|1st Round (4), 2021 (PIT)|ETA: 2026. With a solid four pitch mix and impressive overall command (5% walk rate in 2022), the 22-year-old looks like hes on a fast track to the back of the Cardinals rotation. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name Yet another breakout offensive prospect in the Rays system, Manzardo offers one of the safest offensive profiles youll see. Simply put, Murakami had arguably the greatest NPB season of all-time. A meticulous worker who earns high marks for his work ethic and makeup, Casas will surely benefit from his big league reps at the end of the 2022 season and should be a favorite to man first base for the Red Sox on Opening Day next year. The 22-year-old also made strides with his approach, cutting his chase rate by 8% while seeing improvements with his swinging strike rate and whiff rates. George Arias, Hanshin Tigers, Yomiuri Giants, and "Chatter Up!" Murakami has shown great power in just two full seasons. Carter has five-tool potential with a great chance to stay in centerfield and the polish to climb to the big leagues quickly. You just need to sign up for a Topps Japan account. When Davis was drafted in 2018, he was seen as a tall, lanky kid with quick-twitch ability, but scouts were unsure what to expect with the bat. He already has a polished approach that led to a 15% walk rate in the upper minors this season. Seiya Suzuki: A Deep Dive On The Next Big Thing Out Of Japan. With George Valera, it is really about the bat. Hassells an extremely athletic hitter who can spray the ball foul line to foul line with a good approach. Players. For De La Cruz to push towards his superstar ceiling, he will need to refine his approach a bit. After really struggling through his first couple seasons left-on-left, Henderson has looked much more comfortable against lefties in the upper minors this year. Possessing electric stuff, its a matter of command for the tall and talented righty. As a result, Steers 90th percentile exit velocity jumped more than three miles per hour with little effect on his ability to make consistent contact. Improving his strike throwing consistency was as simple as finding a more consistent landing spot for Espino given his explosive lower half. Frequently putting himself in a good position to hit along with a short, quick swing, Davis projects as an above average hitter. A better hitter with added power, its easy to buy what Naylor is selling this year. Rodriguez could be a threat to hit .300 with 20+ homers. His 89% zone contact and just 19% strikeout rate reinforce Merrills well above average ability to hit. His performance over the past two years should have him on the MLB radar. Mervis detailed his swing adjustments on our prospect podcast The Call Up back in May then proceeded to climb three levels, mashing to a .310/.381/.610 line with 36 HR and 77 XBH over the course of the season. Bob Fontaine Jr., Legendary Scout and "Baseball "Chatter Up!" Luciano has also ditched his pull-happy approach, using the whole field more than ever this season. Williams is an above average runner with an easy plus arm. He finished the season 11-6 overall, leading the Central League in ERA (1.82), complete games (10), shutouts (six), innings (148.2), strikeouts (148) and WHIP (0.87). Turang has impressed scouts with his ability to hit and polish dating back to his high school days in Corona, California. The pitch has flashed plus, but was inconsistent this season. Elite speed and defensive potential in centerfield with an offensive skillset to dream on, Chourio has a lot of similarities to Michael Harris II, including how young he could possibly debut. Already reaching exit velocities of 110 MPH while smacking 51 extra-base hits in his first season, Williams has plenty more pop in the tank. Initially viewed as a high-risk, high-reward power bat, Marte has a higher offensive floor than some may give him credit for. Though command has remained a struggle for Hall, he has continued to punch out hitters at one of the highest marks in the minors (36.6%). The tweaks helped Dominguez see the ball earlier and control his body much better. The result is a barrel path that essentially lives in the zone and allows him to drive balls to all parts of the zone with relative ease. The progress the 22-year-old has made behind the dish in tandem with his offensive onslaught has him looking like the catcher of the future for the Guardians. He already understands how to use the count to dictate his approach, with most of his damage coming while hes ahead in the count and an innate ability to battle and spray the ball when hes behind. De La Cruzs long levers and quick hands help him produce elite bat speed, registering exit velocities as high as 115 mph and homers over 500 feet. He has the tendency to get very contact-oriented, hitting more balls into the ground than desired, but his pro sample size is extremely small and he was handling aggressive assignments to High-A then Double-A in the early days of his Twins career. Though the injury is unfortunate, Tommy John Surgery has become such commonplace in baseball that it is more of a detour than a setback or reason for concern. Height/Weight: 63, 190|Bat/Throw: L/R|1st Round (4), 2021 (BOS)|ETA: 2024. In a 2020 MLB Draft dominated by college arms, the Giants were able to entice prep southpaw Kyle Harrison to forgo his UCLA commitment with a $2.5 million signing bonus. Lewis has shown he can handle shortstop throughout the Minor Leagues. Featuring multiple Japanese players, the 2022 Topps Baseball Japan Edition checklist works with a 220-card base set. The left-handed hitter has above average power to his pull side and easily backspins the baseball to all fields. Flashing plus in the 86-88 mph range, Perezs sharp, late breaking slider is difficult for hitters to differentiate from his fastball until it is too late. He is extremely accurate with his throws as well. Carroll made up for lost time by reaching the Major Leagues in just 142 Minor League games. Theres some zone whiff for Mayer as his swing can get long on him at times, but his strong approach, splits and body control point towards an above average hit tool in the future. It wouldnt be surprising to see him break camp with the Dodgers next season, though he could have probably handled a promotion in 2022. Soderstrom is way ahead of his years in the batters box, but struggled behind the dish in his first two pro seasons. While a hitter is worrying about 98 with life, Espino could mix in 88 with around 13-15 inches of horizontal movement fading away from left-handed hitters. He cut his ground ball rate by 8% while hitting the ball with more authority and carry to all fields. His mechanics rarely break down due to his lower halfs immense strength and athleticism. A phenomenal junior season at Vanderbilt had Leiter looking like one of the best pitching prospects in years. April 6, 2022. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHPOrix BuffaloesB-T: R-R. Born: Aug. 17, 1998 (22). A switch-hitter with a great feel to hit, its easy to see why the Rockies shelled out $1.5 million for Amador in 2019s loaded IFA class. Theres plenty of similarities between Jonathan India and McLains offensive profile and much like last years Reds Rookie of the Year, McLains power could play up to above-average in Great American Ballpark. Possessing comfortably plus pull side power, we have seen Naylor launch a ball over 460 feet this season to right field. Stats. A nightmare at bat for lefties, Gasser has held same-handed hitters to a .573 OPS and 42% strikeout rate, helping reinforce his floor as a lights out reliever. Sitting 95-97, topping out at 99 mph. Ayumu Ishikawa, RHPChiba Lotte MarinesB-T: R-R. Born: April 11, 1988 (32). Following a disappointing 2021 season, Imamiya was in danger of losing his job. He threw a career-high 170 innings while posting a 2.91 ERA and 3.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fueled in large part by the league's highest non-Senga strikeout rate. His footwork is great, his actions are smooth, his arm is plus and he has the instincts of a 10-year veteran. Throwing from a low arm slot, Tiedemann generates a ton of arm speed allowing his already impressive arsenal to play up. And can the others pull themselves out of the mire of poor or uneven 2021 performances and build something? At one point, OHoppe was seen as a glove-first catching prospect. Height/Weight: 64, 210 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 5th Round (149), 2019 (ARI) | ETA: 2023. Casas has the classic look of a slugging first baseman capable of producing runs in bunches. A sweet left-handed swing that is a bit reminiscent of the Royals M.J. Melendez, Collier uses the whole field really well and rarely strays from his approach. With the summer showcase circuit behind us and college fall ball in full swing, were ready to re-rank the 2023 draft class. Romo has some similarities to J.T. It seemed like 2022 was finally the season where Lewis was starting to put it all together. 5 outlook he had on draft day. The changes really helped Lewis find offensive consistency, lighting up Triple-A to a .313/.405/.534 clip before getting the call up to the big leagues where he did kept things rolling for a dozen games before going down with the injury. Theres no questions in regards to his power. Despite the system being loaded with shortstops, McLain has seen the majority of his playing time at short. Hell flash plus pop times thanks to his quick transfer and above-average arm strength, but the accuracy of his arm is currently inconsistent. January 17, 2023 . Though the jump in ground ball rate is not quite ideal, Campusano uses the whole field and hits the ball hard enough to get away with it. Though he is not a great defender, his versatility is a nice consolation prize and he should be able to play passable defense at any of the aforementioned spots. Burleson was one of the best hitters in Triple-A this season prior to his MLB promotion, hitting .331/.372/.532 with 20 HR while striking out just 14% of the time. A former two-way player at Duke, Mervis also played some third base when he was not pitching. White has an assortment of secondaries he is comfortable going to off of his fastball, but his slider is the best of the bunch. The youngest player in his conference, Collier raked to a .956 OPS against pitchers who were multiple years older than him. October 22, 2021. Signed away from Mississippi State for twice the slot value at $2.6M, he has top of the scale power potential in a surprisingly athletic XXL frame. The power/speed combo that Davis possesses along with a good feel to hit evoke some young Matt Kemp memories. This past year was actually a step back for Suzuki, with him hitting .300/.409/.544 with 25 home runs in 118 games. Elsewhere among the imports, there are pitchers who are looking to rebound. Ford has a great feel for the barrel and is able to get to a lot of difficult pitches thanks to his lightning-quick hands. The pitch sits in the mid 80s with sweep. The As drafted Soderstrom as a catcher, but barring any advances to his athleticism and lateral movement, he likely projects as a first baseman. Tiedemann maintains his arm speed really well with his plus changeup, making it really difficult to differentiate out of his hand. He has a fastball that sits around 93 mph and a big breaking curveball that flummoxed hitters all year. Yamamoto is only 22 so theres plenty of time for him to get even better before he can consider a move to MLB, if thats part of his plans. He was also second in the Central League in Win Probability Added with 4.12. He fits the profile of the modern leadoff hitter to a tee. Rodriguez is a complete hitter with the body control, bat to ball skills and approach to give him a plus hit tool while tapping into every bit of his above average raw power in games. He throws the pitch with good arm speed, creating lots of deception, making it his go-to secondary against right-handed hitters. Ota has a decent bat and decent speed and is a good right fielder. In a sense, the former Nippon-Ham Fighter Darvish had two seasons in 2021 one good, one bad. The Guardians are as good as any team in baseball at identifying and developing pitching and they seem to have snagged Williams just as his stock was about to go through the roof. Merrill maneuvers the barrel really well with great plate coverage. Fundamentally sound and instinctual, Lee is a consistent defender at shortstop. Already posting a max exit velocity of 109 MPH at 18 years old and plenty of 105+ MPH liners this season, Chourio is flashing above-average power has a chance to tap into plus power as he fills out a bit more. Hence has as much upside as any pitching prospect at the lower levels. Moinelo produced those numbers after fanning 86 in 59.1 innings in 60 games last season. During Sundays Chiba Lotte Marines game against the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Sasaki went eight perfect innings with 14 strikeouts before he was pulled at 102 pitches. Maybe with even more power. His swing is more geared for contact, but Carter has above average power to his pull side with plenty of room to fill out. The 23-year-old is a physical hitter with a thick lower half and does not require much movement to get into his explosive rotational power. Yamasaki is a 27-year-old reliever with a career 2.34 ERA and 163 saves. Matos has the capability to let the ball travel and use the whole field, which is why his aggressive approach doesnt knock down the hit tool projection for him too much. Graceffo has four pitches he will mix well to hitters led by his mid 90s fastball which has ticked up from last year. Davis has shown good bat-to-ball skills and immense pull-side power that should have Pirates fans excited. Of course, there is one player who stands above the rest as quite possibly the best baseball player of all time . A 70 grade runner and premium athlete, Rafaela is an impact defender no matter where you stick him on the diamond. Ohno was in the low 90s with his fastball this year and has a good mix of pitches that includes a two-seam fastball, forkball, slider and changeup. While he mostly uses the slider against same-handed hitters, he has also showed plenty of comfort burying the pitch on the back leg of lefties and has continued to use it more frequently in early counts to steal strikes. Like many young hitters, Johnson tends to try to get into his pull side power a bit too much, causing him to be out and around the baseball. He has consistently posted solid HR/FB rates since his High-A breakout in 2019 and should see his power start to translate at the highest level as he gains more comfort. Height/Weight: 64, 220|Bat/Throw: R/R|1st Round (22), 2020 (WSN)|ETA: 2022. Jones should be a menace on the base paths as well as he is not only fast but very quick, and the aforementioned instincts are evident as a baserunner as well. Height/Weight: 62, 195 | Bat/Throw: L/L | 1st Round (8) 2020 | ETA: 2024. Age: 19|Height/Weight: 510, 200|Bat/Throw: R/R|1st Round (12), 2021 (SEA)|ETA: 2024. If he slows down a step, there is a chance that Merrill could move to second base or third, but for now he looks like he should get every shot at short. Even in his banged up 2022, Matos stole 11 bases on 14 tries. After a pedestrian first professional season, Steer made some tweaks to tap into above-average power, while still making plenty of contact. The former second round pick has mashed his way to Triple-A in just 152 games. Though he struck out 61 batters in 53 innings, he allowed 45 hits and 32 bases on balls. Projecting a player as unique as Harry Ford is difficult, but for nothing but good reasons. Imamiya also shined defensively, putting up +5.9 Ultimate Zone Rating. Baty enjoyed a power breakout in 2022, climbing his way from Double-A to the big leagues before unfortunately going down with a season-ending thumb injury. He will definitely need to temper his 38% chase rate, however he has shown enough to provide optimism that he can develop into an at least average hitter. Height/Weight: 62, 170|Bat/Throw: R/R|IFA: (2018)|ETA: 2023. As time passes, I continue to see more of a young Christian Yelich profile for Hassell, rather than a guy who is going to throw on 20 pounds of muscle and anchor a corner. At a physical 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, Ford generates impressive bat speed and a compact swing geared for line drives. Meyer will likely need to tweak his fastball shape to reach his ceiling, whether that be switching to more of a heavy two-seamer or finding a way to throw the pitch with more riding life and vertical break. Height/Weight: 62, 185|Bat/Throw: R/R|11th Round (324), 2021 (PIT)|ETA: 2024. Though still a very volatile prospect profile, Alcantaras strong first full season in Low-A hedges at least some of the extreme risk around his hit-tool. Not only did Sano crush 29 doubles and 22 home runs, but he did so while maintaining a strikeout rate below 10%. A ridiculously impressive track record of hitting along with a well-rounded game and defensive versatility make Vargas one of the more high floor prospects in the game. The Buffaloes are preparing to post their superstar to MLB, but Yoshida gave his franchise one last gift, helping lead the team to their first Japan Series title since 1996. Height/Weight: 60, 185|Bat/Throw: L/L|1st Round (19), 2020 (CHC)|ETA: 2024. An athletic pitcher with a tough, low release point, Harrison naturally makes for an extremely uncomfortable at bat, but his plus stuff makes things that much harder for opposing hitters. In 54 appearances in his first season with Boston, he was 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA and featured a nasty split-finger fastball. 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