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Aug 27, 2016; Williamsport, PA, USA; A general view of some game balls during the game between the Asia-Pacific Region and Latin America Region at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
After reviewing each system’s top 10 prospects, who are the top 125 MLB prospects?
An Introduction
Our MLB minor league top 125 prospect list is coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our contributors at Call To The Pen.
He has poured over thousands of minor league games over the course of the year via milb.tv along with speaking with a number of team and independent scouts. He presented his team top 10 lists starting in November and finishing in December of 2016. Those lists and this top 125 list are based out of those conversations and his own personal scouting.
Each slide will feature five players with a brief write up, a link to their position on the team top 10, where Ben put out a more detailed write up on each player, unless that player did not make the team top 10, at which point, Ben will have a more detailed write up.
In general, the exact ranking is less intensive at the lower levels of the rankings. At the top levels, the top 50, the order of each player was considered fairly carefully, but in general, after about 75, the players are more in tiers and ranked within their tier, so don’t worry too much if your favorite guy is 101 versus 99, but 101 versus 50 could lead to some discussion, and feel free to comment with any questions you may have in the comments section below as we go along!
Let’s get started with today’s group of 25, 101-125!!
125. Dillon Tate, RHP, New York Yankees, Yankees #9
Tate going to New York’s system was really a stroke of luck for his future career. Even if he’s going to eventually end up in the bullpen, he’s already regained velocity that was “lost” while with the Rangers, and he’s likely to see further improvement in 2017.
124. Tyler Beede, RHP, San Francisco Giants, Giants #2
Beede’s been able to work well in the Giants system on improving his consistency in his delivery, and that has helped him to get much better results out of his curve, which is the pitch that seems to suffer most when he gets off in his delivery. When he’s right, he generates a ton of weak contact and gets whiffs on his very solid fastball/change combination. The fastball/change combo is good enough to consider for the bullpen if he can’t keep the mechanics as a starter.
123. Raimel Tapia, OF, Colorado Rockies, Rockies #5
While there’s little for Tapia to show in the minor leagues at this point, the Rockies really don’t have a spot for him to play. Tapia’s a contact-driven hitter with solid speed, but probably won’t take a ton of walks, so probably not the ideal leadoff guy, and he’s most likely a corner outfielder defensively, so while he might be one of the best contact hitters in the minors, he’s tough to project right now with an odd blend of skills for a major league job.
122. Robert Stephenson, RHP, Cincinnati Reds, Reds #4
Stephenson is just 23 and still has a big fastball, but he’s shown issues really getting much else to work for him at the upper levels, especially the ability to get depth on his power curve. I’d wager Stephenson has another year or two that Cincinnati will work him as a starter before moving him to the bullpen, but he could be an elite reliever if he was moved into that role.
121. Josh Staumont, RHP, Kansas City Royals, Royals #2
Staumont came out of college with the loose motion that produced easy velocity in the upper 90s in short bursts. That has bumped up even further as a pro, sitting in the mid-90s and reaching 102 at his top end. He also uses a sinking fastball that is nearly impossible to square up. Staumont’s biggest issue has been location thus far, but his raw stuff is absolutely elite when he shows those bursts of excellent mechanics. If he cannot get the mechanics settled to allow his secondary pitches to play up, he could be an elite reliever, something the Royals have churned out in bunches recently.
120. Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP, Cincinnati Reds, Reds #3
When one of the best arms to leave Cuba in a long time joins the organization that has shown success in guys like Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias, it’s usually a good thing, and with Gutierrez’s raw stuff, he has the ability to be something special. At just 21 for the 2017 season, Gutierrez will likely start at a lower level to open, but his mid-90s velocity and very good curve would make for an elite reliever, let alone his solid change playing up.
119. Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals, Nationals #2
Nats fans saw Victor Robles leap up prospect ranking charts this season, and Soto very well could do the same in 2017, though with a very different profile. Soto has the prototype right field profile with plus power and a plus arm, though he’s a better athlete than his big frame would lead one to believe. Soto has very solid pitch recognition for a teenager, and a year from now, this could look like a very conservative placement.
118. Chris Paddack, RHP, San Diego Padres, Padres #6
Paddack has been a guy with an intriguing as a high school pitcher whose best pitch was his change, and as he’s grown into his 6’4 frame, he’s added velocity and movement to his breaking stuff that has allowed him to really see his stuff play up to an elite level. He has tremendous mechanics that he can repeat at will. Sadly, he will miss all of 2017 with Tommy John surgery, which is why he’s down here and not about 30 spots higher.
117. Lazaro Armenteros, IF, Oakland Athletics, Athletics #4
One of the biggest names to leave Cuba in many years, “Lazarito” is still just 17 years old, but he already has the reputation as an elite talent with the ability to have 5 plus tools. He’s got the potential to be a plus defender in the outfield, whether in center or a corner position. He also has a very smooth swing that should allow for contact and power along with high end athleticism that will allow him to flash plus speed at least early on as he fills into his frame.
116. Chance Adams, RHP, New York Yankees, Yankees #8
Adams is a guy that has added velocity in New York’s system, a consistent theme in the Yankees system, but he’s also seen more rest and recovery time as a professional, and that has helped him to really see better control and movement on his pitches. He does have a smaller frame and aggressive approach that may be better suited to the bullpen, but if he can keep that mentality in check throughout the game to keep his pitch count manageable, he’ll be able to be very successful as a starter.
115. Carson Fulmer, RHP, Chicago White Sox, White Sox #8
Fulmer has the makeup from pitching for an elite program at Vanderbilt that many figured he’d be a guy to move quickly to the majors, and he did just that, arriving in Chicago this season, though as a reliever. Fulmer’s violent delivery leads to struggles with command and control of his fastball that can run to 97 and a power curve. He’ll have work to do to remain a starter, but as a reliever, he would have a high ceiling if he did make that move.
114. Joe Jimenez, RHP, Detroit Tigers, Tigers #3
My own personal bias may be showing a bit here as I am very hesitant to rank any guy who has already moved full-time to the bullpen in a top list, so this is the only guy who has made that full time move that you will see on my list. That said, Jimenez may be the best pure relief prospect since Craig Kimbrel came up for the Atlanta Braves, and it would surprise no one if he took over the closer job in Detroit this season, allowing for a trade of current closer Francisco Rodriguez.
113. Alec Hansen, RHP, Chicago White Sox, White Sox #7
Hansen entered the season considered one of the elite prospects in the draft with a fastball that could touch triple digits and wicked offspeed stuff. However, as happens with guys at his size (6’7, 235), he got off bad in his mechanics this season, and he simply couldn’t get the ball over the plate early in the college season. He got things righted late, and it looks like the White Sox may have gotten a steal here as he looks like the guy who was in discussion as the #1 overall pick. Those mechanical concerns will be a consistent worry, but if he can maintain there, he’s got frontline starter potential.
More from Call to the Pen
112. Robert Whalen, RHP, Seattle Mariners, Mariners #5
I get plenty of flack for my high view of Whalen, but if you have watched Whalen a few times, you’ll see what I have fallen in love with. Whalen is a guy who has four pitches that he alters his grip to truly throw in 6-8 different ways per game, giving hitters a difficult time ever truly knowing what pitch is coming their way. 2016 was Whalen’s first ever truly healthy year, and he did go deep into the season on innings, so he did wear down some in his major league trial, but he’s got the mental fortitude and pitch combinations to be able to be a very solid mid-rotation starter for quite some time.
111. Fernando Romero, RHP, Minnesota Twins, Twins #4
Romero was in his first season back from TJS in 2016, and he truly was elite in that first year, even though the Twins handled him quite cautiously. He has elite stuff that he controls very well in the zone. I heard comparisons of his change to that of former Twins Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, who both had elite change ups when they were at their best. He has front line stuff if he can make it all the way back from his surgery and handle the jump to the upper minors in 2017.
110. Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies #7
Sanchez is one of the recent wave of high-ceiling pitching that is beginning to dominate the Phillies lower levels. For years, the Phillies have worked with guys who had high floors in their pitching, leading to a number of pitchers that were solid performers, but not elite arms. Instead, they have now a group of elite arms that are working their way up the minor leagues, and Sanchez could be the best raw arm of the entire bunch, especially considering he just converted to pitching roughly 2 1/2 years ago. He put up numbers that even MLB The Show players would find tough to believe last year in the GCL. He’ll have a chance to keep moving up the ladder in 2017.
109. Cal Quantrill, RHP, San Diego Padres, Padres #5
System mate Paddack has shown up on this list already due to his TJS, and Quantrill would have likely been higher on this list if not for being just off of the surgery himself in 2016, leading him not to pitch at all in college in the season. He does have a very solid pitch mix that should profile as a solid #2/3 starter that can eat up innings at a high-quality rate.
108. Dylan Cease, RHP, Chicago Cubs, Cubs #3
Cease was drafted by the Cubs along with a number of other high-ceiling high school arms the same year that the team drafted Kyle Schwarber. Cease has shown the most of those arms, but he’s also struggled to stay healthy since being drafted, only being able to throw 44 2/3 innings in 2016. He has an elite fastball and a power curve that leaves hitters looking foolish at the plate. His change is a work in progress, but it’s even shown enough to make most I talk to think he has a very good future as a starter if the health will hold out. If he does move to the bullpen, he could be an absolutely dominant back end type of reliever.
107. Ryan McMahon, 3B/1B, Colorado Rockies, Rockies #4
Highly regarded in the system since the Rockies took him in the second round in 2013, the team gave him some time at 1B in 2016 due to the presence of Nolan Arenado at the big league level. His swing is one that would lead you to think there’s a high-average, monster power hitter there, but so far the production hasn’t matched the swing, which is what leaves him here as there’s still plenty there to dream on, but not yet enough produced.
106. Luis Ortiz, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers, Brewers #7
Ortiz was acquired from the Brewers in the Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress deal this summer, and they have certainly acquired an excellent arm here. Ortiz is a guy who looks the part of a big velocity, high strikeout sort of pitcher, but he uses a high arm slot and excellent mechanics to generate very good plane on his pitches and get weak contact out of hitters rather than a lot of swing and miss. While that’s a solid pitcher, it does tend to bump him down from the front line starter profile to more of a mid-rotation one, which is why he lands here rather than higher on the list, but I still really like Ortiz’s future with Milwaukee.
105. Christian Arroyo, 3B, San Francisco Giants, Giants #1
104. Grant Holmes, RHP, Oakland Athletics, Athletics #3
Holmes is one of my favorite young pitchers, though he was stuck in the Cal League in 2016, which made his numbers look much worse than his underlying numbers suggested they really should. Holmes is a guy who likely won’t get a ton of strikeouts as he works low in the zone to generate weak contact with his fastball that can touch triple digits, a legit fringe-plus change, and a slurvy breaker. His biggest struggle has been consistency in his delivery to locate low in the zone, but once he gets that locked down, he could absolutely rocket up lists.
103. Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers, Tigers #2
Stewart is the second Tiger on this list, and like fellow Tiger Joe Jimenez that’s already appeared, he very well make an impact in Detroit this season. He has a very compact, quick stroke that generates a ton of power, and he’s shown the ability to hit to all fields while playing adequate corner defense. He does have a very solid eye, so while he doesn’t have a great contact tool, he should be a guy who has a solid OBP and big power numbers.
102. Patrick Weigel, RHP, Atlanta Braves, Braves #11 (link is to my Braves top 100 list I did for Tomahawk Take before their trades this offseason, which allowed Weigel to move up one slot)
Weigel is a guy that did not make my Braves top 10 list, but certainly deserves note here as a guy who the Braves took from college with elite velocity that the team worked well with and have seen already a quick development. Weigel worked with the Braves early to get his mechanics more in line and repeatable so he could get deeper into games. After working those mechanical changes, it was evident that his season took off, as from June 1st on, Weigel posted a 1.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 28/94 BB/K ratio over 94 2/3 innings between low A and AA for the Braves. He can top out in the upper 90s with his fastball and also offers a fringe-plus curve and slider. His change is still a work in progress, but it’s come a long, long way since the beginning of the season. He could see a quick jump to Atlanta in 2017 if he continues the progression he made in 2016.
101. Matt Manning, RHP, Detroit Tigers, Tigers #1
The Tigers see their third prospect on this list already, though it will be their last as Manning is their top-rated prospect. Drafted #9 overall this season, Manning has a family professional sports background with a father who played in the NBA. Manning is extremely athletic as well, having played both basketball and baseball all through high school. His athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery much better than most guys at his 6’6 height, and he generates elite velocity with seeming ease.
Agree? Disagree? Make your voice heard with a comment down below!
