About two months have gone by since my Mid-Season Rankings, so the third installment of my MLB Prospect Rankings is here. This list consists of any player who qualifies as a “rookie” according to MLB’s rules (under 130 ABs/50 IP in MLB games). This is the final update for the 2019 season. Coming up in the next few weeks my 2019 Minor League Farm Systems Rankings will be updated, ten teams at a time, so stay tuned for those 3 articles. Looking ahead to 2020, expect to see three new Top 100 Prospect updates in April, July, and September.
The Top 100:
- Luis Robert, OF, CHW
- Wander Franco, SS, TB
- Jo Adell, OF, LAA
- Gavin Lux, SS/2B, LAD
- MacKenzie Gore, SP, SD
- Casey Mize, SP, DET
- Nate Pearson, SP, TOR
- Julio Rodriguez, OF, SEA
- Jesus Luzardo, SP, OAK
- Brendan McKay, SP/DH, TB
- Adley Rutschman, C, BAL
- Bobby Witt Jr., SS, KC
- Royce Lewis, SS, MIN
- Cristian Pache, OF, ATL
- Jared Kelenic, OF, SEA
- Marco Luciano, SS, SF
- Kyle Tucker, OF, HOU
- Alex Kirilloff, OF, MIN
- Joey Bart, C, SF
- Alec Bohm, 3B, PHI
- Matt Manning, SP, DET
- Luis Patino, SP, SD
- Sixto Sanchez, SP, MIA
- Michael Kopech, SP, CHW
- Brendan Rodgers, INF, COL
- Carter Kieboom, SS, WSH
- Drew Waters, OF, ATL
- Nick Madrigal, 2B, CHW
- Taylor Trammell, OF, SD
- Jasson Dominguez, OF, NYY
- Kristian Robinson, OF, ARI
- Jesus Sanchez, OF, MIA
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B, CHW
- Matthew Liberatore, SP, TB
- Ian Anderson, SP, ATL
- Jazz Chisholm, SS, MIA
- Josh Jung, 3B, TEX
- Alek Thomas, OF, ARI
- Riley Greene, OF, DET
- Logan Gilbert, SP, SEA
- Heliot Ramos, OF, SF
- Forrest Whitley, SP, HOU
- CJ Abrams, SS, SD
- JJ Bleday, OF, MIA
- Dylan Carlson, OF, STL
- Nolan Jones, 3B, CLE
- Grayson Rodriguez, SP, BAL
- Nolan Gorman, 3B, STL
- Vidal Brujan, 2B, TB
- Hunter Greene, SP, CIN
- Shane Baz, SP, TB
- Hans Crouse, SP, TEX
- Ryan Mountcastle, 3B, BAL
- Nico Hoerner, SS, CHI
- Brady Singer, SP, KC
- Jackson Kowar, SP, KC
- Dustin May, SP, LAD
- Deivi Garcia, SP, NYY
- Keibert Ruiz, C, LAD
- Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, PIT
- Jonathan India, 3B, CIN
- Nick Lodolo, SP, CIN
- Oneil Cruz, SS, PIT
- Sean Murphy, C, OAK
- Colton Welker, 1B/3B, COL
- AJ Puk, SP, OAK
- Brusdar Graterol, SP, MIN
- Estevan Florial, OF, NYY
- Jeremiah Jackson, SS, LAA
- DL Hall, SP, BAL
- Evan White, 1B, SEA
- Trevor Larnach, OF, MIN
- Seth Beer, 1B/OF, ARI
- Tyler Freeman, CLE
- Leody Taveras, OF, TEX
- Bobby Dalbec, 3B, BOS
- Tristan Casas, 1B/3B, BOS
- Corbin Carroll, OF, ARI
- Edward Cabrera, SP, MIA
- Kris Bubic, SP, KC
- Shane McClanahan, SP, TB
- Monte Harrison, OF, MIA
- Ronaldo Hernandez, C, TB
- Ronny Mauricio, SS, NYM
- Daniel Lynch, SP, KC
- Spencer Howard, SP, PHI
- Noelvi Marte, SS, SEA
- Khalil Lee, OF, KC
- Travis Swaggerty, OF, PIT
- Calvin Mitchell, OF, PIT
- Jorge Guzman, SP, MIA
- Jonathan Stiever, SP, CHW
- Braxton Garrett, SP, MIA
- Cole Winn, SP, TEX
- Luis V. Garcia, SS, WSH
- Brent Honeywell, SP, TB
- Jordan Groshans, SS, TOR
- Kyle Wright, SP, ATL
- Freudis Nova, SS, HOU
- Jeter Downs, SS, LAD
Graduates
- Yordan Alvarez, OF, HOU (4)
- Keston Hiura, 2B, MIL (5)
- Bo Bichette, SS, TOR (9)
- Luis Urias, SS/2B, SD (22)
- Dylan Cease, SP, CHW (26)
- Zac Gallen, SP, MIA (78)
- Jordan Yamamoto, SP, MIA (82)
Risers
- Julio Rodriguez, OF, SEA (34 to 8) – One of the best teenage talents in all of MiLB, Rodriguez is one of my personal favorites. Having seen him play multiple times throughout 2019, I recognized that he was way too good for Class-A West Virginia. After a promotion to A-Advanced Modesto, Rodriguez really broke out hitting over .450 in 16 games there. His ceiling is higher than any other prospect, so Rodriguez could wind up as the #1 prospect by 2021.
- Jorge Guzman, SP, MIA (Unranked to 91) – Though Guzman had been having a respectable 2019, what really caught my attention was his recent performances. During the month of August, Guzman notched a 1.20 ERA while only allowing 6 hits in 30 innings (.066 AVG). With such elite velocity, Guzman’s floor is a high-leverage reliever, but his ceiling of front-line starter is becoming more and more likely.
- Marco Luciano, SS, SF (52 to 16) – For my Mid-Season ranking, slotting Luciano at 52 was more of a guess than anything, considering he hadn’t played a single MiLB game. So far it seems as if #52 was too conservative. Luciano exceeded my original expectations, hitting 10 HRs (179 ABs) while batting just a tad over .300. Another youngster, Luciano played all of 2019 at age 17.
Fallers
- Forrest Whitley, SP, HOU (19 to 42) – After a breakout 2017 season, many experts considered Whitley to be the best pitching prospect in baseball. His 2018 season was cut short by a drug related suspension, but his numbers were still respectable. 2019 was supposed to be a bounce-back year for Whitley, but it has been anything but that. After a promotion to Triple-A, Whitley posted a terrible 12.21 ERA across 8 games. After a stint on the IL, Whitley was demoted to Double-A, but not before another 2 poor rehab outings in the low-level Gulf Coast League. Hovering around an 8.00 ERA on the season, it’s safe to say 2019 has been a year to forget for Whitley. If 2020 is anything close to 2019 for Whitley, it’s possible to see him slide out of the top 100.
- Mitch Keller, SP, PIT (47 to Unranked) – I’ve never been as high on Keller as some others, but I can’t say I expected him to do so poorly in his short MLB stint. In 7 starts, Keller posted a 8.62 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .362 against him. Keller should see a decent amount of innings in September, so he has a chance to turn things around.
- Kyle Wright, SP, ATL (69 to 98) – Former 5th overall pick, Wright, dropped in my rankings for the same reasons as Mitch Keller. Wright didn’t have a bad season in Triple-A, but after receiving the call to Atlanta, Wright struggled mightily, posting an ERA above 9.00. Like Keller, Wright should see some innings as a September call-up, but he needs a few quality outings to make 2020’s list.
Overview
This update includes 2019 draftees and international signees, so the class is a bit stronger than the Mid-Season list. We will get a chance to see many of the top 100 prospects in the majors, as many big names are to be September call-ups. Gavin Lux, AJ Puk, Sean Murphy, and Brusdar Graterol are highlights of early call-ups. It will be interesting to see if guys like Luis Robert or Jo Adell are called up, since their teams would be giving up an extra year of contract control by brining them up this season.
The two Florida teams, Miami and Tampa, have the most players on the list. Miami drastically improved their system before the trade deadline, and they will be making a huge jump in my Farm System Rankings update. The Brewers are the only team not represented on the list, as Keston Hiura is no longer a prospect and Bryce Turang has not impressed this season. There shouldn’t be too many players losing prospect-status before my 1st 2020 list, so expect to see a lot of the same names, but the Arizona Fall League can be a make-or-break for many of the players involved.
From the Stands Sports 