TampaBayRays – From the Stands Sports

About two months removed from my Early Season Rankings, the second 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). My list will be updated throughout the season to keep the rankings accurate.

The Top 100:

Wander Franco, SS, TB
Luis Robert, OF, CHW
Jo Adell, OF, LAA
Yordan Alvarez, OF, HOU
Keston Hiura, 2B, MIL
Casey Mize, SP, DET
MacKenzie Gore, SP, SD
Royce Lewis, SS, MIN
Bo Bichette, SS, TOR
Brendan Rodgers, SS, COR
Brendan McKay, DH/SP, TB
Kyle Tucker, OF, HOU
Cristian Pache, OF, ATL
Alex Kirilloff, OF, MIN
Joey Bart, C, SF
Jarred Kelenic, OF, SEA
Jesus Luzardo, SP, OAK
Michael Kopech, SP, CHW
Forrest Whitley, SP, HOU
Carter Kieboom, SS, WAS
Gavin Lux, SS/2B, LAD
Luis Urias, SS/2B, SD
Matt Manning, SP, DET
Alec Bohm, 3B, PHI
Matthew Liberatore, SP, TB
Dylan Cease, SP, CHW
Sixto Sanchez, SP, MIA
Taylor Trammell, OF, CIN
Nick Madrigal, 2B, CHW
Ian Anderson, SP, ATL
Luis Patino, SP, SD
Nolan Gorman, 3B, STL
Jesus Sanchez, OF, TB
Julio Rodriguez, OF, SEA
Nate Pearson, SP, TOR
Drew Waters, OF, ATL
Ryan Mountcastle, 3B, BAL
Keibert Ruiz, C, LAD
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, PIT
Triston McKenzie, SP, CLE
Shane Baz, SP, TB
Hunter Greene, SP, CIN
A.J. Puk, SP, OAK
Hans Crouse, SP, TEX
Nolan Jones, 3B, CLE
Jonathan India, 3B, CIN
Mitch Keller, SP, PIT
Grayson Rodriguez, SP, BAL
Sean Murphy, C, OAK
Vidal Brujan, 2B, TB
Jazz Chisholm, SS, ARI
Marco Luciano, SS, SF
Shane McClanahan, SP, TB
Heliot Ramos, OF, SF
Colton Welker, 3B, COL
Corbin Martin, SP, HOU
Estevan Florial, OF, NYY
Brady Singer, SP, KC
Jackson Kowar, SP, KC
Logan Gilbert, SP, SEA
Monte Harrison, OF, MIA
Leody Taveras, OF, TEX
Khalil Lee, OF, KC
Calvin Mitchell, OF, PIT
Jon Duplantier, SP, ARI
Travis Swaggerty, OF, PIT
Brusdar Graterol, SP, MIN
Dustin May, SP, LAD
Kyle Wright, SP, ATL
Adrian Morejon, SP, SD
Freudis Nova, SS, HOU
Seth Beer, OF/1B, HOU
Jeremiah Jackson, SS, LAA
Victor Victor Mesa, OF, MIA
Jeter Downs, SS/2B, LAD
Bryce Turang, SS, MIL
Jordyn Adams, OF, LAA
Zac Gallen, SP, MIA
Diego Cartaya, C, LAD
Oneil Cruz, SS, PIT
Brent Honeywell, SP, TB
Jordan Yamamoto, SP, MIA
DL Hall, SP, BAL
Ronny Mauricio, SS, NYM
Luis V. Garcia, SS, WAS
Deivi Garcia, SP, NYY
Edward Cabrera, SP, MIA
Trevor Larnach, OF, MIN
Evan White, 1B, SEA
Ryan Weathers, SP, SD
Mauricio Dubon, SS/2B, MIL
Andres Gimenez, SS, NYM
Adonis Medina, SP, PHI
Ronaldo Hernandez, C, TB
Xavier Edwards, SS, SD
Nico Hoerner, SS, CHI
Tyler Freeman, SS/2B, CLE
Dane Dunning, SP, CHW
Braxton Garrett, SP, MIA
Anthony Seigler, C, NYY

Graduates

Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 3B, TOR (1)
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, SD (2)
Eloy Jimenez, OF, CHW (3)
Nick Senzel, 3B, CIN (8)
Chris Paddack, SP, SD (9)
Peter Alonso, 1B, NYM (14)
Mike Soroka, SP, ATL (26)
Austin Riley, 3B, ATL (35)
Francisco Mejia, C, SD (41)
Griffin Canning, SP, LAA (48)
Touki Toussaint, SP, ATL (52)
Michael Chavis, 3B, BOS (56)

Risers

Marco Luciano, SS (SF). Luciano is a top prospect in the makings

Luis Robert, OF, CHW (13 to 2) – It is hard to argue that Luis Robert is having one of the best seasons in all of MiLB. Batting over .350 with double-digit home runs and stolen bases, Robert has been nothing but excellent. Earning a promotion to Double-A in his age 21 season, the only thing holding Robert back in his past seasons were injuries. Now with full health, Robert has proven worthy of his 26 million dollar signing bonus and continues to push to be the #1 prospect.
Jo Adell, OF, LAA (18 to 3) – Similar to Robert, had Adell been fully healthy for the first round of rankings, he would have slotted a few slots higher. Now healthy, Adell is having another great season, showing off his true 5-tool potential. Adell should be joining Mike Trout in Anaheim by 2020, making for an exciting duo for the Angels.
Marco Luciano, SS, SF (Unranked to 52) – Although the 2018 international class was full of talent including Victor Victor Mesa, Diego Cartaya, and Noelvi Marte, Luciano appears to be the best of the group. Making his much anticipated pro-debut this year, Luciano has been dominant, and a promotion to a full-season team is not far away. Luciano could prove to be the best prospect in the Giants system before the end of this season.
Yordan Alvarez, OF, HOU (28 to 4) – Alvarez has been the breakout prospect this year. After leading all of Triple-A in home-runs, Alvarez earned a promotion to Houston and leapfrogged both Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker to become the Astros best prospect. Currently a key piece of the first-place Astros roster, Alvarez is already making the Dodgers regret trading him back in 2016.

Fallers

Justus Sheffield, SP, SEA (66 to Unranked) – Getting demoted from Triple-A is never a good sign. After posting an ERA near 7.00, Sheffield was sent to Double-A Arkansas. Needless to say, 2019 has not been a good season for Sheffield. The only bright side was that Sheffield made his MLB debut, but that did not go as planned (allowed 6 baserunners in 3 IP).
Brent Honeywell, SP, TB (27 to 81) – After missing all of 2018, Honeywell was on track to return mid-2019. Unfortunately, another injury forced him to be shut down for the entire 2019 season. When Honeywell returns in 2020 he will be in his age 25 season after missing two full seasons. Although these injuries likely won’t hurt his floor, Honeywell lost two very valuable years of development and will see his stock drop until he can prove he is the same as pre-injury Honeywell.
Julio Pablo Martinez, OF, TEX (61 to Unranked) – Although he is not having a terrible season, JPM is not hitting as well as many expected, largely the reason for his fall in the rankings. His power numbers have been somewhat impressive considering his smaller frame, but he will need to get on base much more often to return somewhere in the range of his previous ranking at 61.
Corey Ray, OF, MIL (81 to Unranked) – Ray’s 2019 season has to be a large disappointment to Brewers fans. Ray was just starting to turn things around in 2018, but major regression occurred in 2019 as he has struggled to bat over .200. Ray still has time to grow but is becoming less and less likely that Ray lives up to his original hype

Overview: With 10 of the top 50 prospects graduating, it is evident that the list is not as strong as it was at the beginning of the year. Things could change when 2019 draftees make their debuts. There are six 2019 draftees on “The Next 20”, and are likely candidates to be on my Late-Season update. The amount of young international talent is extreme in this group, with guys as young as 17 making the Top 100. Tampa Bay leads all teams with 9 Top 100 prospects, but every team has at least one prospect in the Top 100.

The Next 20:

Noelvi Marte, SS, SEA
Luis Gil, SP, NYY
Blaze Alexander, SS, ARI
Kristian Robinson, OF, ARI
Alek Thomas, OF, ARI
Steele Walker, OF, CHW
Ethan Hankins, SP, CLE
Mike Siani, OF, CIN
Justin Dunn, SP, SEA
Daniel Lynch, SP, KC
Jhaiyln Ortiz, OF, PHI
Victor Mesa Jr, OF, MIA
Triston Casas, 1B, BOS
Bobby Dalbec, 3B, BOS
Adley Rutschman, C, BAL
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, KC
CJ Abrams, SS, SD
JJ Bleday, OF, MIA
Riley Greene, OF, DET
Andrew Vaughn, 1B, CHW

Wander Franco, the Tampa Bay Rays top prospect, is the next player in the Prospect Profile spotlight. Franco came in at #5 overall in my Early Season Prospect Rankings, and he is only getting better. Coming into the 2019 season at 18, Franco is one of the youngest players in all of Minor League Baseball.

Height:5’10″ Weight: 190 lbs. Age: 18

Position: SS Bats/Throws: S/R ETA: Early 2021

Overview: The future is looking very bright for the Tampa Bay Rays. With one of the best records in the MLB so far, and one of the best farm systems, they should also be expecting young pitchers Brent Honeywell, Anthony Banda and Jose De Leon to all return from Tommy John surgery this season. Wander Samuel Franco is at the top of Tampa’s prospect rankings, yet he is only 18 years old. Franco is at the top of a stacked system that contains players like Honeywell, Brendan McKay, Matthew Liberatore, Jesus Sanchez, and Shane McClanahan. Factor in current major league Rays like Austin Meadows, Willy Adames, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, the Rays have the best organizational depth in young, high-potential talent. I would expect the Rays to be in contention for the next 6-7 years at least, as they have the makings of a dynasty.

Signed in 2017 for just about four million dollars, Franco has not disappointed in his first profesional seasons, proving worthy of the large signing bonus. The switch hitting shortstop is one of the highest rated prospects by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Coming in at such a young age (18) and already at Class A, Franco has the potential to be a complete superstar for the Rays. One of his most impressive stats is his strikeout rate, striking out only 9% of the time. Hitting well over .300 in both Rookie League (2018) and Class-A (2019), expect Franco to fly through Tampa’s system. Barring injuries, Franco will surely reach A-Advanced, and I don’t find it hard to believe that he’ll finish 2019 in Double-A Montgomery.

Ceiling: Troy Tulowitski – Currently, Tulowitski isn’t the star he used to be, so many people may have forgotten how dominant he used to be. He had a great bat, as well as a very good glove as well. During his career, Tulowitski had eight All-Star worthy seasons, and I could see Franco producing similarly to him. Franco has the tools to hit close to 30 HRs a season, while hovering around a .300 BA.

Projection: Gleyber Torres – One of the rising stars, Torres could be a very accurate comparison for Wander Franco. While its too early to tell for sure, Franco appears to be a pretty solid defender, who is an elite hitter both in terms of power and contact. Being a switch hitter is a plus as well, and he can produce from both sides of the plate, although he has more power from the left.

Floor: Willy Adames – One of the Rays former top prospects, shortstop Willy Adames was expected to be the Rays future shortstop as well as a franchise player. Adames has done pretty solid, but I’m sure they would have hoped for more. Francos expectations will be higher, so I view Adames as a worst case for Franco. If Adames is good enough to stay long term, he may have to relocate positions to make room for Franco.

Player Grades: Contact: A Power: B+ Speed: A- Fielding: B Arm: B- Potential: A+ Overall: A

Tag: TampaBayRays

2019 Top 100 MLB Prospect Rankings 2.0 (Mid-Season)