2023 Official MLB Season Thread

Quick Pitch the best highlight show of all sports IMO

and I get to see Heidi/Kelly erry night instead of haven't hit puberty Kurkjian?

sign me up
 
We're now in the official era where ESPN's business models for the last 2 decades are starting to have an affect.

BT hasn't completely gone away yet but this is sad news.
 
GreenNGold89 said:
Wonder what this does to the cost of the jerseys.

Maybe I'm on my own, but I liked the Majestic authentic's.
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I liked the majestic jerseys. I made sure to buy a majestic replica this last year. My first one.

I wonder if Nike taking over will cause a change in patches? If so.. I really liked majestics patches :frown:
 
Some uniform updates, via UniWatch:

What does this mean going forward, in terms of how teams will look on the field in 2020 (and beyond)? Aside from new templates, teams will probably look very similar to the way they do today. Remember: while Nike will “design” the uniforms, they will still do so at the direction of the teams. Yes, we’ve seen their influence on the NFL (think Seahawks, Buccaneers, Vikings, Browns, etc.) and the NBA, and that’s not to discount how Nike will attempt to transform MLB. But they are still the manufacturer and MLB is still the client. Nike will make the uniforms the teams request.

Uniforms are likely to remain the same or relatively unchanged, at least at first. One difference we may see is logo placement: Majestic (the current uniform supplier) currently places the Majestic logo on the left sleeve and on the back belt loop of the pants. UA’s deal with MLB had been to move the logo from the sleeve to the chest. Nike’s deal probably includes this provision as well.


MLB 150th sleeve patch for 2019:
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not sure if mentioned in here but was looking at jerseys on fanatics and noticed the marlins have a new uniform and logo

it’s more “miami” pink and blue colors
 
i think it’s a lock he ends up in philly

visualizing him in a phillies uniform looks too fitting

if they pair him with trout when it’s his turn...jesus
 
amarano said:
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not sure if mentioned in here but was looking at jerseys on fanatics and noticed the marlins have a new uniform and logo

it’s more “miami” pink and blue colors
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I think it's clean and fits what I'd imagine would be a team that's from Miami. I might be wrong, but the MLS club there may have similar colors.

Being back in Seattle and paying a little more attention to the local team here, I don't understand why the Mariners don't undergo an entire rebranding (logo, uniforms, etc). M's are rocking the same stuff they wore in the early-mid 90s.
 
Speaking of ESPN, could someone please post Keith Law's top 100 prospects in baseball? I was going to buy a subscription today but found it wasn't possible as I live in Canada.
 

Keith Law's 2019 top prospects: Nos. 50-1
Espn.com Illustration
4:00 AM PT
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    Keith LawESPN Senior Writer
If you're not going for it in today's MLB environment, you're -- well, let's not say "tanking" and instead go with "developing." Teams that build from their farm system through the draft, the international market and trades of veterans for prospects keep reaching and winning the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals had the No. 1 farm system in baseball in 2011 and won two pennants, including a World Series championship in 2015. The Chicago Cubs hit the top five in 2013, ranked No. 1 in 2015 and won the World Series in 2016. The Houston Astros had the No. 1 farm system in baseball in 2014 and won their first title in 2017. The Boston Red Sox just won a World Series with homegrown former top-100 prospects at all three outfield spots, third base and shortstop and used three other top-100 prospects to trade for Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel.

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1. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres
Age: 20 (1/2/1999)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 185 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 3

The minors are loaded with top position-player prospects right now, with the first four on my list signed as free agents from Latin America. That group is led by the budding superstar Tatis, who brings an offensive profile that would make him a star at a corner position but who also has the athleticism and skills to potentially stay in the middle of the field. Tatis emerged as an elite prospect right after the White Sox traded him to the Padres for James Shields in June 2016 after extended spring training, and he has done nothing but improve ever since, with only an injury last July holding him back.

Tatis looks like a younger Manny Machado, but he is stronger than Machado was at the same age, and there are similarities between their games across the board. Tatis has crazy strength for his age and has shown an advanced approach at the plate, leading the Midwest League in walks as an 18-year-old in 2017. The Padres jumped him over High-A last year to Double-A San Antonio, and after a bad April, Tatis hit .327/.400/.572 from May 1 until his season ended on July 19 with an injury. He did that as the youngest regular in the Texas League by a margin of six months.

Tatis has plus power and bat speed already, with the ideal bat path for line-drive power, though it gets a little bit long sometimes, which might give him some swing-and-miss in the inner third of the strike zone. He has continued to show the skills to stay at shortstop, from plus hands to above-average range both ways to a 70-grade arm, along with strong instincts and excellent tagging skills. He's a plus baserunner despite only average at best speed out of the box, thanks again to his feel for the game. He's a big kid with the frame to end up growing out of the middle of the field, so there's some risk that he's an All-Star only at third base, but his continued progress at shortstop along with his performance with the bat as a teenager through Double-A mark him as a potential MVP candidate and the best prospect in baseball.

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2. Vlad Guerrero Jr., 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
Age: 20 (3/16/1999)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-1 | 200 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: 2

For pure bat, Vlad Jr. is the best prospect in the minors. If you could put an 80 on any prospect's hit tool, it would be his, and he has plus-plus power to go with it. Vlad's hands are electric, and he has shown an advanced feel for the strike zone since his pro debut at age 17, with just three more strikeouts than unintentional walks in his pro career. He overmatched Double-A pitching, then mashed in a month in Triple-A before coasting through a needless Arizona Fall League assignment in which he hit .351/.409/.442 while barely breaking a sweat (and looking like he knew he didn't belong there).

The knock on Baby Vlad is that he's probably a DH in the long run. He's enormous, and though he's a good athlete for his size, he has gotten so big so quickly that it's hard to imagine him at any position, let alone third base, where he isn't quick enough on his feet to play now and brings only a plus arm to the table. If he looks like this at 19, he's not going to be svelte at 23. Fortunately for him and the Blue Jays, he looks like a perennial .400 OBP guy who will hit 25-plus homers year in and year out, like a David Ortiz from the right side. Vlad Jr. was ready for the majors last June, but the Jays have manipulated his service time to try to gain an extra year of control in (checks notes) 2025. He's just as ready now and would be the heavy favorite for AL Rookie of the Year if the Jays just let the kid play.

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3. Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 18 (3/1/2001)
Bats: S | Throws: R
5-foot-10 | 189 pounds
Top level: Rookie ball | 2018 rank: Unranked

If the Latin American position players atop this list graduate this year -- which is possible -- Franco might jump up to take their place. One scout told me last summer that Franco was "the next teenage big leaguer," and I've seen absolutely nothing to contradict that. He was only 17 in the Appalachian League, but he hit .351/.418/.587, finishing in the top 10 in average and slugging while walking more than he struck out, which only one other teenager (of the more than 30) in the league did last year. Franco punched out in just 7 percent of his plate appearances, the best rate in the league among anyone with at least 100 PA, despite being the league's second-youngest player.

Franco has otherworldly hand speed, and when he squares it up, it's exothermic. He has plus power now -- he finished fourth in the league in homers with 11 -- and projects to at least 70 as he fills out, while his contact quality is exceptional. He's a shortstop now, and he could end up staying there, though he's so young and could fill out and slow down a little, so it's probably 50-50 that he ends up at second base. You can easily future-grade him 70 hit/70 power, and if he stays at shortstop, we're wondering if he's a top-five player in all of baseball.

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4. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Houston Astros
Age: 21 (9/15/1997)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-7 | 195 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 8

Whitley's year was sort of a disaster, but he made a statement with his stuff when he pitched in the Arizona Fall League, reminding everyone that he's as talented as any pitcher in the minors. Whitley has a legitimate five-pitch mix -- yes, five -- along with size, control and a good delivery, all of which adds up to a potential No. 1 starter and someone who can help a major league team right away.

Whitley has hit 98 mph and worked in the 92-97 mph range in the AFL after missing two months with an injury. He has shown a ridiculous assortment of off-speed weapons, including a grade-70 changeup with deception, tumble and fade, an 88-92 mph cutter that was at least a grade-55 pitch, a tight low-80s curveball and a mid-80s true slider. He works from a three-quarters arm slot and gets on top of the ball well, and his body is straight out of central casting for a durable right-handed starter. His 2018 was ruined by a suspension for a banned stimulant that cost him the first two-plus months and an injury that cost him the last month-plus, but when Whitley was on the mound, it was comical. The Astros already have an ace or two on their big league staff, but Whitley has the stuff to match any of them.

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5. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox
Age: 22 (11/27/1996)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 205 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: 6

Eloy hasn't posted a batting average below .317 at any stop since the White Sox acquired him via trade in July 2017 from their crosstown rivals, and in 529 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in the past year and a half, he has a .339/.386/.574 line with just 85 strikeouts. He turned 22 in November. I think it's fair to say that Eloy is a full-grown man, and his bat is clearly ready for the majors.

Jimenez has huge raw power, but unlike most young hitters with a plus-plus power tool, he has always had a disciplined approach and has focused just as much on hitting as on crushing the ball, using the whole field well and showing a real eye at the plate even as a 19-year-old in the Midwest League in 2016. He rarely strikes out because he has such good plate coverage, and he's strong enough to do damage on pitches normal hitters wouldn't get to. He has grown to the point that he's going to have to work to be an average defender in right; he's a well-below-average runner but has already shown the effort and feel to be capable on defense, with plenty of arm. His bat is good enough that his defense probably won't matter, and any team would gladly take a few runs not prevented by his glove for the high-average and 30-homer bat he'll provide.

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6. Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
Age: 24 (6/29/1995)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-1 | 205 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: 9

Where Senzel plays this year is an open question, but I've listed him as a third baseman because that's what he has been so far and because he has become quite good there -- good enough that I wouldn't think of moving him because he can hit. Senzel hit .310/.378/.509 in 44 games in Triple-A last year at age 23, but that's all he played due to vertigo that kept him out for more than a month in the spring and due to a broken finger he suffered in June. He also had elbow surgery in October to remove bone spurs, so I'm sure he'd like to leave 2018 in the rearview mirror -- but he has injury concerns going forward.

Senzel's swing is simple and geared toward hard line-drive contact. He starts his hands quickly and rotates his hips well to generate some more power, though he's more likely to hit .320 with a slew of doubles than to end up becoming a 35-homer guy. (Of course, the Reds' hitter-friendly ballpark might change that.) Senzel also has worked very hard to become an above-average defender at third, and he would probably be one at second base given enough reps. He's a plus-plus runner with a grade-70 arm, and I suppose putting him in center field might work ... but he's already a 55 defender at third, and his bat will profile there. Wherever he plays, he'll be productive, and he should be a solid regular who makes several All-Star teams, starting as soon as his health and the service-time game allow.

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7. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 20 (2/24/1999)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-3 | 191 pounds
Top level: A-ball | 2018 rank: 14

Gore's year wasn't what the Padres hoped to see, as a blister that started bothering him in April ended up lingering for a good chunk of the year. Although his stuff was intact, the results didn't match. When Gore is on, however, he has the best arsenal of any lefty prospect in baseball, throwing with up to 96 mph velocity and the ability to work the fastball to both sides of the plate. He also has a huge action changeup clocked in the mid-80s, a power curveball that he commands and will use to right-handers, and a tight slider that he throws up to 89 mph for a second weapon against lefties.

He's an absurd athlete who repeats his contortionist's delivery, with its abrupt, high leg kick, and gets to the same point out front at release. The Padres were careful with him because he was just 19 and had the blister issue, so he made only 16 starts and threw 60⅔ innings in 2018. The shackles on his workload should be looser this year, and assuming his blister issues are behind him, this should be a breakout campaign that gets him to at least Double-A. He has No. 1 starter upside thanks to his arsenal, command and athleticism.

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8. Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Age: 20 (4/8/1999)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 208 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 55

Small adjustments to Adell's swing and setup have taken him from a crude, high-upside athlete when the Angels took him No. 10 overall in 2017 to the polished, quick-adjusting top-10-overall prospect he is today. Adell started 2018 in Low-A, but he overmatched pitchers there, then continued to mash in High-A. Despite the fact that he was in his first full pro season and just 19 years old, the Angels bumped him up to Double-A to finish the year.

Minnesota Twins
Age: 20 (6/5/1999)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 188 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 25

Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, and his first full pro season made that decision by the Twins -- taking Lewis over more heralded prospects such as Hunter Greene -- look very, very smart. Lewis crushed Midwest League pitching at age 19, hitting .315/.368/.485 in half a season with just a 15 percent strikeout rate for Cedar Rapids and earning a midyear promotion to High-A, where he didn't hit as well but continued to make a ton of contact. He's an elite base stealer, probably a 65- or 70-grade runner but with speed that plays way above that because of his instincts on the bases; he already has a stolen base success rate above 80 percent as a pro.

Lewis is still at shortstop, and he has improved marginally on defense, though he still has trouble with routine plays and throwing accuracy. There are mixed opinions from scouts on whether he projects to stay there or is still, as he was at the time he was drafted, projected to end up in center field, where his speed and instincts would likely position him as a 70-grade defender with a 70 arm. His defense could be game-altering in center, but if he develops into even an average defender at short, he'd be a star because of the potency of his bat and his baserunning acumen. Either way, it looks like the Twins made a shrewd call against the grain to take him with that first pick.

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10. Victor Robles, CF, Washington Nationals

Age: 22 (5/19/1997)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6 feet | 190 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 4

If I'd told you last March that a Nationals outfield prospect would end up second in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting, you probably would have guessed Robles finally got his chance in D.C. after a few years near the top of these rankings. However, Robles suffered a hyperextended left elbow diving for a ball in April, and Juan Soto left skid marks on his route to the majors, while Robles missed three months with the injury. He's back, however, and ready to step into the Nats' outfield, which -- assuming Bryce Harper isn't returning -- will have a rather large void in it.

Robles is a true five-tool prospect, with 70-grade speed, plus or better defense, a 70 arm, plus raw power and at least a future plus hit tool, with high contact rates during his career to date and a decent eye. He has never failed at any stop, with this past year's injury the only real blemish on his record. All indications, from his skill set to his cup of coffee with the big club in 2018, are that he's ready to hit right now. Tatis has more upside as a potential shortstop, but Robles looks like he has a job already, and he'd be my preseason pick for Rookie of the Year, with the upside of someone who makes a lot of All-Star teams and posts several 5.0-plus WAR seasons thanks to his bat and glove.

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11. Alex Kirilloff, RF, Minnesota Twins
Age: 21 (11/9/1997)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-2 | 215 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

Kirilloff missed all of 2017 after a ligament tear in his throwing elbow required Tommy John surgery, but the layoff didn't seem to affect his bat much. He hit .333/.391/.607 for Low-A Cedar Rapids and was promoted to High-A; he hit .362/.393/.550 there, striking out less at the higher level, and did all of this at age 20 without a single at-bat above the Appalachian League before 2018.

Kirilloff has exceptional power the other way, with a bat path that emphasizes opposite-field contact, with more than half of his homers in 2018 going out to left. His swing can be a little uphill and lag behind good velocity, but so far, it hasn't had any impact on his performance. His arm has returned to full strength, and he's an above-average defender at a corner, with the arm strength to remain in right, though he's also a 70 or better defender at first and could end up in a Cody Bellinger-like role in which he moves between first and the outfield. He looks like he's really going to hit and have a lot of power, enough to make him an impact player for a long time in the middle of someone's lineup.

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12. Taylor Trammell, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Age: 21 (9/13/1997)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-2 | 210 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 41

Trammell is almost a throwback player, the kind of ultra-athletic power/speed guy whose popularity peaked in the late '80s with players such as Eric Davis and Kal Daniels, both of whom started their careers with the Reds as well. Trammell is a big kid, already 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds and probably heading for 220-225 by the time he fills out. His hands are quick, and his swing, which developed a little hitch last spring, is smooth and direct, good for line-drive power. His approach is exceptional for his age and background as a multisport player in high school, as are his instincts on the bases. His arm grades at 40, so he's going to play left field, but he's quick and athletic enough to play all three outfield positions and should be no worse than an above-average defender in left. Even as a left fielder, he projects as a star who should post OBPs in the high-.300s with 25 homers and 30-plus steals a year.

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13. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Age: 21 (3/5/1998)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6 feet | 200 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 17

Bichette was the youngest player to spend a full season in the Double-A Eastern League -- his younger teammate, Vlad Jr., rocketed to Triple-A midyear -- and was still an above-average hitter across the board while continuing to play shortstop nearly full-time. Bichette continues to show outstanding hand-eye coordination at the plate, which allows him to overcome some defects in his swing, including a bat wrap and generally busy hands, so his contact rate remains high. He led the league in at-bats but was just 26th in strikeouts, for a seasonal rate (K/PA) of just 17 percent. He's an above-average runner with good instincts, and he tends to run the bases like something large is chasing him.

There's always the chance that his unconventional approach and swing will catch up to him, but his hand-eye is so exceptional that I'd bet on him continuing to hit for average with a lot of doubles and triples. He's a shortstop now, but his footwork is too erratic for the position, and he'd likely be a plus defender at second base. He's going to hit -- probably a lot, enough to make him an above-average regular somewhere -- and he'll be a fan favorite as well for his over-the-top energy and confident style of play.

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14. Brendan McKay, LHP/1B, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 23 (12/18/1995)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-2 | 212 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 28

McKay continued to pitch and hit this past year, and though he was adequate at both roles, it became clear that his arm is too far ahead of his bat for him to truly try to pursue both. McKay could pitch in the majors this year if the Rays permit it, as he has exceptional command of a three-pitch mix that might not include a true plus pitch but probably has three grade-55 offerings. At the plate, his swing works, and his batting eye is very good, but he had trouble making enough quality contact (and had some bad luck on balls in play), and his bat is at least a year behind his arm from a development perspective. He also had two oblique issues last year, and that could be related to his trying to pitch and hit, thus doing something every day that uses those muscles to rotate his torso.

The two-way idea was a good one, but McKay is too good a pitcher right now to let his hitting hold him back. He's at least a midrotation starter, probably a No. 2 because his command will let him pitch above the pure quality of his stuff, and if he isn't hitting, he should be a durable one too.

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15. Casey Mize, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Age: 22 (5/1/1997)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 220 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: Ineligible

Mize was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft and the consensus top talent, a major-league-ready starter who had the best pitch in the college ranks last year in his splitter but also showed a full arsenal of stuff. Mize works with low-90s velocity and can reach back for 95-96 mph, with the splitter as the out pitch, and he has shown a plus slider/cutter at 87-89 mph and a slower slider in the low 80s. Mize was utterly dominant for Auburn last spring -- he should have won the Golden Spikes Award, but voters saw something shiny in the corner and screwed it up -- with 156 strikeouts in 114⅔ innings, averaging just under one walk (16 total) per start (17).

The Tigers chose to be very cautious with Mize, giving him just five pro appearances, four with High-A Lakeland, before shutting him down to preserve his arm. If he stays healthy, he could be an ace, with his command and control, as well as two plus off-speed weapons. Although the Tigers don't need him now, he could pitch in some role in the majors in 2019 if an opportunity arises.

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16. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Age: 19 (8/6/1999)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 197 pounds
Top level: A-ball | 2018 rank: 22

Greene was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, when he was a two-way player who could play elite defense at short but whose pro future clearly would come on the mound. His first full season in pro ball was a mixed bag that tilted toward the positive end of the scale. He struggled in his first month, but he rolled after some minor delivery tweaks, with 71 punchouts and 13 walks allowed in 58⅔ innings in his last 13 starts, including a 2.91 ERA. The Reds worked with his delivery in that time frame until he was shut down with a minor elbow sprain that did not require surgery.

Greene can still throw 100 mph with little effort, but the pitch is too straight for him to live off fastballs alone. He made real progress with his slider this year; it was solid-average to above at 84-86 mph early in the season, and it improved as the year went on. Greene's curveball is a nonfactor, though he continues to use it, and he needs to throw his changeup more and develop it into a legitimate third weapon.

He's a superb athlete who can repeat his delivery and takes instruction well, with No. 1-starter upside if he can stay healthy. He's supposed to be at full strength for spring training, and the goal should be to get him pitching deeper into games, using his changeup and slider more, turning lineups over twice every time, working on locating his fastball more and trying less to throw 105 mph like he did in the Futures Game. His ceiling is as high as that of any pitcher on this list, but he has further to go to get there.

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17. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
Age: 22 (1/17/1997)
Bats: L | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 190 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 21

Tucker has done nothing but hit everywhere in the minors, but a tough, low-BABIP major league debut of a whopping 64 at-bats seems to have changed the narrative around him. He's an all-fields hitter with an easy left-handed stroke that allows him to produce power from his pull side all the way over to left-center. He's already showing plus power in games, but he has room left for physical projection as well. Tucker is best suited to a corner spot but has worked himself into average defense in center -- not enough to play there on a good team but enough that he could sub in center without much slippage.

Tucker was 21 while playing in the PCL last year and was the Triple-A league's second-youngest regular while finishing third in the circuit in average, fourth in OBP and second in slugging percentage, and he did so without playing his home games in one of the league's many high-altitude launching pads. He's clearly ready for a major league role.

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18. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Age: 22 (1/28/1997)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-1 | 210 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 61

Hayes, son of longtime big leaguer Charlie, is among the best defensive players at any position in the minors, a likely 80-grade defender at third base with unbelievable hands and instincts at the position who has a strong approach at the plate. Hayes has long been a polished hitter, but he has continued to improve his eye as he has moved up each level, posting the best walk rate of his career in 2018 with his move to Double-A at age 21.

His swing is simple and produces a lot of line-drive contact, and he has shown some pull power. As he matures, that's going to end up as 20-plus-homer power in the majors. He will be known for his defense, leadership and work ethic, the kind of package that makes a player a 15-year major leaguer. If he has a flaw, it's that his tools aren't showy -- even his defense, as great as it is, manifests as making tough plays look routine, and there's no wow factor with his bat or speed. He's going to exceed a lot of expectations given how teams questioned his future power and his body when he fell out of the first 30 picks in 2015.

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19. Brent Honeywell, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 24 (3/31/95)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 180 pounds
Top level: DL | 2018 rank: 15

Honeywell would likely have spent most of 2018 in the Rays' rotation had he not blown out his elbow in February. If that had been the case, the Rays might not have gone to their "opener" strategy, and the entire narrative about whether that's good baseball (pro tip: it is) might not have started. Honeywell should be back at full strength by the middle of this year. He was coming off his best year as a pro when he got hurt, and the hope is that his arsenal -- a 92-95 mph fastball, a plus changeup, a hard slider and the occasional screwball -- returns intact.

He has long been a strike thrower, with 93 walks in 416 pro innings, though his command was behind his control even before the surgery and could be for a while as he returns. He had, and the hope is that he still has, a No. 2 starter ceiling when healthy, which assumes he'll tighten that slider and continue to improve his command over time.

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20. Michael Kopech, RHP, Chicago White Sox

Age: 23 (4/30/1996)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 205 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 11

Kopech really turned the corner last summer, going on the best run of his pro career thanks to some modest adjustments with coach Steve McCatty to keep his direction toward the plate more consistent. After years of wildness, Kopech stopped walking guys cold, with just four walks over 44 innings in his last seven Triple-A starts. That earned him a call-up to the majors, where he looked great until one start when he didn't, and it turned out he'd torn his UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. (As someone who advocated that the White Sox call up him and Eloy Jimenez, I have to point out here that it hurt the team: Kopech will get a year of service time and a major league salary for 2019 without throwing a pitch. It's good for the player, not so much for the Sox.)

When healthy, Kopech seems to have No. 1 starter everything -- stuff, size, athleticism and, as he showed for two months, command. He'll work with 97-100 mph velocity to go with a power slider and mid-80s changeup, both of which are above average to plus. He looks like Noah Syndergaard and tried to model his delivery after Thor's, getting on top of the ball better and staying on line to the plate too. Tommy John surgery recovery isn't an automatic thing, but if Kopech comes back with the same stuff, there's no good reason he can't be Chicago's ace in two years.

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21. Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Age: 22 (8/2/1996)
Bats: R | Throws: R
5-foot-11 | 190 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 35

Hiura, the eighth overall pick in 2017, has shown the plus hit ability that made him a top-10 selection despite the fact that he couldn't play the field his entire junior year. He reached Double-A in his first full pro season after hitting .320/.382/.529 in High-A and continued to hit well in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League. Hiura has a short, simple, repeatable swing, with some loft at the end for doubles power, though I think his home run totals will max out in the teens.

The question on Hiura remains his defense; he has, at best, a 40-grade arm, and his range at second base is probably fringy if you like him. Hiura didn't play the field his junior year because of an elbow injury that has never required surgery, but his throws are restricted and soft, enough so that if he doesn't play second, he might be suited only for first. His bat will make him a regular, and his position will determine whether he's an everyday guy or a star.

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22. Kyle Wright, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Age: 23 (10/2/95)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 200 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 26

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Wright became the first player from that class to reach the majors when Atlanta recalled him in September for its playoff push. Wright will work with 92-96 mph velocity as a starter and has shown a plus slider (a hard one with bite up to 86 mph) and an average changeup. However, he hasn't missed quite as many bats in the high minors as I would have expected given his stuff, even considering that he went from Vanderbilt to Double-A in 10 months. He'll mix in a curveball, and he went to it more during his very brief time in the majors because he couldn't land the slider for strikes and barely threw the change.

Wright is built like a workhorse starter and has been durable so far, though there are little delivery questions, such as whether his arm is a tick late relative to his stride leg. He looks pretty close to major-league-ready and is someone who could absorb innings at the back of a rotation, with the ceiling of a No. 2 starter.

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23. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland Indians
Age: 21 (8/2/1997)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-5 | 165 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 19

McKenzie works with 92-96 mph velocity, big spin on his breaking ball and huge extension out front that makes everything play up. I saw him no-hit Wilmington in 2017 while he was still throwing 88-92 mph because hitters were constantly late on his fastball. His changeup is a clear third pitch. It's an action changeup that he turns over well but that some hitters will pick up out of his hand, though left-handed batters didn't do damage against him last year. It's no worse than No. 2 starter stuff, and you can squint a little and see someone who would sit atop a lot of rotations.

The rub is that McKenzie looks like he might slip through the bars of a storm grate. Longstanding concerns about the durability of someone so slight of build came up when he missed the first two months of 2018 with a forearm strain, which wasn't serious and never required surgery, but questions resurfaced about whether he could hold up as a starter. He has the stuff and some natural elements from his height that you can't replicate. His 2019 season will likely be as much about staying healthy for 25 starts as anything else he needs to do.

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24. Mitch Keller, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Age: 23 (4/4/1996)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 210 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: 18

Keller has two pitches that would put him among the top starters in the majors, sitting mid-90s and touching 98 mph with his fastball to go with a hammer breaking ball. He also has a good frame that has filled out since his first disastrous summer in pro ball. He's around the plate with more control than command thanks to a delivery that keeps him over the rubber and on line to the plate, though his arm can sometimes be a tick late. The bad is the same old story: Keller lacks a viable changeup or other third pitch, which killed him in Triple-A, as lefties posted a .414 OBP against him. He has used a straight change, but it plays like a BP fastball, and he abandons it in starts in which it doesn't work for him.

He seems like a great candidate for a splitter, though few teams like teaching that pitch due to longstanding concerns that it causes injuries. (I say they all get hurt anyway; let's not pretend we know that the splitter makes it more likely.) Keller is built like a durable frontline starter and has the two weapons to be that; whether he gets there depends on if he or the Pirates can find an average third pitch for him with which he can get left-handed batters out.
 
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25. Dylan Cease, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Age: 23 (12/28/95)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 190 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: Unranked
The "other guy" in the Jose Quintana trade, along with top-five-overall prospect Eloy Jimenez, Cease took a huge step forward as a pitcher in 2018, reaching 100 innings for the first time in a pro season, showing his best curveball since high school and generally looking looser and easier on the mound than he had in years. Cease is a three-pitch right-hander who hit 102 mph in short stints in the Cubs' system as he came back from Tommy John surgery.

He has hit the upper 90s as a starter for the White Sox, but now he complements his speed with a tight, hard-breaking mid-80s curveball and a changeup that has become a legitimate third weapon and allowed him to fare slightly better against left-handed batters than righties last year. He also just looked better last year, less restricted or timid when throwing, which is probably tied to the better curveball, and he overpowered hitters at two levels. He still has work to do on his command and control, and one year of 100-plus innings doesn't quite equal "durable," but all indicators are pointing up, and he has No. 1 starter stuff if he can hold up in that role.

Touki Toussaint, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Age: 23 (6/20/96)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 185 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 90

Touki made the biggest leap of anyone in the Atlanta system last year, coming off a 2017 season in which he showed stuff and promise and still posted a 5-plus ERA in High-A. Atlanta's player development staff did a wonderful job with him in 2018, getting him more on line and helping him repeat his delivery with more consistent tempo. He also learned to slow himself down on the mound and pitch more like a starter who needs to pace himself. He'll work with three pitches that can all show plus: a fastball that averaged 93 in the majors, a hammer curveball and a power changeup with split-like action. His control is probably 45 now and his command 40, but that's progress from where he was a year or two earlier, and he's still developing.

He won't turn 23 until June, his arm is loose and quick, and he's a tremendous athlete, all of the elements you'd want to see if you were going to project a pitcher to throw more or better strikes. Even as is, Toussaint is going to miss a lot of bats and pitch near the back of a rotation, but each step forward in command moves him closer to the top end, where his ceiling rests.

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27. Keibert Ruiz, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 20 (7/20/98)
Bats: S | Throws: R
6 feet | 200 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 97

The Dodgers are such strong believers in Ruiz's potential that they jumped him to Double-A last year after only 38 games at High-A, even though he was just 19, making him the Texas League's second-youngest regular last year behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. Ruiz more than held his own, hitting .268/.328/.401 with an impressive strikeout rate of just 8 percent, down more than a third from 2017 even with the promotion.

Ruiz is a switch-hitter, with a left-handed swing that's ready now, while his right-handed swing, the less important side, needs some refinement. He has plus raw power that he has just begun to access in games. His catching continues to improve, and he's a solid to above-average pitch framer, though he'll probably never be more than average as a receiver or thrower. He won't need to be an above-average regular, given his feel to hit, emerging power and the position he plays. Even just plain-old average defense back there should make him a top-three catcher in his league.

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28. Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies
Age: 22 (8/9/96)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6 feet | 180 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: 29

Rodgers was the third overall pick in 2015 behind Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman, and so far, he has delivered on the promise of his bat, hitting for high contact rates everywhere he has played and always showing good power for a middle infielder. He has been held back by minor injuries every year, never playing 120 games in a season.

There's still some question as to whether he stays at shortstop; his hands and arm are both plus, but he's a below-average runner, and his first step might not be quick enough for the position, though he could be plus defensively at second or third. He can hit, though, and should hit for average and power, even without considering the boost he might get in Denver -- someone who should hit in the .290-.310 range with 25 homers a year, not walking as much as you'd like but producing enough for any position to make him an above-average regular for a long time.

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29. Francisco Mejia, C, San Diego Padres
Age: 23 (10/27/1995)
Bats: S | Throws: R
5-foot-10 | 180 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 7

Mejia's bat would profile at any position, but the possibility of his being a catcher long-term is what makes him a potential star. He has more power than most people realize, seeing as he has never hit 20 homers in a season. His 2018 total of 17 between Triple-A and the majors is his career high, but he was also just 22. His hands are lightning-quick, and he's a true switch-hitter, better the past two years from the right side but more than capable from the left, with strong bat control on both sides.

Behind the plate, he's a work in progress but still more likely than not to end up a catcher. He has at least a grade-70 arm, and he's a good enough athlete to get to fringe-average, with a work ethic that Cleveland had long praised. His hands are fine, not great -- certainly not Austin Hedges' hands -- but good enough that I think he'll get close to average as a receiver and somewhere just below that as a framer. Even if he's a 45-grade defender overall, with his potential to hit .300-plus with some walks and 25-30 homers a year, he'd be a superstar.

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30. Ian Anderson, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Age: 21 (5/2/98)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 170 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 48

Atlanta's system is loaded with arms just in Double- and Triple-A, but Anderson has the highest upside of any of them when you consider the body, delivery, stuff and potential command and control. Anderson has always had a good arm, but 2018 was the year he became a more complete pitcher, throwing more and better strikes (cutting his walk rate from 12.1 to 9.9 percent despite two promotions), going from a barely there changeup in 2016 to an occasionally plus change last year and staying healthy for 24 starts.

Anderson has had a plus fastball since high school, routinely working at 93-97 mph now, and his curveball will still show plus, though he had days last year when his changeup was his best secondary pitch. He has a great pitcher's body and uses his 6-foot-3 frame well for huge extension toward the plate, so his stuff plays up as hitters get so little time to react to it. He still needs to keep improving his command, which is about a 45-grade right now, but the rest of the ingredients are there for a No. 2 or better starter.

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31. Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Oakland Athletics
Age: 21 (9/30/97)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-1 | 205 pounds
Top level: Triple-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

Oakland picked up Luzardo in the mid-2017 trade that sent relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Nationals, and the move has worked out better than they could have hoped, with Luzardo pitching so well in his first full pro season in 2018 that he finished the year in Triple-A. Luzardo will pitch with a grade-60 fastball and 70 changeup and has superb command of both, considering his youth and his inexperience -- he turned 21 in September and has just 152 pro innings since he underwent Tommy John surgery right before he was drafted.

His breaking ball is inconsistent and slurvy at 82-83 mph, but he'll show some average ones, and he gets a little extra deception against lefties from the slight cross-body action in his delivery. He's advanced enough to pitch in a big league rotation later this year, with No. 2 starter ceiling that's limited just by health and the quality of his breaking ball.

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32. Jazz Chisholm, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 21 (2/1/98)
Bats: L | Throws: R
5-foot-11 | 165 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

Chisholm is going to do for baseball in the Bahamas what Andruw Jones did for baseball in Curaçao and Aruba. He's utterly electric on both sides of the ball and plays with enthusiasm and energy that will make him a huge fan favorite -- and, by the way, he doesn't do anything average, with plus tools across the board, including bat speed, power and running speed. He's a dynamic player, with skills to affect the game in the box, on the bases and at shortstop.

Although Chisholm will strike out some, between his aggressive approach and a swing that can get big, his hand-eye coordination is strong, and he's still learning some aspects of pitch selection and recognition, with less than 900 pro plate appearances under his belt in three years. He's still very projectable physically and likely to end up with plus or double-plus raw power. But he is quick and agile enough to be an above-average shortstop even as he grows, and his ability to stay at the position will be more a function of footwork and timing, things he can learn with repetitions.

You can dream on a 25-homer, 25-steal hitter here with a high batting average and above-average defense at shortstop, which would make him an All-Star and one of the best middle infielders in the league.

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33. A.J. Puk, LHP, Oakland Athletics
Age: 24 (4/25/95)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-7 | 220 pounds
Top level: DL | 2018 rank: 13

Puk was primed for a huge year in 2018, coming off a successful 2017 in every regard and looking better than ever in the Cactus League, but then his elbow screamed and he ended up missing the year with Tommy John surgery.

When healthy, Puk works with a plus fastball and plus curveball, both aided by his 6-foot-7 frame and a delivery that gets some added deception, especially on the fastball, along with a much-improved changeup that was no worse than average in 2017 and was often better than that. He isn't a great athlete, but he has size and a delivery he repeats well, which was a major reason his command and control took huge leaps in 2017. Look for him to return to competitive pitching this summer, and it isn't out of the question that if he has no setbacks and the A's are competing, he could help the club in a limited role in September.

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34. Justus Sheffield, LHP, Seattle Mariners
Age: 23 (5/13/1996)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6 feet | 200 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 16

Traded from the Yankees to the Mariners in the James Paxton deal, Sheffield should go directly into Seattle's rotation and has No. 2 starter upside that depends almost entirely on the development of his command. He has stuff, up to 97 mph velocity while sitting at 93-94 mph from the left side, which he complements with a slider and changeup that will both show plus and a curveball that probably needs to hit the dustbin given his other weapons. He's extremely athletic, and his arm action is easy, with great arm acceleration.

His command and control are both still below average, with grades of 40 and 45, respectively. His ability to go through a lineup a third time depends entirely on improving in that area, both to manage his pitch counts so he isn't at 102 pitches in the fifth inning and to get the swing-and-misses he should be getting with this kind of stuff. He turns 23 in May, so there's time, but the challenge is before him and his new organization to convert this package into a frontline starter.

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35. Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Age: 20 (7/29/1998)
Bats: R | Throws: R
5-foot-10 | 185 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 23

Sanchez throws what might be the easiest 100 mph fastball in pro baseball, and he does so from a small, 5-foot-10 frame (despite being officially listed at 6 feet) that makes it hard to believe you saw what you just saw when he does it. He throws it for strikes at will and has had success primarily off that pitch. While his secondary stuff has lagged, the Phillies have worked with him on a new grip and release for his slider that have the pitch up to 91 mph with tighter, sharper break than before, a pitch that could be a difference-maker for him.

Sanchez was shut down in June with elbow inflammation and never returned; he was at instructional league and was scheduled to go to the Arizona Fall League but suffered a setback and was shut down for the rest of the year. His size, or lack thereof, has always been a concern for his future as a starter. If he stays in the rotation, he's a potential ace, with a high floor as a huge K-rate reliever in high-leverage work.

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36. Matt Liberatore, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 19 (11/6/99)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-5 | 200 pounds
Top level: Rookie | 2018 rank: Ineligible

After Casey Mize, Liberatore was the top draft prospect on my board to sign with an MLB team this year, but he slipped to the 16th overall pick for what I can describe only as silly draft reasons -- there was no good baseball reason for it, and the Rays couldn't believe their good fortune when he was still there at their pick. Liberatore is, to borrow a scouting term, boring good -- he does so much so well, without any clearly plus-plus tool or pitch, that it's a little easy to overlook him. A tall, lanky lefty who throws up to 97 mph but whose fastball sits more in the 90-94 range, Liberatore also throws a curve, change and slider, with the curve his best secondary pitch, and he works to both sides of the plate with his fastball.

Liberatore is athletic -- he had one of the better pickoff moves I saw last spring. He repeats his delivery well from the windup, though when I saw him in March he was rushing to the plate from the stretch, a relatively easy thing to correct in pro ball. He has shown plus velocity, and if he gets there, he might be an ace, but the present stuff, projected above-average command and general athleticism all point to a ceiling as a No. 2-3 starter even without it.

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37. Alex Verdugo, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 23 (5/15/96)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6 feet | 205 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 36

Verdugo is ready to be some team's everyday right fielder after two very good years as a young regular in Triple-A, where he posted one of the 10 lowest strikeout rates in the PCL each season. Verdugo is tooled up, with an 80-grade throwing arm, above-average speed and defense, and above-average to plus raw power that hasn't really played in games yet. His approach is contact-oriented, but in BP he will grip and rip, showing big pull power that, given his eye at the plate, he should be able to bring to game at-bats often enough for 20-25 homers a year.

The elite contact skill is rare in MLB today; only nine big leaguers struck out less than 12 percent of the time in 2018. Verdugo was at 11 percent in his two Triple-A seasons. If he converts that skill and his raw strength -- he's maxed out physically, so there's no projection here -- into game power, he's going to make some All-Star teams. If not, he's still a solid everyday player with his defense and his ability to hit for average and get on base at a .360-plus clip.

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38. Jarred Kelenic, CF, Seattle Mariners
Age: 19 (7/16/99)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6-foot-1 | 196 pounds
Top level: Rookie | 2018 rank: Ineligible

Kelenic became the highest-drafted player to be traded in his draft year since MLB changed its rules on trading recently drafted guys, and Kelenic went from the sixth overall pick by the Mets to a deal with the Mariners for Edwin Diazand the bad half of Robinson Cano's contract. Kelenic was the best prep position player in the draft, both in my view and in the industry consensus. He really was limited only by geography: He's from Wisconsin, so his spring season was short (he didn't play for his high school, playing with a local travel team so he could get in more games for scouts), and his competition wasn't great.

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He's a tool shed, though, with 70-grade raw power, a 70 arm, plus speed (at least now), above-average range in center and the potential at least for a plus hit tool. He's extremely well put-together, without a ton of projection left, though he still looks like he just started shaving. He destroyed GCL pitching and had a strong finish in the Appalachian League after a slow start there, earning raves from pro scouts at both stops. His future comes down to how much he hits, because his secondary skills are strong enough to make him a superstar if the hit tool plays out on the field.

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39. Nolan Gorman, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 19 (5/10/00)
Bats: L | Throws: R
6-foot-1 | 210 pounds
Top level: A-ball | 2018 rank: Ineligible

Gorman had some draftitis in the spring, trying to do way too much to impress scouts when he already had grade-80 power that was unmatched in the draft class. Freed from pre-draft pressure, he performed beyond all expectations last summer, skipping the Gulf Coast League, hitting .350/.443/.664 in the Appy League and finishing with Low-A Peoria at age 18, where of course he struggled. It speaks to how advanced he looked in short-season ball and how confident the Cardinals are in his bat and his makeup that they challenged him like that.

While he struck out too often for Peoria, that's likely going to be his game: a lot of strikeouts, some walks and prodigious power, the 30-40 homer a year kind of power that changes games and will sit him right in the middle of a lineup. He's best suited to third base, at least for now, needing work on the fundamental aspects of playing the position, but he has enough raw ability to end up average there with some effort. His future is really about the power, though. If he hits enough to get to that power, and I think he will, he's going to fight for home run titles for a long time.

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40. Jon Duplantier, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 24 (7/11/94)
Bats: L | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 225 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 64

Duplantier missed the first half of 2018 with a sore hamstring and biceps tendinitis, a bit worrisome since a shoulder problem caused him to miss his sophomore season at Rice (where arm injuries have been as routine as midterms) in 2015. When he came back, he was as good as he has ever been, including a full stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he was throwing 92-96 mph complemented with two above-average breaking balls that can run into each other and showing good feel for a changeup.

Duplantier looks the part, with an athletic frame and fast arm, and he has an idea of what he's doing, working well to both sides of the plate, though it's still with below-average command. His delivery isn't perfect, with some stiffness out front when he lands, and three arm issues in the past four calendar years is worrisome. He has at least No. 2 starter upside if he can stay healthy for a full season, as he did in 2017.

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41. Gavin Lux, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 21 (11/23/97)
Bats: L | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 190 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

The question on Lux when the Dodgers took him in the first round in 2016 out of a Wisconsin high school was whether he'd develop the strength to make enough quality contact. He could play shortstop, had good instincts, showed a mature approach and all that fun stuff, but he clearly needed to get stronger. He has answered that question in resounding fashion, and the Dodgers have praised him for putting in the work required to get to this point, with a composite .324/.399/.514 line as a 20-year-old in a season split between High-A and Double-A and with one of the 10 lowest strikeout rates of any regular in the High-A California League.

Lux's swing was never an issue, and he even had some loft for future power, so when the strength came last season, he started to hit for average and put some balls in the seats all at once -- and he remains an above-average defender at short with great hands and instincts. I've heard that the Dodgers declined to include him in trade talks last summer, and it's easy to see why, since he looks like a no-doubt regular at short who'll be at least above average for a long time.

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42. Alex Reyes, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 24 (8/29/94)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-3 | 175 pounds
Top level: MLB | 2018 rank: 27

Who knows? Reyes made his pro debut in 2013 and now has a career total of 407⅓ innings across six seasons, with just 89 innings in the past three years and no single-season total above 110. He missed all of 2017 after Tommy John surgery, then tore a lat muscle in his first major league appearance in 2018, ending that season too. Reyes will pitch with a grade-80 fastball, thrown up to 101 mph with life, a plus or better changeup and a power curveball that could be plus if he finished it better out front. His delivery has always concerned me, as he has a short stride and abrupt finish that is part of why the breaking ball doesn't always get the depth it should. I know scouts who still argue his curve is plus and that he's a future No. 1 starter even with his history of injuries -- elbow, lat and shoulder back in 2015.

They might be right, given the arsenal and arm strength, but between the injuries and the below-average command he has shown when healthy, I see a lot of reliever risk here, albeit a high-end reliever who'd likely post a huge strikeout rate. That's the difficulty of projecting Reyes to handle a starter's workload when he has pitched so little in the past three years.

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43. Nolan Jones, 3B, Cleveland Indians
Age: 21 (5/7/98)
Bats: L | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 185 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 80

Jones was a first-round talent in the 2016 draft, No. 11 on my board that year, but he slipped into the second round on signability concerns. Cleveland, who took Will Benson in the first round, drafted Jones and paid him $2.25 million to sign. Benson has flopped, but Jones has emerged as the team's top position-player prospect on the heels of a huge year split between Low- and High-A in which he showed a broad, balanced mix of tools and skills at the plate. He drew 89 walks last year, sixth-most in the minors, behind five players older than he was, only one of whom might be considered a prospect at this point.

Jones is tall, and his swing can get big, but he has strong hands and can keep them inside the ball to go the other way, so while I expect some swing-and-miss, I don't expect Joey Gallo-level strikeout rates, and he is already showing plus power that should end up at least at a 70 grade. The debate on Jones is his ultimate position; he's athletic enough for third base but very big for his age, and there's a real chance that he has to move off the dirt to right field, where his plus-plus arm would be an asset. There's a lot here that reminds me of Kris Bryant around the same age -- similar swings, similar size and athleticism, though Jones bulked up younger than Bryant did. I think even in right field, he'll be a high-OBP/30-homer guy, with his ceiling really defined by how well he controls his swing-and-miss as he moves up to Double-A.

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44. Chris Paddack, RHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 23 (1/8/96)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-4 | 195 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

The Padres picked up Paddack in the Fernando Rodney deal in 2016, only to have him blow out his elbow in his third start after the trade and miss all of 2017 while he recovered. He came back in 2018 as good as ever, and had the Padres been contending in 2018, he almost certainly would have seen the majors in September. Paddack works with a 60-grade fastball and 70 changeup and has plus command of both pitches, truly exceptional for a 22-year-old without much pitching experience -- he has thrown just 177⅔ pro innings in his career. He'll work both of those pitches to both sides of the plate and especially likes using the changeup in to right-handed hitters, a pitch those batters rarely see.

Paddack's limitation is his breaking ball, which he throws in the mid-70s, average if you like it, a grade 45 pitch if you don't. The argument that he'll barely need it with two other plus pitches seems valid to me, especially since his fastball plays up, thanks to huge extension out front in his delivery. He's an easy midrotation starter who could be a top-20 starter in the game if he holds up physically and that curveball ends up at least a solid-average weapon for him.

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45. Cristian Pache, CF, Atlanta Braves
Age: 20 (11/19/98)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 185 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: 57

Pache has a high floor because he's the best defensive center-field prospect in the minors; he might be an 80-grade defender right now and looks like he'll end up at that level either way, with reads and routes that earn constant comparisons to Andruw Jones, who has become the gold standard comparison for defense in center. I said last year that I believe Pache would come into power, despite his grand total of zero pro home runs through 2017, and he came through with nine homers in 122 games between High-A and Double-A at age 19.

The only question you'll hear on Pache is about his ability to control the strike zone. He's a swing early and often kind of guy, drawing just 18 unintentional walks in the regular season but also striking out only 97 times, even though he was the Florida State League's youngest regular, so it's a question of approach and swing decisions, not of being overmatched by stuff. He'll probably never be a high-OBP guy, but he's making so much contact at such a young age and does everything else so well that I think there's All-Star upside, 20-25 homers per year with a high batting average and 15-20 runs saved per year on defense.

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46. Adrian Morejon, LHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 20 (2/27/99)
Bats: L | Throws: L
6 feet | 175 pounds
Top level: High-A | 2018 rank: 72

The Padres gave Morejon an $11 million signing bonus in 2016, part of their huge spending spree on the international market that year, and when he has taken the mound, he has more than justified their expenditure on him. Morejon's stuff made a huge jump across the board last year, as he averaged more than 94 mph and showed huge spin rates on his fastball and curveball, along with the plus changeup he'd already shown prior to 2018.

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He has had trouble staying healthy, with just 27 starts and 128⅓ innings in two years, including two DL stints in 2018 with a triceps injury ending his season in mid-August. He has looked impressive whenever he has pitched, and there's still some upside remaining, but the key for him in 2019 will be making 20-plus starts and showing that he can hold up without more arm trouble under a starter's workload.

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47. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Age: 21 (8/19/97)
Bats: L | Throws: L
5-foot-11 | 180 pounds
Top level: A-ball | 2018 rank: Ineligible

Swaggerty had a down year for South Alabama before last year's draft, pressing to try to improve his draft stock by hitting for power that he doesn't necessarily have. But he played more like his previous self in pro ball, focusing on contact rather than power and letting his other tools, including his plus speed, come into play. Swaggerty should be more of a classic leadoff type than a middle-of-the-order bat, with contact and OBP skills as well as the ability to steal 30 bases, along with good to great defense in center boosted by a plus arm.

I had one scout tell me he put an 80 on Swaggerty's arm strength in pro ball. His contact rate will tell the tale: When he tried to pull the ball too much at South Alabama, facing some very weak competition, his strikeout rate soared, but a more balanced, line-drive approach should keep the K's down and his OBP up to make him an above-average regular.

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48. Corbin Martin, RHP, Houston Astros
Age: 23 (12/28/95)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-2 | 200 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

Martin was jerked around in his draft year at Texas A&M after coming into the spring with some first-round buzz and ended up falling well into the second round, where the Astros signed him for $1 million. He looks like he should have been a first-rounder now that his velocity is sitting at 93-94 mph as a starter, touching 97, among four average or better pitches including a slider that flashes plus, a power low-80s curveball and a hard but effective changeup.

High-A hitters barely touched him -- he threw 19 innings, facing 70 hitters, and allowed just four hits -- and he was effective the rest of the summer in Double-A, even though he was just a year out of college. He's big with broad shoulders, built like a midrotation starter, and the velocity looks easy coming out of his hand. If there's a knock on him, it's that he threw too many strikes last year and could try to use his off-speed stuff for more swinging strikes out of the zone. From college reliever to a prospect with a No. 4 starter floor and No. 2 starter upside in 18 months is a heck of a transition.

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49. Dustin May, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 21 (9/6/97)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6-foot-6 | 180 pounds
Top level: Double-A | 2018 rank: Unranked

May would already have been a top-100 prospect with his sinker and curveball, but he has added a third weapon in a cutter that has boosted his ceiling even higher. May is very athletic with a great arm that has him running his 93-94 mph sinker up to 97 and has power to the curveball, with the sinker getting ground balls and the curveball missing bats. That new cutter at 90-91 has been unhittable when he has used it, though he has just started incorporating the pitch since midseason and doesn't use it as much as the other two weapons. He doesn't have much of a changeup, but the cutter might be an alternative to improving that, and lefties haven't done that much better against him than right-handed batters.

He also hardly walks anybody, just 4.2 percent of batters in High-A last year and just 7.0 percent as a pro to date, though his command is at least half a grade behind right now. His delivery isn't that pretty, but he has been healthy as a pro and appears to have the three weapons to be at least a No. 2 starter, with a ceiling beyond that as we see how he uses the cutter and as his command evolves.

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50. Luis Patino, RHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 19 (10/26/99)
Bats: R | Throws: R
6 feet | 192 pounds
Top level: A-ball | 2018 rank: Unranked

Patino has some of the most electric stuff of any prospect in the minors, and that's not just my word -- every time I asked any scout or exec about him, "electric" showed up in the descriptions. Patino is a 6-foot right-hander with a huge stride and exceptional extension out front, so he's bumping the high 90s with life up in the zone, dominating hitters with that pitch. He'll show two breaking balls that blend together, but he's probably going to settle on one, his high-spin-rate slider, and he still needs to develop a workable changeup because left-handed hitters ate him alive last year (.345/.421/.457, compared with .140/.197/.173 against right-handed batters).

He's small but athletic and repeats his delivery well. If you're going on pure upside, he's in the top 25 or so with the Hunter Greenes and Sixto Sanchezes of the prospect world, but there's real reliever risk here -- one scout who liked Patino said the whole package "screams reliever" -- between the size and need for a third pitch, which keeps him toward the middle of the rankings.
 
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