[ad_1]
So you’ve seen MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect rankings, pored over scouting reports, and dreamed about the future of the game. Now you want to take your list dissection to the next level. Start with this: which systems seem most loaded?
Top 100 representation isn’t the only pillar in determining our farming system rankings (due out in March!), but it’s certainly an important factor in establishing order. In 2024, five organizations will stand out in the Top 100:
Chicago Cubs (7)
The Cubs only had three Top 100 prospects on the 2023 preseason roster. Two of them remain, outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong (No. 16) and Kevin Alcántara (No 65), but now they are joined by five others. Three (Cade Horton, Owen Caissie, James Triantos) made the list and now all rank in the Top 75, as high as No. 26 in Horton’s case. Matt Shaw joined Chicago as the 13th overall pick in 2023 and showed that his bat will certainly work in professional baseball as he has already moved up to Double-A. As if that core wasn’t enough, the Cubs drafted Michael Busch (No. 51) in a trade with the Dodgers this offseason and hope to make the 26-year-old their Opening Day first baseman.
Baltimore Orioles (6)
The O’s may have been knocked out of first place, but there’s still plenty of talent around, starting at the top. Overview number 1 Jackson Holliday represents the third consecutive Baltimore prospect to open a season in the top two spots, following Gunnar Henderson (No. 1, 2023) and Adley Rutschman (No. 2, 2022). Beyond him, the Orioles continue to have plenty of hitters with the remaining five Top 100 talents coming out of the field: catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo (No. 17), outfielder Colton Cowser (No. 19), corner infielder Coby Mayo (No 30), outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 32) and infielder Joey Ortiz (No. 63). All six have ETAs for 2024 and 2025, meaning they will soon push to build an already-full pool of major league position players. Will the O’s trade from the top of their farm to help their pitching situation or will they hold the line? The answers will come in 2024.
Cincinnati Reds (5)
The Reds graduated Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Christian Encarnación-Strand from previous iterations of the Top 100 and still manage one of the deepest cores on our list. Now there are more releases with Rhett Lowder (No. 34) entering via the 2023 first round and Connor Phillips (Not 70) and Chase Petty (No 98) pushing for inclusion with stellar material. On the hitting side, the conveyor belt of talent in the Reds’ infield continues with Noelvi Marte (No. 21) — a great slugger with early major league success already in his back pocket — and impressive shortstop Edwin Arroyo (No. 67).
Pittsburgh Pirates (5)
Top pitching prospect Paul Skenes is a great headliner for any group, although it’s a pretty steep drop for him in Number 3 to Termarr Johnson in No. 44. Still, there is reason to believe that Johnson, who posted superior hit ratings during his amateur days, could be ready to take off again in his second full season and convert his walk-heavy approach to one with more hits as he see better. pitching. Jared Jones (No. 62), Antonio Solometo (No. 82) and Bubba Chandler (No. 93) give the Bucs more quality arms behind Skenes, and Jones and Solometo in particular appear to be in line to be rotation options starting this summer.
San Diego Padres (5)
The Padres have leveraged a nice mix of development and smart additions to rebuild a farm system that appeared to have been decimated by Juan Soto’s 2022 blockbuster. Ethan Salas (No. 8) was the Minor League’s top prospect in 2023, reaching Double-A the same year he signed as a 16-year-old, and Jackson Merrill (No. 12) continued to show the potential of a plus-plus impact tool. On the pitching side, Robby Snelling (No. 36) had one of the best statistical seasons in the minors with a 1.82 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings at three levels, and fellow 2022 pick Dylan Lesko (No. 56) showed more in his return from Tommy John surgery. If anyone had a better 2023 than Snelling, it was new Father Drew Thorpe (No. 85) — acquired in the Soto trade with the Yankees this offseason — who led the minors with 182 strikeouts in 139 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. Who has the best hitting tool? Who has the best change? Debates abound in a San Diego system that is much deeper than people expected it to be in August 2022.
When you break down the Top 100 list by prospect points (100 for #1, 99 for #2, etc.), here’s what the Top 5 looks like:
1. Orioles, 444
2. Cubs, 375
3. Parents, 308
4. Brewers, 288
5. Tigers, 284
Baltimore edges out Chicago by having four Top 35 prospects, compared to just two on the other side. Of course, it also helps to have the 100-point player, and it’s interesting that this group of Orioles still accumulated more Prospect Points than their 2023 counterpart (398).
Milwaukee and Detroit jump into the Top 5 here despite having just four Top 100 prospects each. The Tigers made their way with three talents in the Top 25 (Max Clark, Colt Keith, Jackson Jobe) while the Brewers are a little wider but placed all four (Jackson Chourio, Jacob Misiorowski, Jeferson Quero, Tyler Black) in the Top 50.
The five all-time leaders in the preseason Top 50/100 after this latest update are the Rays (87), Dodgers (78), Padres (70), Pirates (69) and Braves (68). The Angels (38), Nationals (43), A’s (43), Giants (43) and Astros (45) occupy the bottom five spots. Houston falls into this group as the only organization without a preseason Top 100 prospect in 2024.