This past Saturday, MLB Pipeline released their annual pre-season top-100 prospects list. The list counts down from 100 to 1 the prospects expected to have the biggest careers in Major League Baseball. This is always very intriguing for baseball fans on multiple levels. Everyone wants to see how many players their favorite team lands on the list, as well as wanting to get a head start in researching for their upcoming fantasy baseball season. Let’s break down the list:

Team # of Prospects on the List

Padres 10

Braves 8

White Sox 6

Rays 6

Astros 6

Blue Jays 5

Reds 4

Dodgers 4

Pirates 4

Twins 3

Athletics 3

Nationals 3

Tigers 3

Phillies 3

Mariners 3

Diamondbacks 3

Orioles 3

Rangers 3

Angels 2

Cardinals 2

Rockies 2

Indians 2

Mets 2

Giants 2

Yankees 2

Cubs 2

Brewers 1

Royals 1

Red Sox 1

Marlins 1

Top 10 Prospects

10. Brendan Rodgers, Infielder, Rockies

9. Alex Kirilloff, Outfielder, Twins

8. Kyle Tucker, Outfielder, Astros

7. Forrest Whitley, Pitcher, Astros

6. Nick Senzel, 3B/2B/OF, Reds

5. Royce Lewis, Shortstop, Twins

4. Victor Robles, Outfielder, Nationals

3. Eloy Jimenez, Outfielder, White Sox

2. Fernando Tatis Jr., Shortstop, Padres

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Third Base, Blue Jays

Final Thoughts

The Padres are the first team ever to feature ten players on MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 list. It is very impressive having 10% of the top-100 talent, considering there are 30 teams in MLB. Led by Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres have an opportunity to stake their place atop the NL West for years to come once the Dodgers fizzle out.

The team whose fans should be most excited is the Toronto Blue Jays. Son of former big league superstar Dante Bichette (Bo Bichette) comes in at number 11 on the list with a ton of potential and a huge bat. But everything starts and ends with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Not only is he the number one player on the list, but he might be the best hitting prospect in the last ten years or more.

The Brewers, Red Sox, Royals, and Marlins are hardly represented on the list, with just one player. Even though their farm systems are slim right now, at least the Brewers and the Red Sox have the talent in the majors to go all the way. Those two teams will be just fine for the foreseeable future. The Royals and the Marlins are not in very good shape…especially the Marlins. They were throwing out a minor league team last year (minus a few players) and have no farm system to excite their fans for the future. Derek Jeter what have you done?

After the Blue Jays, the Astros and the Twins should be very thrilled about their future with two players each in the top-10. I’ve already previewed Forrest Whitley on this site a few weeks back, and think he will be a special player for many years in the league. Once Kyle Tucker proves he can adjust to major league pitching, he has a ton of potential as well. The Twins feature two very good bats in Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis, but will most likely have to wait until 2020 to see them in the majors.

The Braves have a ton of pitching on the list, with five right-handed pitchers in the top-100. My question is what are they going to do with all of them. At some point they should use one or two as trade bait. You can never have too much pitching, but Atlanta’s rotation doesn’t need all of them and they could get a very good return if they feature one or two in a trade. And the Braves are ready to win now, so it makes sense.

At the end of the day, these are just prospects and there is no guarantee that any of them will pan out. Going from the minor leagues to the majors is a huge jump, so sometimes even the most promising prospects don’t pan out. But for now it gives fans of every team hope. Except the Marlins.

Garett

Breakdown of MLB Top-100 Prospects List