2018 Top 100 Prospects

Below is our list of the top-100 prospects in baseball. Scouting summaries were compiled with information provided by available data, industry sources, as well as from our own observations.

Note that prospects are ranked by number but also lie within tiers demarcated by their Future Value grades. The FV grade is more important than the ordinal rankings. For example, the gap between prospect No. 5 on this list, Fernando Tatis Jr., and prospect No. 35, Corbin Burnes, is 30 spots, and there’s a substantial difference in talent there. The gap between Ke’Bryan Hayes (No. 56) and Leody Taveras (No. 86), meanwhile, is also 30 numerical places, but the difference in talent is relatively small. Below the list is a brief rundown of names of 50 FV prospects who didn’t make the 100. This same comparative principle applies to them.

As a quick explanation, variance means the range of possible outcomes in the big leagues, in terms of peak season. If we feel like a prospect could reasonably have a best big league season of anywhere from one to five wins/WAR, then that would be “high” whereas someone like Colin Moran where it’s something like two to three wins/WAR is “low.” High variance can be read as good since it allows for lots of ceiling, or bad since it allows for a lower floor. Your risk tolerance could lead you to sort by variance within a given FV tier if you feel strongly about variance. Here is a primer about the connection between FV and WAR.

We think arguments can be made as to how you line up the players in a given tier (and we had plenty of those arguments), but we arranged them as we did for reasons about which you can inquire in Tuesday’s chat, which starts at Noon ET.

70 FV Prospects

Scouting Summary
Ohtani has prototypical size, athleticism, and stuff, sitting in the upper-90s with a bevy of plus (or better) secondary offerings, the best of which is a dominant splitter. He didn’t pitch much last year due to a rash of mostly non-arm injuries. He’ll be in the big leagues immediately and projects as a frontline starter who may also provide some value with the bat, though there’s skepticism about his ability to hit big-league pitching if he’s only seeing it a couple times a week. That said, he has plus-plus raw power, so he’s sure to hit a few tape-measure shots, even if his contact ability is an open question.

65 FV Prospects

Scouting Summary
In 2017, Acuna made the leap from scout favorite and known toolshed with limited experience in Low-A to one of the top prospects in baseball. He demolished High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A as a 19-year-old, performing even better at each level, a near unprecedented performance. He will be the Braves’ starting right or left fielder (in deference to Ender Inciarte in center) in the first half of 2018 and projects for a peak season of at least four wins with about the lowest risk/variance a 20-year-old can offer.

Scouting Summary
Guerrero was identified as an elite talent for his age years before the Jays signed him at age 16, evident from a similar advanced feel for hitting and raw power of his father. Unlike his Hall of Fame father, Vlad Jr. has generally developed earlier — physically looking too big for third base as a teenager and polishing his tools at a very young stage. Whether Vlad Jr. settles as a fringey third baseman or a first basemen/designated hitter is up for debate, but his easy plus hit and power tools (with ceiling for more) are not and will make his ascent to the big leagues a quick one.

Scouting Summary
He’s barely played a month above A-ball, but Robles looked ready for the big leagues in 2017 and got a brief cup of coffee before finishing his season in the Arizona Fall League. He’s a polished, instinctive player capable of making an impact in every facet of baseball. Robles has great feel for all-fields contact and sneaky power for his size, which manifests itself in doubles and triples. He’s also a potential Gold Glove center fielder with breathtaking range and arm strength, and he was easily the best baserunner in the AFL, which featuers a pretty advanced group of prospects. Andrew McCutchen comps have been pretty common here because Robles has a similar build and swing, but from a skillset perspective, Robles looks more like Lorenzo Cain. He’s a likely star and arguably the most polished prospect on this list.

Scouting Summary
Scouts in the U.S. became enamored of Tatis during 2016 extended spring training in Arizona, and San Diego poached him from the White Sox before he had even suited up for a professional game. He was sent to full-season Fort Wayne as an 18-year-old in 2017 and hit .280/.390/.520 with 20 homers and steals and, perhaps most impressively for his age, a 14.5% walk rate. He also flashes occasional acrobatic brilliance at shortstop, though scouts are not unanimous about his long-term prospects there because of the size of Tatis’s frame.

Scouting Summary
Jimenez was largely compared head to head with SS Gleyber Torres (No. 11 on this list) as the top talents in the loaded 2013 July 2nd class. (Victor Robles and Ozzie Albies were much lower regarded at the time). Both players signed with the Cubs, then later were traded as headliners in blockbuster trades for Aroldis Chapman and Jose Quintana. Jimenez has developed as expected, already showing 70 game power due to a rare feel for hitting — especially for a prospect with potential 80 raw power — along with a rare level of athleticism that allows him to play a solid right field. It’s a combination present in players like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

60 FV Prospects

Scouting Summary
One of the toughest outs in the minors, Senzel combines a patient, discerning offensive approach with a simple swing, superlative hand-eye coordination, and bat control. He’s an opportunistic power hitter who has shown dramatic improvement at third base over the last two years (he was not good at 3B as a sophormore at Tennessee) and is working to expand his defensive resume to accelerate his timetable to Cincinnati with Eugenio Suarez currently occupying third. He’ll likely be up in 2018 and should make an offensive impact immediately.

Scouting Summary
When Whitley remade his physique during his senior year of high school, his stuff and command both ticked up and they’ve continued to do so. He now sits 93-97. Whitley’s size and delivery creates good angle up and down in the zone, and he can sink or cut his fastball if he wants to. He has a knee-buckling curveball, a hard slider, and a burgeoning changeup that has quickly developed into a plus pitch. Whitley’s delivery is a bit violent, but he throws strikes and already has impressive control for a pitcher this size, age, and with this kind of stuff. He has ace ceiling.

Scouting Summary
Bichette was a well-known prospect in high school due to his bloodlines (father Dante and older brother, Yankees first-rounder Dante Jr.), his big tools (plus raw power), and his loud, max-effort swing. Many teams didn’t take him seriously as a top-two-rounds prospect, partly souring after his brother busted with a similar swing. That said, Bo has rare bat and body control along with good enough pitch selection to make his approach work, something his older brother did not. Bichette is playing shortstop now and likely will not at higher levels, with second base the most likely fit, but he has the tools to play any corner position and his bat profiles anywhere.

Scouting Summary
The player-evaluation side of the industry doesn’t anticipate Tucker will remain in center field for very long and wasn’t particularly enthused by his Fall League effort, but he’s going to hit and, if last year’s launch-angle uptick is any indication, he’s going to hit for power. Tucker was a flat-planed, hit-first prospect in high school who scouts hoped would grow into power. Instead, it seems Tucker and Houston have taken advantage of his natural bat control and engineered a more power-friendly swing. He’s had success through Double-A at age 20 and is likely to mature into a middle-of-the-order threat.

Scouting Summary
He doesn’t have jaw-dropping physical tools, but Adames has a well-rounded offensive skillset, a long track record of above-average offensive performance while being young for his level, and competent shortstop ability. Adames’ frame is maxed out and he’s not likely to grow into much more power without better incorporating his lower half into his swing, but he’ll hit plenty of doubles and reach base at an above-average clip. Even with Tim Beckham’s departure, the shortstop picture in St. Petersburg is crowded by Adeiny Hechavarria, Matt Duffy, Daniel Robertson, Christian Arroyo, and, some would say, Joey Wendle. It’s worth noting that Adames got his first in-game reps at second base last year. He’ll likely debut in 2018 and his bat will play at second base or shortstop.

Scouting Summary
Torres was seen as one of the top two players in his July 2nd class (along with No. 6 on this list, RF Eloy Jimenez), with Torres the prototypical Venezuelan shortstop, featuring advanced feel for all aspects but no flashy plus tool. He’s developed largely as expected, no small feat for a celebrated 15-year-old, with his physicality and game power the biggest change in the last few years. This has gone along with some scouts questioning if he fits better at second or third base long-term, but Torres’s bat will profile anywhere in the dirt, and he’s big-league ready once he’s fully recovered from Tommy John surgery last June.

Scouting Summary
Brinson has tracked as well as scouts could have hoped when he was a gangly, unrefined amateur outfielder. He’s shown an ability to make mechanical adjustments and has now performed up through Triple-A, reducing his once concerning strikeout rate as he has climbed the minor-league ladder. He’ll likely get plenty of playing time with Miami in 2018 and, though he make take some time to adjust to big-league pitching, hit for plus power while playing center field.

Scouting Summary
Andujar has tantalized scouts since early in his pro career with a strong, athletic frame and flashy tools that are above average to plus across the board. He largely was seen as potential, even passed over by all 30 teams in the Rule 5 Draft after the 2015 season, then he broke out in a huge way in 2017, reaching a critical mass of adjustments and maturity that showed up in the counting stats.

Andujar has cut down on his swing-and-miss while also lifting the ball more and hitting it with more authority, an obviously rare and desirable combination when you’re already working with a toolsy prospect who was always young for his level. There’s still some lingering maturity questions and mental lapses on defense, but that didn’t stop the Pirates and other clubs from demanding Andujar in recent trade talks with the Yankees, who refused to discuss him.

Scouting Summary
Honeywell’s kitchen-sink repertoire is headlined by a potential plus-plus changeup, but he also has a quality curveball, cutter, and mid-90s fastball. He can throw just about any pitch in any count and has at least average command right now despite some mechanical inconsistency. He had a 172:35 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Triple-A last year and probably deserved to be in the majors. He’ll get there this year and projects as a No. 3 starter.

Scouting Summary
Reyes had Tommy John early during spring training of 2017 and didn’t pitch all year. He’ll probably spend some time in the Cardinals bullpen to control his season-long workload coming off of surgery, but his stuff — plus-plus fastball, curveball, and plus changeup — belong at the top of a rotation.

Scouting Summary
Mejia wasn’t/isn’t a lost cause as a defensive catching prospect, but his bat is almost ready for the big leagues and this prompted a move to third base during the Arizona Fall League to accelerate his timetable to Cleveland. He certainly has the arm for third. It’s an 80-grade howitzer that elicited audible gasps from AFL crowds. His hands and footwork at third remain a work in progress.

Mejia’s swing isn’t graceful or attractive, but he finds ways to get the bat head to the baseball and hit the ball hard. He has elite hand-eye coordination and bat control. He’s a little too aggressive at the plate, so the OBP and game power might both play down if he doesn’t become more selective, and we’re in wait-and-see mode on the defense.

Scouting Summary
After demolishing the Cal League (as was expected), Rodgers had a solid 38-game run at Double-A. He turned 21 in August. He’s hit everywhere he’s been since high school and continues to look fine, if unspectacular, at shortstop. He’s above average in every way at the plate (the bat control, power, feel for opposite-field contact, ability to punish mistakes), which means he’s got a good chance to be an All Star if he stays at shortstop, and it looks like he’s going to.

Scouting Summary
Hitters like to shorten up against Sixto after he’s blown well-placed, sinking, upper-90s gas past them for strikes one and two, which leaves them vulnerable to any of his three viable secondary offerings later in at-bats. Sanchez sits 95-99 and has touched 102 with advanced command. He has a long, cutting slider in the mid-80s and a two-plane curveball, both of which flash above average, but his best secondary is a ghosting, mid-80s changeup that embarrassed hitters five years older than Sanchez in High-A last year.

He’s just 6-foot so you’re not projecting on the fastball, but it’s already so hard that it doesn’t matter. Scouts want to see release consistency deeper into games (and, in general, when Sanchez throws his breaking balls), but he’s athletic and has only been pitching full time for three years, so there’s reason to believe he’ll improve.

Scouting Summary
Kopech was frustrating for scouts earlier in his high-school career, as his quick arm was obscured by a long arm action and inconsistent delivery that led to inconsistent secondary pitches and command. Just before the draft, his quick arm sped up even quicker, and early in pro ball, he was able to make his arm action a little shorter, unlocking perhaps the best fastball in the minor leagues. Depending on the gun, Kopech tops out at 102 or 105 mph and his plus slider gives him a clear second weapon. As you may guess, there’s some command concerns, his changeup is still inconsistent, and there’s natural health questions simply because throwing that hard puts a greater level of stress on an arm. He’s now performed at the upper level and is ready to fine-tune his game with a big-league look in 2018.

Scouting Summary
Chicago signed Robert for $26 million just weeks before the new CBA put a hard cap on international spending. He had been of interest to international scouts for several years because of his raw power and speed. About a year before he signed, Robert looked heavy and sluggish on tour with the Cuban national team, but by the time he defected and was ready to work out for teams, he had transformed his physique and put on an absolute show in private workouts, showing plus straight-line speed and power during BP. Robert doesn’t have great bat control and his ability to get the bat to the baseball might be limited, but there’s enough going on here that he has a chance to be a star anyway. If the bat does come, he’ll be a five-tool monster.

Scouting Summary
McKay is an incredibly rare prospect, in that he would make this top-100 list as both a hitter and pitcher, and was a top-10 prospect in the 2017 draft both ways as well. He’s stood out both at the plate and on the mound since high school, and scouts laud his makeup, in that he improved at both roles at Louisville while also serving as a team leader. He also managed the fatigue and preparation necessary to be the staff ace once a week while hitting in the middle of the lineup everyday for three straight years on a top program.

He was generally seen as a pitcher first until scouts bore down on him last year. Many saw greater potential at the plate — a role to which he admittedly didn’t commit as much time — dreaming on a 60 bat/power combination. The Rays will let him continue to develop both ways but appear to prefer him as a first baseman. There’s myriad ways to deploy his talent, but the most likely seems to be everyday first baseman with the ability to throw a couple innings a week (with three 55-60 pitches that could play up in short stints) and slide into the DH spot to rest his arm.

Scouting Summary
Keller is still without a good changeup, but his ability to locate a mid-90s fastball and spin a plus curveball makes up a very promising mid-rotation foundation. He spent 2017 at Double-A and has an outside shot to debut in Pittsburgh this year, but the Pirates’ competitive standing in the NL Central and Keller’s need to develop a third pitch might push him to 2019.

55 FV Prospects

Scouting Summary
Most premium college hitters are viewed as “safer” draft prospects, but Hiura had an arm issue that prevented him from playing defense while he was scouted. A PRP injection had him back at second base late last year. Hiura is an advanced hitter with lightning-quick hands and surprising power for his size. He projects as a plus hitter with above-average power, which could make him an All-Star at second base, assuming all is well with the arm and he’s able to stay there.

Scouting Summary
A minor mechanical tweak unlocked some of Kingery’s previously undiscovered raw power last year, and he hit 26 home runs between Double and Triple-A. Some of that was due to the hitting environment in Reading, but scouts think the power uptick is real. Kingery already had a chance to be an everyday player because of his superlative bat-to-ball ability, speed, and plus-plus defense at second base. With the power folded in, he’s a potential star. Whether or not he debuts in Philly this year could depend on a Cesar Hernandez trade, but he’s probably ready.

Scouting Summary
Wright was a tough sign out of an Alabama high school in 2014 due to a Vanderbilt commitment and the Braves made a significant offer that came up just short, but they got their man with the fifth overall pick in 2017 after a dominating three-year career in Nashville. Wright had a rocky start in 2017, only finding a more natural arm slot weeks before the draft by taking grounders at shortstop. He pitched 95-99 mph for the first half of a start against Arkansas a few weeks later and hasn’t looked back since; he likely won’t spend long in the minor leagues and should join the Braves’ young pitching in the majors at some point in 2018.

Scouting Summary
Buehler roared back from Tommy John in 2016 and sat 96-99 with a plus curveball and slider/cutter in his first outing back from surgery. He only threw five affiliated innings, but the Dodgers immediately began internal conversations about how to get him to the big leagues in 2017. They did, and after a late-summer move to the bullpen, Buehler got a nine-inning September espresso. There are some who think Buehler’s ultimate role will be that of the prophesied, dominant multi-inning reliever because his command is fringey, he’s already had a surgery, and he’s an undersized guy with a longer arm action. His three-pitch mix is unique for a starter but enough to justify continued development in a rotation, and the fallback option isn’t all that bad.

Scouting Summary
Urias’s strikeout rate doubled in 2017 and was still so low that it would have ranked him in the top 15 among qualified MLB hitters. He has sublime feel for contact, adjusting the barrel to where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. His track record of excellent hitting suggests it’s going to continue. Urias changed his leg kick’s tempo in 2017 but didn’t produce more fly balls or power, and he doesn’t project to do either. Popless second basemen need to hit like Dee Gordon or Cesar Hernandez to profile as above-average regulars, but it looks like Urias is going to do that.

Scouting Summary
Crawford’s first month of the season was such a disaster that scouts thought he was either hurt or extremely bored. He hit well in July and August and earned a September call-up, during which he played great defense all over the infield. Crawford has issues getting to balls away from him and probably won’t hit for much power, but he’s very patient and could reach base enough to hit at the top of a lineup. He’s only an average runner, but he’s also a very gifted athlete with a plus arm and a quick transfer. Crawford can make strong throws to first from all kinds of difficult platforms and projects as a plus defensive shortstop. Table-setting defensive wizards are pretty rare. He could go .270/.340/.400 with 12-15 homers. The Freddy Galvis trade paves the way for playing time immediately.

Scouting Summary
Puk had back issues in college and scouts weren’t enamored of his conditioning, but he had premium velocity, a plus slider, and he performed against SEC hitters. He somewhat surprisingly fell to Oakland’s sixth overall selection in the 2016 draft. Reports were even stronger in 2017.

Puk is remarkably athletic for his size, and he’s more balanced throughout his delivery now than he was in college. His command has improved and now projects to average or a tick above. Puk also rebooted a curveball he had shelved at Florida and is flashing a plus changeup at times. He’s going to have command of four above-average or better pitches and rare lefty starter velocity. He has No. 2/3 starter ceiling and could reach Oakland this year.

Scouting Summary
Like many players on this list, Gohara was identified very early as an elite prospect, even coming from a non-baseball hotbed like Brazil, catching scouts’ eyes around age 14. The Mariners made him the highest paid pitcher in the 2012 July 2nd class and Gohara’s development was slower than expected, dogged by maturity and weight concerns until a trade to Atlanta before the 2017 season. Gohara is still drawing CC Sabathia physical comps and will need to watch his weight, but he shot from High-A to the big leagues in 2017, invigorated by the change of scenery and the deadly combo of his mid-90s fastball and plus slider. Gohara is likely the Braves’ fourth starter to begin the 2018 season.

Scouting Summary
The small-sample struggles Barreto experienced during his brief big-league debut are even less worrisome when you consider he was the age of a typical college junior. He has plus bat speed and raw power and a long track record of offensive success dating back to his age-17 season. If anything will limit Barreto’s offensive output, it’ll be his shoddy pitch selection, but most think Barreto is going to hit and hit for power and play an up-the-middle position (though probably not shortstop), so there’s some room for his OBP to breath. We’d like to see him in center field but think he could be a 45 or 50 at second base.

Scouting Summary
You can’t truly appreciate Gore’s subtle excellence in a showcase environment, so his one- or two-inning outings the summer before his senior year left him in the draft’s second-round picture. When decision-makers saw him commanding his entire arsenal like an advanced college arm and reaching back for peak velocity late in starts the following spring, his stock exploded. Gore doesn’t have a dominant fastball, nor does he project to, but he’ll touch 95 and has remarkable command of it, as well as command of his slider, curveball, and changeup. His unique delivery requires elite athleticism to repeat, but Gore does it and he projects to have plus command. He’s a polished high-school arm who should move quickly, projecting as a No. 3 starter.

Scouting Summary
The Canadian righty has a background playing hockey and has the frame and demeanor to be a defenseman in the NHL. The Braves challenged the polished sinker/slider standout with a 2017 assignment to Double-A at age 19. He excelled while also developing a changeup that was above average to plus to match his high-spin-rate two-plane breaking ball. Soroka likely gets an MLB look in 2018 at age 20, and while the upside isn’t frontline (he sits just 90-94 mph), you could argue everything he does is above average to plus.

Scouting Summary
A new position on the rubber and a more evenly paced delivery helped Burnes pound away at the glove-side corner of the strike zone with precision in 2017. His slider’s movement and his high-spin fastball’s natural cut play well together there, both away from righties and down-and-in against lefties. It helped him reach and have success at Double-A, and an aggressively competitive Brewers club might need him at some point this year. Burnes’ curveball flashes plus, too, and he’s a terrific athlete and fiery competitor. He’s a near-ready above-average big-league starter.

Scouting Summary
Alford was a buzzy prospect in high school, coveted for his rare power/speed combo and overall athleticism, becoming more intriguing due to his limited baseball reps as he pursued a football career at Ole Miss and Southern Miss. The Blue Jays signed him out of high school to own his rights if football didn’t work out. They were happy when he hit the ground running as a full-time baseball player at age 20, exhibiting a surprising amount of polish, (especially for pitch selection) for a kid who had never fully committed himself to baseball before. The tools are still flashy and he profiles as a well-rounded everyday center fielder who likely gets an extended big-league look at some point in 2018.

Scouting Summary
Pache drew a $1.5 million bonus as a 16-year-old in 2015. He’s a perfect example of the reward in signing a top July 2nd prospect, as his tools have taken a huge step forward since signing: his run grade jumped from 60 to 80, his arm from 60 to 70, his raw power from 45 to 55, while he’s also become arguably the best defender at any position in all of minor-league baseball.

The only issue for Pache is tweaking the mechanics of his swing. He needs to lift the ball more and have a stronger base to tap into some of his power and allow his athleticism to play. These are fixable things, he’s just turned 19, he has plenty of hitting tools to survive until this point on them alone. The Braves rave about his makeup and coachability, while his athleticism would be world class in any sport. With little improvement, he’s a Kevin Pillar two- or three-win type defensive specialist and his upside is a six-plus-win type perennial All-Star.

Scouting Summary
Lewis was one of the best players on the summer showcase circuit in 2016, showing a rare combo of hit, power, and speed tools, though it was unclear if he fit better in the infield or center field. He had an up-and-down spring for his high school, but the raw tools were still present, helping him go No. 1 overall in a year without a clearcut top prospect. Scouts still largely think Lewis’s tools play best in center field long-term and he performed even better than expected in his pro debut.

Scouting Summary
Sheffield’s stuff was up in the Arizona Fall League. He was reaching 97 in the desert, sitting 93-95 mph for much of his starts, and locating all three of his pitches. Sheffield’s mid-80s slider (which is relatively new, he threw a curveball in high school) is plus and he sequences and locates it well. It’s become a back-foot weapon against right-handed hitters, but Sheffield’s upper-80s changeup has enough movement to miss righty bats, too. He’s a likely mid-rotation starter and should reach the majors at some point this year.

Scouting Summary
Kieboom’s older brother is a catcher in the Nationals organization, but Carter wasn’t drafted as a favor: the Nationals had plenty of competition angling to land the toolsy younger brother in 2016’s first round. Kieboom, like many infielders on this list, may be able to stick at shortstop for certain teams that shift heavily or prioritize offense over defense at the position, but he fits more traditionally at second or third base, with some scouts suggesting even a corner-outfield spot. He’s got plenty of bat for any position. Kieboom has flashed all five tools above average at times, but the most consistent are his hit and power tools, which should be his calling cards for a long time.

Scouting Summary
The Padres signed Baez for $3 million during the winter of 2016, and when he first got underway in Arizona the following spring he looked like a size-and-arm-strength lottery ticket. By the end of extended spring training, he had made significant progress across the board and became much more. Baez’s fastball velocity ticked up into the mid-to-upper 90s and his changeup was consistently plus. The velocity alone was too much for the AZL and Baez was quickly promoted to full-season ball and continued to dominate, refining his command along the way. He is shockingly athletic for his size, allowing him to repeat his delivery and project for plus command. Big leaguers can succeed with a changeup/command foundation, and Baez has those things but also touches 99. He looks like a potential No. 3 starter, but there’s also an element of freakishness here that could indicate more.

Scouting Summary
Greene forces scouts to project heavily on his secondary stuff, and not everyone thinks he’ll be able to develop an especially effective breaking ball. But he has elite velocity, prototypical size, and the athleticism and fluidity to at least project on his changeup and command pretty significantly.

50 FV Prospects

Scouting Summary
Bauers was an under-the-radar prospect as an amateur (when he was the third-best left-handed hitter on a travel team that featured first-rounders SS J.P. Crawford and 1B Dominic Smith) and as a pro (when he was at best the fifth-most valuable player in a trade featuring Wil Myers, Joe Ross, Steven Souza, and Trea Turner). As an amateur, Bauers was young for his class and had an advanced feel to hit, but was at the wrong end of the defensive spectrum and without much power. His hit tool has continually improved, and in 2017 at Triple-A, his improved raw power showed up in games to a level where scouts think he can profile in a corner-outfield position. He’s also slimmed up and become an abov- average right fielder in the process of adding raw power in pro ball, a tribute to Bauers’ work ethic.

Scouting Summary
The Dodgers signed Alvarez for $2 million just before the 2015 international-free-agency calendar turned over, then traded him to Houston for Josh Fields a few months later. In his pro debut, Alvarez was a force of nature at Low-A before his in-game power tapered off following a promotion to High-A Buies Creek. Alvarez does have plus raw power and good feel to hit with a swing that has enough natural loft that scouts think he’ll hit for contact and power. That may take an adjustment that gets Alvarez hitting the ball in the air more often, but the hope is that he just starts doing that naturally without mechanical compromise.

Alvarez looks athletic and fleet-footed enough to play an outfield corner right now, but he’s already a massive 225 pounds at a age 20 and will probably end up at first base. He has the physical capability to mash enough for first and his first season was encouraging. If the feel for airborne contact starts coming, he could move way up this list during the summer.

Scouting Summary
Anderson first got on many scouts’ radars when, in 2015 as a high-school junior, he faced senior and soon-to-be Rays first-rounder CF Garrett Whitley in a high-profile matchup. Anderson has made steady progress since then, despite a senior season slowed by illness and an oblique injury, going third overall in the 2016 draft. He had a prototypical pitching prospect’s projectable frame, along with three above-average pitches and the potential for above-average command to profile as a front- to middle-of-the-rotation starter. Anderson works up in the zone at 92-95, touching 97 mph with elite extension that allows it to play even quicker, but a combination of corraling his rising velocity along with minor-league-level umpires inconsistency at calling high strikes has impacted his walk figures.

Scouting Summary
Calhoun doesn’t have a position (he’s been tried at third, second, and in the outfield since college), but he’s going to rake. Scouts have him projected for plus hit and power. He takes huge, beer-league softball hacks but has the hand-eye coordination and bat control to make it work. He could yank out 30 or more homers as soon as he’s given regular at-bats. The corner-outfield and DH situation in Texas is pretty crowded, but he should start seeing regular big-league time this year. There’s some risk that Calhoun’s aggression is exploited the way Rougie Odor’s has been, but otherwise Calhoun looks like a stable mid-order slugger.

Scouting Summary
Meadows has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries and then altered his approach to contact after his initial struggles at Triple-A last year. It was a bad year, and the industry has grown increasingly concerned about Meadows’ ability to stay healthy, especially if it means he’ll eventually move to left field. But he was running well late in the year and still has the strength in his wrists to do extra-base damage while making plenty of contact. He still projects as an everyday player with above-average upside and the McCutchen trade clears a path for him to reach the majors this year.

Scouting Summary
Verdugo was a legit top-three-rounds talent as both a hitter and pitcher coming out of high school in 2014, and some were surprised when the Dodgers took him in the second round and announced him as a hitter. He’s rewarded their faith, showing the expected plus bat. He hasn’t quite delivered on his game-power potential and has also lost a step, working now as a right fielder after serving as a serviceable center fielder as an amateur. There’s some maturity concerns that have dogged Verdugo for years, but he’s essentially big-league ready with a 60 bat and arm, along with the potential for a fun position-player pitching option.

Scouting Summary
The Rays blew past their international signing pool in 2014, with headline prospect SS Adrian Rondon getting the bulk of their it ($2.95 million bonus). Some called Rondon the top prospect in the class, while the Rays insisted that Sanchez ($400,000 bonus) was much closer in talent than their bonuses and reputation would indicate. Today, Sanchez is the clearly superior prospect and one of the top five in his signing class due to his quick-developing plus raw power, and advanced feel to get to that power in games without excessive swing and miss. He’s also deceptively quick and instinctive in the outfield, with a non-zero chance of playing center field at the upper levels, but likely settling in as an above-average right fielder.

Scouting Summary
Soto was seen as an advanced bat with present raw power in his July 2nd class, signing for $1.5 million, but has quickly smashed those expectations, becoming one of the best all-around young hitters in the minor leagues. Soto has put up cartoon numbers in two short summers in pro ball, slowed by some minor injuries. He’s also limited to a corner-outfield spot, where he’s likely average at best, so there isn’t a huge margin for error in projecting him, but the bat is so advanced he’s likely to carve out a big-league career of some sort.

Scouting Summary
McKenzie is a very unique pitching prospect. He’s most quickly noticeable for his extra-lanky frame, at something like 6-foot-5, 165 pounds. He also has elite extension and command along with general feel for his craft, allowing above-average stuff to play as plus stuff, along with projecting for big-league success as as starter despite a below-average changeup.

Scouting Summary
Early-career injuries limited the developmental reps that Harrison badly needed as a pro, as he was a multi-sport high-school superstar who hadn’t played baseball full-time. He finally broke out in 2017, hitting .270/.350/.480 with 50 extra-base hits and 27 steals. This came after a swing change that probably still needs refinement to unlock what Harrison is truly capable of. He has plus raw power, is a plus runner, and has an 80 arm. His swing path is still a little inefficient and he’ll need to be more selective at the plate, but he has a volatile All-Star ceiling.

Scouting Summary
Moran made substantive changes to his swing in 2017, which unlocked dormant raw power without compromising his natural feel to hit. He’s not a great defensive third baseman but does enough to stay there and has enough stick to play everyday. He’s ready now and should get plenty of reps in 2017, especially if Josh Harrison is moved before the season.

Scouting Summary
Alvarez made little developmental progress in 2017 and remains wild and without a changeup, much to the chagrin of scouts enamored of his ability to generate effortless upper-90s velocity. What Alvarez possesses in grace and fluidity he lacks in touch and feel for pitch manipulation, and his release is inconsistent. His slider flashes plus but is left up in the zone too often. The industry has begun talking about Alvarez’s makeup after he looked out of shape early last spring, but he’s in Arizona already working on his changeup command in preparation for the season. He’s looking less likely to be a dominant front-end starter (or a starter at all), but his stuff is probably good enough to make some kind of eventual impact either as a No. 4 starter or late-inning arm.

Scouting Summary
Riley was a tough read for scouts as an amateur, with an even split in the industry preferring him as hitter or pitcher. He was also set to punt for the Mississippi State football team if he got to campus, but the Braves popped him in the sandwich round as a hitter, surprising many, as only a few clubs were interested in Riley that early in the draft. He’s rewarded the Braves’ faith in his offensive ability, pumping 52 homers in two-and-a-half seasons while also reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old. Riley has slimmed down and has a chance to stick at third base now, but his plus raw power and improving contact ability will play anywhere on the diamond, possibly as soon as this September in the big leagues.

Scouting Summary
A potential plus-plus defender at third base, Hayes is also remarkably selective and has above-average bat control. Though his frame doesn’t suggest he’ll grow into prototypical corner power, there’s a chance a swing change can coax more out of him, especially if Hayes applies his mature pitch selection to a mindset focused on hunting pitches he can drive. He projects as a potential above-average regular who is a few years away, but the ceiling is a bit higher than that.

Scouting Summary
Toolsy athletes don’t often look as polished as Trammell does at the plate, all the more surprising given his two-sport background as a standout running back. Trammell made the leap during the 2016 draft spring from middle-round upside prospect to high-end prospect whom multiple teams had in the top 15 on their draft boards. There are some questions on his instincts in center field, partly since he’s been playing some left field in the Reds system in deference to more advanced fielders. Trammell is exciting since we don’t know exactly what his ceiling is just yet. Scouts love his makeup, and he’s still improving in all phases, figuring out what sort of player he wants to be (contact vs. power). His overall athleticism is near the top of the scale.

Scouting Summary
The injury to Gleyber Torres forced an underperforming Mateo to Trenton. Upon his arrival, he added a leg kick and immediately began driving the ball with more power. Mateo has strong wrists and can shoot the ball in the gap to all fields and sprint for extra bases. While his success at Double-A (before and after the trade) has some small-sample stink on it, the fact that it was paired with a substantive mechanical change might mean it’s more representative of his future output.

Defensively, Mateo has the physical traits to remain at shortstop, though the Yankees had been playing him at second base and in center field, as well. Scouts get frustrated with Mateo’s fundamentals at short, but think he has the chance to be average there at his peak. Many are intrigued by what he might be able to do in center field, full-time, with his elite speed, but Oakland played him exclusively at short after acquiring him. Much of Mateo’s future remains fuzzy, but he has many top-of-the-order qualities and is likely to play up the middle.

Scouting Summary
The electric nature of Abreu’s stuff makes him likely to play some kind of significant big-league role even if he fails to develop starter’s command. He sits 95-98 and touches 100 with his fastball while also showing an occasionally plus breaking ball and plus-plus changeup. He’s an excellent candidate for multi-inning relief at least, and could be much more if his command develops.

Scouting Summary
Toussaint burst onto the scouting scene when he hit 97 mph with a plus-plus curveball as a high-school underclassman, but his delivery and command needed lots of work at that point. He’s slowly made adjustments — just before the 2014 draft he dialed down the high-octane stuff so he could command it better — and made his biggest strides in 2017. Toussaint’s changeup was consistently above average to plus, his 70 curveball and 96-plus mph fastball were still in his back pocket when needed, but he opted for a low-90s sinker and above-average curveball with more command of both early in the game.

His skillset now fits the changing big-league game: he may continue his path into becoming the frontline starter many envisioned when he was 16 years old or he could be a Lance McCullers-like Swiss Army knife that’s one of the most valuable pieces of a staff without ever pitching 200 innings. Either way, he could be a devastating big-league presence by the end of 2018, particularly in one- to two-inning stints.

Scouting Summary
The more we talked about O’Neill (and the swing change he made after being traded to St. Louis), the more we started to buy his chances of tapping into most or all of his plus-plus raw power in games. He doesn’t have great feel to hit, nor is he an especially good defensive outfielder, but O’Neill is likely to reach base at an above-average rate and hit for a ton of power, so he’s pretty likely to be a good everyday big leaguer. He does have some Quad-A-hitter traits, which is why his profile carries some variance despite his long track record of success, but we were saying the same thing about Aaron Judge last offseason.

Scouting Summary
Espinoza was 94-97 and flashed a plus changeup and curveball during his final spring-training start of 2017. Between that outing and his first regular-season start for High-A Lake Elsinore, he felt discomfort in his elbow and was shut down. After several weeks of rest and rehab, it was decided that he needed Tommy John surgery, which he had early in August. The timing wasn’t great, and Espinoza may also miss all of 2018 working back from surgery. He has front-end stuff but, even if it returns, he’ll have missed two years of reps that he desperately needed to polish his below-average control.

Scouting Summary
Fowler is a plus runner and viable defensive center fielder who has a chance to be an above-average defender there at peak. He has plus bat speed that allows him to turn on good velocity and generate more pull-side power than is typical for a plus-running center-field prospect. Fowler has a chance to hit .280 or so, with 15-18 annual homers, and do lots of extra-base damage with his legs. While his aggressive approach at the plate will likely limit his on-base ability to something just beneath league average, he’s very likely to be an average everyday player and potentially a tick more than that, assuming his pre-injury speed returns.

Scouting Summary
Smith was an athletic, multi-positional prospect at Louisville whose stock spiked close to draft time. He was considered a potential plus defensive catcher who might hit an empty .280. In the last year, Smith has altered his stride in a way that has increased his in-game power rather significantly. He has terrific natural bat control and finds a way to get the barrel to various parts of the hitting zone, and the change in offensive footwork didn’t alter his peripherals. He remains a strong defensive catching prospect who now has a chance to hit for average and power while also moonlighting at second and third base when needed. He’s an Austin Barnes sequel who’s perhaps two years from the majors.

Scouting Summary
Flaherty reached the majors in 2017, just his third full pro season. His fastball ranges from 90 to 95 mph, sitting mostly 92-94 with enough sink to mitigate its lack of downhill plane, and Flaherty will pitch with above-average fastball command. To put hitters away, he relies on a slider and curveball while occasionally mixing in a changeup. His curveball has a bit more depth and vertical action to it than the slider does, and it’s his best secondary pitch on pure stuff, but Flaherty’s terrific arm-side command of his slider makes that his most effective. His fringey, sinking, upper-80s changeup induces ground balls but doesn’t miss bats right now, and well-located breaking balls are his best chance of whiffing lefties. He projects as a ready No. 3/4 starter.

Scouting Summary
Teams had widely varying evaluations of Adell ahead of the 2017 draft, but he raked in pro ball after signing and started to silence critics. He has huge raw power and enough straight-line speed to develop as a center fielder, though he may not stay there. His arm strength evaporated last year (he was up to 94 on the mound as a rising senior but was throwing with a 30 arm during 2017 instructional league), and there’s still some hit-tool volatility that makes Adell quite risky, but he has middle-of-the-order potential.

Scouting Summary
In 2017, Guzman went to the New York-Penn League and threw strikes with a 96-102 mph fastball and plus slider. He struck out 88 hitters in 66 innings. His changeup is still raw, and scouts don’t like his stiff, hunched posture during his delivery, but he throws strikes and has a chance to start. He could have an 80 fastball and 70 slider at peak, which alone could make him an elite reliever. If Marlins player development can improve his changeup, or develop a different third pitch, his ceiling as a rotation piece is quite high. He enters his age-22 season in 2018.

Scouting Summary
Lutz was about as under-the-radar as a first-round pick who’d attended a number of high-profile showcases could be. His 70-grade raw power puts up exit velocities that would fit near the top of MLB leaderboards, along with good enough pitch selection to get to his power in games and enough athleticism to play an average defensive right field. He’s only had 187 plate appearances in pro ball but could move quickly — similar to how Braves’ 3B Austin Riley reached Double-A at age 20 — if Lutz’s tools play as quickly as some scouts expect.

Scouting Summary
Jones made adjustments and hit his way to High-A as a 19-year-old after a bad first month of 2017. He still chases breaking balls away from him too often, but otherwise has great feel to hit and sprays hard contact all over the field. He’s a plus runner with the speed to play center field, and he should continue to develop there as he accrues more reps. (Jones was a high-school infielder and two-sport prospect.) He profiles as a table-setting doubles machine.

Scouting Summary
Luzardo was a polished prep lefty with command of an advanced changeup and breaking ball, as well as an 88-92 mph fastball that spiked into the mid-90s during his senior spring. Soon after his velo ticked up, Luzardo got hurt and needed Tommy John. The Nationals drafted him, gave him an overslot $1.4 million, and then traded him to Oakland the following year. Luzardo has remade his physique, and his pre-surgery surge in velocity has been retained. He was up to 98 at times last year, sitting 90-95 with advanced command. His changeup and breaking ball should mature into above-average pitches, and Luzardo should move quickly through the minors as a potential mid-rotation starter.

Scouting Summary
Scouts’ opinions of Jansen were all over the map during the first few years of his career, but those have narrowed into the 45-to-55 range now. We’re buying that Jansen’s 2017, which included more walks than strikeouts across three levels of the minors, is a sign of real improvement, perhaps due to the new prescription frames he got before the season. He’s a fringe receiver with an above-average arm, which is fine, but he is difficult to strike out and should reach base plenty. He’s a near-ready everyday catcher.

Scouting Summary
A talented enigma at Oklahoma, Hansen’s prodigious stuff was finally deployed with some consistency in 2017, as he struck out a whopping 191 hitters in 141.1 innings. His fastball and curveball are both plus, while his changeup, slider, and command remain fringey, but fringe command is still more than a grade better than what Hansen showed in college. He’s progressing but remains a volatile prospect with No. 2/3 starter potential

Scouting Summary
After spending 2016 focusing on fastball command and breaking-ball transition, Medina finally posted stats commensurate with his prodigious stuff. He sits 92-95 with a late-breaking slider, and his changeup and command have progressed as expected given his delivery and athleticism. He still needs to polish his command and the demarcation between his slider and curve, but Medina has made significant developmental progress during the last two seasons and should continue doing so. He projects as an above-average big-league starter.

Scouting Summary
Tucker does a little bit of everything and projects to stay at shortstop while providing modest offensive output. His arm strength has returned to something more closely resembling its pre-injury (labrum) form, bolstering confidence in his ability to stay at short. Offensively, Tucker is patient and has a contact-first approach, but there’s enough thunder in his hands and wrists to do some extra-base damage and a chance he grows into more as he ages. He’s a near-ready everyday shortstop.

Scouting Summary
Pint was identified as a potential high-first-round pick as a high-school underclassman, showing mid-90s velocity and a long, lanky, athletic frame in tournaments. He held serve as an elite arm over the next few years, going fourth overall in 2016 and continuing to show some of the best stuff on the planet, including two 70s and two 60s on some days.

The issues are with just about everything else I haven’t mentioned, as Pint doesn’t have much deception, has too much effort/head whack in his delivery. Also, his fastball doesn’t have much life and he may generally just throw too hard to learn the finesse aspects of being a starting pitcher. His walk rates and contact allowed are worrisome, but the stuff and athleticism are still top of the scale, so the upside remains sky high, but scouts are getting less enthusiastic.

Scouting Summary
Pearson came almost out of nowhere at a low-profile Florida junior college, going from unknown to a first-round pick in less than a year, fueled by a dazzling pre-draft bullpen for scouts where he sat in the high-90s and hit 100 mph. At his best, Pearson looks like a front-of-the-rotation monster, with a sturdy frame, long stride, powerful delivery, and triple-digit heat, to go with a slider and changeup that have flashed 60 at their best. On the other hand, there’s risk with hard throwers — especially those with new velocity — and Pearson has had control issues ever since his velocity spiked. He’s trending in the right direction, with his best appearances coming in May and June just before the draft, followed by a strong pro debut. Pearson has possibly the widest variance of potential outcomes of any player on this list.

Scouting Summary
Gordon, son of Tom Gordon and brother of Dee Gordon, was identified as a top prospect as high-school freshman in the Orlando area and has made subtle improvements since then, but has been a similar player for a while. It’s a card full of grade 5 tools on the 2-8 scale, and while there aren’t flashy or twitchy actions, Gordon gets the most of his tools, in part due to private defensive lessons by family friend Barry Larkin pre-draft. There are some questions about how good Gordon will be defensively (sliding to second base wouldn’t be too big of a deal), and his pitch selection is below average, keeping him from getting to all of his 55-grade raw power.

Scouting Summary
Fried was part of one of the best high-school pitching staffs of all time, with No. 67 on this list RHP Jack Flaherty and White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito. Fried went sixth overall in 2012 and had Tommy John surgery within a year, then was traded to Atlanta as the headliner in the Justin Upton deal. Fried has flashed signs of brilliance since his return, but a gnarly blister limited most of his 2017 and some scouts still question his command, wondering if he fits better in short stints. No one questions his knockout curveball, which gets grades as high as a 70 from scouts on the 20-80 scale. His fastball sits 90-94 and hits 97 mph, while his changeup is above average. He has a good chance to open 2017 in the Braves rotation alongside No. 31 on this list LHP Luiz Gohara.

Scouting Summary
Florial had an unusual start to his pro career, with paperwork issues stemming from his childhood in Haiti earning him a one-year suspension from MLB and only a $200,000 bonus despite having exhibited loud tools before signing. Credit the Yankees for staying on top of Florial and pouncing once his suspension was over, as his three plus tools (raw power, speed, and arm strength) are quickly obvious even to amateur observers. The only question on Florial is his contact ability, as he will show scouts extremely varied looks. Some think he’ll get to his power but just with plenty of swing and miss, while others question if he’ll ever make enough contact to be an everyday player. No one disputes the sky-high ceiling, and the Yankees have rebuffed many efforts of other clubs to trade for Florial, but the variance in his possible outcomes may be the widest among any hitter on this list.

Scouting Summary
Chang’s 24-homer output at Double-A might was a bit of a surprise, but his feel for impacting the ball in the air is real and he has enough raw power to hit with more thump than is typical for a shortstop. Most teams think he’s going to be a solid everyday player, with just enough arm and athleticism for shortstop and plenty of stick. He is another of the players on this list with enough pitch selection to get most or all of his raw power (along with some walks), even if with a .260 or lower batting average

Scouting Summary
Murphy didn’t catch great stuff at Wright State and it’s taken him a little while to get used to receiving pro-quality pitching, but he’s improved dramatically and looked great in the Arizona Fall League. He now projects as an average receiver with a plus-plus arm. Murphy’s swing is simple and makes him tough to strike out while enabling him to tap into some of his strength-driven power. He’s a well-rounded catching prospect who should mature into an everyday player.

Scouting Summary
Anderson is going to strike out, but he has above-average pull power that he’s learning to tap into in games. He also runs well and should be fine at third. He has a plus arm (accuracy is sometimes an issue) and is comfortable charging slow rollers on the grass, but, generally, he is not especially polished there. Anderson hasn’t played third base full-time for all that long, and he should be average there at peak. He profiles as an average regular and should get plenty of playing time in 2018.

Scouting Summary
We’re buying McMahon’s bounceback 2017. He began altering his footwork late in 2016 and continued to grow more comfortable with it through 2017. His fly-ball rate has actually dropped in the last year, but McMahon’s timing at the plate has improved and this is probably a function of him more frequently putting the ball in play than he was in 2016. He has plus raw power and is adept at golfing out balls down and in, but he has the strength to drive them out the other way. His transition to first base continues, but he’s made progress and looks like a future 50 defender there. He’s seen time at second base and could be a 40 glove there in a pinch. He tasted the majors last season and should grab hold of a job in the next year or so.

Scouting Summary
Wentz was seen as a middle-round two-way prospect entering the spring of his draft year in 2016, then broke out as a pitcher, eliciting Cole Hamels comps on his best days. He went in the comp round to the Braves for an overslot bonus to forego a scholarship to Virginia. In his first full pro season with Atlanta, Wentz’s velocity was down a bit (88-92) from his best amateur outings (91-95), but his inconsistent changeup became a consistent plus pitch to the point where he didn’t even need his above-average curveball more than a handful of times per game. He’s a good athlete with a low-effort delivery (and plus power at the plate), low mileage on his arm, a credible outpitch, a starter’s repetoire, and feel for his craft, so it’s a little less risky than the typical teenage pitcher.

Scouting Summary
Kelly begins to separate himself from most catching prospects with his glove. He was drafted as a third baseman in 2012, then moved behind the plate in 2014 and picked up the finer points of catching rather quickly. He’s a good receiver, stealing strikes on the edges of the zone and just beneath it. He’s also more agile than his square, cinder-block frame suggests, and he effectively smothers errant, dirt-bound pitches. Big-league catchers hit a combined .245/.315/.406 in 2017, averaging just 89 wRC+. Despite lackluster physical tools, Kelly should be able to clear that bar, based largely on his superlative hand-eye coordination and a sound approach, all complemented by excellent defense.

Scouting Summary
Taveras didn’t have a spectacular 2017, but he was just a teenager in full-season ball, so his .250/.312/.360 line is pretty palatable. He still projects as a plus hitter with plus defense in center field and a plus arm, but questions about his power potential pervade. He’s somewhat projectable, physically, but unless a change in approach is made, his power output and overall ceiling are capped. He still profiles as an above-average regular, but he’s a great developmental distance away from that.

Scouting Summary
Diaz continued a long anticipated transition from shortstop to second base in 2017 and saw more time at second than short for the first time in his career. He has an above-average arm but fringey hands and range. Diaz’s combination of plus power, patience, and ability to play an up-the-middle position — even if he’s only fringe to average there — give him star potential despite likely issues with contact. His uppercut swing is going to lead to strikeouts, but he picks the right pitches to drive and could hit 25 bombs at peak.

Scouting Summary
There’s still quite a bit of perceived injury risk surrounding Duplantier because he’s a Rice product who had shoulder issues as a sophomore and has a long, somewhat awkward arm stroke. But his stuff was great in 2017 and he was healthy all year, striking out 165 hitters in 136 innings split between Low- and High-A. He has a four-pitch mix headlined by a mid-90s fastball and plus slider. The curveball and changeup are both about average, with scouts reticent to project much on the changeup because of the arm action. If he pitches free of injury for a second straight year, he’ll move into the middle of this list as a potential above-average rotation piece.

Scouting Summary
Burdi had Tommy John surgery in July and will miss most of 2018, if not all of it. He’s also a reliever with lots of effort in his delivery. Once you get past those two things, there’s only good news: he sits 97-100 and hits 102 mph, his slider is regularly plus to plus-plus, and he’s developed a changeup that’s also plus. The combination of a plus three-pitch mix and usable command are going makes him a near unicorn. Also, the surgery is less risky when you only need the guy to be healthy for six years, throwing 20-30 pitches at a time. Look for Burdi to deliver on his first-round pedigree as an elite reliever for the Sox in 2019, with the upside of one of the top-five relievers in the game.

Scouting Summary
Hays had a spectacular breakout 2017 campaign, hitting 32 homers and 32 doubles between High- and Double-A, prompting Baltimore to give him a look in the majors in September. His hands are electric and allow Hays to turn on just about everything, and he tries to, which prompted big-league pitchers to work him down and away. It may take an approach adjustment for Hays to max out his offensive potential, as he’s overly aggressive and his style of hitting may be exploited in the majors. But he has bat speed and power and should play an above-average right field (or be better than Adam Jones in center) fairly soon.

Scouting Summary
Scouts think it’s pretty unlikely that Collins catches, at least full-time, but even with a strikeout-heavy offensive profile it’s likely that his combination of tireless patience and plus power will enable him to reach base and slug enough to profile at first base. What Collins projects to do looks a lot like what Eric Thames did in 2017, except Collins could add some value by catching once in a while. His is a profile of extremes, but the end result is a solid, perhaps bland, everyday first baseman.

Scouting Summary
You can copy and paste the Zack Collins report into this space, as Bradley also wields an imbalanced but promising offensive profile comprised of tremendous raw power with enough walks to make up for all the strikeouts. Bradley has now been this type of hitter up through Double-A, and his offensive profile is pretty stable. He turns 22 at the end of May and will likely spend much of 2018 at Triple-A. The presence of Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso make Bradley a potential trade chip.

Scouting Summary
There are some red flags here, chief among them Siri’s reckless and epicurean approach at the plate. But he’s remarkably talented, possessing elite bat control and an ability to lift the ball in the air with great regularity. Siri is also a plus runner with a chance to be a plus defensive center fielder with a plus arm, so his bat has some room for regression after a breakout 2017. His scouting report reads much like Nick Williams‘ has for the last several years with a tick better tools across the board.

Scouting Summary
Garrett made four starts at Low-A Greensboro before he was shut down with an elbow injury that would require Tommy John. Pre-injury, he was 90-93 with a plus curveball and the sort of athleticism and arm action that allow for pretty significant changeup and command projection, both of which he was already starting to show. He looked like a quick-moving No. 3 starter before the surgery.

Scouting Summary
If you were to just look at Chavis’s 2016 stats in the context of his first-base defensive profile, you’d call him a non-prospect. A broken finger is what caused the downturn in production, however, and in 2017, Chavis was back to taking monster hacks that produce comfortably plus raw power. He’s going to strike out and isn’t especially patient, but he has a good chance to get to most of that power and pass Sam Travis on the Red Sox’ depth chart early in the year.

Scouting Summary
Ragans emerged as a sophomore on a loaded Tallahasse-area high-school team with five pro players on it. He isn’t a sexy upside type of prospect, but Ragans has a clear separator that will get him to the big leagues: a knockout 65-grade changeup for which he has plus feel. His fastball is sneaky productive despite average velocity and his curveball has always been fringey, though scouts assume there will be an average breaking ball of some sort eventually due to Ragans’ ability to get the most out of his other pitches. His upside is a mid-rotation starter and more likely a back-end innings-eater, but Ragans doesn’t need to make many more adjustments before he’s ready, and scouts rave about his makeup.

Scouting Summary
Marsh was shelved with a back injury during the summer of 2016 but was healthy and turned loose on the Pioneer League in 2017. He has good feel to hit and plus raw power projection (though he’ll likely need to refine his approach to get to all of that power) with a non-zero chance of staying in center field. Marsh’s frame suggests added mass as he ages, which might move him to right field, but he’ll probably have the bat to play there, too.

Scouting Summary
Groome still touts the fastball/curveball combination that made him such a dynamite amateur prospect, but his 2017 season was marred by injury, a lack of changeup development, and questions about his conditioning. There’s still time for him to become a front-end starter, but the timeline has shifted.

Scouting Summary
Some scouts are put off by Kirilloff’s buggy-whip swing, but he showed great feel to hit in high school and during his first pro summer, so most think he’ll be able to tap into what projects as plus raw power. Kirilloff had Tommy John last March and didn’t play in 2017. Assuming a full arm-strength recovery, he projects in right field.

Scouting Summary
Acquired from Houston as part of the return for Justin Verlander, Perez has advanced command of a four-pitch mix that enabled him to reach Double-A at age 19. He’ll likely have a plus fastball and changeup at peak, while his breaking balls are still works in progress. So, too, is Perez’s ability to handle a full-season workload. He’s had some knee trouble, and Houston spaced out his starts pretty liberally late last year as a way to limit his inning. His 86 innings last year were a career high, so while Perez is advanced from a stuff and pitchability standpoint, he likely won’t reach Detroit and stay there until he’s capable of handling more innings. He projects as an above-average big-league starter with a bit more developmental distance to travel than you might think given his level.

Other Prospects in Consideration

RHPs
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins
Adbert Alzolay, RHP, Chicago Cubs
Shane Baz, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Houston Astros
Beau Burrows, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Dane Dunning, RHP, Chicago White Sox
James Kaprielian, RHP, Oakland Athletics
Franklyn Kilome, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Tyler Mahle, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Matt Manning, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Luis Medina, RHP, New York Yankees
Freicer Perez, RHP, New York Yankees
Cal Quantrill, RHP, San Diego Padres
Chris Rodriguez, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
Fernando Romero, RHP, Minnesota Twins
Brandon Woodruff, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

LHPs
Kolby Allard, LHP, Atlanta Braves
Logan Allen, LHP, San Diego Padres
Anthony Banda, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Minnesota Twins
Joey Lucchesi, LHP, San Diego Padres
Yohander Mendez, LHP, Texas Rangers
Adrian Morejon, LHP, San Diego Padres

C
Keibert Ruiz, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
Chance Sisco, C, Baltimore Orioles

INF
Aramis Ademan, SS, Chicago Cubs
Christian Arroyo, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
Lucas Erceg, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Jose Israel Garcia, SS, Cincinnati Reds
Kevin Maitan, 3B, Los Angeles Angels
Shed Long, 2B, Cincinnati Reds

OF
Jose Adolis Garcia, CF, St. Louis Cardinals
Trent Grisham, LF, Milwaukee Brewers
Seuly Matias, RF, Kansas City Royals
Heliot Ramos, CF, San Francisco Giants
Corey Ray, CF, Milwaukee Brewers
Christin Stewart, DH, Detroit Tigers
Jesse Winker, LF, Cincinnati Reds