Eric A Longenhagen: Hey everyone, welcome back to another Friday prospect-y chat. It’s a perfect day here in Tempe. Let’s roll through your questions as I prep for the Dodgers list.
12:05
ransofast: do you think chase burns will be pitching in cincinnati in august/september?
12:06
Eric A Longenhagen: I think there’s a good chance, yes. I picked them to win the division in part because they’ve got such a great combination of pitching depth and impact waiting around in Louisville and Chattanooga, I think they’ll have the incentive to promote him pretty aggressively and he has the innings foundation to work deep into the season.
12:06
Buff: You’ve generally been low man on Robby Snelling. Anything in his strong start, increased velo to bump him up a bit?
12:07
Eric A Longenhagen: He’s sitting 93 now, so it’s not like it’s a huge bump in which he suddenly has plus velo or anything. Changeup looks okay. Still more 45 type for me rather than an impact guy. Big league rotation piece, though.
12:07
David: It’s only been 4 innings across two outings, but Ryan Sloan’s stuff is seems very real. Certainly three years away from the majors but where is his biggest area to improve? Control/Command?
Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Chicago White Sox. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. This is the fifth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.
A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.
All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning, everyone. Your boy woke up with a fever so there’s a chance I cut things short depending on how I trend over the next hour.
Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Baltimore Orioles. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as my own observations. This is the fifth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.
A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.
All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »
During the course of my spring training coverage (especially right at the end), I ran into the Giants affiliates a couple of times as I trailed the Brewers and Dodgers farm systems. I saw enough to make a few tweaks to the Giants prospect list, which I have brief notes on below. You can see the complete updated list over on The Board. I’ve also included notes on a few recent trades.
Toolsy Outfielders With Strikeout Risk Who Have Moved Up
Dakota Jordan’s swing has changed (mostly his posture throughout the swing), and I think it gives him a better chance to hit. I was way out on him making any kind of viable contact before last year’s draft, but he has loud showcase tools (power/speed) and now we’ll see if the proactive changes make a difference for his contact ability. He has also looked good in center field, including highlight reel play in which he collided with the wall at Papago Park, but then forgot how many outs there were and spiked the baseball:
Chase Dollander made his much-anticipated debut with the Rockies on Sunday afternoon, allowing seven hits and four runs over five innings and earning his first big league win. Ranked no. 12 on our Top 100 Prospects list this spring, the 23-year-old right-hander fanned six, walked one, and surrendered a pair of home runs as Colorado outscored the Athletics 12-5 at Coors Field.
His power arsenal was on display throughout. Topping out at 99.3 mph with his high-octane heater, the 2023 first-round pick out of the University of Tennessee threw 34 four-seamers, 21 sliders (which Baseball Savant classifies as a cutter), 15 curveballs, and nine changeups. Undaunted by a premiere in the majors’ most hitter-friendly venue, he aggressively attacked the zone, throwing 49 of his 79 pitches (62.%) for strikes.
Dollander discussed his repertoire prior to the start of the regular season.
———
David Laurila: Scouting reports say you have a plus fastball, good secondaries, and that you usually command the ball well. Does that sound accurate?
Chase Dollander: “I would say so. I feel like my stuff is in a good spot right now. I do think that getting the slider a little harder and a little shorter would be good for me. But other than that, yeah, I feel like my stuff is in a good spot.”
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from Tempe where we’re enjoying a little cold snap before the heat cranks next week. Let me see how fast I can clear the questions in the queue…
12:01
Guest: Shaw shown you any new info in just a week in MLB?
12:02
Eric A Longenhagen: Nah, especially with the Japan trip in there, he deserves a nice, long runway to get comfortable after essentially skipping Iowa.
12:02
Baron: After doing the bluejays list and hearing scouts input of players. Who are the guys you are excited to watch in their system this year?
Idiotic Failson: Will Chandler Simpson be a viable big leaguer? I have sort of a prospect crush on him (and he’s not even a part of my favorite team’s farm system)
Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Toronto Blue Jays. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. This is the fifth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.
A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.
All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the past six weeks, prospects from across the league have participated in spring training activity in Arizona and Florida. Some got into big league games, or participated in the Spring Breakout showcase; others have played in minor league games on the backfields for most of the last month. This spring activity has been enough to move the prospect needle for a handful of players. With the last minor league camps set to break today and extended spring training on the horizon, I’ve touched up my Top 100 list from the offseason to reflect relevant changes that players have made, as well as changes to my own thinking about them.
As you read, there are a couple of things to keep in mind, especially if you’re new to FanGraphs prospect stuff. First, the “Top 100” title is arbitrary SEO nonsense; I rank players as deep as I have them graded as 50 FV prospects or better, and as of this update, that’s 114 guys. Second, remember that Future Value is a value grade. The tools and ultimate potential upside of a player matter a lot, as does the length and consistency of a player’s performance track record and their proximity to the majors. There are players who have talent upside better than their FV grade, but if they’re risky for whatever reason, or if they’re in the low minors, I want to reflect that risk/time element in their grade.
Finally, remember that an actualized “50” is an average everyday player at a given position. Not “average” in the sense that I’m averaging every big leaguer who played that position to create a performance baseline. Rather, “average” here means that the player would fall toward the middle of the pack when we’re talking about the top 30-ish players at their position across a multi-year window. That’s a high bar. Really excellent, tenured players tend to occupy their spot on a big league roster for long periods of time. It’s hard for prospects to crack into that All-Star-caliber group, and even harder to sustain some measure of production for six-plus years of team control. Forty- and 45-grade players are good big leaguers, too, and there are many more of them across the pro baseball talent distribution than there are 50s. Read the rest of this entry »
Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Another weekend of college baseball is in the books. We saw some interesting midweek upsets, including the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers losing to East Tennessee State. No. 4 Georgia swept no. 13 Florida, Virginia Tech’s head coach John Szefc recorded his 600th win, and UNC Wilmington freshman Cam Bagwell threw a seven-inning perfect game in a run-ruled 12-0 win over Campbell.
Today’s draft notes start off with three draft-eligible sophomores, followed by two smaller-school prospects. It’s more likely than not that these sophomores will choose to stay in college for another year to boost their stock, though it’s still worth following their progress throughout the spring.
Zane Adams, RHP, Alabama Weekend Line: 6.1 IP, 6 SO, 1 BB, 5.71 ERA
Zane Adams came out on top in his duel this weekend with Tennessee’s Liam Doyle, going 6 1/3 innings while allowing four runs, as Alabama won its Thursday game 6-5. This wasn’t a flash in the pan, as Adams has been one of the better pitchers in the SEC this year, logging a 3.56 ERA in his six starts.
From a stuff perspective, Adams is pretty generic. His fastball sits 88-92 mph, touching 96 with some run, and is thrown from a steep angle. He goes to his curveball and changeup fairly equally at about 15% of the time each. His curveball averages 77 mph, with a 1-7 shape that has plenty of depth. The changeup is a tad harder, more in the 78-81 range, with some late fade that plays well against righties. He also mixes in a cutter in the mid-80s. No one pitch stands out, but he has above-average command of his pitches and they perform better than expected.
Mechanically, it’s a low-effort delivery that he repeats well and gives him the ability to throw strikes. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot that presents a steep plane on all of his pitches. His front leg cuts off all of his momentum when it lands, and if he cleans this up, he’ll likely add more velocity than what he’d naturally gain from maturing physically. Overall, he projects as a low-volatility back-end starter who has some lower hanging fruit that a team like the Yankees or Dodgers could optimize well.
Antonio Jimenez, SS, Central Florida Weekend Line: 10 AB, .400 BA, 1 3B, 2 SO, 1 BB
Antonio Jimenez is off to a hot start this year for the Knights, slashing .307/.424/.493 in 92 plate appearances across 22 games. This is coming after a freshman season at Miami where he played in 45 games but hit only .182 with 36 strikeouts in 122 plate appearances. He followed up that stint with a mediocre appearance on the Cape that had a lot of whiffs as well. So far, Jimenez appears to have righted the ship, and in the process he’s anchored this UCF team to a strong start to the season.
Most college shortstops are favorites to move off the position as a professional, but Jimenez is a favorite to stay. This is in large part due to his double-plus arm, which lets him throw out hitters on grounders while going well to his backhand. Arm aside, he shows above-average range and decent actions at shortstop, which put together make for a decent shortstop defender. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, he’s more physical and a bit stiffer than your average shortstop, which adds risk, but the team that drafts him will likely give him a long runway before moving him off the position. With his arm strength, he could easily slide over to third or play right field to add more positional versatility.
His offensive profile is murkier. At Miami, he chased and whiffed around 30% of the time, which is not particularly good, though he was a freshman. He switch-hit, but didn’t really look comfortable on the left side and whiffed a ton, so he’s dropped that portion of his game and is now just a righty hitter. The results are more promising this year with whiff and chase rates in the lower 20s. Part of this could come from just focusing on being a righty hitter, part of it could be just maturity and playing somewhat weaker competition. Jimenez doesn’t really have problems with velocity; the bigger issue has been offspeed pitches. That trend hasn’t shifted, but he’s gotten better overall at making contact. Aside from the whiff rate, Jimenez shows above average power and is able to lift the ball enough to make use of it. It’s an exciting profile, and I could see a team taking him early Day Two and signing him if his improved whiff rate holds.
Cam Tilly, RHP, Auburn Weekend Line: 1.0 IP, 3 SO, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Cam Tilly had draft interest coming out of high school, but after he set his price higher than what teams were comfortable paying, he ended up going to Auburn instead. Since then, he has been a mainstay in the bullpen. As a freshman, Tilly logged 24 1/3 innings with a 6.31 ERA and 27 strikeouts, a fairly standard stat line for a freshman who gets SEC playing time. This season, he’s remained in a bullpen role where he has pitched 15 1/3 innings with a 4.11 ERA and a 20.3% K-BB%.
Tilly is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher, with a changeup as his third pitch. His fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range with arm-side run, a tick higher than where he was sitting as a high schooler. Tilly’s slider is his best pitch, with a two-plane shape and more horizontal and vertical movement than the average slider while still having bite to it. He spins it up to 3,000 rpm. For his changeup, Tilly utilizes a splitter, which sits in the 84-86 range and features short, hard break.
His command of his pitches is erratic at this point, but his straightforward delivery and clean arm action should lend to better command as he ages. Tilly is high-waisted with a sturdy lower half, and at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, there isn’t much projection left. There’s room to add another tick of velocity, but further gains will come more in the command and splitter-refinement area. He has the stuff to be drafted, but because he has another year of eligibility, it seems unlikely that a team would draft him with the expectation that he’d sign unless he begins to start more this season. My guess is that Tilly chooses to stay an extra year at Auburn to show that he can be a starter and sign for more money upon getting drafted in 2026.
Ryan Wideman, OF, Western Kentucky Weekend Line: 11 AB, .273 BA, 1 HR, 4 SO, 2 BB, 2 SB
Western Kentucky is off to a strong start to the season, in large part because of Ryan Wideman. A JUCO transfer from Georgia Highlands College, he is hitting .465/.513/.832 with six home runs, nine walks, and 18 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances over 24 games.
At the plate, Wideman has shown himself to be an effective hitter despite some quirks. He’s loose in the box, and alternates between a big leg kick and a small toe tap from a wide base. He flashes plus bat speed with a top-hand-dominant swing that is long, but to this point hasn’t affected his ability to make contact. His whiff rates are average, which is impressive given his extremely aggressive 45% chase rate. This isn’t an early-season aberration; it’s a figure in line with what he posted at Georgia Highlands. Chasing that much against mid-major competition is concerning, and it’s not feasible for him to have this approach and keep his whiff rate down against pro pitching. From a power perspective, he currently boasts average power, but considering he’s a lean 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he’s likely to add more pop as he fills out.
Defensively, Wideman has the makings of an above-average center fielder (plus runner, solid arm), but both his route quality and feel for the position are below average right now. He’s taller than most center fielders, and eventually he projects to grow off of the position, but it’s worth it for a pro team to keep him in center for as long as possible because the raw traits to play center field are there.
Overall, the chase rate might end up being a “No” for some teams, but his projectable frame, twitchiness and bat speed are appealing. Late Day Two is probably the ceiling for where he gets picked, and it’s more likely that he goes in the Round 11-13 range.
Riley Kelly, RHP, UC Irvine Weekend Line: 5.1 IP, 6 SO, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA
It’s incredibly rare for a California prep prospect to be unknown given the vast scouting resources allocated to the state, but that’s exactly what happened to Riley Kelly, who popped up in the spring of 2022. Heading into his senior year of high school, with his velocity sitting 84-87 mph, he decided to stop playing football and concentrate on baseball. From there, he increased his velocity to the 88-92 range and paired it with a 3,000-rpm curveball. He got his first college scholarship offer later in the fall, and by the end of his high school career, his starts had numerous professional scouts in attendance. The Diamondbacks selected him in the 20th round of the 2022 Draft, but he decided to go to UC Irvine.
Kelly was limited to just three innings as a freshman due to injury, and then logged 17 innings last season as a redshirt freshman. He started the 2025 campaign in the bullpen, but he’s since made two starts, one in each of the past two weekends. He has a 3.13 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 innings pitched.
Discussion of his arsenal starts with his curveball, which he can really spin. The pitch sits in the low 80s, with plenty of depth and hard bite to it. It gets whiffs but needs some refining; Kelly doesn’t have a ton of feel for landing it in the zone, and hitters have been able to lay off it effectively. Kelly’s primary pitch is his fastball, which is now sitting 92 mph and topping out at 95. It’s vertically oriented with a bit of cut; it doesn’t get as many whiffs because he throws it from a steeper angle. His changeup is a work in progress, but it has some nice fade every once in a while.
His control has been hit or miss. He struggled with walks early in the season, but he’s settled in over his last few outings. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, there isn’t much projection here physically, and while he is a late bloomer from a skills standpoint, I don’t think that changes his projection. Ultimately, Kelly projects to be a single-inning reliever, the role in which he can use his breaking ball most effectively.
