Our 2024 Free Agent Tracker is now live! There are currently close to 200 players on the list; more will be added following the postseason as decisions are made on 2024 options and teams begin to clear space on their 40-man rosters. The tracker will be regularly updated throughout the offseason as qualifying offers are made and accepted or rejected, and as free agents find their new homes.
You can filter by status (signed/unsigned), previous team, and signing team, and export the data for your own analysis. You can also sort by a player’s handedness, age, and 2023 WAR. Shortly after the postseason ends, projected 2024 WAR will be available, as well as the results of our annual contract crowdsourcing project, which include median contract total, years, and average annual value. Read the rest of this entry »
Description:
The Texas Rangers are seeking multiple apprentices in Player Development. Each Apprentice will work with one of the Rangers’ minor league affiliates and report to the Minor League Video Coordinator. Apprentices will operate as an extension of the coaching staff and be a resource for both players and coaches. They are expected to manage the collection and application of data and technology at their respective affiliate and will gain experience across multiple areas of Baseball Operations.
Job Responsibilities:
Video & Technology Operation:
Operate bat/ball tracking technology and baseball technology
Capture game video and manage upload process for all games
Gather high frame rate video of hitters and pitchers
Manage data and collection process and assist with interpretation with coaches and players
Advance Scouting:
Collaborate with coaching staff and player development staff to monitor player goals and player progress
Conduct research and analysis, both at the request of staff and independently
Use internal system tools to assist
Communicate research in simple and concise manner to Minor League coaches, players, and Player Development staff
Systems Support:
Support field staff with on-field responsibilities
On field skills such as throwing BP is a plus
Support field staff and players with coach education and various administration tasks
Support Strength and Conditioning and Athletic Training staff to provide assistance and application to their fields of your finding
Education and Experience Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree
Demonstrated passion and understanding for biomechanics, pitching or hitting analysis or sports science.
Spanish speaking a plus
Job Requirements:
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Availability to start working in January 2024
Ability to work seamlessly in teams
Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics and publicly available research
Primary Focus:
Be the leading expert in all the amateur baseball talent in your assigned geographic area, with a strong pulse on amateur prospects among all age groups (draft eligible or otherwise). Ensure the Blue Jays have the most complete information possible about all amateur prospects both on and off the field. Collaborate with all departments of the Blue Jays organization around philosophy, baseball opinions and professional development to sustain amateur draft success by facilitating holistic player evaluations, recruiting and educating players about the Blue Jays. Uphold the vision and values of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club in a professional manner both on and off the field.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Provide written scouting evaluations on amateur players throughout the year in assigned area via in-person and video coverage; create and update pref lists for current and future draft-eligible players throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Support the Amateur Scouting Department with gathering subjective and objective information about amateur players of interest in one’s area, including but not limited to off-field and on-field makeup, objective testing, injury history and background information.
Organize and communicate scheduling for amateur baseball games within assigned area.
Conduct visits with players within assigned area and assist with the execution of player interviews and assessments during fall and winter months.
Build and maintain working relationships with players, player support system, coaches, advisors, and other key figures related to amateur baseball within one’s area.
Provide written scouting evaluations at local and national amateur events as assigned by Amateur Scouting leadership.
Provide written scouting evaluations from Pro Scouting coverage as assigned in the summer and fall.
Coordinate workouts with Amateur Scouting leadership and supporting departments to assist in player evaluation.
Work with Crosscheckers and other Baseball Operations staff to further develop one’s scouting ability and ensure the thorough collection, organization, and understanding of the information needed to make informed decisions on amateur players.
Complete evaluative and background coverage of all players including those flagged by the Front Office.
Communicate with Amateur Scouting Leadership and office on ways to improve individually, as a department, and as a team.
Manage all administrative tasks in a timely and professional manner (including scouting reports, expenses, schedule updates, high school stats and injury history).
Travel to several regional and full staff scouting meetings throughout the year.
Experience and Job Requirements:
Proficient scouting ability and baseball knowledge. 2+ years of baseball-related work experience preferred.
Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with wide range of individuals including members of the front office, scouts, players, and field staff.
Strong administrative skills to ensure the appropriate level of information on all amateur players.
Passion for baseball and excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office required.
Baseball playing background is preferred, although not required.
Ability to travel on a sporadic basis and to work unpredictable hours including nights and weekends in one’s area.
Demonstrate flexible and efficient time-management skills.
Comply with the policies and procedures of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club.
Primary Focus:
Be the leading expert in all the amateur baseball talent in your assigned geographic area, with a strong pulse on amateur prospects among all age groups (draft eligible or otherwise). Ensure the Blue Jays have the most complete information possible about all amateur prospects both on and off the field. Collaborate with all departments of the Blue Jays organization around philosophy, baseball opinions and professional development to sustain amateur draft success by facilitating holistic player evaluations, recruiting and educating players about the Blue Jays. Uphold the vision and values of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club in a professional manner both on and off the field.
Responsibilities and Duties:
Provide written scouting evaluations on amateur players throughout the year in assigned area via in-person and video coverage; create and update pref lists for current and future draft-eligible players throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Support the Amateur Scouting Department with gathering subjective and objective information about amateur players of interest in one’s area, including but not limited to off-field and on-field makeup, objective testing, injury history and background information.
Organize and communicate scheduling for amateur baseball games within assigned area.
Conduct visits with players within assigned area and assist with the execution of player interviews and assessments during fall and winter months.
Build and maintain working relationships with players, player support system, coaches, advisors, and other key figures related to amateur baseball within one’s area.
Provide written scouting evaluations at local and national amateur events as assigned by Amateur Scouting leadership.
Provide written scouting evaluations from Pro Scouting coverage as assigned in the summer and fall.
Coordinate workouts with Amateur Scouting leadership and supporting departments to assist in player evaluation.
Work with Crosscheckers and other Baseball Operations staff to further develop one’s scouting ability and ensure the thorough collection, organization, and understanding of the information needed to make informed decisions on amateur players.
Complete evaluative and background coverage of all players including those flagged by the Front Office.
Communicate with Amateur Scouting Leadership and office on ways to improve individually, as a department, and as a team.
Manage all administrative tasks in a timely and professional manner (including scouting reports, expenses, schedule updates, high school stats and injury history).
Travel to several regional and full staff scouting meetings throughout the year.
Experience and Job Requirements:
Proficient scouting ability and baseball knowledge. 2+ years of baseball-related work experience preferred.
Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with wide range of individuals including members of the front office, scouts, players, and field staff.
Strong administrative skills to ensure the appropriate level of information on all amateur players.
Passion for baseball and excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office required.
Baseball playing background is preferred, although not required.
Ability to travel on a sporadic basis and to work unpredictable hours including nights and weekends in one’s area.
Demonstrate flexible and efficient time-management skills.
Comply with the policies and procedures of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club.
Primary Objective: Responsible for supporting all areas of baseball operations through baseball-related data science, including statistical modeling, research, visualizations, and other projects.
Essential Functions:
Statistical modeling and analysis of a variety of data sources including Trackman, Hawkeye, and proprietary data sets.
Ad hoc queries and quantitative research.
Will perform other relevant duties as assigned.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree preferred. Education and experience may be considered in lieu of education requirements if approved by management.
Proficiency in programming with either R or Python required.
Proficiency with SQL required.
A strong foundation in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and/or engineering required.
Track record of original baseball research preferred.
Experience building and interpreting predictive models preferred.
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA’s):
Strong technical skills in predictive modeling, data analysis, and research.
Shares and expresses thoughts in a clear and effective manner through verbal and written communication skills. Exhibits effective listening skills and builds positive relationships with all team members, vendors, and guests. Is diplomatic, tactful, and professional in all forms of communication.
Understands and supports the team and is quick to volunteer to assist others. Others view most interactions as being positive with a willingness to achieve common goals. Effective in working with others to cooperatively solve problems. Workplace behavior is consistently respectful of others.
Takes personal responsibility for getting things done in a way that positively and professionally represents the organization.
Demonstrates through their actions and interactions with others a commitment to Mariner Purpose, Mission and Values.
Competent in required job skills and knowledge. Completes work assignments thoroughly, accurately, and promptly. Identifies and corrects errors. Is careful, alert, and accurate, paying attention to details of the job.
The Mariners are committed to providing a competitive total rewards package for our valued Team Members.
The anticipated range of base compensation for this role is $20.00 – $22.00 per hour. We also provide complimentary parking and paid public transportation.
All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and the terms of official plan documents which may be modified or amended from time to time.
This information is being provided in accordance with the Washington State Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.
Primary Objective: Responsible for contributing to projects at the intersection of baseball analytics and broader baseball operations, with an emphasis on creating innovative tools & streamlining communications.
Essential Functions:
Develop reports, software, and educational materials to facilitate evidence-based decision-making throughout broader baseball operations.
Provide quantitative support to player plan, high performance, advance scouting, and other player improvement processes.
Contribute to amateur & professional player acquisition decisions in both formal & informal contexts.
Field ad hoc requests from coaches, scouts, and other staff about internal metrics & processes.
Complete other projects as assigned by Director, Baseball Projects.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree preferred. Equivalent, relevant experience may be considered in lieu of education requirements if approved by management.
Proficiency handling large datasets in R, SQL, Python, and/or comparable languages is required.
Shiny application or other web development experience is preferred.
Experience building predictive models is a plus, but not required.
Ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus, but not required.
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA’s):
Possesses working knowledge of modern baseball analytics, strategy, and trends.
Exhibits excellent interpersonal skills and communicates effectively in both written & verbal formats.
Is self-motivated, creative, and innovative with a high degree of integrity and attention to detail.
Respectfully collaborates with teammates to cooperatively solve problems.
Demonstrates a commitment to the Mariners mission.
Physical Activities and Working Conditions:
Public health permitting, this is role is Seattle-based and works out of T-Mobile Park. Remote opportunities may be available on a case-by-case basis.
The Mariners are committed to providing a competitive total rewards package for our valued Team Members.
The anticipated range of base compensation for this role is $20.00 – $22.00 per hour. We also provide complimentary parking and paid public transportation.
All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and the terms of official plan documents which may be modified or amended from time to time.
This information is being provided in accordance with the Washington State Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.
Position Summary:
The Miami Marlins are seeking a full-time Data Engineer for the Baseball Analytics department. The candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing ETL processes that ingest, validate, and organize baseball data. The Data Engineer will support the information requirements of our analysts, coaches, and scouts. Strong applicants will have experience with modern ETL processes and database management, with extensive knowledge of both SQL and Python.
Essential Functions:
Continuously improve the department’s access to information; design, develop, and optimize ETL processes to ingest data from new data sources.
Improve completeness, cleanliness, and timeliness of existing data sources.
Create production-quality Python and SQL scripts to automate data loading, using scalable and concise code practices.
Maintain high data quality standards. Proactively identify, diagnose, and resolve data issues.
Learn, extend, and improve the existing database architecture – ensuring data is well organized for end-users and easy to connect to other data sources.
Maintain a version-controlled code repository of ETL scripts.
Collaborate with Baseball Operations staff to understand our organization’s information needs.
Prioritize workflows effectively and share relevant expertise to best support data users.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to self-direct.
Passion for engineering development, creativity, intellectual curiosity.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
Demonstrated experience with SQL and Python.
Demonstrated experience with ETL/ELT processes and database management.
Experience working with data in various formats including JSON, CSV, etc.
Experience with cloud computing platforms (Snowflake, GCP, Azure, etc.) is a plus.
Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent.
Understanding of and passion for baseball and baseball research.
Ability to work extended hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
Position Overview:
This Talent Acquisition Specialist will be responsible for providing full life cycle recruiting and staffing support for Baseball Operations. They will work closely and collaboratively with department heads to customize sourcing and recruiting strategies to generate a robust and diverse pipeline of talented candidates. This role will report dually into People & Culture and Baseball Operations.
They will be expected to truly integrate within both departments, immersing into the People & Culture team for functional oversight from a talent acquisition perspective and baseball ops for delivering value to the baseball side of our business.
Responsibilities:
Develop a strategic approach to identifying, attracting, engaging, and acquiring top talent for all open and prospective positions within Baseball Operations.
Utilize recruiting and sourcing tools such as job boards, social media, resume databases, baseball-related websites, and search engines to identify local and national candidates.
Build close relationships with historically Black colleges & universities and other diverse institutions to help create an employer brand and pipeline of talent.
Develop an in-depth understanding of the functions and goals of every area of Baseball Operations, the culture of the department, how the groups within it work together, and the roles and contributions of all baseball operations staff.
Create networks within the baseball industry to identify, track, and source candidates. Leverage the networks of others within Baseball Operations to do the same and consolidate information so that it can be used efficiently and strategically.
Conduct research and maintain a database of individuals in various baseball and softball operations roles throughout the industry. This should be done at the professional and college levels, in sports media, and in the realm of independent consultants/practitioners to help with proactive sourcing efforts.
Research and stay current on staffing and hiring practices of other MLB clubs, with an eye toward gaining competitive advantages for the Red Sox.
Identify key individuals/potential targets from other clubs to fill current and future fits with the Red Sox, while adhering to MLB’s anti-tampering policies.
Identify internal candidates for opportunities in Baseball Operations (example – suggesting to the Farm Director that we consider a particular amateur scout for an open coaching position in player development).
Plan and execute the interview process, including candidate screening, pre-hire assessments, coordinating/scheduling interviews, and candidate feedback/evaluations.
Ensure a high touch candidate experience through thorough communication and timely feedback, as well as interviewer preparedness and effective interview format.
Assist managers in making hiring recommendations and executing the offer & contract process.
In collaboration with other Baseball Ops staff members, lead the recruiting process for the Baseball Operations Associate program, Summer Internship and David Ortiz Fellowship program.
Stay current on federal and state laws regarding employment and hiring practices.
Partner with MLB’s network of People & Culture & DEI&B professionals to share best practices and develop a network within the baseball community.
Attend Winter Meetings and other job fairs to represent the Red Sox in identifying future talent.
Attend spring training as needed each year. Occasional travel to minor league affiliates and scouting events.
Assist with recruiting efforts outside of Baseball Operations if need arises and time permits.
Characteristics / Qualifications:
5+ years of proven work experience in full life cycle talent acquisition OR prior experience working within baseball or other sport operations roles with a desire to focus on talent acquisition and a skill set that shows strong aptitude for recruiting.
Bachelor’s degree.
Experience in sourcing and generating diverse pipelines of talent is preferred.
In-depth experience using applicant tracking systems preferred.
High energy personality and strong relationship building skills for building trust and credibility with both candidates and hiring managers.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Effective time management skills and detail orientation to organize all components of recruiting searches.
Track record of improving upon current processes, implementing new ways of doing things, and leading a culture of continuous improvement, especially as it relates to sourcing and recruiting talent.
Proficient in MS Office Suite.
Prospective employees will receive consideration without discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, sex, age, national origin, handicap, disability, military/veteran status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or protected genetic information.
Reports to: Assistant Director, Foundational Research Additional reporting responsibilities to: Director, Integrative Baseball Performance Location: Philadelphia, PA or Remote
Position Overview:
Analysts with the Phillies are tasked with maximizing organizational impact, in pursuit of building a consistent World Series contender. As a Performance Analyst in the Foundational Research department, you tackle baseball’s most difficult problems in biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and athletic training, leveraging proprietary data sources to systematically improve player evaluation, development, performance, and health at scale.
You work closely with technical staff and performance specialists in Baseball Operations to outline a strategic vision for the future of performance research at the Phillies. You internalize cutting-edge insights from the Phillies’ Research & Development department in player evaluation and development, leveraging those insights in performance research that is effortlessly additive to our existing player acquisition and development paradigms.
Success in this role would involve improving our existing player evaluation tools, identifying novel and high-value avenues of high performance research, building systems to improve the efficiency and value of player assessment data collection, and seeing an integrative, best-in-class baseball performance process incorporated in organizational decision-making, spanning player acquisition and player development.
Responsibilities:
Conduct and oversee performance research projects and manage the integration of their outputs into our proprietary tools and applications, in direct support of player evaluation, acquisition, development, and performance maximization
Ensure projects conform to best practices for implementing, maintaining, and improving predictive models throughout their life cycles
Communicate with front office executives, scouts, coaches, and medical staff to design and interpret statistical studies
Assist the rest of the Foundational Research and Integrative Baseball Performance teams with their projects by providing guidance and feedback on your areas of expertise
Continually enhance your and your colleagues’ knowledge of baseball and data science through reading, research, and discussion with your teammates and the rest of the front office
Provide input in architecting the storage, ingestion, display, and analysis of baseball assessment data
Rigorously identify and vet novel data sources, collection methodologies, or technologies that could be additive to our processes, supporting the organization in implementing them in a scientifically and statistically robust manner
Required Qualifications
Deep understanding of statistics, including supervised and unsupervised learning, regularization, model assessment and selection, model inference and averaging, ensemble methods, etc.
Demonstrated experience in handling, analyzing, and interpreting high-performance data in sports
Proficiency with scripting languages such as Python, statistical software (R, S-Plus, SAS, or similar), and databases (SQL)
Demonstrated experience designing, constructing, implementing, and leading technical research projects for use by non-technical stakeholders
Proven willingness to both teach others and learn new techniques
Willingness to work as part of a team on complex projects
Proven leadership and self-direction
Preferred Qualifications
BS, MS or PhD in a related quantitative (Math, Statistics, Operations Research, etc.) or scientific field (Biology, Physics, Bioengineering, etc.), or equivalent practical experience
Familiarity with best practices in machine learning operations (Git, Docker, MLFlow or the equivalent)
Experience designing and running experiments
Experience managing or overseeing the work of other data scientists or analysts
0-5+ years of relevant work experience
Interested applicants should submit both their resume and an answer to the following question:
Our R&D Department informs us that a recently drafted pitcher would have a big league arsenal if they gained 2mph in the off-season. What models would you build or metrics would you look at to determine whether the player can achieve the proposed gain in velocity? (250 word limit)
Tip: There’s no defined right or wrong answer. Responses are used to get some insight into how you approach problem solving and baseball in general.
A quick hitter here: today, MLB released the schedule for the 2023 playoffs. It’s not exactly compelling reading; for the most part, teams play a series of games against each other, mostly every day except for travel, just like you expect. But the new 12-team playoff format is still fresh, so let’s run down the relevant structure of the rounds just as a reminder.
Wild Card Round
This one is the same as before and will likely remain this way for as long as this playoff format exists. The worst division winner and the three wild card teams in each league play (up to) three straight games, at the better seed’s stadium, on three straight days, October 3–5. That means that a lot of teams will be burning their best three starters in this round, but there’s nothing new here, so let’s move on.
Divisional Series
Last year, the two leagues had different schedules, despite the same wild card schedule, to avoid days with no baseball whatsoever. That same general structure is preserved this year. The AL starts with two games on October 7 and 8, then a travel day, then games on the 10th and 11th, another travel day, and a potential Game 5 on the 13th. The NL is staggered differently: they start with a game on the 7th followed by a day off, then have a game on the 9th followed by a travel day, two straight games on the 11th and 12th, and finally a travel day before a potential Game 5.
This is a change from last year, as both leagues have more off-days baked into the schedule. In 2022, teams more or less had to use five starters if they went the distance in the wild card round. The 2022 NL schedule had only one off-day total across the round, and while the AL schedule had two off-days, it closed with three games in three days across two cities. With more time thanks to the lack of a lockout-impacted schedule, the rest days have multiplied. An NL team could use its three best starters in the wild card round, a fourth starter in Game 1, and then its three best starters again in Games 2–4. Amazingly, its ace could come back for Game 5 on regular rest; he’d be pitching on October 3, 9, and 14, hardly a strenuous schedule.
That won’t work quite as well in the AL, but it won’t be much worse. An ace could pitch on October 3, 8, and 13, with four days of rest between each start. Relative to last year, this year places less premium on depth and more on top-end starting pitching. Fifth starters, I’m sorry: your services likely won’t be required.
Championship Series
The ALCS schedule is almost exactly what baseball fans are used to: two games, a travel day, three games, another travel day, and then the last two games. The NL schedule is the same, other than the fact that it starts a day later. That double-travel-day setup means teams will never play more than three games in a row, which means a four-man rotation and shortened bullpen should work just fine. This was not the case last year, when both league schedules provided for five straight games with no travel day, again because of the compressed timeline. The takeaway here is the same: rotation depth is less important than it was in the 2022 postseason.
World Series
No change to the standard World Series format, which mirrors this year’s championship series format: two games, a travel day, three games, another travel day, and then the last two games. It’s the same schedule we’re all used to, with all the same implications for rest.
The broad takeaway: the schedule is returning to the rhythm of the playoffs from before last year (weirdo 2020 season excluded, naturally). Players will be more rested, which I’m sure they’re in favor of. Games are still staggered to minimize days without baseball. That’s about it; may the best team win.
The Astros have yet again acquired pitcher Justin Verlander and cash on deadline day, this time from the Mets for outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. Verlander, signed to a two-year, $86.667 million contract before the season, put up a 3.15 ERA and a 3.81 FIP in 16 starts for the Mets. The exact amount of cash being sent along with Verlander is not yet known.
Verlander pitching for a team that wasn’t the Astros just felt kind of odd. While he certainly didn’t spend the bulk of his career in Houston, it’s where he had his personal pitching renaissance, where he clinched his future Hall of Fame membership, and where he got his championship rings. Verlander in blue-and-orange felt like that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Jean-Luc Picard is kind of a sad-sack 60-year-old ensign because he didn’t get in a bar fight as a youngster. Or maybe it’s like when you’re trying to buy a Coke at some rural gas station, but they’re out, and you end up with some bizarre generic cola that may have been sitting there since the Reagan years. Verlander’s opinion may vary, but from at least this fan, it feels like something that went wrong has been set right by Scott Bakula.
The Astros aren’t just trying to satisfy nostalgia; they needed a starting pitcher, so why not one they have a longstanding relationship with? A rash of injuries has left the rotation thinner than they would like heading into the homestretch, and they have a real dogfight this year with the Rangers, who’ve already addedMax ScherzerandJordan Montgomery; there’s no lapping the division by 15 games. Verlander has shown some clear signs of aging this year, as hitters are less prone to whiffing and are hitting the ball harder, and his control isn’t quite as precise as in the past. But these are normal things for a 40-year-old pitcher, and nearly every pitcher who is still in the league at 40 is going to fall out of it during the ensuing few seasons. Houston isn’t asking Verlander to carry the team, but to be a dependable, healthy arm who keeps the team in games. That he’ll do.
The money has not yet been disclosed — check my colleague Jay Jaffe’s upcoming piece for this and more — but my initial guess is “a bunch.” Verlander’s contract is a hefty one, and both Gilbert and Clifford are legitimate prospects; I can’t imagine the Astros would have parted with them if they were also paying full or near-full freight on Verlander. Our prospect team has already shifted in Gilbert as the new No. 1 prospect on the Mets, and while his stats at Double-A Corpus Christi are far from eye-popping, you have to remember that this is his first full professional season. ZiPS sees him peaking as a near two-win outfielder in the .260/.330/.400 range, though the error bars are quite wide when you’re talking someone with so little professional experience. ZiPS is highly interested in Clifford’s power upside (as is the scouting community), but there are a lot of questions about his plate discipline and defensive value to be answered.
MLB will have to approve any deal where more than $2 million changes hands, as will be the case with Verlander and Houston. That has not happened yet, so the deal will not be official for a little while .
Members of the 2023 draft class are now on the pro side of The Board. You can see where freshly drafted and signed players stack up in their new organization’s farm system here. Graduates have also been pulled from The Board; their evaluations are now preserved on the 2023 Graduates tab. Players who exceed rookie playing time requirements between now and the end of the season will be moved from the 2023 Updated section of The Board to the Graduates section in real time, and those who graduate get a scouting update on their player page contrasting their evaluation with their performance at time of graduation. Note that the farm system rankings from prior to the graduates removal still exist here; live farm system rankings (for which the grads no longer count) exist here. These will shift and change as prospects move between now and the trade deadline.
Because the Top 100 grew and changed throughout the Prospect List cycle, readers should consider it live and up to date. I made some updates to Reds prospects (more on that in a second) and slid Diamondbacks outfielder Druw Jones, who succumbed to yet another injury between when the D-backs list published and now, but otherwise just pulled off the grads. There are only 89 players in the minors with a 50 FV grade or better right now because of the graduates being pulled off of the list. This is not unusual for this time of year; similar to the way the 50 FV cross section moved from 107 players to about 130 players during the last cycle, prospects who improve and advance will climb into that group.
Reds Update
Between now and the deadline, I’ll be reviewing the farm systems of a few key clubs likely to buy, something I’ve already done for the tippy top of the Reds system.
Lyon Richardson’s pitch grades have been altered to reflect that his changeup has become his best pitch. His innings count has been kept pretty conservative, and I’d really like to see him hold the 95–97 mph fastball he’s currently showing deeper into games before moving him into the 50 FV tier, but he looks really good. His command isn’t precise, but he has a mid-rotation starter’s mix and has been throwing hard since his return from TJ, just not while working a true starter’s innings load.
Cam Collier is struggling statistically, but the pro scouting reports from source clubs are still generally positive, and he is still very young for a full-season hitter. His swing is still pretty weird, but there’s just too much lefty power here to slide him so soon.
Noelvi Marte is not playing good defense right now. He’s hitting well enough that he’ll probably still be a quality big leaguer even if he has to move off of third base, but now that he is on the 40-man, he only has so long to find a position before he’s out of option years. Lurking on the horizon here is a scenario where he ends up with one or no options left and basically no position. It’s not his likeliest outcome, but because he’s looked pretty bad on defense for the last sixth months or so, this is now a conceivable outcome. I still think he will be a good big leaguer over time (he remains a 50 FV prospect on The Board), but were I a GM, I’d be apprehensive about making him the centerpiece of a trade return.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand moves up into the 45 FV tier as a power-hitting role player who’ll be a dangerous (but likely flawed) piece of this ascending Reds team. His Triple-A contact rate (72%) would be near the bottom of the MLB 1B position group (70%), and his chase rates (an eyebrow-raising 39%) were about 20% worse than big league average (32%) at the time he was called up. League-wide adjustment to his tendency to chase will make him streaky, but ultimately Encarnacion-Strand’s power is going to play in a big way because he’s incredibly strong, and his swing is geared to do big damage. There are warning signs here similar to what Elehuris Montero exhibited in the minors, even amid his awesome surface-level statistical performance, but CES is at a different level, physically.
Edwin Arroyo also slides from the 50 FV tier to the 45 FV tier. Again, he still projects to be a good big leaguer, just not a true everyday, omni-situational player in my eyes. He continues to have throwing issues that will likely funnel him to second base, which I suppose was already likely given the Elly/McLain combo ahead of him. He’s going to get to his power by virtue of his swing’s lift, but his bat-to-ball performance has regressed enough to reevaluate him in light of the new defensive projection and consider him more of a just-shy-of-average second baseman. Look at the kind of hit tool it takes to profile as an everyday second baseman. Arroyo’s performance has been fine, but not quite on that level.
You can see how punishing the De La Cruz, McLain, etc. graduations are to the Reds’ farm system ranking, but even if you consider that group to be untouchable, they have a ton of depth (nearly 50 ranked prospects) to leverage in trade discussions.
