Updated Top-10 Prospect Lists: AL East

Below are the updated summer top-10 prospect lists for the orgs in the American League East. I have notes beneath the top 10s explaining why some of these prospects have moved up or down. For detailed scouting information on individual players, check out the player’s profile page which may include tool grades and/or links to Daily Prospect Notes posts in which they’ve appeared this season. For detailed info on players drafted or signed this year, check out our sortable boards.

Baltimore Orioles (Preseason List)

1. Chance Sisco, C
2. D.L. Hall, LHP
3. Ryan Mountcastle, OF
4. Austin Hays
5. Cedric Mullins, OF
6. Cody Sedlock, RHP
7. Keegan Akin, LHP
8. Hunter Harvey, RHP
9. Jomar Reyes, 3B
10. Anthony Santander, OF/1B

Sisco has held serve. He hits and receives well enough to live with his below-average arm in an everyday role behind the plate. Hall has an argument for the top spot. He fell on draft day due to makeup concerns but has a plus fastball/breaking ball combination. Mountcastle, Mullins, and Hays are all having good years and have reinforcing physical tools. Mountcastle’s bat makes his profile stable, the others have approach issues that create risk and bump them below him even though they’re better athletes. Sedlock and Akin are having strike-throwing shortcomings. The rest of the list has been injured. Projectable Colombian righty Jhon Peluffo has an argument for the top 10, as he already has an above-average changeup and flashes an above-average slider, though his delivery draws mixed reviews.

Boston Red Sox (Preseason List)

1. Rafael Devers, 3B
2. Jay Groome, LHP
3. Michael Chavis, 3B
4. Daniel Flores, C
5. Sam Travis, 1B
6. Josh Ockimey, 1B
7. Tanner Houck, RHP
8. Bryan Mata, RHP
9. Cole Brannen, OF
10. CJ Chatham, SS

Chavis is hitting for power and moves up the list as a potential average regular who is close to the majors, one spot ahead of the teenaged Flores, who has huge upside. Chatham has missed much of the year with a hamstring injury, and you could easily replace his name with that of SS Tzu-Wei Lin, as Lin has made substantive changes to his swing and now projects as a high-probability utility man. Twenty four-year old lefty Jalen Beeks has missed bats at Double- and Triple-A this year, but scouts with whom I’ve spoken still consider him likely to be a reliever.

New York Yankees (Preseason List)

1. Gleyber Torres, SS
2. Clint Frazier, OF
3. Chance Adams, RHP
4. Estevan Florial, OF
5. Justus Sheffield, LHP
6. Dillon Tate, RHP
7. Albert Abreu, RHP
8. Miguel Andujar, 3B
9. Tyler Wade, UTIL
10. Jorge Guzman, RHP

Guzman is sitting 96-100 with relative ease and showing slider feel. Tate and Abreu are dominant at times and wild at others. Florial’s explosive, unpolished physical tools have allowed him to dominate the low minors. Wade and Andujar have made their big-league debuts and project as long-term contributors of some kind. Also of note is 2B Nick Solak, who has reached Double-A in his first full season after hitting .300 with Tampa, and RHP Luis Medina, who is having trouble harnessing his upper-90s lighting in the Appy League.

Tampa Bay Rays (Preseason List)

1. Willy Adames, SS
2. Brent Honeywell, RHP
3. Brendan McKay, LHP/1B
4. Jesus Sanchez, OF
5. Jose DeLeon, RHP
6. Jake Bauers, 1B
7. Wander Franco, SS
8. Lucius Fox, SS
9. Garrett Whitley, OF
10. Josh Lowe, OF

Seven potential top-100 prospects comprise the bulk of a loaded top 10. LHP Resly Linares, who has added some zip to his fastball this year, was also heavily considered. Josh Lowe’s tools are far too special to suddenly abandon despite a poor first full season. OF Justin Williams has close to an .800 OPS at Double-A but gets bumped out simply because of how much blue-chip talent sits atop this farm.

Toronto Blue Jays (Preseason List)

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B
2. Anthony Alford, OF
3. Bo Bichette, 2B
4. Teoscar Hernandez, OF
5. Logan Warmoth, SS
6. Sean Reid-Foley, RHP
7. Nate Pearson, RHP
8. Justin Maese, RHP
9. Lourdes Gurriel, UTIL
10. Rowdy Tellez, 1B

Guerrero is one of the best prospects in baseball. Alford was breaking out and made his big-league debut before he broke his hamate. He has had significant injuries each of the last two years (concussion, knee injury, broken hamate), though no recurring ailments. Bichette, of whom I was skeptical as an amateur, moves up because of his freakish feel to hit, which he has carried to the Florida State League. There’s a sizeable gap after him, where things get very crowded. About six players after the top 10 all have arguments for inclusion. Among them is SS Richard Urena, who has started to hit after a bad first few months. C/1B Max Pentecost is hitting in High-A but is already 24 years old.