The 2022 MLB Top Prospects rankings includes a solid list of catchers leading the way with the New York Mets Francisco Alvarez joining the high rankings. The bat will likely always lead the way for the 23-year-old, though theres a lot to like in that department. Of his off-speed offerings, Espinos slider is his strongest. Top 60 MLB prospects: Keith Law's updated rankings following the Juan Soto trade Keith Law Aug 1, 2022 363 This is my midpoint check-in on the best prospects still in the minors,. After putting up good numbers in the DSL last year, Chourio tore through Low-A pitching this season and has kept it rolling in High-A as an 18-year-old. The second breaking ball for Perez is an above-average curveball in the low 80s. He is still developing feel for the pitch and has a tendency to miss badly when his mechanics arent in sync. Priesters changeup lags behind the rest of his arsenal. A plus runner, Davis has the goods to stick in center field along with an above-average arm which could handle either corner as well. Yet another breakout offensive prospect in the Rays system, Manzardo offers one of the safest offensive profiles youll see. Five tool potential with a relatively high floor, Henderson is one of baseballs best prospects for a reason. Meyer is an ultra-competitor who is not afraid to attack hitters and if he can improve his fastball shape, he projects as a middle of the rotation arm that will provide flashes of a bit more when hes on. After showing flashes of his ability at the complex last year, Wood made some small tweaks to get his lower half more involved and has started to tap into his elite raw power. Colas is an aggressive hitter, which stifled his walk rates, but he rarely misses mistakes and feasted by ambushing fastballs. Priester has the ceiling of a No. Witt is not only the top prospect in the Royals organization but also in all of baseball. Known for the shows that he can put on in batting practice, Marte has exciting raw pop that he flashed in games in the early going of his career. Campbell should be a target for dynasty managers with minor-league spots to spare. Featuring high spin from a low release point, the pitch explodes out of his hand and generates a high percentage of whiffs in the zone. Green has as much upside as any player in the 2022 class and the more I watch, the more I believe that there is above-average bat-to-ball skills in there as well. A switch hitter with pretty even production from both sides, Rodriguez has a really good feel for both of his swings that are geared for lift and carry. When Davis was drafted in 2018, he was seen as a tall, lanky kid with quick-twitch ability, but scouts were unsure what to expect with the bat. Get away with it or B. Look for a bounce back season from the talented competitor in 2023. If Moreno is able to tap into just average game power, he could be a well-above average bat for any position, let alone catcher. Hall is a very athletic and whippy athlete who gets great extension and features big time arm speed. MLB Draft, 2023 MLB Draft. Carroll faced a lot of adversity since being drafted in 2019. The change has the ability to miss bats, however, it specializes in inducing soft contact. Through his first 150 professional games, Veen cruised to 50 stolen bases and has continued to get better with his jumps and picking the right spots to run. Age: 19|Height/Weight: 510, 210|Bat/Throw: S/R|IFA: $5 million 2020 (NYY)|ETA: 2024. As I speak to Minor Leaguers of who has stood out to them over the last couple seasons, Arandas name comes up as much as anyones. Graceffo has seen steady velocity gains over the last year and a half without his above average command waining. Formerly utilizing a sizable leg kick, Campusano has since experimented with a few different timing mechanisms at the plate before settling on a toe-tap. Mauricio makes his mark for Mets in Spring Training. This approach is something ECU coach Cliff Godwin has instilled in his hitters and it is a big reason why Burleson has been able to maintain a minuscule 17% strikeout rate in his Minor League career. Ford reminds me a bit of Daulton Varsho. 2022 Stats (A+): 68 G, 309 PA, 9 HR, 19 SB, .314 AVG, .392 OBP, .483 SLG MLB.com Rank: No. The pitch has decent life and Graceffo commands it well to all four quadrants. A good athlete with big raw power that he has already tapped into in games, Pages has launched 57 homers in his last two seasons. Perazas sweet swing from the right side and plus defense at short make him a high probability everyday shortstop. With above average tools across the board and the work ethic, instincts and makeup to maximize those tools, its no surprise that the 21-year-old has been able to fly through the minors. His arm is average and the range is slightly above average, but he makes all of the plays and seems to always be in the right spot. There was some buzz around the backfields in Spring Training regarding how good Lewis looked, and the former top pick has made some extremely encouraging adjustments at the plate. Chourio has wasted no time getting acclimated to baseball stateside. Height/Weight: 61, 170|Bat/Throw: R/R|IFA: $1.8M 2021 (MIL)|ETA: 2024. Colas is a below average runner with average range in a corner outfield spot. Wood is an above-average runner with an above=average arm. Already posting above average contact rates, Winn could develop into a fringe-plus hitter as he matures at the plate. Thanks to Espinos low release point and elite life (21 inches of induced vertical break), he was able to pick up a ton of swinging strikes up in the zone and freeze hitters at the knees. He is athletic, moving and blocking well behind the dish. Tiedemann has continued his kicked it into another gear since going pro, quickly looking like one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. CSV *Reload page to restore grid. The fact that Painter commands his elite stuff with such precision for a 19-year-old giant truly is remarkable. Leiters struggles to command the heater this season caused it to play down some, but it has the potential to be a plus pitch or better. While the newly-turned 23-year-olds strikeout numbers have jumped a bit in Double-A, he has seen his 90th percentile exit velocity jump by a full mile per hour, lending belief that his nearly doubled HR/FB rate this season could be sustainable. Norby is a well rounded player who gets the most out of his above average tools. Opponents had an OPS of .369 against both of Williams breaking ball this year with a 35% strikeout rate. Crew adds Singleton, 3 prospects to 40-man. Despite the injury, Lesko has a big upside as a 62 flame thrower with similarities to former Padre Mackenzie Gore. Here is a quick overview on the 20-80 scale used extensively throughout the list and standard across the baseball industry. Soderstroms controlled violence with his swing gives him a great chance to hit for power while not whiffing at too high of a clip. He could benefit from adding some strength to his wiry frame. After drawing free passes at a 9.8% clip in Low-A in 2021, Dominguez has walked 13.4% of the time this season between Low-A, High-A and Double-A. Height/Weight: 61, 205|Bat/Throw: L/R|2nd Round (62) 2021|ETA: 2023. Lawlar is an elite athlete with quick-twitch actions on the defensive side of the ball. Though his power is above average at best, Rafaelas adjustments have helped him tap into it in games making his jump in HR/FB rate sustainable. Long viewed as a candidate to be selected first overall in 2021s MLB Draft, Lawlar was the most well-rounded prep prospect in the class and has proved it by climbing all the way to Double-A in his first full professional season. Prospect Rankings. His lack of base, caused him to struggle with off speed stuff, but Williams crushed fastballs to an OPS over 1.000. Though not a burner, Walker is an average runner who gets great jumps on the bases. Despite being one of the youngest players at each level he reaches, Walker seems to get better each time hes promoted. Height/Weight: 61, 205|Bat/Throw: S/R|CBA Round (35) 2020 (COL)|ETA: 2024. Height/Weight: 65, 200 | Bat/Throw: S/R | IFA: $65K 2018 (CIN) | ETA: 2023. The rare high floor/ceiling combination for a big bodied power hitter, Casas boasts 30+ home run potential with an innate feel to hit and plus makeup. An explosive athlete who put things together offensively this season, Winn looks like he could be the shortstop of the future in St. Louis. Already one of the games best catching prospects, Cartaya made up for lost time with a monster 2022 season. Harrisons above-average changeup worked in tandem with his fastball to make at-bats extremely difficult on opposite-handed hitters. A huge power pitcher with some of the best stuff in the country when he was at East Carolina, Williams worked mostly as a reliever due to command issues through his first three seasons. If Carter cleans up his routes he will easily project as a plus defender in centerfield. As lefties are geared up for a heater with life, Waldichuk will sling the slider, catching hitters cheating and generating some ugly swings. He controls his body well and his inward toe tap helps keep his front side on the baseball, aiding him in left-on-left matchups. Since the start of the 2021 season, Espino has recorded a 16 percent swinging strike rate on his fastball, one of the best clips in professional baseball. Translating college and high school stats to professional production is difficult or impossible to predict but getting an idea of what these prospects are capable of gives dynasty managers something to dream about and look forward to. Though his hand load is loud, his hands/wrists work so well that he can get the barrel to tough pitches. Age: 22|Height/Weight: 510, 180|Bat/Throw: L/L|1st Round (15) 2021 (MIL)|ETA: 2023. Though theres plenty of reason to believe he can stick in center, there is a chance that Alcantara could slow down a step as he physically matures. As he mentioned on our prospect podcast, the Call Up Hassell is still working on his lower half consistency in order to tap into a bit more power. The second plus offering for Hall is his slider with late bite in the mid 80s. Pfaadts pitchability, polish and improving stuff have him trending towards a rotation spot with the D-backs next year. The 23-year-old is a gamer who plays at full speed all of the time and can help his team win in many different ways. Coming out of IMG Academy, Green impressed scouts with his massive power output and speed on the basepaths. A switch-hitter with a great feel to hit, its easy to see why the Rockies shelled out $1.5 million for Amador in 2019s loaded IFA class. The 20-year-old has as much helium as just about any prospect. The left-handed hitter widened his stance while getting more into his legs than his previous upright setup. The slider has late, gyro break that dives under barrels and generates plenty of ground balls. Fitting the trend for this years draft, Druw Jones is the son of former All-Star Andruw Jones. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, rounds out Baltimore's trio of top 15 prospects. A big frame at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Carter has plenty of room to add more strength and could easily develop into plus power. The pitch sits in the upper 70s with downward break. March 1, 2023. Theres probably a bit more room for improvement in that regard, especially in plus counts where he tries to do too much and can have an at-bat turn south on him quickly. He adds value on the bases, though will probably never be more than the occasional base stealer. Rounding out Graceffos arsenal is his sweeping curveball in the 78-80 mph range. Much like his offensive game, Volpes instincts help him maximize his tools. Naylor is a patient hitter who rarely expands the zone, walking at a 16% clip between Double-A and Triple-A this year. Busch features a short, compact swing that produces big exit velos and massive backspin to all parts of the park. Back to back seasons in the upper minors with gaudy strike out numbers and improving walk rates had Waldichuk continuing his ascent as a highly regarded pitching prospect after being a more under-the-radar guy as a fifth round pick in 2019. Flashing plus in the 86-88 mph range, Perezs sharp, late breaking slider is difficult for hitters to differentiate from his fastball until it is too late. The newly-turned 20-year-old has some work to do to achieve his frontline ceiling, but theres potential for three plus pitches and above average command if all goes right with Jobes development. Command has been a challenge for Abel in the early going as he has long levers to sync up causing some inconsistencies with his delivery. We saw Perezs plus fastball consistently eclipse over 2,500 RPM, boasting a ton of life. Smooth hands and and a strong enough arm for the position have Rocchio projecting as a plus defender. There may not be as much superstar upside with Rocchio than most other top 100 prospects, but theres also few prospects who have as high of a probability of being a big league regular. Includes rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus. Rafaela saw the majority of his action in centerfield where his speed is on full display. A decent arm and pretty good mobility behind the plate, Herrera has the tools to be an above-average catcher. His low 80s slider flashes plus with late sweeping break. He threw it to the bottom of the zone at will and it should miss bats at the highest level. He made 20 starts at shortstop this season, only making two errors. Much was expected of Chourio from the time he joined the organization on Jan. 15, 2021, when he received a $1.8 million . Rounding out Rodriguezs arsenal is an 89-91 mph cutter that he will mix in to get weak contact and provide a fourth speed for the hitter to worry about. Winning the 2022 ACC player of the year was a great way to cap off a fantastic season for Max Wagner with Clemson. Starting with an athletic stance, Luciano sinks into his back side with a gathering leg kick and keeps his weight back well. He will need to improve his command and feel for pitching in order to achieve his ceiling, which remains sky high. Even with the added power, Turang has still maintained his impressive contact rates while commanding the strike zone. The southpaw has three impressive offerings but the combination of his plus fastball and plus changeup has helped him carve up more experienced hitters. Though the higher ground ball rate is something to monitor with Campusano, his improved contact rates against all pitch types, chase rates and overall swing decisions provide reason for optimism. Soderstroms decent hands should help him profile as an above average defensive first baseman. Even in just 53 games, Davis launched nine homers along with 21 extra base hits, flashing his plus raw power. The 24-year-old is also a savvy hitter who rarely expands the zone and picks his spots to get off his A+ swing in hitters counts. An aggressive hitter, Chourios 33% chase rate has limited his ability to take free passes, but thanks to how quick Chourio is to the ball, he rarely misses fastballs, mashing to an OPS over 1.100 against them. A phenomenal junior season at Vanderbilt had Leiter looking like one of the best pitching prospects in years. An average runner at best, Baty is not much of a base stealer, swiping only eight bags in his 237 minor league games. 2 starter, however it will be important to see if he can maintain his velocity deep into starts once we see the Cardinals take the training wheels off. Struggles at the plate and defensive questions had Ruiz losing prospect relevancy entering the season, but a high-900s OPS and the Minor League lead in stolen bases can change things quickly. The Cubs were in no rush with Alcantara, letting him feel things out for the entire season in Low-A which allowed him to keep working towards tapping into his power in games rather than sending the youngster into fight or flight mode in High-A. Height/Weight: 511, 230|Bat/Throw: R/R|2nd Round (39) 2017 (SD)|ETA: 2022. The adjustment likely helps him keep his hands back longer while creating more tension/stored energy prior to uncoiling at launch. Four viable offerings and plus command has helped Pfaadt get outs in even the most hitter friendly environments. He will likely begin next season in Double-A with a chance to jump up to Triple-A relatively quickly after already looking strong in his cameo with New Hampshire at the end of the season. Built like an NBA small forward with impressive athleticism, there are few prospects in baseball with as much projection as Alcantara. Not only did we update our 2022 Top 100 prospect list, but we updated the functionality of it as well.