Baseball season is practically right around the corner, you can almost smell the freshly cut grass, hear the roar of the crowd and the crack of the bat, and you can surely taste the popcorn and peanuts. It’s a whole new season filled with talent, fans oozing with pride, and we can barely contain ourselves. This is exactly why we’ve rolled up our sleeves and jotted down the 20 top prospects going into the 2017, trust us, these are the guys you wanna watch out for.
Victor Robles
Victor Robles is currently all the buzz as he’s ranked among the top-10 prospects in baseball. 19 year old Robles signed for just $225,000 out of the Dominican Republic and is often praised for his five-tool skill set and first class athleticism. Robles came to High-A Potomac in 2016, but missed a few weeks due to a wrist injury and batted .262 with a .741 on base, plus he slugged a percentage as one of the youngest players in the Carolina League. Not too shabby.
Victor Robles
Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito surely resembles the Marvel Comics ‘Hulk’ as he’s a staggering 6-foot-6, 255-pounds but he’s also an incredibly talented power pitcher. In 2016, the Washington Nationals started Giolito in four games with a 6.75 ERA and not long after, the team dealt him as their headliner in a deal for the outfielder Adam Eaton. Now the mighty Lucas Giolito is the future for the Chicago White Sox. He’s got a special arm and at 22, he could easily end up one of the top pitchers in the game.
Lucas Giolito
Kyle Lewis
21 year old outfielder Kyle Lewis was drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 11th overall pick during the 2016 Draft. He then made his professional debut with the Everett AquaSox and on June 30, 2016, he won the 2016 Golden Spikes Award. Lewis will most likely head on to High-A to start 2017.
Kyle Lewis
Nick Senzel
Last year, the Cincinnati Reds hit the jackpot when they drafted No. 2 overall the best hitting prospect, Nick Senzel. Following a short stretch in the rookie league, this 21 year old landed into A-ball and hit .329/.415/.567 with seven impressive home runs in 251 plate appearances. Senzel may be an average defensive third baseman but he’s got serious hitting tools and game power, this alone ensures he’ll be playing with the big boys soon enough.
Nick Senzel
Jose De Leon
24 year old starting pitcher Jose De Leon may have entered the 2016 season ranked No. 28 but with his incredible strikeout rates, he could easily end up in the major leagues at any time this year.
Jose De Leon
Rafael Devers
This 20 year old, out of the Dominican Republic, had an impressive year in 2016, hitting a wicked .282/.335/.443 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases at High-A. Devers isn’t all that suited to remain at third base defensively in the long run, but if he switched to first baseman or even as a designated hitter, with his solid batting, he’d make a huge impact.
Rafael Devers
Andrew Benintendi
Outfielder Andrew Benintendi hit a prodigious .312/.378/.532 with nine homers and 12 triples in merely 418 plate appearances while in the minors, propelling the Boston Red Sox to call him up late in the season. Even late in the season, Benintendi didn’t disappoint, grabbing .835 OPS in 118 plate appearances. The kid has serious talent and any team would be beyond lucky to have him on board.
Andrew Benintendi
Dansby Swanson
You might be surprised to see Dansby Swanson end up on this list as he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and later went to the Atlanta Braves, making his big league debut. But because he was just one at-bat short of losing his rookie status in 2017, he ends up on the list. Swanson’s debut was a sore hit and miss (no pun intended…okay, maybe a little). Swanson rallied together .556 OPS in his first 55 plate appearances and a .984 OPS in his final 85 plate appearances.
Dansby Swanson
J.P. Crawford
After a strong start in his 2016 season at Double-A, the Philadelphia Phillies moved their top prospect, J.P. Crawford, up to Triple-A. However the 21 year old just wasn’t ready. He hit for a slash line of merely .244/.328/.318 in his 385 plate appearances. Forget those numbers though, this kid is an extremely talented hitter that often draws comparisons to the Phillies shortstop, Jimmy Rollins. Expect Crawford to go back to Triple-A and really prove that he belongs. He can do it.
J.P. Crawford
Gleyber Torres
At just 19 years old, Torres crushed it last year with a .270/.354/.421 slash line, 11 home runs. and 29 doubles. With his athleticism and talent, Torres could remain at shortstop long term, which would easily make him a viable candidate moving forward.
Gleyber Torres
Francis Martes
Back in 2015, the Houston Astros sent Francis Martes at just 19 years old as a starting pitcher to Double-A. In three starts and 14 2/3 innings, Martes racked up a 4.91 ERA with 16 strikeouts and seven walks. However, overall that year, he landed a 2.04 ERA in 101 2/3 innings, this spurred Baseball Prospectus to list him at No. 63 heading into 2016. At Double-A last year, Martes threw 125 1/3 innings with a stellar 131 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA. Now at 21, Martes is surely on his way to Triple-A for the Astros and can expect a call to the big leagues soon.
Francis Martes
Manuel Margot
At 21, this center fielder made his big league debut last season with the San Diego Padres, snatching 37 plate appearances in 10 games. Margot started the season, ranking at No. 14 and he certainly didn’t disappoint on the field, hitting .304/.351/.426 with 30 stolen bases and 12 triples. He is a classic “speed-and-defense” player with an impressive hit tool.
Manuel Margot
Michael Kopech
When 2016 started, 21 year old starting pitcher Michael Kopech was ranked as the No. 98 on the BP prospect list. The kid’s got a fastball that can often go well over 100 miles per hour, together with an ever improving curveball. Kopech racked up 86 strikeouts within 52 innings at High-A for the mighty Boston Red Sox, finishing the season off with a 2.25 ERA. Boston then traded Kopech to the Chicago White Sox for for Chris Sale. There’s a chance that he’ll head over to Double-A to start the season, with a high chance to make his big league debut later in the year.
Michael Kopech
Eloy Jimenez
At just 19, this Chicago Cubs outfielder had a huge and impressive breakout just last season, hitting .329/.369/.532 and snagging 14 home runs. Jimenez was then selected to play in the Futures Game during the MLB All-Star break, landing a jaw dropping play in right field and hitting a three-run homer. This kid’s got staggering hitting abilities and home run power, keep your eyes peeled for what he will do next.
Eloy Jimenez
Clint Frazier
At 22, Clint Frazier spent a majority of 2016 at Triple-A. While the Yankees purged a ton of big contracts from their books and loaded up with talented prospects, Frazier was near the top of that particular list. Last year, he posted a total of .782 OPS with 16 home runs and 13 stolen bases, but don’t let the curly red locks fool you, Frazier has outrageous bat speed.
Clint Frazier
Austin Meadows
Austin Meadows was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates straight out of high school and has admirably climbed his way up the minor league ladder. Although he struggled a bit after a promotion to Triple-A last year, at just 21 years old, he’s got stellar stats. With .300/.368/.480 and only 230 strikeouts in 1,335 plate appearances, the kid is going places.
Austin Meadows
Brendan Rogers
At 19 years old, this shortstop was snatched up as No. 3 overall by the the Colorado Rockies and was sent to play A-ball in the 2016 season. And he surely didn’t disappoint, racking up 19 home runs in 491 plate appearances with .821 OPS. Baseball America did point out that if a high school shortstop is taken into the top three picks during the draft, then he’s going to end up being pretty extraordinary.
Brendan Rogers
Alex Reyes
After testing positive for a second time for marijuana, the St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect was stuck with a 50 game suspension in the beginning of the 2016 season. Considering Reyes has a hard fastball and a wicked supply of pitches that can cause even the best batters to miss, he shouldn’t be marked off just yet. In fact, he made a brief debut at the end of the season and he truly looked dominating.
Alex Reyes
Tyler Glasnow
Last season, Tyler Glasnow was ranked No. 11 overall and at just 22 years of age, he’s strung together a phenomenal season at Triple-A. Glasnow threw 110 2/3 innings in just 20 starts, striking out 133 batters and compiled a 1.87 ERA. In just seven appearances in Pittsburgh, he racked up a 4.24 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.
Tyler Glasnow
Yoan Moncada
Yoan Moncada is the mighty second baseman from Cuba who is well onto his way to become one of the greatest hitters in the game. At just 21, last season, he played in the Boston Red Sox’s farm system land hit .294/.407/.511 with 15 stellar home runs and 45 stolen bases. Moncada has an impressively high baseball IQ and there’s really no doubt that he has elite skills.
Yoan Moncada
