His defensive value comes from his 70 grade arm which is one of the strongest in the minors and pretty accurate as well thanks to his pitching days. 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. The top selection in 2021s MLB Draft has been banged up in his first full pro season, but has shown flashes of offensive brilliance. The former second round pick has mashed his way to Triple-A in just 152 games. Vargas should factor into the Dodgers 2023 plans and beyond with a skillset capable of replacing Justin Turners production if all goes right. A switch-hitter, Rocchio has a balanced and smooth swing from both sides of the plate. Just an average runner who many evaluators think could slow down a step as he continues to mature, its unlikely that Johnson is a major factor on the bases. Even with the loud moves, Neto puts himself in a good spot to hit and uses the big stride to tap into as much power as possible. Preister built on a good 2021 with a great 2022, finishing the year in Triple-A and putting himself on track for PNC Park at some point in 2023. The Guardians liked what they saw from Campbell and selected him 37th overall. Working off of his elite fastball, the changeup will play up, but the pitch itself is nasty. Gassers changeup is the pitch that he goes to a bit more against righties. Still, the switch-hitters right-handed swing is not too far off and the uneven at-bats could likely play a part in one side being ahead of the other this early in his career. An elite defensive defender at multiple spots, Rafaela enjoyed a power breakout in 2022, boosting his longterm outlook. Theres no crazy tools to dream on or much defensive value, however he has been arguably the most consistent hitter in the minors over the last couple years. Hendersons skillset is similar to that of Bobby Witt Jr.s with perhaps slightly less loud tools and a more advanced approach. Lucianos hands work as well as any Minor League hitter youll see, generating a ton of whip and violence. A simple set up from the right side, Vargas times up his moves well and consistently puts himself in a good position to get his best swing off. Colas found more consistency with his swing as the season went on, driving the ball in the air more frequently while using the whole field. The Venezuela native has a plus arm and should be an above-average all-around catcher, along with great intangibles. With just a 12% strikeout rate in his Minor League career and the potential to hit for at least some power, Moreno should ride his elite hit-tool and solid approach to offensive success at the highest level. Baty is quick to the ball and repeats his moves well, helping him crush fastballs to an OPS over 1.000 in the minors this season. At one point, OHoppe was seen as a glove-first catching prospect. These pitches allow him to utilize the leverage in his swing and at worst, he will be able to annihilate said pitches in the big leagues once he gets there. Age: 19|Height/Weight: 62, 195|Bat/Throw: R/R|1st Round (3), 2021|ETA: 2024. Hes already physical, but with broad shoulders and long legs, he could likely to add another 10-15 pounds of good weight. Starting with the right side, Dominguez cut down his leg kick while quieting/simplifying his hand load. After impressing at the complex, Cartaya was off to a phenomenal start to his 2021 season in Low-A before an injury cut him to just 31 games. There is probably some room for improvement in terms of picking the right spots to run and getting slightly better jumps from first base, but the speedster should be a 20+ stolen base threat annually. With more room to fill out on top of the room to improve with his base, there is easy plus power to dream on with Williams. Like many young outfielders the 22-year-old could improve on his reads in center, but his quickness from his days on the basketball court and recovery speed give him a margin for error. Browns fastball is a true four seamer with ride, generating whiffs at the top of the zone and he has also developed much better east/west command of the pitch as well. Power may not be a focal point of Tovars game, but an improved ability to pick his spots to let it eat and increased strength have him looking like a guy who can hit 15-20 homers despite a mostly gap-to-gap approach that will produce more doubles. 3 starter with a great chance at being an above average No. The swing itself is somewhat reminiscent of Freddie Freeman due to the ability of using a short swing with a big frame. Bowman Baseball 2022: Top 5 Prospects To Target, Orioles No. Jackson Holliday, the No. An average pitch coming into the season, Tiedemanns improvement with the slider has it looking closer to above average while flashing plus. Standing at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Walker does not require much effort to get into his plus plus raw power. While his range is still closer to average theres no doubts in his ability to play the hot corner. Yet another Brewers prospect with elite speed, Ruiz registered the 11th best sprint speed in MLB at 29.9 ft/sec despite only playing 14 games at the MLB level. After what weve seen from Naylor this year as a result of tangible adjustments in the box, its getting easier to believe that he will hit enough. His long strides help him close in on the baseball in the outfield, which has helped Wood actually look pretty good in the early going in center field. The Yankees feel like they have their shortstop of the future and they have every reason to think so. A deep arsenal that is headlined by a plus plus fastball that routinely touches triple digits, Miller has some of the best stuff youll see in the minors. He already has a decent approach and feel for the barrel. 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. A blend of power, defense and intangibles have Cartaya reminding many of Salvador Perez. Updated: Friday, March 3, 2023 11:11 PM ET, Park Factors Alvarez has put his big time power on display this season, crushing home runs as far as 452 feet and as hard as 113 mph off of the bat. Signed for a measly $10,000 by the Mets before being traded to the Pirates in the three team Joe Musgrove deal, Rodriguez has done nothing but rake since making his pro debut in 2018. When he locates it down and to his glove side it features sharp, late bite and tremendous shape that gives it plus-plus projection. As Caissie continues to iron out the inconsistencies with his lower half, there is foul pole-to-foul pole power potential for the Ontario, Canada native as he has the ability to generates a ton of leverage and natural carry. The limited track record caused us to keep White towards the back of our preseason top 100 list this year, however another 80 impressive innings has White climbing up the list and positioning himself as one of the better right-handed pitching prospects in baseball. The fastball is the calling card for Hall, as the 6-foot-2 lefty routinely sits in the mid-to-upper 90s with ride. His defensive versatility and offensive consistency should help his case as an everyday player and his added power gives him the upside of an above-average regular. Collier has an elite feel to hit with pitch recognition skills that you just dont see often from players of his age and experience. It looks like Hassell could put on anywhere between 20 and 30 pounds of muscle over the next couple of years if thats the route that he wants to go, but as he continues to solidify himself as a true centerfielder, he could ultimately continue his development as more of a gap-to-gap hitter with good complementary tools. TBC PREMIUM. The Mets could very well have their best catcher since Mike Piazza. His walk rate was a bit low in his brief Double-A stint, however his solid approach should make him a candidate to draw a fair amount of walks. Though the 32% strikeout rate was high for Williams, he showed a pretty mature approach and an ability to hit velocity. Standing at 64, Brock Porter has a starters build and the stats and awards on the mantle to prove it. Though still a very volatile prospect profile, Alcantaras strong first full season in Low-A hedges at least some of the extreme risk around his hit-tool. A rare, ahead-of-his-years prep catching prospect, Romo has impressed both at the plate and behind it. Of his two swings, De La Cruz packs more of a punch from the left side of the plate and uses the entire field a bit better. document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a32ea07776dd46344a3b1a6fb649c1ce" );document.getElementById("fe53143262").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On top of the elite velocity, Miller has improved the shape of his fastball to give it more ride. Witt is not only the top prospect in the Royals organization but also in all of baseball. Lacking blocking fundamentals earlier in his career, Alvarez has made huge strides in preventing passed balls as well as receiving. Wagner finished 4th in Division I for home runs, only five behind fellow draftee Ivan Melendez (Arizona Diamondbacks). Volpe brings just about everything you want to the table from a baseball player. Though he is not a great defender, his versatility is a nice consolation prize and he should be able to play passable defense at any of the aforementioned spots. Even with quieting his pre-swing moves down, Lewis still produced big time exit velocities in his limited action including a max EV of 114 MPH and near elite 107.9 MPH 90th percentile EV. It doesnt take much for Davis to generate power, especially now that his lower half plays a part in his swing. After being selected No. Still with some more room to fill out, Marte has already produced exit velocities as high as 111 mph this season, reinforcing the potential plus power the young infielder has in the tank. Viewed as one of the best pure prep hitters in years, Johnsons bat has a chance to be special, but as an average running second baseman, theres a lot of pressure on that bat. Rocchio could probably use another season in Triple-A as he tries to find more offensive consistency, however his glove is good enough to hold down the shortstop position at the highest level right now. Again, Cowser is too good of a hitter to have gaping splits longterm. Already reaching Triple-A at 22 years old, Burrows is ahead of schedule and seems to keep getting better each time I see him. Stones ability to locate this overpowering offering makes it a weapon both early and late in counts and he holds its velocity deep into outings. Hassells an extremely athletic hitter who can spray the ball foul line to foul line with a good approach. A two-way player at East Carolina, the Cardinals drafted Burleson as an outfielder andas he explained to Just Baseballback in June, exclusively focusing on hitting has allowed him to take his offensive game to the next level while tapping into more power. Westburg is quick to the ball which allows him to catch up to velocity and avoid cheating. He put the finishing touches on a fantastic collegiate career, slashing .357/.462/.664 with 15 HRs and 55 RBIs in 58 games played at Cal Poly in 2022. Opposing hitters from both sides of the plate have slashed just .110/.197/.174 against the pitch this season. Great stuff and premium athleticism give Bradley frontline upside. Romo is already an advanced defender with a plus arm and earns high marks for the way he commands a game. The 20-year-old has a sneaky good feel to hit and improved in that department as the year went on. Height/Weight: 62, 205|Bat/Throw: R/R|5th Round (149), 2019 (LAD)|ETA: 2023. 2022 Stats (A+): 68 G, 309 PA, 9 HR, 19 SB, .314 AVG, .392 OBP, .483 SLG MLB.com Rank: No. Starts crouched and slightly open. Acquired in the Javier Bez deal from the Mets last season, Crow-Armstrong missed all but six games of his 2021 campaign due to a shoulder injury. A plus arm, soft hands, good footwork and clean actions give Mayer a great chance to stick at the position even if he fills out a little bit. Still, the potential was more than evident. His best pitch is his plus slider in the upper 80s. Top Ranked 2022 Major League Baseball Prospects according to Baseball America including highest level reached and career mlb/minor league stats. Arroyo is a natural up the middle, with clean actions, impressive footwork and a rocket for an arm. Amador makes up for it with borderline elite bat-to-ball skills as a righty and low chase rates. The newly-turned 20-year-old had 37 batted balls over 105 mph and reached exit velocities as high as 113 mph. Improving his strike throwing consistency was as simple as finding a more consistent landing spot for Espino given his explosive lower half. Frelick may not have enough power to be a star in todays game, but he has as good of a chance to be a big league regular as any prospect outside of the top 50. Injuries cut Merrills season to just 45 games this year, though that was all the 19-year-old needed to show that he has a lot more upside than he was given credit for. The second breaking ball for Perez is an above-average curveball in the low 80s. Once viewed as a bench utility type, Rafaela looks more like an every day player with super-utility versatility in a similar manner to Chris Taylor of the Dodgers. At this point, Matos bat-to-ball skills are almost a double-edged sword; on one hand, he is able to spoil tough pitches in two-strike counts, playing a big part in his minuscule 12% K-rate, but on the flip side, Matos will produce weak contact swinging at a ball off the plate early in the count that most other hitters would whiff and recalibrate. Painters second plus pitch is his 81-83 mph sweeping slider. The athleticism of Holliday is more than evident in the batters box, as he shows off impressive lower-half adjustability, helping him still get off good swings even when he is a bit fooled our out front. Son of former All-Star Matt Holliday, Jackson stands out to many as the best well-rounded prospect of the 2022 draft. At 17 years old on draft day, Bradley was one of the youngest players in the entire class. There wasnt much hesitation from the speedy Carter in regards to attempted steals this season. It is difficult to project power for a prospect like Winn. At times, Collier tends get on his front foot a bit too early, leading to some rollovers and weaker contact. Peraza has a silky smooth right-handed stroke that features a big, slow and controlled leg kick and a clean barrel path that stays in the zone for a long time. Height/Weight: 61, 205|Bat/Throw: L/R|2nd Round (62) 2021|ETA: 2023. Height/Weight: 60, 195|Bat/Throw: R/R|1st Round (3), 2020 (MIA)|ETA: 2022. Rocchios speed is more visible in the field than on the base paths at this point, which is a bit surprising given his well-documented impressive baseball IQ. Height/Weight: 61, 175|Bat/Throw: L/R|1st Round (1) 2022|ETA: 2026. 23 The San Diego Padres have hit just 79 home runs as a team, second-fewest among NL clubs. Carroll has the ability to drive the ball with authority, but he also can slap balls into the ground with a great chance of beating them out. When Frelick is at his best, he is smacking line drives to either gap while resorting to more of the put the ball in play approach with two strikes. It is safe to assume that Moreno could at least be an average defender with potential to be above-average with the glove. Top-notch speed and potential for a 70-grade hit tool have Frelick looking like one of baseballs safer prospects. His plus wheels and athleticism allow him to move around the field with ease and his plus arm strength only strengthens his defensive profile. The son of MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and the No. Montgomery already controls his body really well, keeping his weight back and using his leverage. Painter is a rare talent who is looking increasingly likely to make his big league debut before he can legally buy a beer. Vientos numbers against lefties give him the floor of a platoon masher. 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. Height/Weight: 64, 190|Bat/Throw: R/R|2nd Round (50) 2020|ETA: 2024. After hitting 10 homers in 102 Low-A games last year, Rafaela exploded with 21 bombs in 116 High-A/Double-A games this season while seeing his batting average jump by nearly 50 points. After 2020s layoff, Jung emerged with a tweaked set up and a swing geared for more lift. Though the pitch can be inconsistent, it boasts 17 inches of horizontal movement which can be devastating for right-handed hitters given how difficult it can be to pick up the ball out of his hand from his slingshot release. Regardless, the power will come naturally for the 6 left-handed bat as he matures and fills out. The Rangers snagged Carter in the second-round for an underslot bonus of $1.25 million. The fourth pitch for Painter is a changeup that has flashed above-average in the upper 80s. A great athlete, Cowsers lower half adjustability and impressive feel for the barrel help him put good swings on tough pitches and use the whole field. His hands and ability to manipulate the barrel allow him to get to pitches even when he loses his lower half, but he has shown plus power potential when he stays on his back side. Buschs opposite-field power is perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game. Assuming Alcantara adds more strength and continues his maturity as a hitter, the offensive outcomes for the young outfielder are really limitless. It was a lost season for Matos who battled injuries all year long. If Rocchio can develop into a .270 hitter with 15-20 homers per season, his defense, speed and intangibles would make him a well above average regular at the position. A power breakout in 2021 had Jung on a fast track before a torn left labrum delayed his start to the 2022 season. A grinder behind the dish, Alvarez has continued to improve defensively as he has progressed through the minors. Height/Weight: 66, 200|Bat/Throw: R/R|IFA: $1M 2018 (NYY)|ETA: 2024. His low 80s slider flashes plus with late sweeping break. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, rounds out Baltimore's trio of top 15 prospects. The speedy shortstop has improved his base stealing drastically in 2022, getting better jumps and picking more opportune times to run. Volpe has the goods to blend a plus hit tool with plus game power. A good athlete, Wood played basketball as well before moving down to Florida to focus on baseball (smart move). Though Carroll played in a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he has produced a max exit velocity of 111 mph and his 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.6 just edges out Christian Walker for the best mark in the D-backs organization. There was no doubt that PCA would be a solid, high floor prospect thanks to his elite defensive potential and speed as a left handed-hitting center fielder. The changeup gives Hall another comfortably above-average secondary pitch in the mid 80s that features lots of arm-side run and some sink. Montgomery was viewed as an older prep prospect, but now he is ahead of schedule of most of the 2021 draftees thanks to his polish at the plate. He struggled at times with the timing of his leg kick in years prior and his ridiculous 2022 slash line may point towards the tweak helping him find even more consistency. He has drawn immense praise for his high baseball IQ and should be a 20+ stolen base threat in the big leagues. The 20-year-old is still an extremely aggressive hitter, but he consistently hits the ball hard and rarely misses mistakes. Easy plus speed and projectable power give Ford plenty of upside even if he does not stick behind the dish. Yet another electric pitching prospect in a loaded Dodgers system, Miller has a good chance to be the best of the bunch. He starts upright and takes a short stride before just letting his bat speed and elite hand eye coordination kick in. The result is a barrel path that essentially lives in the zone and allows him to drive balls to all parts of the zone with relative ease. . The centerpiece in the Luis Castillo swap with the Mariners, Marte possesses immense offensive upside and continues to look more polished at the plate. Since debuting in 2021, Whites fastball has operated in the mid 90s, topping out at 97 mph with riding life. A comfortably above-average arm and more than enough athleticism to be passable in a corner outfield spot, there is plenty of reason to believe that Caissie can develop into at least an average defender and he made solid strides defensively this season. Harrisons above-average changeup worked in tandem with his fastball to make at-bats extremely difficult on opposite-handed hitters. A virtual guarantee to stay in center field with a hit tool that is trending towards a 70 grade, Frelick is a throwback player who will have Steven Kwan lovers seeing double, but with a bit more exciting tools. Alvarezs arm is easily plus and he has honed in on his accuracy this year, throwing out 28% of base stealers in the upper levels (a figure that has progressively gotten better as the year has gone on). The different looks he can give hitters at 6-foot-5 makes at-bats miserable to say the least. He is athletic, moving and blocking well behind the dish. Impressive knowledge of the strike zone and the ability to play all three outfield spots have him looking like a potential Aaron Judge type of talent, but for every Judge there are dozens of John Mayberry Jr.s. A plus runner, Turangs speed is impactful both in the field and on the base paths. He has hit balls as hard as 111 mph this season, producing majestic homers to his pull side. Davis has a chance to hit for average along with 30 homer upside. With impressive bat-to-ball skills, and even better pitch recognition skills, Collier has a chance to be an OBP machine with 30-homer pop. The slider has late, gyro break that dives under barrels and generates plenty of ground balls. Volpe stores plenty of energy in his back side with his hovering leg kick before unleashing his explosive lower half and bat speed. An average runner at best, Baty is not much of a base stealer, swiping only eight bags in his 237 minor league games. Campbell features a four-seam fastball with high spin rates peaking at 97 mph, a plus curveball, and a change-up that, like the fastball, features high RPMs that induce weak contact and a ton of swing and miss out of the zone. Termarr played 23 games split between rookie ball and A- Bradenton, slashing .222/.366/.365 combined. Though, if he is going to tap into his plus raw power consistently, he will need to iron out the kinks with his lower half. The 22-year-old right-hander features a plus fastball topping out at 99 mph and a plus slider that has sharp cutting action in the high 80s.