I released my new top 50 MLB prospects ranking last week, but as always, it was difficult settle on the final group. In particular, I gave strong consideration to the following 12 position players and pitchers who, ultimately, just barely missed out. However, I think all of them will make the top 50 in 2024 if they stay healthy and continue to develop.
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Here’s a look at a dozen more of the best prospects in the game, all of whom I view as future successful major leaguers.
Statistics are updated through Sept. 5 unless otherwise noted. Players’ ages are as of Sept. 5. Players’ minor-league level at the time of publication is listed in parentheses. Jim Bowden’s scouting grades are based on the 20-80 scale, in which 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. PWR denotes Power; FLD: Fielding; FB: Fastball; CT: Cutter; CB: Curveball; CH: Changeup; SLI: Slider; CTL: Control; CMND: Command.
1. Matt Shaw, INF, Cubs (Double A)
Age: 21
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 5-11 Weight: 185
Scouting grades: HIT: 60 PWR: 55 RUN: 60 ARM: 45 FLD: 50
Matt Shaw was the Cubs’ first-round pick this year out of the University of Maryland (13th overall) and has already moved up three levels, slashing a combined .398/.441/.678 with seven doubles, four triples, six home runs and 22 RBIs in 127 plate appearances. He also has 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. His approach at the plate is so advanced that he’s quickly reached Double A and I believe he will make his major-league debut sometime next season. Shaw can play second base, shortstop and third base but his hit tool is what really separates him. He’s going to hit, period.
2. Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox (Low A, 7-day injured list)
Age: 20
Height: 6-9 Weight: 220
Scouting grades: FB: 55 SLI: 65 CH: 50 CTL: 60 CMND: 55
Noah Schultz’s calling card is a wipeout slider that left-handed hitters have no chance of touching — even when they know it’s coming. The left-hander’s fastball sits in the mid-90s with late life and explosion in the strike zone and a high spin rate. His changeup flashes solid-average fade when it’s on. Due to his extensive reach and his arm angle, Schultz is a very interesting prospect regardless of whether he makes it as a starter or a high-leverage reliever. The 2022 first-round pick could come quickly, too, though he’ll need to stay healthy after dealing with a flexor tendon strain earlier in the year and now a left shoulder impingement. But he has a 1.33 ERA in 10 starts this season in the Low-A Carolina League, with 38 strikeouts and only six walks in 27 innings.
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3. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers (High A)
Sebastian Walcott in spring training. (Ben Ludeman / Texas Rangers / Getty Images)Age: 17
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6-4 Weight: 190
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 55 RUN: 55 ARM: 70 FLD: 50
Sebastian Walcott signed with Texas for $3.2 million in January out of the Bahamas and has jumped from Rookie ball to High A this year as a 17-year-old. He’s impressive. Walcott has the type of bat speed that makes your heart pound and your palms sweat. He has above-average power now but profiles to have plus-plus power in time. His exit velocity is elite because of the bat speed, and you hear it in the noise coming off his barrel. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and reads the ball out of pitchers’ hands extremely well. He’s an above-average runner with major-league actions and instincts. He has a standout arm. He might be able to stay at shortstop; if not, he could easily slide over to third base.
4. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Orioles (High A)
Age: 19
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6-3 Weight: 180
Scouting grades: HIT: 55 PWR: 55 RUN: 40 ARM: 60 FLD: 45
The Orioles are so loaded with left-handed hitting prospects that it’s scary. No organization has done a better job of developing lefty hitters recently than Baltimore and Samuel Basallo is yet another example. He hits the ball with impressive exit velocity and consistent sweet-spot contact. He has strong hands and forearms, which generate significant raw power. He also has a patient approach at the plate and will draw walks. He has some work to do defensively at catcher and first base, but the bat plays. Basallo has reached base at a 39 percent clip this year with 17 home runs and 77 RBIs in 449 plate appearances, and hit even better in High A after a midseason promotion than he did in Low A.
5. Jace Jung, 2B, Tigers (Double A)
Age: 22
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6-0 Weight: 205
Scouting grades: HIT: 55 PWR: 55 RUN: 45 ARM: 45 FLD: 45
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Jace Jung can flat-out rake with power, like his older brother, Rangers third baseman Josh Jung. This year, between High A and Double A, the younger Jung has slashed .266/.379/.493 with 25 doubles, 24 home runs and 73 RBIs while stealing five bases in six attempts. A first-round pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech, Jung projects to put up similar numbers in the majors when he’s ready, which should be sometime next summer. Defensively, second base is his only position and although he has below-average range and a below-average arm, he does make the routine plays.
6. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins (High A)
Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2022. (Mike Janes / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)Age: 20
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 5-10 Weight: 210
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 60 RUN: 55 ARM: 60 FLD: 50
Emmanuel Rodriguez’s power warrants a 60 grade and he can do damage to all fields. The contact he makes is consistently hard, and he generates great backspin on the ball. He can play all three outfield positions at close to average defensively with a plus arm. I think his best position will end up being right field because of his arm strength. Rodriguez has logged an .869 OPS this year with 13 doubles, nine triples, 16 home runs, 52 RBIs and 19 stolen bases (in 24 attempts) over 95 games at High A.
7. Edwin Arroyo, INF, Reds (High A)
Age: 20
Bats: B Throws: R
Height: 6-0 Weight: 175
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 45 RUN: 55 ARM: 55 FLD: 60
The Reds’ farm system has yet another top infield prospect on the way in Edwin Arroyo, who is an above-average infielder whether he stays at shortstop or is moved to second base. He has soft hands, quick feet and great instincts. He takes elite angles to groundballs and possesses a strong arm from deep in the hole and when throwing from various angles. He’s a line-drive hitter who sprays his hits gap to gap with average home run power and he can steal a base, notching 28 in 35 attempts this year. At the plate, he still needs to work on hitting breaking balls and not chasing out of the zone. Selected in the second round by the Mariners in 2021, Arroyo should make it to Double A sometime next summer and then be on the doorstep as early as 2025.
8. Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs (Double A)
Age: 21
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6-3 Weight: 190
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 60 RUN: 45 ARM: 55 FLD: 45
After being selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Owen Caissie was one of the headline prospects acquired by the Cubs in the Yu Darvish trade in December 2021. Caissie can really hit, and he’s had a breakout year at Double A, slashing .285/.397/.521 with 28 doubles, 21 home runs and 78 RBIs. There is swing-and-miss in his game (154 strikeouts in 487 plate appearances), but he also has the ability to draw walks on borderline pitches. Left field is his best position and he has a sneaky-good outfield arm. He should be major-league ready by next September.
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9. Tyler Black, INF/OF, Brewers (Triple A)
Age: 23
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 5-10 Weight: 204
Scouting grades: HIT: 55 PWR: 50 RUN: 60 ARM: 45 FLD: 45
Tyler Black is an on-base machine. In fact, over three minor-league seasons, he has a .404 on-base percentage. A first round pick in 2021 out of Wright State (33rd overall), Black has a career-high 16 homers in 396 at-bats this year as his power has started to arrive. In addition, he’s stolen a career-high 51 bases in 62 attempts. However, he’s a below-average defender with a below-average arm (in the infield and outfield), which curtails his advancement paths to the majors.
10. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians (Triple A)
Kyle Manzardo in spring training with the Rays. (Reinhold Matay / USA Today)Age: 23
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6-0 Weight: 205
Scouting grades: HIT: 60 PWR: 50 RUN: 40 ARM: 55 FLD: 50
Kyle Manzardo was the prospect headliner in the Aaron Civale trade between the Rays and Guardians at the deadline. The Guardians, desperate to improve their lineup, were willing to give up a controllable starting pitcher for an opportunity to land their long-term answer at first base. A second-round pick in 2021 out of Washington State, Manzardo reads the ball extremely well out of the pitcher’s hand and he has an easy, simple swing. He profiles as a .290-type hitter at the next level with average power, producing similar numbers to former major leaguer Hal Morris. The Guardians hope that more strength-and-conditioning work will help Manzardo’s power improve over time. He has 11 homers this season at Triple A but missed six weeks with a shoulder injury. Defensively, he’s an average first baseman with a quick glove on scoops.
11. Kevin Alcántara, OF, Cubs (High A)
Age: 21
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6-6 Weight: 188
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 55 RUN: 55 ARM: 55 FLD: 55
At 6-foot-6, 188 pounds, Kevin Alcántara is an absolute beast and he’s loaded with tools. He has much to overcome because of his gigantic strike zone and a long swing that needs to be shortened, but his elite exit velocity and raw strength are helping him navigate those challenges. He has the potential to develop into a 30-home run hitter if he can close his many holes at the plate. Alcántara is a tremendous athlete and all of his tools are above average except his hitting, although he could be a late bloomer there. This year he’s slashed .277/.335/.449 with 23 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBIs in the low minors but has struck out 95 times in 361 at-bats. High-risk, high-reward type of prospect.
12. Tommy Troy, SS, Diamondbacks (High A)
Age: 21
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 5-10 Weight: 197
Scouting grades: HIT: 50 PWR: 50 RUN: 55 ARM: 50 FLD: 50
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Tommy Troy was the Diamondbacks’ first-round pick this year out of Stanford (12th overall). He has a high baseball IQ and special instincts. He’s a player who won’t necessarily light up the stat sheet but will win games, comparable to shortstop Dansby Swanson in that regard. (That said, Troy has produced an .843 OPS over 115 plate appearances in his first professional season.) Troy makes consistent hard contact at the plate and displays excellent patience, pitch recognition and hand-eye coordination. He’s a plus runner and seems to always be in the right place at the right time defensively. He shouldn’t take long to reach the big leagues.
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo of Owen Caissie: Danny Parker / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
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