Rafaela is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder with a very immature approach. Nitpicking about his swing actualization is fine because were talking about one of baseballs best prospects, but the foundation of present skills and tools combined with Jones physical projection makes him a potential franchise-altering superstar. The 55 FV pitchers and above tend to have some combination of monster stuff and good command, whereas the 50 FV pitchers often have one or the other. As you would probably expect from a hitter with such a steep swing (this is about as steep as one can get without it becoming a problem), Pages swings and misses a fair bit, but not enough that it makes his prospecthood feel flimsy. Chourio is a hard-swinging center fielder with plus power and speed. 2022 MLB Top Prospects For Every Team - Baseball America The Dodgers and Rangers each forfeited $1,000,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers to lower their pool to $4,144,000. The amount of power here is sensational. His frame is maxed out, and Marte is not currently mobile enough to project as a big league shortstop defender. He was a known bat-first prospect from California but time off recovering from a shoulder surgery and the pandemic made him tough to properly evaluate before the draft, tough enough that he was not generally seen as a first round prospect. As of list publication, Rodriguez is one of just two catchers on Pittsburghs 40-man roster, and while its possible hes beaten out by a veteran non-roster invitee like Tyler Heineman or Kevin Plawecki, Rodriguezs defensive chops and versatility give him a shot to break camp with the big club, split time with Austin Hedges, and moonlight at one or two other positions before eventually seizing the primary catcher job. He has some outfield experience but very little in pro ball, and he doesnt exactly look like a fish in water out there. When LSU hired Jay Johnson away, Berry was one of several players who transferred out of Tucson, following Johnson to Baton Rouge. His forearms have grown like the Grinchs heart, and Carroll can now bang wall-threatening contact to all fields with the flick of his wrists. Unique defensive versatility (C/2B/OF) and premium feel for contact make Rodriguez a core part of Pittsburghs future. Tracking the status and signings of all 2023 MLB international players. Ramos has performed in the minors even though scouts consider him raw in many respects. 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List; Top 50 Free Agents; . But all of a sudden, an influx of extraordinary high-level talent began funneling from the international market. This is an attempt to graphically represent how likely each FV outcome is for each prospect. If he and the Rockies can find a way to be on time against fastballs, then theres a shot for a real breakout here, but its tough to ask that of someone who, to this point, has been successful. Gian Zapata, OF, D.R. Parada was the rare high-profile California high schooler who left the state for college, traveling all the way to Atlanta for two years at Georgia Tech. 2022 Top 100 Midseason Prospects Reports Live Looks Baseball Cards TDBC Sign Up ADP Standings More Beyond Baseball Games Shop Article Archives Staff Patreon Search Prospects Live Staff MLB Draft, 2023 MLB Draft A new year, a new board and new ranks. Guardians 2023 Top 50 Prospects, No. 45 SS Welbyn Francisca 1. For one, he struck out in a third of his A-ball plate appearances, and the track record for hitters who K that much at such a low level is not very good. Its the second year in a row the period started in January. He hit 26 homers and 33 doubles and posted a 148 wRC+ at Vancouver and New Hampshire before he was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo at the very end of the year. Hell be a cog in Phillys quest for a second NL pennant. Druw Jones . Chourio made The Leap in 2022, going from being a well-regarded prospect who had a chance to blow up to one who seemingly has. His 2021 season got off to a delayed start because of a stress fracture in his left foot (he slashed .326/.398/.592 across 80 upper-level games thereafter) and Jung spent most of 2022 on the shelf rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn left labrum. He wasnt tested on the complex in 2022. Short levers enable Frelick to turn on inner-third fastballs and let him spray or spoil pitches that travel deep into the hitting zone, making him very tough to strike out. Jarlin Susana, RHP, Dominican Republic Padres ($1,700,000) More 32. Ideally, hell have a four- and two-seam variant at peak and be able to work both north/south and east/west with his fastball, but as of 2022, his fastball command was still quite crude. -- $325,000Luis Lameda, SS., Ven. It is possible this will be the last international free agency class ever. Frelicks style of hitting should enable doubles (and some triples) pop, but there isnt likely to be any kind of over-the-fence power here, so little that one could argue Frelick belongs south of the 50 FV tier even if he were a lock to stay in center field. Martinez made that less likely. This is the third year were delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which youll see in the position column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The 11th overall pick in 2018 out of a Texas high school, Rodriguez saw his stuff tick up immediately after turning pro, and it steadily climbed each year until it took a step backward in 2022 amid a shoulder injury. There are 12 prospects from Venezuela, three from Cuba, two from the Bahamas and one each from Mexico and Korea. In a typical year, wed have a couple more than that, and sometimes as many as five or six, but this year there are only two. Of those accolades, perhaps the most promising was his durability; given the violence in his delivery, our biggest concern has been Cavallis ability to stay healthy, so the fact that he notched over 123 innings of work without an IL stint was a welcome development. If Eder is wild upon his initial return to affiliated ball, it will be tough to know if hes regressed to his career command mean or if its just rust from being 17 months post-op. Robert Calaz, OF, D.R. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Rocchios feel for contact and his defensive ability drive a high-probability everyday profile. Unless otherwise noted, clubs have not confirmed the deals. That means Chourios surface level stats may have been significantly inflated. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. AUCTION - 2022 Panini Elite Extra Edition Baseball Hobby Box : Cubs ($1,000,000) More 15. There will probably be a consistent hole against fastballs up and away for Domnguez. Increased changeup emphasis, which was already evident during Williams first instructs, has occurred in pro ball, and while Williams meal ticket is still his mid-90s fastball, which he rips past hitters at the letters, he has three viable weapons right now and might have a fourth as his changeup develops. Partnered with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group|Powered by. He still needs to find a position, though. If Alcantara hits at High-A during the first half of 2023, he should get a second half look in Double-A, which would put him on a more comfortable pace to compete for an opening day roster spot in 2025. From the left side of the plate, Rodriguez has an exceptional ability to rip his hands through pitches on the inner edge of the zone. A stiff, upright hitter, Diaz might have some issues with fastballs running in on his hands at the big league level, as he tended to be late on the ones he saw at Double- and Triple-A, driving them almost exclusively to the opposite field. Almost all of Veens pull-side contact into the outfield once he was promoted to Double-A came against secondary pitches. Drafted and mostly deployed as a third baseman, Mayo has projected as a right fielder since his draft year because of his size. He doesnt track pitches especially well (his head often flies all over the place) and he has mediocre barrel variability, so hes likely to swing and miss at an above-average clip in the big leagues, but hes going to get to an absurd amount of power for a catcher and produce at an All-Star offensive level for that position. The international signing period runs through Dec. 15, 2023. You can really see his athleticism and remarkable hip/shoulder separation on his throws down to second. His huge strides enable him to cover a ton of ground in center field and he is a not only a viable defender out there right now, but he looks like a future plus glove. His fastball has done a ton of damage at the top of the zone and is a legit plus-plus pitch. The degree of confidence in his hit tool has him ranked on the Top 100 ahead of some other middle infielders who are closer to the big leagues or who are more likely to stay shortstop. Instead, Buschs path may lead through the outfield, where things are less settled for Los Angeles. -- $400,000Andres Valor, OF, Ven. Green struck out in a third of his varsity at-bats in 2021, and swung and missed more than he put balls in play during that years summer/fall showcase circuit before things improved during his senior year of high school. Davis skills and offensive style are tailored like those of Evan Gattis. Something is comforting about knowing you have a group of players you can go to when the player pool thins out. Updated Top 100 Prospects After 2022 MLB Draft - Bleacher Report By the end of the year he was late on any sort of real velocity, struggling to get on top of fastballs up and away from him, and spraying most of his contact down the third base line, unable to turn on much of anything. Turang is so defensively gifted that he is almost certain to have a significant and lengthy big league career, especially now that shifting is banned. Historically, Wesneski has favored his four-seamer overall, though against big league righties, his awesome slider and sinker out-paced the heater in terms of usage, with both secondaries garnering above-average chase rates and aiding his ability to maintain a high groundball rate. Here's everything you need to know going into the open of the 2022 international signing period. His arm is electric, and it continues to dazzle scouts. -- $900,000Anyelo Marquez, SS, D.R. Ive had the opportunity to stockpile an entire tier of players without fear of being sniped. The signing period closes Dec. 15. Nelson Rada, OF, Venezuela Angels ($1,850,000) More 30. You'll see two of the international free agents high on my prospect list, with polished games and loud tools. Prior to his fifth-round selection in the 2021 draft, Graceffo had been Villanovas Friday starter, routinely called upon to throw well over 100 pitches per outing. : Royals+ ($450,000) More 50. He is expected to sign with the White Sox, who always pursue Cuban players aggressively. 4:35 pm ET. Hes so long that this may be exposed as an issue as the level of velocity Wood sees increases. Manzardo put up video game numbers at Washington State, slashing .336/.404/.533 during his time with the Cougars and walking nearly as much as he struck out during his draft year. Rodriguez was quite comfortably the most dominant pitcher in the minors in 2021, when he racked up nearly three times as many strikeouts as hits allowed. This sort of thing runs through McGarrys whole operation, but he already has rare repertoire depth and quality for a reliever, and he might throw harder working just one or two innings at a time. His overall chase rates remain a little worse than average but theyre not terrifying. -- $300,000, MarlinsJancory De La Cruz, OF, D.R. 2023 International Signings: Rating the best prospects of the 2022-23 He has a surprisingly authoritative left-handed cut for a player of his stature and shows you lovely all-fields ability to hit, snatching hanging breaking balls and inner-third fastballs to his pull side and spraying lots of middle-away fastballs to the opposite field. Not all of the pitchers who showed a velocity increase during 2020 Instructional League activity, which came after the prolonged pandemic layoff, have sustained that bump. Even though Wood is quite big, he has feel for tucking his hands in and getting the barrel to softer pitches on the inner half of the plate, often staying inside them and driving them to the opposite gap. The swing changes that helped enable his breakout created a bat path built to lift the ball to the extreme, and Volpes average launch angle was a whopping 24 degrees last year. Lee is a skilled, switch-hitting shortstop (for now) with power. On last look, it was stuff that profiled in the middle of a contending teams rotation, rather than at the very front. In the past, teams could trade for an additional 50 percent of their bonus pool, though bonus pool trades have been prohibited since MLB and the MLBPA agreed to changes in response to the pandemic. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. His mid-80s slider was his go-to secondary, but his command was spotty throughout the season, to the tune of a 5.44 BB/9 over the course of his 92.2 innings. 2022 Top 100 Top 30 by Team Top 10 by Position Draft International Stats Podcasts Show Full List Prospect Headlines Winn has bragging rights over Walker with 435-foot HR March 3, 2023 Armed with 99 mph sinker, Uribe making electric comeback March 3, 2023 Who will back up Cooper at first base in 2023? Between the two Triple-A squads, Wesneski tossed a total of 110 innings before being called upon to fill out the Cubs rotation. -- $350,000, TwinsJuan Hernandez, SS, Ven. Not since Bryce Harper has a prospect carved a path quite like Colliers, one that was optimized to appeal to draft models, weighty in-person scouting looks, and perhaps lead to a very young eventual free agency. His first step can be a little delayed, but Jones huge strides eat up tons of ground in the outfield, and he gallivants into the gaps, robs would-be doubles, and has a runner-sniping arm. There are plenty of outstanding dynasty managers. And while some of my sources think the league and the PA could come together on a draft format before the next CBA is ratified, there is doubt that it will happen soon enough for it to change the way the 2024 class signs. -- $450,000Ruben Menes, RHP, D.R. The base signing pool for the Angels, Astros, Athletics, Braves, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees is $5,179,700. Ranking players is a challenge regardless of their age. All of his swings components fire in a short period of time, which can be jarring to watch, but Mayo has been smoking liners and hitting huge pull-side homers with this swing since he was a high school underclassman. Position-wise, there are 20 infielders, 18 outfielders, five catchers, six pitchers and one two-way player. His physicality perhaps gives him a better chance of withstanding that grind than most other prospects. 2022 was the first season where Soderstroms time at first base surpassed his time behind the dish. His hands work with natural lift, but Busch keeps their path short and on time, and he can move the barrel all over the zone. He returned three months later and labored through a rocky September with Norfolk, during which he struggled with walks. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. He spent four years working for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate, two with Baseball Info Solutions and two contributing to prospect coverage at ESPN.com. An approach or swing change could lead to a breakout and Acuas approach might also cause him to perform beneath this ranking, so consider him a volatile prospect even though hes on a 40-man. Unless hed throwing on the run, he just sort of lollipops the ball over to first. MLB Prospect Watch: 2022 minor-league awards, including Orioles as top When players with that skill set have a better hit tool than advertised, the potential for fantasy stardom becomes a real possibility. Even though it seems likely there will eventually be a draft, in the immediate-term, teams are behaving as if there wont be one to avoid being caught flat-footed in the event one doesnt materialize, or that it takes a while for the infrastructure that would support a draft to be put in place. Jaison Chourio, OF, Venezuela Guardians ($1,200,000) More 21. Thirty-two of the players on the 2022 Top 50 International Prospects list are from the Dominican Republic. Those teams will then triage prospects later in the process and nix whichever verbal deals they see as the least favorable. Top Baseball International Prospects | MLB.com He might have to augment his swing to get to all of that power, and the chase component threatens to drag the hit tool down, but guys who hit the ball this often and this hard tend to turn into good big leaguers. He blew triple-digits at the top of the zone past batters at every stop, with his fastball averaging 99 mph at Triple-A. Buschs swing is simple but still athletic and explosive. He has an ideal pitchers frame, his gorgeous delivery generated mid-90s velocity with huge riding life at the top of the zone, his changeup is one of the better amateur changeups most scouts have ever seen, and before his elbow blew out during his draft spring, his curveball looked like it had gotten better. He projects as a slugging five- or six-hole hitter in a typical contending lineup, with contact issues that will create some whiff-prone stretches and significant year-to-year variance. The Rays gave him a $2.3 million bonus to keep him from heading to Cal and have developed him solely at short. Wherever he ends up, if you have the means to head to the ballpark early to watch lvarez take batting practice, you should. Abel has long thrown hard for his age, his velocity steadily climbing into its current 95-97 mph band up from the 90-94 range when he was first known to FanGraphs as a prospect. Miller will occasionally show you good secondary stuff. MLB.com's free scouting report says Cols can "play all three outfield positions and projects to hit in the middle of the order." Perhaps of real concern was Nelsons velocity, which has fluctuated a few times during his career and was down for most of 2022. Romo has a plus glove and plus-plus arm but likely wont make a huge offensive impact. MLB international signing period: Where the top international prospects Some of what Ramos does on defense is very impressive. After beginning his career as a reliever, Senga moved into the Fukuoka Hawks rotation in 2017 and has spent the last half decade as one of the better starters (and hardest-throwing pitchers) in all of NPB. For example, the gap between Padres shortstop Jackson Merrill (No. Brown is the Mewtwo of pitchers, engineered as a facsimile of another powerful entity using science and technology. Rayner Arias, OF, D.R. Theres still mid-rotation potential here, its just not as in focus as it seemed to be a year ago. What you have it what you can spend. This is another potential homegrown star for the Sox. Neither his slider nor changeup is fully baked quite yet, but if either (or both) become viable, they would bring with them a higher probability that Priester slots in as a mid-rotation starter. He performed well during a September call-up to New York, posting a BABIP-aided .306/.404/.429 line in 18 games. -- $350,000D'Angelo Tejada, D.R. Any discussion of Walker begins with his exit velocities, which are nearly unheard of for a player this young. The issue is that its nearly impossible to predict which player it will be. Even though both Davis and Rodriguez are near-ready catching prospects, they arent redundant, and in fact they complement each other well. He hit .337/.453/.601 as a teenager in the Cal League before the Padres traded him to Washington as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster, after which he hit .293/.366/.463. -- $797,500, AthleticsRamon Landaeta, C, Ven. Once I have a fairly complete picture of the players set to garner meaningful bonuses, I start to make more scouting and evaluation-centric calls and inquiries to augment the initial, bonus-based list. Unfortunately, he did neither. He was added to the 40-man roster at the end of the season and should become part of the Rangers rotation at some point in 2023. : Athletics+ ($750,000) More 41. Well, Volpes swing starts with what is best described as a heel tap of his rear leg, as he loads all his weight onto his back side before he strides forward and swings with verve and ferocity. If theres a real long-term concern that has become evident as a result of Yorkes year, its that he seems injury prone and has now had several disruptive maladies in the last couple of years. Young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Ronald Acuna, Yordan Alvarez, Wander Franco, Julio Rodriguez, and many more started as relatively obscure teenagers. Standout 2022, 2023 Players At The Minority Baseball Prospects All Nelson spent most of his college career in the bullpen showing huge stuff, fringe command, and repertoire depth that led to optimism surrounding his development as a starter. He shares many similarities with Eduardo Escobar. This new signing. Yorke was the biggest surprise of the 2020 drafts first round. lvarez only ran a 75% Z-contact and 66% overall contact rate in the minors, which is near the bottom of the big league catching continuum, and almost identical to Joey Bart and Jorge Alfaro, who have struggled to find big league footing on offense. Maikol Orozco, SS, Ven. Every player set to receive a bonus of $2 million or more is included in this ranking, with a smattering of players with high six-figure bonuses and up included as well, players who emerged as favorites of mine throughout the process. With the Dragons in 2022, Rece earned the Reds Minor League Player of the Month Award for May. The Chicago Cubs are the favorites to sign Dominican SS Fernando Cruz, the top prospect in the 2024 international FA period. We can quibble over whether A-ball dynamics have changed due to the elimination of the short season leagues in a way that might invalidate historical precedents like this, but its reasonable to have some pause about Williams long-term prospectdom when you realize the closest 2022 comp for his contact data (66% contact%, 78% z-contact) was Paul DeJong. Luis Guanipa, OF, Ven. Top prospect Brown focusing on slider mechanics after spring debut. Position-wise, there are 26 infielders, 16 outfielders, two pitchers and six catchers. The Yankees have been busy in the international market the last few years being able to sign both the top International prospect in the 2019 and 2022 classes, Jasson Dominguez and Roderick Arias respectively. Ryan Reckley, SS, Bahamas Giants ($2,200,000) More 10. There was no 2020 post-draft minor league season, and each of Jungs last two campaigns have begun with prolonged IL stints due to severe injury. After his velocity varied throughout his senior year at times 92-94 mph, at others parked comfortably in the 95-96 mph range and touching above Jobe mostly sat 93-95 in 2022. The visual evaluation of Hassells feel to hit was consistently strong until the last couple months of 2022. : Blue Jays+ ($4,100,000) More 8. So far that looks to have been the correct assessment, as Williams hit 19 homers, tallied 51 extra-base hits, stole 28 bases and solidified shortstop as his future defensive home during his 2022 foray into full-season ball. Henderson is a viable shortstop defender (for now) who has plus-plus plate discipline and power. Arizonas relatively new Amarillo affiliate is especially extreme relative to the rest of the Texas League. His footwork on throws to second is clunky and variable, which often impacts his throw times and accuracy, but the pure arm strength is in there. He is quite comfortably the best defensive shortstop on the Yankees 40-man entering the 2023 season and likely to play there every day in the near future, producing on par with an average regular at the position. Most apparently, his batting stance is more upright now than in prior seasons, and as he was getting his feet wet in the big leagues late in 2022, Baty was better able to get his bat to fastballs up and away from him, which had been a problem in the minors. Right now, hes notching six outs every five days or so, a number the org would surely like to see increase as he ramps up his innings. by Eric Longenhagen December 16, 2022 Michael Chow-Arizona Republic The final installment of this week's set of international player updates revolves around the amateur prospects who will. document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a7bf68d6b9a4d3fa424865cb41953ca6" );document.getElementById("fe53143262").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. From the right side of the plate, he shows tons of bat speed with a big loft. This was in part due to a notable adjustment to his pitch mix. Domnguez also wasnt seen facing live pitching very much as an amateur, so while his showcase tools were evident, there wasnt as much confidence in his hit tool as is typical of a top-of-the-class prospect. These dominant results paved the way for a late-August call-up to the big-league squad, where he made a single start before being shut down for the remainder of the season with shoulder inflammation. His time on the Twins roster was too short-lived to put much stake in, but was just as brilliant more so, given his ability to translate those above-average across-the-board numbers to the highest level.