RoboScout Top MLB Prospects At Every Level On July 21, 2024 

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Phew, what a week! Although for many fans, it was a true “break” from meaningful baseball, for the Baseball America team, it was one of the busiest weeks of the year with the Futures Game, Prospect Pad and, of course, the MLB Draft

There were still minor league games all week. RoboScout watched them all—and has crunched some more stuff, Statcast, and projection numbers for you.

There has been some movement in the Dominican Summer League rankings–this makes sense as the sample size is still significantly smaller than in the other leagues and Statcast data is still stabilizing–but the upper levels have been reasonably consistent. Once the draftees start debuting, expect some interesting movement–especially in Low-A and High-A. Can’t wait!

As a reminder, the RoboScore is the value (0 to 100) assigned per level by RoboScout based on 2024 statistical performance and projecting fantasy value (without considering defensive position or ability). The RoboCast number is the RoboScore but with statcast blended in and then transformed to the 0 to 100 scale.

Dominican Summer League Hitters (min 30 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Emil MoralesLAD100100
2Edward FlorentinoPIT9598
3Jesus MadeMIL9498
4Jose AndersonMIL9996
5Rainiel RodriguezSTL9495
6Luis PenaMIL9092
7Eduardo BeltreMIN8692
8Yolfran CastilloTEX8388
9Juan OrtunoMIL8587
10Elvin GarciaBAL7986
11Jaset MartinezCIN7785
12Estivel MorilloCLE8985
13Adriander MejiaBAL7585
14Juneiker CaceresCLE8884
15Jirvin MorilloCIN7884
16Stiven MartinezBAL8283
17Rafael FloresTOR6880
18Justin GonzalesBOS7680
19Jesus AlexanderSFG6879
20Gabriel RodriguezCLE7578

 

Emil Morales (Dodgers) is now the top-ranked DSL hitter with a 178 wRC+ along with seven homers and seven steals through 127 plate appearances. His contact rate is still below average, but it’s outweighed by his contact quality, which is pretty much the best in the league. He has the highest barrel rate of any DSL hitter with at least 70 plate appearances, ranking just ahead of Eduardo Beltre (Twins). Morales has the eighth-highest expected wOBA on contact.

Cardinals catcher Rainiel Rodriguez has one of the higher xWOBAcons. The DSL all-star ranks fifth on RoboScout’s list. The 17-year old Dominican backstop also has seven home runs, showing his plus game power. Rodriguez’s maximum exit velocity of 108 mph is already higher than max exit velos for well-regarded players such as C.J. Kayfus (Guardians), Michael Arroyo (Mariners), and Colt Emerson (Mariners). The raw power is already present albeit against inferior pitching. Rodriguez does show a bit more chase than league average but has an average contact rate so far in his 107 plate appearances. His defense lags behind the bat, but he does have a strong arm.

Considering their place on the defensive spectrum, Morales, Jesus Made (Brewers), Luis Pena (Brewers), and Eduardo Beltre (Twins) look like the class of the DSL. Consider all four top 200 fantasy prospects.

 

Complex League Hitters (min 60 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Franklin AriasBOS98100
2Yeremi CabreraTEX9999
3Robert CalazCOL10099
4Eric BitontiMIL9093
5Eduardo TaitPHI9891
6Pablo GuerreroTEX8888
7Eduardo QuinteroLAD8287
8Yoeilin CespedesBOS8386
9Starlyn CabaPHI8185
10Javier MogollonCHW8684
11Edgleen PerezNYY7382
12Engelth UrenaNYY7381
13Brailer GuerreroTBR7580
14Welbyn FranciscaCLE8180
15Felnin CelestenSEA7479
16Braylin MorelTEX8479
17Miguel RodriguezBAL7378
18Dameury PenaMIN7778
19Aroon EscobarPHI6977
20Jhonny SeverinoPIT7377
21Yasser MercedesMIN7077
22Luis MerejoCLE7176
23Jeremy RodriguezNYM8375
24Carlos TavaresWSN6973
25Demetrio CrisantesARI6273

With a huge week where he smashed two home runs and stole nine(!) bases, Franklin Arias (Red Sox) now finds himself at the top of the Complex League Hitters list. RoboScout has liked Arias for a while–without even knowing that he is playing above-average defense at shortstop–because also under the hood, he is making discriminate swing decisions, making contact at a near 80% rate, and making solid quality of contact with an xwOBAcon higher even than that of org mate Roman Anthony (Red Sox). He’s one of my favorite breakouts this year and a Top 75 fantasy prospect with 20/20 potential and good bat-to-ball skills.

Converted Yankees catcher Engelth Urena is flying up the charts on account of his 185 wRC+ since June 3. An outfielder earlier in his career, Urena’s defense hasn’t quite caught up to the bat, although he lost significant development time from a broken hand and a knee injury the past two years. In 2024, however, the 19-year old Dominican has shown plus swing decisions and a plus contact rate all season with his quality of contact steadily improving as the season has worn on, showing 25+ home run power. Although the bat is solid, his fantasy value will likely hinge on whether he can stick at catcher because the profile is not quite in the vicinity of other first base or left field prospects.

Braves shortstop John Gil is another interesting name outside the top 25. He is showing an excellent blend of power and speed while playing  solid defense. Gil has really turned it on over the last six weeks, hitting all of three of his home runs and stealing 18 of his 26 bases over his last 122 plate appearances. Although the 18-year old is showing elite swing decisions, with average to above-average contact, the quality of contact lags the hit tool even though he has raised his 90th percentile exit velocity to 102.5 mph, 3 mph higher than in 2023. He’s an exciting but raw fantasy prospect who should be seeing full-season ball shortly. Put him on your watch list.

Complex League Pitchers (min 12 IP)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Yordy HerreraSTL100100
2Trevor HarrisonTBR9398
3Christian ZazuetaLAD8791
4Samuel SanchezLAD9291
5Sean LinanLAD9090
6Ovis PortesBOS8490
7Hayden RobinsonMIL9389
8Joseph YabbourNYM8289
9Keyner BenitezMIA9889
10Jefferson JeanOAK8688
11Juan ValeraBOS8587
12Jacob BresnahanCLE9287
13Johan SimonTOR7986
14Jogly GarciaCLE8286
15Alix HernandezSFG8486
16Adrian HerreraCIN8185
17Jesus CarreraHOU8584
18Sandy OzunaCOL8984
19Zander MuethPIT7783
20Rafael GonzalezHOU7983
21Nelfy YnfanteSTL9082
22Jordarlin MendozaNYY7682
23Luis ReyesCHW8482
24Luis MorellisCIN8582
25Enniel CortezMIL8581

Jefferson Jean (Athletics) enters the top 10 this week with a 41% strikeout rate—the second-highest mark for anyone averaging more than two innings per appearance. The bad news is that it comes with a 16.7% walk rate so he obviously needs to work on the control. The arsenal though is quite solid as the 19-year old righthander has a 95-97 mph fastball with over a foot of armside run, an 83 mph slider with two-plane break, and a show-me changeup that he needs to work on. If he can harness the command, he can jump up rankings.

Low-A Hitters (min 60 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Leodalis De VriesSDP100100
2Michael ArroyoSEA9298
3Axiel PlazPIT9797
4Colt EmersonSEA8795
5Aidan SmithSEA8995
6Lazaro MontesSEA9894
7Blake MitchellKCR8493
8Kevin McGonigleDET8390
9Jonny FarmeloSEA7888
10Demetrio CrisantesARI7587
11Josue De PaulaLAD7386
12Jeral PerezLAD7585
13Ralphy VelazquezCLE7783
14Jaison ChourioCLE7483
15Walker JenkinsMIN7082
16Zyhir HopeLAD6781
17Jesus BaezNYM7681
18Alfredo DunoCIN7481
19George WolkowCHW8180
20Rosman VerdugoSDP7378
21Arjun NimmalaTOR7478
22Logan WagnerLAD6378
23Yophery RodriguezMIL7877
24Angel GenaoCLE6576
25Bryce EldridgeSFG6676

We have a new top hitter in Low-A. Preseason favorite Leodalis De Vries (Padres) has been on a tear with six home runs, eight stolen bases and a 120 wRC+ since June 3 as the youngest hitter in the league. De Vries has a xwOBAcon over .400 with league-average contact and chase rates. No wonder RoboScout is infatuated.

If you’re interested in power, look no further than White Sox outfielder George Wolkow. He has eight home runs since his promotion to full-season ball on June 4. The 6-foot-7 behemoth generates otherworldly power at 18 years old, evidenced by the 43.5% strikeout rate, but it comes at a cost. Under the hood, it might be even worse than the surface stats, as he has a sub-50% contact rate and a chase rate that is a standard deviation worse than league average. Right now, the immensity of the power supersedes the flaws in the profile–but the track record associated with this type of swing-and-miss is not great. Since 2006, essentially only Bobby Dalbec at age 22 in 2017 and Domingo Santana at age 17 in 2010 had strikeout rates near this level in Low-A–and they still struck out at “only” a 37% rate–and made it to the major leagues.

Low-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Matt WilkinsonCLE100100
2Jonah TongNYM9195
3Quinn MathewsSTL8594
4Alejandro RosarioTEX8493
5Jarlin SusanaWSN8092
6Santiago SuarezTBR7990
7Didier FuentesATL8190
8Grant TaylorCHW7789
9George KlassenPHI7888
10Travis SykoraWSN8287
11Eliazar DishmeyMIA7386
12Yujanyer HerreraMIL8385
13Sean LinanLAD8484
14Kohl DrakeTEX8282
15Thomas WhiteMIA7282
16Ovis PortesBOS7081
17Mavis GravesPHI8580
18Welinton HerreraCOL6979
19Gary Gill HillTBR7879
20Jace KaminskaCOL7479
21Isaiah LoweSDP6779
22Noble MeyerMIA6778
23Jackson NezuhHOU6677
24Jose GonzalezTEX7077
25Alimber SantaHOU6677

Since June 1, the highest swinging strike rate of starting pitchers in Low-A are Travis Sykora (Nationals), Tommy Vail (White Sox)–a 25 year old lefthander–and Jojo Ingrassia (Red Sox). Ingrassia, a 21-year old lefthander, has a 40% strikeout rate and the second highest swinging strike rate at the level behind only Jonah Tong (Mets) who is of course at High-A Brooklyn now.

Under the hood, Ingrassia has above-average extension from a low three-quarter slot, allowing his 93 mph four-seam fastball to play up and contributing to both his 83 mph slider and his above average-to-plus split finger to each generate whiff rates over 50%. He probably needs to clean up the mechanics as his release heights have a four-inch variance, which advanced hitters will probably pick up on, but for now, the 14th-round selection out of Cal-State Fullerton in 2023 has been showing all the traits of a potential midrotation starter. Note the Red Sox just placed him on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He’s a deep league watchlist candidate until we learn more about the injury.

Since we’re on the topic of lefties for Low-A Salem with a low release slot and big extension, Noah Dean (Red Sox) and his five-pitch mix grades out with even better stuff than Ingrassia. Since June 3, both pitchers have strikeout rates over 39% and ground ball rates over 52%, but Dean has a 10% walk rate (compared to Ingrassia’s 7%) and is also two years older, slightly diminishing his peak projection. If the fifth-round draft pick of 2022 out of Old Dominion can get the walk rate into the single digits, he has a chance to be a back of the rotation starter, or, failing that, should be an effective weapon out of the bullpen.

High-A Hitters (min 60 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Michael ArroyoSEA96100
2Luke KeaschallMIN9097
3Lazaro MontesSEA10095
4Luke AdamsMIL8894
5Sal StewartCIN8391
6Xavier IsaacTBR8790
7Carter JensenKCR8489
8Sebastian WalcottTEX8887
9Alex FreelandLAD7585
10Samuel ZavalaCHW8084
11Brayden TaylorTBR7782
12William BergollaPHI7981
13Henry BolteOAK7480
14Ricardo OlivarMIN6979
15Cooper IngleCLE6979
16Cutter CoffeyBOS7379
17C.J. KayfusCLE6878
18Jhostynxon GarciaBOS6878
19Charles McAdooPIT6878
20Jefferson RojasCHC7178
21Yohendrick PinangoCHC7077
22Angel GenaoCLE6976
23Kristian CampbellBOS6376
24Jesus RodriguezNYY6775
25Cam CollierCIN7475

Since June 3, only Jhostynxon Garcia (Red Sox) and Nick Cimillo (Pirates) have hit more home runs than Allan Castro‘s (Red Sox) nine. Castro, a 21-year old outfielder signed out of the Dominican Republic, has taken a step forward in actualizing his game power, raising his 90th percentile exit velocity from 103.4 mph to just under 106 mph in 2024.

He always had good raw power–he had a 115 maximum exit velocity in 2023 and has registered a 111 mph this year–and coupled with his league average or better contact rate and chase rates, he finds himself just outside the top 25 after putting up the ninth-highest wRC+ in Low-A since June 3 for hitters with more than 100 plate appearances. RoboScout sees him as a slightly below-average hitter in the major leagues but capable of 20 to 25 home run seasons–though if he is only a fourth outfielder, he might never get the playing time to reach that ceiling.

Luke Adams (Brewers) has quietly put up an excellent year at High-A with nine home runs, 21 stolen bases and a 154 wRC+ over 312 plate appearances as a just-turned 20-year old. Playing mostly third base–but likely having to move across the diamond to first base–Adams has shown excellent on-base ability with better-than-league-average contact and chase rates and an excellent 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. Unfortunately, he hasn’t optimized his launch angles. Adams has the league’s 91st percentile for exit velocity, but his barrel rate and xwOBAcon are barely league average. Still, on account of his surface stats, RoboScout sees his peak MLB projection to be similar to Luke Keaschall (Twins)— with fairly similar underlying metrics as well. Purely from the data, he is a solid top 50 to 75 fantasy prospect.

High-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Noah SchultzCHW87100
2Matt WilkinsonCLE100100
3Quinn MathewsSTL9098
4Luis PeralesBOS8598
5Owen MurphyATL8897
6Chase DollanderCOL8697
7Zebby MatthewsMIN8092
8K.C. HuntMIL8990
9George KlassenPHI7988
10Jonah TongNYM8588
11Kohl DrakeTEX8786
12Thomas WhiteMIA7685
13Jedixson PaezBOS9284
14Jaden HammDET8384
15Winston SantosTEX7383
16Alessandro ErcolaniPIT6982
17Moises ChaceBAL6881
18Brandyn GarciaSEA6981
19Edgar PortesBAL6880
20Sean SullivanCOL8480
21Austin PetersonCLE7679
22Lazaro EstradaTOR6679
23Nolan McLeanNYM6679
24Ben ShieldsNYY7278
25Owen WildTBR7378

There has been very little movement in the High-A ranks since last week so instead I’ll mention again how Jedixson Paez (Red Sox) is proving to be a difficult evaluation for RoboScout. On the surface, there has not been a hotter pitcher since June 1. Paez has a 42% strikeout rate and a 4% walk rate over his six starts during that time, averaging nearly five innings per outing. The 38% strikeout minus walk rate is nearly 6% more than the starting pitcher with the second highest mark: Ben Shields (Yankees) with a 33% mark.

The difficulty is that similar to Matt Wilkinson (Guardians) and Yu-Min Lin (Diamondback), the surface stats are excellent but the arsenal doesn’t wow. However, what he lacks in arm speed—his fastballs sit 90 to 92 mph and his slider is 81 mph—he makes up for with big horizontal movement paired with well above average extension. He has an extremely fun pitching profile–and, from the data, a top 150 fantasy prospect in RoboScout’s opinion.

Double-A Hitters (min 60 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Emmanuel RodriguezMIN100100
2Agustin RamirezNYY8990
3Luke KeaschallMIN8589
4Moises BallesterosCHC8888
5Ryan CliffordNYM8585
6Matthew LugoBOS7984
7Carson WilliamsTBR8382
8Cole YoungSEA8181
9Deyvison De Los SantosARI8280
10Roman AnthonyBOS7780
11Alex FreelandLAD7480
12Hao-Yu LeeDET7980
13C.J. KayfusCLE7579
14Kristian CampbellBOS7279
15Edgar QueroCHW7578
16Jacob WilsonOAK6775
17Marcelo MayerBOS7175
18Colby ThomasOAK7075
19Charles McAdooPIT7074
20Samuel BasalloBAL8073
21Tyler LocklearSEA6673
22Harry FordSEA7072
23James TriantosCHC7071
24Alejandro OsunaTEX6570
25Kahlil WatsonCLE6668

Will you look at that? Kahlil Watson (Guardians) cracks the top 25 at Double-A for the first time all season as he attempts to rehabilitate his prospect pedigree. On the season, the 21-year old has 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases with a 108 wRC+. He has done most of his damage over the last six weeks with seven homers in his last 103 plate appearances. His power is unquestioned—he has a 104.7 mph 90th percentile exit velocity—but there have always been concerns with the swing-and-miss. He is sporting a 30% strikeout rate with a 69% contact rate, which places him in the same contact vs 90thEV cluster as Ryan Clifford (Mets), Carson Williams (Rays) and Joe Mack (Marlins). If you like their prospect profile–though with slightly lower defensive value–he is a shorter step down to them than you would have thought, even a month ago.

Double-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Noah SchultzCHW100100
2Zebby MatthewsMIN9797
3Bubba ChandlerPIT8789
4Jackson JobeDET8588
5Logan HendersonMIL9086
6Braxton AshcraftPIT8784
7Jacob MisiorowskiMIL8084
8Tink HenceSTL9283
9Thomas HarringtonPIT8380
10Quinn MathewsSTL8080
11Chandler ChamplainKCR9279
12Ben CaspariusLAD7779
13Blade TidwellNYM7579
14Austin PetersonCLE8378
15Carson PalmquistCOL8178
16Troy MeltonDET7577
17Nolan McLeanNYM7377
18Emiliano TeodoTEX7877
19Zach PenrodBOS8476
20Yilber DiazARI8076
21Kyle McGowinCHC7876
22Caden DanaLAA7975
23Brandon YoungBAL8575
24Mason AdamsCHW8474
25Tyler StuartNYM7574

Last year, Alex Pham (Orioles) put himself on the map with a solid 13.3 K/9 at High-A Aberdeen and earning the promotion to Double-A Bowie where he pitched 60 innings with a strikeout minus walk rate of 16%. Repeating the level in 2024, he has a strikeout minus walk rate of 20%. He has really dominated over the last six weeks with a 26% mark.

His four-seam fastball sat 91.9 mph topping out at 93 mph with a 20 inches of IVB last year. This year, he’s getting even more ride at 21 inches–the fifth-highest induced vertical break in full-season ball–while now sitting 92.4 mph and topping out at 96 mph. He threw both a slider and a cutter last year–in addition to a curveball with heavy downward action–but this year he is leaning much more on the cutter which sits 86 mph and generates over 40% whiffs. Don’t be fooled by the superficial 5.38 ERA – his xFIP on the season is 3.42, which is lower than Hayden Birdsong (Giants) who was called up to San Francisco earlier this year. All in all, it’s a back of the rotation mix. He should begin accumulating innings for Triple-A Norfolk by August if he isn’t packaged in a trade the next few days.

Noah Schultz (White Sox) looked human at the Futures Game and RoboScout is wondering if fatigue is beginning to set in, as the lefthander has only struck out 23% of batters in his last five starts after having a 38% rate in High-A. On June 3rd, his slider sat 82.8 mph with 13.1 inches of glove-side run with a spin rate of 2895 rpm. Since then, his slider has sat 82.5 mph with 11.7 inches of horizontal run—nearly fewer 1.5 incheswith a spin rate around 185 rpm lower and released from a height that is one inch lower. Hopefully this is not portending an issue—and is something to watch for over the next few weeks. RoboScout has digital digits crossed on behalf of the second highest ranked minor league pitcher for 2024, behind only Paul Skenes.

Triple-A Hitters (min 60 PA)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1James WoodWSN100100
2Jackson HollidayBAL9897
3Coby MayoBAL8994
4Jose FerminSTL8189
5Kyle ManzardoCLE8086
6Miguel VargasLAD7886
7Andy PagesLAD7482
8Adrian Del CastilloARI7382
9Agustin RamirezNYY7882
10Jacob WilsonOAK7079
11Moises BallesterosCHC7678
12Matthew LugoBOS7077
13Niko KavadasBOS6576
14Deyvison De Los SantosARI8076
15Angel MartinezCLE7575
16Luis MatosSFG6675
17Jonatan ClaseSEA7175
18Shay WhitcombHOU7375
19Jordan BeckCOL6475
20Chase MeidrothBOS6674
21Jace JungDET7073
22Joey LoperfidoHOU6473
23Orelvis MartinezTOR7072
24Heliot RamosSFG6272
25Johnathan RodriguezCLE6472

Although his brief 40 plate appearance major league debut didn’t go as planned–with a 63 wRC+ with no home runs–Johnathan Rodriguez (Guardians) has once again mashed since returning to Triple-A, with a 157 wRC+ and nine home runs in his 120 plate appearances since returning to Columbus. The slugger makes good swing decisions and has tremendous bat speed, projecting as a 25 home run bat in the major leagues. If you like his org mate and prospect “doppelbanger” Jhonkensy Noel, you should probably like Rodriguez just as much—even accounting for the fact that Noel is two years younger—because of the fact that he chases significantly less out of the zone than Noel.

Triple-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

RankNameTeamRoboRoboCast
1Paul SkenesPIT100100
2Christian ScottNYM9192
3David FestaMIN8881
4Jack LeiterTEX7679
5Tylor MegillNYM8079
6Chayce McDermottBAL7778
7Will WarrenNYY7577
8Carson SpiersCIN7577
9Cade PovichBAL8677
10Tobias MyersMIL7377
11Slade CecconiARI8276
12Yilber DiazARI7976
13Chad PatrickMIL7676
14Elieser HernandezLAD7375
15Braxton AshcraftPIT7575
16Alek ManoahTOR7573
17Quinn PriesterPIT8472
18Cristian MenaARI7972
19Louie VarlandMIN7271
20Albert SuarezBAL7571
21Reid DetmersLAA8471
22Matt ManningDET6771
23AJ Smith-ShawverATL6970
24Jake WoodfordPIT7269
25Josh WinckowskiBOS6868

For fantasy managers who are desperate for starting pitching in redraft or in their dynasty league this year–Allan Winans (Braves) has been pitching quite well since June 1 with 42 strikeouts and only four walks in his last 41.1 innings. His 22.8% strikeout minus walk rate over that span is the seventh-highest among starting pitchers, behind such names as Shane Baz (Rays), Jeffrey Springs (Rays), David Festa (Twins), and Will Warren (Yankees). The stuff is still below-average, but the craftiness of his changeup-forward approach – his cambio gets whiffs and chases at a greater than 40% rate–might provide some reasonably cheap fantasy value if he returns to the Atlanta rotation, for example, to “control” Reynaldo Lopez’s workload through the dog days of summer.

Happy bidding!

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