15 Notable 2024 Top 30 MLB Prospects Additions In May
Image credit: Dodgers prospect Eduardo Quintero (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
The first in-season update for Baseball America organization Top 30s is here. Below, find 15 MLB prospects who entered their respective organization’s lists for the first time as a result of either strong starts to the season or new arrivals to systems since our last update.
As always, you can follow all of our latest prospect analysis here, and utilize our Prospect Wire, presented by Louisville Slugger, for daily updates, stats & more.
Moises Chace, RHP, Orioles
Team Rank: No. 22
Track Record: A member of the first international signing class of new Orioles GM Mike Elias and new international scouting director Koby Perez, Chace impressed as an amateur because of his combination of solid velocity with impressive feel for pitching. He’s taken a step forward early in 2024.
Scouting Report: Chace manages to pair solid-average velocity (93-95 mph) with a flat plane that helps him get on top of hitters’ bats at the top of the strike zone. His 82-84 mph changeup pairs excellently with his fastball. It has plenty of separation and against Class A hitters, it’s generating lots of swings and misses. Chace’s slider should develop into a third weapon. It’s a high-spin sweepy pitch that too often is an easy out-of-zone take for now, but has the potential to be a bat misser eventually. Chace’s below-average control has long been his biggest issue. He’s showing signs of improvement, but he’ll still miss his target by a couple of feet at times.
The Future: Chace is well worth watching as a promising young arm who may end up as a starter if his control improves or as a reliever who can handle lefties as well as righties thanks to his changeup.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 40
Luichi Casilla, LHP, Rockies
Team Rank: 18
Track Record: Signed out of the Dominican Republic during the January 2022 international signing period. Casilla made his professional debut in the 2022 Dominican Summer League making seven starts and performing well over 22.2 innings. He returned to the DSL in 2023 making 10 starts while handling a greater workload. Casilla will make his stateside debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2024.
Scouting Report: A broad shouldered lefthander with a thicker lower half and more strength projection to come. Casilla works exclusively from the stretch using an exaggerated move to close off his front side before he drives toward the plate. Casilla has a fast arm and releases the ball from a higher arm slot with a shorter arm action. He mixes a trio of pitches in a fastball, curveball and changeup. Casilla’s fastball sat 92-94 mph last year in the DSL but was sitting 95-97 mph touching 98 mph during minor league spring training. That kind of velocity from the left side equates to an above-average fastball. His curveball is his primary secondary sitting in the low-80s with slurvy shape and high spin rates. He shows a changeup as well in the upper-80s but it’s a below-average pitch at present. Casilla’s command is below-average and that was true even prior to the velocity jump. Strike-throwing will be the difference between a starter and a wild relief only prospect.
The Future: Casilla is a high upside lefthander showing traits of breaking out. In order to reach a realistic rotation outcome he’ll have to prove he can throw consistent strikes.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Command: 40
Jaden Hamm, RHP, Tigers
Team Rank: 17
Track Record: Hamm’s career at Middle Tennessee State showed flashes of dominance surrounded by moments of inconsistency. But ever since the Tigers drafted him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, Hamm’s career has been on a steady ascent. He allowed eight runs in the second to last start of his college career. He allowed only three runs total in his first 10 pro starts.
Scouting Report: Hamm’s 92-94 mph fastball has exceptionally carry at the top of the zone, regularly clocking in at more than 20 inches of induced vertical break, which is well above average. He doesn’t have an extremely flat plane to that fastball, so it’s more of an above-average pitch than a truly exceptional heater. He also throws a low-80s downer above-average curveball that works well at the bottom of the zone and an average changeup that shows deception and fade. He’ll mix in a slider as well.
The Future: Hamm has the makings of four pitches and has improved his control to the point where he projects as a starter. He’s one of the breakout prospects of the early part of the 2024 MiLB season.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers
Team Rank: 13
Track Record: Hope was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick in 2023 and was traded to the Dodgers in 2024 as part of the package that sent Michael Busch to the Cubs.
Scouting Report: Hope has long had tools, but since joining the Dodgers he’s shown better hittability and enhanced his overall profile. If those gains continue, he could be a true five-tool talent.
The Future: Hope has a chance to be a well-rounded outfielder whose near-elite speed and strong throwing arm could help him fit well in right field while still leaving center field open as a possibility.
Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 70 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60
Eduardo Quintero, OF, Dodgers
Team Rank: 14
Track Record: Quintero was signed by the Dodgers in January of 2023 and immediately tore up the Dominican Summer League, where he finished with a 1.055 OPS, five home runs and 22 stolen bases.
Scouting Report: Quintero converted from catcher as an amateur and made his pro debut as a center fielder thanks to athleticism and double-plus speed. He owns a smooth righthanded swing that should help him hit for both average and power as he matures.
The Future: After tearing up the DSL, Quintero will make his stateside debut this spring in the Arizona Complex League.
Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 70 | Field: 55 | Arm: 60
Jeral Perez, 3B, Dodgers
Team Rank: 19
Track Record: Perez signed with the Dodgers on Jan. 15, 2022 out of the Dominican Republic. A year later, he was one of two players to hit 11 home runs in the Arizona Complex League and reached Low-A toward the end of the year.
Scouting Report: Perez has a chance to be a well-rounded player who adds to the Dodgers’ stockpile of talent at the lower levels. Scouts don’t project him to have a true plus tool, but they also don’t see any area where he’s truly below-average.
The Future: If he continues his upward trend, Perez could be a third baseman with both average and power that grade as at least fringe-average.
Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45 | Power: 50 |Run: 50 |Field: 55 | Arm: 50
Humberto Cruz, RHP, Padres
Team Rank: 19
Track Record: A native of Mexico, Cruz signed with the Padres for $750,000 in February after San Diego traded lefthander Blake Dickerson to the Tigers for additional bonus pool money. Cruz was one of the top pitchers from the 2024 international class and should debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2024.
Scouting Report: Cruz has starter traits between his delivery, stuff and pitchability. He has good arm speed on a fastball that has touched 93 mph and projects to add more velocity as he matures physically. He has shown feel for both a curveball and a changeup, with strong strike-throwing and feel for pitching for a 17-year-old.
The Future: A projectable righthander with starter traits and command, Cruz could develop into one of the Padres’ top pitching prospects in time.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball:: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Trystan Vrieling, RHP, Yankees
Team Rank: 23
Track Record: Vrieling was the Yankees’ third-round pick in 2022, out of Gonzaga, but did not make his official pro debut until 2024. He was shut down post-draft, then suffered a stress fracture in his elbow in 2023 that kept him out until the Arizona Fall League.
Scouting Report: Vrieling works with a five-pitch mix that includes a four-seamer, slider, cutter, curveball and changeup. The cutter is a newer weapon and has been a revelation in the early going in 2024.
The Future: Now healthy and having success in the upper levels, Vrieling has seen his prospect stock rebound. He has a chance to be a back-end starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45
Brett Wichrowski, RHP, Brewers
Team Rank: 10
Track Record: Wichrowski pitched three seasons at Bryant, posting a 4.50 ERA in 50 innings as a junior in 2023 split between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He generated mild interest from many clubs in the 2023 draft, when the Brewers picked him in the 13th round and signed him for $100,000. By the time Wichrowski threw in spring training in 2024, he looked like a different pitcher, with more velocity.
Scouting Report: In college, Wichrowski topped at 96 mph, sitting in the low-90s. In 2024, he pitches at 94-97 mph and has reached 101 mph. A sharp, low-80s slider was his best pitch in college, and it’s now a plus pitch with more power and hard lateral bite to miss a lot of bats. He throws an average cutter in the upper-80s, typically as an early-count pitch, and an occasional changeup that lags behind the rest of his arsenal. Wichrowski had below-average fastball command in college, though he has been a solid strike-thrower to start his Brewers career.
The Future: Wichrowski has been one of the breakout pitching prospects of the 2024 season. While he still has to prove he can handle a starter’s workload, the stuff is there for him to develop into a midrotation starter with a chance for more.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50
Waner Luciano, 3B, Astros
Team Rank: 27
Track Record: Luciano signed for just $45,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2022. Since that time Luciano has developed into one of the more impressive offensive performers in the Astros lower levels. Luciano finished tied for second in home runs in the 2023 Florida Complex League and earned an assignment to Low-A Fayetteville to begin 2024.
Scouting Report: Luciano has a stout and compact build, with good strength throughout his frame that allows him to take big swings with the intent of doing damage. Luciano sets up at the plate slightly open and attacks pitches with a swing that looks to extend his arms. In his stateside debut Luciano showed average bat-to-ball skills with above-average swing decisions. Luciano showed the ability to stay in the zone, and made contact with nearly 90% of the pitches he saw in-zone in 2023. Due to his aggressive swing built to elevate on his best contact, Luciano shows above-average exit velocities at positive angles, pointing to potential above-average in-game power projection. Luciano is a below-average fielder that’s likely to see time at a variety of positions including outfield corners, third base and second base. While he’s seen a majority of his time as a professional at third, he shows below average hands and actions at the position.
The Future: Luciano is a promising offensive prospect with defensive questions. He has the upside of a bat-first corner player with defensive questions and a well balanced offensive approach.
Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 50
Logan Evans, RHP, Mariners
Team Rank: 7
Track Record: Evans was unheralded as an amateur but Seattle’s analysts saw something in the way he moved that made them believe he wasn’t near his full potential. They took him in the 12th round of the 2023 draft and bumped him to Double-A to start his first full season.
Scouting Report: The Mariners unlocked extra velocity with Evans, who now sits around 96 mph and has touched 97. He’s added a sweeper as well, and the pitch is one of the gems of his six-pitch repertoire.
The Future: Evans looks like Seattle’s latest pitching find and could challenge for a big league callup at some point in 2024.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50.
Jonah Tong, RHP, Mets
Team Rank: 22
Track Record: Tong is a native Canadian who transferred to Georgia Premier Academy as a high school senior in 2022. The Mets drafted him in the seventh round, attracted to his riding fastball properties and athletic delivery. Tong broke camp with an affiliate for the first time this year and dominated at Low-A St. Lucie by not allowing a run and compiling 36 strikeouts and five walks in 18.2 innings. The Mets quickly promoted Tong to High-A Brooklyn in May.
Scouting Report: Tong pitches at 92-94 mph and has topped out at 97, but velocity only tells part of the story. The vertical break on his four-seam fastball is elite and contributes to high whiff rates against batters on both sides of the plate. Tong’s repertoire if fastball-heavy but he can get chases out of the zone with a curveball and changeup that both have average potential. He also throws a mid-80s cutter to give him a glove-side weapon. Like most young pitchers, he works with control more than command.
The Future: Tong’s upside will be determined by how his riding four-seamer plays against more advanced hitters and whether he can throw his secondaries for strikes.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: 55 | Control: 50
Winston Santos, RHP, Rangers
Team Rank: 24
Track Record: Santos was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 and has slowly wound his way through the lowest levels of the minor leagues. He’s shown interesting stuff in the past but has jumped a tick in 2024.
Scouting Report: The key to Santos’ breakout this season is an improved slider that still needs improvement but could get to average one day with continued reps and consistency. He changed the grip on the pitch this season and now throws a gyro version.
The Future: Santos has been dominant early in 2024 in a return to High-A Hickory. If his slider continues to take strides and plays at the upper levels, he could be a back-end starter someday.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60
Dillon Head, OF, Marlins
Team Rank: 4
Track Record: The Padres certainly have an amateur type under general manager A.J. Preller–young, toolsy and plays up the middle. See: Jackson Merrill and James Wood in the 2021 draft, Robert Hassell III in 2020 and CJ Abrams in 2019. Head, the Padres’ first-rounder in 2023, fits the bill. He was the best position prospect in Homewood-Flossmoor High history as he hit .485/.568/.814 as a senior while striking out just five times in 118 plate appearances and going 31-for-31 in stolen bases. The Padres signed Head for a slightly-under slot $2.8 million as the 25th overall pick, and he finished his first pro summer at Low-A Lake Elsinore after dominating the Arizona Complex League in 14 games. Head was one of four players traded to the Marlins in return for all-star second baseman Luis Arraez. You can see the full Marlins Top 30 here.
Scouting Report: Blessed with a ton of natural athletic ability, Head has plus-plus speed. The Padres clocked him at 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash ahead of the draft. That will serve Head well on the bases as he gets more comfortable reading pitchers, as well as in the outfield, where he has good instincts and solid arm strength. Presently, Head is a gap-to-gap hitter with a hit-it-where-it’s-pitched approach that allows him to put the ball in play and showcase his wheels. The lefthanded hitter cut down a high leg kick heading into the draft, improving his timing and balance. His hit tool is well ahead of the power, but the Padres believe Head could develop 15-20 homer power as he fills out a wiry strong frame. He showed strong swing decisions with 15 walks, 19 strikeouts and an elite in-zone chase rate of 7.6%.
The Future: Head is a good bet to develop into an everyday center fielder and could impact games with menacing speed and surprising pop for a leadoff hitter. He finished his first summer in pro ball in Lake Elsinore and will likely return to the California League to start 2024.
Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF, Red Sox
Team Rank: 30
Track Record: After a redshirt year at Georgia Tech, Campbell emerged the following summer in the Northwoods League. Campbell found his way into the Yellow Jackets starting lineup in 2023 and hit .376/.484/.549 over 44 games, while seeing a majority of his time at second base. He was drafted by the Red Sox as a draft eligible redshirt freshman in the fourth round. After a brief eight game stint in the Florida Complex League, Campbell debuted with High-A Greenville late in the season. Campbell returned to Greenville to begin 2024.
Scouting Report: Campbell’s contact hitting and advanced approach stood out as a draft prospect. But after an offseason with the Red Sox hitting development group, he’s emerged as a different player. With added bat speed Campbell started posting higher exit velocities in workouts and spring training. His 105.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity early in 2024 points to the added impact. He’s shown increased swing and miss, but balances it with strong swing decisions. Defensively Campbell has split time between center field and second base early in 2024. Campbell is a fringe-average fielder despite plus speed.
The Future: Campbell’s new profile needs to find a balance between contact and power to develop into an everyday regular.
