One Deep Sleeper Prospect For All 30 MLB Teams
Even without a minor league season last year, there was a bevy of new scouting information to gather and disseminate after prospects participated in instructional leagues and, in some cases, alternate site activity.
In an effort to go even deeper, we added 10 more prospects to know in each minor league system who rank outside of every team’s Top 30. You can find that exclusively in our 2021 Prospect Handbook, which you can order here.
Below is one sleeper identified from that 31-40 group for each organization, and a brief explanation as to why they could surprise in 2021.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Diomede Sierra, LHP
Sierra is lefthanded, throws 95 mph and has a potential wipeout slider. His control needs to improve, but there’s enough there to dream.
Atlanta Braves
Ricky DeVito, RHP
DeVito was the Big East Conference pitcher of the year in 2018 but got hit around during his junior year in 2019. His fastball has improved in pro ball, his breaking ball is solid and some scouts put plus grades on his changeup.
Baltimore Orioles
Brenan Hanifee, RHP
A sinkerballer who got away from his bread and butter in 2019, Hanifee used the shutdown to get back on track and improve his delivery to make his breaking ball and changeup more consistent.
Boston Red Sox
Bradley Blalock, RHP
Blalock pitched at 87-91 mph as an amateur but boosted his fastball by two grades at age 19 during the shutdown. He sat in the low 90s and frequently touched 95 mph with an easy delivery at instructional league. He also has feel for both a curveball and slider.
Chicago Cubs
Andy Weber, SS
The lefthanded-hitting shortstop has a long track record of hitting and can ably play both middle infield positions.
Chicago White Sox
Lenyn Sosa, SS
Sosa is a young infielder who showed intriguing pop in 2019, with 35 doubles, albeit with a lot of swing-and-miss.
Cincinnati Reds
Alexander Johnson, RHP
A 36th-round find from Buffalo, N.Y., Johnson sits 89-91 mph now, but the 6-foot-6 righty has a quick arm, a projectable frame and every now and then will pop the mitt at 94-95.
Cleveland Indians
Sanquintin was the Indians’ second-biggest signing in the 2018 international class, behind only Gabriel Rodriguez. He’s a switch-hitter who produces premium bat speed and above-average raw power.
Colorado Rockies
Reagan Todd, LHP
Todd is 25 years old, but he dominated at two stops in the system in 2019 and impressed in instructional league. His fastball sits 95-96 mph and he has a quality breaking ball to match.
Detroit Tigers
Zack Hess, RHP
The natural downhill plane from Hess’ 6-foot-6 frame makes him a valued potential bullpen piece and a sleeper candidate for 2021.
Houston Astros
Jimmy Endersby, RHP
Endersby signed out of Division II Concordia-Irvine as an undrafted free agent after the five-round 2020 draft. He shows an innate feel for spin on both his 90-95 mph four-seam fastball and breaking stuff.
Kansas City Royals
Rivero made some swing adjustments and got bigger and stronger, making him a potential breakout candidate in 2021. He’s an excellent defensive catcher with great leadership skills behind the plate.
Los Angeles Angels
Connor Higgins, LHP
The 6-foot-5, 240 pound lefty from Arizona State has used his mid-to-upper 90s cut fastball to strike out 98 in 78.2 innings in his first two pro seasons. He could move quickly through the system if he can command his considerable stuff.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Leonel Valera, SS
Long an athletic defender with a cannon for an arm, Valera has added strength and begun to impact the ball more when he connects.
Miami Marlins
Eury Perez, RHP
A tall, lanky righthander signed out of the Dominican Republic for $200,000 in 2019, Perez creates easy power with a smooth delivery for a 17-year-old. He possesses a fastball that sits 93-96 mph and should increase in velocity substantially as he fills out.
Milwaukee Brewers
Alexander Perez, SS
Signed out of Venezuela in 2019, Perez has shown good bat control and athleticism and has a good chance to stay at shortstop with a solid-average arm.
Minnesota Twins
Spencer Steer, 2B/3B/SS
Steer is solid in many ways but electric in none. He’s a reliable defender within his range at second, shortstop and third base and could be a productive utility player.
New York Mets
Richard Brito, RHP
Brito brushed 100 mph before the Mets signed him as a 21-year-old out of Venezuela in 2019. He could not get a visa in 2020 and was sidelined in the Dominican Republic with an injury.
New York Yankees
Anthony Garcia, OF
Though he’s a long way away, Garcia has special power from both sides of the plate and a huge frame that could hold even more strength.
*Previous pick was Maikol Escotto, who was traded to Pittsburgh in the Jameson Taillon trade.
Oakland Athletics
Richard Guasch, RHP
The 22-year-old hasn’t pitched above low Class A, but his fastball sits at 94 mph, he has the best slider in the system and the A’s like his repeatable delivery.
Philadelphia Phillies
Eduar Segovia, RHP
After impressive stints in the Dominican Summer League and Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Segovia’s fastball was up to 97 mph at instructional league to go along with an average to above-average slider.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Matt Gorski, OF
Gorski has plus power, plus speed and can stick in center field, but also has serious swing-and-miss issues. The Pirates are optimistic about the strides he made in 2020.
San Diego Padres
Mason Feole, LHP
The all-time strikeout leader at UConn returned from Tommy John surgery throwing 94-98 mph with an excellent curveball.
*Note, Feole has since moved into the Padres’ Top 30 after a series of trades.
San Francisco Giants
Grant McCray, OF
McCray is a tooled-up outfielder who will show you flashes of brilliance but needs more consistency.
Seattle Mariners
Logan Rinehart, RHP
The 2019 draft pick from California Baptist has gotten stronger and added velocity to his fastball to make it a pitch with solid sink in the mid-90s. He also consistently lands his curveball for strikes.
St. Louis Cardinals
Andre Pallante, RHP
A productive starter at UC Irvine, Pallante may end up as a reliever. He has a 92-95 mph fastball and a breaking ball with good shape and depth.
Tampa Bay Rays
Shane Sasaki, OF
Sasaki is a rangy outfielder whose glove is far, far ahead of his bat. He has to get stronger to make any kind of impact at the plate.
Texas Rangers
Marcus Smith, OF
Acquired from Oakland in the Mike Minor trade, Smith adds power and speed to an athletic crop of Rangers center fielders.
Toronto Blue Jays
Dahian Santos, RHP
A 2019 international signing out of Venezuela, Santos has a fastball that has ticked up to 94 mph with good movement. He is not very big at 5-foot-11, but he has an athletic delivery and throws strikes with a three-pitch mix that includes a curveball and changeup.
Washington Nationals
Evan Lee, LHP
After playing sparingly as a DH and pitcher at Arkansas, Lee’s stuff has jumped now that he’s focused solely on pitching. He has high spin rates on his fastball and curveball and is capable of missing bats.
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