This off-season we set off to write our first book. Changes and challenges arose, so we've pivoted to releasing our top prospect lists & reports through the site and our Patreon. We're excited to finally show you the hard work of our evaluating team the last few months.
Below you'll find the top 10 players in the system with full reports of the top 5. The full rankings and reports on all top 30 prospects per team will be available on our Patreon at the 55-tier ($5 level) as we publish them. If you're into fantasy baseball, this tier also gets you the dynasty show, the FYPD list and the MiLB Daily Sheet in season. We plan to add all the reports to player pages on the site shortly after the season begins.
Top 10 Team Rank at First 5 Reports for Free Below
1. Corbin Carroll, OF - 60 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A+
2021 Pre-season Rank: 1 Pre-season OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 50 | 60 | 55 | 70 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Average height with a wiry frame. Lots of well-defined muscles in his arms and legs. Built like a traditional NFL slot receiver. Very good athlete. Missed most of the 2021 season after he tore his labrum and capsule in his right, non-throwing shoulder. Oddly enough, it occurred on a swing which resulted in a home run.
STRENGTHS Excellent bat-to-ball skills and plate coverage. Is able to smoke balls across the entire field. Recognizes spin and will take his share of walks. Very polished approach. Has good arm strength that plays up due to his accuracy. Natural centerfielder, takes amazing routes on balls in front and behind him. Has well above average range thanks to his natural ability and double-plus speed. Carrol absolutely flies out of the box and it translates to his baserunning ability and defensive game. Power plays up because of Carroll’s elite bat speed and bat-to-ball skills. Sneaky wiry strength.
WEAKNESSES Health concerns are there for Carroll as he only played seven games in 2021 before suffering a shoulder injury. Overall questions on how his frame will sustain a full season exist.
SUMMARY Carroll has all the tools to be a longstanding above average big leaguer. He is a plus hitter with a polished approach. His defensive acclaim at a premium position provides immense value to a big league team along with his game-changing speed. It's not out of the question that Carroll becomes a staple at All-Star games during his career.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
2. Jordan Lawlar, SS - 60 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 2
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 55 | 60 | 60 | 60 | High |
PHYSICAL Athletic body with room for physical projection. Still has maturing to do both mentally and physically. Currently has a leaner build with wiry levers. Given his current frame and age, he has room to add 15-20 pounds of muscle. Open stance with slight knee bend in both legs. Small leg kick into his load. Quick, whippy swing through the zone. Gets good extension and finishes with a high two-hand finish.
STRENGTHS Plus athlete with quick twitch ability. Demonstrates great instincts in the field with his range, arm strength, soft hands and quick transfer. Tools on the defensive side of his game alone allows him to stick at shortstop long term. Plus bat speed and shows the ability to hit to all fields. As he adds more strength combined with barrel speed, he should be able to tap into greater in-game power. With current swing path he projects to have doubles over home runs in game power production. Possibly a 20-25 home run player further down the road. Despite swing and miss concerns, Lawlar does show the ability to control the zone and grinds out at-bats and work his walks.
WEAKNESSES Swing lengthens out at times which led to swing and miss concerns leading up to the draft in 2021. Currently has a flatter swing path as he enters the zone. Could be tinkered with in order to create more loft and tap into his future power potential. Need to monitor how Lawlar recovers from his season-ending shoulder surgery after playing in two complex league games. Early reports expect a full recovery and should hit the ground running at the start of the season.
SUMMARY A potential five-tool player, Lawlar has a package of tools that have the potential to make him an impact player at the major league level at a premier position. On the offensive side, he possesses a plus power-speed combination. On defense, he is a sure-handed defender with great range and a plus throwing arm.
EVALUATOR Brandon Smith
3. Alek Thomas, OF - 55 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: AAA
2021 Pre-season Rank: 3 Pre-season OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 50 | 60 | 45 | 60 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Short, athletic frame with good amounts of size. Added definition to his upper body with border shorders and more physicality. Has some size and length to the lower half, as well. Athletic, muscular build for the size and height.
STRENGTHS Production on both sides that has every opportunity to impact the game at the MLB level. Swings it well at every level. Comfortable plus hit tool with advanced bat-to-ball skills. Stays short and simple from the left side with loud contact to all fields. Mature approach with ability to barrel balls in the zone. Tapped into more over-the-fence power last season. Athleticism in all facets of his game. Easy range from center and left field with good routes and jumps. Sneaky on the basepaths, knows when to take his opportunities to steal. Combination of floor and more upside in the bat that puts him amongst some of the best prospects in the system.
WEAKNESSES Still more gap-to-gap power present despite increased homer production. Doesn’t have the most consistent over-the-fence pop. Fringe-Average arm strength and inaccurate throws limits his defensive potential at times. Throws lack carry and velocity. Lacks plus power upside, but is equipped with a bevy of well-rounded tools.
SUMMARY There aren’t many prospects with a safer floor than Thomas at this point. Has hit at every stop while showcasing a mature and advanced approach at the plate. Ball jumps off the barrel for hard line drives, and he showed more pop last season to the pull side. Speed and range bode well for center and left field, though his lack of arm strength may permanently stick in left. The bat will be the main calling card, and he’s shown the ability to impact a lineup. He should be a mainstay coming out of the Diamondbacks deep farm system.
EVALUATOR Isaiah Burrows
4. Drey Jameson, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AA
2021 Pre-season Rank: 8 Pre-season OFP: 50
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 50 | 60 | 40 | 45 | High |
| 95-97 mph | 78-83 mph | 85-88 mph | 85-89 mph |
PHYSICAL Short stature, small lower half. Thin and likely shorter than his listed height. Good athlete that is a true student of the game. Altered his delivery a bit since his days at Ball State, but it still gives hitters a challenging look. It’s a high effort delivery that he repeats well. The arm and hips do most of the work and he uses his lower half and drives directly over his plant leg. Double-plus arm speed.
STRENGTHS Fastball averaged 96, and did touch 100 as he pitched in High-A and Double-A. Also throws a two-seamer which sits more 92-94. Both variations have some wiggle and his 4-seamer is a plus pitch as he commands it well. His slider is a plus breaking ball and it’s his go-to when he needs a whiff. Has a few different variations of the slider and will add and subtract from the pitch. It’s a firm offering but plays well with his fastball. His changeup tunnels well off of his two-seamer. Similar movement profile and 3-5 miles per hour slower.
WEAKNESSES His overall command is his biggest detractor. He has loud stuff but his fringe command could send him to the bullpen. The violent finish in his delivery can also create a significant head whack, which also makes it difficult to throw consistent strikes. He gets dinged some for his small frame, but he has more than enough to make it as a starter. Starters aren’t expected to go as deep in games anymore. He also has a tendency to drive up pitch counts due to command woes and a tendency to nibble.
SUMMARY Jameson is an explosive arm that fits in extremely well for the modern game. He’s very intelligent and will study his mechanics and data, and has made several improvements since signing with the D-backs. He’s a future impact arm and while I think he’s a starter long-term his frame/command will always raise some question marks. Whatever the role, this is an arm you want in big situations.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
5. Geraldo Perdomo, SS - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: MLB
2021 Pre-season Rank: 4 Pre-season OFP: 50
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 40 | 55 | 60 | 60 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL High waisted athlete with a still developing frame. Plays smaller than his 6’2” frame and the hope is he continues to add strength and power to his game. Has put on 15-20 of muscle since the beginning of 2019. He’s very loose in the box and starts from a wide base. Front foot is pointed inwards. Very small stride, he barely lifts his front foot off the ground with minimal load
STRENGTHS Swing is geared for contact, and he had an 85% contact rate in 2019 and a contact rate up over 80% in 2021 in the minors. Takes tough at bats and is constantly in three ball counts, making the pitcher work. He’s a switch hitter with different swings from each side, He’s better against right-handers than lefties. More of a slap hitter against left-handed pitchers. Defensively he’s a future plus shortstop with smooth hands, good actions and a strong internal clock. Makes the flashy look routine, and the routine a little flashy, leading to unnecessary mistakes at times. Moves very well and covers a lot of ground due to his long strides. Above-average arm strength at short. No issues with the arm. Plus runner and a pest on the bases that draws a lot of attention due to aggressive leads.
WEAKNESSES Perdomo has bottom of the scale power from the right-side, but as a left-handed hitter he began to show more pop recently. He’s changed his philosophy a bit in order to get to more power and I believe that played a role in his somewhat poor statistical season in 2021. He’s never going to be a power threat, but I do see him hitting 10-12 homers a year at his peak, enough to keep hitters honest. In the field he can get a bit sloppy at times, and will make plays a little more difficult than they need to be, but that’s correctable. I’m not optimistic that his plus speed leads to stolen base numbers because he’s not an efficient base stealer.
SUMMARY Perdomo makes a ton of contact, runs well and fields his position well. The ingredients are here for Perdomo to become a future everyday shortstop despite the lack of power. He was only 21 last year when he made his big league debut due to Nick Ahmed’s knee injury and skipped over Triple-A. He could very much use a full season at Triple-A before taking over as the everyday shortstop sometime in 2023.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
6. Ryne Nelson, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AA
2021 Pre-season Rank: Unranked
7. Blake Walston, LHP - 50 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 11 Pre-season OFP: 50
8. Brandon Pfaadt, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
2021 Pre-season Rank: 37 Pre-season OFP: 35
9. Bryce Jarvis, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 5 Pre-Season OFP: 50
10. Slade Cecconi, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 7 Pre-Season OFP: 50