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. Shea Langeliers, C - 55 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 4 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 55 | 60 | 70 | 30 | Low |
PHYSICAL Stocky and compact frame. Strong lower half with a low thick waist. Shows noticeable upper body strength through chest and arms. Overall little physical projection left but has the potential to add more in the lower half.
STRENGTHS Absolute rocket of an arm, certified lethal weapon. Has quick transfer, release, and + footwork behind the dish. Demonstrates ability to move well laterally when receiving and blocking. Sound approach at the plate that uses the whole field. Consistently gets the barrel to the baseball and allows the ball to get deep in the zone. Will work his walks. Shows above-average raw pop in BP that is beginning to translate in-game.
WEAKNESSES Prone to stretches of swing and miss against higher-level pitching, attributed to muscling up on his swing. Will get beat by pitchers at the major league level that can locate pitches on the outer half of the plate, especially frisbee sliders.
SUMMARY Overall presents a very safe profile as a catcher that will allow him to have a long big league career. Langeliers will be a perennial Gold Glove contender due to his tantalizing package of arm and glove. His bat shows promise to be at least big league average as he’s shown by his progression in the minors and overall plate approach.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
2. Vaughn Grissom, SS - 55 OFP
Age: 21 | Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 20 | Pre-Season OFP: 40
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 55 | 45 | 55 | 55 | High |
PHYSICAL Tall and physical frame with room to add good weight. Has above-average athleticism and twitch, but is likely to lose some as he ages. This portends a move to third base or second base long term, but it’s not a body that will require a substantial amount of maintenance long term.
STRENGTHS Cool, calm, and collected at the plate. Radiates a maturity beyond his years, makes good swing decisions, has an above-average rate of contact, and gets on-base at a plus rate. Best contact is still center-oppo but will show the ability to turn on inside pitches and drive them to his pull-side. High amount of barreled line-drive contact. Shows plus raw power in game, should translate to above-average to plus power production long term.
WEAKNESSES Fringe-average defensive player, likely not a shortstop long term, limited speed and range. Likely ends up elsewhere in the infield long term. Still learning to drive the ball to his pull-side, makes best contact center-oppo. Likely a fringe-average runner at maturation.
SUMMARY One of the most exciting young players in the Atlanta system. Shows feel to hit, a discerning eye at the plate, and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He has versatility defensively and an above-average arm. Has true star upside with an everyday player floor. Not a freak twitch athlete but a player with good baseball skills and a fair amount of polish for a younger prospect with little pro experience entering 2021. Showed well across two levels of A-Ball. Likely to end up a bat first third baseman long term with the ability to get on base and impact the ball.
EVALUATOR Geoff Pontes
3. Joey Estes, RHP - 55 OFP
Age: 20 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked
| Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 55 | 50 | 50 | High |
| 93-96 mph | 82-85 mph | 84-96 mph |
PHYSICAL Average height with thick physical frame, moderate amount of conditioning needed to maintain long term. Fast arm, operates from a basic operation, with a semi-windup, delivering the ball from a low ¾ slot. Effort in delivery, particularly at the point of release, but minimal moving parts.
STRENGTHS Excellent fastball characteristics, low release height, heavy bore, and sub-4.3 degree vertical approach angle. Estes generates an above-average amount of whiffs on his fastball, with the ability to command the pitch and get it in the zone. Plus command of a low to mid-80s slider with slurvy shape. It’s his primary secondary weapon and best whiff-generating offering. Gets changeup in the zone and generates weak contact in the form of grounders and pop-ups.
WEAKNESSES Below-average shape on secondary pitches, effort in delivery, slider shape is inconsistent. Body will need maintenance long term. Improvements in fastball efficiency could yield improved results.
SUMMARY A true breakout arm in the Atlanta system, Estes has a knack for landing all of his pitches in the zone, with the ability to miss bats at an above-average rate with his fastball and slider. Changeup is commanded but has a below-average shape. Best used as a poor contact driver. Starter’s body and command, with the fastball+slider combination to provide a high-leverage reliever floor. Elite vertical approach angle with above-average vertical movement on fastball allows his arsenal to play up. Low release and deceptive arm angle.
EVALUATOR Geoff Pontes
4. Michael Harris II, OF - 55 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 15 Pre-Season OFP: 45
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 55 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Average height, and built very similarly to a smaller wide receiver. There is some projection left in his frame, but more weight could impact his speed.
STRENGTHS He makes a lot of contact, is looking to spray line drives all across the field, and is successful at doing so thanks to his linear bat path. He has the plate coverage and the bat-to-ball skills to be able to get to pitches in the zone and even slightly outside of it. He pairs his above-average speed with quality jumps which allows him to be a quality base-stealer.
WEAKNESSES While he does have solid bat-to-ball skills he is aggressive at the plate and makes suboptimal contact on pitches he should lay off of. He often swings early and often in the plate appearance and does not go up to the plate looking to draw a walk. While he can play centerfield he is better suited for left-field defensively because of his suboptimal arm.
SUMMARY Harris II can really put the bat to the ball and has some speed. The power is suboptimal as well as his arm which both limit him to being a contact and speed-oriented left-fielder, very much like how we viewed Taylor Trammell as a prospect. He has what it takes to be a solid everyday guy who hits for a high average and can be an asset on the basepaths while creeping into double-digit home runs.
EVALUATOR Rhys White
5. Cristian Pache, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 1 Pre-Season OFP: 60
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 45 | 70 | 70 | 70 | High |
PHYSICAL A natural athlete with prototypical size and strength. Quick twitch, runs extremely well, has grown into his body over the last couple of years, adding strength without losing his baseline athleticism.
STRENGTHS One of the top defensive outfielders in the minor leagues, could handle centerfield every day in the major leagues now. Double plus arm, elite closing speed and range. Double plus runner, that moves well out of the box. Best contact is line drives to his pull-side, as are a majority of his extra base hits. Shows above-average raw power in flashes.
WEAKNESSES As good as his defense is, there are still major questions around his impact with the bat. Despite above-average raw power, Pache has difficulty tapping into it with consistency. Fringe-average bat to ball with an aggressive approach. Lack of discernment at the plate translates into bad swings and too many poorly struck balls that should have been takes. Poor base stealer despite double-plus speed, doesn’t look to ever be a major part of his game.
SUMMARY An enigma wrapped in a riddle. Is he the loud toolsy player still refining his game? Or is he simply an elite outfield defender that can’t hit? More and more evidence points to the latter as Pache struggled for much of the season at Triple-A Gwinnett. However, at just 23 years old for all of 2022, Pache still has a few years to improve at the plate. There are no flaws that stand out mechanically, Pache is just truly hindered by his swing decisions. If he can refine his approach he might still take the step forward offensively that will earn him an everyday gig in the big leagues.
EVALUATOR Geoff Pontes
6. Kyle Muller, LHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 7 Pre-Season OFP: 50
7. Spencer Strider, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 28 Pre-Season OFP: 40
8. Ryan Cusick, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 24
9. Tucker Davidson, LHP - 45 OFP
Age: 26 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 9 Pre-Season OFP: 45
10. Bryce Elder, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 13 Pre-Season OFP: 45