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. Hunter Greene, RHP - 55 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 2 Pre-Season OFP: 55
| Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 70 | 40 | 40 | High |
| 99-104 mph | 90-94 mph | 89-93 mph |
PHYSICAL Tons of athleticism coming from a prototypical pitcher’s build. He’s got a very big, filled-out frame that easily produces top flight velocity from a low release point. He physically didn’t miss a beat despite missing a year plus.
STRENGTHS Elite velocity all around. Easily clears triple digits on his fastball with good ride on the pitch. Works it east to west in the lower third of the zone. The velocity makes it hard to put a good barrel on with any consistency. Should play extremely well up in the zone. At present the slider is his best offering. It has a tight, gyro break. Can backdoor it to lefties or have it play in the righty on righty matchups. Shows a feel to sequence the two pitches.
WEAKNESSES The way Greene works his fastball right now is not good. Despite excellent velocity, his fastball ride doesn’t agree well with the plan of working his fastball lower in the zone. That makes it very hittable for the advanced hitters he’s facing. His command is not great right now. It never has to be amazing for Greene to reach his potential, it just needs to see improvement from where it is right now. His changeup could be a good pitch, but he rarely uses it.
SUMMARY He profiles with two elite pitches. The command will drive the role, though it’s generally believed that he will be a starter. Not only is he supremely athletic, he came back from missing a year due to Tommy John surgery on an absolute mission, rising to Triple-A. He competed well against much older competition, though he will likely need more seasoning at the level to learn how to pitch. His elite velocity meant he could just blow his stuff by hitters at lower levels. At his floor, he profiles to be an elite level closer. With an electric arm and a feel for two double-plus pitches, his rotation future is just as bright.
EVALUATOR Trevor Hooth
2. Nick Lodolo, LHP - 55 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 5 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 55 | 50 | 60 | High |
| 92-95 mph | 86-89 mph | 86-89 mph |
PHYSICAL Massive lanky frame. Extremely gangly with a high waist and long legs. Broad shouldered with little upper body strength. Chris Sale-like frame with more meat. Potential to add another 10-15 lbs of strength. Repeatable delivery with all of his moving limbs. Up tempo with a high leg lift leading to drop and drive. Long arm action with good deception from low 3/4 release. Throws across his body.
STRENGTHS Able to command his entire arsenal for precise pitch execution. Demonstrates a good feel and purpose for each pitch he throws and had a 66% strike rate this past season. His fastball has a heavy sink and comes in on a downhill plane making it a ground ball machine. His fastball and changeup have almost identical horizontal break and tilt, showing the two pitches will play off each other well and give legitimacy to a three-pitch arsenal. Generates above-average spin on his slider with a sharp horizontal movement plane.
WEAKNESSES Prone to overthrowing his changeup. Can come across as too firm making it more like a BP fastball considering the similarities his fastball and changeup have. Also with any sinker ball pitcher, throwing fastballs in the upper half of the zone will lead to trouble with the large amount of horizontal break and low vertical break his fastball has.
SUMMARY The entire arsenal plays up a couple ticks with his exceptional pitchability. The slider is a legit plus pitch and will give him a go-to strikeout pitch at the major league level. Still could see some growth with his ceiling if he adds more strength and velo in years to come. A very safe bet to be a fixture in a rotation for years to come as a reliable #3 starter.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
3. Elly De La Cruz, SS - 55 OFP
Age: 20 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 55 | 55 | 60 | 70 | High |
PHYSICAL XL frame that is bigger than the listed numbers, likely close to 6’5”. Looks similar to Oneil Cruz. Long, lean body with long limbs, high waist, and broad shoulders. Tons of projection. Twitchy athlete; very well coordinated for age and size. Premium athlete.
STRENGTHS Excellent athlete with present double-plus speed and potential double-plus power at maturity. One of the most toolsy prospects in all of baseball. Finds a way to get the barrel to the ball; has true all fields power but looks to pull. Shows good defensive skills and instincts that should keep him on the dirt, but has plenty of arm and range to be at least an average defender in the outfield too.
WEAKNESSES Elly is very aggressive at the plate, chases frequently, and whiffs often. Struggles to keep his long limbs in sync at times - but manages to hit the ball hard regardless so far. May slide off short depending on how much he fills out, which would put more pressure on him to hit.
SUMMARY Tremendous athlete with big raw power, great speed, and smooth glove. De La Cruz burst onto the scene after dominating Complex ball, showing impact tools in nearly all facets of the game. The ceiling is an All-Star caliber player should everything come together, but the floor is an up and down guy due to the volatility of the hit tool.
EVALUATOR Joe Drake
4. Matt McLain, SS - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A+
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 11
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 45 | 55 | 45 | 60 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Small frame with noticeable muscle in forearms. Shorter legs with a low waist. Stands to add some more muscle in the lower and upper body. Quick twitch and smooth athlete.
STRENGTHS McLain has an awesome compact swing that allows him to have good coverage at the plate. Great bat to ball skills that result in balls being sprayed all across the field, has surprising pop considering his stature and will consistently barrel up balls. Quick actions on the infield, smooth and easy footwork with quick hands. Very adept runner with quick strides. Above average base runner as well with good decision making and angles. Good patience at the plate and will take his walks and grind out counts.
WEAKNESSES McLain while having good bat to ball skills will strike out more than you’d expect. He struggles with low and away coverage and it will be interesting to see how he handles breaking balls out of the zone. McClain also has middling reviews with his arm strength. The likelier destination for him in the infield is at second base where his fringe arm won’t be a weakness.
SUMMARY McLain has a well-rounded profile of a future big leaguer. Does everything well and has no noticeable weak tool. Projects as a leadoff hitter at the major league level and profiles as a good spark plug for a lineup. All of his actions on the diamond look very natural and right. Will be able to have a longstanding big league career riddled with consistency.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
5. Austin Hendrick, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: 1 Pre-Season OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 55 | 50 | 55 | 45 | High |
PHYSICAL Athletic build with good strength at present. Has added strength and physicality since being drafted; little to no projection remains at this point. Above-average athlete. Plenty of raw strength here that he converts into plus bat speed. above-average arm strength.
STRENGTHS Hendrick has major power that has found its way into games since his prep days. He posted exit velos near 110 mph last summer and consistently makes loud contact when he squares it up. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him get to double-plus power at maturity. Excellent eye at the plate, will rack up walks. Has the athleticism and foot speed to leg out extra bases and gives him average range in the outfield; above-average arm strength makes him a natural fit for right.
WEAKNESSES Swing and miss is the biggest concern for Hendrick. He whiffed at a near 40% rate last year, despite showing patience and a willingness to lay off stuff outside the zone. He’s going to need to rein that in if he’s going to get to his power against more advanced arms. Will likely need to maintain conditioning to avoid moving to left field or first base, where the bat will be less dynamic.
SUMMARY Hendrick is a power bat through and through who has the combination of bat speed and power that could lead the league in home runs. The hit tool will drive his ultimate outcome and determine whether he reaches his All-Star ceiling or is merely a strikeout-prone regular.
EVALUATOR Joe Drake
6. Jay Allen II, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 38
Graham Ashcraft, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 13 Pre-Season OFP: 45
8. Lyon Richardson, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 6 Pre-Season OFP: 50
9. Daniel Vellojin, C - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked
10. Rece Hinds, OF - 45 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: 11 Pre-Season OFP: 45