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. Aaron Ashby, LHP - 55 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 11 Pre-Season OFP: 40
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 40 | 60 | 55 | 40 | High |
| 94-97 mph | 77-81 mph | 83-87 mph | 87-88 mph |
PHYSICAL Good pitcher’s frame. High-waisted with a frame that can handle more weight. Has room to add muscle in arms and lower half. High ¾ arm slot is constant, despite several different variations of his delivery to mess with the timing of hitters. Does an excellent job of leading with his glove side and keeping his front shoulder closed. There’s some effort in the delivery.
STRENGTHS Slider is a plus offering. Nasty putaway pitch that he will use against lefties and throw back foot to righties. Has Plus-plus whiff rates in the minors with excellent movement traits. The slider also gets groundballs and it's proven to be a very difficult pitch to lift. Shelved the four-seamer in favor of a sinker, which he works at the bottom of the zone. Had a near 67% groundball rate in Triple-A. Sat 95 as a starter in Triple-A but was up to 97 as a reliever in the MLB. Changeup plays off sinker low in the zone, flashing plus with good fade.
WEAKNESSES Ashby’s curveball has become a distant fourth pitch, and if he continues as a reliever it won’t be a consistent part of his arsenal. Also, the bigger potential deterrent to his future role is his command. He did a better job of repeating his delivery this past year, and the late movement he gets on his pitches makes it difficult to harness at times.
SUMMARY The Brewers have done a fantastic job of breaking pitchers in easy to the big leagues, and part of the blueprint seems to be using them as multi-inning relief arms before turning them loose in the rotation the following year. We still don’t know what their plans are for Ashby for 2022, but he’s talented enough to fill a variety of roles.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
2. Joey Wiemer, OF - 55 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 21 Pre-Season OFP: 40
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 60 | 50 | 70 | 55 | High |
PHYSICAL Built like a mature NFL QB, which is fitting because he was a high school QB who was nicknamed ‘The Freak.’ He’s tall with strong, lean legs, well-defined arms, muscular and has long blond, hockey-like hair. Natural, explosive athlete who plays with that energy and athleticism. High marks for makeup and effort.
STRENGTHS Raw power and big arm strength are his two best-graded tools. Switched to a toe tap before going into his stride/load which allowed him to make good contact for someone who takes big, strong lumberjack style hacks. Even with the long stride length, he does a good job with body control and using his posture to adjust to pitches and keeps his hands above the barrel. Plenty of bat speed and can drive the ball to all fields. Above-average speed, instinctual base runner. A solid defender in the outfield buoyed by plus arm strength.
WEAKNESSES Swing has a lot of moving parts with active hands in his load and has a long stride length. The hearty swings are going to lead to swing and miss issues, which are going to be his main separator from being a star and a part-timer. Will slow down some as he ages because of his physical size, but he should maintain at least average speed whenever that happens. Corner only profile in the outfield.
SUMMARY One of the most exciting players to watch. The ball sounds and looks different coming off his bat compared to most minor league hitters. Athleticism plays on the field with big power, huge arm, and good speed for his size. Swing has a lot of moving parts due to the long levers and the effort, which makes his range of outcomes extreme. There’s some chance he could be a three-true-outcomes type that provides defensive value in right field. Should be one of the more fun players to track over the next few seasons.
EVALUATOR Justin Lada
3. Brice Turang, SS - 55 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 2 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 40 | 55 | 55 | 60 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Spry athlete, fairly maxed out for his age and position. Moves well, runs well, and does the things needed to stay at shortstop. Swing has some loft to it at times, which can be a problem with Turang’s current lack of power.
STRENGTHS Strong defender at shortstop, able to make all the throws and plays. With his hit and run tools both above average, Turang can put pressure on defenses at just about any given moment. Can spray the ball to all fields and uses speed to take extra bases in the gaps. A playmaker on both sides of the ball.
WEAKNESSES Power has not developed which limits his impact on the offensive side of the ball and makes him more of a leadoff type than a potential impact bat. Runs very high walk rates and at times seems to prefer a walk to a hit; his passivity compounds lack of power/impact at the plate.
SUMMARY Turang has the profile of an everyday regular at the game’s most premium position. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in feel to hit, speed and prowess with the glove. Turang has the skill set of a classic leadoff hitter who has a knack for getting on base and is always a threat to steal. There’s an outside chance power could come at physical maturity, but it’s becoming less likely now.
EVALUATOR Sam Hale
4. Sal Frelick, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A+
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 10
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 45 | 60 | 50 | 55 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Small, but athletic frame. Strong build, broad shoulders. He looks every bit of his listed weight with little room for more projection.
STRENGTHS Offensively Frelick can get the bat to the ball. He has plus hand speed and a great knack for finding the barrel. He’ll spray the ball while keeping strikeouts down. He’s a hit-first guy with above-average raw power. A true centerfielder, he can cover a lot of ground. That is due to his reactions, but also some plus speed. It plays really well on the grass, and can show on the bases at times. His arm is strong enough to handle center as well. He’s well-rounded on a baseball field.
WEAKNESSES More pop showed up at the tail end of his college career and even a touch in the professional ranks. However, it’s still not consistent in game. The raw power suggests that could change, but he’ll never be a true home run threat.
SUMMARY If you prefer your top org prospects with a high floor, you can make a case Frelick is the best outfield prospect here rather than Joey Wiemer. His ability to hit the ball and play potentially top-tier defense gives him a very safe floor to build on. There is some power there, which showed out in some nice exit velocities and long home runs, but he doesn’t have that consistent feel in game. If he can find it more consistently then watch out. It won’t be surprising to find Frelick roaming centerfield for the Brewers on a daily basis down the road. With even just a half grade more in the power department, he becomes an extremely dangerous table setting-type bat in that lineup.
EVALUATOR Trevor Hooth
5. Garrett Mitchell, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 1 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 45 | 60 | 70 | 70 | High |
PHYSICAL Strong, muscular build with a high waist and lower half strength. Broad, sloping shoulders with stocky core. Physique fully matured. Explosive, twitchy movements.
STRENGTHS Potential impact defender with plus-plus speed and a plus-plus throwing arm. Very quick catch and release skills from the grass, throws have tremendous carry and very minimal tail. Defensive asset at any position in the outfield. Very quick out of the box and puts pressure on defenses with his legs. Excellent walk rate in first professional season.
WEAKNESSES Very linear swing and heavy groundball tendencies make it unlikely he’s a big home run threat in the future. Power primarily to the pull side. The type of hitter that is seemingly always messing with his swing. Has shown an inability at times to keep the front hip closed and can be vulnerable at the plate away. Struck out at a 26 percent clip in his first pro season in 2021. He needs to figure out a way to utilize his strong lower half during his swing. Right now it's a lot of upper body and it isn’t fluid.
SUMMARY Mitchell is an enigma. There are times when you watch him he looks like a franchise building block and other times when he can’t make contact. Between the whiff rates and the linear bat path I wouldn’t expect much power here, despite the show he will put on pre-game during batting practice. He’s an excellent glove, could hit at the bottom of a lineup soon and still produce positive value, but there’s a high ceiling here. Just needs to make significant swing adjustments to get there. He’s a type 1 diabetic but he hasn’t missed any games due to this at this point.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
6. Jackson Chourio, SS/OF - 50 OFP
Age: 17 Highest Level: DSL
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked
7. Hedbert Perez, OF - 50 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: 4 Pre-Season OFP: 50
8. Jeferson Quero, C - 50 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
Pre-Season Rank: 8 Pre-Season OFP: 50
9. Logan Henderson, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 20 Highest Level: JUCO
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 268
10. Tyler Black, 2B - 45 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 67