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. Austin Martin, SS/OF - 55 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 2 (TOR) Pre-Season OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 45 | 45 | 55 | 55 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Medium sized frame, athletic build, room to continue adding overall body strength. Slightly open stance, both knees bent, sets hands around letters with bat pointed slightly toward pitcher, little leg kick with weight transfer onto backside, good extension on swing with two-hand follow through.
STRENGTHS Above average bat to ball skills with a line drive swing. Enters zone with flatter bat angle and with a compact swing. Keeps barrel in the zone and is a patient hitter, works deep counts and takes his walks, versatile defensively with an above average throwing arm from all positions.
WEAKNESSES In game power production; has struggled to tap into power he displayed in college. Projects to be more of a doubles over home run hitter. Inconsistency in regards to quality of contact, struggles to drive the ball to all fields consistently. Uptick in K% during his first full season. Struggled defensively at SS, profiles as a corner OF/2B long term.
SUMMARY Aggressive assignments early on in his professional career. Started at the Blue Jays alternate site out of the draft in 2020 in which he faced experienced arms on a daily basis. Started 2021 in Double-A New Hampshire with the Blue Jays before being dealt to the Twins in which he finished his 2021 campaign in Double-A Wichita. Martin is a versatile position player who has above average bat to ball skills. He has still yet to show consistent in game power production that he showed in college. Long term profiles as an everyday player who will play multiple positions around the diamond.
EVALUATOR Brandon Smith
2. Royce Lewis, SS/OF - 55 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 2 Pre-Season OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 70 | High |
PHYSICAL Strong with long, athletic limbs. Built like an NBA point guard. Has some physical projection left on the frame, and I’m interested to see how the body has changed, if at all, after missing the season due to a torn right ACL suffered in spring training. Also had an oblique strain in 2019 and patellar tendonitis in 2018. Very wide base at the plate with an exaggerated leg kick. Holds hands up high throughout his swing. Top of the scale bat speed and fast hands/wrists.
STRENGTHS One of the quickest bats in the minors that helps generate plus raw power. Generates easy loft due to optimized bat path. Was a double-plus runner prior to ACL injury, and without any real games played since I’m going to leave the grade the same. Plus athleticism with an above-average arm, started playing all over the diamond during the AFL, and that looks like his immediate role with the Twins. Elite range and quick-twitch actions point to him being an above-average defender at multiple positions. In most other orgs he would still be working exclusively as a shortstop and he can be a future above-average defender there with more time.
WEAKNESSES An aggressive hitter that will swing at pitcher’s pitches and make weak contact too frequently. Struggled in 2019 at the plate, albeit part of that could be due to extreme pitcher’s park in Pensacola. Was also much more pull-happy than he had been previously after his promotion to Double-A. Has missed so much time due to injuries, and the last real glimpse at Lewis was his 2019 AFL stint.
SUMMARY Some serious concerns surrounding his plate approach and injury history, but he’s one of the best athletes in the minor leagues and is a solid bet to carve out some type of big league role. Lacks a true defensive home but still has the athleticism, instincts and arm strength to be an asset anywhere on the diamond. The missed time has really hurt his development and reports from the beginning of the off-season indicated that Lewis wasn’t comfortable running at full speed from his February surgery. Lewis will begin the season with his Triple-A debut and since he was added to the 40-man roster he could potentially miss more time as the CBA gets hammered out.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
3. Joe Ryan, RHP - 55 OFP
Age: 16 Highest Level: MLB
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 55 | High |
| 90-94 mph | 76-79 mph | 80-83 mph | 78-81 mph |
PHYSICAL Medium frame with an athletic build. Shows good mass and strength throughout his body. Deceptively long limbs. Throws from a low 3/4 arm slot with good fluidity and rhythm. Creates deception from arm action. Good athleticism and flexibility allow for great hip and upper body rotation.
STRENGTHS Ryan has a plus fastball that is attributed to his command and usage of the pitch. He willingly manipulates his fastball up and on the edges of the strike zone allowing him to minimize barrels. His low vertical approach angle and release allow his fastball to ride up past hitters making it more effective than the velocity suggests. Ryan also is able to mix pitches well to keep hitters off balance and maintain the effectiveness of his fastball.
WEAKNESSES The overall quality of Ryan’s secondary pitches needs refinement. Each secondary pitch hovers around average to fringe by the means of its profile and characteristics. Ryan is able to compensate due to his pitching IQ but even slight development of Ryan’s secondary pitches will go a long way.
SUMMARY Ryan understands how to mix his pitches and manipulate the sequences of at-bats. His fastball is truly a plus pitch due to the ride generated by his release despite its average velocity. He looks to be an effective long-tenured innings-eater at the big league level, and should spend most, if not all, of 2022 in the big league rotation.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
4. Chase Petty, RHP - 55 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 22
| Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 70 | 50 | 45 | High |
| 95-98 mph | 80-85 mph | 86-90 mph |
PHYSICAL Very physical build on a medium frame. Plenty of present strength with limited projection remaining. Above-average athlete. Full windup; long arm action with moderate to high effort from low 3/4s slot. Excellent arm speed.
STRENGTHS Petty has a very live arm. The fastball lives in the upper-90s with heavy sink and has touched 102 in games more than once. His best offering though may be the slider. It sits low to mid-80s with big sweep and depth; shows an ability to manipulate the shape of it, too. A firm changeup rounds out the arsenal that flashes depth and fade, giving him a weapon to use against lefties.
WEAKNESSES Command is the only real potential weakness that stands out in Petty’s game right now. Though the effort in his delivery has come down some, he doesn’t always repeat well and his ability to command the baseball comes and goes. The changeup is more of a projection pitch than anything right now given it’s extremely limited use. He’ll need plenty of game reps to develop feel for it.
SUMMARY It’s hard to envision a world where Petty doesn’t end up as a major league arm of some sort. He projects to have two double–plus offerings and that’s going to play in any role, whether it be a five and dive starter or high-leverage arm out of the bullpen. Development of the changeup and command will drive his ultimate role, but he should get every chance to start given his draft pedigree.
EVALUATOR Joe Drake
5. Jordan Balazovic, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 5 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 45 | 55 | 50 | 50 | Moderate |
| 94-97 mph | 78-81 mph | 83-87 mph | 86-89 mph |
PHYSICAL Large frame that fits the jersey well with some length to the body. Added some weight and size and it shows with increased definition. Filled some of that projection from top-to-bottom.
STRENGTHS Steady offering of four pitches with good command and control. Doesn't give up too many walks. Starts and ends his counts with a plus fastball in the upper-90s with life in the zone. Long levers and limbs create some whip in the delivery; fastball can pop out of the hand at times. Misses a good amount of barrels. Slider continues to improve as a steady second offering with some sweep and tail; mirrors the fastball before diving out of the zone. Flashes plus when commanded consistently. Also sports a promising changeup and curveball. Takes some off both pitches. Curveball is a vertical 11-5 pitch with some shape and depth. Has the stuff to crack a big league rotation at his current development.
WEAKNESSES Tends to get a little too comfortable over the heart of the plate; can get barreled loud and hard at times. The slider and changeup flash plus/above-average at times, but lack of consistent command leaves a bit to be desired. Curveball lags a bit in consistency and depth compared to the rest of his off speeds. Needs to cut down on leaving some pitches over the heart.
SUMMARY Balazovic has a solid combination of stuff and control. He sports a solid four-pitch mix led by a plus fastball and a tight slider. The changeup and curveball also have distinct shapes. His strike throwing ability is clean, but can get a bit too cute at times. He has the makeup to be a middle-to-backend starter. He is on the Twins 40-man roster and is subject to the lockout.
EVALUATOR Isaiah Burrows
6. Matt Canterino, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 7 Pre-Season OFP: 50
7. Jose Miranda, 3B - 50 OFP
Age: 3 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 23 Pre-Season OFP: 40
8. Josh Winder, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 25 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 9 Pre-Season OFP: 45
9. Jhoan Duran, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 6 Pre-Season OFP: 50
10. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 3 (TOR) Pre-Season OFP: 55