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. Oneil Cruz, SS - 55 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: 3 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 60 | 50 | 70 | 50 | High |
PHYSICAL Tall, wiry frame. He’s listed at 6’7” and he’s got limbs all over the place to prove it. He gets a lot of power out of what he is right now. There’s room for muscle on the frame, but it may slow him down.
STRENGTHS Prodigious power produced by the massive frame. While his size helps, he gets to the power thanks to a very quick bat. He produces massive exit velocities and cut down on swing and miss to help access more of his power in game. He has 80-grade raw power and registered a 120 mph ball in the minors (plus 118 mph in the majors). Outside of that power he has an absolute rocket of an arm that will allow him to play any position on the diamond. He’s a solid athlete who could handle shortstop long term.
WEAKNESSES Long levers are a gift and a curse, and the downside is there is perennial swing and miss that will hang around the profile and limit just how much he taps into the raw. It can be hard to reign the mechanics in for the hit tool to be consistent. He’s seen improvements, but it’s still fringe. His size will also lend itself to many question marks in terms of a defensive home.
SUMMARY His size makes him divisive in a lot of ways. It’s one ingredient to his massive raw power, but it also plays a part in holding that in-game power back. He will always swing and miss at the plate, his long levers make sure of it. However, the way he can impact a baseball is special. The ball shoots off his bat and it rockets out of his arm defensively. There are some who believe in his abilities to stick at shortstop long term, but he can handle third base, left field, or any other position he may need to fill.
EVALUATOR Trevor Hooth
2. Henry Davis, C - 55 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A+
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 3
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 60 | 40 | 70 | 40 | Moderate |
PHYSICAL Large, chiseled frame. Davis is about as maxed out in muscle as one can be and exerts strength through his upper body and broad shoulders. Noticeable leg definition with tree trunk-like quads. Intense forearm strength and overall great athletic ability. Strength is able to play in games due to his ability to have great body control and fluidity.
STRENGTHS Davis presents a tantalizing package of loud Herculean tools with his arm and raw power. His arm strength is immense and evident on his throw downs to second and third as the ball explodes out of his hand. Davis is able to generate great rotational strength with his lower and upper body in unison at the point of contact leading to loud contact. He also has a great feel for the strike zone and demonstrated composure and patience at the plate during his at-bats. Overall bat to ball skills are above average as well.
WEAKNESSES His receiving ability leaves a lot to be desired. Davis has the requisite athletic ability and intangibles to succeed behind the plate but, his lack of lateral mobility and overall quickness hinder his ability to receive and block pitches on a consistent basis. Wouldn’t be a surprise to see Davis move out of catching as his career progresses.
SUMMARY Has a wonderful combination of ceiling and floor with his current toolset. His overall strength is evidenced through his power, arm, and physique. While he does lack overall lateral mobility and quickness, those concerns pale in comparison to the present tools and offerings that Davis has. His bat will be a major impact in a lineup regardless of the position and looks to put him in perennial Silver Slugger contention.
EVALUATOR Jackson Thomas
3. Nick Gonzales, 2B - 55 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 2 OFP: 55
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 50 | 50 | 45 | 45 | High |
PHYSICAL Muscular, compact frame. He’s maxed out the frame with good weight, which has helped him maximize his athletic tools.
STRENGTHS A compact, lofty swing helps get the barrel to the ball. Not just compact, but quick with an ability to keep the barrel in the zone with great control. The swing was built to hit and offense is the name of the game for Gonzales. He’s hit over power, but that isn’t for lack of power. His swing will result in more than its share of pop when he finds the barrel and it plays to all fields. He’s an average fielder, though is likely never going to contribute anywhere but second base.
WEAKNESSES His arm and defensive skills limit him to second base on the defensive side of the ball. He will perform well there, but isn’t going to be a usable option elsewhere in the field. That starts with a fringe arm that is more than capable of succeeding at second, but wouldn’t be consistent enough to make throws on the other side of the dirt.
SUMMARY A pure hitter that was a big riser in his draft class. He forced his hand as a top pick because he can just hit the ball. He didn’t disappoint by hitting over .300 in his debut season. It’s a case where hit over power isn’t an indictment on the power in his game. He can do it all at the plate. If the worst thing about his profile is that he only projects out as a second baseman, then the Pirates have a chance for a mainstay that consistently gets penciled in the top half of their lineup card.
EVALUATOR Trevor Hooth
4. Roansy Contreras, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: MLB
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked OFP: 50
| Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 55 | 55 | 50 | Moderate |
| 94-96 mph | 82-85 mph | 88-85 mph |
PHYSICAL Slightly on the shorter side for a pitcher, but is well filled out with some slight room for projection. Has a frame that especially in the upper body, could stand to put on some more muscle. Shorter legs, but has some room to fill out in the lower body.
STRENGTHS All three of his pitches are above-average offerings with the fastball being the primary offering, he is able to maneuver the fastball all throughout the zone, he does a good job of avoiding the heart of the plate with the fastball. The slider is the put-away pitch and has some serious downward movement inducing plenty of swings and misses. The changeup, although used much less than his other two offerings, is another pitch that he can use to generate swings and misses because of its tumble and fade.
WEAKNESSES I would love to see him mix in the changeup more often, because at times he can become too reliant on the fastball and slider, which are both quality offerings. At times, hitters key in on the fastball and slider, and if he utilized the changeup more he may be able to limit some of the hard contact he gives up. When runners are on base, the command tends to take a dip as he doesn’t always replicate his release point well which hurts the pitches.
SUMMARY Roansy Contreras has a three-pitch mix that isl above-average, with the fastball being plus, and has average command of all of those offerings. He already made his major league debut, and should be in line for a regular rotation spot at some point early on in 2022. There is a number 4 starter profile here with the chance to become a number 3 starter if the slider or changeup takes a step forward. We like his chances of continuing to improve given his strides of the last calendar year.
EVALUATOR Rhys White
5. Quinn Priester, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 4 Pre-Season OFP: 50
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 60 | 55 | 45 | 50 | Moderate |
| 93-95 mph | 78-81 mph | 87-90 mph | 86-88 mph |
PHYSICAL Tall athletic build is a presence on the mound. Plus athlete that’s just starting to fill out into his projectable frame. Easy, repeatable ¾ arm slot and great arm speed. Relatively new to pitching, he taught himself many of the finer points of pitching on YouTube as an amateur.
STRENGTHS He performed well in High-A despite being one of the younger arms at the level. He throws a four-seamer and a sinker, and will mix and match depending on the hitter and situation. He sits 93-95 and touches 98 with the heater. His big 12-to-6 curveball is a plus pitch. He will throw it for a strike or bury it to finish off hitters. His new slider has turned into one of his primary pitches against righties and it has plus velocity, almost like a cutter. He also mixes in a firm changeup that gets whiffs.
WEAKNESSES Priester has big stuff but his 24% whiff rate leaves a bit to be desired. He does have an above-average SwStrk% (14.2%) so there are some arsenal tweaks that could possibly unlock more strikeouts. Ditching the sinker for the four-seamer is a way to get more whiffs.
SUMMARY Priester is more of a groundball, weak contact inducer than he is a strikeout artist and that will unfairly knock him down a little bit on prospect lists because it caps the upside a bit. That’s not entirely fair though because he has the stuff to be a power strikeout arm with a few tweaks. He has a heavy groundball tilt, and will be one of the youngest arms in Double-A next season.
EVALUATOR Matt Thompson
6. Endy Rodriguez, C - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A
Pre-Season Rank: Unranked
7. Bubba Chandler, RHP/SS - 50 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
2021 MLB Draft Rank: 21
8. Kyle Nicolas, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
Pre-Season Rank: 6 Pre-Season OFP: 50
9. Michael Burrows, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: A+
Pre-Season Rank: 30 Pre-Season OFP: 40
10. Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AAA
Pre-Season Rank: 7 Pre-Season OFP: 50