RHD's Latest Top 150 Roto Prospects ("Mid-Season" Edition)

[rhd]

The All-Star break is upon us. Time for an updated Top 150 list. I wanted to post this before the MLB Draft, which will happen in a few hours. The very top of the draft rankings havent changed much. There seems to be a top tier of 10 names now, which includes the 8 names I mentioned before in the "College Baseball" thread (Bazzana, Condon, Caglianone, Wetherholt, Montgomery, Kurtz, Burns and Hagen Smith) plus the 2 top HSers (Griffin and Rainer). The next tier seems to be Trey Yesavage, James Tibbs, Seaver King, Christian Moore and maybe Cam Smith and Carson Benge. All of these are on my new list except for Cam Smith and Benge. Also on my list is Vance Honeycutt, who I seem to be higher on than practically anyone. So a total of 15 soon-to-be new draftees on the list. Bazzana and Condon are the 2 most likely to be selected #1) overall, altho I have heard buzz that the Guardians are considering Wetherholt also.

There are several amateurs that are 2-way players but the only one that I have listed as such is Caglianone, and I dont expect that his MLB org will develop him additionally as a pitcher, just as a hitter. I do expect that eventually there will be another 2-way player in MLB but I think such a player will have to demand this as a condition of signing, the way Ohtani did in Japan.

There are 46 new names on this list, which is the most ever that I can remember. And the talent seems to have remained thin. I usually have several names that I would like to include that there's just not enough room for but now I'm scrambling to find the last few names that I need to fill out the list.

The usual litany: I generally follow BA's prospect eligibility requirements, which are <=130 MLB AB or <=50 MLB IP. Unlike BA tho, amateurs, unsigned draftees, foreign players and newly-signed players from foreign leagues are eligible. Also, while BA has a different IP limit for relievers (30 G?), relievers are eligible as long as they dont have >50 IP. As usual, this is for roto, not 'real' baseball, so pitchers are downgraded some, catchers downgraded somewhat (unless they're elite prospects and their bat will play at any position), actual closers are upgraded a lot, SB guys who project to get playing time get upgraded some, and guys who either currently are or project to soon be regulars can get upgraded quite a bit. Position listed is their current primary one to the best of my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong), not the one they're likely to end up at.

Rank Name Pos Org Prev +/-
1 Jackson Holliday 2B Bal 1 0
2 James Wood OF Was 9 7
3 Junior Caminero 3B TB 5 2
4 Dylan Crews OF Was 6 2
5 Coby Mayo 3B Bal 27 22
6 Carson Williams SS TB 37 31
7 Roman Anthony OF Bos 16 9
8 Jasson Dominguez OF NYY 23 15
9 Jordan Lawlar SS Ari 10 1
10 Walker Jenkins OF Min 11 1
11 Travis Bazzana 2B College 48 37
12 Charlie Condon OF College 49 37
13 J.J. Wetherholt SS College 50 37
14 Emmanuel Rodriguez OF Min 44 30
15 Marcelo Mayer SS Bos 25 10
16 Brooks Lee SS Min 33 17
17 Max Clark OF Det 17 0
18 Colt Emerson SS Sea 39 21
19 Jackson Jobe SP Det 46 27
20 Roki Sasaki SP Japan 32 12
21 Jac Caglianone 1B/SP College 99 78
22 Matt Shaw 3B CHC 29 7
23 Tyler Black 1B Mil 31 8
24 Noah Schultz SP CHW 65 41
25 Justin Crawford OF Phi 40 15
26 Chase Delauter OF Cle 28 2
27 Samuel Basallo C Bal 57 30
28 Owen Caissie OF CHC 59 31
29 Jett (J.T.) Williams OF NYM 18 -11
30 Cole Young SS Sea 42 12
31 Braden Montgomery OF College 144 113
32 Hagen Smith SP College 146 114
33 Chase Burns SP College 145 112
34 Nick Kurtz 1B College 100 66
35 Andrew Painter SP Phi 63 28
36 Colson Montgomery SS CHW 15 -21
37 Cade Horton SP CHC 47 10
38 Jacob Wilson SS Oak 131 93
39 Heston Kjerstad OF Bal 53 14
40 Christian Scott SP NYM 110 70
41 Drew Thorpe SP CHW 68 27
42 Josue De Paula OF LAD 89 47
43 Sebastian Walcott SS Tex 61 18
44 Xavier Isaac 1B TB 90 46
45 Luke Keaschall 2B Min NR NA
46 Kevin McGonigle SS Det NR NA
47 James Triantos 2B CHC 128 81
48 Konnor Griffin SS HS 147 99
49 Bryce Rainer SS HS NR NA
50 Marco Luciano SS SF 70 20
51 Spencer Jones OF NYY 38 -13
52 Brady House 3B Was 43 -9
53 Jonatan Clase OF Sea 77 24
54 Chandler Simpson OF TB NR NA
55 Victor Scott OF StL 20 -35
56 Starlyn Caba SS Phi NR NA
57 Jacob Misiorowski SP Mil 64 7
58 Tink Hence SP StL 112 54
59 Jace Jung 3B Det 82 23
60 Aidan Miller SS Phi 130 70
61 Lazaro Montes OF Sea 91 30
62 Ricky Tiedemann SP Tor 36 -26
63 Rhett Lowder SP Cin 66 3
64 Ethan Salas C SD 56 -8
65 Harry Ford C Sea 73 8
66 Drew Gilbert OF NYM 60 -6
67 Brayden Taylor 3B TB NR NA
68 Leodalis De Vries SS SD 87 19
69 Vance Honeycutt OF College 143 74
70 Jefferson Rojas SS CHC NR NA
71 Jaison Chourio OF Cle NR NA
72 Felnin Celestin SS Sea NR NA
73 Noble Meyer SP Mia 98 25
74 Thomas White SP Mia NR NA
75 Bubba Chandler SP Pit 108 33
76 Luisangel Acuna 2B NYM 62 -14
77 Bryce Eldridge 1B SF 92 15
78 Yanquiel Fernandez OF Col 93 15
79 Termarr Johnson 2B Pit 34 -45
80 Druw Jones OF Ari 58 -22
81 Henry Bolte OF Oak NR NA
82 Kyle Manzardo 1B Cle 54 -28
83 Jordan Beck OF Col 95 12
84 Spencer Schwellenbach SP Atl NR NA
85 A.J. Smith-Shawver SP Atl 67 -18
86 Max Meyer SP Mia 138 52
87 Kyle Teel C Bos 118 31
88 Adael Amador 2B Col 30 -58
89 Kevin Alcantara OF CHC 88 -1
90 Enrique Bradfield OF Bal 76 -14
91 Nelson Rada OF LAA 78 -13
92 Connor Norby 2B Bal 126 34
93 Justin Foscue 2B Tex 113 20
94 Ronny Mauricio 2B NYM 117 23
95 Orelvis Martinez 2B Tor 85 -10
96 Ralphy Velasquez 1B Cle NR NA
97 Sal Stewart 3B Cin 136 39
98 Zac Veen OF Col NR NA
99 Cade Cavalli SP Was NR NA
100 Brandon Sproat SP NYM NR NA
101 Zebby Matthews SP Min NR NA
102 Hurston Waldrep SP Atl 69 -33
103 D.L. Hall SP Mil 102 -1
104 Cameron Collier 3B Cin 133 29
105 Gabriel Gonzalez OF Min 75 -30
106 Jacob Melton OF Hou NR NA
107 Tyler Locklear 1B Sea NR NA
108 Joey Loperfido 1B Hou NR NA
109 Justyn-Henry Malloy 1B Det 127 18
110 Robby Snelling SP SD 55 -55
111 Carson Whisenhunt SP SF 120 9
112 Chase Hampton SP NYY 105 -7
113 Deyvison De Los Santos 1B Ari NR NA
114 Hao-Yu Lee SS Det NR NA
115 Kristian Campbell 2B Bos NR NA
116 Alex Freeland SS LAD NR NA
117 Jonny Farmelo OF Sea NR NA
118 Angel Genao SS Cle NR NA
119 Joendry Vargas SS LAD NR NA
120 Eduardo Quintero OF LAD NR NA
121 Robert Calaz OF Col NR NA
122 Hayden Birdsong SP SF NR NA
123 Yariel Rodriguez SP Tor NR NA
124 Quinn Mathews SP StL NR NA
125 Emiliano Teodo SP Tex NR NA
126 Caden Dana SP LAA NR NA
127 Logan Evans SP Sea NR NA
128 Jaden Hamm SP Det NR NA
129 Miguel Bleis OF Bos 134 5
130 Luis Danys Morales SP Oak 124 -6
131 Jackson Ferris SP LAD NR NA
132 Michael Arroyo SS Sea NR NA
133 Zyhir Hope OF LAD NR NA
134 Jake Bloss SP Hou NR NA
135 Ryan Clifford OF NYM 94 -41
136 Brock Wilken 3B Mil 129 -7
137 Everson Pereira OF NYY 115 -22
138 Agustin Ramirez C NYY NR NA
139 Dalton Rushing C LAD 140 1
140 Jeferson Quero C Mil 74 -66
141 Moises Ballesteros C CHC NR NA
142 Edgar Quero C CHW 141 -1
143 James Tibbs OF College NR NA
144 Christian Moore 2B College NR NA
145 Trey Yesavage SP College NR NA
146 Seaver King 3B College 148 2
147 Ethan Holliday SS HS 142 -5
148 Hye-Seong Kim 2B Korea NR NA
149 Kazuma Okamoto 1B Japan 150 1
150 Munetaka Murakami 3B Japan 149 -1

Lost eligibility (29): Jack Chourio (2), W Langford (3), E Carter (4), Y Yamamoto (7), P Skenes (8), C Keith (12), P Crow-Armstrong (13), J Merrill (14), M Winn (19), C Rafaela (21), J Lee (22), N Marte (24), C Cowser (26), K Harrison (35), S Baz (41), S Imanaga (45), M Busch (51), C Mead (52), N Schanuel (79), P Meadows (80), J Ortiz (81), Jar Jones (83), B Rocchio (84), J Wicks (101), G Stone (103), G Mitchell (104), M Miller (111), X Edwards (116), A Pages (123)


Eligibles Dropped off (17): M Abel (71), C Phillips (72), R Arias (86), S Thompson (96), D Lesko (97), T Troy (106), D Espino (107), T Roby (109), T Saggese (114), R Gasser (119), C Petty (121), B Ramos (122), A Solometo (125), N Yorke (132), G Valera (135), C Jorge (137), J Boyle (139)

As always, comments are not only welcome but encouraged. Enjoy!

[Sharky]

Happy to see this (always am), RHD. Thanks!

Questions:

1) Take a player like Justin Crawford. Moved up 15 spots. Is that simply attrition for others on the list? Does that indicate expected or better than expected development?

2) Christian Scott is pitching in mlb. However his K rate seems mediocre and he has been hit around a bit. Does that change your prognosis?

[rhd]

Happy to see this (always am), RHD. Thanks!

Questions:

1) Take a player like Justin Crawford. Moved up 15 spots. Is that simply attrition for others on the list? Does that indicate expected or better than expected development?

2) Christian Scott is pitching in mlb. However his K rate seems mediocre and he has been hit around a bit. Does that change your prognosis?

Thanx as always for the response, Sharky.

Part of Crawford's rise is attrition. But part of it is that he has continued to perform and now is getting more love from the experts. I've always thought he was an underhyped prospect. He's hitting over .300 and continuing to rack up the SBs and also is ranked #33), #29) and #55) on the recent updates by BA, Keith Law and MLB.com respectively. The knock on him I've always heard is that he doesnt elevate the ball and thus his power potential has been limited. Regardless of whether he can change that (BA says he's hitting the ball in the air more this year), he's valuable in fantasy if he can continue to hit and steal bases. BA rates his speed as 70-grade and says his bat-to-ball skills stand out.

I'm not worried about Scott's K-rate. Given that it's a small sample size, it doesnt seem out of line w what you would expect. BA rates his FB as 60-grade and his velo so far is slightly above average. And he's not getting hit around much. HIs MLB WHIP is 1.11 so far which is considerably better than the MLB avg. of 1.27 and his BAA is .232, well below the MLB avg. of .243.

[heyelander]

Posted this in the other thread. Curious to hear your thoughts:
I drafted gavin cross a couple of years back and held into him after a crap year last year. he's dropped off nearly every list I've seen.

Stats this year look much improved at AA. Any hope here? Made adjystments? Or is it just a matter of an early hot streak and he's still no longer any kind of prospect?


Also curious if you've seen positive news on Painter's rehab or if the jump is just him getting closer to pitching again.

[rhd]

Posted this in the other thread. Curious to hear your thoughts:
I drafted gavin cross a couple of years back and held into him after a crap year last year. he's dropped off nearly every list I've seen.

Stats this year look much improved at AA. Any hope here? Made adjystments? Or is it just a matter of an early hot streak and he's still no longer any kind of prospect?


Also curious if you've seen positive news on Painter's rehab or if the jump is just him getting closer to pitching again.

Thanx for the response, heyelander.

Yes, I would say there's hope for Cross. He's resurrected some of his prospect status, altho he has a ways to go to get back on my list. He's currently #254).

Part of Painter's jump up has been attrition but part of it is that the major lists had him considerably higher than I did. Personally, I think I have him too high but I'm deferring in part to the industry. I havent heard anything about his recovery, just that he's due back sometime next year.

[Teenwolf]

Thanks for the list, RHD.

Tyler Black (23), Colson Montgomery (36), Spencer Jones (51), Chandler Simpson (54), Termarr Johnson (79), Dru Jones (80), Nelson Rada (91), Miguel Bleis (129), Ryan Clifford (135) are all too high for my liking, but I'm pretty highly reactionary to most recent performances.

Chandler Simpson, Rada, and Victor Scott all seem to lack the power to become regulars, but I know how enticing it is on the chance they become 50+ SB guys. I prefer Enrique Bradfield (91) above all of them because of his plate skills, approach (models his game after a leadoff hitter), and 80 defense.

I see that you value proximity pretty highly, with very few short season guys included. Among that group, I feel like Yoelin Cespedes (2B BOS) has more claim to backend 150 than Zyhir Hope. Cespedes gets underrated due to his height, but has shown really high exit velos for a teenager.

Will discuss more later if I get the chance!

[rhd]

Thanks for the list, RHD.

Tyler Black (23), Colson Montgomery (36), Spencer Jones (51), Chandler Simpson (54), Termarr Johnson (79), Dru Jones (80), Nelson Rada (91), Miguel Bleis (129), Ryan Clifford (135) are all too high for my liking, but I'm pretty highly reactionary to most recent performances.

Chandler Simpson, Rada, and Victor Scott all seem to lack the power to become regulars, but I know how enticing it is on the chance they become 50+ SB guys. I prefer Enrique Bradfield (91) above all of them because of his plate skills, approach (models his game after a leadoff hitter), and 80 defense.

I see that you value proximity pretty highly, with very few short season guys included. Among that group, I feel like Yoelin Cespedes (2B BOS) has more claim to backend 150 than Zyhir Hope. Cespedes gets underrated due to his height, but has shown really high exit velos for a teenager.

Will discuss more later if I get the chance!

Thanx for the response, TW. You listed a lot of names and I'll respond re: some of them.

Colson Montgomery is a player that I'm deferring a lot to the scouts on. His performance seems pretty underwhelming for a top prospect but yet he continues to be ranked very high. So he's really too high for my taste, too but the scouts know more than I do so I defer to them a lot.

I dont know what to do w Jones. He has crazy upside but he's not performing very well and has big contact issues. Some are really down on him but the upside is still there so somewhere in the middle of the list seems like the place altho I maybe still have him too high.

Chandler Simpson's appeal in fantasy is his tremendous SB potential and I noticed him before this year but never saw any serious hype for him as a top prospect in the industry. This year he is getting hype. BA said on a recent podcast that he's close to cracking their top 100. And, in addition to leading the minors in SBs (by a lot) he also is near the very top in avg. And, unlike many speed merchants, the plate discipline is excellent.

I had Clifford off the list for a while, as the K-rate is scary. But the industry still is on him and he's hitting better lately. So I decided to put him back on at the last minute. If the prospect talent wasnt so thin, he still would be off.

Among the speed guys, I do like Bradfield, also. I see him as Baltimore's CFer of the future because of his elite defense. His stats are underwhelming and he's a bit old for his league, but he gets SBs and I think he'll be a regular. I thought it intriguing that the O's would select Honeycutt, who also is a defensive wizard in CF, w their 1st pick. With both of them in the future O's OF, they might only need 2 OFs instead of 3 .

Cespedes was on the list for a while but now he appears to be out for the year, so I removed him. He also hasnt played above rookie ball. There were others I thought were more deserving for now but he could be back on again next year.

[onejayhawk]

I love the pre and post draft updates.

This season is a reload year and that was before Ronald Acuna was injured. However, two late-round investments last season and a mid-round investment this season have kept me competitive--Wyatt Langford, Jackson Merrill, and Paul Skenes are all list graduates.

These are the ones I have left.

Rank Name Pos Org Prev +/-

4 Dylan Crews OF Was 6 2
5 Coby Mayo 3B Bal 27 22
13 J.J. Wetherholt SS College 50 37
19 Jackson Jobe SP Det 46 27
20 Roki Sasaki SP Japan 32 12
26 Chase Delauter OF Cle 28 2

There is no tip-of-hat emoji or I would use it.

A couple of my waiver pickups are new on your list. Please comment
84 Spencer Schwellenbach SP Atl NR NA
113 Deyvison De Los Santos 1B Ari NR NA

I see that Mick Abel dropped off. Any notes on why he has regressed?

Finally, who are the likely three-level players? I picked Gunnar Henderson off WW two years ago when his promotion to AAA was announced.

[rhd]

I love the pre and post draft updates.

This season is a reload year and that was before Ronald Acuna was injured. However, two late-round investments last season and a mid-round investment this season have kept me competitive--Wyatt Langford, Jackson Merrill, and Paul Skenes are all list graduates.

These are the ones I have left.

Rank Name Pos Org Prev +/-

4 Dylan Crews OF Was 6 2
5 Coby Mayo 3B Bal 27 22
13 J.J. Wetherholt SS College 50 37
19 Jackson Jobe SP Det 46 27
20 Roki Sasaki SP Japan 32 12
26 Chase Delauter OF Cle 28 2

There is no tip-of-hat emoji or I would use it.

A couple of my waiver pickups are new on your list. Please comment
84 Spencer Schwellenbach SP Atl NR NA
113 Deyvison De Los Santos 1B Ari NR NA

I see that Mick Abel dropped off. Any notes on why he has regressed?

Finally, who are the likely three-level players? I picked Gunnar Henderson off WW two years ago when his promotion to AAA was announced.

Thanx for the response, J.

Schwellenbach has been one of the better-performing SP prospects this year. He seems entrenched now as ATL's 5th starter in the rotation, above Smith-Shawver and Elder. BA's report says he has a mid-90's FB that touches 98 and gives him a 60-grade on his FB and his control.

De Los Santos is a rather divisive prospect. He's very young for his leagues and just hits everywhere. He leads all the minors in HR and RBI and is hitting .331. However, all of Arizona's affiliates are very good hitters' parks so his stats are inflated somewhat. BA's report says he has an aggressive hitting approach and he doesnt walk much and he projects to be a 1Bman long-term so he'll have to continue to hit. But he is a legit prospect and the K-rate has improved to an almost average 23.4%.

Mick Abel's prospect status has nosedived. He's giving up a ton of runs and walks and his K-rate is down considerably. I believe BA said his velo is down.

I dont have much idea which prospects will advance 2 levels. Probably mostly pitchers - Hayden Birdsong has done this already. Jacob Wilson seems like a good candidate. He leads the minors in BA by far w a .438 avg and has advanced to AAA already. Seems like there's plenty of opportunity in Oakland so maybe he'll be up soon.

[onejayhawk]

Thanx for the response, J.

Schwellenbach has been one of the better-performing SP prospects this year. He seems entrenched now as ATL's 5th starter in the rotation, above Smith-Shawver and Elder. BA's report says he has a mid-90's FB that touches 98 and gives him a 60-grade on his FB and his control.

De Los Santos is a rather divisive prospect. He's very young for his leagues and just hits everywhere. He leads all the minors in HR and RBI and is hitting .331. However, all of Arizona's affiliates are very good hitters' parks so his stats are inflated somewhat. BA's report says he has an aggressive hitting approach and he doesnt walk much and he projects to be a 1Bman long-term so he'll have to continue to hit. But he is a legit prospect and the K-rate has improved to an almost average 23.4%.

Mick Abel's prospect status has nosedived. He's giving up a ton of runs and walks and his K-rate is down considerably. I believe BA said his velo is down.

I dont have much idea which prospects will advance 2 levels. Probably mostly pitchers - Hayden Birdsong has done this already. Jacob Wilson seems like a good candidate. He leads the minors in BA by far w a .438 avg and has advanced to AAA already. Seems like there's plenty of opportunity in Oakland so maybe he'll be up soon.

That will work. It's past time to drop Abel so Wilson makes sense.

[rhd]

That will work. It's past time to drop Abel so Wilson makes sense.

And here he comes!

[onejayhawk]

And here he comes!

Straight to the Injured List.

Oh, well. At least my SP is getting healthy.

[Teenwolf]

One of my favourite types of player in digging for underrated prospects is command pitchers. I've seen some really underrated prospects turn into highly valuable starters when they first appeared as "command over stuff" guys. Joe Ryan, Joe Musgrove, and Bailey Ober were all once in this bucket of unheralded prospects who utilized excellent command to survive until rounding their arsenal into something more effective.

Command pitchers also provide higher IP/GS, as their command increases efficiency, so greatly reduces bullpen risk. It would also seem that good mechanics lead to better command, as well as better health outcomes. Or perhaps command pitchers have a better understanding of the effectiveness of utilizing command, and are less prone to air it out?

Either way, here's my favorite command SP pop-up prospects from this year.

Austin Peterson SP CLE - A+/AA - 122.1 IP, 121 K, 13 BB

KC Hunt SP MIL - A/A+ - 64.1 IP, 94 K, 15 BB

Alejandro Rosario SP TEX - A/A+ - 70.2 IP, 108 K, 12 BB

Zebby Matthews SP MIN - A+/AA/AAA - 87 IP, 101 K, 6 BB

Sean Sullivan SP COL - A+ - 83.1 IP, 101 K, 8 BB

Jedixson Paez SP BOS - A/A+ - 71 IP, 86 K, 9 BB

TOTAL for the command crew: 498.2 IP, 611 K, 63 BB.

Very little hype for these guys outside of Zebby. Austin Peterson is the only sub 9 K/9, lots of them carry incredible Whip numbers.

I know Colorado pitchers... But we haven't seen a 70+ command profile there.

Paez is interesting as one of the command first, velo later guys. Now that velo is ticking up, his Ks are too. Get in early!

[rhd]

One of my favourite types of player in digging for underrated prospects is command pitchers. I've seen some really underrated prospects turn into highly valuable starters when they first appeared as "command over stuff" guys. Joe Ryan, Joe Musgrove, and Bailey Ober were all once in this bucket of unheralded prospects who utilized excellent command to survive until rounding their arsenal into something more effective.

Command pitchers also provide higher IP/GS, as their command increases efficiency, so greatly reduces bullpen risk. It would also seem that good mechanics lead to better command, as well as better health outcomes. Or perhaps command pitchers have a better understanding of the effectiveness of utilizing command, and are less prone to air it out?

Either way, here's my favorite command SP pop-up prospects from this year.

Austin Peterson SP CLE - A+/AA - 122.1 IP, 121 K, 13 BB

KC Hunt SP MIL - A/A+ - 64.1 IP, 94 K, 15 BB

Alejandro Rosario SP TEX - A/A+ - 70.2 IP, 108 K, 12 BB

Zebby Matthews SP MIN - A+/AA/AAA - 87 IP, 101 K, 6 BB

Sean Sullivan SP COL - A+ - 83.1 IP, 101 K, 8 BB

Jedixson Paez SP BOS - A/A+ - 71 IP, 86 K, 9 BB

TOTAL for the command crew: 498.2 IP, 611 K, 63 BB.

Very little hype for these guys outside of Zebby. Austin Peterson is the only sub 9 K/9, lots of them carry incredible Whip numbers.

I know Colorado pitchers... But we haven't seen a 70+ command profile there.

Paez is interesting as one of the command first, velo later guys. Now that velo is ticking up, his Ks are too. Get in early!

All of these are on my list, except Peterson. I've noticed Sullivan is really tearing it up in the minors. But he is a Rockies SP. That said, another Rockies SP, Dollander, has also crushed it this year and I've added him to the bottom of the top 150. But I'm not ready to add Sullivan yet.

[Gregg]

One of my favourite types of player in digging for underrated prospects is command pitchers. I've seen some really underrated prospects turn into highly valuable starters when they first appeared as "command over stuff" guys. Joe Ryan, Joe Musgrove, and Bailey Ober were all once in this bucket of unheralded prospects who utilized excellent command to survive until rounding their arsenal into something more effective.

Command pitchers also provide higher IP/GS, as their command increases efficiency, so greatly reduces bullpen risk. It would also seem that good mechanics lead to better command, as well as better health outcomes. Or perhaps command pitchers have a better understanding of the effectiveness of utilizing command, and are less prone to air it out?

Either way, here's my favorite command SP pop-up prospects from this year.

Austin Peterson SP CLE - A+/AA - 122.1 IP, 121 K, 13 BB

KC Hunt SP MIL - A/A+ - 64.1 IP, 94 K, 15 BB

Alejandro Rosario SP TEX - A/A+ - 70.2 IP, 108 K, 12 BB

Zebby Matthews SP MIN - A+/AA/AAA - 87 IP, 101 K, 6 BB

Sean Sullivan SP COL - A+ - 83.1 IP, 101 K, 8 BB

Jedixson Paez SP BOS - A/A+ - 71 IP, 86 K, 9 BB

TOTAL for the command crew: 498.2 IP, 611 K, 63 BB.

Very little hype for these guys outside of Zebby. Austin Peterson is the only sub 9 K/9, lots of them carry incredible Whip numbers.

I know Colorado pitchers... But we haven't seen a 70+ command profile there.

Paez is interesting as one of the command first, velo later guys. Now that velo is ticking up, his Ks are too. Get in early!

Do any of these have an ETA for early next year?