RHD's Latest Top 150 Roto Prospects ("Post MLB Draft" Edition)

[rhd]

Here's the latest version of my list. Sorry that I never got around to finishing the write-ups for the last list. I still plan to do them at some point. .

Same spiel as usual: I generally follow BA's prospect eligibility requirements, which are <=130 MLB AB or <=50 MLB IP. Unlike BA tho, amateurs, unsigned draftees and foreign players are eligible. Also, while BA has a different IP limit for relievers (30 IP?), 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), and 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.

There are 11 new draftees, 8 of which are new to the list.

Rank Name Pos Org +/- Prev
1 Byron Buxton OF Min 0 1
2 Greg Polanco OF Pit 5 7
3 Oscar Taveras OF StL 0 3
4 Kris Bryant 3B CHC 5 9
5 Carlos Correa SS Hou 3 8
6 Javier Baez SS/ CHC -2 4
7 Addison Russell SS Oak 3 10
8 Taijuan Walker SP Sea 7 15
9 Archie Bradley SP Ari 5 14
10 Miguel Angel Sano 3B Min 6 16
11 Francisco Lindor SS Cle 7 18
12 Lucas Giolito SP Was 9 21
13 Joc Pederson OF LAD 12 25
14 Joey Gallo 3B Tex 95 109
15 Corey Seager SS LAD 16 31
16 Robert Stephenson SP Cin 7 23
17 Rougned Odor 2B Tex 15 32
18 Noah Syndergaard SP NYM 4 22
19 Jonathan Singleton 1B Hou 77 96
20 Mookie Betts 2B Bos 39 59
21 Maikel Franco 3B Phi -2 19
22 Clint Frazier OF Cle -5 17
23 Jorge Soler OF CHC 4 27
24 Raul (Adalberto) Mondesi SS KC 9 33
25 Dylan Bundy SP Bal 16 41
26 Marcus Stroman SP Tor 49 75
27 Alex Meyer SP Min 9 36
28 Julio Urias SP LAD 18 46
29 Carlos Rodon SP CHW -9 20
30 Andrew Heaney SP Mia 17 47
31 Henry Owens SP Bos 9 40
32 Tyler Glasnow SP Pit 7 39
33 Kyle Zimmer SP KC 4 37
34 Hunter Harvey SP Bal 34 68
35 Kohl Stewart SP Min 10 45
36 Stephen Piscotty OF StL 19 55
37 Arismendy Alcantara 2B CHC 17 54
38 J.P. (John Paul) Crawford SS Phi 26 64
39 Alex Jackson OF Sea NA NR
40 Nick Gordon SS Min NA NR
41 Brady Aiken SP Hou NA NR
42 Tyler Kolek SP Mia NA NR
43 Aaron Sanchez SP Tor 0 43
44 Braden Shipley SP Ari 26 70
45 David Dahl OF Col 15 60
46 Alfredo Despaigne OF Cuba -4 42
47 Garin Cecchini 3B Bos 9 56
48 Phillip Ervin OF Cin 9 57
49 Micah Johnson 2B CHW 43 92
50 Delino DeShields OF Hou 15 65
51 Jose Peraza SS Atl 42 93
52 Albert Almora OF CHC -26 26
53 Alen Hanson SS Pit 5 58
54 Austin Meadows OF Pit -24 30
55 Mike Foltynewicz SP Hou 8 63
56 Kyle Crick SP SF -12 44
57 Matt Wisler SP SD 5 62
58 Lance McCullers SP Hou 11 69
59 Lucas Sims SP Atl 12 71
60 C.J. (Carl) Edwards SP CHC 12 72
61 Max Fried SP SD 6 67
62 Josh Bell OF Pit 11 73
63 James Paxton SP Sea 11 74
64 Alexander Guerrero 2B LAD 33 97
65 C.J. Cron 1B LAA NA NR
66 Dellin Betances RP NYY NA NR
67 Danny Santana SS Min NA NR
68 Eugenio Suarez 2B Det NA NR
69 James Jones OF Sea NA NR
70 Jake Marisnick OF Mia 9 79
71 Rymer Liriano OF SD 12 83
72 Kenta Maeda SP 15? 45 117
73 Jameson Taillon SP Pit -49 24
74 Luis Sardinas SS Tex 20 94
75 Jace Peterson SS SD 20 95
76 Michael Taylor OF Was 31 107
77 Hunter Renfroe OF SD 28 105
78 Devon Travis 2B Det 12 90
79 Tim Anderson SS CHW -13 66
80 Jonathan Gray SP Col -4 76
81 Brandon Nimmo OF NYM NA NR
82 Trevor Story SS Col NA NR
83 Eduardo Rodriguez SP Bal -1 82
84 Sean Manaea SP KC 2 86
85 Mark Appel SP Hou -50 35
86 Jorge Alfaro C Tex -1 85
87 D.J. Peterson 1B Sea 4 91
88 Domingo Santana OF Hou 31 119
89 Jesse Winker OF Cin 40 129
90 J.O. (Jose) Berrios SP Min 51 141
91 Daniel Norris SP Tor 51 142
92 Jake Thompson SP Det NA NR
93 Francellis Montas SP CHW NA NR
94 Jimmy Nelson SP Mil NA NR
95 Allen Webster SP Bos 4 99
96 Jesse Biddle SP Phi 15 111
97 Rafael Montero SP NYM 3 100
98 A.J. Cole SP Was 4 102
99 Nick Kingham SP Pit 13 112
100 Zach Lee SP LAD 13 113
101 Eddie Butler SP Col 21 122
102 Marco Gonzales SP StL 46 148
103 Alex (Chi Chi) Gonzalez SP Tex 41 144
104 Edwin Escobar SP SF 10 114
105 Miguel Almonte SP KC -4 101
106 Lewis Brinson OF Tex 22 128
107 Raimel Tapia OF Col 16 123
108 Manuel Margot OF Bos 17 125
109 D.J. Davis OF Tor -21 88
110 Franklin Barreto SS Tor 14 124
111 Tommy La Stella 2B Atl NA NR
112 Austin Hedges C SD 8 120
113 Gary Sanchez C NYY 8 121
114 Andrew Toles OF TB 22 136
115 Dalton Pompey OF Tor NA NR
116 Nick Williams OF Tex -6 110
117 Brian Goodwin OF Was -11 106
118 Cesar Puello OF NYM -10 108
119 Alex Reyes SP StL 24 143
120 Michael Feliz SP Hou 25 145
121 Lewis Thorpe SP Min 26 147
122 Ryan McMahon 3B Col NA NR
123 Luis Heredia SP Pit 3 126
124 Vincent Velasquez SP Hou NA NR
125 Jose Ramirez 2B Cle NA NR
126 Harold Ramirez OF Pit 12 138
127 Rio Ruiz 3B Hou NA NR
128 Dilson Herrera 2B NYM NA NR
129 Randal Grichuk OF StL NA NR
130 Matthew Davidson 3B CHW -77 53
131 Ronald Guzman 1B Tex -4 127
132 Dominic Smith 1B NYM -28 104
133 Jorge Bonifacio OF KC -2 131
134 Colin Moran 3B Mia -4 130
135 Hunter Dozier 3B KC 2 137
136 Blake Swihart C Bos NA NR
137 Christian Bethancourt C Atl NA NR
138 Reese McGuire C Pit NA NR
139 Chris Taylor SS Sea NA NR
140 Eddie Rosario 2B Min -7 133
141 Hak Ju Lee SS TB -7 134
142 Bubba (Derek) Starling OF KC -39 103
143 Trea Turner SS SD -105 38
144 Michael Conforto OF NYM NA NR
145 Bradley Zimmer OF Cle NA NR
146 Aaron Nola SP Phi NA NR
147 Kyle Schwarber C CHC NA NR
148 Taylor Guerrieri SP TB 1 149
149 Jeff Hoffman SP Tor 1 150
150 Alex Bregman SS College NA NR

Players removed because of exceeding of eligilibility requirements (22):
G Springer (#2), B Hamilton (#5), X Bogaerts (#6), M Tanaka (#11), J Abreu (#12), N Castellanos (#13), K Wong (#28), Y Ventura (#29), K Gausman (#34), C Owings (#48), J Schoop (#49), M Semien (#50), A Almonte (#51), J Bradley (#52), C Martinez (#61), T Bauer (#77), M Choice (#78), E Johnson (#80), J Odorizzi (#81), T D'Arnaud (#84), M Olt (#87), W Flores (#98)

Eligibles that dropped off (9):
R Herrera (#89), P Johnson (#115), T Ball (#116), M Barnes (#118), T Lindsey (#132), R Fuentes (#135), S Heathcott (#139), A Mejia (#140), J Graham (#146)

New additions (31):
A Jackson, N Gordon, B Aiken, T Kolek, C Cron (back on, I think), D Betances, Dan Santana, E Suarez, J Jones, B Nimmo (back on), T Story (back on), J Thompson, F Montas, J Nelson (back on), T La Stella, D Pompey, R McMahon, V Velasquez (back on), J Ramirez (back on), R Ruiz (back on), D Herrera (back on), R Grichuk, B Swihart, C Bethancourt, R McGuire, C Taylor (back on), M Conforto, B Zimmer, A Nola, K Schwarber, A Bregman

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

[whalewang]

Excellent work as always. Thanks!

[Hammer]

RHD- I thought I would see Luke Jackson somewhere in the top 50. Any thoughts?


TIA

[rhd]

RHD- I thought I would see Luke Jackson somewhere in the top 50. Any thoughts?
TIA

Thanx for the response, Hammer.

Jackson just missed. He's #156 rt now and probably will be on the list soon if he keeps performing well.

[Hornsby]

Excellent...good to see my guy Ryan McMahon getting some well deserved love.

[james33]

Great list. Very excited to see Peraza jump so high since I just acquired him in my main league, violating my rule of preferring to hedge my prospect bets by never owning the same prospect in both my leagues. What you hearing about his defense? While he could walk more, I'm psyched that he so seldom strikes out.

[Sour Masher]

Thanks RHD...been waiting for this update!

I couple of names jump out at me as surprises that I am excited about, because they are not rostered in my league--James Jones and Francellis Montas. What made them jump up so much for you? Montas' results have shot up in a SSS this year. Is the reason a legit skill bump? What about Jones...has he figured something out at age 25? He does have 2 sbs in the majors so far. Is that sustainable?

Also, a bit surprised DJ Petersen and Jesse Winkler are not higher. Thoughts on either of those bats? They both seem to have a lot more upside than Jones. Is Jones higher just because he is a ready now guy, or do you seem him maintaining a full time job and hitting well enough that his avg at steals make up for his lack of power?

[rhd]

Thanks RHD...been waiting for this update! I couple of names jump out at me as surprises that I am excited about, because they are not rostered in my league--James Jones and Francellis Montas. What made them jump up so much for you? Jones at age 25 is a surprise to see him that high. Why the big jump for these two?

Also, a bit surprised DJ Petersen and Jesse Winkler are not a little higher. Thoughts on either of those bats?

Thanx for the response, Sour Masher.

Montas is having a breakout season. He's always had a plus FB and a very good K rate but his problems in the past have been iffy command and secondary pitches. His command has improved greatly as he has a sparkling 1.23 BB rate as well as a 1.23 ERA. I may have him a little high and I dont know how he's doing it but I like the raw stuff and the results.

Jones is a guy who always has had talent but never put it all together. He seems to be doing that now. He has good speed and figures to get 20-25 SBs if he gets regular time. He may indeed get regular time as his OF competition in Seattle looks limited. He also has some power, altho he hasnt shown it yet. I may even have him too low. He's someone to target to fill out your OF if he's still available.

Peterson is a right-right 1Bman (at least he is likely to end up at 1B), so he's really going to have to mash to be a factor. He is hitting well but he's still in Hi-A ball and in a hitters' league in one of the best hitters' parks in the minors.

I like Winker but he's not a good defensive player, so he's another guy whose ticket is his bat. And 1B is not an option for him in Cincy, as Votto is there for 10 more years. He's also hitting well, but again in a premier hitters' league. At least he's left-handed.

[rhd]

Great list. Very excited to see Peraza jump so high since I just acquired him in my main league, violating my rule of preferring to hedge my prospect bets by never owning the same prospect in both my leagues. What you hearing about his defense? While he could walk more, I'm psyched that he so seldom strikes out.

Thanx for the response, James.

BA's scouting report on Peraza indicates he has soft hands, plus range, plus instincts and fringy arm. Seems to indicate he's fringy for SS but a good fit at 2B. Would seem to be a much better candidate for Braves' 2Bman of the future than La Stella.

[overkill94]

Dang, you really don't like Jon Gray, do you? How does a guy with his stats fall in the rankings that far when almost everyone else moved up?

[Judge Jude]

thanks for this!

5 of the top 100 will be on the board before our draft Monday, when I pick anywhere from 2nd (unlikely) to 6th (more likely)

this tends to be a just-drafted-by-MLB-heavy draft, so I obviously can get a top 15 overall guy from there instead. would anyone prefer someone from this group? no real issue of time frame; highest upside, most tradeability, and so forth.

38 J.P. (John Paul) Crawford SS Phi 26 64
48 Phillip Ervin OF Cin 9 57
51 Jose Peraza SS Atl 42 93
76 Michael Taylor OF Was 31 107
89 Jesse Winker OF Cin 40 129

[Don Quixote]

rhd, you must have been reading my mind. Just yesterday, I was thinking (itself a rare thing indeed), "I have a minors draft coming up and a regrettably early pick due to my lofty place in the standings. I need HELP!"

Thanks as always!

[rhd]

Dang, you really don't like Jon Gray, do you? How does a guy with his stats fall in the rankings that far when almost everyone else moved up?

Maybe the fact that I kept 2 of my very good starters (Minor and Teheran (former NL ERA leader)) active while they pitched in Denver this week and they both got slaughtered had something to do w it.

Actually, Gray mostly kept his place while others (including new draftees and mid-range prospects unexpectedly getting starting gigs)moved ahead of him. Nothing against Gray; just very scared of Rockies starters. Gray is just going to have to prove to me that he can put up good stats in Coors Field.

[rhd]

rhd, you must have been reading my mind. Just yesterday, I was thinking (itself a rare thing indeed), "I have a minors draft coming up and a regrettably early pick due to my lofty place in the standings. I need HELP!"

Thanks as always!

You're welcome, DQ!

[cardboardbox]

fyi, Law only moved Appel down from 11 to 16 in his recent update and has stated he doesnt think there's reason to panic.