MLBA Ranks the Top 15 Nationals Prospects

The first of the two books are in—BaseballHQ’s 2019 Minor League Baseball Analyst—and it did not disappoint… I was expecting very little and that’s exactly what I got.

First, let me pay off for your click or visit today:

1. Victor Robles, OF
2. Carter Kieboom, SS
3. Luis Garcia, 3B/SS
4. Mason Denaburg, RHP
5. Jake Irvin
6. Wil Crowe, RHP
7. Tim Cate, LHP
8. Seth Romero, LHP
9. Yasel Antuna, SS
10. Raudy Read, C
11. Reid Schaller, RHP
12. Tanner Rainey, RHP
13. Telmito Agustin, OF
14. Jackson Tetreault, RHP
15. Kyle Johnson, RHP

The dirty little secret about prospect following is that fantasy baseball (read: gambling) helps make this a larger niche than it would otherwise be. I knew this going in, so I really don’t have a right to complain (but of course, I will).

It’s not hard to see that the list is heavily weighted towards pitchers, particularly ones that could become relievers (and thus earn saves). But name recognition is also clearly at play, as (put down beverage) players like Nick Banks, Rafael Bautista, Yadiel Hernandez, Luis Reyes, Austin Voth, and Rhett Wiseman were included.

In their defense, the scouting capsules are better than I remember, though there are some obvious examples where the writer(s) may have a seen a player just once. Is that enough to offset the exclusion of half-a-dozen or more players? Maybe, if you’re using the book to fill out the roster of “The Hermaphrodite Love Slaves,” probably not if you’re looking for more details on someone who wasn’t a collegiate star or hasn’t played above short-season A.