The BA Prospect Handbook
This is sort of the second of two posts that usually come with the release of the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. The first came with the release of the Top 30 two weeks ago.
Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle this year is the addition of ten “more prospects to know,” which becomes eight, as the Josh Bell trade effectively moved up Nos. 31 and 32 to 29 and 30 (and just about everyone else after the pre-trade #9, Mason Denaburg). Thus:
| 33. 2B Viandel Peña | 37. RHP Niomar Gomez |
| 34. OF Cody Wilson | 38. LHP Mitchell Parker |
| 35. LHP Evan Lee | 39. RHP Zach Brzykcy |
| 36. RHP Todd Peterson | 40. C Geraldi Diaz |
All but two of these players were already on the 2021 Watchlist. One was an NDFA (Brzykcy, pronounced “Brick-see”) and the other was a former DSL Arm (Gomez) who was decidedly mediocre in 2019 (4.26/3.65/1.58) in his second NYPL season [insert Billy Rowell defense here].
Three players were named as breakout prospects – SS Jackson Cluff, C Israel Pineda, and OF Daniel Marte. As noted in this post last year, three of the past four “breakout prospects” have been traded (RHP Eddie Yean, IF Kelvin Gutierrez, LHP Tyler Watson). The fourth was Pineda, who was the 2019 “Breakout Prospect.”
Now, let’s take a gander at what was predicted in 2018 for the 2021 lineup, which is always good for a laugh:
| C – Raudy Read | #1SP – Stephen Strasburg |
| 1B – Daniel Murphy | #2SP – Max Scherzer |
| 2B – Wilmer Difo | #3SP – Joe Ross |
| SS – Trea Turner | #4SP – Erick Fedde |
| 3B – Anthony Rendon | #5SP – Wil Crowee |
| LF – Adam Eaton | CL – Seth Romero |
| CF – Victor Robles | |
| RF – Bryce Harper |
They improved from three of 14 to four of 14 with this SWAG and like a year ago, you might give ’em credit for more if Ross, Fedde, or Romero end up in those roles.
And we’ll close out with this year’s “Blinkin” for 2024, resplendent with its usual presumptions of no trades, free agent movement, injuries, or decreases (or in this year’s edition, increases) in skill:
| C – Tres Barrera | #1SP – Stephen Strasburg |
| 1B – Yasel Antuna | #2SP – Patrick Corbin |
| 2B – Luis Garcia | #3SP – Cade Cavalli |
| SS – Trea Turner | #4SP – Jackson Rutledge |
| 3B – Carter Kieboom | #5SP – Cole Henry |
| LF – Juan Soto | CL – Tanner Rainey |
| CF – Victor Robles | |
| RF – Andrew Stevenson |
Speaking of Bryzkcy, when he decided it best to turn pro after cancellation of college baseball, he had over 20 teams to choose from.
They all could only offer the same ripoff bonus ($25,000) so the playing field was even. He chose the Nats to help make him a star.
A Nuke Laloosh type who needs some help with his control, he is tantalizing. Can’t wait to see what level he is assigned to in May. Probably Fredericksburg.
Now when our Guy writing @ MASN speaks about the 74 man roster for spring camp is this including the prospects who were included in the FRED grooming camp last summer ??
I think Kieboom as Davey says will be fine .
Cody Wilson with a good spring camp : FRED or HARR?
Boss man
Arteaga is AAa depth or 3b option platooned with Carter ??
Hmmm??
Cody Wilson really struggled at Hagerstown in 2019 (.215/.311/.323). His college power (14 HRs in draft year) has yet to show up as a pro.
Mitchell Parker and Zach Brzykcy are both low-investment, high-ceiling arms. Parker had numbers in his brief time at San Jac that were very similar to Rutledge’s dominance there.
Cody Wilson is one of those guys we kept hearing positive things about, like Antuna, who we still haven’t seen in 18 months.
We hopefully will have a Rochester roster soon. Can’t wait!
2024 lineup: I have some hope that Barrera will hit well enough to become an MLB reserve, but I have a hard time projecting him as a starter. And Stevenson doesn’t have a RF arm. (The move of Soto to RF already seems to be a done deal.)
The one that that intrigues me from that lineup is them putting Antuna at 1B. With the reports of his growth, I was already wondering whether they would move him off SS to more of a corner position, either 3B or LF. They’re more in need of OF prospects right now.