He currently struggles with fastballs located on the inner half of the plate. Expanding to the rest of his stuff, Espino posted the second best swinging strike rate among qualified pitchers in the minors in 2021 at 20.2%, behind only Spencer Strider of the Braves. He will need to improve with recognizing spin, but he was just an 18-year-old in full season ball this year. "Chatter Up!" It feels like he's been around much longer, given that he first became a regular with the Giants in 2008, when he was 19. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Brown has a pair of impressive breaking balls, including a spike curve in the low 80s and a sharp slider in the low 90s. He has no problem catching up with velocity and is already an above average hitter. Heading into 2022, there are plenty of prospects who could be sleepers and breakouts. The right-handers 88-90 mph changeup flashes plus and has been around the zone much more this season and he is comfortable throwing his above-average slider in the upper 80s for strikes as well. Opponents posted just a .496 OPS against the pitch this season. Romo is already an advanced defender with a plus arm and earns high marks for the way he commands a game. This is very common in young hitters and it should be cleaned up with with more at-bats. The Mets are hoping he can get better at recognizing quality spin and develop into an everyday thumper. He has the ability to be an above average defender at first base while trending closer to average at best at second. He lacks physical stature, but is wiry strong with quick twitch that you just cant teach and has steadily improved in regards to driving the ball in the air. 3 or 4 starter in a few years' time. To this point, it is really hard to deny the results from Meyer. The team released him two days later. Despite standing at 6-foot-7, Woods ability to repeat his pre-swing moves and barrel adjustability has helped him limit the whiffs. Betting that other teams would take a chance on his still-electric stuff, he had become a free agent after both he and the Mariners declined to exercise the option on his contract. As the stuff has jumped, Bibees command has remained fantastic, walking just 5% of hitters this season. As lefties are geared up for a heater with life, Waldichuk will sling the slider, catching hitters cheating and generating some ugly swings. Never having hit more than six homers in a season entering this year, Turang has already launched a dozen long balls through his first 110 games this season. Davis put the questions around his swing to bed by slashing .370/.482/.663 with 17 homers and 31 walks against just 24 Ks versus ACC pitching in 2021. After not being seen in a game setting since 2019 due to injuries and 2020s MiLB season cancellation, Lewis looked healthy and much improved at the plate in 2022 before unfortunately re-tearing his ACL. Good stuff and already solid command, Hence has big upside. After struggling to develop as an infielder defensively, Ruiz made the move to the outfield where he has progressed pretty nicely. Still with a wiry frame and room to fill out, Williams has already produced eye-opening power numbers for an 18-year-old in his first year of pro ball. Hes not afraid to mix the pitch in to righties as well as he does a good job of keeping it at the bottom of the zone and below. On top of that, 2022 Topps Baseball Japan Edition includes base Autographs for 42 subjects (including Ohtani), averaging 1:61 packs. Kyle Glaser and Matt Eddy break down the New York Mets farm system. The tweaks helped Dominguez see the ball earlier and control his body much better. His walk rate was a bit low in his brief Double-A stint, however his solid approach should make him a candidate to draw a fair amount of walks. 8IP, 95p, 2H, 7K, 0BB, and 0ERR. It is more of a matter of whether his hit tool can translate at the highest level. "You're spot on with your focus on the two of them as . Seiya Suzuki, 3B/SSHiroshima CarpB-T: R-R. Born: Aug. 18, 1994 (26). While Steers pop is closer to average than plus, he hits enough to maximize his slugging output. Founded in 1950, the league was an offshoot of the earlier Japanese Baseball League, which it is ironically still sometimes called. Impressive knowledge of the strike zone and the ability to play all three outfield spots have him looking like a potential Aaron Judge type of talent, but for every Judge there are dozens of John Mayberry Jr.s. Youth. After operating more in the upper 80s with his slider last season, Brown tweaked the slider to sit in the low 90s with sharper bite. Let's rank the top 50 players in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League going into the 2022 season. In his 110 Double-A games, Volpe swiped 44 bags on 50 tries and started his Triple-A career 4 for 4 on stolen base attempts. The 20-year-old boasts a 101 mph fastball to go along with a 91 mph splitters with intense movement. While he may not have the superstar upside of Elly De La Cruz or Noelvi Marte, McLain has a really good chance to be an above-average regular at the shortstop positionor anywhere else the Reds want to stick himas a flat out gamer who can set the tone for your lineup. Height/Weight: 64, 220|Bat/Throw: R/L|3rd Round (85)- 2021|ETA: 2023. He has drawn immense praise for his high baseball IQ and should be a 20+ stolen base threat in the big leagues. Jung hits the ball hard to all fields and should offer a nice blend of batting average and power. Hollidays barrel lives in the zone and even in the limited action we saw from him in his 2022 debut, the 18-year-old swung through few pitches. Opponents hit just .123 against Moinelo, and he led all qualified relief pitchers with a 43.1% strikeout rate. He's also prone to swinging and missing, resulting in one of the highest strikeout rates in the league; and so on. With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. Height/Weight: 64, 210|Bat/Throw: L/R|2nd Round (45), 2020 (CHC)|ETA: 2024. The pitch now sits in the mid 90s, touching 99 mph with high spin rates and good shape. Cartaya picked up where he left off in 2022 with another great offensive season while impressing with his polish behind the plate. Soderstrom possesses the most exciting bat in an As system that is light on prospects with middle-of-the-order potential. Veen possesses a natural ability to use the whole field and as he adds strength and mass, he will become a threat to leave the yard from line to line. Ill leave it at that. On the final day of the season, though, he told reporters that he would be open to a contract extension with the Angels. An above average runner, Naylor has stolen 20 bases on 24 tries, bringing that JT Realmuto type of athleticism to the catching position. Height/Weight: 64, 185|Bat/Throw: R/R|2nd Round (59), 2017 (NYM)|ETA: 2022. Haarlem Baseball Week (Honkbalweek Haarlem) in the Netherlands - European New Zealand Baseball National Team does the Haka at 2022 "Chatter Up!" 3 starter, Height/Weight: 61, 210|Bat/Throw: R/R|IFA: $300K, 2017 (LAD)|ETA: 2023. Though the injury is unfortunate as we were all eager to see Jones make his pro debut, it should hardly delay his timeline assuming he is 100% by the start of next season. If he moves to third, Marte should be good defender at the position, though there is still hope that he can continue to find consistency up the middle. Though he has the offensive skill-set of an above average regular, the right-handed hitter has dismantled lefties over the last two minor league seasons to the tune of a .365/.413/.620 line making him a viable platoon bat with the ability to play three infield spots for the Rays as soon as Opening Day 2023. Reds fans can dream on 30+ homers and a decent on-base clip if Marte can find some more consistency with his approach and lower half. Through his first 150 professional games, Veen cruised to 50 stolen bases and has continued to get better with his jumps and picking the right spots to run. Westburg is quick to the ball which allows him to catch up to velocity and avoid cheating. Thank you for writing out the list. Stocky with a powerful and explosive lower half, Alvarez stays in his backside really well and controls his body throughout his load and swing. The Blue Jays have an interesting catching situation to say the least with the emergence of both Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen. Height/Weight: 65, 220|Bat/Throw: R/R|1st Round (29), 2020 (LAD)|ETA: 2023. Height/Weight: 63, 215 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (5) 2022 | ETA: 2025. Amador makes up for it with borderline elite bat-to-ball skills as a righty and low chase rates. Its always difficult to peg a breakout prospect and Ruiz in no exception. His long legs move quickly, making it seem like he is taking three steps between bases. Today: Sasaki throws another 8 perfect innings with 14Ks before being taken out on 102 pitches at 0-0. The 2020 season got off to a late start due to the coronavirus pandemic and Senga got off to an even later start as he worked his way back from a right arm issue. Like many young catching prospects, Cartaya could use some improvement in the receiving department, but has steadily improved in that department. Jones relied on his natural ability and advanced approach to rake at the amateur level and has the skill set to be an above average hitter with solid power. Already succeeding in Double-A before his 21st birthday, Harrison is on a fast track to the big leagues. CJ Abrams is a consensus top 20 prospect in baseball and despite being rushed to the big leagues in 2022, still has perennial All Star potential. C Keibert Ruiz | Nationals | 23 | MLB | 2020 36. The son of former big leaguer, Lou Collier, Cam is just a natural in the batters box. Montgomery was viewed as an older prep prospect, but now he is ahead of schedule of most of the 2021 draftees thanks to his polish at the plate. His hands work really well and he has a well above average arm for the position. With a litany of talented catching prospects in the Pirates system, Rodriguez has also received reps at second base, first base, and left field. Walker has the upside of one of the most consistent power-hitters in baseball and the more games he plays, the more possible it seems that he can reach somewhere near his ceiling. An inconsistent lower half is common among younger players and is going to be even more pronounced when you are 6-foot-4, 175 pounds. Starting with an upright stance before sinking into his back leg to get into his powerful lower half, Walker effortlessly explodes through the baseball. Tiedemann has continued his kicked it into another gear since going pro, quickly looking like one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. His final pitch of the afternoon was clocked at 163 kph, which comes in at, oh, 101 mph. 2021 was truly a breakout season for Peraza and he put up another strong offensive season as a 21-year-old in Triple-A this year. A rare, ahead-of-his-years prep catching prospect, Romo has impressed both at the plate and behind it. The impact is not totally there yet for Holliday, but he has a big frame and room to add more muscle which could help him develop above average or even plus power. The right-hander will mix in an 85-87 mph changeup that flashes above average. If he can improve his command, then he could be given a different title someday down the road: big-league ace. There may not be a ton of All Star appearances here, but Burlesons game is reminiscent of his veteran teammate Corey Dickerson, albeit with better splits. Regardless of where he ends up defensively, Vientos is a bat-first prospect with huge home run potential. That will likely come with more at-bats, but more importantly, the power has looked to be all the way back since his shoulder surgery earlier this year. As always, our boards are built on three pillars: OF Seiya Suzuki is being rumored to be posted to MLB this offseason. Having only played just over 200 professional games, De La Cruz is ahead of the curve. Suzuki was the most productive position player in NPB last season, according to DeltaGraphs' Wins Above Replacement measure. He struck out seven times in 17 at-bats with just two walks, but this was obviously a period of adjustment that most likely will continue into the early part of the regular season. Players. An explosive athlete who put things together offensively this season, Winn looks like he could be the shortstop of the future in St. Louis. The Rays took Bradley in the fifth round in 2018 and gave him twice the slot value, tantalized by his upside. An above-average runner, Arroyo has had success swiping bags through the lower levels and should be a threat for 15 or more stolen bases annually. Much like his offensive game, Volpes instincts help him maximize his tools. A decent arm and pretty good mobility behind the plate, Herrera has the tools to be an above-average catcher. Impressive pull side power and a good athlete. Please check your email for a confirmation. Cowser has struggled against lefties this season which is something to monitor, though his ridiculous numbers against righties and ability to draw free passes against lefties helps quell the splits concern. This was his fifth consecutive year with a sub-2 ERA. As a result, Cassie found himself out on his front foot too frequently on off speed pitches, causing more weak contact and ground balls. He starts upright and takes a short stride before just letting his bat speed and elite hand eye coordination kick in. On top of his ridiculous speed, Ruiz is the best base stealer minor leagues. Baty is quick to the ball and repeats his moves well, helping him crush fastballs to an OPS over 1.000 in the minors this season. Regardless, Amadors bat and approach should carry him up the ranks quicker than many of his peers. Westburg followed up a strong 2021 season with an even bigger 2022 in Triple-A. Theres a great chance that the Angels have their shortstop of the future in Neto and whether the hit tool is closer to above average or plus territory will likely determine his ceiling. Matt Murton, Hanshin Tigers Legend & NPB "Chatter Up!" Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Perez essentially has the floor of a middle-of-the-rotation starter. If the 20-year-old can tone down his aggressiveness a bit, he will can develop into an above average hitter who can easily hit 30 or more homers. Perezs changeup gives him a third plus offering, also working off of his fastball really well to lefties. A significant amount of his homers were hit to left field off of fastballs middle away. Holliday projects as a plus hitter. The 23-year-old could find himself in the big leagues as early as Opening Day 2023 and has the upside of a 30-30 threat with solid defense in a corner. The tall slugger has no problem with plate coverage, crushing pitches middle away. A former two-way player at Duke, Mervis also played some third base when he was not pitching. Pages starts upright and deploys a slow and controlled load that allows him to get into his back hip. The Hawks are among the NPB teams that dont use the posting system, so unless theres a change of heart from the club he will have to wait until after the 2022 season to leave for MLB. Our team has taken in 9 showcase tournaments and been closely monitoring fall scrimmages. His actions are smooth and he has a plus arm (he threw 27.2 innings in college) which should make him a great bet to stick at short. His jumps and instincts are already impressive along with an above average arm. Featuring a simple and easy swing with quiet, repeatable mechanics, Hassells quick bat and ability to control the barrel allow him to get to tough pitches. The right-hander has extreme confidence in the offering, using it in any count and locating it well. The defense will be something to follow for Amador, not because he isnt capable at shortstop, but rather the presence of Ezequiel Tovar and Amadors elite defensive potential at second base could result in a move to the other side of the diamond at the upper levels. The 21-year-olds footwork looks strong enough to accommodate a move to second, but his arm is decent enough to play an average third base. His above average arm has become increasingly accurate, throwing out a career-best 36% of attempted base stealers in Triple-A this season. For the first two months of the year, Maki looked like one of the best hitters in the league, with an OPS well above 1.000. The power is the bigger question mark, as he may never be physically imposing. He is consistently clocked with sub-four second run times to first base. To learn more see our FAQ, How eco-friendly is that product? Product Configuration: 10 cards per pack, 24 packs per box. 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