Hitters Dominate the Baseball Prospectus’ Midseason Top 50 List
Baseball Prospectus dropped their midseason update to the 2017 prospect list, and 14 of the top 15 players are non-pitchers.
The old saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a pitching prospect.” And B-Pro has taken that to heart in a league that is becoming more and more offensively minded.
The very top of the list features the usual big names:
- Yoan Moncada, 2B, Chicago White Sox
- Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets
- Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians
- Victor Robles, CF, Washington Nationals
- Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox
The two odd ones listed here are Rosario and Mejia. B-Pro is by far the high man on Rosario, who looks like he’ll be a heck of a player when the Mets get around to calling him up. But is he really that much different than Willy Adames (ranked 26th) or J.P. Crawford (20th)?
2. Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets
Why He’ll Succeed: Rosario is a plus shortstop glove with plus-plus speed, and the bat has continued to develop. He’s a potential five-tool shortstop and only slots in behind Moncada because of varying reports on the ultimate power projection.
Why He Might Fail: The Mets may never call him up? Well, they will call him up eventually, where his unusual hand path—though it’s less unorthodox than it used to be—and aggressive approach may struggle against major league stuff and sequencing. The glove and speed should keep him in the lineup regardless though.
Mejia has a terrific bat, but there is a big question about whether he can actually remain at catcher and that No. 3 ranking is heavily position-based.
3. Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians
Why He’ll Succeed: Mejia barrels everything and has shown power from both sides of the plate. He’s a potential 7 hit, 5 pop catcher, and he’s improved enough defensively to make us confident he sticks as a backstop.
Why He Might Fail: We’re pretty confident Mejia is a catcher. If we were positive Mejia is a catcher, he’d have a good case for number one. His smaller frame might not hold up under the rigors of a 120-game major league catching assignment, making him more of a C/DH type. Bat could play there too though.
Here’s what B-Pro had to say about the one pitcher in the top 10:
9. Alex Reyes, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Why He’ll Succeed: He was no. 1 before the season for a reason. There’s top-of-the-rotation stuff here with a true 8 fastball as a starter and two potential plus offspeeds. He’ll come off Tommy John rehab into a major league spot of some sort, and if the stuff comes back, he could be one of the better starters in baseball as soon as 2019. That’s still a quicker timetable than a lot of the names below him.
Why He Might Fail: Guys don’t always come all the way back from Tommy John. Reyes has some stuff to give back and still be a good major league arm, but you wonder a bit more now if the good major league arm might be best deployed in the late innings.
The one guy on the list I think they’ve got too low is Ronald Acuña of the Atlanta Braves. This guy just keeps mashing and running and lighting up the scoreboard at every level. He’s still a teenager but don’t be surprised if he’s a starter on the big club this time next season.
11. Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves
Why He’ll Succeed: He’s 19 and mashing in Double-A, after mashing in Advanced-A, after mashing in A. The tools back up the performance and he’s closer to the majors than you think. He might end up sacrificing some hit for pop, but he potentially pairs that with a centerfield profile. And it’s significant pop.
Why He Might Fail: In five years he has a chance to be 24, and the swing-and-miss might eat up his offensive value while the body forces him to right field.
