Welcome to the newest list to debut on the PitcherList site. The dynasty team is continuing to grow here as we have great content coming out weekly with everything from performance reports to a consistently awesome prospects podcast.
Adding to the already great lineup, I now have the honor of bringing you a top prospect list for dynasty leagues. Before diving in, make sure to read through the Prospect List rules below.
Prospect List Rules:
- All players must have prospect eligibility.
- This list is only for prospects in the Minor Leagues, no Major League players are included.
- Maximum of 2 positions listed per player
- Primarily weighted for standard 5×5 leagues, but all league types are considered.
Prospect List Graduates:
This part of the Prospect List is reserved for players who appeared in the previous version but have since been promoted to the Major Leagues.
The list this month includes: Jordan Lawlar, Heston Kjerstad, Evan Carter, Pete Crow-Armstrong, AJ Smith-Shawver, Curtis Mead, Ronny Mauricio, and Junior Caminero.
Top 50 Prospect Notes
Wyatt Langford, #2 Texas Rangers
Plenty of time has been spent talking about Wyatt Langford over the past month. Whether it is Tigers’ fans complaining about taking Max Clark over him, analysts ranking Langford over Dylan Crews for FYPDs, or just about his sensational performance. Well, I would be remiss if I did not continue the trend.
Langford has been incredible. After being drafted fourth overall by Texas, wasted no time introducing himself to professional baseball. He posted a 194 wRC+ in three games at the Complex level before quickly being sent to High-A. The promotion did not faze him as he posted a 192 wRC+ in 24 games there. From there, another promotion was in store and Langford’s numbers got even better. In 12 Double-A games, Langford posted a 224 wRC+. Surely, the promotions would stop there for a first-year player. I mean, this is not the Angels’ organization.
Nope! Langford earned a promotion to Triple-A and will undoubtedly be in Texas by 2024. Overall, Langford crushed ten home runs and stole 12 bases in just 44 games. Prorate that for a full season and you get 38 home runs and 46 stolen bases. He is already posting absurd exit velocity numbers and looks like a rising star. There is no doubt that he should be the 1.01 in all FYPDs later this. year.
Cole Young, #6 Seattle Mariners
Amongst the prospects inside of my top ten, there are two names that come across as the most surprising. The first is Kevin Alcantara who I have already written plenty about both before the season and during. The second is Cole Young who comes in at sixth overall. The 21st overall pick from the 2022 draft has quickly become one of my favorite prospects in baseball.
The starting point for praise is his sensational understanding of the strike zone. Having been drafted out of high school, Young is still only 20 years old. You would not be able to tell by looking at his early career walk rates. Last season in the Complex League and Low-A, Young walked as much as he struck out. Young followed that up by doing the same exact thing this season except between Low-A and High-A. His maturity is years past his age which helps create a stable floor for his development.
From a tools standpoint, Young is not the flashiest player. He does not have the most speed or power, but he is an extremely well-rounded player who should continue developing. He hit 11 home runs with 22 stolen bases this season and saw his numbers improve after his promotion to High-A. From June 28 forward, Young slashed .290/.402/.487 with eight of his 11 home runs. This is a prospect who is still seeing his power develop. A strong hit tool and excellent plate discipline are already overly apparent in Young’s profile. His power is already taking the next step making it easy to dream about his potential. Is number six high? Maybe a little bit, but Young’s profile is one of my favorites in all of Minor League Baseball.
Back-Half Top 100 Prospect Notes
Samuel Basallo, #77 Baltimore Orioles
I am not sure anybody saw this season coming from Samuel Basallo. The surprising and incredible 2023 season has continued for Basallo who has just seemed to get better as the season has moved along. After starting hot in Low-A, Basallo has improved his batting average and slugging percentage with every promotion. To place an emphasis on the season, Basallo hit .467 in a brief four-game sample at Double-A with a 1.167 OPS.
Basallo has been one of the fastest-rising prospects in baseball this season. His overall slash line finished at .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs and 12 stolen bases. From August 1st forward, he slashed .351/.450/.685. Add in the fact that he is still only 19 years old and it is hard not to get excited about him.
So, why is he still only ranked 77th overall? Trades are obviously a thing, but Baltimore already has a pretty good catcher in Adley Rutschman. Basallo has already started seeing some time at first base and there is a legitimate shot he winds up there long-term. With higher replacement-level production at the first base position, Basallo will need to continue hitting to be an elite fantasy asset. With his already strong track record and young age, Basallo has all of the potential to accomplish this, I just want to see it for longer at the higher levels of the Minor Leagues before pushing him further up this list.
Ignacio Alvarez, #92 Atlanta Braves
The Braves selected Ignacio Alvarez in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. He should have turned more heads in the dynasty community when he finished his first professional season with more walks than strikeouts. He managed to walk over 21% of the time while only striking out 12.3%. His swinging strike rate was a minuscule 5.8%. Granted, these numbers came at the Complex League and Low-A, but his contact skills quickly proved to be the real deal.
What vaults him into the top 100 this season is increased power. When drafted, Alvarez projected to put on muscle, which has certainly happened. In addition, he has refined his swing and approach to tap into more pull-side power leading to seven home runs this season. Seven home runs is nothing to write home about, but he is still only 20 years old and has the projection to be a 20-home run bat.
Alvarez’s ranking on this list is based on a lot of projections. He has already proven to have elite on-base skills while showing strong instincts on the base paths. A long-term move to third base is likely making the need for more home runs even more imperative. I am a believer in Alvarez’s swing and think he will be a more common name on these prospect lists by the middle of 2024.
Prospect List Part 2
Prospects That Just Missed
One of the bigger surprises on draft night was that Kyle Teel was not the first catcher selected. When the Red Sox found themselves in a position to take Teel at fourteenth overall, they jumped at the opportunity. The North Jersey native had an excellent collegiate career at the University of Virginia. In three years there, Teel hit 28 home runs but really came into his own during his final season. He hit .407 with 13 home runs in his final year and has not missed a beat since joining Boston’s organization.
Catching prospects have historically been slow to rise up dynasty rankings thanks to the immense workload they are required to handle defensively. That is not the case for Teel. Chris Clegg was able to capture some of his pop times which would already rank amongst the best in the Major Leagues. Teel is sound defensively and the bat is not leaving any doubts. The Red Sox decided to promote Teel all of the way to Double-A before the end of the 2023 Minor League season. Across three levels, Teel hit .363 with two home runs and three stolen bases. He is quickly approaching the top 100 on this list and has a case to already be in it.
When evaluating David Festa’s profile, his size instantly sticks out. Festa stands at 6’6″ and is extremely lanky. Despite his size, Festa has a compact delivery that allows him to consistently repeat his throwing motion. Entering 2023, expectations were high for Festa who posted a 2.43 last year between Low and High-A.
This season got off to a bit of a rocky start for Festa. Through his first 14 starts, Festa’s ERA sat at 5.31. From that point forward, Festa has really turned a corner. Since then, Festa has a 2.55 ERA and earned a promotion up to Triple-A. With a sometimes chaotic delivery that makes it difficult for hitters to pick up and two-plus secondary pitches already, Festa could make for an exciting dynasty asset. Early on in Triple-A, his slider and changeup are both generating whiff rates of over 34%. Strikeouts are never going to be an issue and if he can keep his walk rates in check, he will become an excellent dynasty asset.
Deep Prospects to Note
Trevor Werner, Kansas City Royals
I am sure many of you have not even heard of Trevor Werner. If you have, he is certainly still a new name. The Royals selected Werner in the seventh round of this year’s draft out of Texas A&M. His last season with the Aggies, Werner crushed 14 home runs but also posted a 26% strikeout rate resulting in a .252 average. We have seen some impressive performances already from this year’s draft class, but Werner’s is flying under the radar. In 35 games split between the Complex League and Low-A, Werner crushed nine home runs, hit .352, and also stole ten bases. From a competition standpoint, Low-A is likely below the level of play in the SEC. However, it is obvious that Werner’s power is effortless. If he can keep his strikeout rate in check, he will fly up prospect ranking lists.
Trevor Werner’s second multi-home run game this season. That’s an opposite field shot down the line. Holy cow. pic.twitter.com/wJUIxRsx7q
— Preston Farr (@royalsminors) August 27, 2023
Stanley Consuegra, New York Mets
If there is one prospect that I can already sense being too low in my rankings, it is Stanley Consuegra. Now you might think: “Why don’t you just move him up? These are your rankings.” Yes, yes, I know they are and trust me Consuegra is moving up and moving up fast. That being said, he just hit .232 as a 22-year-old in High-A. At this point, there is still plenty left to prove. However, he did hit 23 home runs and went on a power tear during the second half. From August 4th forward, Consuegra slugged .561 with a .342 ISO. He only hit .219, but that .219 batting average came with a .219 BABIP. His batting stance is quiet, his hands are smooth, and his power is massive. Get in on him now before he becomes a household name.
Photo by Cliff Welch | Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)
No Evan Carter or did I miss him?