March, 2023

2023 BDBL Farm Report

Great farm systems often result in great teams. Some of these teams use their farm players to win games for the team that invested in them. Some use their farm players as trade bait. Last year, the Akron Ryche used a combination of both. Former farmhands Ronald Acuna, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Austin Riley did most of the heavy lifting to win that trophy. Another former Akron farmhand (and our new #1 prospect in baseball), Gunnar Henderson, was shipped off for additional firepower used to attain that trophy.

When you play in a league like ours, where every team is constrained by the same exact salary cap, the team that manages to squeeze the most production out of their $63.5 million wins. When great players carry cheap contracts, that allows teams to shift more money toward those veteran free agents with a guaranteed immediate impact. A prime example of this dynamic is our heavily-favored favorites, the Los Altos Undertakers. Los Altos is spending just $300,000 on full-time players Bo Bichette, Stephen Kwan, and Kyle Tucker. All three were former Undertaker farmhands. That freed them up to splurge $11 million on Max Scherzer.

This annual farm report isn't a perfect measurement of the quality of our farm systems. Especially now, after farm expansion, many of the best prospects in this report aren't ranked because they aren't yet professionals. Also, different sources have different criteria as to who qualifies for their ranking. This report is, however, a handy snapshot in time, showing how good the pros on our farm squads are at this particular moment. Historically, the teams that rank toward the top of this report tend to have a great deal of success in the years that follow.

In case you've forgotten, the methodology of this exercise is simple. I collect top-100 lists from various sources, assign 100 points to the #1 prospect on each list, 99 points to the #2 prospect, and so on. Then I sum it all up and add it to our handy-dandy chart below. This year, our "panel of experts" includes Baseball America (BA), MLB.com, ESPN, and Baseball Prospectus (BP).

#1 Chicago Black Sox
Ranked prospects: Eury Perez (10), Jordan Lawlar (14), Bobby Miller (21), Gavin Williams (27), Tyler Soderstrom (40), Josh Jung (54), Kevin Parada (57), Dalton Rushing (92), Spencer Jones (99), Connor Norby (105), Jace Jung (108), Jett Williams (113), Owen Cassie (123), Cole Young (143)
Unranked prospects: Mason Auer, Derek Curiel, Cody Schrier, Sal Stewart, Cristian Vaquero

I have seen Perez compared to Pedro Martinez, which means John Gill could have the opportunity to trade yet another Cy Young winner to Jeff Paulson. I kid, I kid! (Sort of.) Perez came to Chicago in a preseason trade with Akron, in which Bryan Reynolds was the main prize. Despite the fact that he doesn't turn 20 until April, he could make the leap to MLB as early as this summer. Lawlar was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. In two pro seasons, he has hit for both average and power, and has swiped 40 bases in just 96 games. Like Perez, he's an early bloomer, having reached Double-A at age 19.

Along with Perez, Miller gives Chicago two of the top six pitching prospects in baseball. This is unusual for a franchise that has traditionally focused on offense. Unless something tragic happens, he will likely graduate from the farm this year. Williams gives Chicago three of the top eight pitching prospects in the game. (What is happening here?!) Like the other two, he throws hard, has great stuff, with several plus pitches, and is close to debuting in The Show. Chicago could have a logjam behind the plate with Parada and Soderstrom, but it's more likely that Soderstrom moves to first base. The Jung brothers could give Chicago two power-hitting infielders someday. The well-traveled Norby has already been traded twice since he was drafted in the first round (15th overall) this winter.

#2 Charlotte Mustangs
Ranked prospects: Francisco Alvarez (3), Marcelo Mayer (11), Curtis Mead (24), Miguel Vargas (43), Brandon Pfaadt (45), Tink Hence (52), Harry Ford (59), Owen White (71), Edgar Quero (80), Jackson Jobe (83)
Unranked prospects: Brady House, Kevin McGonigle, Felix Valerio, Cayden Wallace, Gunnar Hoglund, Ty Madden, Cristian Mena, Chase Petty, Jun-Seok Shim, Blake Walston

Charlotte has now ranked #2 in this survey for two years in a row. They came just 60 points away from ranking #1, which would have been the first time in franchise history that has happened. The amazing part is that their best prospect from last year, Julio Rodriguez, graduated to the big leagues and the Mustangs still managed to hold onto their #2 ranking. That happened, in large part, by the addition of Mead in a preseason trade with Akron this winter. The additions of Pfaadt and Hence in the midseason farm draft last year also helped.

With Adley Rutschman (finally!!!) graduating to the big leagues last year, Alvarez has now become the top catching prospect in baseball. He has already made his big league debut, and is likely to stick, so for the second year in a row, Charlotte will lose the #3 prospect in baseball to the big leagues. (Note: this is a good problem to have.) Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft, looked great in his full-season A-ball debut last year, displaying more power than the scouting reports suggested. Mead climbed all the way to Triple-A last year, but an elbow injury could derail his 2023 season.

Pfaadt and Hence have two of the funniest names in baseball, but both are pretty good pitching prospects nonetheless. Pfaadt struck out more batters (218) last year than any minor league pitcher in over twenty years. Hence has been handled gingerly by the Cardinals, but is electric when he's allowed to pitch. Ford could have provided Alvarez with some competition for the Mustangs catching position, but the stupid DH ruined that. Quero gives Charlotte three of the top ten catching prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com.

#3 Lake Norman Monsters
Ranked prospects: Gunnar Henderson (1), Elly De La Cruz (6), Jackson Holliday (13), Jackson Merrill (15), Colton Cowser (33), Jordan Westburg (67), Coby Mayo (73), D.L. Hall (105)
Unranked prospects: Joshua Baez, Samuel Basallo, Josue De Paula, Bryce Eldridge, Justin Foscue, Walker Jenkins, Jeferson Quero, Rhett Lowder, Noble Meyer, Brandon Williamson

Henderson is the unanimous #1 prospect in baseball according to our four top-100 lists. This is the first time in history this franchise has owned the #1 prospect. In fact, this is the first time the Monsters farm has included a top-six prospect. You have to go all the way back to 2003 to find a top-ten prospect (Francisco Rodriguez) on this farm club. Henderson came to Lake Norman in one of Joe Demski's many unheralded and outstanding 2022 trades. In exchange for Cal Quantrill, Wilmer Flores, Kenta Maeda, and Mike Baumann, the Akron Ryche sent not only Henderson to the Monsters, but Alejandro Kirk, Anthony Santander, Cristian Javier, and two others! That one trade not only turned the Monsters into 2023 contenders, but gave them a possible franchise player (Henderson) as well.

De La Cruz leaped all the way from #71 to #6 in this report after a monster year at the High-A and Double-A levels. He smashed 28 homers in just 120 games and added 47 steals (in 53 attempts) for good measure. If he doesn't graduate to the big leagues this year, he could rank #1 a year from now, which would give this franchise two in a row. Another contender for that #1 spot is Holliday, who held his own at the Low-A level at age 18 after he was selected #1 overall in the MLB draft. Merrill, the #2 overall pick in our own farm draft this year, is the highest-ranked prospect from that draft, and the only one in the top-75.

Of the unranked group, Jenkins is currently ranked by BA as the #6 prospect in the 2023 MLB draft. Lowder and Meyer are ranked #14 and #15, respectively.

#4 Niagara Locks
Ranked prospects: Jordan Walker (4), James Wood (12), Druw Jones (19), Evan Carter (26), Jasson Dominguez (47), Cam Collier (54), Alec Burleson (135)
Unranked prospects: Warming Bernabel, Emmanuel Bonilla, Jaison Chourio, Rayne Doncon, Konnor Griffin, Brailer Guerrero, Anthony Gutierrez, Hendry Mendez, Arjun Nimmala, Axiel Plaz, Jose Rodriguez, Sebastian Walcott, Mason Black

There are two features of the Niagara farm system that we can reliably count upon each and every year: it will be filled with teenagers younger than age 18, and it will be comprised almost entirely of hitters. These features are as true in 2023 as they were in 2010 when Mike Ranney first took over this franchise. In the fourteen years that Ranney has presided over this farm system, it has ranked among the top five an astounding eleven times. In those fourteen seasons, the Locks have owned a top-five prospect eleven times, and has owned a top-ten prospect twelve years in a row now. Absolutely incredible.

With the graduation of Bobby Witt (#2) to the big leagues this past year, Walker has stepped up to fill that gap, all the way from #21 a year ago. In two full seasons of professional ball, he has proven that he can hit for average and power. He looks like a middle-of-the-lineup type of hitter, and he should arrive soon. Like most Niagara prospects, he was acquired at age 17. At age 20, Wood was practically an old man when Ranney nabbed him in the second round of the 2022 draft. Jones ranks in the top-20 despite tearing his labrum last year and missing the entire season. Dominguez was one of Niagara's many, many, age-16 Latin American lottery tickets acquired over the years. If you look at that unranked list, you'll find about a dozen more of them.

#5 North Carolina Iron Spider Pigs
Ranked prospects: Andrew Painter (8), Diego Cartaya (16), Kyle Harrison (20), Mick Abel (39), Kyle Manzardo (69), Max Meyer (70), Griff McGarry (89), Jose Salas (129)
Unranked prospects: Maui Ahuna, Angel Martinez, Matt Shaw, Jake Eder, Dax Fulton, Thomas Harrington, Jaden Hill, Tanner Witt, Simeon Woods Richardson

The Pigs rank #5 in this survey for the second year in a row despite the fact that their top prospect from last year, Alek Thomas, graduated to the big leagues. Painter and Grayson Rodriguez are both tied for #8 overall, and are both tied for owning the distinction of being the best pitching prospect in baseball. Painter is the highest-ranked prospect this franchise has had since Prince Fielder (#5) way back in 2006. He is still just 19 years old, and has only pitched five games above the A-ball level, but he should move very quickly up the ladder.

According to our combined ranking, Cartaya is the second-best catching prospect in baseball behind Francisco Alvarez. In roughly one full season (661 AB) as a pro, Cartaya owns a career triple-slash line of .269/.380/.502 with 36 homers and 40 doubles. Lefty Harrison and righty Abel both have the stuff to fill a spot at the front of the rotation. Manzardo was added during the draft in the Merrill Kelly deal. He's a typical 1B/DH power hitter.

Of the unranked group, Shaw (#12) and Ahuna (#25) are both pegged as first-rounders in this year's MLB draft.

#6 Highland Freedom
Ranked prospects: Jackson Chourio (6), Brett Baty (18), Colson Montgomery (28), Royce Lewis (46), Henry Davis (56), Elijah Green (65), Bryce Miller (109), Masataka Yoshida (130), Brock Porter (137)
Unranked prospects: Ricardo Cabrera, Nick Gonzales, Ethan Holliday, Blaze Jordan, Brandon Mayea, Kristian Robinson, Joendry Vargas, Sixto Sanchez, Roki Sasaki, Thomas White, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Chourio was the biggest breakout prospect in the minor leagues last year. He came out of absolutely nowhere and leaped from the unranked a year ago all the way to #6 this year. Although he tore up the Low-A level last year, he struggled a bit at the higher levels. If I had to pick one prospect who will drop in the ranking this year, it would be him. Yoshida was the #1 overall pick in our farm draft this year. The predictions as to how he will hit MLB pitching have been a mixed bag. Some believe he will thrive, while others believe he'll struggle. Because most prospect lists do not include Japanese professionals, only Baseball America ranked him this year, at #87.

Baty has the bat to stick in the big leagues, but some question his glove. Montgomery, a first-round MLB draft pick in 2021, was ranked all the way at #15 by ESPN, but received a ranking in the 30's by the other three outlets. Lewis was a top-10 prospect as recently as 2019, but missed the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons. He had a nice bounce-back year last year and ended up getting twelve cups of coffee in September. Green has some of the loudest tools in baseball, but also strikes out a crap-ton.

The Freedom have gone all-in on the Japanese market, locking up not only Yoshida, but also a couple of pitchers still stuck in Japan: Yamamoto and Sasaki. Both are considered to be among the best pitchers in Japan, and both are expected to eventually come to the U.S. Of the two, Sasaki has a much higher ceiling, but at age 20 is years away from a U.S. debut.

#7 Flagstaff Peaks
Ranked prospects: Ricky Tiedemann (23), Sal Frelick (34), Logan O'Hoppe (53), George Valera (64), Kodai Senga (74), Ryan Pepiot (77), Marco Raya (92), Orelvis Martinez (107), Wilmer Flores (109), Maikel Garcia (118), Jarlin Susana (128)
Unranked prospects: Tyler Black, Justin Dirden, Alfredo Duno, Drew Gilbert, Jung-hoo Lee, Austin Martin, Ivan Melendez, Brandon Berreira, Connor Prielipp, A.J. Smith-Shawver, Anthony Solometo

This is Greg Newgard's second year at the helm of the Peaks franchise. In that short time, he's managed to improve his farm club from a #18 ranking a year ago all the way to #7. Of the eleven ranked prospects above, all eleven were acquired by Newgard. Arguably the most impactful of them all, Senga, was picked up this winter in a salary dump deal with Myrtle Beach. Senga, who was ranked #16 by Baseball America (the only outlet that included him in their ranking) will make an immediate impact on this club next year. Frelick was also acquired this winter in a salary dump deal with Florida. He also could make an impact on this franchise as early as next year, as he leaped three levels in 2022.

Tiedemann, O'Hoppe, Susana, and Flores were Flagstaff's first four picks in the midseason farm draft a year ago. Tiedemann had a sensational year in his pro debut last year, and looks like a future ace. His career K/9 rate of 13.39 ranks among the best in the minor leagues, and he's allowed only three home runs in 78+ innings. Of the unranked group, keep an eye on Prielipp. He was considered to be the best pitcher in the '22 MLB draft class, but fell to the second round after missing the entire year to Tommy John surgery.

#8 Darien Blue Wave
Ranked prospects: Ezequiel Tovar (22), Marco Luciano (30), Noelvi Marte (38), Miguel Bleis (85), Oscar Colas (86), Dylan Lesko (88)
Unranked prospects: Max Clark, Leodalis De Vries, Vladi Miguel Guerrero, Will Wagner, Matthew Allan, Emerson Hancock, Mason Miller, Jacob Misiorowski, Kumar Rocker, Thad Ward

This is now the fourth year in a row the Blue Wave rank among the top ten in this annual survey. Darien managed to hang on to that top-ten ranking despite losing their top prospect from a year ago, Riley Greene, to the major leagues. Tovar, Darien's #1 pick in the midseason farm draft last year, has been known as a glove-first shortstop prospect up until last year when he suddenly broke out to hit .318/.386/.545 at Double-A. He managed to earn a cup of coffee in September, and could stick with the big club out of spring training.

Marte (#12 last year) and Luciano (#13) both took a big step back last year, but remain top-40 prospects. Darien's first-round pick this winter, Bleis, is an excellent candidate to move up this ranking quickly over the next year. He opened a lot of eyes in the Florida Complex League last summer, and has five-tool potential. Among the unranked group, Clark is ranked as the #5 prospect in the 2023 MLB draft by BA.

#9 Las Vegas Flamingos
Ranked prospects: Anthony Volpe (5), Grayson Rodriguez (8), Bo Naylor (76), Bryan Ramos (86), Drew Romo (103), Jack Leiter (118)
Unranked prospects: Yasel Antuna, Hayden Dunhurst, Kody Hoese, Hao Yu Lee, Cole Roederer, Michael Burrows, Bubba Chandler, Cade Horton, Andry Lara, Noah Schultz, Jared Shuster, Blade Tidwell

Volpe (#8 last year) and Rodriguez (#5) were also top-ten prospects a year ago in this report, but have now switched places in the ranking. Volpe is now the highest-ranked Vegas hitting prospect since a youngster named Francisco Lindor ranked #7 in this report back in 2015. (Note: Lindor ranked #6 in 2014.) Volpe had another rock-solid year last year after moving from Double-A to Triple-A at age 21. The early reports out of Tampa are that he will be given the opportunity to win an Opening Day job with the Yankees.

Rodriguez is tied with Andrew Painter as the top-ranked pitcher in this report. He continued to impress in Triple-A last year, just as he did at Double-A the year before. In 292 career innings, he's struck out a whopping 419 batters -- an average of nearly thirteen per nine. There is a good chance that both Volpe and Rodriguez will graduate off of this list a year from now, which would leave this farm mostly barren. I can't see any of the other names listed above leaping into the top-50. Of the others, Leiter has the best chance -- but only if he can get his plus stuff under control.

#10 Kansas Law Dogs
Ranked prospects: Termarr Johnson (31), Taj Bradley (32), Robert Hassell (49), Gordon Graceffo (74), Andy Pages (109), Junior Caminero (139)
Unranked prospects: Addison Barger, Carlos Jorge, Eddys Leonard, Nick Loftin, Jonathan Mejia, Braden Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami, Jose Ramos, Chase Burns, Andrew Dutkanych, Ben Kudrna

The 'Dogs leaped ten spots in this ranking over the past year thanks to the ascendance of Johnson, who was the fourth overall pick of last year's MLB draft, but was drafted by Kansas way back in the first round of the 2021 winter draft (two freakin' picks before I was about to take him.) He hasn't done much yet at the pro level, so his high ranking is all about the scouting reports. Bradley, acquired in trade this winter, was ranked as high as #20 (MLB) and as low as #60 (ESPN) by our panel of experts.

Toward the end of this year's farm draft, GM Chris Luhning attempted to corner the market on the 2024 MLB draft by selecting Burns, Montgomery, and Dutkanych. All are projected to be first-rounders in that draft class.

#11 Cleveland Rocks
Ranked prospects: Daniel Espino (17), Gavin Stone (50), Emmanuel Rodriguez (58), Tanner Bibee (68), Chase DeLauter (125)
Unranked prospects: Vance Honeycutt, Junior Marin, Luis Matos, James Triantos, Welbyn Vargas, Justin Campbell, Shintaro Fujinami, Cole Phillips, Royber Salinas

Espino joins Brendan McKay (#13 in 2020) and Kyle Drabek (#20 in 2010) as the only two pitching prospects in franchise history that rank among the top twenty. That track record isn't great, but Espino has good enough stuff to break that spell -- if he can stay healthy. Stone (1st selection), Rodriguez (2nd), and Bibee (4th) were all acquired during last summer's midseason farm draft. All three were surprise breakout pitchers in 2022. DeLauter, who was only ranked by MLB.com (#82), is the only hitter among the ranked prospects. The unranked group includes Honeycutt, who may or may not be the #1 prospect in the 2024 MLB draft, and Fujinami, who looks like he'll get a shot at the Oakland starting rotation despite his reported command issues.

#12 Myrtle Beach Hitmen
Ranked prospects: Corbin Carroll (2), Zac Veen (37), Jacob Berry (101)
Unranked prospects: Michael Arroyo, Travis Bazzana, Dylan Crews, Yanquiel Fernandez, Jacob Gonzalez, Hunter Goodman, Cristian Hernandez, Nick Kurtz, Owen Paino, Bryce Rainer, Jorbit Vivas, Tommy White, Brody Brecht, Ronan Kopp, Asa Lacy

As a parent, it is always bittersweet to watch your children go off on their own after you've spent their entire lifetimes raising them to be decent people. Of course, watching them leave that nest is the ultimate goal. It is the natural order of things. Still, although it is only the beginning for the child, it feels like the end to the parent. I imagine the Hitmen front office must feel that same bittersweet emotion watching their own "children" -- MacKenzie Gore, Joey Bart, Dylan Carlson, Andrew Vaughn, Tarik Skubal, Alex Bohm, Alex Verdugo, Jesse Winker -- take flight from the Myrtle Beach nest and into their big league adulthoods.

Or maybe not. Yeah, probably not. I'm guessing the Myrtle Beach front office is more than happy about it.

As happy as they must be about all of those graduating prospects, they'll be even happier once Carroll becomes a full-time part of their lineup in 2024. He's the total package: excellent bat control, power, 80-grade speed, and plus defense. He will fit in nicely with this exciting young club a year from now. He could very well be replaced by Veen in the top-ten overall ranking a year from now. A true five-tool player, Veen has been named the Most Exciting Player in his league two years in a row. Berry owned one of the best pure bats and power bats in the 2022 MLB draft, but questions linger about his defense.

Although the Hitmen farm cupboard is just about barren, two waves of fresh faces are on the way to fill those shelves. Crews is ranked as the #1 prospect in the '23 MLB draft by BA. Gonzalez (#3) gives Myrtle Beach two out of the projected top three. GM Mitch Gill loaded up on '24 prospects this winter as well, drafting Kurtz, White, Brecht, Paino, and Bazzana in this winter's farm draft. All five are projected to be first-rounders at this early stage.

#13 D.C. Memorials
Ranked prospects: Edwin Arroyo (48), Carson Williams (61), Michael Busch (63), Jordan Wicks (89), Austin Wells (89), Mason Montgomery (127), Alex Ramirez (130), Trey Sweeney (132), Ivan Herrera (134)
Unranked prospects: Miguel Amaya, Rodrick Arias, Greg Jones, Cristian Santana, Kahlil Watson, Sam Bachman, Paul Skenes, Cole Wilcox, Cole Winn, An Woo-Jin

The Memorials ranked #22 a year ago in this survey, so this is a vast improvement for this rebuilding team. A year ago, Watson (#38) was this team's only ranked player -- and he managed to fall completely off the ranking. Sweeney (who was ranked only by ESPN at #88) is the only member of last year's unranked group who advanced to the ranked category. All of the other ranked players above were added at some point over the past year. Of the nine ranked players, Arroyo is the only one who earned a top-100 ranking from all four sources. He was the key to the Luis Castillo trade in MLB, and was acquired by the Memorials this winter in the Starling Marte deal.

Another shortstop, Williams, was a first-round MLB pick (#28 overall) in 2021. He, along with Ramirez, were picked up by D.C. at the mid-year farm draft last year. Busch, who was just recently added in trade, was ranked in the 50s by three of our sources, but was completely snubbed by ESPN. He is a bat-first prospect looking for a defensive home. Among the unranked, Skenes could join the ranked prospects list a year from now. He's currently ranked #8 in the MLB '23 draft by BA, and is a two-way player presumed to be drafted for his pitching.

#14 South Carolina Sea Cats
Ranked prospects: Cade Cavalli (60), Adael Amador (62), Shane Baz (81), Joey Wiemer (95), Ronny Mauricio (98), Garrett Mitchell (102)
Unranked prospects: Victor Acosta, Jay Allen, Jordan Beck, Denzel Clarke, Justin Crawford, Dustin Harris, Niko Kavadas, Lazaro Montes, Enmanual Valdez, Nick Yorke, Aaron Zavala, Will Bednar, Tanner Burns, Matt Canterino, Robert Gasser, Cole Henry

The Sea Cats once owned this farm report. They ranked among the top ten nine times from 2008 to 2016, and thirteen times in the first seventeen years of this annual exercise. Over the past seven years, however, they have sniffed the top ten only once, with a #9 showing last year. The biggest reason for the cliff-dive from #9 a year ago to #14 this year is the season-ending Tommy John surgery for Baz, who fell from #10 to #81. Only Baseball America (#32) bothered to rank him at all. TJ surgery isn't a career-ender, and Baz will be back in 2024 -- maybe better than ever.

Cavalli (#40 last year), Yorke (#30), and Mauricio (#74) also fell in this ranking since last year, for various reasons. The only rising star among the bunch is Amador, who was South Carolina's first selection in last year's midseason farm draft.

#15 Akron Ryche
Ranked prospects: Endy Rodriguez (40), Gabriel Moreno (51), Colt Keith (113), Nick Frasso (121)
Unranked prospects: Wuilfredo Antunez, Moises Ballesteros, Osleivis Basabe, Dylan Beavers, Juan Brito, Yeiner Fernandez, Eddinson Paulino, Wenceel Perez, Nikau Pouaka-Grego, Mikey Romero, Jose Acuna, Mitch Bratt, Luis Devers, Will Dion, Yu-Min Lin, Luis Perales, Bryan Woo

The champs would rank much higher on this report if all four of our expert sources used the same criteria. Instead, only ESPN and Baseball America consider Moreno to be a prospect, while MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus do not. Moreno ranks #4 on ESPN's list and #12 on BA's. If you split the difference and give him a ranking of #8 for the other two sources, Akron would rank two places higher at #13. Of the two, it is difficult to choose which is the better catching prospect at this point: Rodriguez or Moreno. Both have above-average bats, and both are excellent defensively.

The unranked group is filled with guys I've never heard of -- almost all of whom have funny names. Just for grins, I chose a couple at random and looked them up. Moises Ballesteros played 31 games at the Low-A level at age 18 last year. In his pro career, he owns a .261/.371/.431 slash line in 360 at-bats. BA ranked him as the 18th-best Chicago Cubs prospect last summer. Nikau Pouaka-Grego is a 17-year-old from Australia. He did not make MLB.com's top-50 international prospects list. You know, I'm thinking that maybe our farm rosters are too big. Just a thought.

#16 Ravenswood Infidels
Ranked prospects: Triston Casas (28), Zach Neto (65), Luisangel Acuna (112)
Unranked prospects: Carlos Colmenarez, Zack Gelof, Gabriel Gonzalez, Damon Keith, Grant McCray, Jhonkensy Noel, Shane Sasaki, Daniel Susac, Brayan Bello, Kyler Bush, Wilkelman Gonzalez, Thatcher Hurd, Reese Olson, Carson Seymour, Emmet Sheehan, Huston Waldrep

Casas already has 27 MLB games under his belt, and is likely to be Boston's everyday first baseman in 2023. He owns a career .858 OPS in the minor leagues, and there is no reason to doubt that he will continue to hit as a big leaguer. Neto (#13) and Susac (#19) were both first-round picks in the 2022 MLB draft. Waldrep is expected to be a first-rounder this year. Hurd is projected to be a first-rounder in 2024. Acuna was just recently acquired from the Los Altos organization. The younger brother of Ronald was ranked #71 by MLB.com, but not by any of the other three sources. According to MLB.com, the younger Acuna "may not have his older brother's superstar ceiling, but he does have the potential for solid tools across the board."

#17 South Philly Gritty
Ranked prospects: Masyn Winn (35), Brayan Rocchio (72), Matthew Liberatore (121), Yainer Diaz (125), Casey Schmidt (137)
Unranked prospects: Jose Gerardo, Moises Gomez, Gilberto Jimenez, Brock Jones, Matt McLain, Jacob Melton, Ethan Wilson, Jacob Wilson, Beau Brieske, Taylor Dollard, Cooper Hjerpe, Jackson Rutledge, T.J. Sikkema

The Gritty franchise has had a reliably consistent farm ranking through the years, finishing in the top ten fourteen times in 24 years. This is their lowest ranking since 2002 -- over twenty years ago! Last year's tenth-ranked farm club lost a couple of good ones in Reid Detmers (#27) and Jeremy Pena (#65). Both will help the Gritty win a lot of games in 2023. Is there another Detmers or Pena on this farm club? It doesn't seem likely.

Winn is the only Gritty prospect that appears on all four source lists. He was solely a glove-first prospect up until last year when his bat suddenly woke up. He now looks like he could be a decent full-time MLB shortstop within the next few years. Rocchio and Liberatore seem like they've appeared on this report forever. Both dropped in this ranking over the past year. Diaz should have received more love from our panel of experts than he did. Only BA (at #82) bothered to rank him, likely because he's unlikely to stick at catcher. His bat would play anywhere, though.

#18 South Loop Furies
Ranked prospects: Pete Crow-Armstrong (25), Kevin Alcantara (92), Brennen Davis (117), Kyle Muller (136)
Unranked prospects: Bryan Acuna, Vaun Brown, Cam Caminiti, Xavier Edwards, Pablo Guerrero, Justin-Henry Molloy, Nick Bitsko, Jackson Ferris, Bryce Jarvis, J.R. Ritchie, Landon Sams, Robby Snelling, Darius Vines, Yosver Zulueta

Davis had a tough year last year. He was this team's top prospect a year ago, ranked #18 overall, but hit below .200 at three different levels last year due in large part to a back injury. He's still enough of a prospect that BA (#84) and MLB.com (#92) both included him in their rankings. Armstrong followed the exact opposite path. He was unranked a year ago, but leaped into the top-25 after a breakout season in which he posted a 1.000 OPS at the Low-A level and an .831 OPS at High-A. Alcantara completes the Chicago Cubs outfield trio. He played his first full season last year, resulting in an intriguing power/speed combo.

Just to illustrate how ridiculous our league has become, 2007 wasn't that long ago. George W. Bush was president. Barack Hussein Obama announced his candidacy for president. The first-generation iPhone was released. The Departed won the Oscar for Best Picture. We celebrated BDBL Weekend in Kansas City and St. Louis. We took a tour of the Budweiser brewery. David Ortiz hit 79 homers for the Badgers. The Kansas Law Dogs won the BDBL trophy. Oh, and Cam Caminiti was born.

#19 Blacksburg Beamers
Ranked prospects: Hunter Brown (36), Gavin Cross (78), Quinn Priester (100)
Unranked prospects: Tyler Callihan, Jack Hurley, Yohandry Morales, Samuel Munoz, Tanner Schobel, Kendall Simmons, Logan Tanner, Shawn Dubin, Nic Enright, D.J. Herz, Hayden Juenger, Alec Marsh

Brown has advanced so rapidly through the minor leagues, he made it all the way to the MLB World Series last year, and now appears to have a job in the starting rotation on Opening Day. He was Tom DiStefano's third pick in the midseason farm draft in 2021. Cross was Dylan Badger's first-ever draft pick, selected in the first round of the 2022 winter farm draft. Priester and Tanner are former first-round MLB draft picks. Morales is currently ranked as the #16 prospect (by BA) in the 2023 MLB draft.

#20 Virginia Sovereigns
Ranked prospects: Oswald Peraza (44), Ken Waldichuk (82), Everson Pereira (118)
Unranked prospects: Andres Chaparro, Deyvison De Los Santos, Keiner Delgado, Anthony Garcia, Anthony Hall, Trevor Hauver, Ryan Lasko, Eguy Rosario, Jared Serna, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Richard Fitts, Luis Gil, Luis Medina, Dahian Santos, Luis Serna, Miguel Ullola, Will Warren

I will resist the temptation to beat the All-Yankees dead horse yet again. If you want my take on this strategy, simply re-read any of the past seven BDBL Farm Reports. Since Tony Badger took over this legendary franchise in 2016, the Sovereigns farm has ranked among the bottom four six times in seven years. In those seven years, no Sovereign farmhand has ranked higher than #40 (the infamous Estevan Florial) in this report. Peraza was ranked #34 by ESPN, but was also ranked as low as #62 (BA). It seems likely that he will begin the 2023 season as the starting shortstop for the Yankees, but he has a shit-ton of competition for that job -- notably Anthony Volpe. Former Yankee Waldichuk is also likely to make the big league team out of spring training. That leaves only Pereira, who could also graduate from this list by this time next year.

#21 Florida Mulligans
Ranked prospects: Brooks Lee (42)
Unranked prospects: Felnin Celesten, Fernando Cruz, Wyatt Langford, Jackson Linn, Aiden Miller, Benny Montgomery, Ryan Noda, Ethan Salas, Michael Sirota, Brayden Taylor, Brock Wilken, Pierce Coppola, Chase Dollander, Michael Grove, Gabriel Hughes, Luis Morales, Peyton Pallette, Travis Sykora, Brandon Walter

The Mulligans are a perfect example of why this annual report is imperfect. Florida has some of the most exciting prospects in the game, but rank 21st in this report due to the fact that almost all of these prospects are still amateurs and therefore unqualified for any of the four top prospect lists. Lee, the eighth overall pick in last year's MLB draft, had an impressive pro debut and looks like he will move quickly up the ladder. Langford, Miller, Taylor, Wilken, Dollander, and Sykora are all expected to be early first-round picks in this year's MLB draft. Linn, Sirota, Coppola, and Hughes are all targeted to be first-rounders in 2024. Celesten, Salas, and Morales are among the top international prospects in 2023, and Cruz is the top international prospect in the 2024 class. This farm team won't be ranked this low for much longer.

#22 Los Altos Undertakers
Ranked prospects: Ceddanne Rafaela (79), Nick Nastrini (95), Luis Ortiz (116), Heston Kjerstad (123), Drey Jameson (140), Jonathan Aranda (140), Samuel Zavala (143), Edouard Julien (145)
Unranked prospects: Enrique Bradfield, Eric Brown, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Gleider Figuereo, Yasser Mercedes, Nelson Rada, Prelander Berroa, Joey Cantillo, Chris Rodriguez, Carson Whisenhunt, Forrest Whitley

Once upon a time, Jeff Paulson was the butt of many jokes about drafting teens and pre-teens for his farm club every year. This year, Paulson adopted the old Tom DiStefano strategy and zigged while the rest of the league zagged. Of his nine picks in this winter's farm draft, three (Julien, Nastrini, and Zavala) are ranked. There were only twelve players in that draft who are ranked, and Los Altos owns one quarter of them. Yet another ranked prospect, Jameson, was acquired by Paulson in the 20th round of the draft at a cool salary of $1 million. He is my pick to become this year's Spencer Strider. Rafaela is my pick to become this year's Jackson Chourio.

#23 Bear Country Jamboree
Ranked prospects: Logan Allen (84), Joey Ortiz (103)
Unranked prospects: Blaze Alexander, Aeverson Arteaga, Alexander Canario, Jonatan Clase, Tyler Gentry, Matt Gorski, Pedro Leon, Tyler Locklear, Matthew Lugo, Malcom Nunez, Alexfri Planez, Jairo Pomares, Jose A. Rodriguez, Peyton Battenfield, Reggie Crawford, Norge Vera, Nick Zwack

Allen was ranked #53 by ESPN, but did not make the cut for MLB.com or Baseball Prospectus. Ortiz barely made the BA (#95) and MLB (#99) lists, and was left off the BP list completely. This makes the fourth year in a row the Jamboree farm has ranked among the bottom two. Given that I've never heard of any of the guys on the unranked list, the odds are fairly decent that the Jamboree will make it five in a row next year.

Just for fun, I looked up a couple of those unranked guys at random. Matt Gorski is an outfielder with the Pirates who reached the Triple-A level last year at age 24. He owns a career batting line of .243/.317/.464, with 44 homers in 823 at-bats. Nick Zwack is a left-handed pitcher for the boring Giants. He was a 17th round draft pick in 2021, and has yet to reach the Double-A level at age 23. His numbers against younger competition look good, though. So, now you all know who these guys are. You're welcome.

#24 Philadelphia Fightin's
Ranked prospects: Brice Turang (113), Matt Mervis (132)
Unranked prospects: Yiddi Cappe, Yoelqui Cespedes, Reivaj Garcia, Miguel Hiraldo, Ed Howard, Kevin Made, P.J. Morlando, Michael Mullinax, Johan Rojas, Alexander Vargas, Ben Brown, Seth Corry

Turang is ranked #72 by ESPN, and Mervis is ranked #88 by Baseball Prospectus. Neither prospect was ranked by anyone else in this report. Both Turang and Mervis are likely to graduate off of this list over the next year, leaving this team without a ranked prospect. No name on the unranked list jumps out at me as someone who could be ranked a year from now. The two most intriguing names are Morlando and Mullinax, but both are eligible for the 2024 MLB draft, which means we wouldn't see their names on this report until 2025 at the earliest.