March, 2024

2024 BDBL Farm Report

It's that time of year again when we pause our current season just for a moment to look into the future. Great baseball teams, both real and simulated, are built around a strong foundation of highly-productive -- and dirt-cheap -- youth. Practically everyone knows this. Every team in the BDBL that is currently favored to win their division had a fantastic farm system in the recent past. Darien, the overwhelming favorite to win this year's championship, has had a top-ten farm system five years in a row. Lake Norman, the EL favorite, owns the best farm system in the BDBL and has ranked among the top-five three years in a row. Having a great farm system doesn't guarantee success, but it sure helps a lot.

This annual farm report is meant to provide a snapshot in time, showing the strength of our farm systems as deemed by the "experts." This report is not perfect nor ideal. Amateurs still playing high school and college ball are not included. Foreign amateurs and professionals also are not included. Some of the best prospects in the game are excluded from this report. It is, for the time being, the best we have to work with.

This year's panel of "experts" includes Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus. For the newbies, my method is pretty simple. I assign 100 points to the #1-ranked player on each list, 99 points to the #2, and so on through #100. I then tally up the points and produce a table that looks like this:

#1 Lake Norman Monsters
Ranked prospects: Jackson Holliday (1), Walker Jenkins (12), Samuel Basallo (14), Coby Mayo (22), Colton Cowser (32), Jefferson Quero (34), Noble Meyer (55), Rhett Lowder (59), Bryce Eldridge (82), Josue De Paula (82), Tekoah Roby (92)
Unranked prospects: Homer Bush, Jr., Carter Johnson, Luis Lara, Walker Martin, A.J. Vukovich, Cade Povich, Kendry Rojas, Santiago Suarez

This is the first time this franchise has ever ranked number one in this report and it may not be the last, depending on how quickly the Baltimore Orioles move their prospects up the ladder. Holliday was the first player selected in the 2022 MLB draft, and the first player selected by the Monsters in the midseason farm draft that year. He was the second player selected in that draft, behind Jackson Chourio, who happens to the the number two prospect in this report.

Jenkins was also picked up by the Monsters in 2022, in the second round of the winter farm draft. He was the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, out of high school, and is already a top-15 prospect after only 26 professional games. MLB.com calls him the "best high school prospect since Josh Hamilton," which is crazy-high praise if you're old enough to remember the hype around Hamilton. Jenkins a five-tool center fielder with massive power and bat speed.

Basallo went from unranked a year ago to the top-15 this year following a monster full-season pro debut that ended with a .953 OPS at the Double-A level as a teenager. A catcher who can hit 20 home runs is special on its own, but to do it at that young of an age at that level of competition is nearly unheard of. Unfortunately for Basallo and the Monsters, the Orioles already have a pretty good young catcher who also is an extraordinary hitter, so he may need to change positions at some point.

Cowser is yet another top-five MLB draft pick and yet another Baltimore Orioles prospect. In fact, four of Lake Norman's top five prospects are Orioles. Must be a massive coincidence. Both Cowser and Mayo dominated at the Triple-A level last year, so it seems likely that both will graduate from this list by this time next year. That's five impact bats that could be added to a Lake Norman team that already has an EL championship under their belt and is heavily-favored to win another this year. Must be nice.

#2 West Chester Blooms
Ranked prospects: Evan Carter (4), James Wood (9), Jacob Misiorowski (39), Masyn Winn (40), Kyle Teel (44), Xavier Isaac (56), Chase Hampton (70), Thomas Saggese (94), Ryan Clifford (101), Gavin Stone (111), D.L. Hall (121)
Unranked prospects: Justin Foscue, Blaze Jordan, Braden Montgomery, Graham Pauley, Nelson Rada, Trey Sweeney, Ben Brown, Caden Dana, Josh Hartle, Jairo Iriarte, Yordanny Monegro, Kumar Rocker, Thomas White

In all my years of writing these reports I have never seen anything like this. The Blooms franchise (then called the Philadelphia Fightin's) ranked dead-last in this ranking a year ago. They had just two ranked prospects: Brice Turang (113) and Matt Mervis (132). Twelve unranked prospects were also on the roster. One year later, not a single one of those fourteen farm players is on the Blooms roster. All eleven of this team's ranked prospects, and every one of the thirteen unranked, have been acquired over the past year. That is beyond impressive.

Carter, Woods, and Isaac were all acquired in the huge eight-player blockbuster trade with Niagara this winter, in which the Blooms gave up Kevin Gausman, Blake Snell, and three others. Carter is ranked among the top-five by all three of our expert sources. He was a hero in the postseason last year and is very unlikely to remain in this report a year from now. Wood has improved in all three years of his professional career. Although he strikes out a ton (173 last year), he has massive power and excellent speed. He should get at least a cup of coffee in DC this year.

When the Blooms acquired Misiorowski in trade last year, I noted that he would need to perform at least as well as the pitcher who was traded for him (Justin Steele) in order to justify that trade. Given Steele's performance last year, that's a tall order. Misiorowski is well-known for his blazing fastball and devastating slider, but can't seem to control where those pitches go. He owns a career BB/9 rate of 6.0.

Winn and Teel were both acquired in trades this past winter. Winn is a lightning-fast runner with an arm that MLB.com calls "legendary." Teel is a catcher who has hit exceedingly well at every level he has played. He moved quickly up the ladder last year after he was drafted 14th overall in MLB, and did not struggle at all despite facing tougher competition.

West Chester will lose Carter in this ranking a year from now, but they will more than likely gain Montgomery and White. Depending on how quickly he is moved, Hartle could join them as well. The future of the West Chester farm is bright.

#3 Chicago Black Sox
Ranked prospects: Jordan Lawlar (9), Jett Williams (31), Cole Young (42), Owen Caissie (46), Dalton Rushing (47), Spencer Jones (49), Jace Jung (65), Yanquiel Fernandez (84), Tyler Soderstrom (103)
Unranked prospects: Derek Curiel, P.J. Morlando, Kevin Parada, Jefferson Rojas, Devin Taylor, Christhian Vaquero, J.J. Wetherholt, Josh Knoth, Owen Murphy, Blake Wolters

The number-one-ranked team from last year drops to number three after the graduations of a couple of their young stud pitchers, Eury Perez and Bobby Miller. When your farm ranking falls for that reason, that's something you can live with. Their new number one, Lawlar, has already graduated to the big leagues. Although he flopped in his MLB debut, he will likely stick in spring training. He knocked the crap out of the ball in the past two minor league seasons and has nothing left to prove.

The Black Sox have six top-50 prospects, which is more than they had a year ago when they ranked number one. Williams, Young, and Caissie barely made the rankings last year. Although Williams is more of a speed-over-power type of prospect, he still managed to hit 13 homers (and 8 triples) last year. Fellow 2022 MLB first-rounder Young was thrown into pro ball right out of high school and has dominated every level he's played. Caissie reached the Double-A level last year just three years out of high school. He finished among the top-five in all three slash categories at that level despite being one of the league's youngest players.

Rushing was ranked as high as #36 (Baseball Prospectus) and as low as #75 (MLB.com). His bat seems nearly MLB-ready, but he needs more experience behind the plate before he's fully ready. Jones (high of #33, low of #84) was another point of disagreement between the same two expert sources. He's a power/speed guy, strikes out a ton, and is one of the few Yankees prospects not owned by Tony Badger.

Arguably the best prospect on this team is currently in the unranked category. Wetherholt could be the first name called in this year's MLB draft. He's currently ranked #2 by Baseball America and #1 by MLB.com.

#4 Florida Mulligans
Ranked prospects: Wyatt Langford (5), Ethan Salas (8), Ricky Tiedemann (25), Brooks Lee (33), Chase Dollander (64), Aidan Miller (89), Luis Morales (107)
Unranked prospects: Felnin Celesten, Jacob Cozart, Fernando Cruz, Christian Moore, Jose Perdomo, Michael Sirota, Brock Wilken, Spencer Arrighetti, Hagen Danner, Seth Hernandez, Henry Lalane, Yuki Matsui, Jarlin Susana, Andrew Walters

The Mulligans leapfrogged seventeen spots in this ranking thanks to the start of Langford's pro career and the unexpected rise of Salas to the Double-A level in his very first professional season at age seventeen. Langford absolutely crushed the ball at every level he played last year, college and pro. There is a chance he makes the Texas roster out of spring training. Salas was rushed a little too quickly last year, but it is obvious why. He has what many scouts are calling "generational talent."

Tiedemann was acquired this winter in exchange for my entire bullpen. He is my highest-rated farm pitcher since Shohei Ohtani, who ranked #20 in this report in 2018. Lee was the only ranked prospect on this team a year ago. He crept up from #42 to #33 after a solid season, and now looks as though he could make the big league roster out of spring training.

I have promised myself to be patient as I wait for Celesten to play actual baseball at some point, four freakin' years after I drafted him. I learned my lesson in impatience with that Wander F'ing Franco debacle. I not only have to wait for Celesten to play a single pro game, but also Perdomo and Cruz. I have never been a patient man, so this is quite a struggle.

#5 D.C. Memorials
Ranked prospects: Paul Skenes (7), Carson Williams (24), Michael Busch (50), Kyle Manzardo (61), Victor Scott (81), Roderick Arias (87), Edwin Arroyo (94), Austin Wells (100), Jordan Wicks (122)
Unranked prospects: Jac Caglianone, Wilfredo Lara, Alex Ramirez, Gavin Turley, George Valera, Kahlil Watson, David Festa, Ben Kudrna, Mason Montgomery, Yariel Rodriguez, Cole Wilcox

It is hard to believe that ten people skipped over Skenes in the 2023 winter farm draft, but it's true. A few of the names chosen ahead of Skenes: Justyn-Henry Molloy, Griff McGarry, and Dustin Harris. To be fair, at the time, Skenes was not considered by anyone to be the first player to be drafted that year. Looking back, it's difficult to understand why. Skenes completely dominated his junior year at LSU. It was arguably the most dominant season by a college pitcher since Stephen Strasburg.

Williams is the latest in a seemingly never-ending procession of excellent-hitting shortstops being produced by the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Not only does he possess power and speed, but some scouts believe he's a future Gold Glove winner. Skenes, Williams, and Busch are the only three Memorials ranked by all three of our expert sources. Busch has had a couple of monster seasons the past two years, and looks as though he's ready for The Show.

Of the unranked group, the most intriguing prospect is Gators two-way star Caglianone. Most scouts seem to believe he will end up as an everyday hitter in the big leagues. He led the NCAA with 33 homers last year, and is ranked #4 overall in the Class of '24 by Baseball America and #5 by MLB.com.

#6 Charlotte Mustangs
Ranked prospects: Marcelo Mayer (19), Jackson Jobe (20), Harry Ford (38), Colt Emerson (58), Tink Hence (63), Ignacio Alvarez (125)
Unranked prospects: Gino Groover, Yorfran Medina, Benny Montgomery, Eduardo Quintero, Sal Stewart, Cayden Wallace, Gordon Graceffo, Gunnar Hoglund, Ty Madden, Cristian Mena, Karson Milbrandt, Zander Mueth, Sixto Sanchez, Jun-Seok Shim

Two of Charlotte's top four prospects are shortstops, but weirdly enough both might end up somewhere else on the diamond. Mayer was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. He missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, but still ranks among the top-20. Emerson was also a first-round pick (22nd overall last year). He managed to post a 1.000+ OPS in his pro debut.

Wedged in between those two are Jobe and Ford. Jobe posted a crazy 6/84 BB/K ratio in 64 innings last year across four levels of competition. All he needs to do to become a big league ace is stay healthy. Ford has posted an OPS of .840 or better in each of his first three pro seasons. His career minor league numbers are .267/.416/.443 with nearly as many walks (200) as strikeouts (238). He's a true rarity as a base-stealing catcher. All four of this team's top four prospects were drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.

I'm pretty sure Tony Chamra drafted every one of those unranked prospects because their first names are misspelled. Seriously, "Gino?" "Cayden?" "Cristian?" "Karson?" "Zander?" C'mon, man.

#7 Darien Blue Wave
Ranked prospects: Max Clark (17), Noelvi Marte (21), Marco Luciano (41), Dylan Lesko (59), Nolan Schanuel (97), Leodalis De Vries (128)
Unranked prospects: Caden Bodine, Oliver Dunn, Dawel Joseph, Daylen Lile, David McCabe, Tai Peete, Jonathan Rodriguez, Rintaro Sasaki, Cam Smith, Javier Vaz, Trevor Werner, Matthew Allan, Thatcher Hurd, Cameron Johnson

Marte has already excelled at the MLB level for 35 games last year, so he will most likely not be on this list a year from now. The same goes for Luciano, who got a 14-game cup of coffee last year. Marte is more of a pure hitter than Luciano, but Luciano has more power. Neither shortstop is likely to stick at that position over the next few years. The team's top prospect, Clark, was the third overall pick in last year's MLB draft. He hit .283/.411/.543 in a brief 12-game pro debut at the Florida Complex League, and then hit .154 in his A-ball debut. Despite that hiccup, all three expert sources ranked him among their top-25.

Lesko has been injured the past two years, walked 22 batters in 33 innings last year, and wasn't even ranked among the top-100 by Baseball Prospectus, yet still made Baseball America's top-40. De Vries hasn't even played a single professional game, and is just 16 years old, but was ranked #99 by Baseball America. Lee must know someone at that fake news outlet.

#8 North Carolina Iron Spider Pigs
Ranked prospects: Andrew Painter (18), Kyle Harrison (29), Matt Shaw (34), Mick Abel (69), Max Meyer (104)
Unranked prospects: Diego Cartaya, Jakob Marsee, Malcolm Moore, Damiano Palmegiani, Anthony Silva, Drew Beam, Jake Eder, Dax Fulton, Thomas Harrington, Griff McGarry, Johnathan Santucci, An Woo-Jin, Simeon Woods Richardson

Painter didn't even pitch last year, and has thrown fewer than 110 innings in his professional career, and yet he's still a top-20 prospect. That's how good he is. Meyer didn't pitch last year, either, and yet two of our three experts included him in their top-100. Harrison has already earned his MLB cup of coffee after blazing through the minor leagues and is very likely to contribute to the 2025 Iron Spider Pigs. Abel (career 11.1 K/9) gives the North Carolina farm system four pitchers with gaudy strikeout numbers in the minor leagues.

This team's lone ranked hitter, Shaw, posted a 1.000+ OPS in three levels after he was selected in the first round (13th overall) of last year's MLB draft. There is a slight chance he could stick with the big club out of spring training, but he is more likely to head to Triple-A. The player more likely to stick immediately is Marsee, who isn't even ranked. He had a tremendous Arizona Fall League season and looks to be big-league ready.

Boy, Diego Cartaya's career sure fell off a cliff, didn't it? He was ranked #16 on this page a year ago, but isn't even ranked now. He posted consistently great numbers in 2021 and 2022, but hit just .189/.278/.379 last year. What the hell happened to him?

#9 Highland Freedom
Ranked prospects: Jackson Chourio (2), Colson Montgomery (11), Hurston Waldrep (51), Mason Miller (80), Brock Porter (117)
Unranked prospects: Ricardo Cabrera, Brady Ebel, Elijah Green, Ethan Holliday, Brandon Mayea, Xavier Neyens, Ramon Ramirez, Joendry Vargas, Samual Zavala, Nate Lavender, Roki Sasaki, Abner Uribe, Abner Uribe, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shunpeita Yamashita

As everyone now knows, Miller is the best pitching prospect in the game of baseball since Sidd Finch. The fact that he was only included once by our panel of experts (#45 by BA) frankly casts doubt on this entire exercise. Boy, will MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus feel stupid when he wins the next ten straight Cy Young awards!

Chourio is already signed to an $82 million contract before stepping onto a MLB ballfield. For good reason, I suppose. Last year, he became the first 20/40 player in minor league ball since Ronald Acuna, who I'm told is pretty good. Chourio will probably graduate from this report by this time next year. Montgomery has drawn comparisons to Corey Seager, but I don't see the power numbers matching up. Waldrep was the 24th player chosen in last year's MLB draft. The former Gator moved quickly up the pro ladder, although he struggled with his control. He could probably use a full year of Triple-A before he's ready for The Show.

I'm more impressed with the unranked group than with the ranked group. Yamamoto, of course, is the cream of that crop. He's now the highest-paid pitcher in the game, and probably for a good reason. He will hit the ground running and become a Cy Young-caliber ace for the Freedom next season at a tasty salary of just $100,000. Sasaski is arguably the best pitcher in Japan (and I don't think anyone would argue.) Yamashita is the only other challenger in that regard. The problem with both is that they are only 21 and 20 years old, respectively, and may not see the BDBL until the next decade.

Holliday (brother of #1 overall prospect Jackson and son of Matt) is currently regarded to be the #1 high school prospect in the 2025 draft class. Mayea was one of the top international prospects available last year. In other words, another wave of talent is waiting in the wings.

#10 Flagstaff Peaks
Ranked prospects: Jackson Merrill (12), Drew Gilbert (53), Tyler Black (54), Jared Jones (73), Jacob Wilson (78), Orelvis Martinez (101), Anthony Solometo (111)
Unranked prospects: Maui Ahuna, Cade Arrambide, Zach Cole, Alfredo Duno, Seaver King, Jung-hoo Lee, Ivan Melendez, Brandon Barreira, Wilmer D. Flores, Marco Raya, River Ryan, Spencer Shwellenbach, Hagen Smith, Anthony Solometo

Greg Newgard signed Ketel Marte to a somewhat-risky $9.5 million salary in the 2023 auction. That risk paid big dividends when he was able to flip Marte to the Lake Norman Monsters this winter for top prospect Merrill and Mark Canha. Merrill has always had trouble staying healthy, but when he is, he shows that he can hit for both average and power. If not for the presence of Xander Bogaerts he would likely stick at shortstop. For the time being, it looks like he'll be a super-utility type of player. He will likely graduate off of this list over the next year.

Gilbert will never win any home run hitting contests, but he does everything else well enough to become an everyday MLB outfielder. Black has done nothing but hit everywhere he's been. He didn't display any power until last year, but his scouting reports suggest it's for real.

Among the unranked group, King ranks among the top ten prospects in this year's MLB draft class. Lee was the number one international hitting prospect on the market when he signed with the boring Giants. He will more than likely be an asset for the 2025 Peaks.

#11 Virginia Sovereigns
Ranked prospects: Roman Anthony (15), Curtis Mead (48), Drew Thorpe (57), Everson Pereira (94), Kevin McGonigle (107), Brayden Taylor (123)
Unranked prospects: Andres Chaparro, John Cruz, Deyvison De Los Santos, Keiner Delgado, Jonny Farmelo, Anthony Hall, Colton Ledbetter, Caleb Lomavita, Arjun Nimmala, Paulino Santana, Jared Serna, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Will Warren

This is rarified air for the Virginia franchise. Their farm system has not ranked this high since 2015, back when the franchise was still owned by the Evil Emperor himself. The reason for that is because Tony Badger has finally (mostly) abandoned his Yankees-only farm strategy. Of the team's six ranked prospects, only one (Pereira) is a Yankee. Of the thirteen unranked, only six are Yankees.

Anthony was ranked among the top-ten (#8) by Baseball Prospectus and in the 20s by the other two sources. He absolutely raked (.294/.412/.569) at the High-A level as a 19-year-old last year and more than held his own in a 10-game Double-A stint. He will likely return to that level to start this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the big leagues in September.

Mead has already made it to The Show, but struggled a bit (.253/.326/.349) once he got there. He should be fine over the long run, as he has hit at every other level he's played. Thorpe -- who was originally a Yankee -- posted some gaudy strikeout numbers last year (182, most in the minors, in 139+ IP) even though he doesn't possess an overwhelming fastball. At minimum, he will become a quality back-end starter.

McGonigle and Taylor were both first-round MLB draft picks last year and have high upsides. The most exciting prospect on this roster, in my opinion, is Santana, who was Virginia's #1 draft pick in January. He is currently ranked as the #2 international prospect in this year's class by MLB.com. They wrote that he could move as quickly up the pro ladder as Ethan Salas did a year ago. He is an outfielder who has drawn comparisons to Julio Rodriguez. But he's not a Yankee.

#12 Las Vegas Flamingos
Ranked prospects: Cade Horton (25), Noah Schultz (43), Tommy Troy (66), Bubba Chandler (86)
Unranked prospects: Starlyn Caba, Robert Calaz, Hao Yu Lee, Angel Martinez, Brice Matthews, Victor Mesa, Jr., Myles Naylor, Bryan Ramos, Drew Romo, Eduardo Tait, Braxton Ashcraft, Michael Burrows, Connor Cooke, Ty Floyd, Jack Leiter, Blade Tidwell

Here is something you don't see often. The Flamingos had six ranked prospects last year, and now have four. None of those six are among the four! Vegas wiped the farm slate clean and completely replaced the entire lot. Their four top prospects last year -- Anthony Volpe, Grayson Rodriguez, Bo Naylor, and Bryan Ramos -- all graduated to the big leagues. Their bottom-two prospects -- Drew Romo and Jack Leiter -- fell out of the ranking. Leiter's fall is particularly noteworthy, given the hype that accompanied him into professional baseball. He was ranked #20 in this report in 2022, one year after he was drafted. After two years of struggles, he's now barely a blip on the radar.

Horton has now taken over as this team's top pitching prospect. He had a fantastic pro debut, reaching the Double-A level and posting an overall BB/K ratio of 27/117 in 88+ innings. Which is remarkable, given that he barely pitched in college. Schultz is another first-round MLB draft pick from 2022 who also shined in his pro debut last year. He threw only 27 innings, but impressed with his size and athleticism, drawing comparisons to Randy Johnson.

Troy was the 12th player selected in the 2023 MLB draft. He doesn't have one loud tool, but is at least average in all facets of the game. Chandler was an experimental Ohtani type of hitter/pitcher hybrid in 2022, but switched full-time to pitching last year. The experiment seemed to work, as he overcame early struggles to finish strong at the Double-A level.

The Flamingos have cornered the market on the Naylor family. Do they all make fools of themselves by rocking invisible babies after hitting meaningless home runs? Or just the one?

#13 South Carolina Sea Cats
Ranked prospects: Adael Amador (28), Brady House (52), Justin Crawford (74), Shane Baz (93), Jordan Beck (110), Cade Cavalli (115), Ronny Mauricio (116), Robert Gasser (125), Denzel Clarke (128), Lazaro Montes (130)
Unranked prospects: Victor Acosta, Jordan Beck, Ryan Bliss, Dustin Harris, Dillon Head, Sterlin Thompson, Creed Willems, Nick Yorke, Tanner Burns, Jose Corniell, Frank Mozzicato

The Sea Cats are proof that having a great farm system doesn't always lead to success in the BDBL. The 'Cats have owned a top-10 farm system fourteen times in the 25-year history of this farm report, but have won just two division titles and just two winning seasons in that time. Top prospect Amador is an on-base machine who walks more often than he strikes out, steals a few bases, and collects a handful of extra-base hits.

As big as Brady House is, and as glowing as his scouting reports are, he hasn't hit as many home runs as you would think. In 149 career games (575 AB), he's hit 19 homers. He owns a decent career batting line of .303/.365/.468, but also a sub-decent 45/161 BB/K ratio. Crawford is a top-of-the-lineup type of player who gets on base at a decent clip and steals a ton of bases. Baz fell from #81 on this list a year ago to #93 after missing the last season and a half due to Tommy John surgery. He is expected to return early this season.

The Sea Cats dominate the overall ranking from #110 to #130. Of that group, keep an eye on Montes. A huge, left-handed, Cuban refugee who slugged 13 homers in 70 games in his US debut, has better contact skills than expected, and sucks defensively. Does that remind you of anyone? Maybe someone from the Darien organization?

#14 South Loop Furies
Ranked prospects: Pete Crow-Armstrong (16), Robby Snelling (37), Kevin Alcantara (79)
Unranked prospects: Bryan Acuna, Vaun Brown, Cam Caminiti, Brennan Davis, Seth Gamble, Vaughn Grissom, Pablo Guerrero, Brady Harris, Justin-Henry Malloy, Alan Roden, Ralphy Velazquez, Nick Bitsko, Jackson Ferris, J.R. Ritchie, Landon Sims, Charlee Soto, Yosver Zulueta

Crow-Armstrong's MLB career got off to a bumpy start when he went 0-for-14 in his MLB debut last year, but he should be fine in the long run. He's a five-tool player who should contribute to the Furies fairly quickly. Snelling had a fantastic year (1.82 ERA in 103+ innings) last year as a 19-year-old pitching at the Double-A level. Alcantara is a tall (6'6") and skinny (188 lbs) bean sprout with surprising power, good speed, a strong arm, and decent bat-to-ball skills.

The unranked group is filled with relatives of famous MLB players. Acuna is Ronald's brother. Caminiti is Ken's son. Guerrero is Vlad's son and Vlad Jr.'s brother. I'm told the Furies organization offers a terrific friends and family discount.

#15 Los Altos Undertakers
Ranked prospects: Heston Kjerstad (36), Connor Phillips (70), Ceddanne Rafaela (72), Carson Whisenhunt (85), Edgar Quero (106), Enrique Bradfield (111), Christian Scott (117)
Unranked prospects: Rayner Arias, Blake Dunn, Abimelac Ortiz, Owen Paino, Ben Rice, Maddux Bruns, Joey Cantillo, Chayce McDermott, Nick Nastrini

Kjerstad is a slow-footed power-hitting right fielder who doesn't strike out a ton for a player with that profile. He will likely graduate from this list this year. Phillips got knocked around in his MLB debut last year (20+ IP, 5 HR, 13 BB, 6.97 ERA), but has the potential to be a mid-rotation asset. Rafaela also made his MLB debut last year and is likely to stick there based on his glovework alone. He shines defensively at multiple positions and has enough of a bat to justify a spot in the lineup. Whisenhunt pitches for the boring Giants. His best pitch is a change-up that is rated 70 on the 20-80 scale. He managed to reach the Double-A level last year, and is likely to get a cup of coffee in the big leagues this year.

Jeff Paulson's publicly-stated strategy in this year's farm draft was to select players that are likely to help in the immediate future rather than years down the road. To that end, McDermott has the best chance, I believe, to make an immediate impact. The 24-year-old owns a career K/9 ratio of 13.0 in the minor leagues. Granted, that comes with an ugly 5.3 BB/9 rate, but he is likely to be moved to the bullpen this year, which somehow tends to lower that BB/9 rate. He could pitch for Baltimore out of the bullpen and become yet another annoying thorn in the side of Undertakers opponents next year.

#16 Cleveland Rocks
Ranked prospects: Chase DeLauter (27), Emmanuel Rodriguez (45), James Triatos (90), Daniel Espino (130)
Unranked prospects: Yiddi Cappe, Cole Carrigg, Ariel Castro, Noah Franco, Vance Honeycutt, Junior Marin, Bryce Rainer, Alex Clemmey, Hyun-Seok Jang, Parker Messick, Joey Oakie, Dahian Santos, Mitch Spence, Huascar Ynoa

A foot injury delayed DeLauter's pro debut until June of last year, but he made the most of it once he got there, hitting .355/.417/.528 at three different levels and ending the year at Double-A. Another left-handed power hitter, Rodriguez, also got off to a slow start due to an injury. He then posted a .927 OPS from June 1st through the end of the season. In his 183-game pro career, he's racked up 35 home runs, 172 walks, and 242 strikeouts.

Stop me if you've read this before. Triantos got off to a slow start in 2023 due to injury, but finished strong. He hasn't shown much power yet, and his defensive landing place is still up in the air, but he looks like he'll end up an everyday player somewhere on the diamond. Espino didn't get off to a slow start last year. Instead, he never started at all due to an injury. In fact, due to injuries, he's only pitched 18+ innings in his entire pro career. MLB.com still believes in him, though, and ranked him #100.

Of the unranked group, the only two names I recognize are Honeycutt and Rainer. Both are in the 2024 MLB draft class. Honeycutt is currently ranked #6 in that class by Baseball America. Rainer is ranked #19.

#17 Kansas Law Dogs
Ranked prospects: Junior Caminero (2), Termarr Johnson (67), Andy Pages (124)
Unranked prospects: Addison Barger, Robert Hassell, Mac Horvath, Leo Jimenez, Carlos Jorge, Hector Rodriguez, Echedry Vargas, Chase Burns, David Sandlin, Emiliano Teodo

The 'Dogs fell from #10 a year ago down to #17 due mostly to the graduation of Taj Bradley to the big leagues and the decline of Johnson from #31 to #67. Johnson's decline doesn't make much sense, since he posted an .860 OPS last year with 18 homers and a decent 101/120 BB/K ratio. Caminero was arguably the greatest come-from-nowhere breakout prospect of 2023. A year ago on this page, he was ranked dead-last at #139. Then he went nuts, hitting .324/.384/.591 with 31 homers at two different levels before leapfrogging Triple-A straight to the big leagues for a seven-game cup of coffee. His elite bat speed and power carried him all the way to #2 in this year's ranking.

Of the unranked group, Burns may have the best shot of becoming a ranked prospect a year from now. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as the #15 prospect in the 2024 draft. If he makes a big leap this year, he could earn his "I've been ranked" pin.

#18 Myrtle Beach Hitmen
Ranked prospects: Dylan Crews (6), A.J. Smith-Shawver (68)
Unranked prospects: Michael Arroyo, Travis Bazzana, Jacob Berry, Cam Cannarella, Trent Caraway, Yoelin Cespedes, Charlie Condon, Jacob Gonzalez, Ike Irish, Nick Kurtz, Connor Norby, Ethan Petry, Kristian Robinson, Zac Veen, Jorbit Vivas, Tommy White, Brody Brecht, Ronan Kopp

Don't let the ranking fool you. The Hitmen own one of the best farm systems in this league. They own a virtual monopoly on the 2024 MLB draft. Kurtz (#2), Bazzana (#3), Condon (#8), and White (#10) are all ranked by Baseball America among the top-ten in the 2024 draft. Petry, Irish, and Cannarella are all expected to be among the early first-round picks of the 2025 MLB draft.

Of course, Crews was the jewel of the 2023 MLB draft. He was selected second overall after hitting .426/.567/.713 for the LSU Tigers. He kept hitting once he advanced to pro ball, slashing .292/.377/.467 at three different levels, and culminating in a 20-game trial at Double-A. Smith-Shawver made his brief MLB debut last year, tossing 25+ innings with respectable (17 H, 11 BB, 20 K) numbers. He still has some work to do in the bush leagues, but will likely return to MLB toward the end of this season.

It seems likely that Kurtz, Bazzana, and Condon will make the rankings a year from now, which means this franchise will likely return to the top-ten even if Crews graduates to The Show. Myrtle Beach ranked #1 in this report three years in a row from 2019-2021. The interesting aspect of that accomplishment is how few of those prospects have panned out so far. 2019's class (Forrest Whitley, Jo Adell, MacKenzie Gore, Carter Kieboom, Joey Bart, and Alec Bohm) have been mostly duds. 2020's class produced Nolan Jones, Tarik Skubal, and Corbin Carroll, but only Skubal remains with the Hitmen. 2021's class included no new names beyond those listed above. As I wrote in the intro, having an outstanding farm system is no guarantee of success.

#19 Niagara Locks
Ranked prospects: Jasson Dominguez (30), Sebastian Walcott (62), Druw Jones (88)
Unranked prospects: Luis Baez, Emmanuel Bonilla, Jaison Chourio, Cam Collier, Konnor Griffin, Brailer Guerrero, Jansel Luis, Javier Mogollon, Cooper Pratt, Jose Rodriguez, Yophery Rodriguez, Jeremy Rodriguez, Yunior Severino, Quentin Young, Mason Black, Payton Martin, Michael Massey

This is a strange place to find the Niagara Locks farm. Since Mike Ranney took over this franchise in 2010, the Locks have never ranked this low in this report. Niagara owned a top-five farm system nine straight years in a row, and ten times in Ranney's fifteen years at the helm. The Locks farm ranked fourth in this report a year ago, but after the mammoth trade involving James Wood and Evan Carter, and the MLB graduation of Jordan Walker, this farm system has been fairly well gutted.

Dominguez sure has had an interesting ride up and down this annual ranking. He was Niagara's first draft pick in the 2019 midyear farm draft. In 2020, before he had even played a professional game, he was a top-50 prospect (#46). By 2021, he had become a top-40 prospect (#37). Then the experts collectively decided he wasn't as good as they had hyped him up to be, and dropped him all the way to #76 in 2022. Last year, he returned to the top-50 at #47. And now here he is again in the top-30, fully-redeemed. He will more than likely graduate from this list by this time next year.

Walcott is one of the many, many, many international prospects that Ranney has drafted over the years. He was one of the top-rated players in last year's international pool, and is projected to be the best player to ever come from the Bahamas. Jones was the second overall pick in the MLB 2022 draft, is the son of the best player to ever come from Curacao, and hit just .238/.353/.327 in his pro debut last year. Despite the disappointing numbers, he was ranked #78 by MLB.com and #81 by Baseball Prospectus.

The unranked group is filled, as usual, with Latin American players signed from the international draft pool. Of the fourteen hitters, nine are under the age of eighteen. The old man of the group is 24-year-old Yunior Severino, who whacked 35 homers last year at the Double- and Triple-A levels.

#20 Akron Ryche
Ranked prospects: Colt Keith (23), Nick Frasso (76), Yu-Min Lin (105), Moises Ballesteros (114), Juan Brito (130)
Unranked prospects: Dylan Beavers, Josue Briceno, Yeiner Fernandez, Welbyn Francisca, Eddinson Paulino, Wenceel Perez, Nikau Pouaka-Grego, Jose Acuna, Mitch Bratt, Aidan Curry, Will Dion, Cory Lewis, Wen Hui Pan, Luis Perales, Josh Stephan

All five of Akron's ranked prospects came from the 2023 winter farm draft, which is pretty impressive given that they had the last pick in that draft. Even more impressive is the fact that Akron's seventeenth pick in that draft was Bryan Woo, who is already contributing to the Akron ballclub. Keith (Akron's #1 pick last year) owns a career batting line of .300/.382/.512 in 239 minor league games. After two injury-shortened seasons, he broke out last year with 27 homers in just 126 games. There is a better than average chance that he has played his last minor league game.

Frasso (#3) owns a 2.96 ERA in 152 minor league innings, with 191 strikeouts (11.3 K/9). Unfortunately, he will miss most (or all) of this season after tearing his labrum. Lin (#7), Ballesteros (#15), and Brito (#2) were all left out of Baseball America's and MLB.com's ranking, but were ranked #74, #84, and #100, respectively, by Baseball Prospectus. Lin owns a 11.7 K/9 rate in his minor league career, and reached Double-A at 19 years old last year. Ballesteros is a left-hand-hitting catcher who also reached Double-A at 19 years old last year. He has hit for power and also owns an impressive 125/149 BB/K ratio in 920 PAs. Brito (not to be confused with the other Juan Brito) also owns an impressive BB/K ratio of 187/195, is an on-base machine, and even hits for some power.

#21 South Philly Gritty
Ranked prospects: Zach Dezenzo (75), Brayan Rocchio (98), Thayron Liranzo (98), Jacob Melton (117)
Unranked prospects: Drake Baldwin, Carson Benge, Caleb Bonemer, Waner Luciano, Braylin Morel, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, Hayden Birdsong, Drue Hackenberg, Cooper Hjerpe, Shota Imanaga, Jhancarlos Lara, Carlos Rodriguez

The biggest names on this farm are ineligible for this ranking, as Japanese pros are traditionally excluded for some reason. Murakami set a new NPB record with 56 homers in 2022, and has hit 28 or more homers in each of the past five seasons. Just 23 years old, it is not known when he will arrive in the US. We don't have to wonder about Imanaga, as he has already signed a contract with the Cubs. The 29-year-old lefty posted a 2.77 ERA last year, with 188 K's in 159 innings. He is not considered to be a power pitcher, and is projected to be more of a back-end starter. Okamoto has topped 30 homers in each of the past six seasons, but I can't find any news about his desire to play in the US.

None of the four ranked players made it to all three lists. Dezenzo wasn't ranked by Baseball America or MLB.com, but was somehow considered to be a top-40 prospect (at #40) by Baseball Prospectus. His career numbers (.294/.374/.502, 22 HR, 54/143 BB/K in 527 PAs) are decent enough, but he doesn't look like a top-40 prospect to me.

It seems like Rocchio has been on this report forever. He finally made it to the big leagues last year and is expected to stick there. Liranzo hit 24 homers at Low-A last year, with a .400 OBP, as a catcher. Melton offers both power (23 HR last year) and speed (46 SB).

#22 Ravenswood Infidels
Ranked prospects: Luisangel Acuna (76), Gabriel Gonzalez (107), Chase Petty (125)
Unranked prospects: Luke Adams, Justice Bigbie, Brainer Bonaci, Chase Davis, Darell Hernaiz, Colin Houck, Jace Laviolette, Roc Riggio, Daniel Susac, Marco Vargas, Ryan Bergert, Wilkelman Gonzalez, Mike Vasil

It seems like Ronald Acuna's entire family plays professional baseball. His younger brother wasn't ranked by Baseball America, but made the top-80 for both MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. In fact, no Infidels prospect made BA's ranking. Acuna was hitting fairly well before he was traded to the Mets in the Max Scherzer trade. He went into a massive slump after that, calling into question the wisdom of that trade.

Gonzalez is an excellent contact hitter, but doesn't have much power or speed, which limits his value as a corner outfielder. Petty just barely made this ranking, coming in at #98 on MLB.com's list. He's proven to be a solid, yet unspectacular, pitching prospect. He doesn't possess any "plus" pitch, but keeps the ball in the park consistently.

Of the unranked group, the name that stands out is Laviolette, who is positioned to be one of the first players called in the 2025 MLB draft. Last year, as a freshman at Texas A&M, he hit .287/.414/.632 with 21 homers in 64 games.

#23 Bear Country Jamboree
Ranked prospects: Joey Ortiz (90)
Unranked prospects: Blaze Alexander, Aeverson Arteaga, Jonatan Clase, Tyler Gentry, Troy Johnston, Dylan Jorge, Dominic Keegan, Pedro Leon, Tyler Locklear, Joey Loperfido, Jose A. Rodriguez, Austin Shenton, Prelander Berroa, Reggie Crawford, Yoniel Curet, Landen Roupp, Joe Whitman

For the fifth year in a row (and sixth time in the past seven years), the Bear Country farm system ranks either last or next-to-last in this report. That is not an easy feat! Only one Bear Country prospect is ranked in this report, and only one member of our three-member expert panel included him in their ranking (MLB.com at #63). Ortiz has posted an .800+ OPS in each of the past three seasons, and was just traded to the Brewers in that big Corbin Burnes deal. So, apparently someone likes him.

Aside from Rodriguez (a former Cowtipper) I've never heard of any of those unranked guys. As everyone knows, I barely follow the game of baseball. In order to educate myself, I will now look up a couple of players at random. Yoniel Curet has a funny name, so I'll look him up first. Apparently, he is a pitcher with the Tampa Bay organization. He pitched most of last year at the Low-A level before getting a six-game trial at High-A (in which he mostly flopped.) In 197 career innings, he owns an impressive 2.97 ERA and 265 strikeouts. Less impressive is his 128 walks.

Next up: Joey Loperfido. He is a 24-year-old jack-of-all-trades who owns a .282/.379/.484 career batting line and made it all the way to Triple-A last year. According to Baseball America, he is the sixth-best prospect in the Houston Astros system. Well, that was fun. I look forward to doing it again next year.

#24 Jacksonville Jackalopes
Ranked prospects: Blake Mitchell (120)
Unranked prospects: Tyler Callihan, Angel Cepeda, Gavin Cross, Angel Diaz, Jack Hurley, George Lombard, Yohandry Morales, Adolfo Sanchez, Tanner Schobel, Jake Bennett, Woo Suk Go, D.J. Herz, Gabriel Hughes, Eli Jerzembeck, Hayden Juenger, Hunter Owen, Chase Shores, Brandon Sproat, Travis Sykora

The Jackalopes have only one ranked prospect and he barely made it. Mitchell was ranked #94 by MLB.com and #96 by Baseball Prospectus. The 19-year-old lefty-hitting catcher was drafted eighth overall (below slot) in last year's MLB draft. He had a stellar amateur career in high school and various showcases, but struggled out of the gates in pro ball, going 5-for-34 (.147) in thirteen games. He'll probably be fine long-term.

Woo Suk Go was signed by the Padres out of Japan this winter, joining fellow countryman (and Mulligan) Yuki Matsui in the San Diego bullpen. Go owns a 3.18 career ERA in Japan, with a decent strikeout rate of 9.8 and an alarming walk rate of 4.0.

Of that unranked group, the only player that stands out as having a chance to join the ranked a year from now is Morales. He was a second round pick in last year's MLB draft, and managed to hit .349/.423/.494 in his pro debut. He hit .343/.413/.635 in his college career, with 49 homers in 174 games. I'm surprised he didn't get some love from at least one of the experts.