Honorable Mention
Yohendrick Pinango, Kevin Made, Ben Leeper, Manny Rodriguez, Ethan Roberts, Cayne Ueckert, Cory Abbott, Nelson Maldonado, Pablo Aliendo, Riley Thompson, Chris Clarke, Michael McAvene, Bryce Ball, Andy Weber, Cam Sanders, Darius Hill, Alfonso Rivas, Ethan Hearn, Sam Thoresen, Koen Moreno, Moises Ballesteros, Richard Gallardo, and Ronnier Quintero.
All cards made from pictures by Todd Johnson unless noted.
21. Cole Roederer – Outfield
- Age – 22
- 2021 Affiliate: South Bend (A+)
- 2022 Affiliate: South Bend and Tennessee (AA)
- Top Skills: OBP, Power, defense
- ETA – 2023-24
- His combination of speed, power potential and defense is very thrilling. He had a rough first half in 2019 but he flashed his talents from time to time. He had TJS in 2021 and should be on schedule to begin the season normally. Strangely enough, he probably heads back to South Bend to start there for a third season. Let’s hope he doesn’t finish there.
20. Anderson Espinoza – Pitcher
- Age – 23
- 2021 Affiliate: South Bend (A+) and Tennessee (AA)
- 2022 Affiliate: Tennessee, Iowa, and Chicago
- Top Skills: 3 plus pitches
- ETA – 2022
- His combination of fastball, power curve and power change is electrifying. He has pro type pitches but after missing four years, the command and control is a bit off. The issue is going to be how the arm holds up over time.
19. Chase Strumpf – Second Base
- Age: 23
- 2021 Affiliate – South Bend, Tennessee
- 2022 Affiliate – Tennessee and Iowa
- Top Skills – Hit tool
- ETA – 2022-2023
- South Bend was not much of a challenge, but Tennessee sure was before showing some signs of coming to life in August. All the while, he’s been playing mostly 3B this summer in Tennessee.
18. Kohl Franklin – Pitcher
- Age – 21
- 2021 Affiliate – South Bend (A+)
- 2022 Affiliate – South Bend and Tennessee
- Top Skills: Mid 90s heat, changeup, developing curve
- ETA – 2023
- I am not too concerned about Kohl’s health. It is more about arm strength when he comes back. His workload is going to be closely monitored because of a shoulder concerns.
17. Miguel Amaya – Catcher
- Age: 21
- 2021 Affiliate Tennessee
- 2022 Affiliate: Tennessee and Iowa
- Top Skills – Great receiver, great arm, and a developing power bat
- ETA – 2022
- At some point, the bat has to be a bit more productive. He has an MLB approach already, just waiting for the dingers to start flying when healthy.
16. Caleb Kilian – Pitcher
- Age: 24
- 2021 Affiliate – Tennessee
- 2022 Affiliate – Iowa
- Top Skills – Filling out at the right time, 95-98 Fastball and can throw four pitches for strikes
- ETA – 2022
- Anyone with a 2.35 ERA at AA as a starter in 11 games should be a top prospect in my book. I am pumped to see him next year in Iowa with a fresh start.
15. Owen Caissie – Outfielder
- Age – 19
- 2021 Affiliate – Mesa, Myrtle Beach
- 2022 Affiliates – Myrtle Beach, South Bend
- Top Skills – Power, Left Handed Bat
- ETA – 2024
- Great combination of power and average should be fun to watch with the 18-year-old. I am excited to see how he does. We will see how he handles the big jump to Low-A as he faces much more advanced pitching.
14. Jordan Wicks – Pitcher
- Age – 21
- 2021 Affiliate – South Bend
- 2022 Affiliate – South Bend and Tennessee
- Top Skills – Plus Changeup
- ETA – 2023
- He will likely start next season in South Bend. This year, it was more about getting acclimated and working on gaining strength while refining his fastball and curve. Stoked to see how he develops this winter.
13. DJ Herz – Pitcher
- Age – 20
- 2021 Affiliate: Myrtle Beach (A-) and South Bend (A+)
- 2022 Affiliate – South Bend and Tennessee
- Top Skills: Curve, Crossfire, Changeup
- ETA – 2023-24
- Herz is still learning how to pitch against advanced competition. he will probably start 2022 back in South Bend but might not be there long if he pitches like he did in September.
12. Ryan Jensen – Pitcher
- Age 23
- 2021 Affiliate – South Bend , Tennessee
- 2022 Affiliate – Tennessee, Iowa
- Top Skills – 97 mph fastball that he can sustain and maintain deep in the game. The curve and change combo makeover has worked very nicely.
- ETA – 2023
- He has all the pitches he needs to succeed in the minors. It’s just a matter of commanding it all and when to use them. I am torn as to whether his future is as a starter or reliever. Right now, let him start and figure some things out.
11. Brailyn Marquez – Pitcher
- Age – 22
- 2021 Affiliate – None
- 2022 Affiliate – Tennessee, Iowa, Chicago
- Top Skill – 98-100 mph fastball
- ETA – 20222
- The fastball is upper 90s and sometimes touching triple digits. Commanding the slider and fastball have been the key. Add in a 90 mph changeup and you can see why Chicago is not that far away. Now, he just has to get healthy.
10. Nelson Velazquez – Outfield
- Age – 22
- 2021 Affiliate: South Bend and Tennessee
- 2022 Affiliate: Tennessee, Iowa and Chicago
- Top Skills: Power, Big Arm, defense
- ETA – 2022
- In 2021, Velazquez finally started to fulfill his potential with a power barrage we haven’t seen in a while at the lower levels. He also hit for average and showcased a big arm daily in the outfield. He’s more than just a big bat.
9 Ed Howard IV – Shortstop
- Age: 19
- 2021 Affiliate – Myrtle Beach
- 2022 Affiliate – South Bend
- Top Skills – Athleticism, Defense, Work Ethic, Makeup
- ETA – 2023-2024
- He hit .300 in the third week of May and went down with a hamstring injury. It took about a week before he started to find his way again. Be patient and don’t expect too much too soon with him. Let him get there at his own pace. His last two months at Myrtle Beach were much improved. He could and should really take off next year. He might be one of those who when it clicks, everything clicks quickly.
8. Alexander Canario – Outfielder
- Age: 21
- 2021 Affiliate – Low class A, South Bend
- 2022 Affiliate – South Bend, Tennessee
- Top Skills – Bat Speed
- ETA – 2024-2025
- He still has lots of room to fill out and has some loud tools according to MLB Pipeline. The biggest thing that I saw was that he was pushing it instead of relaxing after a quick start. He’s just an extremely raw hitter right now. Good on defense, but the hitting will come around when he stops pressing.
7. James Triantos – 3B
- Age – 18
- 2021 Affiliate – Mesa
- 2022 Affiliate – Myrtle Beach and South Bend
- Top Skills – Hit tool
- ETA – 2024
- It will be interesting to see how fast moves as a hitter and how much he matures physically. Right now, the potential for power is there in part to elite bat speed. He put on a show the last six weeks of the season.
6. Chris Morel – Third Base
- Age: 22
- 2021 Affiliate – Tennessee, Iowa
- 2022 Affiliate – Iowa, Chicago
- Top Skills – Bat, Arm, Joie de vie
- ETA – 2022
- He is just so electric. He got hot in August and didn’t slow down even in Iowa. I am glad he struggled and adjusted some this summer. He’s going to be a tour de force when he puts it all together.
5. Kevin Alcantara – Outfielder
- Age: 19
- 2021 Affiliate – Mesa
- 2022 Affiliate – Myrtle Beach
- Top Skills – Bat, Arm, Big Power Potential in a big 6’6” frame that is not done filling out
- ETA – 2024-2025
- That bat looks special. As a result, I think this ranking might be way too low for him in time. He draws comparisons to Dexter Fowler.
4. Reginald Preciado – Shortstop
- Age – 18
- 2021 Affiliate – Mesa
- 2022 Affiliate – Myrtle Beach
- Top Skills – Very Athletic, big build, power potential, switch hitter
- ETA – 2024
- So far, he seems like the centerpiece of last winter’s trade. He’s played both 3B and SS in Mesa and he did fine at the plate showing a mix of hitting and approach as he was walking quite a bit to go along with stroking the ball at a good click. I am excited to see him with my own eyes in 2022.
3. Pete Crow-Armstrong – Outfielder
- Age: 19
- 2021 Affiliate – Low class A, Myrtle Beach
- 2022 Affiliate – Myrtle Beach, South Bend
- Top Skills – Pure hitter, Arm, Speed, outstanding defender
- ETA – 2024-2025
- I cannot wait to actually see him play in a game. That bat looks special. As a result, I think this ranking might be way too low for him in time.
2. Cristian Hernandez – Shortstop
- Age: 17
- 2021 Affiliate – Dominican Cubs
- 2022 Affiliate – EXST, Myrtle Beach
- Top Skills – Bat, Arm, Big Power Potential in a big 6’2” frame that is not done growing
- ETA – 2024-2025
- I cannot wait to actually see him play in a game. That bat looks special. Already a top 100 guy at BA, he has shown that he draw a walk rather than chase a pitch, which is big in the DSL. That bodes well for him as he faces more advanced hitters.
1. Brennen Davis – Outfield
- Age – 21
- 2021 Affiliate – South Bend, Tennessee, Iowa
- 2022 Affiliate – Iowa, Chicago
- Top Skills: OBP, Power, defense, speed
- ETA – 2022
- This year, he’s using the whole field again like he did in South Bend. That bat is so quick through the zone that he is finally learning how to punish breaking balls. He’s moving into the top 20s on most Top 100 lists after his star turning HR display in the Futures Game and later destruction of AAA in one week.
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