Deep Dives to come...
Holliday is a no-brainer for me given age, position, balance of tools, and Baltimore's ability to develop.
Caminero has a higher ceiling IMO than Crews and his position gives him the edge. However, I remain cautious with Tampa Bay prospects given their propensity to hold them back, even the best ones.
Crews is an easy one. Talented. Great bat. The Nationals are a dubious organization as of present, but I believe Crews will develop despite the org.
Chourio has 30/30 potential, and while I love his bat, I wonder what his true athletic upside is? Despite his age, when i saw him at the Futures Game in Seattle, he looks close to physically maxed out. Will he slow down? If he doesn't steal 30 bags, is his power enough to warrant the rank? We will see.
Wood had an up and down year. The frame and the strikeouts are a bit alarming. The power an dspeed are undeniable. 22 HRs and 18 SB in 473 PAs. Risk that he moves to 1B as well.
Langford tore up the minors to the tune of .360/.480/1.157 OPS. He's a talent, and the Rangers aren't afraid to move him quickly. He could very easily be ranked #2 or #3 on this list and may very well be by the start of the 2024 season.
Skenes makes me queezy. The stuff is elite. But investing in arms is a gamblers game. He's so great that he had to be in the top 10, but health and development of a third pitch to offer LHB will determine his ceiling.
Termarr is the first "less-conventional" rank on this list. He was billed as a 70 or 80 hit tool left handed second baseman when he was drafted 4th overall by the Pirates in 2022. He hit for a ton of power and walked a bunch but didn't hit for average. So what is he? His approach obviously has been altered, but the bat to ball and eye are still there. This rank is a bet that he melds the hit tool and the power with the eye and becomes the best offensive second baseman in the game by 2026.
Mayer had a rough year, ending in AA. He hit .236/.306/.739 with 13 HRs. He still has the sweet swing and plays a smooth shortstop but he will have to stay healthy and show that he is ready to handle big league pitching soon. At his peak, Mayer will provide similar numbers to Xander Bogaerts tenure in Boston. Boring, but valuable.
Harrison had a taste of the bigs this season. His strikeout stuff is undeniable from the left side. His pitch count climbs quickly due to a lack of command/control at times. Statisically, I expect early career Freddy Peralta-like numbers in his first few seasons for the Giants.
More in the coming days...
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