Before the pandemic ruined baseball, we were all set to jump on our hype trains and plant our flags on multiple names with a slew of bold predictions post. We decided to go ahead and post these now just to shed some light on guys we expected to do big things. In this post, we’ll go over the hitter predictions.
None of the blurbs have been edited since they were written in February. Enjoy!
Corbin Carroll hits 20 home runs en route to becoming a top fantasy 10 prospect.
The big question with Carroll is if the power will manifest. I think it's coming and faster than we assume. Fangraphs has recorded average exit velocity of 91 mph, the same as Sam Hilliard, Jerar Encarnacion, Hunter Bishop and Lewin Diaz, all players we think of as power first. His bat is tremendously quick through the zone and he has the bat to ball skills to marry his hard contact with added loft to make this prediction come true. A swing change will be necessary, but the small added bonus of a potential Cal League appearance late in the year will help him cross the finish line. - Eddy Almaguer
Isaac Paredes debuts with Detroit in June and produces a 120 wRC+
Is it possible for a player with an easy plus hit tool to be underrated? Fans of Detroit Tigers prospect Paredes will tell you emphatically “yes!” Despite being one of the youngest players in both the Florida State and Eastern League the last two seasons, Paredes is yet to produce a wRC+ below 126 . His bat to ball ability is backed by strong indicators like a swinging strikes rates in the 4-6 percent range, and contact rates in the mid to high 80s. Most players with Paredes' contact ability look to put the ball in play and go the other way. This is not the case with Paredes. He works deep into counts, gets his walks, and will rip pitches inside to his pull side. His bat path is pretty linear so he’s unlikely to hit for big power without a slight tweak.
On the other hand he’s yet to reap the rewards of a hitter friendly league or the juiced ball. On the other side of the ball many see the size of Paredes and make poor assumptions about his infield defense. Having had three sets of looks at Paredes across two summers, I’m very comfortable projecting him as a solid defensive third baseman for the early portion of his major league career. He’s played some short and second over the last few years, and while he’s certainly not a shortstop, I believe it gives you at least an idea of his ability with the glove. While this doesn’t matter to my prediction, it sort of does. Players need playing time, and a player of Paredes caliber on both sides of the ball should provide enough quality across the board to earn an everyday spot. There’s a good risk of Paredes spending the majority of the season in Triple-A and not see more than a late season appearance. - Ralph Lifshitz
Liover Peguero becomes a top 25 prospect
Peguero is next in line from the Diamondbacks shortstop pipeline, and is primed for a breakout as he hits full-season ball for the first time. Peguero has a lean, athletic frame, and should add good weight while still being an above-average shortstop. His hit and power tools are both average or above, and he's an above average runner with good instincts on the base paths. Peguero should hit for a solid average, could steal 30 bags and while his power numbers won't stick out in the Midwest League, he should add 8-10 bombs while working the gaps. I'm excited to see him in 2020. - Matt Thompson
Editor’s Note: The Dbacks traded Peguero to the Pirates in January
Johan Rojas ends the season as a Top 75 prospect
Pretty much unheard of this time a year ago, the toolsy Philly outfielder owned GCL pitching before holding his own as an 18 year old facing mostly college pitching in short season. Rojas has the feel for hitting with some raw power and plenty of athleticism, which will make watching his rise exciting in 2020. - Matt Powers
Cristian Pache finishes top-5 among MLB OF in DRS in 2020
While most understand that Pache is an elite defender, it's still seemingly underrated just how good he is defensively. His offensive profile has work needed to succeed long-term at the major league level, but he is one of the hardest workers in the minor leagues, so putting anything beyond him offensively is a poor idea. The defense will get him to the majors, and he should immediately be one of the best in the game. The offense will determine his long-term viability. - Ben Chase
Jose Garcia is a top 10 prospect by the end of the year
Jose Garcia already broke out in 2019, but most people just didn't notice. This season will be the year where people start to pay attention. Last offseason, Garcia put in a ton of work to gain a significant amount of muscle, and it showed. Now standing at about 6'4" 200, Garcia's already elite athleticism is now complemented by plus strength too. This strength helped him increase his flyball distance by over 20 feet, while also hitting more flyballs, and pulling a good portion of those flyballs; all signs pointing to big power. He also completely revamped his swing, introducing a Josh Donaldson like leg kick, which allows him to generate much more power with his hips. Unfortunately this power breakout was masked by the pitcher friendly conditions of the FSL, so most didn't notice. In 2020, Garcia will be starting in Double-A Chattanooga, where I think his power will play much better, and I think he has a solid chance to hit 20+ HR. I've also seen a trend of hitters walking more when they get to Chattanooga, which could have to do with the coaching, so I'm hoping that trend will continue with Garcia. Add this offensive potential to potentially plus defense and Garcia has the makings of a star. - Will Scharnagl
Aaron Bracho passes George Valera and winds up a consensus top 50 prospect on fantasy lists this time next year
Valera jumped out early as the big name in the Indians 2018 J2 class while Bracho missed 2019 due to injury. But Bracho came out to an electric start in his 2019 debut. Bracho shows big time bat speed with plus power, solid bat to ball skills and a fantastic approach at the plate. Fully healthy and with a year of conditioning, Bracho should regain some of his lost speed and add even more strength.While his defense is 2B only, it's the bat that matters for fantasy. He hits righties and lefties well, had an ops over 1.000 as an 18 year old in the AZL in his debut and put a ball out 445 feet to dead center. He has a chance to become a true 60 hit/60 power bat at second base who takes plenty of walks. Buy now. - Alex Jensen
Bryant Packard will end the year as a top 100 prospect
This would be a massive jump for Packard based on his current standing, but his bat might just be that good. His defense is questionable, but the offense isn't, the guy can flat out hit. This jump is not completely unprecedented either; Tarik Skubal went from a non-top 30 organizational prospect to a top 100 prospect in the matter of a season, and Packard is a consensus top 30 Tiger prospect. It'll take an insanely good year, but if the stars align it seems possible. - Trevor Hooth
Oneil Cruz hits 25 home runs, steals 20 bases, hits .300 and establishes himself as a top-10 prospect
Just 20, Cruz is intriguing because he is 6'7 and plays shortstop. He managed to hold his own in 35 games with Double-A Altoona last year with a 120 wRC+ and he finished the year with eight home runs and 11 stolen bases across three levels. With a double plus arm and plus raw power, Cruz is starting to come into himself as a prospect and should be in AAA at some point this season. The strike zone recognition needs some work but he had an 11% walk rate in AA so he is certainly capable of making strides there. He also had a 38.1% fly ball rate so he is lifting the ball more. I predict a breakout 2020 where he dominates upper minors pitching and this is the year where the raw power starts to translate in-game leading to 25 home runs to go along with 20 steals. Cruz will be a top-10 prospect by November. -Jason Kamlowsky
The Tampa Bay Rays trade away Vidal Brujan before the trade deadline
It's no secret that the Rays have one of the best farm systems in baseball. Brandon Lowe played at an all-star level last season, Wander Franco is the future at shortstop and Willy Adames is the present everyday guy at the six. Not to mention the club just traded for another high-level shortstop in Xavier Edwards. There is simply too much young middle infield depth to imagine a scenario where all of these guys play under one Tropicana Field roof, ever. Brujan's value has soared over the last two years and the club will realize that this season and use him to acquire proven major league talent and go after a World Series title. - Kris Dunn
Christopher Morel becomes a Top 100 prospect and Top 10 3B prospect
The biggest question mark surrounding Morel for a few years now has simply been his size. After signing in 2015 at 6-foot, 140 pounds, some reports, and the naked eye, suggest Morel is now comfortably in the 6-foot-1 range and pushing 165-170 pound range. Just 20 years old, Morel hit .284/.330./.467 last season at A-ball South Bend -- that included six home runs, seven triples, and 15 doubles. Morel is primed to breakout this year at High-A Myrtle Beach and with another strong performance, finish 2020 at Double-A Tennessee. - Joe Doyle