The Carolina League (High-A) will be full of top 100 talent as six players from our list are projected to start the season here. White Sox prospect Luis Robert headlines the group coming in at #39, though it seems a promotion to Birmingham will come at some point this summer.
Top 100 Prospects
39. Luis Robert, OF CHW (Winston-Salem Dash)
49. Nick Madrigal, 2B CHW (Winston-Salem Dash)
62. MJ Melendez, C KC (Wilmington Blue Rocks)
64. Nolan Jones, 3B CLE (Lynchburg Hillcats)
80. Bubba Thompson, OF TEX (Down East Wood Ducks)
97. D.L. Hall, LHP BAL (Frederick Keys)
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Aramis Ademan, SS - Myrtle Beach
Ademan is an athletic SS with good defensive actions and instincts that will keep him at the 6. He struggled at the plate in 2018 and was overmatched as a teenager in the Carolina League. There are some tools at the plate though that I think he will refine. A year older and a little stronger, Ademan will improve on his 2018 numbers. Bold prediction on Ademan: He is in the top-75 prospects by the end of 2019.
All-Prospect Team Pre-Season
C - MJ Melendez, KC (Wilmington)
1B - Nick Pratto, KC (Wilmington)
2B - Nick Madrigal, CHW (Winston-Salem)
SS - Aramis Ademan, CHC (Myrtle Beach)
3B - Nolan Jones, CLE (Lynchburg)
OF - Bubba Thompson, TEX (Down East)
OF - Seth Beer, HOU (Fayetteville)
OF - Luis Robert, CHW (Winston-Salem)
UTIL - Miguel Amaya, CHC (Myrtle Beach)
SP - Brady Singer, KC (Wilmington)
SP - Jackson Kowar, KC (Wilmington)
SP - Daniel Lynch, KC (Wilmington)
SP - D.L. Hall, BAL (Frederick)
Team by Team Storylines
Carolina’s catchers lead the way.
Carolina enters the season with the Brewers’ two top catching prospects in Payton Henry and Mario Feliciano. Henry was named the 2018 Minor League Gold Glove winner at catcher but he is a year and half older than Feliciano so he has more to prove at the moment. The other attraction is Tristen Lutz who is the highest rated Brewers prospect in our top 30 on the roster. Lutz’s game is far from a finished product and this will be a big summer for him to work on his pull-side tendencies, but at just 19 years old he is advanced for his age.
Milwaukee Brewers Top 30 Prospects
Down East outfield will shine.
The Woodies will feature one of the best outfields in the league as Bubba Thompson and Leody Taveras are both on the Opening Day roster. Thompson is an athletic specimen with double-plus speed and a relentless approach at the plate. His long-term outlook is slightly rosier than that of Taveras who had just 16 extra-base hits in 2018. Taveras did sport a great 16.6 K% and for a 19-year-old at Advanced A, that is something to build on and he has plenty of tools that will play up despite still being one of the younger players in the league.
Texas Rangers Top 30 Prospects
Baseball is back in Fayetteville.
The defending Carolina League Champions have a new town, name, and ballpark as the former Buies Creek Astros move to Fayetteville where baseball returns for the first time in 17 years. Seth Beer is back with the Woodpeckers after he played across three different levels in his first season of pro ball. I would think a promotion to Corpus Christi will come sometime this summer though his days as an outfielder are likely numbered. Cristian Javier and Bryan Abreu will lead pitching staff that specializes in spin rates on fastballs and breaking pitches that is typical of the Astros’ organization.
Houston Astros Top 30 Prospects
Keys pitching could be dominant.
The Keys will potentially be a fun team to watch as the summer wears on as Delmarva has some talented arms and promotions could bolster Frederick’s pitching staff. For now, DL Hall is the best of the bunch but the guy I am interested in seeing is Cody Sedlock. A former first-round pick, Sedlock has struggled with injuries and command issues. He tossed just 37 innings last year split between Aberdeen, Frederick, and the GCL. At 23, Sedlock is starting to approach bust status and this may be his last chance to make an impression with the Baltimore organization.
Baltimore Orioles Top 30 Prospects
Gonzalez will power Hillcats.
Nolan Jones will begin the season in Lynchburg and is the highest ranked prospect on the roster. Jones is a patient hitter with plus power. Oscar Gonzalez hit 13 home runs last year with Lake County so the power in his profile is clearly evident. His walk-to-strikeout ratio was comically bad (12/107 - not a typo) so his strike zone recognition and ability to cut down on his free-swinging ways will be crucial to his development.
Cleveland Indians Top 30 Prospects
Myrtle Beach Pelicans - Sneaky stacked?
Myrtle Beach has no shortage of talent with Miguel Amaya, Aramis Ademan, and Alex Lange all on the roster. Amaya is probably the safest of the three in terms of ceiling and floor but Ademan is the one who intrigues me. The glove will play at any level but there are questions of whether or not he will hit. If he can make progress there - I am of the opinion he can - the ceiling is crazy high. Armed with a plus-power curve, Lange is a pitch-to-contact specialist who profiles as a 4th or 5th starter.
Potomac is armed and dangerous.
The Nationals will feature five pitchers from Washington’s top 30: Jackson Tetreault, Malvin Pena, Gabe Klobosits (he had Tommy John so will miss most of 2019), Kyle Johnston, and Nick Raquet. Of the group, Pena has the highest ceiling with a fastball he can run up to 95 and a mid-80s slider that could turn into a putaway pitch with some work. Johnston and Raquet are both likely slotted for the pen but both of them possess mid-90s stuff that could help push them through the system fairly quickly.
Washington Nationals Top 30 Prospects
Salem looks to bounce back.
Bryan Mata will look to rebound from a rocky 2018 as his walk rate more than doubled from his time in the Sally League. Just 19, Mata has a fastball that sits at 90-94 so the question is more about command than stuff. He will still be young for the league so a bounce back might be in store. Offensively, 2018 second-round two-way player Nick Decker will be a full-time position player this year. Decker played just two games last year in the GCL due to a wrist injury but he has an athletic profile and the commitment to being a position player should speed his development.
Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are loaded.
A loaded Wilmington club projects at the league’s most talented roster from top to bottom. The Blue Rocks will be comprised mostly of members from the 2018 South Atlantic League Champion Lexington Legends. MJ Melendez will have the opportunity to catch one of the best rotations in Minor League Baseball with Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, and Daniel Lynch all landing in the top 10 of our Royals’ Top 30. Nick Pratto, Kyle Isbel, and Seuly Matias - he of the 31 Sally League home runs by July - will anchor a deep lineup.
Kansas City Royals Top 30 Prospects
Dash have top-end talents.
The Dash will be home to the Carolina League’s top prospect in Luis Robert as well as second basemen Nick Madrigal. While Robert is the better prospect in terms of name recognition and upside, Madrigal is as steady as they come. After being drafted fourth overall last June, he slashed .306/.353/.348 across three levels including a 26-game stint with the Dash. Madrigal was one of the more advanced college bats available and should climb through the White Sox organization quickly.
Chicago White Sox Top 30 Prospects
Wishlist
Brice Turang, SS MIL
Luis Oviedo, RHP CLE
Greyson Rodriguez, RHP BAL
Cole Winn, RHP TEX
The Brewers stole Turang with the 21st pick in the 2018 Draft after a down year in his final season of prep ball. Just 19, he will likely start the season in Wisconsin but he posted a .283/.396/.352 line with 14 SB in 42 games of rookie ball so he could make the jump to the Mudcats by mid-summer. Oviedo is armed with a fastball that he can run up to 96-97. He dusted New York-Penn League hitters to the tune of 61 strikeouts in 48 innings. Rodriguez was taken 11th overall last summer and is still only 18. He will likely be brought along slowly by the organization so he might be on an innings cap. Still, he is starting the year in Delmarva after dominating the Gulf Coast League. Winn didn’t pitch at all last year after being drafted 15th overall. He is polished with four projectable pitches. He’s a teenage arm so the Rangers will limit his innings this year but if he starts at Hickory as Jason Pennini projected, he is another top-end pitching prospect who could make a late-summer Carolina League appearance. Hey, a man can dream.
Jason Kamlowsky @jasonkamlowsky