The South Atlantic League (Low A) or The Sally is a 14-team league with prospects from the Yankees, Mets, Rockies, Braves, Phillies, Giants. Orioles, Pirates, Red Sox, Nationals, Rangers, White Sox, Royals, and Mariners. While the league only has six Top 100 Prospects, the Sally is the first real test for prospects after leaving hitter friendly Rookie Leagues. This league is loaded with future Top 100 guys.
The Top 100 Prospects
50. Jared Kelenic, OF SEA
85. Alec Bohm, 3B PHI
89. Ronny Mauricio, SS NYM
92. Hans Crouse, RHP TEX
95. Mark Vientos, 3B NYM
99. Luis Garcia, SS PHI
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Luis Garcia, SS PHI
Garcia is a plus defender with good instincts, range, and arm. His defensive actions will keep him at shortstop throughout his development which will increase his overall prospect profile. But Garcia is more than a defense-first shortstop. A switch-hitter with plus bat speed, barrels everything hard. There isn’t much loft in his swing which is fine for an 18-year-old going into his first full season. Garcia sprays line drives to all fields and as he continues to fill out and increase his strength, many within the industry expect him to add power to his four plus tools.
All Prospect Pre-Season Team
C - Rafael Marchan, PHI (Lakewood)
1B - Grant Lavigne, COL (Asheville)
2B - Coco Montes, COL (Asheville)
3B - Mark Vientos, NYM (Columbia)
SS - Ronny Mauricio, NYM (Columbia)
OF - Jared Kelenic, SEA (West Virginia)
OF - Julio Pablo Martinez, TEX (Hickory)
OF - Julio Rodriguez, SEA (West Virginia)
UT - Luis Garcia, PHI (Lakewood)
SP - Hans Crouse, TEX (Hickory)
SP - Logan Gilbert, SEA (West Virginia)
SP - Luis Gil, NYY (Charleston)
SP - Matt Sauer, NYY (Charleston)
Team by Team Storylines
Hagerstown features top-end talent.
The Suns roster will feature five of our top 30 prospects in the Nationals’ organization in Tim Cate, Gage Canning, and Israel Pineda. Cate will be joined in a talented rotation by Jake Irvin to form one of the Sally League’s better 1-2 punches. Pineda will be on the receiving end of the staff, although his bat is ahead of his glove at the moment. Canning is a high effort guy who runs well and makes hard contact. His ceiling might ultimately be limited by how prone he is to striking out but with a better approach he could make solid improvements there. Pineda and Canning will be joined offensively by glove-first shortstop Jose Sanchez who has a better offensive profile than his numbers indicate.
Washington Nationals Top 30 Prospects
Hickory will be led by Pablo and an Apostel.
Julio Pablo Martinez starts the season in Low A, which is a bit of a head scratcher. It’s possible the Rangers want to get him some seasoning before moving him which makes sense given his Can-Am League background. He will be joined by the sneaky jewel of the Keone Kela trade, Sherten Apostel, who will make his full season debut with the Crawdads. A tooled-up 6’4, 200-pound specimen, he has the approach to go with the skills. Just 19, he has the highest ceiling of any infielder in the Rangers’ organization. Eddy Almaguer gushed about him in a dynasty feature. The Crawdads’ pitching staff will be anchored by Hans Crouse who is armed with a mid-90s fastball with sink. The 2017 2nd-Round pick had a 2.47 ERA last season though he threw just 16.2 of those at Hickory. The development of a changeup will be the big thing to look for with Crouse this summer.
Texas Rangers Top 30 Prospects
Intimidators have a man of Steele.
A strong junior season at Oklahoma with 13 home runs and 53 RBI helped Steele Walker slide into the second round of the 2018 Draft. The transition to pro-ball was a difficult one, however, as his average slid well below .200 and he hit just three home runs last summer. While there is definite upside to his power profile, the hit tool doesn’t stand out enough for him to be considered much more than a fringe player yet. I think there is potential there - he is a solid athlete and he runs pretty well - but a swing change might be in order. The other attraction in our top 30 for Kannapolis is Luis Carbelo, who in a deeper organization may not profile as a top-talent. Carbelo will likely make the move off of shortstop this year to accommodate his 6’3” frame but will have to make adjustments at the plate to move up.
Chicago White Sox Top 30 Prospects
Lakewood’s Teenage Dream.
There are very few players who fit the profile of a superstar. The Phillies Luis Garcia might be one of them. Just 18, Garcia will make his full-season debut with a mature approach and four plus tools. Defensively he has the skills to stick at shortstop which would make a solid prospect on its own merit, but Garcia might be even better as a hitter as had a .369 average in rookie ball. In short, the sky is the limit. He will be joined on the left side with 2018 first-round pick, Alec Bohm. Bohm struggled mightily in his first season of pro-ball but injuries may have played a role so I am willing to wait and see. Lakewood is a stacked team. Francisco Morales is a stud in the making while Rafael Marchan is an athletic switch-hitting catcher that routinely finds the barrel. Two sleepers of note: Kevin Gowdy is looking to return from injuries after missing 2017 and 2018. Victor Santos throws a low 90’s fastball with a future plus change-up and slider. He can locate all three and sequences well for an 18 year old.
Philadelphia Phillies Top 30 Prospects
Lexington looks to reload.
The defending champions are back, albeit with a roster that is far less loaded than the 2018 edition. With a deep Royals system the Legends will still be a talented bunch, but for now their potential might overshadow their current talent level. Michael Gigliotti is returning from a knee injury and will look to get back to his 2017 production, which was terrific for his first year of pro ball. I am a sucker for sweet-swinging lefties so for me Gigliotti is the stuff dreams are made of. The Legends once again will also have an embarrassment of riches in the rotation with Austin Cox, Zach Haake, and Johnathan Bowlan all slated to begin the season in Lexington. Of the trio, my favorite is probably Bowlan based on a fastball that he can run up to 97 and a plus slider.
Kansas City Royals Top 30 Prospects
Rome not built in a day, just on pitching.
Trey Riley and Jasseel De La Cruz headline the Braves rotation as they try and build on a second place finish in the Southern Division. A fifth round selection out of a JUCO, Riley pitched just nine innings of Rookie ball last year but he has a fastball that tops out at 97 with a slider that can be a put-away pitch. If he develops a changeup, he could be a mid-rotation starter; if not, he will likely be moved to the bullpen. De La Cruz is another guy who can run his fastball into the mid-90s and he has come a long way since being signed as a raw 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. Both pitchers are raw but combine athleticism, arm speed, and projection.
Atlanta Braves Top 30 Prospects
Kelenic will power West Virginia.
The West Virginia Power begin this first year are a Mariners affiliate with stud outfielder Jarred Kelenic leading a talented trio of prospects on the roster. Kelenic was the major coup of the Edwin Diaz/Robinson Cano trade last winter and it looks like the Mariners got a good one. A talented prep bat out of Washington, Kelenic had a terrific first year of pro ball spread out over two levels between the GCL and the Appalachian League. With an advanced approach and the tools to go with it, Kelenic’s ceiling is as high as any player in the Mariners’ system (Kyle Lewis notwithstanding). He will be joined in the Power outfield by 2017 J2 signee Julio Rodriguez who has monster potential as a hitter with plus-plus power. Just 18, he and Kelenic form one of the youngest (and best) outfield duos in the SAL. The rotation will feature Logan Gilbert who did not pitch last year due to mononucleosis but his mid-90s fastball should show well in his first season as a pro.
Seattle Mariners Top 30 Prospects
Columbia: Your one-stop shop for tooled up infielders
When it comes to prospect projection, very few teams have the upside of the Mets’ affiliate. For starters, the Fireflies boast one of the more athletic and powerful infields in all of A ball. The trio of Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos, and Shervyen Newton are a dynamic blend of athleticism, raw power, and bat speed. The three are raw but the ooze tools. On the mound, Simeon Woods-Richardson is an athletic righty with live arm. His fastball touches 97 while his curveball flashes 12-6 shape.
New York Mets Top 30 Prospects
No water can extinguish the heat in Charleston.
The Braves AA and AAA squads are the deepest rotations in the minors. The most explosive? That would be Charleston. The rotation goes five deep with all five’s fastballs sitting in the upper 90’s. Luis Medina, Roansy Contreras, Luis Gil, Matt Sauer, and Tanner Myatt. While all five are different, their athleticism, arm speed, and feel for their breaking ball set them apart relative to other young pitchers. We’ve written in-depth about these five because we believe in both the upside and the Yankees Player Development. Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
New York Yankees Top 30 Prospects
Rolison and Lavigne tour Asheville
The Tourists have some major firepower in the lineup led by Grant Lavigne. The 19-year-old lefty has an advanced feel for hitting with plus game power. He’s shown an ability to work counts and pick up spin. Daniel Montano is a tooled up 20-year-old OF. Kyle Datres, Terrin Vavra, and Coco Montes are all by products of the 2018 draft and will bolster the infield. Ryan Rolison is an advanced left hander who should have little problem dominating hitters while former phenom Riley Pint is looking for a healthy season.
Colorado Rockies Top 30 Prospects
Augusta: At least the stadium is nice
Sean Hjelle was taken 45th overall in June. The 6’11” lefty has a smooth delivery and pitchability. He’s joined in the rotation by Jake Wong, who throws mid 90’s with low effort. The fastball has sink and he also features a curve and change. The pitch mix plus a projectable frame makes Wong a big-time sleeper. Jacob Gonzalez will return to Augusta after spending all of 2018 there. He’ll need to improve his contact rate and defense to untap the present tools and plus bat speed.
San Francisco Giants Top 30 Prospects
Greensboro Grasshoppers welcome the Pirates
This isn’t a deep squad but there are a few names to note. Lolo Sanchez is an athletic centerfielder with plus speed. Profiling as a lead off bat, Sanchez hasn’t yet made enough contact to unlock gap power. It’s there but he’s still raw at the plate. Rodolfo Castro is a switch hitting second baseman with a propensity for loud contact. Travis McGregor looked really good in 15 Sally starts in 2018, striking out 74 in 63.2 IP. The young RHP had Tommy John in September and will miss the 2019 season.
Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Prospects
Projection and sleepers drive Greenville
When you win the World Series, often times the farm system thins out a bit over time. While the Red Sox rank toward the bottom in terms of prospect ranking, the Drive will feature a few of the more exciting Sox kids that could lead the next wave. Their first rounder, Triston Casas profiles as a power-hitting corner. The red Sox were able to sign 21st-round pick Brandon Howlett away from a Florida State scholarship. Howlett responded by posting a .930 OPS in the GCL. Tyler Dearden and Tyler Esplin are two young hitters with power projection that are making their full season debuts. Need some more sleepers? Devlin Granberg can flat out hit and Brayan Bello has a live arm with a FB that sits 93-95 mph.
Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects
Don’t sleep on Delmarva
The Orioles farm system is low key better than people think. Grayson Rodriguez is an imposing teenager with a prototypical starter’s body, mid-to-upper 90’s heater and four-pitch mix. He’s joined in the rotation by Blaine Knight, a third round selection in 2018 who throws a plus fastball and slider. Hector Guance and Gray Fenter round out the rotation. Both pitchers can run their fastballs into the mid 90’s. Offensively, Jean Carlos Encarnacion, acquired in the Gausman trade has the loudest offensive tools. Adam Hall is an athletic SS that shows good feel for the barrel.
Baltimore Orioles Top 30 Prospects
Wish List
Who needs a wish list when there are this many future studs preparing to rocket up the rankings.
Jason Woodell @jasonatthegame
Jason Kamlowsky @jasonkamlowsky