1. Orioles SS Jackson Holliday | 19 | A | 2026
The number one overall pick in 2022’s amateur draft, Holliday is a 6’1” 175 lb left-handed hitter who appears to have inherited his father’s all-out approach to baseball. He’s probably in a batting cage or a weight room right now. Everyone works hard at this level, but Holliday’s had access to baseball resources for a long time, and you can see the results in his game and his build. He dominated on the complex for just eight games before the team had seen enough and sent him to Low-A for the final two weeks of the season, where he posted a .439 on base percentage. He’ll likely head back there to open the year but should be able to force a promotion at some point. I suspect we’ll see more aggressive timelines with this next cohort of young Orioles in general. Holliday could be a nice bellwether for that.
2. Diamondbacks OF Druw Jones | 19 | NA | 2026
Jones suffered the mandatory D-Back shoulder injury shortly after draft night, when Arizona landed him with the 2nd overall pick. Their top three prospects here all feel like windfall profits. You can make a pretty good case none of them should’ve been on the board, but there they were, and Arizona didn’t overthink it trying to pinch pennies or find the Vitruvian man in the case of Carroll, who was clearly an elite prospect who fell to 16th due to his size. At 6’4” 180 lbs, Jones looks like the 2.0 version of his old man. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say he’s an impressive variation on the young version of his dad, one with more speed.
3. Mets RHP Kodai Senga | 30 | NPB | 2023
Senga is six-foot even and 202 lbs but can generate upper nineties velocity atop the zone and send hitters to the dugout with his trademark forkball or solid slider. The Mets signed for him for $75 million across five seasons. If he can stay healthy, he’s the safest money in this draft.
4. Angels SS Zach Neto | 22 | AA | 2023
Neto has cruised through the minors. He played 30 Double-A games and slashed .320/.382/.492 with four home runs and four stolen bases. It’ll be hard to hold him back if he replicates that success this coming season.
5. Red Sox OF Masataka Yoshida | 29 | NPB | 2023
At 5’8” 176 lbs, Yoshida is exactly the kind of player scouts doubt every step of the way. The key takeaway for now is that he was completely dominant for a half-decade in Japan, walking twice as much as he struck out while swatting 20-plus home runs and producing MVP-level slash lines. He’s currently around the 400 spot in NFBC drafts. Feels like easy money there. We know one thing for sure: Boston loves him and will give him more time than they gave Rusney Castillo to get situated . . . I hope.
6. Reds 3B Cam Collier | 18 | CPX | 2025
A sturdy left-handed hitter with big-league bloodlines, the 6 ‘2” 210 lb Collier represented huge value for Cincinnati with the 18th pick in this year’s draft. Other clubs were reportedly scared off by signing bonus demands, but that’s an old story that gets older every year. Take the best players you can get, especially early, and let the chips fall where they may. Collier rewarded the Reds with a silky smooth transition to pro ball, slashing .370/.514/.630 with two home runs in nine complex league games.
7. Pirates 2B Termarr Johnson | 18 | A | 2025
A double-plus hit tool leads the way for Termarr Johnson, a 5’7” 175 lb left-handed hitter who calls Jose Ramirez to mind on a quick visual evaluation. The organization will be thrilled if Johnson follows a similar path, grinding his way up the chain before growing into power at the highest level. He’s off to a great start, slashing .275/.396/.450 with one home run and four stolen bases in 14 Low-A games. He also walked 18.9 percent of the time. Scouts have hung a lot of superlatives on Termarr. Some called him the best high school hitter they’ve ever seen. It’s a high bar, but I’m not going to bet against him.
8. Nationals OF Elijah Green | 19 | CPX | 2025
Green turned 19 in December but has already posted major league exit velocities. The fifth overall pick in this year’s amateur draft, Green could’ve gone first overall and might’ve been the best athlete on the board. He’s already 6’3” 225 lbs and figures to get even bigger in his twenties. Despite the size, he’s an easy plus runner and defender who will probably push Wood to a corner outfield spot. Hit the ground running in the Florida Complex League, too, slashing .302/.404/.535 with two homers and a steal in 12 games. Struck out 21 times, for what it’s worth, which will be the primary hurdle between Green and becoming an impact major leaguer. I’d bump these three teenage hitters above Yoshida in a rebuild.
9. Dodgers C Dalton Rushing | 22 | A | 2025
Nobody hit better than Dalton Rushing last year. The Dodgers’ first pick in 2022 at 40th overall, Rushing had been blocked by Henry Davis at Louisville and didn’t play full time until his Junior season, when he popped 23 home runs and slugged .686 in 64 games. His professional debut was even better. In 30 games at Low-A, Rushing slashed .424/.539/.778 with 21 strikeouts and 21 walks. Scary stuff. A thick 6’1” 220 lbs, Rushing bats left-handed and feels like a safe bet to smash his way quickly through the minors. Might have to switch positions to move up the levels as his bat demands it.
10. Twins SS Brooks Lee | 22 | AA | 2024
The adverbial form of doing something the way a person named Brooks would do it, Lee had an outstanding debut season after being selected 8th overall in 2022, slashing .289/.395/.454 with four home runs in 25 High-A games. Even finished up with two games at Double-A. A switch-hitter at 6’2” 205 lbs, Lee looks like a high-probability major leaguer even if his position outlook is cloudy in Minnesota.
11. Guardians OF Chase DeLauter | 21 | NA | 2025
DeLauter offers a glimpse at the downsides of separating studs from duds too young, as he wound up playing at James Madison University after going undrafted out of high school. Along the way, he grew into a 6’4” 235 lb center fielder with double-plus speed and power. For what it’s Wuertz, DeLauter has played 100 total games since 2020: three short seasons with JMU and one in the Cape Cod League, where he was good with the wooden bat: .298/.397/.589 with 21 walks and 18 strikeouts across 34 games (146 plate appearances). That small sample with the ash and maple is where I’m hanging this hat. Cleveland has made a concerted effort to minimize strikeouts. If they think DeLauter can keep doing it, I’m here to find out. Tried to trade up for him when he fell to 19th in the Razz 30 FYPD that began this week. No joy, but I made a competitive bid (1.29 and 3.29).
12. Mets SS Jett Williams | 19 | CPX | 2026
It wouldn’t be fair to compare Williams to Corbin Carroll, but here I go putting them in the same sentence anyway. At just 5’8” 175 lbs, Williams doesn’t have the power or (probably) the number-one-overall-prospect type topside of Carroll, but their games are similarly electric. I’m not especially moved by complex league stats, but Williams recorded as many stolen bases (6) as he did strikeouts in ten games at the level.
13. Mets C Kevin Parada | 21 | A | 2024
Aftering setting the Georgia Tech record with 26 home runs this year, Parada kept hitting for his ten games in Low-A, posting a .464 On Base Percentage and adding one home run. He’ll likely open 2023 in High-A and should climb quickly.
14. Yankees OF Spencer Jones | 21 | A | 2025
The scouting department found a Judge-ian prospect on the board at the 25 spot in this year’s draft and couldn’t resist the allure of 6’7” Spencer Jones: a 225 lb left-handed hitter with double-plus power and unique athleticism. From Judge to Oneil Cruz to James Wood to Jordan Walker to Elly De La Cruz to Spencer Jones, we’re seeing a trend of NBA-style athletes these past few years. Jones struck out just 18.9 percent of the time in 22 Low-A games, stealing ten bases and slashing .325/.411/.494 with three home runs. Side note, as a team teaching the high fastball approach for years now, the Yankees clearly believe the simple equation that taller-than-tall hitters plus high fastballs equal home runs. Hard to disagree.
15. Royals OF Gavin Cross | 22 | A | 2024
The club’s first pick this summer at 9th overall, Cross features plus power and an above average hit tool at 6’3” 210 lbs from the left side. He got to work right away as a professional, slashing .293/.423/.596 with seven home runs in 26 games at Low-A. Great match between player and org given his advanced approach and near-term opportunities in the lineup.
Thanks for reading!
