When mapping out this year’s Top 100, I kept getting lost in the layout. I’ve tried a few different ways to skin this cat, and I think my favorite so far was my first: Top 25 Prospects for 2020 Fantasy Baseball.
It was simple, sleek, easy to see, easy to scroll, and it was built in tiers, which feels like a realistic lens through which to view these players. You can argue that George Kirby is definitively a better prospect than Nick Lodolo if you want to, or vice versa, but if you get offered one for the other in a trade, you might freeze up like me pondering the layout of this article. The differences are real, certainly, but they’re more aesthetic and subjective than anything like objective truth. It’s a difference in type or style more than a difference of quality.
I’ll try to stay concise in between the tiers here, but you can access a more in-depth consideration of each individual player by clicking on their names or skimming around in the 2022 Minor League Preview Index.
Here’s a link to the Top 25 before we roll on down the mountain.
Drumroll please and away we go!
26. OF Seiya Suzuki | Cubs | 27 | NPB | 2022
He’s not really a prospect, but he should be a good rookie in Chicago!
Here’s a link to Coolwhip breaking it down in Seiya’ll Be There.
27. RHP Eury Perez | Marlins | 18 | A+ | 2023
28. 1B Dustin Harris | Rangers | 22 | A+ | 2023
29. LHP Nick Lodolo | Reds | 24 | AAA | 2022
30. RHP George Kirby | Mariners | 24 | AA | 2022
Eury Perez is the most likely of all Miami’s prospect arms to become a true fantasy ace . . . if they can support him with a decent team on the field.
My brother sent me a list of names to rank for his 20-team FYPD coming up. Lotta great players left on the board by a very-early cut-off date for minor league add/drops. Harris, of course, was on it, and looking at him in comparison to a series of names over text in the context of a team that I’d once operated, I realized how much I want Dustin Harris on my fantasy teams. Some of this is selection bias, as I watched a fair bit of Harris throughout the off-season and found his bat path to be particularly variable through a consistent base. This is the same skill I liked most about Bo Bichette. His game is myriad in the batter’s box, allowing him to foul off a lot of tough pitches and zero-in during an at bat. Harris is not as talented as Bichette, but he should be able to make the most of his opportunities in a similar manner where time equals growth.
Lodolo has a lot working for him, especially a nasty angle from the left side, but I keep wanting to drop him a little given the directionless state of that organization.
Kirby could be puffed up to just about anywhere outside the top ten and I wouldn’t flinch. He’s been a bit hittable with the fastball so far, but he’s a delight to watch. His changeup is going to be a nightmare for big league lefties.
31. C Francisco Alvarez | Mets | 20 | A+ | 2023
32. OF Alek Thomas | Diamondbacks | 21 | AAA | 2022
33. 2B Nick Yorke | Red Sox | 19 | A+ | 2023
Alvarez gets a catcher penalty here, and Thomas gets a proximity and opportunity boost. A lot of people like Alek Thomas more than me, but I still want him where I can get him. Just don’t trust that organization or their AAA outcomes due to friendly hitting environments.
Yorke is much more than just a yip-yip hitter. He’s got that dawg in him and will likely be the youngest infielder in AA early in 2022. Can make a case for him in the top 25.
34. RHP Daniel Espino | Guardians | 21 | A+ | 2023
35. C Keibert Ruiz | Nationals | 23 | MLB | 2020
36. 3B Juan Yepez | Cardinals | 24 | AAA | 2022
37. 1B Nick Pratto | Royals | 23 | AAA | 2022
Three proximity bats and a big-time arm with the talent to stand alone atop the pitching ranks next season.
Espino is where the rankings break apart a little through the lens of Which Trades Would I Make. I’m pretty sure I’d send the guys 31-33 to get him, but that’s a personal preference thing, and he probably shouldn’t cost that much in most leagues.
Ruiz is a nice target in redraft leagues. He’s at 96 at bats, so he’ll graduate off the list a couple weeks into the season.
Yepez could tumble a bit here if the Cardinals clog the DH spot with a free agent, but as of today, there’s not a whole lot separating him and Jose Miranda for the short term.
38. SS Kahlil Watson | Marlins | 18 | CPX | 2024
39. SS Orelvis Martinez | Blue Jays | 20 | A+ | 2021
40. SS Brayan Rocchio | Guardians | 21 | AA | 2023
41. SS Eddys Leonard | Dodgers | 21 | A+ | 2023
42. SS Vaughn Grissom | Atlanta | 21 | A+ | 2023
43. SS Jeremy Peña | Astros | 24 | AAA | 2022
As we get nearer to an actual season, proximity is playing a bigger role in my thinking than it did at times throughout the positional and team breakdowns. I always try to keep actual near-term stats high on my list of prospect priorities, but it’s hard to keep it in focus over the winter as the vast majority of coverage moves in the opposite direction, leaving time itself as mostly a non-factor in considerations of baseball’s future stars. I get it. You don’t want to get distracted when your goal is simply overall future potential, but for our purposes, we need to weigh present versus future through a more aggressive lens and rush guys like Jeremy Peña up the lists when it looks like they’ve got their chance. Should also be wary of putting guys like Kahlil Watson way above more established players when Watson will be waiting several years for his first big league at bat.
I love this group of players. Give me every single one at their present perceived value with the possible exceptions of Martinez and Rocchio.
Leonard has gathered some hype over the off-season after a relatively quiet ascent in 2021. Razzball is probably still a little above the market here, but not by much and not for long. You could copy and paste that blurb for Grissom and Peña. I have these three guys on a lot of fantasy teams.
44. 2B Nick Gonzales | Pirates | 22 | A+ | 2023
45. SS Marcelo Mayer | Red Sox | 19 | CPX | 2025
46. SS Brady House | Nationals | 18 | CPX | 2024
47. 1B Vinnie Pasquantino | Royals | 24 | AA | 2022
48. OF Andy Pages | Dodgers | 21 | A+ | 2023
49. OF Everson Pereira | Yankees | A+ | 20 | 2023
50. 1B Jhonkensy Noel | Guardians | 20 | A+ | 2023
Gonzales played well in his debut season and could climb the list in a hurry, but his strikeout rate was a little high (27.4 percent), and he didn’t run a whole lot (7 SB in 80 games), but he remains a high-probability big league regular who provides above average production for his position.
Mayer and House might have more trade value than anyone in the tier, given their value is still tethered to their top-of-the-class FYPD evaluations. I’d be fine with trading either.
Might be out over my skis on Vinnie P, but he just hits and hits and hits and doesn’t strike out.
Pages, Pereira and Noel all have light-tower power and have produced against much older competitors. Could push any of these three up the list if you’re feeling frisky.
Thanks for reading!
I’m @theprospectitch on Twitter.
