These are guys I think a year from now we will wish we had bought on now. They seem to have the best chance to increase their value quickly. This isn't a list of the top 5 prospects a year from now but of guys on my top 100 list who I think are good value buys this off season.
5 Risers:
Corbin Carroll- OF- ARI (current ranking 24)
Carroll has already had a meteoric rise over the last year.
I took a little more conservative approach. He has the pedigree but before he
climbs into my top 10 I need to see more than 7 games. That’s just such a small
sample size. Granted it was a really promising and exciting sample size. This
is not throwing too much caution on Carroll with my next statement, but if you
take the start of the season only other small sample sizes guys like Trevor
Hauver and Vidal Brujan would be top 5-10 prospects too. Carroll has the
pedigree and promise to be a big riser. If he can come into 2022 healthy and
hit the ground running, especially when it comes to his power development, he
will find his way into the top 10.
Andy Pages- OF- LAD (current ranking 47)
The Dodgers have some kind of voodoo magic don’t they? Maybe this write up should just say invest in Dodgers. My next update may just go ahead and move him up more. He’s done nothing but hit since entering the professional ranks. He had a .394 OBP this year, which by the way was only the second highest of his career so far (.398 in 2019). He hit 31 homers and had 25 doubles all while walking 77 times. He should probably already be pushing top 25 right now and if he continues this pace moving forward he has top 10 upside.
Cristian Hernandez- SS- CHC (current ranking 53)
Every time I look at the season he put together last year I
wonder if my ranking still isn’t aggressive enough. At just 17 years old he put
up a 30-33 BB to K rate, hit 5 homers in 47 games while stealing 21 bases, and
carried a .285 average. He will come stateside this year and I can’t wait to
see what he does. He checked the boxes of speed, power, contact, and plate
discipline for me. If he does again this is the profile of a top 12 prospect.
Nick Yorke- 2B- BOS (current ranking 57)
Maybe the Red Sox knew what they were doing. He started as a
headscratcher at the 17th pick. Now after his first full season in
the minors 17th looks like a steal. The bat is plus and had more pop than I
expected. Plate discipline seems plus as well, and he showed good speed. I
expect him to start in High A and push to Double A while also climbing rankings.
He was pacing 20/20 if he had played a full season and that seems very possible
moving forward. He maybe doesn’t have to 15 upside for me but top 20-25 certainly
seems possible a year from now.
Owen Caissie- OF- CHC (current ranking 63)
I’m not sure this first season could have gone any better
for Caissie. He showed advanced contact skills, power, and plate discipline. The
late season push to Single A Myrtle Beach is a good sign for how the Cubs felt
about his season too. A full season this year where he shows the bat is legit
will carry him up the rankings. He still is a little undervalued overall right
now to me so now seems like a perfect time to buy. The lack of speed probably
keeps him from entering the elite prospect category but top 25 seems possible a
year from now.
Others under consideration:
Brayan Rocchio, SS, CLE
Dustin Harris, 3B/1B, TEX
Coby Mayo, 3B, BAL
Jhonkensy Noel, 3B/1B, CLE
Photo Credit: MLB.com
