Every MLB Team's Most Intriguing Unfinished Product
Save for maybe Juan Soto, no player ever begins his Major League Baseball career looking like a finished product. Heck, even Mike Trout didn't take off until his second season.
So, let's be bullish on all 30 teams' most intriguing unfinished product.
For this, we combed through each team's roster looking for young players—sorry, no 30-somethings allowed—who haven't yet put it all together yet, but who clearly possess the talent to do so.
We only wanted to deal with telling sample sizes, so don't expect to find recently promoted prospects like Adley Rutschman and Gabriel Moreno in here. That's not to say you won't find any brand-name rookies, however. Several made the cut.
We'll go division by division, starting in the American League East and ending in the National League West.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish
Age: 25
Key Stats: 8 G, 8 GS, 37.2 IP, 6.45 ERA
Why is it worth anyone's while to be high on Bradish? We'll let the Pitching Ninja explain with this GIF of the right-hander's slider:
Not many sliders have that kind of two-plane break, and it's racked up 19 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. Bradish's problem is that his four-seam fastball has been getting crushed to a .646 slugging percentage, so he should consider throwing it less or perhaps scrapping it in favor of a sinker and/or cutter.
Boston Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck
Age: 25
Key Stats: 15 G, 4 GS, 2 GF, 41.2 IP, 3.46 ERA
Speaking of righties with filthy sliders, Houck's own slide piece is already the stuff of legend. The questions surrounding him more so concern his ability to get left-handed batters out and what, exactly, his role should be. Though he isn't making progress to the former in 2022, the Red Sox may be in the process of answering the latter. Manager Alex Cora has lately made Houck the club's new Garrett Whitlock for the late innings, and the initial results include eight scoreless innings over five appearances since May 29.
New York Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt
Age: 26
Key Stats: 11 G, 2 GF, 19.1 IP, 3.26 ERA
Schmidt is another guy whose best role is unclear, as he's done decent work overall but has also been tested to the tune of a 7.36 ERA between the seventh and ninth innings. That could change if he so much as simplifies his arsenal. He probably doesn't need to throw five different pitches. As they've combined to limit hitters to a .103 average, one thing he should definitely be doing is throwing more sliders and curveballs.
Tampa Bay Rays: OF/1B/DH Harold Ramirez
Age: 27
Key Stats: 46 G, 149 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, .713 OPS
To be sure, Wander Franco isn't a finished product either. But whereas his best qualities are obvious, Ramirez's are more subtle. In spite of his modest production this season, he boasts a hard-hit rate in the 91st percentile and a strikeout rate in the 94th percentile. Yet he undercuts these strengths with a huge chase rate and too many ground balls. Any progress on either front can only help him tap into his potential.
Toronto Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette
Age: 24
Key Stats: 57 G, 254 PA, 10 HR, 4 SB, .7771 OPS
Why are we talking about a guy who was an All-Star last year? A lack of better options on the Blue Jays, for one. And for two, because it's hard to ignore how much better Bichette could be if he ever erases his major flaws. As he's just 1-for-41 against them this year, he really needs to stop chasing pitches down and away. He could also be a great defender if he can cut down on errors. If Tim Anderson can do it, then so can Bichette.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: 3B Jake Burger
Age: 26
Key Stats: 35 G, 131 PA, 7 HR, 0 SB, .831 OPS
With batted ball metrics that include a barrel rate in the 92nd percentile, Burger can clearly smash. He's also able and willing to make adjustments, as James Fegan of The Athletic wrote about how Burger successfully conquered his bad ground-ball habit. If he can do that, perhaps similar efforts could likewise lead to him cutting down the chase and whiff rates that are holding him back.
Cleveland Guardians: LHP Konnor Pilkington
Age: 24
Key Stats: 7 G, 4 GS, 3 GF, 22.2 IP, 3.57 ERA
There's good stuff in Pilkington's repertoire, including a changeup that's held right-handed batters to a .136 average. He's unfortunately been a literal slow starter when he's opened games, allowing a .937 OPS his first time through the order and then improving to a .469 OPS the second time around. Whether it's a change in his warm-up routine or in how he approaches hitters, it's on him to find a way around that.
Detroit Tigers: 1B Spencer Torkelson
Age: 22
Key Stats: 52 G, 186 PA, 4 HR, 0 SB, .606 OPS
Expectations for Torkelson were high after he went to the Tigers at No. 1 in the 2020 draft and then hit 30 home runs in his first professional season in 2021. Though he has yet to live up to them, his well-above-average chase and walk rates show it's not a discipline problem. Torkelson just needs to do more damage in the strike zone, especially against fastballs. He's slugging .422 against in-zone heaters, compared to .467 for the league as a whole.
Kansas City Royals: 3B Bobby Witt Jr.
Age: 21
Key Stats: 55 G, 227 PA, 7 HR, 10 SB, .720 OPS
Speaking of uber-prospects who came into 2022 shrouded in hype, we had Witt ranked as the No. 1 prospect in MLB at the outset. He's unfortunately struggled, and he's different from Torkelson in that zone discipline has been a problem. One positive is that he has shown the ability to be a good bad-ball hitter in reaching, turning and elevating for extra-base hits. He just needs to do so more often, as it's not sustainable for him to only drive pitches in one specific area of the strike zone.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Griffin Jax
Age: 27
Key Stats: 19 G, 6 GF, 29.1 IP, 2.76 ERA
Jax made baseball history last year when he became the first player to make the leap from the Air Force Academy to the major leagues. After then taking his lumps mostly in a starting role in 2021, it's now looking like relief work is right for him. His four-seam fastball is a vulnerability, however, and particularly against lefty batters. They're slugging .500 against it since the start of 2021. Like Bradish and Schmidt, he should consider a sinker and/or cutter.
American League West
3 of 6
Houston Astros: RHP Bryan Abreu
Age: 25
Key Stats: 18 G, 4 GF, 24.1 IP, 2.59 ERA
Abreu has the necessary tools to be a dependable high-leverage arm for the Astros, including a fastball that touches 101 mph and a disappearing slider:
It's nonetheless hard to blame manager Dusty Baker for mostly using Abreu in low-leverage spots. He's walked about five batters (4.7, to be exact) per nine innings throughout his career. Should he ever get his control under control, not much will be holding him back.
Los Angeles Angels: LHP Reid Detmers
Age: 22
Key Stats: 10 G, 10 GS, 49.1 IP, 3.83 ERA
This spot should arguably belong to Jo Adell, but his power is the only aspect of his game that's even close to finished. By contrast, Detmers has already thrown a no-hitter and has generally been effective in his rookie season. Yet any curveball as good as the one he has deserves better than to just barely be below zero in run value. He might try throwing it lower in the zone, lest he suffer more swings like this one and this one.
Oakland Athletics: CF Cristian Pache
Age: 23
Key Stats: 56 G, 180 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .443 OPS
It's no surprise to see Pache co-leading center fielders with six outs above average, but his offensive numbers make it fair to wonder if he's truly a viable everyday player. The good news is that his exit velocity and hard-hit rate are both safely above average, so he might be a capable enough hitter if he can so much reduce his whiffs. To this end, it's imperative that he stop giving pitchers an excuse to throw him so many breaking balls.
Seattle Mariners: C Cal Raleigh
Age: 25
Key Stats: 32 G, 103 PA, 7 HR, 0 SB, .676 OPS
To have that many home runs in so few plate appearances is a good look on Raleigh, and it speaks to the kind of raw power he's packing. He's also made some progress with his approach in 2022, doubling his walk rate while slightly lowering his strikeout rate. Yet dare we say he should consider not being a switch-hitter anymore? Just sayin': upon contact, his expected slugging percentage is .460 from the right side and .610 from the left side.
Texas Rangers: RHP Joe Barlow
Age: 26
Key Stats: 20 G, 19 GF, 20.1 IP, 2.21 ERA
Barlow has saved 22 games in 24 tries for the Rangers since the start of last season, so he's clearly doing something right. Yet there is a question of sustainability, as he's not a high strikeout guy (8.2 per nine innings for his career) and his batted ball metrics are frankly bad. His four-seamer has been a weakness in 2022, but the rising action on it could make it more effective if he shifted its location pattern from low to high.
National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta: RHP Spencer Strider
Age: 23
Key Stats: 14 G, 3 GS, 3 GF, 38.1 IP, 2. ERA
Strider has gotten his velocity as high as 102 mph and he's collected more strikeouts on four-seamers than all but four other pitchers despite his relatively limited usage. Yet especially for a guy who throws his fastball more frequently than any other pitcher in baseball, 19 walks in 38.1 innings is a bit much. If Strider can get to a point where he's throwing strikes more consistently like he did in walking zero batters between May 6 and May 20, sky's the limit.
Miami Marlins: OF Jesus Sanchez
Age: 24
Key Stats: 51 G, 187 PA, 8 HR, 0 SB, .721 OPS
You guys want to see a dead baseball? Here you go:
That's real power, all right, and it also shows in Sanchez's 82nd-percentile barrel rate. That he also has an 8th-percentile strikeout rate points to an obvious contact problem, but he'll probably be fine if he can start to apply his power stroke to more than just middle-in pitches. If not, he could always just be better at hunting those pitches and letting everything else go.
New York Mets: RHP Tylor Megill
Age: 26
Key Stats: 8 G, 8 GS, 38.0 IP, 4.50 ERA
Mets fans will know that Megill's 4.50 ERA is misleading, as it was down at 2.43 through six starts before he bombed in his seventh start and then went on the injured list with biceps tendinitis. Yet as promising as he is, he needs to do something about platoon splits that include a .928 OPS against lefty batters. As they're slugging .478 against the slider and .671 against the changeup, he might consider more of the former and fewer of the latter.
Philadelphia Phillies: 3B Alec Bohm
Age: 25
Key Stats: 56 G, 224 PA, 4 HR, 1 SB, .649 OPS
Bohm has been humbled since finishing second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, with a general lack of power being one of his defining issues. Which is odd, considering that his average exit velocity has yet to dip under 90 mph. Though he says it's not his style, he really should have it in mind to hit more balls to his pull side. When he does, he has a 1.000 OPS for his career. Josh Hader knows this danger all too well.
Washington Nationals: C Keibert Ruiz
Age: 23
Key Stats: 45 G, 185 PA, 2 HR, 3 SB, .699 OPS
When looking at Ruiz, some hallmarks of a great hitter are clearly there. He only has two more strikeouts (17) than walks (15) in 2022, and he's done an excellent job of hitting the ball in the sweet spot. When he does, though, the ball leaves his bat at an average of just 90.4 mph. That's well below the league average of 93.2 mph, basically meaning that Ruiz has two wildly mismatched components in his power stroke.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: LHP Justin Steele
Age: 26
Key Stats: 11 G, 11 GS, 47.0 IP, 4.79 ERA
Only 11 of the 295 balls that Steele has had put in play over the last two seasons have been barreled, so contact quality is the last of his worries. Hitters nonetheless have a .344 average against his four-seamer this year, which isn't terribly surprising given that it averages only 92.3 mph with subpar movement. What he should be doing is throwing more of these:
The slider is by far Steele's best pitch, and therefore deserves to be thrown more than 27.1 percent of the time.
Cincinnati Reds: RHP Hunter Greene
Age: 22
Key Stats: 11 G, 11 GS, 55.0 IP, 5.40 ERA
More than 20 percent of Greene's fastballs have registered at over 100 mph, so it's fair to say that the pitch is living up to the hype. So, why are opposing batters hitting .352 and slugging .714 against it? Well, no matter how hard you throw, you can't just live in the middle of the zone like Greene does. He's already made the right adjustment, though, both slowing down and aiming higher his last time out. The results: no walks and one hit in seven innings.
Milwaukee Brewers: LHP Aaron Ashby
Age: 24
Key Stats: 13 G, 7 GS, 2 GF, 50.2 IP, 3.91 ERA
His results in both roles have been mixed so far in 2022, but Ashby still looks like a guy who could be either an ace starter or an ace reliever. He throws hard, and his slider sure looks the part of a dominant pitch:
Hitters nonetheless have a .262 average against Ashby's slider, but the fix for that seems simple enough. He might put more outside the zone, where hitters are batting .050 against it, and fewer inside the zone, where they're batting .366 against it.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Diego Castillo
Age: 24
Key Stats: 46 G, 148 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .547 OPS
Castillo is a good defender for the Pirates, as well as a good hitter...against the fastball. Whereas he's hitting .277 against heaters, his averages against breaking and off-speed are both in the .100s. What's interesting is that his swings against these pitches are mostly in the strike zone. Yet he only hits those pitches at an average of 86.9 mph, south of the league norm of 89.1 mph. If he can improve on that, he'll be a capable two-way player.
St. Louis Cardinals: OF Brendan Donovan
Age: 25
Key Stats: 38 G, 126 PA, 1 HR, 2 SB, .822 OPS
That Donovan is hitting .295 with a .413 on-base percentage is reflective of his two primary skills as a hitter: zone discipline and making contact. Where he comes up short is with his ability to drive the ball, as he has all of one barrel out of 86 balls in play. But given that his exit velocity on fly balls and line drives is better than that of Dylan Carlson and not far off that of Nolan Arenado, he might only be missing a little more loft in his swing.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Alek Thomas
Age: 22
Key Stats: 30 G, 111 PA, 5 HR, 1 SB, .760 OPS
Thomas, our No. 19 prospect, is off to a good start with the Diamondbacks. Yet one issue that he had in the minors has followed him to the majors, and that's his propensity for ground balls. Nearly 60 percent of his batted balls have hit the ground, which is a shame given that he clearly has good power. He doesn't need to go full Joey Gallo in chasing after fly balls, but it's hard to imagine any harm of him reducing his ground-ball rate.
Colorado Rockies: 2B Brendan Rodgers
Age: 25
Key Stats: 47 G, 199 PA, 6 HR, 0 SB, .717 OPS
Among Rockies hitters in 2022, only C.J. Cron has been better at producing barrels than Rodgers. Like with Thomas in Arizona, however, one catch is that Rodgers mainly hits ground balls. And that isn't the only thing holding his power potential back, as he also rarely pulls the ball. The picture is of a guy who who has good power in his swing, but who also has work to do if he wants to tap into it more consistently.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 2B Gavin Lux
Age: 24
Key Stats: 52G, 188 PA, 2 HR, 5 SB, .754 OPS
Offensively, this is the best version of Lux the Dodgers have gotten so far. His primary quality is being a tough out, as he has a chase rate in the 95th percentile and is accordingly drawing plenty of walks and avoiding strikeouts. Yet he's become something of a slap hitter in the process, with his average exit velocity having dropped to 86.1 mph. A hitter who once hit 26 home runs in a single minor league season should be capable of greater equilibrium.
San Diego Padres: LHP MacKenzie Gore
Age: 23
Key Stats: 9 G, 8 GS, 48.0 IP, 1.50 ERA
There's nothing wrong with the results that Gore has produced for the Padres in 2022, yet there's a notable lack of equilibrium among his pitches. His fastball has a superb minus-13 run value, while none of his other offerings are likewise below zero. He might benefit from throwing fewer sliders, curveballs and changeups in the zone so as to boost his chase rate above the 19th percentile. When batters go fishing, pitchers generally win.
San Francisco Giants: RHP Camilo Doval
Age: 24
Key Stats: 25 G, 17 GF, 24.2 IP, 2.92 ERA
Velocity certainly isn't Doval's problem, as this 101 mph pitch isn't even his fastest of the season:
Doval's fastball is nonetheless hittable, with batters teeing off on it for a .414 average and .690 slugging percentage in 2022. It might actually be worth his while to sacrifice some speed for better location, particularly if it means not leaving so many heaters out over the plate for left-handed batters.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. Statcast data is current through play on Thursday, June 9.
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