MLB Prospect Rankings: Top 10 Prospects at Each Position, August Edition
Even with top-tier prospects like Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, Taj Bradley, Corbin Carroll, Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Miller, Eury Pérez, Grayson Rodriguez, Anthony Volpe and Jordan Walker all moving on to the majors this season, there is still a wealth of talent in the minor leagues.
Ahead, we've provided a rundown of the top 10 prospects at each position, with outfielders all lumped into one group and pitchers split into right-handed and left-handed.
The following factors helped determine where each player fell in our rankings:
- Potential: Potential trumps production a lot of the time, especially in the lower levels of the minors and with recent draft picks. Skill set and tools are often better indicators of what kind of player someone will be.
- Talent: For those in the higher levels of the minors who are close to breaking into the big leagues, production and talent level were the determining factors since the players are viewed as more complete products.
- Eligibility: A player must maintain rookie eligibility to be considered for inclusion. That means no more than 130 big league at-bats for position players, 50 innings for pitchers or 45 days on the active roster.
With all of that established, let's start with the catchers.
Catchers
1 of 8
Top 10 C Prospects
1. Ethan Salas, SD
2. Endy Rodriguez, PIT
3. Logan O'Hoppe, LAA
4. Harry Ford, SEA
5. Dalton Rushing, LAD
6. Jeferson Quero, MIL
7. Samuel Basallo, BAL
8. Diego Cartaya, LAD
9. Kyle Teel, BOS
10. Kevin Parada, NYM
Notes
- Despite turning 17 years old on June 1, Ethan Salas is already playing at High-A Fort Wayne, where he is the youngest player in the Midwest League. Signed for $5.6 million back in January, he hit .267/.350/.487 with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 35 RBI in 48 games at Single-A before he was promoted last week.
- After an impressive run with Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic, Harry Ford has put together a terrific season at the High-A level in the Seattle system. The athletic 20-year-old is hitting .251/.409/.421 with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, 54 RBI, 21 steals and an 18.3 percent walk rate.
- Diego Cartaya is hitting just .185 with a .640 OPS and a strikeout rate hovering around 30 percent this season, so his stock has dropped considerably. That said, he's still only 21 years old and playing at the Double-A level, and he does have 17 home runs, so it would be premature to write him off as a potential impact player.
First Basemen
2 of 8
Top 10 1B Prospects
1. Tyler Soderstrom, OAK
2. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, CIN
3. Kyle Manzardo, CLE
4. Nolan Schanuel, LAA
5. Ivan Melendez, ARI
6. Bryce Eldridge, SF
7. Blaze Jordan, BOS
8. Xavier Isaac, TB
9. Luken Baker, STL
10. Hunter Goodman, COL
Notes
- The best prospect in the Oakland system by a wide margin, Tyler Soderstrom has split his time between catcher and first base in part to expedite his polished bat to the big leagues. After posting an .838 OPS with 20 home runs in 69 games at Triple-A, he made his MLB debut on July 14.
- Nolan Schanuel (No. 11 overall) and Bryce Eldridge (No. 16 overall) were both first-round picks in the 2023 draft. Schanuel hit .447/.616/.868 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI in 59 games at Florida Atlantic, while Eldridge was the draft's best two-way prospect and is expected to see time on the mound as well.
- At 26 years old, Luken Baker is on the fringe of still being considered a prospect, but he has laid waste to Triple-A pitching this season with a .333/.439/.720 line that includes 33 home runs and 98 RBI in 84 games.
Second Basemen
3 of 8
Top 10 2B Prospects
1. Termarr Johnson, PIT
2. Zack Gelof, OAK
3. Nick Yorke, BOS
4. Jace Jung, DET
5. Connor Norby, BAL
6. Justin Foscue, TEX
7. Carlos Jorge, CIN
8. James Triantos, CHC
9. Jorbit Vivas, LAD
10. Nick Gonzales, PIT
Notes
- Termarr Johnson was recently promoted to High-A Greensboro after posting an .868 OPS with 13 home runs and a 21.8 percent walk rate in 75 games at Single-A to start the year. His 60-hit, 60-power offensive profile still gives him the highest ceiling of any second base prospect.
- After a slow start to the season, Jace Jung hit .282/.395/.546 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI over 47 games in June and July to earn a promotion from High-A to Double-A in late July. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft could debut in Detroit in 2024.
- Despite an undersized 5'9", 160-pound frame, Carlos Jorge has made some serious noise at the plate for Single-A Daytona this year. The 19-year-old is hitting .285/.389/.465 with 11 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs, 37 RBI and 31 steals in 39 attempts.
Third Basemen
4 of 8
Top 10 3B Prospects
1. Junior Caminero, TB
2. Colt Keith, DET
3. Curtis Mead, TB
4. Michael Busch, LAD
5. Noelvi Marte, CIN
6. Coby Mayo, BAL
7. Brady House, WAS
8. Tyler Black, MIL
9. Orelvis Martinez, TOR
10. Sterlin Thompson, COL
Notes
- Junior Caminero has played primarily third base this season after starting his pro career as a shortstop, and with Wander Franco blocking his path in the majors that's a logical developmental move. The 20-year-old is hitting .317/.375/.541 with 17 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBI in 89 games, and he is already playing at the Double-A level.
- Following two months on the sidelines nursing a wrist injury, Curtis Mead returned to action in late June and hit .333/.433/.505 with 14 extra-base hits in 28 games to earn his first MLB call-up on Aug. 4. The 22-year-old has one of the best hit tools among all prospects.
- After going 5-for-56 in April, Orelvis Martinez posted a 1.010 OPS with 11 home runs in May, and he has since found a middle ground between those two extremes while showcasing a more disciplined approach at the plate. Still just 21 years old, he has raised his walk rate from 8.2 percent last year to 12.4 percent this season.
Shortstops
5 of 8
Top 10 SS Prospects
1. Jackson Holliday, BAL
2. Marcelo Mayer, BOS
3. Jordan Lawlar, ARI
4. Jackson Merrill, SD
5. Brooks Lee, MIN
6. Colson Montgomery, CWS
7. Carson Williams, TB
8. Adael Amador, COL
9. Masyn Winn, STL
10. Luisangel Acuña, NYM
Notes
- The 70-grade hit tool given to Jackson Holliday by MLB.com has been on full display this season across three minor league levels. The 19-year-old was promoted to Double-A coming out of the All-Star break, and he is hitting .356/.412/.563 with five doubles and three home runs in 21 games as one of the youngest players in the Eastern League.
- One of baseball's most overlooked elite-level prospects, Adael Amador is hitting .302/.391/.514 with 26 extra-base hits and 12 steals in 54 games as a 19-year-old at High-A. He will likely shift to second base eventually, where he could team with Ezequiel Tovar to form one of baseball's best young double play combinations.
- Ronny Mauricio would have checked in No. 8 on this list, but he has been playing almost exclusively outfield for the past month with Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor blocking his path at the middle infield spots.
Outfielders
6 of 8
Top 10 OF Prospects
1. James Wood, WAS
2. Jackson Chourio, MIL
3. Dylan Crews, WAS
4. Evan Carter, TEX
5. Colton Cowser, BAL
6. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC
7. Druw Jones, ARI
8. Wyatt Langford, TEX
9. Max Clark, DET
10. Sal Frelick, MIL
Notes
- The career trajectory of James Wood could ultimately determine who comes out on top in last summer's Juan Soto blockbuster trade between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. The towering 6'6" outfielder has an .889 OPS with 23 doubles, 22 home runs and 78 RBI in 102 games between High-A and Double-A, and he is just scratching the surface of his full offensive potential.
- Colton Cowser (No. 5 overall) and Sal Frelick (No. 15 overall) were both first-round picks in the 2021 draft, and they both made their MLB debuts in July this season. Frelick has gotten off to a better start in the big leagues, but Cowser still has the higher long-term ceiling.
- Hyped LSU star Dylan Crews went 3-for-3 with a double in his pro debut in rookie ball and he was promptly promoted to Single-A the next day. The 21-year-old has the all-around polish to fly through the minors, though the rebuilding Nationals have no reason to rush him.
Right-Handed Pitchers
7 of 8
Top 10 RHP Prospects
1. Paul Skenes, PIT
2. Andrew Painter, PHI
3. Mick Abel, PHI
4. Tink Hence, STL
5. Cade Horton, CHC
6. AJ Smith-Shawver, ATL
7. Nick Frasso, LAD
8. Ben Brown, CHC
9. Jacob Misiorowski, MIL
10. Rhett Lowder, CIN
Notes
- Paul Skenes finished 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings at LSU this spring, establishing himself as the best collegiate pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg. The flame-throwing 6'6" right-hander touched 101 mph while tossing a scoreless innings in his pro debut after agreeing to a record-setting $9.2 million bonus as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
- With an athletic 6'1", 185-pound frame and four above-average pitches, Tink Hence has the potential to develop into an ace-caliber starting pitcher. The Cardinals are bringing him along slowly, with just 126.1 innings of work since he was taken in the second round of the 2020 draft, but he checks all the boxes to be a future star on the mound.
- Nick Frasso (TOR to LAD) and Ben Brown (PHI to CHC) both changed teams at the 2022 trade deadline in deals that sent Mitch White and David Robertson the other way, and those could both end up being extremely lopsided deals if those young pitchers continue to develop as hoped.
Left-Handed Pitchers
8 of 8
Top 10 LHP Prospects
1. Kyle Harrison, SF
2. Ricky Tiedemann, TOR
3. Robby Snelling, SD
4. Carson Whisenhunt, SF
5. Frank Mozzicato, KC
6. Anthony Solometo, PIT
7. Noah Schultz, CWS
8. Robert Gasser, MIL
9. Jake Eder, CWS
10. Thomas White, MIA
Notes
- There is little question Kyle Harrison has the stuff to get hitters out, evidenced by his 452 strikeouts in 279.1 professional innings. However, he still has a long way to go honing his command, and he has walked 48 batters in 65.2 innings this season at Triple-A. If his command doesn't improve, he has Josh Hader-type upside in a relief role.
- Frank Mozzicato (Connecticut) and Anthony Solometo (New Jersey) were both pop-up prospects from cold weather states heading into the 2021 draft, and they have both taken a massive step forward in their second full professional season.
- The Chicago White Sox acquired Jake Eder in the deadline deal that sent Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins. The 24-year-old missed the entire 2022 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he is still shaking off some rust, but pre-injury he flashed legitimate frontline potential.
.jpg?w=600 "Cowboys Trade for 49ers LB")
.jpg?w=600 "Eagles Reportedly Trade for Pro Bowl LB")
.jpg?w=600 "Live Grades for SmackDown 🔡")
.jpg?w=600 "Updated NFL Draft Big Board 📋")