Jackson Holliday and MLB's 25 Best Prospects 20 Years Old or Younger
The future is bright across Major League Baseball.
This season has seen an impressive influx of young talent in the majors, led by Corbin Carroll, Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Álvarez, Jordan Walker, Elly De La Cruz, Grayson Rodriguez, Anthony Volpe, Ezequiel Tovar, Triston Casas and Hunter Brown, who were all top prospects when the campaign began.
Even with that impressive crop of rookie talent, the minor league pipeline still promises to deliver more high-ceiling young talent in the coming years.
Ahead, we've ranked the top 25 prospects who are 20 or younger, based on current production, future upside and long-term expectations.
Enjoy!
Honorable Mentions
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Pitchers
RHP Caden Dana, LAA
LHP Jackson Ferris, CHC
RHP Dylan Lesko, SD
RHP Noble Meyer, MIA
LHP Frank Mozzicato, KC
RHP Owen Murphy, ATL
RHP Brock Porter, TEX
LHP Thomas White, MIA
Hitters
SS Roderick Arias, NYY
SS Edwin Arroyo, CIN
OF Luis Baez, HOU
C Leonardo Bernal, STL
OF Miguel Bleis, BOS
OF Ryan Clifford, NYM
OF Justin Crawford, PHI
OF Josue De Paula, LAD
SS Colt Emerson, SEA
OF Gabriel Gonzalez, SEA
SS Colin Houck, NYM
3B Brady House, WAS
OF Walker Jenkins, MIN
C Thayron Liranzo, LAD
3B Aidan Miller, PHI
C Blake Mitchell, KC
C Edgar Quero, CWS
OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, MIN
SS Sebastian Walcott, TEX
2B/OF Jett Williams, NYM
OF Samuel Zavala, SD
Nos. 25-21
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25. LHP Anthony Solometo, Pittsburgh Pirates (Age: 20)
Solometo flew up draft boards with a strong senior season at Bishop Eustace Prep in New Jersey before landing an above-slot deal as a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. The 6'5", 220-pound southpaw has shown three plus pitches and advanced command this season while posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 97.1 innings between High-A and Double-A.
24. OF Yanquiel Fernandez, Colorado Rockies (Age: 20)
After a 21-homer, 109-RBI season at Single-A in 2022, Fernandez has continued to flash tantalizing raw power this season with an .856 OPS and 23 home runs in 98 games across three minor league levels. His 24.1 percent strikeout rate gives some reason for pause, but there is middle-of-the-order potential in his athletic 6'2", 198-pound frame. He has also overtaken Zac Veen as the team's top outfield prospect.
23. C Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles (Age: 19)
The Orioles ignored the international market for years before finally revamping their scouting approach, and Basallo was their first big international splurge when he signed for a then-record $1.3 million deal in 2021. He just turned 19 on August 13, and he is hitting .295/.383/.499 with 23 doubles, 14 home runs and 70 RBI in 100 games between Single-A and High-A this year while throwing out 33 percent of base stealers.
22. SS Cole Young, Seattle Mariners (Age: 20)
Young went No. 21 overall in the 2022 draft on the strength of one of the most polished hit tools in the class, and he has lived up to expectations early in his pro career. Over 126 games in the lower levels of the minors, he has hit .284/.403/.463 with more walks (87) than strikeouts (84), and he has tallied 30 doubles, 10 home runs and 21 steals between Single-A and High-A this year.
21. OF Jasson Domínguez, New York Yankees (Age: 20)
The hype has cooled on Domínguez while other prospects his age have enjoyed more minor league success, but he still has the raw tools to be a superstar. He has 130 strikeouts in 109 games at Double-A this season, but he has also walked at a strong 15.2 percent clip en route to a .367 on-base percentage. He was promoted to Triple-A earlier this week after hitting .380/.438/.608 across 89 plate appearances in August.
Nos. 20-16
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20. C Jeferson Quero, Milwaukee Brewers (Age: 20)
Quero emerged as the catcher of the future in the Milwaukee system last year when he posted a .780 OPS with 22 doubles and 10 home runs in 95 games. Long viewed as a future Gold Glove-caliber defender thanks to a 60-grade arm and polished receiving skills, he is also showing impact offensive potential with an .823 OPS, 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 72 games at Double-A.
19. LHP Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox (Age: 20)
The White Sox drafted Schultz out of their own backyard last year, taking the Illinois prep standout with the No. 26 overall pick. With a towering 6'9", 220-pound frame and impressive present stuff, he offers a ton of upside and he has been flat-out dominant in his pro debut. A flexor strain kept him sidelined until June, but he has a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a 38-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings at Single-A since returning to action.
18. 2B Termarr Johnson, Pittsburgh Pirates (Age: 19)
With a 60-hit, 60-power offensive profile, Johnson was a legitimate candidate to go No. 1 in the 2022 draft before eventually hearing his name called at No. 4 overall. He is hitting just .240 in his first full professional season, but he has shown an advanced approach with 83 walks in 396 plate appearances. With a .410 on-base percentage and 17 home runs, he has done nothing to hurt his prospect stock.
17. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta Braves (Age: 20)
Smith-Shawver was high school teammates with Bobby Witt Jr. at Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas, and he was committed to play baseball and football at Texas Tech before getting a $997,500 bonus as a seventh-round pick in 2021. His 103 strikeouts in 68.2 innings at Single-A last year put him on the fast track, and he made his MLB debut on June 4. He is the second-youngest player to appear in a big league game this year, behind only Eury Pérez.
16. LHP Robby Snelling, San Diego Padres (Age: 19)
A two-sport standout in high school who was a 4-star football recruit, Snelling has taken off since turning his full attention to the baseball diamond. The 6'3", 210-pound lefty has power stuff with a mid-90s fastball and a hard-biting slider, and he dominated Single-A and High-A hitters this season with a 1.88 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 86.1 innings before earning another promotion to Double-A on Monday.
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Nos. 15-11
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15. SS Adael Amador, Colorado Rockies (Age: 20)
Amador took over the No. 1 spot in the Colorado farm system when Ezequiel Tovar graduated to the majors, and that tandem could share the middle infield spots in Colorado for years to come once he joins him in the big leagues. Surgery to repair a right hamate bone has sidelined him since early July, but he hit .302/.392/.514 with 26 extra-base hits in 259 plate appearances at High-A prior to the injury.
14. SS Carson Williams, Tampa Bay Rays (Age: 20)
Williams hit .262/.359/.506 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs and 59 RBI in 89 games at High-A this season before he jumped straight to Triple-A earlier this month. The 2021 first-round pick hit .299/.382/.591 with 17 extra-base hits in his final 33 games at High-A prior to the promotion, though his 31.2 percent strikeout rate at that level speaks to the work he still needs to do offensively.
13. C Harry Ford, Seattle Mariners (Age: 20)
Ford went 4-for-13 with two home runs for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic before reporting to High-A where he has shown some of the best on-base skills in the minor leagues. An elite athlete for the catcher position, he is hitting .255/.413/.431 with 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 60 RBI and 23 steals in 31 attempts. He is the MiLB leader with 93 walks.
12. OF Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox (Age: 19)
One of the breakout prospects of the 2023 season, Anthony is hitting .295/.415/.596 with 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 44 games since he was promoted to High-A in mid-June. His 6'2", 200-pound frame possesses some of the best raw power in the minors, and he has the bat speed, strength and swing path to be a middle-of-the-order power hitter.
11. OF Max Clark, Detroit Tigers (Age: 18)
The National Gatorade Player of the Year this spring at Franklin Community High School in Indiana, Clark checks all the boxes to be a five-tool standout with an advanced hit tool, good raw power, elite speed and the defensive tools to be a Gold Glove center fielder. He is hitting .273/.373/.546 with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI in 11 games in rookie ball to begin his pro career.
10. OF Druw Jones, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Age: 19
Widely regarded as the best all-around talent in the 2022 draft class, Druw Jones has seen the start of his pro career derailed by injury.
A shoulder issue kept him from making his debut after he was drafted last year, and he has battled quad and hamstring problems during the 2023 season.
All told, Jones has hit .180/.305/.214 with one double, one triple, eight RBI and four steals in 105 plate appearances, tallying 16 walks and 31 strikeouts against rookie ball and Single-A competition.
The five-tool potential that made him such a hyped prep prospect hasn't magically disappeared, and at 19 years old, he still has plenty of time to develop into a future star, but his prospect stock has taken a hit for now.
9. SS Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres
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Age: 20
Guys like Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, Kahlil Watson, Brady House and Colson Montgomery were the headliners of the 2021 prep shortstop class, and it was a bit of a shock when the San Diego Padres reached for Jackson Merrill with the No. 27 overall pick that year.
The Maryland high school standout has done nothing but hit since starting his pro career, posting a .304/.354/.468 line in 185 games, and he is batting .312/.371/.512 with 15 extra-base hits in 31 games since he was promoted to Double-A after the All-Star break.
He became the top prospect in the San Diego system following the Juan Soto blockbuster last year, and while he has since been overtaken by precocious catcher Ethan Salas, he has the tools to be a perennial All-Star.
8. RHP Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies
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Age: 20
Andrew Painter was a legitimate candidate to win the No. 5 starter job out of spring training for the Philadelphia Phillies before an elbow injury sidelined him, and after several months of rehab, he underwent Tommy John surgery in late July.
That will likely keep him sidelined until the 2025 season, and while that's a disappointing bump in the road, he was so far ahead of the developmental curve that it doesn't necessarily derail his development.
The 6'7" right-hander has top-of-the-rotation stuff, and it was on full display across three minor league levels in 2022 as he posted a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 155 strikeouts in 103.2 innings while making his Double-A debut before his 20th birthday.
7. SS Marcelo Mayer, Boston Red Sox
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Age: 20
One reason some scouts preferred Marcelo Mayer to fellow prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar in the 2021 draft is the fact that Mayer is five months younger and won't turn 21 until December.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft got off to a scorching start this season when he hit .290/.366/.524 with 19 extra-base hits and 34 RBI in 35 games at High-A Greenville, and that earned him a midseason promotion to Double-A.
Things have not gone as smoothly since he made that leap in competition, with a .189/.254/.355 line and a 25.8 percent strikeout rate in 43 games. He has also missed the bulk of August with left shoulder inflammation, but his struggles at Double-A have done little to dampen excitement about his future as he was one of the youngest players at the level.
6. OF Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
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Age: 20
Evan Carter will no longer be eligible for this list in just a few days as he turns 21 years old on August 29, but for now, he is unquestionably one of the game's best prospects who still can't legally buy a beer at the ballpark.
A true five-tool talent, he is hitting .278/.410/.442 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs, 58 RBI, 65 runs scored and 21 steals in 91 games at Double-A Frisco, and the Texas scouting department deserves kudos for believing in his upside.
The Tennessee high schooler was unranked among the top 500 prospects at Baseball America and top 200 prospects at MLB.com in predraft rankings, but the Rangers saw enough potential to take him No. 50 overall in the second round.
5. OF James Wood, Washington Nationals
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Age: 20
A towering 6'6", 240-pound outfielder, James Wood fell out of the first-round conversation with a lackluster senior season at IMG Academy, and the San Diego Padres pounced in the second round with a $2.6 million bonus that was roughly double slot value.
He hit .372/.465/.535 in 101 plate appearances in rookie ball after signing, and he quickly emerged as a top-tier prospect when that strong offensive performance carried over to Single-A the following year.
The Nationals acquired him in the Juan Soto blockbuster last summer, and he has continued his rapid ascent up prospect boards in 2023 by hitting .253/.351/.526 with 23 doubles, 23 home runs and 80 RBI in 106 games between High-A and Double-A.
4. C Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres
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Age: 17
At an age when most stateside baseball players are gearing up for the summer showcase circuit prior to their senior year of high school, Ethan Salas is already playing at the Double-A level.
Signed for $5.6 million in 2023, Salas was sent straight to Single-A for his pro debut, and he hit .257/.335/.447 with 12 doubles, nine home runs and 38 RBI in 57 games between Single-A and High-A before he was called up to Double-A.
"The Padres believe he is the sport's most advanced teenage catching prospect in years, if not decades. A Double-A debut in his first professional season ostensibly puts Salas on track to catch a major-league game before his 19th birthday—something no one has done since Brian Milner in 1978," wrote Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
Salas could be a franchise cornerstone and the best catcher in Padres history if he continues on his current trajectory.
3. OF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
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Age: 19
Jackson Chourio was the breakout prospect of the 2022 season, going from a high-ceiling teenager in the lower levels of the minors to a legitimate future superstar and one of the game's top-tier minor leaguers.
Playing the entire 2022 season as an 18-year-old, he hit .288/.342/.538 with 30 doubles, 20 home runs, 75 RBI and 16 steals in 99 games, closing out the year with a taste of Double-A competition.
Chourio has spent the entire 2023 campaign back at Double-A where he has continued to impress, hitting .280/.336/.457 with 19 doubles, 17 home runs, 74 RBI and 34 steals in 40 attempts. He has also quietly trimmed his strikeout rate from 26.9 to 19.8 percent, despite facing tougher competition.
2. 3B Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
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Age: 20
If Jackson Chourio was the breakout prospect of 2022, that title belongs to Junior Caminero this year as he has moved to the top of a deep Tampa Bay Rays farm system and is making a compelling case to be the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
Acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for pitcher Tobias Myers prior to the 2022 season in a 40-man roster crunch move, he hit .314/.384/.498 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 63 games between rookie ball and Single-A last year to put himself on the top prospect radar.
Now he is hitting .323/.381/.564 with 17 doubles, 22 home runs and 73 RBI in 96 games between High-A and Double-A, and an early 2024 debut could be in the cards as the latest impressive young bat to emerge from the Tampa Bay system.
1. SS Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles
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Age: 19
Anyone who balked at the Baltimore Orioles' decision to select Jackson Holliday over hyped prep outfielder Druw Jones atop the 2022 draft class has quickly been silenced.
After setting the national single-season high school record for hits as a senior at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, he posted a .911 OPS with more walks (25) than strikeouts (12) over 20 games in his pro debut.
The Orioles have turned him loose this year, and he has played his way into a pair of promotions, hitting .336/.457/.531 with 22 doubles, nine triples, 10 home runs, 64 RBI, 86 runs scored and 21 steals in 96 games.
Holliday hasn't missed a beat since he was promoted to Double-A, hitting .350/.431/.550 with 11 extra-base hits in 25 games, and it won't be long before he joins Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson as cornerstone players on a talented young Baltimore roster.
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.jpg?w=600 "Most Likely Post-June 1 Trade Candidates 👋")
