Stock Up, Stock Down on MLB's Top 10 Prospects Entering 2015

Hope springs eternal. That expression is all over the place as the 2015 MLB season gets underway, and it definitely applies to the game's best prospects.

Kris Bryant dismantled the Cactus League in March, but he's not the only minor leaguer—or even the only Chicago Cubs minor leaguer—who enjoyed a monster spring. Bryant has been sent down, but the third baseman's stock is way up.

Based on Bleacher Report's last installment of the top MLB prospects list, here's a rundown of which of baseball's 10 best have seen their stock rise and which have seen their stock take a dive. Spoiler alert: It was a great spring for shortstops.

10. Noah Syndergaard, SP, New York Mets

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Stock: Down

The Report

Even with Zack Wheeler out after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Noah Syndergaard only pitched in three MLB games for the New York Mets this spring and didn't draw a single start. The 22-year-old ended his brief Grapefruit League run with a 4.91 ERA in 7.1 innings of work.

The right-hander returns to Triple-A for the beginning of 2015. As his boss pointed out, there's a simple solution if Syndergaard wants to end up in Queens.

“If you get sent down, you’ve got to pitch your way out of it," said skipper Terry Collins, per Dan Martin of the New York Post.

9. Jon Gray, SP, Colorado Rockies

Stock: Even

The Report

Jon Gray was cruising through the Cactus League right up until the end of it. In his first five outings, the right-hander gave up just three runs. Then on March 28, his final start for the major league squad, Gray was torched for seven runs (six earned), while retiring just two batters.

The 23-year-old will begin the year in Triple-A, per Nick Groke of The Denver Post. As Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss told Groke, Gray still has some learning to do off the mound: "It's the other things that go along with it—the routine of the day he's starting, the routine of the days in between. Putting together some of the secondary skills that relate to pitching."

8. Lucas Giolito, SP, Washington Nationals

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Stock: Even

The Report

Just 20 years old, Lucas Giolito didn't throw a single big league pitch for the Washington Nationals during the Grapefruit League schedule.

However, the Nats have big plans for the right-hander in 2015, as the club's director of player development Mark Scialabba explained, per Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com: "Lucas will be challenged this year coming off his first full season." One obvious way to challenge the starter would be to give him an aggressive assignment to begin the season. Giolito spent 2014 pitching for the Nats' Low-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

7. Joey Gallo, 3B, Texas Rangers

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Stock: Down

The Report

Every player shares a common goal during spring training: don't get hurt.

Unfortunately for Joey Gallo and the Texas Rangers, the third baseman wasn't able to accomplish that goal. According to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the 21-year-old had heel surgery on April 3 and will be on the shelf for three weeks. That's not such a bad layoff, but still an injury is never a good way to start a new season.

6. Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stock: Up

The Report

Corey Seager is the first of a slew of shortstops to hit this list.

The 20-year-old excelled with the bat, putting up a .333 (6-for-18) average in 14 Cactus League contests for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best part of Seager's spring was what he did with the glove. Even though he's 6'4", Seager just keeps on proving that he can pick it at short.

As Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine explains, the "Dodgers signing of third baseman Hector Olivera only the latest indication (among many) that they see Corey Seager as a SS into the future." With a .921 OPS in three minor league seasons, Seager has the potential to be a game-changer at a premium defensive position.

5. Addison Russell, SS, Chicago Cubs

Stock: Up

The Report

Addison Russell is often overlooked in the Chicago Cubs loaded farm system. This spring, his first with the National League Central team, Russell certainly made a good impression.

The 21-year-old showed all sorts of range at shortstop and also stood out at the plate. In 13 games, Russell hit .317 (13-for-41) with a home run and four doubles. Russell's itinerary in 2015 begins with a stop in Triple-A. Just how quickly the top prospect reaches the majors remains to be seen, as the Cubs currently have Starlin Castro anchored at shortstop.

4. Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians

Stock: Up

The Report

The 21-year-old Francisco Lindor is on the fast track to Progressive Field.

The switch-hitting shortstop is set to open the campaign in Triple-A after posting a .297 (11-for-37) average in a 16-game spring stint with the Cleveland Indians.

"The fact that we are talking about Francisco (being major league ready) is a testimony to how well he prepared himself in the offseason and then how he handled himself in camp," general manager Chris Antonetti explained, per via Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. "He keeps making great strides."

With Jose Ramirez already patrolling shortstop for the major league squad, the Tribe has the luxury to give Lindor all the time he needs as he makes those strides.

3. Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Stock: Up

The Report

Kris Bryant absolutely crushed the Cactus League.

The third baseman went yard nine times in 14 games for the Chicago Cubs. That output led all of baseball in spring training and resulted in Bryant posting an absurd 1.175 slugging percentage. The 23-year-old also did his share of swinging and missing, as he punched out 14 times in 40 at-bats.

In one of the most polarizing stories of the spring, Bryant was sent to Triple-A, despite his stupid good play. As Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe points out, the Cubs don't want Bryant's service-time clock to start ticking just yet. Bryant will start the season in the minors, but it's only a matter of time before he arrives at Wrigley Field.

2. Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros

Stock: Up

The Report

It would have been difficult to script a more ideal spring training for Carlos Correa.

The Houston Astros shortstop of the future was right at home with the big leaguers of the present, checking in with a .326 (14-for-43) average. On April 2, in a contest between the Astros and the team's Double-A affiliate, Correa clubbed a home run at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas, per Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.

As the 20-year-old explained (via Tyler Maun of MiLB.com), Correa thinks he's right on the doorstep of the majors: "I feel really close. I feel like I had a great camp. I felt like I learned a lot this year."

Correa is confident, and he's also spot-on. However, before he's ready to claim a gig in Houston, the right-handed hitter will have to put in some work in the upper minors. Even though he's already generated tons of hype, 2015 will mark the first time he's played a regular-season game above High-A.

1. Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Stock: Down

The Report

Byron Buxton didn't see much time in big league camp for the Minnesota Twins.

The 21-year-old appeared in six games and posted a .125 (1-for-8) average. Buxton spent the rest of the exhibition schedule racking up at-bats in minor league games because at-bats—as many as possible—are exactly what he needs right now. Last year, injuries limited Buxton to just 124 at-bats.

Buxton is slated to open the season in Double-A, and Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press explains that he could land at Target Field before the end of June if he enjoys a fast start.

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All videos courtesy of MLB.com.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.