MLB Top-100 Prospects: Stadium Rant’s One Through Ten
With top picks from the 2022 MLB Draft now ready to take their place among Major League Baseball’s top prospects, it’s time for a midseason update to the Stadium Rant Top-100 prospects.
Earlier this summer, the top prospects from the High School and College ranks set their sights on the MLB Draft. This year’s draft — part of the summer’s All-Star festivities — took place in Los Angeles and featured the game’s premier young talent ready to enter the sport’s next level. Now that most of the top prospects have signed and are entering the minor league systems that they’ll call home for the next year or two, it’s time to get a clearer picture of where the talent stands on the league’s top-100 prospects list.
When ranking prospects, it takes a complex algorithm to determine where these prospects rank. By combining multiple factors such as positional value, 2022 performance, physical tools, and projectability — among other factors as well — it’s possible to get an idea of who the game’s premier prospects truly are. Which prospects will become the next potential first-time all-stars in the coming seasons? Without further delay, here are your 2022 Stadium Rant top-100 prospects at the mid-season mark.
MLB Top Prospects At The Top Include A Trio Of Elite Catchers
One – Francisco Alvarez, Catcher, New York Mets
Francisco Alvarez is an average fielder with perhaps the most explosive raw power in all of the minor leagues. His hit tool is still developing, although at just 20 years old there’s plenty of time for him to continue developing into one of the game’s truly elite catchers. At five-foot-ten and just over 230 pounds, Alvarez is an imposing figure behind the plate. Thanks to his size and what he’s shown so far defensively, he should stick behind the plate long term.
At such a young age, Alvarez has dominated the older competition in the minors for the better part of this season. At Double-A this season he posted a slash line of .277/.368/.553 over 67 games. The power profile was clear with 18 home runs and a .277 ISO. Mix in an outstanding 12% walk rate and average strikeout totals and it’s clear that the ceiling is sky-high for the young backstop.
Two – Corbin Carrol, Outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks
Corbin Carrol is quite possibly the best athlete in the minor leagues. He features plus-plus speed to pair with a downright ferocious approach to the game. Whatever Carrol does, he does it all-out. What he might lack in power he makes up for with his elite speed and his plus-plus hit tool. What’s surprising about Carrol has been the power output so far in 2022.
After kicking off his minor league career with minimal home run power (just four home runs in his first 49 MiLB games), he’s exploded for home run power this year and shown why he’s a true five-tool, impact player on the rise. His plate approach creates a sky-high walk rate which makes for a rare blend of plate discipline and power. Carrol is the real deal.
Three – Gabriel Moreno, Catcher, Toronto Blue Jays
Moreno comes in here at number three as the second catcher on our list. Although not your typical build for a backstop, that should prevent the 22-year-old from becoming an everyday regular behind the dish. He’s certainly more athletic than we usually see catchers become, although this is becoming a more regular occurrence when you consider other top prospects like MJ Melendez and Harry Ford.
Moreno pairs his athleticism with a plus-plus hit tool, above-average plate discipline, and a solid feel for the position behind the dish. He’s struggled at the major league level so far in 2022 but slashed .298/.367/.394 at Triple-A this season before his first call to the majors. If Moreno can maintain the incredible bat-to-ball skills that we’ve seen in the minors and recapture the .270 ISO ability that he showed in Double-A in 2021 then the sky is the limit.
Four – Grayson Rodriguez, LHP, Baltimore Orioles
MLB’s top pitching prospect is the big lefty in the Orioles system, Grayson Rodriguez. At six-foot-five, 220 pounds, Rodriguez is a dominant presence on the mound. His five-pitch repertoire features some of the minors’ most advanced stuff. His fastball and slider are downright dominant but somehow may not be as good as his changeup. All five of his pitches are plus-plus to downright elite and he pairs that mix with at least average command.
With a mix like Rodriguez brings, the floor is sky-high for the lefty. With such a high floor, his ceiling is that of a frontline ace. He could truly develop into the game’s very best pitcher in due time. Between two levels at High-A and Double-A in 2021, Rodriguez dominated with 161 strikeouts in just 103 innings. He walked just 27 batters in that span. He’s only improved there in 2022. He’s truly the pinnacle when it comes to minor league pitchers and stands alone in that tier.
Five – Jordan Walker, Third Base, St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Walker has prodigious power potential at the hot corner. He’s a plus fielder with average speed and average to below-average plate discipline. If Walker can continue to refine his approach at the plate and display the power he possesses then the ceiling is outstanding. His floor remains fairly high regardless thanks to his fielding ability and speed. After walking just six percent of the time in 2021, he’s re-found his approach some with a ten percent walk rate in 2022. He’s done so while flashing his elite power (13 home runs through just 92 games so far).
Go get it, kids. Jordan Walker sends them racing over the berm. Estimated 431-foot jack for the @Cardinals' No. 1 prospect (and MLB's No. 6) with @Sgf_Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/ROUaaW8u9N — MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 31, 2022
Six – Gunnar Henderson, Third Base, Baltimore Orioles
Gunnar Henderson has played his share of shortstop and third base in the minors but likely transitions to the hot corner full time by the time he reaches the major leagues. He’s an average defender at short but features a cannon of an arm and should become a plus defender at the hot corner. After he struggled with strikeouts to kick off his major league career, he seemed to put things together at Double-A this season.
In 47 games for El Paso this season, he walked more than he struck out thanks to a gaudy 19.7% walk rate. Oh, he also slashed a ferocious .312/.452/.573. If the blend of power, plate discipline, and hit tool that we’ve seen from Henderson this year is the real deal, he’s destined to be a start at third for years to come.
Seven – Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
Espino is ready to join a long line of successful pitchers from the ranks of Cleveland’s minor leagues. He was drafted with exceptional velocity and the organization has done well to add pitches to his repertoire. Those pitches — a plus-plus slider, above-average curveball, and average changeup — figure to make him frontline starter material.
Although he’s faced health issues this season, dealing with tendinitis in his knee, his performance from last season should be lost on no one. After dominating High-A for ten starts to the tune of a 3.20 FIP with a 13.50 SO9, he was promoted to Double-A. While there, he threw 10 more starts on the season and actually struck out more batters with a 16.16 SO9 and an even lower FIP at 3.08.
Eight – Anthony Volpe, Shortstop, New York Yankees
Volpe was selected by the Yankees with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. He’s refined his swing and approach to find more power and has been able to do so without sacrificing much in terms of his hit tool. 2021 saw him crank 27 homers in just 109 games between Low-A and High-A. At Double-A this season, the power output has declined some, but he still owns a .209 ISO with an excellent 11.5% walk rate.
Long-term, Volpe isn’t destined for the shortstop position. His glove is below average for the position and he’s likely to make the move to second base in the near future. Even still, his profile is still well-above average at the plate and will certainly be worth keeping in the lineup whether it be shortstop or second base.
Nine – Henry Davis, Catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates
Davis is just a year removed from being selected as the draft’s first overall pick by the Pirates. His power potential is downright explosive. Unfortunately, he’s been unable to showcase that power so far in his minor league career. He’s played in just 39 games this season between High-A and Double-A. His ISO at Double-A this season is a mediocre .177.
Long-term, if Davis can prove his power potential to be the real deal and pair it with a strong approach at the plate, he could be an impact bat at the major league level. The biggest question about his future lies in his ability behind the dish. So far, the limited game action leaves us unsure of what he will show at the plate and his ability with the glove makes a move to first base a real possibility. Raw potential is there, but that’s all we’re hanging our hat on with Davis so far.
Ten – Eury Perez, RHP, Miami Marlins
The Marlins signed Perez in 2019 out of the Dominican Republic for just $200,000. Since then, he’s added 45 pounds and is starting to fill his magnificent frame. At an astounding six-foot-eight, Perez is a physical specimen on the mound. He has a four-pitch mix featuring a mid-90s fastball, plus slider and changeup, and an at-least average bender as well. Despite a solid mix, his best trait may actually be his stupendous control on the mound.
Although his 5.32 FIP screamed of regression in 2021, he’s struck out 12.5 per nine over his first 70 innings this season. He’s done so while limiting damage, sporting an impressive 3.45 FIP. Perez is raw, but the ceiling is a frontline starter thanks to his control and projectability. He’s just 19.
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