With the 2020 MLB draft in the books, all 30 teams just added multiple prospects to their organizations, with several seeing a change at the top of their internal prospect rankings. Here’s a snapshot look at which teams just added their new No. 1 overall prospect or new No. 2 behind their previous top prospects.
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New No. 1 prospects
Spencer Torkelson was No. 2 on my Big Board and seems like a very high-floor prospect who should advance through the low minors quickly once he gets a chance to play there. He gives the Tigers a second elite position-player prospect, along with 2019 first-rounder Riley Greene, and I think he slots in ahead of their top prospect before the draft, 2018 No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize, who has top-of-the-rotation potential but also missed some time in 2019 with shoulder inflammation. Mize wasn’t his usual self when he returned from the injured list, leading the Tigers to shut him down for the year in August. That’s reason enough for me to put a top-end bat over him on the organization’s list.
The Blue Jays took my No. 1 overall prospect in the draft class, infielder/center fielder Austin Martin, an elite hitter with athleticism, some speed and the potential to play multiple skill positions. They also had a darn good No. 1 prospect in their system before the draft in right-hander Nate Pearson, 11th overall on my top 100 this winter. Whether you prefer Martin or Pearson likely comes down to whether you’d take a position player or a pitcher — since both have very high ceilings — and how much value you’d place on Pearson’s proximity to the majors (he could pitch this year if there’s a season) versus Martin perhaps being a year to a year and a half away.
The Brewers had my lowest-ranked farm system coming into 2020, and obviously nothing’s changed on that front. Their No. 1 prospect, and only top 100 prospect, was Brice Turang, their first-round pick in 2018, a high school shortstop with strong defense who had a solid full-season debut last year but didn’t show power. He still has enough questions around his hit tool that I would put their 2020 first-rounder, UCLA center fielder Garrett Mitchell, ahead of him. Mitchell is also a superlative defender, and is an 80 runner, with some questions around his hit tool as well, but he’s also closer to the majors than Turang is and I think offers a little higher floor.
This one could be a game-time decision for me whenever I update the global ranking. Their top prospect coming into the season was infielder Brendan Rodgers, No. 40 overall and 54 at-bats away from graduating from the list (which he will likely get whenever MLB resumes). Zac Veen, their first pick this year and No. 9 overall, was the top high school prospect in the draft class and fifth on my Big Board, probably slotting in around the middle of a top 100, right around where Rodgers was. Right now, I’d probably still take Rodgers, given his proximity to the majors and ability to play in the middle of the field, but he also hasn’t performed up to expectations and struggled in his cup of coffee last year before his injury. Veen could easily jump past him once he gets to play — or it could be resolved by Rodgers playing two more weeks in the majors.
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New No. 2 prospects
The Royals’ current No. 1 prospect is lefty Daniel Lynch, who would likely have started this year in Double A and seen time in the majors had we had a typical season and even now is just on the cusp of a major-league debut. Their first pick last week, lefty Asa Lacy, is at least Lynch’s equal in pure stuff, and his fastball seems to play a little better than Lynch’s, but he’s one to two years away from being ready to help in the majors. I’d take Lacy over anyone else in the Royals’ system, even over their first pick in the 2019 draft class, high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who just turned 20 this past week and is still probably three solid years away, with some work to do at the plate to get to an average hit tool.
Cade Cavalli would slot in as the Nats’ No. 2 prospect for me, behind the major-league ready infielder Carter Kieboom but ahead of shortstop Luis Garcia or last year’s first-rounder, Jackson Rutledge. This is a bit more subjective than my other choices on this list, since Cavalli himself is far from a finished product — he was a two-way player until this spring and is still more of a stuff/athleticism prospect with upside — but I think he has a better chance to remain a starter long-term than Rutledge, and offers more upside than Garcia.
Max Meyer was No. 4 on my Big Board and the flame-throwing right-hander could see time in the majors in a relief role very soon, although his long-term spot should be in the rotation. I’d slot him in below shortstop Jazz Chisholm — who has superstar upside and seemed to turn his season around after a midseason trade from Arizona for Zac Gallen — but probably just ahead of Edward Cabrera, the Marlins’ top pitching prospect and No. 2 in their system coming into 2020.
(Photo of Cavalli: Ty Russell / Oklahoma Athletics)
