With no minor-league season in 2020, including the cancellation of the Arizona Fall League, and only four weekends to the 2020 college season before the pandemic ended it, I haven’t seen a game in person since watching Zac Veen at his high school on March 5, 2020. We do have a college season now, with some high schoolers playing; we might have a minor-league season starting in May. Once I’m vaccinated, I’ll go back to the part of this job I love most: seeing players.
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Many of you have asked me in the last few weeks which prospects I’m most looking forward to seeing when games resume and I feel safe going back to the ballpark. (I’ll still wear a mask, though.) I decided to turn that into a column, highlighting the players I’ll try to go see as soon as circumstances permit. Some I’ve never seen. Some I haven’t seen in a long time, but I’ve heard they have made significant changes to their bodies, mechanics or skills.
This is not a list of sleepers, or any indicator that I like these prospects more than others I didn’t list. These are just guys I’m particularly interested in seeing so I can line up what I’ve heard with what the players actually look like, and add my own evaluations to any future rankings or write-ups. It also doesn’t mean I’ll see all of these players, since I’ll be somewhat limited by geography and, for now, to what I can see by driving. But in a perfect world — where The Athletic rents a private jet for me for the season — here’s who I’d chase down.
AL East
Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, SS
I’ve been doing this job since 2006, and I’ve gone quite a ways to see some players — Byron Buxton, Jarrod Parker and Braxton Garrett come to mind as guys who were a particularly long drive from anywhere — but I try to pick my spots in a way that I can see multiple first-rounders with every spring trip. That often leaves out high school players who aren’t near anyone else in their particular draft year, like Trevor Rogers in 2017 or Henderson in 2019, so when they’re drafted high and/or given large bonuses, both of which applied to Henderson (42nd overall, $2.3 million bonus), I want to see them as soon as I can.
Boston Red Sox: Thad Ward, RHP
Ward was one of my top targets in 2020, as the fifth-round pick in 2018 improved over the course of his first full season in the minors enough to project as a big-league starter, and was ticketed to at least start the year in Double A. I assume he’ll start there or in Triple A this year, and would like to see the quality of his stuff and his present command to better evaluate just what level of starter he might become.
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New York Yankees: T.J. Sikkema, LHP
Jasson Dominguez is the obvious name here, but you already know all about him. Sikkema earned rave reviews from area scouts in 2019 when the Yankees drafted him in the supplemental round, 38th overall, but New York was careful with him that summer, having him throw just 10 2/3 innings in four widely spaced outings for Staten Island, and so far that’s his entire pro resume. He’s a three-pitch guy who changes speeds and even arm slots to get hitters out, and pitchers who use or even rely on deception as a big part of their approaches are the type of pitcher I especially want to see in person, since there isn’t really a TV angle that can replicate what scouts see from behind the plate. The Yankees could use some starting pitching depth in the next year or two, and while the focus in their system has been on the guys who’ve debuted already (Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt) or hard throwers (Luis Medina, Luis Gil), Sikkema could move very quickly through the minors if he’s as advertised.
Tampa Bay Rays: Osleivis Basabe, SS/3B
Basabe was the Rangers’ No. 11 prospect going into 2020, and they seemed excited about his upside, but they traded him to the Rays in the Nate Lowe trade in December. Perhaps it’s the Basabes’ lot in life to be dealt: His cousins, Luis Alejandro and Luis Alexander Basabe, have also been traded three times between them. Osleivis is only 20, makes hard contact without striking out much, and projects to move over to third base, all things I’d like to see in person — and since I have seen almost all of Tampa Bay’s prospects above him at some point, he’s one of their best guys I’ve never laid eyes on.
Toronto Blue Jays: Gabriel Moreno, C
Alejandro Kirk is the flavor of the moment in Toronto for good reason. He went from A-ball in 2019 to the majors last year and showed no problem at all hitting major-league stuff, while he’s a fan favorite already for his relatively adipose physique. Moreno is further away from the majors, having played in Low A in 2019, but he’s very athletic, has a great feel to hit, rarely strikes out, and projects to stay at catcher in the long term. Kirk might be their catcher of the present but Moreno might be the Jays’ real catcher of the future.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox: Jake Burger, 3B/1B
I think it’s fair to say Burger is one of the prospects everyone would most like to see on a field this year, as the snakebit former first-rounder hasn’t appeared in a game since Sept. 4, 2017, suffering two major leg injuries and then losing the year to the pandemic. He did play somewhere in 2020, in a tiny collegiate summer league, which is great but no substitute for facing mid-minors pitching. I’d also really like to see how well he’s moving after the injuries and a year where, per the White Sox, he worked hard on conditioning and agility to try to stay at third base. But really, I’d just like to see the kid get to play, if only for his own sake.
Jake Burger (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Cleveland: George Valera, OF
Valera has been hurt every time I’ve tried to see him, including in March 2019, so my ranking of him at No. 76 overall is based on very strong reports from scouts and watching him on video. Valera has huge power and makes hard contact when he squares it up, but there’s some tendency to chase here, and scouts who’ve seen him on back fields have speculated he’ll raise his game as he faces better competition. I’d like to see him against pitchers with good secondary stuff to see if and how he expands the zone, and to see him in full-season ball where he’s closer to the majors to see if he does indeed play up to the level of competition.
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Detroit Tigers: Franklin Pérez, RHP
Pérez went to the Tigers at the end of August 2017 in the Justin Verlander trade and has made just nine starts in two seasons (not counting 2020) for Detroit due to multiple arm injuries. He’s supposed to make his spring debut on Wednesday afternoon, and by all accounts is healthy. Once upon a time, Pérez was 92-96 with a plus changeup and above-average control, although his command wasn’t yet average and I thought the Astros pumped up his value by running him up to Double A at age 19 before trading him. It would be found money for the Tigers if he’s back to throwing strikes with that sort of stuff.
Kansas City Royals: Jon Heasley, RHP
Nick Pratto is probably the bigger name to watch, as the Royals raved about the progress he made with his swing at the alternate site last year, but I’m more intrigued by Heasley because I’ve never seen him (while I have probably seen Pratto too much). Heasley was a 13th-round pick out of Oklahoma State, whose coaches did him no favors, but blossomed into a four-pitch starter with better command and control once he got into pro ball. The Royals have many, many starters ahead of him on their depth chart, but perhaps the promotions of their top picks from that same 2018 draft class, including Kris Bubic and Brady Singer, will make room for Heasley to continue to work as a starter.
Minnesota Twins: Josh Winder, RHP
Winder is one of the best examples of guys I want to see because I’ve heard they improved substantially, in a way that completely changes their outlooks, during the shutdown. The Twins’ seventh-rounder in 2018 went from average-ish stuff to touching 97 in instructs with a four-pitch mix, so while he was kind of an afterthought/extra starter prospect before, he might have a mid-rotation ceiling now. I don’t usually go see seventh-rounders, and Winder went to Virginia Military Institute in the Big South conference, a school I’ve never seen play in person since Winder is their highest-drafted player since 1995. I’d love to see how this looks from behind the plate and from the side to boost my own evaluation of whether he might have some upside as a starter.
AL West
Houston Astros: Pedro León, OF
The Astros’ No. 3 prospect, León signed for $4 million this January as an international free agent, the highest bonus any player received in this signing period. One reason he earned that bonus is his age — he’s 22, whereas most international free agents are 16, so he should be able to contribute in the majors sooner. The other reason is that he has some potentially elite tools — 80 speed and an 80 arm, with plus raw power — that could make him a superstar if his hit tool measures up. He hasn’t played in an actual game in over two years, and his strong performances in Cuba could also reflect the depleted talent level in the Serie Nacional, so I would really like to see him in games against real pitching, while also getting my first live look at his physique and his swing.
Los Angeles Angels: Chris Rodriguez, RHP
Rodriguez missed all of 2018 and made just three starts in 2019 around a serious back injury, but is supposed to be over that now and has even made one appearance already this spring, which is in and of itself great news. He’s still throwing hard, with good sink and plenty of strikes, and if he’s healthy now he can get back to working on consistency with the slider and changeup. When I last saw him — Mar. 26, 2019, to be precise — his delivery was still rough and it was hurting his ability to command the fastball, so I’d like to see where his stuff is as well as whether he’s better able to repeat his delivery now.
Oakland Athletics: Jeff Criswell, RHP
I didn’t see Criswell last spring before the world ended, but probably wouldn’t have anyway, as he was more of a two-pitch guy with a violent delivery that pointed to the bullpen. By instructs, however, he’d cleaned up the delivery, was hitting 97, and was showing four pitches. That’s a different guy than scouts saw at Michigan and exactly the sort of player I like to try to see in spring training if I can, so I can see how dramatic the changes are and if I think they’ll stick.
Seattle Mariners: Noelvi Marte, SS
Marte, the Mariners’ No. 6 prospect, signed for $1.55 million in 2018 and would have made his U.S. debut in 2020 if not for the pandemic. He’s a power-hitting shortstop who showed a pretty good eye at the plate in the DSL in 2019, and even with the lost year he’ll play all of 2021 at age 19, probably doing so with Low-A Modesto. I’ve never seen him live, since he has yet to play here in the U.S., but would like to see his swing in person and to get a sense of his frame and build to see if I agree with scouts who worry he’ll outgrow shortstop.
Noelvi Marte (Associated Press / Elaine Thompson)
Texas Rangers: Maximo Acosta, SS / Tekoah Roby, RHP
Acosta took home a $1.65 million bonus in 2019, as the Venezuelan shortstop was supposed to have an advanced approach and a good chance to stay at shortstop. He’s since surpassed Bayron Lora, an outfielder who signed with Texas in the same period for more than twice the money, as the Rangers’ best Latin American prospect still in the minors, although we have yet to see him play in any actual games. Roby was their third-round pick in 2020 out of a high school on the Florida panhandle, and could end up with three above-average pitches, including a fastball up to 96. Both will make their pro debuts at some point this year, probably in the Arizona Rookie League.
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NL East
Atlanta: Victor Vodnik, RHP
A 14th-round pick in the 2018 draft, Vodnik was the highest-drafted high school player Atlanta signed that year, since its first-rounder Carter Stewart didn’t sign. Vodnik is a 6-foot right-hander, a category of pitcher that I think is still a little undervalued in baseball, with what is regularly described to me as a great delivery — which I usually like, although I have been fooled by pretty deliveries before (“Casey Kelly on line one for you, sir”). I’d love to see this delivery, and his plus fastball and changeup, in person. You could also add a half-dozen players from the 2019 draft class to the list as well.
Miami Marlins: Peyton Burdick, OF
Burdick’s name comes up a lot when I ask scouts about the Marlins’ system, but since he played at Wright State in the Horizon League and has just one summer of pro experience, it’s hard to determine Peyton’s place in my rankings. He’s a corner outfielder, so his value is all in his bat, but he’s very strong and should hit for power and get on base at a good clip — or, at least, he did that in his one brief pro exposure. He just turned 24 last month, however, and there’s more time pressure on him now than there might have been had he played last year and at least reached Double A. I don’t doubt the power but I really want to see the approach and how he adjusts to certain counts and pitch types.
New York Mets: Francisco Alvarez, C
Alvarez was one of my top targets to see going into 2020 when he was clearly emerging as one of the Mets’ best prospects, and he’s the highest-ranked guy on my top 100 whom I’ve never seen. (I was fortunate to see both Spencer Torkelsen and Austin Martin as sophomores, since I never got to either guy last spring.) Everyone raves about Alvarez’s bat, and while I’d like to see him hit, I’d like to spend some time watching him catch as well, since his superstar potential comes down to him becoming a solid defender behind the plate while hitting like a corner player.
Philadelphia Phillies: Luis Garcia, SS / Johan Rojas, OF
The Phillies’ system has taken a real hit the last few years, something I’ve written about in my org report and in a longer piece with Meghan Montemurro, but Garcia and Rojas are two of the prospects here who could boost this system’s overall standing with strong 2021s. Garcia was rushed to Low A in 2019, as he was not physically mature enough for that level, but he’s gotten stronger and was showing a faster bat in instructs last year. He has the tools to be a superstar, with an impact bat and glove at shortstop, but that won’t matter until he hits. Rojas also has some premium tools, including plus bat speed, and makes a lot of hard contact, but hasn’t played above short-season yet. I’ve seen Garcia several times, but he looked utterly defeated by mid-2019 because he was so overmatched, and I’d like to see how his body and demeanor look now, while I haven’t seen Rojas at all.
Washington Nationals: Andry Lara, RHP
A 6-4 righty with a smooth delivery, low effort, good velocity and potential with both the curve and changeup? Why wouldn’t I want to go see that guy? The Nats gave Lara $1.25 million in 2019 but he hasn’t pitched in an actual game yet, and last year was a wash for him as COVID-19 protocols left him stuck in the team hotel for most of the summer. The Venezuelan right-hander just turned 18 in January, so he’ll probably pitch in the GCL this summer, although if I get to the east coast of Florida in April I’d love to go see him pitch on the back fields during minor-league spring training.
NL Central
Chicago Cubs: Yohendrick Pinango, OF
The Cubs’ system doesn’t have a ton of upside in it, but Pinango gives them one of their better chances to develop another middle-of-the-order bat, with potential power along with what is reportedly a good approach for his age. He earned solid reviews from scouts at instructs who bought into the future power even though he hasn’t hit a pro homer yet.
Cincinnati Reds: Jacob Heatherly, LHP
Heatherly was a potential first-rounder after the summer of 2016, had a bad spring in 2017, went in the third round, and then missed most of 2019 with shoulder tightness and a personal matter, so he’s something of a forgotten man in the Reds’ system. He was back up to 97 again in instructs, with a plus curveball, and he could easily be a top 100 prospect if he just shows that stuff in games and throws something like a full season.
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Milwaukee Brewers: Eduardo Garcia, SS
The Brewers spent big in international free agency in 2018, with three players signing for $1 million or more, and Garcia has emerged as the best player from that group so far, doing so well that the Brewers brought him to their satellite camp last summer. He won’t turn 19 until July, and has just 40 pro plate appearances so far, all in the DSL in 2019, so very few people outside the organization have seen him other than in instructs last fall. In a depleted system, he could be their top prospect in a year or two, so I’d like to get my first look at him now.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Liover Peguero, SS
Peguero was the most important player coming back from Arizona in the trade that sent Starling Marte to the Diamondbacks, but the Pirates haven’t gotten to see him play in actual games yet. He’s a shortstop with high contact rates, but has apparently started to fill out physically, so he’s making harder contact and might come into some more power. I’d like to see how much stronger he is, and if he’s changed his swing at all to loft the ball some more.
St. Louis Cardinals: Jhon Torres, OF
Torres has been in the Cardinals’ system since July 2018 but hasn’t played above Low A yet, so he seems like he’s far away, but if reports of him finally filling out and starting to drive the ball farther are true he might move quickly through the high minors. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Torres unless it was briefly in spring training at some point, but have heard enough positive things from scouts to rank him highly (No. 6) within the Cardinals’ system going into this season.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks: Conor Grammes, RHP
Grammes couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in college, when he was still an infielder and starting pitcher, but he was a different cat in instructs last fall, enough so that there’s reason to think he can work as a starter long-term. He had first-round stuff at Xavier, but fell to the fifth round in 2019 because he walked 46 guys in 68 innings in a mid-major conference after walking nine in nine innings on the Cape the summer before. I always want to go see pitchers with this kind of stuff — up to 100 with two very sharp breaking balls — in person, but command is such a nebulous thing that I prefer to see it myself whenever possible.
Colorado Rockies: Brenton Doyle, OF
Doyle was the Rockies’ fourth-round pick out of Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia in 2019, showing exceptional raw tools and a history of production, albeit against much weaker competition than most college players face. Needless to say, I have never seen Shepherd University play, and I’ve never seen Doyle, but a player with his reported tools but with this little high-level experience is a unicorn, and I’d love to see how his approach measures up. If he can hit low-minors pitching it definitely improves his floor.
Andre Jackson (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Andre Jackson, RHP
Jackson’s fascinating for a few reasons. He’s still new to pitching, throwing just 20 innings in two years as a two-way player at Utah before Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2017 season, although the Dodgers still drafted and signed him in the 12th round that June. He’s an outstanding athlete who’s already improved substantially in pro ball, even just from 2018 (when he walked 41 guys in 49 2/3 innings in Low A) to 2019 (when he walked 57 guys in 114 2/3 innings between Low and High A). And he’s a Dodger pitching prospect, which is a very good thing to be, given how well they seem to develop players, with Walker Buehler, Dustin May and perhaps now Josiah Gray all exceeding expectations in their system.
San Diego Padres: Anderson Espinoza, RHP
Two Tommy John surgeries later, Espinoza is supposed to be back and ready to go, with the fastball and changeup where they were before his elbow first broke down. Espinoza was among the top right-handed pitching prospects in baseball before he got hurt, and I would at least like to see how he compares to when I saw him then, before he was even traded to the Padres, although assessing his durability will be a matter of data rather than observation.
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San Francisco Giants: Luis Matos, OF
Marco Luciano gets most of the publicity as the best prospect in the Giants’ incoming wave of Latin American prospects, but Matos, who hails from Venezuela, is the second-best guy in the group and the one who has the best chance to stay in the middle of the field and provide strong value on defense as well as at the plate. He raked in the DSL in 2019, but hasn’t played above the complex leagues yet, and his swing can get out of control because he has such quick hands and swings so hard. I’d really like to see how he reacts to better pitching, especially when he’s behind in the count, when he gets to Low A this year.
(Top photo of Thad Ward: Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)
