This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The immense (and enviable) depth in the system means that there may not be many opportunities for prospects in 2015 despite the high level of talent ready to contribute. The club already has a solid mix of high-ceiling youngsters like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts and newly-acquired veteran players like Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to go with the established stars on the club. The biggest opportunity for youngsters to break into the Majors will likely come on the mound.

1. Henry Owens, LHP: As mentioned above, the enviable depth on the mound in Boston is evident but the back end of the Sox rotation could be vulnerable to injury and/or inconsistency — which could create opportunity for Owens. The tall, lanky southpaw spent most of 2014 in Double-A but also made six appears in Triple-A. His command and control are both hit and miss at times but, when he’s on, he can be down right dominant as witnessed by his 170 strikeouts in 159 innings last season. Just 22, he should be ready for The Show in just his fourth pro season.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: Pitching should be the strength of the Orioles’ freshman class of 2015, with no fewer than six pitchers nearly ready to take a big bite out of The Show. The more advanced hitters in the system don’t have huge ceilings but they could develop into solid complementary players.

1. Dylan Bundy, RHP: Bundy’s meteoric rise through the minors was halted by Tommy John surgery and he missed the entire 2013 season. The 22-year-old right-hander returned to the mound in 2014 but appeared in just nine games. He’ll hopefully enter 2015 with no restrictions and open the year in Double-A. If his elbow appears sound, and his command returns, he could be a solid contributor in Baltimore during the second half of the year. He still has top-of-the-rotation potential.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The massive roster overhaul by Padres’ front office has shed some prospects in trades and block others with newly-acquired veteran players. The outfield is especially deep with nine outfielders on the 40-man roster, which doesn’t bode well for the two outfield prospects on the list below (one of whom isn’t even on the 40-man).

1. Matt Wisler, RHP: Like the outfield, San Diego has beefed up the pitching depth, which could leave Wisler in Triple-A for much of the season. However, a number of the pitchers are well-acquainted with the disabled list (such as Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson) so that depth will likely be tested in 2015… and this young hurler is tops in the system. Even if he doesn’t break into the starting rotation this year, though, Wisler could make an impact in the bullpen where his stuff could play up and thrive.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Giants’ freshman class of 2015 doesn’t have a lot of depth but it has a strong hitting prospect, a number of capable arms and even a guy that can make things happen with his feet — when he manages to get on base. All in all it should be decent but unspectacular.

1. Andrew Susac, C: Veteran backstop Buster Posey has been seeing increased playing time at first base to try and shield him from injury. Susac could be the guy that finally pushes the former MVP to first permanently. The rookie backstop is a competent defender and has enough hitting skill to become an above-average hitter for a catcher. Because he’s lost some development time to injuries in the past, it will be understandable if the Giants want Susac to open the year back in Triple-A. But if back-up Henry Sanchez struggles again with the bat, it may be too tempting for the front office to give the freshman a shot on this perennial-playoff team.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Rockies aren’t known for developing successful pitchers but the organization should benefit from a strong wave of arms.

1. Eddie Butler, RHP: Butler suffered through a down year — by his standards — as he struggled with injuries and consistency. Even so, he made three MLB starts and should enjoy much more time in The Show in 2015. In a bubble, prospect-mate Jonathan Gray might be the better pitcher, but Butler is better suited to pitching in Colorado due to his heavy stuff and ground-ball tendencies. If healthy, he has the ceiling of a No. 2/3 starter.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: Despite a veteran-heavy roster, the Dodgers may receive the biggest impact from freshman players in 2015 than any other club thanks to a solid mix of ceiling and polish.

1. Joc Pederson, OF: I’ve been cautious with my expectations for Pederson over the past few years but I’ve finally jumped in with both feet. The trade of Matt Kemp also helps clear some of the roadblock in front of him. He spent all of 2014 at the Triple-A level at the age of 22 and was a 30-30 player (homers-steals) while hitting more than .300. The only thing that might slow him down in the early stages of his big league career is his struggles with southpaws, but he made huge strides in that area last season. Pederson should open the year as the Dodgers’ starting center-fielder.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Diamondbacks made a lot of moves this winter in an effort to get younger and boost up their farm system. I actually prefer most of the in-house prospects they already had when compared to the near-MLB-ready talent they brought in. From a ceiling perspective, and compared to the rest of the league, Arizona could have some of the best prospects contribute at the big league level in 2015.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: Promotions and trades (not to mention so-so draft results) have left the system somewhat bare and the ceilings for upper-level talents modest. The list below definitely lacks a “wow” factor.

1. Stephen Piscotty, OF: The Jason Heyward trade was good news for Cardinals fans, but not as well received (I would assume) by the family and friends of Piscotty. A former third baseman, he was being groomed as the next corner outfielder in St. Louis before the deal put the kibosh on that for 2015 — unless an injury occurs to Heyward or Matt Holliday. He has a chance to hit .280-.300 with 15 or so homers. Piscotty makes good contact and will even steal the odd base.

2. Marco Gonzales, LHP: A polished southpaw, Gonzales has a modest ceiling considering he was selected 19th overall in the 2013 amateur draft. He doesn’t have “stellar stuff” but he succeeds due to above-average command/control (although that slipped during his MLB debut) and a plus changeup. Gonzales has a chance to settle in as a No. 3/4 starter. He’ll compete for a rotation spot in spring training but he has the likes of Jaime Garcia, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez ahead of him, which means he could be destined for more Triple-A time or a bullpen spot.

3. Randal Grichuk, OF: Like Piscotty, the acquisition of Jason Heyward puts a damper on the 2015 outlook. However, Grichuk is a little ahead of his fellow rookie on the depth chart (but has a lower ceiling) so he may spend the year with sporadic playing time as the club’s fourth or fifth outfielder. The young outfielder has some pop in his bat but his overly-aggressive approach puts a dent in his production and hurts both his on-base percentage and his ability to make consistent contact.

4. Tim Cooney, LHP: Cooney, 24, is very similar to Gonzales. The southpaw’s best asset is his changeup, followed by perhaps his durability or command/control. He was prone to the home run ball in 2014 at the Triple-A level so it’s something to be cautious of as he settles into a big league role. Unless injuries blow through the Cardinals’ starting staff in 2015, Cooney is likely to see his first big league action or a middle or long reliever. His ultimate ceiling is that of a No. 4 starter.

5. Sam Tuivailala, RHP: A former pro shortstop, it took Tuivailala a couple of seasons to acclimatized himself the new role on the mound. Things really clicked in 2014, though, and played at four different levels, including the Majors. He features an upper-90s fastball and promising curveball, which should allow him to eventually settle in as a high-leverage reliever.

This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Pirates have pretty solid depth on the field, although the catcher and shortstop positions feature fringe-average starters. The pitching staff has a couple of question marks.

1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP: The Pirates should open 2015 with a solid starting rotation featuring a mix of young power and veteran guile. Glasnow is the future of the Pittsburgh staff, although he spent the 2014 in A-ball. The right-hander struck out 157 batters in just 124.1 innings of work and held his opponents to a .174 batting average. He’ll open 2015 in Double-A and has the talent to reach the Majors in the second half of the year despite his inexperience.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Brewers enter 2014 with few question marks in the field and a strong starting rotation. However, no team has too much pitching, so there’s always a need there… and the bullpen is a potential weaknesses.

1. Taylor Jungmann, RHP: Jungmann is an underrated pitcher because he doesn’t throw as hard as he once did and because he prefers to put the ball in play (on the ground) rather than chase the “sexier” out via the whiff. With that said, the right-hander out of Texas did see a significant spike in his K-rate in 2014 (while maintaining his strong GB rate) thanks to a change in approach (including pitching more off his fastball). The strong-bodied Jungmann has a chance to be a mid-rotation workhorse for the Brewers beginning in 2015.

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