The Nationals system has a few impact players but has a significant lack of depth — especially amongst the arms.

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1. Victor Robles | OF | AAA —> Robles spent much of the year on the sidelines dealing with injuries while fellow outfield prospect Juan Soto zoomed to the Majors and had a major impact. If healthy in 2019, Robles should have a strong year, too, and has the ability to impact the game in almost every aspect. He is extremely athletic and has a chance to hit for average, power (although this will be his last tool to fully develop), steal a ton of bases and play plus defence.

2. Carter Kieboom | SS | AA —> Kieboom split the year between A-ball and double-A while showing solid offensive potential. And he has yet to fully tap into his raw power, which is manifesting more as gap pop right now. He also has a chance to produce above-average on-base numbers. Defensively, he has a chance to be an average shortstop but may eventually move to third base.

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The Phillies have a pitching-heavy Top 10 list but there are some intriguing bats sprinkled in — including Alex Bohm, who could develop into a middle-of-the-order power threat.

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1. Sixto Sanchez | RHP | A+ —> Sanchez’s pitch-ability belies his age. The 20-year-old takes advantage of above-average athleticism which helps him throw a solid number of strikes and also do a good of commanding his three-pitch mix (including a mid-to-high-90s fastball). His change-up and curve give him two other weapons that should be better than average. Standing just 6-feet, durability is a concern and he missed a good chunk of 2018 with elbow issues.

2. Alec Bohm | 3B | SS —> A monster at the plate at 6-5, 225 pounds, Bohn went third overall in the 2018 draft due to his intriguing mix of hitting ability and power. He has a chance to hit for a solid average while also taking a healthy number of walks. Bohm, 22, will have increased value if he can stick at third base but he’s not known as a strong defender and may have to shift to first base. Either way, his offensive abilities should allow him to move quickly and he could open 2019 in high-A ball.

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The Mets down have the deepest system but there are some potential impact players bubbling up to the surface, as well as some intriguing sleepers.

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1. Peter Alonso | 1B | AAA —> After flashing his potential in 2017, Alonso fully broke out this past season. He split the year between double-A and triple-A while mashing 36 homers. He also walked 76 times in 132 games (along with 128 Ks). The swing-and-miss tendencies will impact his ability to hit for average but he’s also still growing as a hitter and has shown the ability to make adjustments. He’s not overly athletic or quick so he may never be better than average at first base but the power should give him the ability to be an impact hitter.

2. Jarred Kelenic | OF | R —> Kelenic has a good plan at the plate, as well as a controlled, short swing that is quick to the ball. He also appears willing to use the whole field at times. A 2018 first rounder out of high school, he acclimatized quickly to pro ball and is said to have great makeup, which should help him get full value out of his tools. I’m not sold on his power potential but he could hit for average, get a healthy number of walks, steal bases and play above-average defence.

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They’re in rebuilding mode but the Marlins system is pretty weak. They haven’t drafted all that well in recent years, have seen a rash of injuries throughout their system and didn’t get much in return when trading their assets (The return for Giancarlo Stanton was embarrassing).

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1. Sandy Alcantara | RHP | AAA —> The first of many flamethrowers on this list, Alcantara can work in the upper-90s with his fastball while flashing two average-or-better secondary offerings with his slider and changeup. He also has a great pitcher’s frame, which suggests he might grow into the ability to pitch 200+ innings. Alcantara biggest need is to improve his consistency and command. He has No. 2/3 starter upside if he continues developing along his current path.

2. Trevor Rogers | LHP | A —> A Tommy John survivor, the Marlins 2017 first-round pick made his pro debut in 2018 in low-A ball and looked good. He has a huge frame and should be capable of pitching lots of innings if his elbow holds up. He has a low-90s fastball with his slider being his next best offering. He has a four-pitch mix but both the curveball and changeup need work. Rogers did a nice job keeping the ball in the park during his debut and induced a lot of ground-ball outs.

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The Cardinals don’t have the deepest system in the word but there are some interesting prospects littered throughout the system. And the upper half of the Top 10 has some helium potential.

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1. Alex Reyes | RHP | DL —> When healthy, Reyes has the ability to be one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball. He has three better-than-average offerings when his command is on but the control also lets him down — and hasn’t had much of a chance to get better with all the layoff time. Reyes can hit triple-digits with the heater and his curveball is a swing-and-miss offerings. The members of the Cardinals front office (and fans) will hold their collective breathes until Reyes returns healthy to the mound, hopefully for Opening Day 2019.

2. Nolan Gorman | 3B | A —> Gorman has a chance to be a beast. However, he also has a chance to de-evolve into Joey Gallo — a player who swings for the fences every single time and doesn’t have an ounce of strategy at the plate beyond the grip-and-rip. Gorman, 18, had a nice approach in rookie ball but it started to fall away in A-ball when he started to chase the homers more often. He’ll likely return to A-ball in 2019 and I’d like to see him put the homer swing in his back pocket for a while and work on pitch recognition, handling curveballs and just polishing the hit tool. Defensively, he has a chance to be average but he needs some work to get there.

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The Reds system may not have the most depth to it but it has a nice mix of high-ceiling players and toolsy, raw players with upside.

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1. Nick Senzel | 3B | AAA —> Senzel appeared to be on a collision course with the Majors in 2018 but injuries derailed those hopes. He appeared in just 44 games but more than held his own at the big league level. In his prime, Senzel should hit for average, get on base at a strong rate and produce average or better pop. His defensive home has yet to be 100% settled but he could be a solid third baseman. After some lost development time in 2018, this young hitter may not open next year in The Show but he should be there by mid-year.

2. Taylor Trammell | OF | A+ —> Trammell is finally getting some of the recognition that he deserves but he’s still better than most people realize. An extremely athletic player, it’s taken a little time for his skill to translate onto the baseball diamond but he’s now more consistently showing the skills that could make him an all-star. His numbers weren’t as shiny in 2018 but the Florida State League is a tough one to play in. Trammell takes lots of pitches and walks a lot — which is exactly what you want to see from someone with plus speed. Once he starts tapping into his raw power, there is 20-homer potential there. His modest arm could limit him to left field but he has the speed for center.

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The Pirates system doesn’t have immense depth or a long line of high-impact players but the big league club could benefit from quite a few contributions in 2019 — especially on the infield.

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1. Mitch Keller | RHP | AA —> One of the top arms in the upper levels of the minors, Keller has a nice mix of fastball velocity and ability to generate ground-ball outs. He’s also been durable and threw more than 140 innings split between three levels in 2018. He finished the year in triple-A but may return to that level in 2019 until he adds some additional polish to his secondary offerings and command. His fastball/curve combo, along with better-than-average control, could make him a solid No. 2/3 starter at the big league level — especially with an improved changeup.

2. Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | AA —> I’ve long been a fan of Hayes, who had his best pro season in 2018 while playing in double-A at the age of 21. He flirted with a .300 batting average while showing a better eye at the plate with 57 walks and just 84 Ks. On top of that, he started to show more gap pop and could be good for 30-40 doubles at the MLB level while producing 10-12 homers with his current approach. Defensively, he has the skills to develop into an impact defender at third base.

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There are some intriguing athletes sprinkled throughout the lowest levels of the minors but this system has fallen on hard times and lacks depth.

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1. Miguel Amaya | C | A —> Amaya, 19, was a monster in the first half of the year before tiring during the latter portion of his first full season (.865 vs .634 OPS). An encouraging sign: He maintained his walk rate while trimming his strikeout rate in the second half despite the diminished offence. In his prime, he should get on base at an above-average rate and produce solid pop. He has work to do on his receiving and game calling but he’s shown potential with throwing out base runners.

2. Adbert Alzolay | RHP | AAA —> It was basically a lost year for Alzolay, who started just eight games before getting hurt. He’s an undersized righty but he can hit the mid-90s and shows flashes of a plus curveball. His makeup is universally lauded so expect him to squeeze out every ounce of potential with a ceiling of a No. 3-4 rage if he gains consistency with the secondary stuff. My biggest concern aside from injury is his fly-ball tendencies.

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Trades have significantly thinned out this system but the club has invested heavily in the international market in recent years so there could be some high-ceiling players (currently in short-season ball) on the way.

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1. Keston Hiura | 2B | AA —> Hiura is mostly average across the board except for the hit tool, which has a chance to be plus. However, his BB-K of 35-102 in 122 games split between two levels shows that he needs to make some adjustments — especially after his numbers dipped when he faced better pitching in double-A (OPS from .911 to .749 after his promotion). He showed a little more power than expected in 2018 and could make his MLB debut by mid-2019.

2. Corey Ray | OF | AA —> For whatever reason, the Milwaukee system doesn’t develop hit tools very well. Ray has de-evolved as a hitter since turning pro although some of this other tools continue to shine. He is a 30-30 (HR-SB) threat with plus power and above-average speed. He also has a chance to be a strong defender. When he reaches the Majors, Ray should produce 20+ homers and 130+ Ks in a full season.

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8/28/18

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