The Stash List – My Top 100 Prospects
Hey y’all! All of the full-season leagues have had All-Star games and are into the second half of their seasons. I thought it would be a fun exercise to put together my top 100 prospects. This list is mostly a fantasy list but also has a real-life winkle in it. In fantasy, I value batters over pitchers. I do factor defense but has more of a tie-breaker between players. I have also removed prospects eligible players currently in the majors and who should remain on the big league club, like Yordan Alvarez and Keston Hiura. Enjoy! I’ll see you in the comments and on Twitter.
| Rank | Name | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jo Adell | OF | Angels |
| 2 | Wander Franco | SS | Rays |
| 3 | Luis Robert | OF | White Sox |
| 4 | Carter Kieboom | SS | Nationals |
| 5 | Kyle Tucker | OF | Astros |
| 6 | Bo Bichette | SS | Blue Jays |
| 7 | MacKenzie Gore | LHP | Padres |
| 8 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B | White Sox |
| 9 | Gavin Lux | SS | Dodgers |
| 10 | Jarred Kelenic | OF | Mariners |
| 11 | Vidal Brujan | 2B | Rays |
| 12 | George Valera | OF | Indians |
| 13 | Matt Manning | RHP | Tigers |
| 14 | Forrest Whitley | RHP | Astros |
| 15 | Casey Mize | RHP | Tigers |
| 16 | Marco Luciano | SS | Giants |
| 17 | Julio Rodriguez | OF | Mariners |
| 18 | Luis Urias | 2B | Padres |
| 19 | Cristian Pache | OF | Braves |
| 20 | Kristian Robinson | OF | Diamondbacks |
| 21 | Dustin May | RHP | Dodgers |
| 22 | Nico Hoerner | 2B | Cubs |
| 23 | Dylan Carlson | OF | Cardinals |
| 24 | Tyler Freeman | SS | Indians |
| 25 | Brennen Davis | OF | Cubs |
| 26 | Alex Kirilloff | OF | Twins |
| 27 | Nate Lowe | 1B | Rays |
| 28 | Jesus Luzardo | LHP | Athletics |
| 29 | Trevor Larnach | OF | Twins |
| 30 | Jasson Dominguez | OF | Yankees |
| 31 | Drew Waters | OF | Braves |
| 32 | Adley Rutschman | C | Orioles |
| 33 | Heliot Ramos | OF | Giants |
| 34 | Royce Lewis | SS | Twins |
| 35 | Ronny Mauricio | SS | Mets |
| 36 | Jesus Sanchez | OF | Rays |
| 37 | Jordan Groshans | 3B | Blue Jays |
| 38 | JJ Bleday | OF | Marlins |
| 39 | Brendan Rodgers | 2B | Rockies |
| 40 | Deivi Garcia | RHP | Yankees |
| 41 | Jake Fraley | OF | Mariners |
| 42 | Nolan Gorman | 3B | Cardinals |
| 43 | Bobby Witt Jr | SS | Royals |
| 44 | A.J. Puk | LHP | Athletics |
| 45 | Michael Kopech | RHP | White Sox |
| 46 | Ian Anderson | RHP | Braves |
| 47 | Joey Bart | C | Giants |
| 48 | Nate Pearson | RHP | Blue Jays |
| 49 | Riley Greene | OF | Tigers |
| 50 | Alec Bohm | 3B | Phillies |
| 51 | Luis Patiño | RHP | Padres |
| 52 | DL Hall | LHP | Orioles |
| 53 | Grayson Rodriguez | RHP | Orioles |
| 54 | Taylor Trammell | OF | Reds |
| 55 | Corbin Carroll | OF | Diamondbacks |
| 56 | Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | Pirates |
| 57 | Jorge Mateo | OF | Athletics |
| 58 | Nolan Jones | 3B | Indians |
| 59 | Brayan Rocchio | SS | Indians |
| 60 | Hunter Bishop | OF | Giants |
| 61 | Alek Thomas | OF | Diamondbacks |
| 62 | Nick Madrigal | 2B | White Sox |
| 63 | Jazz Chisholm | SS | Diamondbacks |
| 64 | Ryan Mountcastle | 1B | Orioles |
| 65 | Sixto Sanchez | RHP | Marlins |
| 66 | Sherten Apostel | 3B | Rangers |
| 67 | Monte Harrison | OF | Marlins |
| 68 | Xavier Edwards | SS | Padres |
| 69 | CJ Abrams | SS | Padres |
| 70 | Logan Gilbert | RHP | Mariners |
| 71 | Jonathan India | 3B | Reds |
| 72 | Trent Grisham | OF | Brewers |
| 73 | Seth Beer | 1B | Astros |
| 74 | Robert Puason | SS | Athletics |
| 75 | Brett Baty | 3B | Mets |
| 76 | Oneil Cruz | SS | Pirates |
| 77 | Keoni Cavaco | 3B | Twins |
| 78 | Nick Solak | 2B | Rangers |
| 79 | Triston Casas | 3B | Red Sox |
| 80 | Khalil Lee | OF | Royals |
| 81 | Isan Diaz | 2B | Marlins |
| 82 | Shane Baz | RHP | Rays |
| 83 | Luis Garcia | SS | Nationals |
| 84 | Will Smith | C | Dodgers |
| 85 | Josh Jung | 3B | Rangers |
| 86 | Jordyn Adams | OF | Angels |
| 87 | Andres Gimenez | SS | Mets |
| 88 | Spencer Howard | RHP | Phillies |
| 89 | Jordan Balazovic | RHP | Twins |
| 90 | Will Benson | OF | Indians |
| 91 | Daulton Varsho | C | Diamondbacks |
| 92 | Mark Vientos | 3B | Mets |
| 93 | Austin Hays | OF | Orioles |
| 94 | Evan White | 1B | Mariners |
| 95 | Sean Murphy | C | Athletics |
| 96 | Ronaldo Hernandez | C | Rays |
| 97 | Daniel Lynch | LHP | Royals |
| 98 | Brusdar Graterol | RHP | Twins |
| 99 | Leody Taveras | OF | Rangers |
| 100 | Matthew Liberatore | LHP | Rays |
Juat a few notes from the list…
The Rays organization received the most love with seven players on the list. I’m hoping for a Rays and Padres World Series in a couple of years.
There is someone repesented from each team. The Rockies, Brewers, and Red Sox only have one representative. Out of the three, the Rockies and Brewers’ organization have me concerned. In recent years, they have had later draft picks but they have also not drafted well.
Yes. Royce Lewis is #36 for me. I’m pretty sure I am the lowest on him and maybe ranked a bit lower than I should to emphasize my concern. Even though he his repeating the level, his BB% has decreased while his K% and SwStk% have increased. He is also struggling on the basebaths with seven caught stealings to go along with his fourteen stolen bases. He also looked way overmatched when I saw him in the Futures Game in Cleveland. I really hope Lewis will prove me wrong.
There are only 22 pitchers in my top 100. For fantasy, pitching is very risky. That is why I was a bit intrigued with the Braves going pitching heavy in their rebuild I guess zig while everyone zags?
Was there any consideration of positional value included? Thinking mostly in terms of catcher here. Gotta think Rutschman, Bart, and Smith seem so far above the rest of the catchers that that could boost their value higher relative to some of their peers on this list. I assume it’s factored in to some extent, but I was curious how much
Catcher is the worst demographic. Rank them highly at your own peril.
100% agree. But there’s definitely some positional scarcity there despite some crazy performances this year (Garver, Castro, McCann come to mind) that could make any of the “safe” catchers here highly valuable in the near future.
Smith to me could easily be in the bigs right now and outperform Martin and Barnes for the top spot (hitting-wise) on the Dodgers
Re: “Safe Catchers”… TINSTAACP
I actually never thought about that. Maybe I’ll add something to my next list.
You don’t have Wander Franco at #1? That seems like your boldest ranking. Is it just because of Adell’s greater proximity to the majors?
I would think so. For fantasy purposes, tough to put a guy #1 who ain’t going to contribute significantly till 2021.
Vaughn is the boldest ranking. A 1B prospect in A ball is not something I would chase to that degree. Brujan is the next boldest IMO. I would never have a speed-first prospect that high as speed never translates the way you expect it to. I also see no reason to rank Luciano that high as he is just so far away – the same is true of Valera. I like those two, but why place them above players that have a more meaningful track records? That type of rationale had Yordan Alvarez ranked way too low this offseason. As children grow up and move up through the ranks their limitations will become clear just like the players below them. That is a lesson that you only learn through experience . Every group is generational until you learn what a generation actually is. I don’t think there is any real value in claiming “first” on a kid despite the temptation, but missing on real players seems like a problem. Its is headlines v content IMO. You can try to be first at the sake of accuracy (modern prospecting) or try for accuracy (BA approach). Those late-adopters also get to jump on the same bandwagon in the end and I think trying to be first ends in embarrassment. There is a large cohort of clearly inexperienced prospect writers on the web right now shoveling out a lot of garbage. In the end, most will just go away and a few will learn from their mistakes. In any case, it is always fun to read prospect rankings. Keep at it.
I don’t think there is anything bold about swapping Adell and Franco unless we are mired that deep in group-think. They are one spot apart and one is at a higher level – I think it is a perfectly reasonable take.
Love the comment! Am I going to be wrong on most of these…yes. However, I like who I like. Fantasy baseball is meant to be fun. Own guys you love.
Exactly. Adell is pretty much ready for the majors and Franco is about 1.5 to 2 years away.
Man the Brennen Davis hype is real today.
Better be running to that waiver wire IMHO
You said this was a prospect list. It has Mariners on it. Consider me confused.
Lol! Thanks to the Mets doing Mets-like things they picked up some pretty interesting guys. I have also some of their recent draft picks and J2 signings.
Kelenic and Dunn showing the benefits that being traded up to the #29th best org can have on a player’s development.
I feel like Isaac Paredes is really underrated. He is going to surprise a lot of people in a few years
I hope you are right! The looks I’ve had on him have been very ho-hum.
Very interesting list – thanks for sharing! I am a fan of his as well, but I don’t think I’ve seen Carter Kieboom as a top-5 prospect. Curious to hear – what puts him so high and/or above other SS prospects like Bo Bichette?
I’ve been one of the high gals on Kieboom for a while. His swing is just so smooth. I also think he will just be a guy that just produces.
I am pushing Lux ahead of both Bichette and Kieboom personally. I am unimpressed with Kieboom’s power output in that environment, and I don’t buy that Bichette’s SB numbers are going to translate, based on the scouting reports.
Eagerly watching the OKC lineup cards to see if Lux starts making appearances at 2B
What makes you put Will Benson in your top 100?
The progress he made on the bases has me encouraged. Is the profile risky, very. But the idea of that power and speed has me buying,
Why so low on Sixto Sanchez? From other things I’ve read (fantasy specific) he usually cracks the top 25 overall because of how well his stuff plays. There are durability concerns, but they’ve all been one-off nagging things. Just curious on your thought process.
And I’d love your POV on Trevor Larnach and what to expect from him. Thanks for the work!
Thanks for reading! When it comes to Sanchez, even if the injuries have been one-offs they have been elbow related. Add that to being slightly undersized at six feet, I’d be selling.
If Hiura was eligible I’m curious where he’d slot in on your list. Would top 10 be too bold? 60/60 hit/power seems to be in line with a guy like Tucker…
Shelly had him ranked 5th when she tweeted put her top 50 a few days ago.
Yep! DBall is right. I had him 5th in my list.
This is for fantasy, correct?
Yep!
great list…love the aggressive ranks on Valera, Marco, J-rod, Brennan & Fraley. Got the jump on my league mates in my dynasty league thanks to some of your mentions on the pod.
One question tho, Is the drop for Kiriloff based on injuries or is it based on a drop in skills in your eyes?
Thanks & keep on the great work on here & the pod.
Zeus
Yep! For me, it was based on injury and the move to 1B
I don’t have the link but I also read a scouting report that Kirilloff’s swing has gotten all messed up and it’s killing his power output. Might be a side effect of the injuries, and he has time to fix it, but it’s not a good thing.
Nobody wants to miss out on the next Wander Franco, so many prospect pundits will place young toolsy players such as Mauricio and Luciano on their top 100 lists. Some focus more on the upside for their fantasy prospects and will place them much higher on these lists like Shelly has here. It is apparent to this reader based on this list that she loves high upside prospects that have the potential to be fantasy all stars. Valera, Rodriguez, Robinson, Dominguez, Luciano, and Mauricio all being in the top 35 is rather bold, but they all deserve to be on every top 100 list. I will say Tyler Freeman at 24 stands out to me, but I know there are people that have been on him since last year as a breakout guy. Love the content and keep up the quality work.
Thank you for reading Joe! I agree, I am aggressive on some of the younger players like Valera and Robinson but I’ve loved what I have heard from scouts and what I have seen from looks, albeit on Youtube.
What pushes Brujan to near-top-ten for you, and Trammell to outside top-fifty? Also, for us who are morons, can you link to the podcast you contribute to? Thanks and I love the stash list. It’s become a must read.
Brujan has the batting average and speed upside that can be fantasy game changing. As for Trammell, it is two things. First, I’m not the biggest fan of the Reds development org. Second, I heard him in an interview stating he did not look at advanced stats and I really soured on him. I don’t expect everyone to love stats but I think totally closing the door on additional information is a bit short sided.
I’m on a weekly podcast over on the The Dynasty Guru called Dynasty Child. Hopefully, you will come and take a listen.
Thanks for the reply. And I will listen!
Where would Brendan McKay rank in these rankings?
I like your list except I have Wander and not Jo, so unfortunately I have to disagree with the top ranking!
Shelly! (Read in Randy Marsh’s voice) This column has become one of my favorite RotoGraphs features, and is a big reason that I have Oscar Mercado on my team. Thanks and keep it up.
Love Lux at 9. Appreciate the fresh take on the Top 100.
The biggest problem with the Lux valuation is that the list was published too early to capture what he’s done over the past 5 days!!
AWESOME list, thanks for putting this together! Really interesting to see how these change over time and how different folks value talent at the lower levels…would be awesome to see another version of this list every few months to see how much it changes. Keep up the great work Shelly!