Tracking 2024 In-Season Top 100 Prospect Movement

JULY

BIG MOVES UP IN THE JULY UPDATE

Carson Williams, SS, Rays (No. 13 to No. 9)

Williams’ stat line has dropped from exceptional to extremely good over the past month. That wasn’t a big shock, as we have noted that his underlying metrics hadn’t changed as much as his batting average or on-base percentage changed. But if anything, he has solidified his status as a top shortstop prospect. He’s hitting for average, getting on base, hitting for power, and he’s one of the better gloves at shortstop in the minors.

Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (No. 41 to No. 19)

Wilson is a career .411 MiLB hitter right now. It’s only been 272 plate appearances, and that average will surely drop, but the underlying stats behind those numbers are almost as hard to believe. The number of breaking balls he’s swung at and missed in the strike zone this year can be counted on one hand. He’ll chase a pitch out of the zone every now and then, but there’s almost no one in the minors who can come close to his contact ability on strikes. Wilson doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard, but he knows how to grip, rip and lift a pitch in the right situations, which is why he has a .200+ isolated power in his pro career. There’s some Nick Madrigal-esque components to Wilson’s game, but those are if Madrigal had become the player many hoped to see—a contact-hitting machine who could provide defensive value and occasional pop.

Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays (No. 37 to No. 20)

Isaac’s physical transformation has been as impressive as his consistency in the batter’s box. A 260-pound first baseman in high school, Isaac has slimmed down dramatically while also getting stronger. He now turns in average run times, has 13 steals in 15 attempts this year and has made the corner outfield spots a potentially viable second option in addition to his work at first base. Even more importantly, he’s one of the most well-rounded hitters in Class A. He’s projected to hit for average and power.

Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B, Tigers (No. 64 to No. 26)

McGonigle is only 19, but he hits like he’s a 29-year-old. McGonigle has the wonderful combination of an understanding of the strike zone combined with the ability to rarely ever swing and miss at pitches in the strike zone. He’s been the best hitter in the Florida State League and he’s also 15-for-17 on stolen bases. The pairing of McGonigle and Max Clark give the Tigers a pair of young hitting prospects to dream on.

Kyle Teel, C, Red Sox (No. 43 to No. 27)

Teel has quickly established himself as one of the best catching prospects in the game. He’s athletic, he can handle the physical and mental demands of the position and he’s also capable of being a middle-of-the-order bat.

Brooks Lee, SS, Twins (No. 42 to No. 28)

Lee’s recurring back issues linger in the back of the mind like a nagging headache. There’s always the worry that they could derail what could be. But when Lee is healthy, like he is now, he also shows why it’s easy to imagine a healthy Lee racking up 2,000 hits over the next 20 years.

Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners (No. 46 to No. 29)

Montes has hit his way to High-A Everett, but he’s also showing he’s a better athlete and outfielder than expected. He’s not going to make any Seattle fans forget Ken Griffey Jr.’s defense, but he’s demonstrating he’s a very playable corner outfielder. With his hitting ability, that should be more than enough.

Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies (No. 45 to No. 33)

Crawford just keeps impressing with a lot of professional at-bats to go with athleticism. He will likely never be a massive home run hitter, but he is steadily improving at tapping into his power.

Thomas White, LHP, Marlins (No. 70 to No. 43)

There aren’t many bright spots that will be remembered from the Marlins’ 2024 season, but the development of White and Noble Meyer does provide some hope.

Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Twins (No. 63 to No. 48)

Keaschall keeps bouncing between center field, second base and DH as the Twins try to figure out where he best fits defensively. But no one mentions his glove when bringing up Keaschall, because he projects to be a plus hitter with average power. Keaschall doesn’t give pitchers a lot of ways to get him out. He can catch up to a fastball, but he also recognizes spin and destroys a changeup if the pitcher tips it at all. And he has a solid awareness of how to lay off pitches out of the zone. He’s the kind of grinder who pitchers hate, but it’s a hate born from respect.

Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates (No. 68 to No. 51)

Chandler’s stuff and consistency has ticked up. Over the past month he has a 35-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25.1 innings. He’s looking more like a starter, and he’s showing the ability to dominate that has long been expected of him.

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals (No. 95 to No. 53)

Early this season, Mathews dominated Low-A, but it’s hard to be impressed when a polished college pitcher dominates the Florida State League. A bump up to the Midwest League didn’t slow him down at all. Now he’s impressing in the Double-A Texas League, and showing his stuff plays against more experienced hitters.

Zebby Matthews, RHP, Twins (No. 97 to No. 54)

In his first 12 outings this year, Matthews has yet to walk two batters in any game. He’s thrown 70% strikes in every one of his last eight starts. He’s a control artist, but he also has the ability to reach back for 99 mph when he needs it, and he has a trio of quality secondary offerings.

Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Guardians (No. 81 to No. 57)

The Guardians moved Velazquez from catcher to first base right after drafting him. With reduced defensive demands, Velazquez’s bat has stood out. He projects to hit for average and power, and his body has improved as well.

Big Moves Down In The July Update

Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox (No. 11 to No. 30)

Montgomery is quite young for Triple-A, so it’s easy to be patient with his early-season struggles. Unfortunately for Montgomery and the White Sox, they haven’t gone away. Charlotte is an outstanding hitter’s park which has disguised some of Montgomery’s issues. Away from Charlotte, he’s hitting .181/.311/.370 this year. Montgomery still regularly demonstrates his plus power and he knows how to draw a walk, but he looks like a player who will need a year and a half at Triple-A before he’s big league ready.

Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (No. 20 to No. 39)

Miller’s first month in High-A has been much rougher than any part of Miller’s dominating start in the Florida State League. It’s not a giant surprise, but Miller needs to show he can catch up to High-A pitching.

Harry Ford, C, Mariners (No. 44 to No. 72)

Ford continues to show he can get on-base. But the rest of his game has yet to make the same strides. He’s slugging .377 in the Texas League, which is just above the league average. He is extremely athletic for a catcher. He’s even stolen 21 bases in 27 tries. His defense remains a work in progress.

Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees (No. 50 to No. 73)

Jones is a streaky hitter who can have a week where he carries a team. The concern is he also has weeks where he strikes out in 40% or more of his plate appearances. He’s striking out 35.9% of the time in 2024. Jones has long levers and a big strike zone, but he sometimes makes it even bigger by chasing pitches above and below the zone. If Jones can work a count to get a pitch on the inner third or middle of the zone, he can punish it. He’s hitting .346/.344/.631 in those zones. But he’s hitting only .226/.219/.290 on pitches on the outer third of the strike zone, and he’s struggled against breaking balls.

Orelvis Martinez, 2B/3B, Blue Jays (No. 51 to No. 74)

Martinez had just made it to the majors when he was suspended for 80 games for a violation of performance enhancing drug rules.

Players Added To The Top 100

Jaden Hamm, RHP, Tigers

Hamm is at this point the second-best pitching prospect in the Tigers’ system, trailing only the best pitching prospect in baseball (Jackson Jobe). He’s a fast riser who should at least be a quality reliever, but with a solid chance to carve out a role as a solid mid-rotation starter.

Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox

The Red Sox farm system has gotten significantly better in the past couple of years, and Campbell looks to be one of the best surprise success stories. He has an unconventional swing, but it really works.

Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, Rockies

Fernandez is another example of how players at the back of the 100 can hop on and off. We try to not overreact one way or the other, but we also want to respond to the feedback we can from scouts and front office officials. Early this season, we heard worries about Fernandez’s approach. As the weather warms up, we’re hearing more about his still potent power potential.

Alex Freeland, SS, Dodgers

Oh look. It’s another Dodgers hitting prospect. Freeland was a third-round pick in 2022. There were questions about whether a club-foot he had repaired as a child would limit his mobility, but it’s not slowing Freeland down at all. The switch-hitter is impressing scouts both as a hitter and in the field, where he’s Tulsa’s everyday shortstop. 

David Festa, RHP, Twins

Festa joins Zebby Matthews, C.J. Culpepper and Simeon Woods Richardson in giving the Twins a number of pitching development success stories in 2024. Festa doesn’t throw as hard as Matthews, who is covered above in the Top 100 risers, but his fastball has life at the top of the zone, and he projects as a solid, MLB-ready starting pitcher.

Hayden Birdsong, RHP, Giants

Birdsong has made it to the majors for the suddenly pitching-needy Giants. Ideally, he’ll get some more time in Triple-A, as his big-league callup came after just nine innings in the Pacific Coast League. Birdsong may not be fully ready just yet, but he’s been one of the Giants’ best success stories of the past two seasons and projects as a mid-rotation MLB starter.

Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners

Seattle’s bounty of young hitting prospects keeps multiplying. Michael Arroyo, Aidan Smith and others will have to wait for their Top 100 Prospects nod, but Celestin has bullied his way onto the list by being one of the standouts of the Arizona Complex League.

Shane Baz, RHP, Rays

Baz dropped off because he didn’t look as sharp and his stuff wasn’t as firm in his return from Tommy John surgery. He’s still not at his pre-surgery best, but his arsenal is headed in that direction, and he’s been much more consistent in his last few starts. The Rays actually have more starters than spots at this moment, but with the trade deadline looming, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a spot open up. Baz seems ready to take it.

Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Pirates

The Pirates have promoted Jared Jones and Paul Skenes to the MLB rotation. Ashcraft looks to be next up, with Bubba Chandler following behind him. The Pirates’ pitching development has been a success story this year, which has helped the team hover around .500 despite offensive struggles. Ashcraft had improved his slider to go with a plus fastball.

Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics

Bolte has more tools than a Harbor Freight store, but he’s shown he’s able to add some skills and savvy to go with his power and speed.

James Triantos, OF, Cubs

The jump to Double-A has proven to be no problem for Triantos. If anything he looks to be a better hitter against more advanced pitching while also showing the ability to rack up stolen bases.

Gary Gill Hill, RHP, Rays

Gill Hill is one of the breakout prospects of the first half of the 2024 season. A pitcher in Low-A is a risky proposition. A pitcher in Low-A who had relatively pedestrian stuff a year ago is even riskier. But Gill Hill now shows three above-average or better pitches with a fastball that touches 98 mph, a pair of breaking balls and a changeup that is advanced for his age.

Graduated

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates

Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Cubs

Noelvi Marte, 3B, Reds

Dropped Out

Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Braves

Waldrep was placed on the injured list with a sore elbow after two rough starts in Double-A.

Jordan Beck, OF, Rockies

Beck has been out for a month and a half with a hand injury after struggling in his first exposure to major league pitching.

Luis Perales, RHP, Red Sox

Perales will miss the rest of 2024 and likely much of 2025 after suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Robby Snelling, LHP, Padres

Snelling dominated the Midwest League last year on his way to earning BA’s MiLB Pitcher of the Year award. The Texas League has proven to be a much bigger challenge. Snelling’s 6.46 ERA is second-worst among Texas League qualifiers. His .306 opponents average is third-worst among Texas League pitchers. And his .533 slugging percentage is worst in the Texas League. Snelling’s stuff has taken a step back this year, and he’s proving much more hittable. He’s young and many young pitching prospects have a setback like this before making adjustments and regrouping (see MacKenzie Gore’s 2021 season as an example). But he needs to regroup.

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies

Veen may be on a brief departure before returning to the Top 100. He’s on a rehab assignment after spending the past five weeks on the injury list, after having his 2023 season wrecked by injuries. Veen’s dropping is partly to get other prospects onto the 100. The difference between being on and off the list at the back of the 100 is a narrow margin.

Robert Gasser, LHP, Brewers

Gasser was great in five starts with the Brewers. Unfortunately he’s blown out his elbow and just had Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him until late in the 2025 season at the minimum. Gasser remains a solid pitching prospect, but it’s hard to stick at the back of the Top 100 when you have to come back from major surgery.

Adam Mazur, RHP, Padres

Mazur made it up to the majors, but big league hitters gave him a lengthy to-do list for when he returned to Triple-A. The shocking development was Mazur’s 16.5% walk rate. He’s had a 4.3% walk rate in his MiLB career. But Mazur doesn’t really have an out pitch in the majors, which meant he had to nibble a lot more.

Cade Cavalli, RHP, Nationals

Cavalli’s return from Tommy John surgery hit another setback as he’s missed time with the flu. Cavalli’s stuff has been solid in his post-Tommy John return, but he’s thrown just 8.1 innings in six weeks since he first returned to the mound.

Victor Scott, OF, Cardinals

Scott hit .323 in the Texas League last year while tying for the MiLB lead in stolen bases. After a stint in the majors, he’s hitting .209/.282/.284 this year at Triple-A Memphis. He’s a better hitter than that, but he needs to chase fewer pitches out of the zone.

June

Big Moves Up In The June Update

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates (Up 4 Spots In The Top 10): Skenes’ MLB debut has been about as impressive as could have been imagined. He’ll graduate in roughly five starts, but he’s a comfortable No. 1 prospect until then.

Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox (Up 17 Spots): Schultz has struck out 40% of all batters he has faced this year. Few lefty starters can match his combination of fastball velocity (mid 90s and touching 97-98) and a devastating slider that he can throw for strikes or out of the zone on command. Chicago has kept him on very tight pitch limits, which is the biggest concern. He hasn’t demonstrated an ability to shoulder MLB-style starter workloads yet.

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox (Up 8 Spots): Mayer has shown that his second-half struggles in 2023 were largely because of an injured wrist. He remains one of the best shortstop prospects in the game.

Carson Williams, SS, Rays (Up 15 Spots): Williams is a sure-fire shortstop defensively, and he has long shown power potential. The biggest question has been his bat-to-ball skills and pure hitting ability. His .297 average is third best in the Southern League, and he’s first in the league in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, doubles and total bases and is second in triples and home runs. There are still some concerns about whether he’s a fringe-average or average hitter, but he’s alleviating concerns that his bat could hold him back.

Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners (Up 21 Spots): In our reporting to build the June update, no prospect (other than Aidan Miller) got more positive feedback than Emerson. He’s not a slam dunk to stay at shortstop, but he’s sure to stay at a premium position defensively, and he projects as an above-average hitter wherever he plays. He’s dealing with a fracture because he fouled a ball off his foot, but that shouldn’t derail his season.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins (Up 23 Spots): Rodriguez is a divisive prospect because he’s so extreme in his approach. No prospect swings less than Rodriguez. That leads to strikeouts and walks, but when he does swing Rodriguez hits plenty of stung line drives and home runs.

Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (Up 52 Spots): Miller is the breakout prospect of the first half of the 2024 MiLB season. He missed time in his senior season of high school with a hamate injury. Now that he’s fully healthy, he is showing why he was considered one of the best hitters in the 2023 prep class.

Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals (Up 36 Spots): The ranking was updated before Hence left his June 5 start early and walked to the clubhouse with a trainer. Few MiLB pitchers can match Hence’s pure stuff, and he’s showing the feel to set up hitters to go with that stuff.

Chase Dollander, RHP, Rockies (Up 22 Spots): Dollander so far looks more like the dominating 2022 starter than the 2023 less consistent starter. It’s an encouraging start.

Christian Scott, RHP, Mets (Up 29 Spots): Scott’s MLB debut has been everything that could have been expected or hoped, even if the Mets have briefly sent him back to Triple-A. Scott projects more as a durable mid-to-back of the rotation starter than an ace, but there’s plenty of value to that, especially for a pitcher who is ready to handle that role.

Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays (Up 13 Spots): Isaac is a first base-only prospect. That’s a demographic rarely cracks the Top 50, but Isaac is an advanced hitter with big-time power. He’s convincing a lot of skeptical scouts.

Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners (Up 30 Spots): Montes is never going to provide a ton of defensive value, but if a corner outfielder/DH/first base type can mash, that becomes less of an issue–see Yordan Alvarez for an example. Montes has the rare ability to hit for average and power as a long-levered, impressive physical specimen.

Starlyn Caba, SS, Phillies (Up 39 Spots): Even with Andrew Painter on the injured list and Mick Abel struggling, it’s been an excellent start to the season for Phillies prospects.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians (Up 19 Spots): Manzardo is a split-camp prospect, but he’s playing regularly in Cleveland and could graduate before next month’s update.

Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs (Up 24 Spots): Some evaluators question whether Ballesteros is too big to catch. There are fewer questions about his bat, as he’s marrying solid swing decisions with big power.

Jonny Farmelo, OF, Mariners (Up 34 Spots): Picking your favorite Low-A Modesto prospect is a challenging task. Three of them cracked this list of prospects who have taken big steps up. Farmelo is a very promising hitter with solid athleticism.

Kevin Alcantara, OF, Cubs (Up 20 Spots): His stats so far this year are solid but unspectacular, but in our reporting we got feedback that Alcantara’s steadily improving approach and big tools were worth a bump.

Logan Evans, RHP, Mariners (Up 14 Spots): If you’re finding flaws, Evans may lack a true strikeout pitch, but his slider is plus and he mixes pitches, works down in the zone and has plus control. Add it all up and he should be a durable, reliable starting pitcher.

Big Moves Down In The June Update

Max Clark, OF, Tigers (Down -13 Spots): Clark is one of the most decorated prep hitters of the last few draft cycles. A twitchy center fielder with strong contact skills and projectable power, there’s still a lot to like about Clark’s future. He’s still showing those strong plate skills as a professional, but the lack of impact in his bat has some scouts worried it’s just fringe-average power.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Cubs (Down -13 Spots): Few evaluators question Crow-Armstrong’s elite defensive chops in center field but his bat has many concerned. While Crow-Armstrong has the ability to flash a dynamic power and speed combination, his habit of expanding the zone far too often likely limits his offensive impact. While Crow-Armstrong dropped, it was more of a recalibration of prospect stock on an easy future everyday regular.

Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers (Down -27 Spots): Misiorowski’s prospect stock soared like a rocket in 2023 as he climbed into the top 25 of the Top 100. Unfortunately, Misiorowski’s command has gone from a concern to a major worry for evaluators. Misiorowski has made 15 starts dating back to 2023 and he has continually struggled to throw strikes. Over 10 starts this season, Misiorowski has walked 18% of the batters he’s faced.

Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees (Down -26 Spots): Jones’ combination of size and tools is nearly unmatched, but his swing-and-miss issues have led to questions about whether he’ll hit major league pitching. Jones started the season on the injury list and has been a slow starter with the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate in Somerset. Jones still possesses exciting upside with easy plus-plus power and athleticism. He needs to refine his contact skills to get the most out of his tools.

Robby Snelling, LHP, Padres (Down -47 Spots): Snelling enjoyed a meteoric rise, going from Nevada prep pick to Baseball America’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in a little over a year. His start to 2024 hasn’t been so stupendous. Over nine starts with Double-A San Antonio, Snelling has struck out just 19.5% of batters he’s faced while walking 10.8% of hitters. Evaluators have questions around the quality of Snelling’s stuff, with a fastball that sits just 92-93 mph with dead-zone shape. Snelling’s two primary secondaries have also missed a below-average amount of bats this season.

Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays (Down -19 Spots): Few players received as much move up feedback from industry sources as Tiedemann prior to his May injury last year. Since then, he’s shown flashes of dominance while rising to the top 25 of the list, but far too often he’s on the injury list. The concern around Tiedemann’s health has many high-level decision makers throughout the game concerned about his long-term viability as a starter.

Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates (Down -16 Spots): Drafted as a two-way prep standout from the Georgia prep ranks, the Pirates have developed Chandler as a pitcher. There’s good reason behind this logic, as Chandler possesses an easy plus fastball sitting 95-97 mph with well above-average vertical break and a low release height. Despite jaw-dropping stuff, Chandler’s command has limited him from consistent success as a starter. In 2024, Chandler is walking 13.3% of batters he’s faced this season. Chandler’s command woes have led many evaluators throughout the game to place a future relief role on Chandler.

Brady House, 3B, Nationals (Down -36 Spots): House’s resurgent 2023 campaign put House’s injury issues in the rear view mirror, but 2024 hasn’t been quite so friendly. House is hitting .236/.322/.421 over 49 Double-A games with a 29.2% strikeout rate. House’s average plate skills have bottomed out this season as he’s running a high whiff rate and a fringy chase rate. Evaluators across the game have been less than impressed with House’s hitting ability and question how much impact he’ll have long term.

Luis Morales, RHP, Athletics (Down -24 Spots): Morales is among the most exciting prospects in the Athletics farm system. Signed out of Cuba for $3 million in January of 2023. After an exciting professional debut in 2023, Morales has had an inconsistent season. Morales began the year on the injury list with shoulder fatigue and his swing and miss stuff has been noticeably absent since he returned. Morales still has tantalizing upside but the 2024 season has provided a reason for recalibration.

Victor Scott II, OF, Cardinals (Down -20 Spots): Scott was rushed to the big leagues to begin the 2024 season due to a rash of injuries to the Cardinals starting outfield corps. Scott looked overmatched against big league pitching and was jettisoned to Triple-A Memphis. Since his demotion Scott has struggled to hit the ball with impact and is hitting .216/.307/.321 over 36 games with Memphis. Many believe that Scott will settle in, as his contact skills show strong underlying traits, but there’s a need to adjust expectations around the speedy outfielder.

Moving On

Luis Perales, RHP, Red Sox (No. 57)

Angel Genao, SS, Guardians (No. 65)

Luke Keaschall, 2B, Twins (No. 66)

Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers (No. 67)

Thomas White, LHP, Marlins (No. 73)

Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Guardians (No. 84)

Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP, Braves (No. 92)

Blade Tidwell, RHP, Mets (No. 94)

Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets (No. 97)

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals (No. 98)

Cade Povich, LHP, Orioles (No. 99)

Zebby Matthews, RHP, Twins (No. 100)

You can read about all 12 additions here.

Graduated

Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers

Evan Carter, OF, Rangers

Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers

Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres

Colt Keith, 3B, Tigers

Austin Wells, C, Yankees

Tyler Soderstrom, C, Athletics

Jared Jones, RHP, Pirates

Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers

Dropped Out

Dylan Lesko, RHP, Padres: The expectation was that Lesko would show the command and control he’d had before his Tommy John surgery to go with the stuff that returned in his late-2023 return. Unfortunately for Lesko, that hasn’t happened. He’s throwing strikes on just 55% of his pitches, far below the typical 61-63% seen from starting pitchers and a drop from the 60% he threw in 2023. His plus changeup is still effective, but he has to regain the feel for his fastball. He’s not getting hit hard, but his control is currently well below-average and has to improve.

Mick Abel, RHP, Phillies: Abel’s command is going to have to improve for him to be a big league starter, but this spring he’s added another issue–his stuff is just not what it once was. He’s now sitting 93-94 and topping out at 95-96, where he once sat 95 and touched 99. With less arm speed and below-average control, there’s a lot remaining on his to-do list.

Shane Baz, RHP, Rays: We kept Baz on the Top 100 for a year and a half as he rehabbed for Tommy John surgery. He finally returned to the field in early May, but so far he hasn’t looked like the dominating pitcher he was pre-injury. His stuff is a tick down in velocity and sharpness so far. Post-surgery rust for a pitcher is not uncommon, but the feedback we received was to drop him off for now and circle back if and when his stuff returns to his pre-injury form.

Roderick Arias, SS, Yankees: Arias was a pick-to-click among scouts, coaches and front office officials who saw him dominate the Florida Complex League last season. That ardor has cooled as he’s found the Florida State League to be much tougher to handle. He was one of the players who received the most consistent feedback from evaluators to drop off the Top 100. He’s still very young and could bounce back, but he’s not a Top 100 Prospect at this time.

Tekoah Roby, RHP, Cardinals: In a return to the Texas League, Roby has regressed. He’s giving up more hard contact, walking more hitters and struggling with consistency. His stuff isn’t all that much different from 2023, so the hope is he’ll bounce back, but it’s been a rough first half of the season.

Termarr Johnson, 2B, Pirates: Johnson drew rave reviews as a hitter in high school. He was viewed by many scouts as one of the best pure hitters they’d seen in years. No one is saying that in 2024. Johnson still draws walks, but he’s neither hitting the ball with authority nor spraying contact all around the field. For a bat-first infielder, that’s a worrisome trend. The hope is that he’ll regain his timing and confidence at the plate, but a .205/.381/.343 slash line in High-A is less than was expected.

Connor Phillips, RHP, Reds: It’s been a rough year for a number of Reds’ prospects, but few have had it rougher than Phillips. His 8.49 walks per nine innings are the worst in the full season minors. In most of his outings, he doesn’t have any pitch that he commands well enough to turn to when he falls behind in counts. Until he throws more strikes, he’s further from the majors than he was in 2023.

Thomas Saggese, 2B, Cardinals: Saggese is a bat-first infielder with versatility. His spot on the Top 100 was based on him being one of the better hitting close-to-the-majors infielders. Saggese’s underlying metrics are better than his .228/.298/.394 stats for Triple-A Memphis may indicate, but the margins at the back of the Top 100 are thin, and we had a number of players we wanted to add to the 100.

Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, Rockies: As Fernandez has gotten more upper-level exposure, he’s yet to show that he can adjust to pitchers who feed him a steady diet of breaking balls and changeups. He’ll kill a fastball in the zone, but he has to show he can also handle soft stuff away to be enough of a hitter to get to his power.

Cam Collier, 3B, Reds: We slid Collier back on when he showed signs of an improved approach and better ability to do damage by pulling the ball in the air. Given another month, some of the same issues from 2023 are still apparent. He struggles to put together competitive at-bats against lefties (.127/.143/.255 with a 34% strikeout rate) and he’s reverted to hitting way too many grounders that are pounded into the dirt just ahead of home plate. As one pro scouting director put it, his still-young age for the level is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for his prospect status.

George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees: We were probably a little hasty with adding Lombard. The reports out of spring training were excellent and Lombard has a chance to be a very well-rounded prospect. But he’s yet to make a lot of impact at the plate. He slides back into the “keep an eye on” category for now.

May

Big Moves Up In The May Update

James Wood, OF, Nationals (Up 2 Spots In The Top 10): Wood continues to show solid improvement in the plate discipline skills that were his to-do list to be big league ready. The competition between him and Dylan Crews for No. 1 prospect status in the Nationals system remains a tight one, but Wood is younger, has louder tools and is performing better at a level higher than Crews.

Jared Jones, RHP, Pirates (Up 16 Spots): Pretty much every pitcher in the Top 100 aspires to do what Jones is doing currently in the major leagues. We didn’t put him above Skenes, and so he’ll likely graduate without ascending to “top pitching prospect in baseball” status, but it’s hard to argue any other pitcher in the minors should rank ahead of him considering Jones’ combination of exceptional stuff, solid control and big league success.

Mason Miller, RHP, Athletics (Up 8 Spots): Miller is showing he can be one of the best relievers n baseball. There are still durability concerns, but if Miller can stay healthy, he should dominate ninth innings for years to come.

Max Meyer, RHP, Marlins (Up 34 Spots): Coming into the year, there were questions about whether Meyer could show he was as good or even better than he was pre-injury. Meyer answered those questions with several impressive MLB starts before a puzzling demotion to the minors that’s aimed to reduce his workload.

Jefferson Rojas, SS, Cubs (Up 45 Spots): Rojas has drawn rave reviews during spring training and early in the Midwest League season.

Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (Up 19 Spots): We were a little skeptical about Wilson’s bat coming out of 2023. He’s shown so far that he can handle the aggressive assignment to Double-A Midland. He has a very aggressive, contact-oriented approach, but it’s working for him, and his defense is solid.

Christian Scott, RHP, Mets (Up 31 Spots): Scott has been one of the fastest risers of the early season, as he’s managed to maintain all of his best attributes (control, feel for pitching) while steadily improving his stuff. He’s knocking on the door of a big league callup.

Orelvis Martinez, 2B/3B, Blue Jays (Up 18 Spots): Martinez’s power potential has long been lauded, but he’s steadily improved at his ability to make consistent contact on hittable pitches.

Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals (Up 11 Spots): Hence keeps shoving and keeps showing why he’s on of the better pitching prospects in baseball.

Jordan Beck, OF, Rockies (Up 20 Spots): Beck received an April promotion to the big leagues. He has a nice blend of power and athleticism that should fit well in Coors Field’s cavernous outfield.

Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (Up 16 Spots): Miller has gotten off to a good start at the plate, which was to be expected. His defense has looked better than expected so far.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians (Up 12 Spots): Manzardo is doing everything he can to push for a spot in the Guardians’ lineup and

Big Moves Down In The May Update

Brooks Lee, SS, Twins (Down 14 Spots): Lee’s injury risk was the biggest concern surrounding him when he was draft eligible. Now he’s sidelined with a back injury that could be a long-term concenr.

Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays (Down 34 Spots): Tiedemann’s stuff is special when he’s healthy. But he’s on the injured list once again with elbow issues. Durability is the biggest concern with Tiedemann, and those concerns are only heightened now.

A.J. Smith-Shawver, RHP, Braves (Down 25 Spots): Smith-Shawver has gone from the Braves’ rotation to struggling in Triple-A.

Noble Meyer, RHP, Marlins (Down 22 Spots): Meyer’s control has been less than expected in the early going this year.

Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Braves (Down 20 Spots): Waldrep reached Triple-A in 2023. This year, he’s started the season by getting regularly shelled in Double-A. His velocity hasn’t dipped, but his fastball is much too hittable.

Marco Luciano, SS, Giants (Down 10 Spots): Luciano’s surface-level numbers look fine, but his lack of power production, especially for a hitter in the Pacific Coast League who has already spent a week in Reno, is puzzling.

Mick Abel, RHP, Phillies (Down 13 Spots): Young pitchers don’t always develop linearly. Abel seems to have stagnated, as he continues to struggle to put away hitters. He’s only 22, so there’s plenty of time to fix this issue, but ideally we’d see more improvement already.

Termarr Johnson, 2B, Pirates (Down 12 Spots): As a second baseman, Johnson is going to need to hit a lot to justify a Top 100 spot. In a return to High-A Greensboro, he hasn’t taken a step forward yet.

Victor Scott II, OF, Cardinals (Down 10 Spots): Don’t worry too much about Scott’s struggles in a brief big league stint, but it was a sign he needs some more minor league time.

Dylan Lesko, RHP, Padres (Down 50 Spots): We hoped that Lesko’s control and command troubles in 2023 were based around him shaking off rust after Tommy John surgery. Instead, the control problems have gotten even worse this year. Lesko has a 51% strike rate this year, which is about as low as you’ll ever find for a minor league starter.

Roderick Arias, SS, Yankees (Down 31 Spots): This is Arias’ first exposure to full-season baseball, but a 37% strikeout rate wasn’t expected. The hope is this is a hiccup as he adjusts to a new level.

Tyler Soderstrom, C, Athletics (Down 21 Spots): Soderstrom’s defense behind the plate remains in question.

Connor Phillips, RHP, Reds (Down 27 Spots): Phillips’ control isn’t helped by Triple-A’s ABS system, but he has to throw more strikes more consistently to get back to the majors.

Moving On

Edgar Quero, C, White Sox: Quero has impressed in the early going both at and behind the plate.

Caden Dana, RHP, Angels: Dana has handled a very aggressive assignment to Double-A Rocket City with aplomb.

Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians: Chourio keeps getting better and better, and now joins his brother Jackson on the Top 100, just before his brother graduates.

Graduated

Evan Carter, OF, Rangers

Kyle Harrison, LHP, Giants

Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles

Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs

Brayan Rocchio, SS, Guardians

Gavin Stone, RHP, Dodgers

Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Angels

Curtis Mead, 2B, Rays

DL Hall, LHP, Brewers

Ceddane Rafaela, OF/SS, Red Sox

Dropped Out

Everson Pereira, OF, Yankees: Pereira’s contact issues remain a concern. He misses way too may hittable pitches.

Chase Hampton, RHP, Yankees: Hampton remains sidelined by injury. When you’re at the back of the Top 100, that’s enough to sometimes drop you off so other players can join the 100.

April

Big Moves Up In The April Update

James Wood, OF, Nationals (Up 3 Spots Into The Top 10): Wood was one of the best hitters in spring training, flashing the tools that have long made him a premium prospect.

Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers (Up 8 Spots): Jobe already ranked among the best pitching prospects in the game, but the feedback from his spring outings led us to now bump him up to the second highest ranked pitching prospect in the game behind Paul Skenes.

Jared Jones, RHP, Pirates (Up 48 Spots): The scouting feedback on Jones’ improvements during the 2023 season was quite strong, but even with that, his step forward this spring was eye-opening. Jones’ fastball and slider are both present plus pitches, which makes him a valuable part of the Pirates’ rotation.

Rhett Lowder, RHP, Reds (Up 18 Spots): Lowder didn’t pitch in a pro game after he signed in 2023. His spring appearances have been encouraging and offer hints that he could move quickly.

Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers (Up 46 Spots): De Paula has advanced bat-to-ball skills for his age, and is now showing he’s getting to more of his excellent raw power.

Brayan Rocchio, SS, Guardians (Up 26 Spots): Rocchio won a competitive battle to be the Guardians’ everyday shortstop. He’ll graduate soon, but he gets a bump up the list before he does.

Gavin Stone, RHP, Dodgers (Up 17 Spot): Stone was excellent this spring and won the Dodgers’ fifth starter job. He is three starts away from graduating.

Big Moves Down In The April Update

Noelvi Marte, 3B, Reds (Down 10 Spots): Since we last ranked Marte, he’s been suspended for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. It doesn’t derail his long-term potential, but it is a cause for some concern.

Chase Hampton, RHP, Yankees (Down 19 Spots): Hampton is on the injured list with a sore shoulder.

Graduated

Masyn Winn, SS, Cardinals

Dropped Out

Nick Frasso, RHP, Dodgers: Frasso will miss the 2024 season with a torn labrum.

Robert Gasser, RHP, Brewers: Gasser went on the injured list with an elbow injury.

Here’s a full look at how our Top 100 has changed with each monthly update. In-between movement during a month to account for graduations is not reflected.

Jan. 16	april 5	may 2	june 5	july 3	player	pos	team
1	1	1	2	2	Jackson Holliday	SS	Orioles
2	2	2	Gr.	Gr.	Jackson Chourio	OF	Brewers
3	3	3	4	3	Junior Caminero	3B	Rays
4	4	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Evan Carter	OF	Rangers
5	5	4	Gr.	Gr.	Wyatt Langford	OF	Rangers
6	6	7	5	4	Dylan Crews	OF	Nationals
7	9	9	11	11	Jordan Lawlar	SS	D-backs
8	10	10	13	15	Ethan Salas	C	Padres
9	7	6	1	Gr.	Paul Skenes	RHP	Pirates
10	11	11	18	16	Samuel Basallo	C	Orioles
11	8	5	3	1	James Wood	OF	Nationals
12	13	13	20	18	Andrew Painter	RHP	Phillies
13	14	14	7	6	Walker Jenkins	OF	Twins
14	21	21	10	10	Marcelo Mayer	SS	Red Sox
15	15	16	12	30	Colson Montgomery	SS	White Sox
16	16	17	8	7	Jasson Dominguez	OF	Yankees
17	17	15	Gr.	Gr.	Jackson Merrill	OF	Padres
18	20	20	30	Gr.	Pete Crow-Armstrong	OF	Cubs
19	19	19	29	25	Max Clark	OF	Tigers
20	12	12	6	5	Jackson Jobe	RHP	Tigers
21	18	18	19	17	Roman Anthony	OF	Red Sox
22	22	55	69	76	Ricky Tiedemann	LHP	Blue Jays
23	33	37	35	Gr.	Noelvi Marte	3B	Reds
24	23	22	25	31	Cade Horton	RHP	Cubs
25	24	23	17	12	Coby Mayo	3B	Orioles
26	25	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Kyle Harrison	LHP	Giants
27	27	24	68	Gr.	Robby Snelling	LHP	Padres
28	28	25	Gr.	Gr.	Colt Keith	3B	Tigers
29	29	26	31	35	Chase DeLauter	OF	Guardians
30	30	27	32	36	Jett Williams	SS	Mets
31	31	28	33	37	Matt Shaw	SS	Cubs
32	34	29	52	56	Jacob Misiorowski	RHP	Brewers
33	35	38	36	40	Jeferson Quero	C	Brewers
34	32	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Colton Cowser	OF	Orioles
35	38	49	45	28	Brooks Lee	SS	Twins
36	39	32	34	38	Adael Amador	SS	Rockies
37	40	33	14	9	Carson Williams	SS	Rays
38	41	88	Dr.	Dr.	Dylan Lesko	RHP	Padres
39	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Masyn Winn	SS	Cardinals
40	36	30	9	8	Noah Schultz	LHP	White Sox
41	43	36	23	23	Heston Kjerstad	OF	Orioles
42	44	66	72	77	AJ Smith-Shawver	RHP	Braves
43	45	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Michael Busch	1B	Cubs
44	46	39	37	41	Cole Young	SS	Mariners
45	47	35	Gr.	Gr.	Mason Miller	RHP	Athletics
46	37	31	53	73	Spencer Jones	OF	Yankees
47	48	40	38	42	Owen Caissie	OF	Cubs
48	49	67	70	63	Noble Meyer	RHP	Marlins
49	52	68	56	Dr.	Hurston Waldrep	RHP	Braves
50	53	43	26	32	Dalton Rushing	C	Dodgers
51	63	53	47	72	Harry Ford	C	Mariners
52	50	41	15	13	Colt Emerson	SS	Mariners
53	55	44	16	14	Emmanuel Rodriguez	OF	Twins
54	56	56	51	49	Sebastian Walcott	SS	Rangers
55	57	50	81	78	Brady House	3B	Nationals
56	64	69	75	71	Marco Luciano	SS	Giants
57	58	60	50	55	Bryce Eldridge	1B	Giants
58	59	45	41	45	Drew Thorpe	RHP	White Sox
59	60	61	71	51	Bubba Chandler	RHP	Pirates
60	42	34	28	34	Rhett Lowder	RHP	Reds
61	61	51	24	24	Chase Dollander	RHP	Rockies
62	62	52	46	27	Kyle Teel	C	Red Sox
63	66	54	48	33	Justin Crawford	OF	Phillies
64	67	78	Dr.	Dr.	Mick Abel	RHP	Phillies
65	79	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Curtis Mead	3B	Rays
66	68	57	Dr.	96	Shane Baz	RHP	Rays
67	80	Dr.	Dr.	Dr.	Everson Pereira	OF	Yankees
68	69	94	Dr.	Dr.	Roderick Arias	SS	Yankees
69	70	58	40	20	Xavier Isaac	1B	Rays
70	81	65	59	58	Tyler Black	3B	Brewers
71	71	59	Gr.	Gr.	Austin Wells	C	Yankees
72	91	Dr.	Dr.	Dr.	Chase Hampton	RHP	Yankees
73	82	95	Gr.	Gr.	Tyler Soderstrom	C	Athletics
74	26	8	Gr.	Gr.	Jared Jones	RHP	Pirates
75	72	70	Dr.	Dr.	Tekoah Roby	RHP	Cardinals
76	73	48	44	19	Jacob Wilson	SS	Athletics
77	74	80	Dr.	Dr.	Termarr Johnson	2B	Pirates
78	75	96	Dr.	Dr.	Connor Phillips	RHP	Reds
79	86	75	93	84	Luis Morales	RHP	Athletics
80	54	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Brayan Rocchio	SS	Guardians
81	76	71	78	67	Jace Jung	2B	Tigers
82	65	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Gavin Stone	RHP	Dodgers
83	77	81	95	Dr.	Victor Scott II	OF	Cardinals
84	83	64	22	21	Tink Hence	RHP	Cardinals
85	84	72	Dr.	Dr.	Thomas Saggese	2B	Cardinals
86	78	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Nolan Schanuel	1B	Angels
87	85	82	76	65	Ronny Mauricio	2B	Mets
88	87	73	79	68	Jacob Melton	OF	Astros
89	88	46	42	46	Max Meyer	RHP	Marlins
90	89	63	54	74	Orelvis Martinez	SS	Blue Jays
91	90	74	74	64	Drew Gilbert	OF	Mets
92	92	83	Dr.	91	Yanquiel Fernandez	OF	Rockies
93	93	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	DL Hall	LHP	Brewers
94	94	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Ceddanne Rafaela	OF	Red Sox
95	95	77	60	52	Brayden Taylor	3B	Rays
96	97	85	Gr.	Gr.	Andy Pages	OF	Dodgers
97	51	42	39	44	Josue De Paula	OF	Dodgers
98	Dr.	Dr.	87	Dr.	Robert Gasser	LHP	Brewers
99	96	84	77	66	Leodalis De Vries	SS	Padres
100	99	86	49	29	Lazaro Montes	OF	Mariners
	98	92	96	88	Thayron Liranzo	C	Dodgers
	100	Gr.	Gr.	Gr.	Luis Gil	RHP	Yankees
		62	27	22	Christian Scott	RHP	Mets
		76	58	Dr.	Jordan Beck	OF	Rockies
		87	61	59	Kyle Manzardo	1B	Guardians
		89	Dr.	Dr.	Cam Collier	3B	Reds
		90	80	69	Alfredo Duno	C	Reds
		91	64	75	Kevin Alcantara	OF	Cubs
		93	62	60	Moises Ballesteros	C	Cubs
		97	90	81	Edgar Quero	C	White Sox
		99	Dr.	Dr.	George Lombard Jr.	SS	Yankees
			57	Dr.	Luis Perales	RHP	Red Sox
			65	62	Angel Genao	SS	Guardians
			66	48	Luke Keaschall	2B	Twins
			67	26	Kevin McGonigle	SS	Tigers
			73	43	Thomas White	LHP	Marlins
			84	57	Ralphy Velazquez	1B	Guardians
			92	83	Spencer Schwellenbach	RHP	Braves
			94	85	Blade Tidwell	RHP	Mets
			97	86	Brandon Sproat	RHP	Mets
			98	53	Quinn Mathews	LHP	Cardinals
			99	87	Cade Povich	LHP	Orioles
			100	54	Zebby Matthews	RHP	Twins
				89	Kristian Campbell	2B/OF	Red Sox
				90	Jaden Hamm	RHP	Tigers
				92	Alex Freeland	SS	Dodgers
				93	David Festa	RHP	Twins
				94	Hayden Birdsong	RHP	Giants
				95	Felnin Celesten	SS	Mariners
				96	Shane Baz	RHP	Rays
				97	Braxton Ashcraft	RHP	Pirates
				98	Henry Bolte	OF	Athletics
				99	James Triantos	OF	Cubs
				100	Gary Gill Hill	RHP	Rays