NMLB Deep Dive September 21: Top Five Prospects in Baseball
stadiumreport.bbn September 1st, 2021
The Contact King:
Drafted first overall in 2018,
Jason Barlett was described as a freak of nature by opponents in high school and still lives to the this name. After struggling a bit in rookie ball, he broke out in 2021, batting .336-7-26 .898OPS 6/12 SB in 75 games between short A and A ball and is now the consensus #1 prospect in baseball. While people close to the
San Francisco Red Devils org say he is a difficult character and not a model citizen, his talent in undeniable.
The Raw Diamond:
Drafted first overall this year,
Tyler Dean is going through the growing pains of a high school bat in rookie ball. Batting .205 with the Newport News Barons, albeit with six home runs, he has developed his center field defence quite well and asked about that, the
Montreal Expos aim to play him in right and left also though the next years, making him an outfielder that can play all three positions. His raw power potential is insane, but it is a long way to the majors.
The College Slugger:
Drafted two spots behind
Tyler Dean this year,
Benito Morfin is moved through rookie ball quickly by hitting .262 and now already gets a shot at Short A Garden Grove. The
Canadians love his bat, but the question marks are around his defence and personality more than around his bat.
The Soon to be Called Up?:
Signed as a international amateur free agent in 2017,
Julian Hernandez seemed to be on the fast track to the major leagues when he started the season in AAA, but he since stalled with his batting, not breaking out over a .225-.235 clip at any point in the season. There are a lot of rumors around him, including moving him to second base and that the
Expos are not as high on his ceiling since head scout Dave Gomes joined the org in the winter and since
Hernandez failed to improve his batting in the offseason.
The Trade Chip That Did Not Get Traded:
The
Las Vegas Gamblers are in the race for the World Series this year, make no mistake. Yet, they balked at any trade that would’ve involved
Ricardo Sandoval. Another international amateur free agent, this time in 2018, he has struggled to really hit his stride in rookie ball, batting .221 this season, but many scouts are still optimistic that a big surge in power, followed by batting average, is about to come.