He grew into his power in his sophomore year -- hitting .273/.405/.558 with 18 homers, 50 walks and 32 strikeouts in 242 at-bats -- and he's a lefty-hitting shortstop out of a Southern California high school who got early-round attention in the 2021 draft. WebRussell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He flashed solid-average stuff at times, but was generally pretty crude as an amateur. Sitting in some disappointment can provide perspective. Rookie Logan Thompson was a great story trying to get Vegas to the postseason with a 4-1-3 record, .905 SV% and 2.77 GAA down the stretch. Type: Gifted hitter with some defensive value. In two years with the Yankees, LeMahieu has twice finished in the top five in MVP voting and led the majors in batting average in 2020. See All - Top Rated. To be clear, this is a real nitpick. Some worried pre-draft that there wasn't enough ceiling and graded his stuff more fringy than above-average, but he had a velo tick up after signing, so now he sits 92-94 mph instead of 89-93 in college, with more sharpness to his signature plus curveball. Harris posted much higher exit velos than I'd expected, suggesting there's untapped upside here if he can use this newfound pitch selection and also lift the ball more; he had a 50% ground-ball rate while the MLB average is 43%. Create or join a fantasy baseball league, draft players, track rankings, watch highlights, get pick advice, and more! With Collier now in the fold, USC has a top-10 recruiting class in 2023. DeBoer just has to put the puzzle back together. The first-ever MLB draft lottery took place at the winter meetings Tuesday night, so we now know the top order of the 2023 MLB draft, to be held in July at the All-Star festivities in Seattle. -- Rivera, Why he's here: This will be a crucial year for the two-time Gold Glove shortstop and four-time All-Star. There isn't true impact ability, but contributing league-average-to-slightly-above offense and defense at shortstop with a lefty stick is massively valuable. -- Lee, Why he's here: No, it's not foolish to compare Soto to Ted Williams. In retrospect, only Ian Anderson of that group deserved more love, and he was more very good last year than amazing. He also broke his thumb and was in the midst of his longest season behind the plate of his career. Figure out what's next for this franchise. Harris immediately beat the Braves' expectations after signing, crushing rookie ball, then heading to low-A as an 18-year-old. 2 CB) of IMG Academy is one of several highly ranked prospects that'll be in the house for No. On the offensive end of things, he crushed low-A as a 19-year-old and is still doing the goofy bat speed, power-and-patience thing well, but his 36 games in high-A were worrisome (his 37% strikeout rate, first and foremost). 2023 Cup odds: +1000. The Hurricanes might have due diligence to conduct on the open market either way. 1 player in 2023 NFL draft? House obviously has fast-twitch hands -- potential 80-grade raw power -- plus bat speed, and a 70 arm that's been in the mid-90s on the mound. Type: 6-foot-7 lefty-hitting possible shortstop with 40-homer potential Result: Lost in Stanley Cup Final His offensive scouting report sounds pretty similar to Fernando Tatis Jr. at the same stage, but if a guy ranked all the way up here doesn't live up to expectations, it's usually due to a pitch-selection issue, and being a corner outfielder eats into his margin for error. Mayer isn't a slam-dunk generational talent like many top prep position players in the draft are, but he could eventually become that. GM Ken Holland said he had to figure out if Puljujarvi is part of the Oilers' future, and why not? But he gives roughly average to slightly above run times and, without a time, you'd guess from his physique that he was a below-average runner. He's probably always going to have a 20-30% strikeout rate given his power-based approach, and he's fringy in center field right now, so he could slide over to right field eventually. To create our annual MLB Rank list of the top 100 players in the sport, we presented our panel of ESPN baseball experts with multiple pairings of the biggest names in the game and asked simply, "Which player will be better in 2021?". 1 QB, No. Those pitchers were drafted in 2010 and 2012; it's been all hope and (relative) busts since then at the top of the prep pitcher class. Puljujarvi skated in the top six, took some much-needed strides and can own a checking line role. If Gore was a second-round pick and fringe top-100 prospect at his height, it would be easy to toss him in the "shrug, weird things happen to pitchers" bucket and bury him in the 45 FV tier, but it's hard to just walk away from a talent like this, so here he is, ranked with other potential/likely No. Pratto first impressed on the amateur scene as a two-way talent early in his high school career and held serve to become a mid-first-round pick, but as a hitter only. Age: 24 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right 1 QB, No. Voting results for the Class of 2022 are in. It looks like Romo may join Daniel Espino in making me turn a 180 within a year or two. Type: Gifted hitter with real defensive value. If that comes, he's getting real close to breaking into that 8-12 pitchers who I deem aces at any given time, so there's some real upward mobility once he gets to Double-A and posting numbers. We're debuting our top-100 prospects tool, which includes detailed scouting observations on most players dating back to 2018. When Rutschman joined Collegiate Team USA 11 months before the 2019 draft, it was quickly obvious that he was the best player on the field, vaulting him from likely top-10 pick to odds-on favorite to eventual No. WebRussell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors rates teams against one another, and those results are tabulated to produce the list featured here. He has plus raw power, pitch selection and speed along with good contact skills. 2023 Cup odds: +25000. He'll probably always strike out more than league average but has enough contact skills and patience to keep his OBP in a good spot, while his in-game power ability is his real calling card. Collier will be joining a young core at USC next season, with this marking the second consecutive top-10 class for USC after last year's group that featured three top-45 prospects. The Coyotes have to lean into the weirdness and make it a good time -- whatever that looks like. He joins his high school and AAU teammate Arrinten Page , an ESPN 100 center, and four-star guard Silas Demary . I point all of that out to explain why it's taken this long for a pitcher to be mentioned, but also because, on a pure prospect resume, Rodriguez should be higher. Perez has a solid-average physical ability, so he's not the worst version of what I'm talking about, and he also has the most attractive rsum an 18-year-old pitcher can have. Join or start a league for free >>, Why he's here: Buehler took some time off when the 2020 season initially shut down and was thus slow to build up when MLB restarted midsummer. Opposing coaches weigh in, SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Dick Vitale: Remembering Jim Valvano today, this week and every day after, A new No. And for historical context, former Florida 3B Jonathan India's breakthrough draft year performance that took him from a third-rounder at the beginning of the 2018 season to the No. Roundtable: Who has been the top waiver wire pickup so far this season? The Twins are proactively working with Martin, as they successfully have with some other prospects, to tap into his power more often, but the downside is a plus hitter with below-average power. Obviously, New Jersey is another team looking for a proper starting goaltender. Type: Potential front-line starter coming off shoulder surgery. Here are some of the potential No. Luckily, we don't have to rely on that with Torkelson. WebJEREMY PENA 2021 BOWMAN PROSPECTS Topps 1ST GRADED 10 ROOKIE CARD HOUSTON ASTROS. | Snubs, debates | 2020 list, Why he's here: Harper enters his third season with the Phillies after a strong 2020 campaign in which he hit .268/.420/.542 with 13 homers. Here's a video I took from fall instructional league in 2018 of when it looked good. His career 1.0 WAR from seven career big league outings in 2020 will also eclipse the career totals of more than a few players on this list. Jeff Passan . Here's how one pitcher slid into an online chat and left with a contract. A way-too-early look at the USMNT depth chart for 2026 World Cup. Even more incredible, he's pretty good at it! Seriously. Contreras was signed by the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic in 2016, then was traded in the Jameson Taillon deal before the 2021 season, which served as Contreras' breakout from solid pitching prospect to potential midrotation starter who already has made a big league start. Ford was the No. Collier, whose mother is originally from Compton and brother lives in Los Angeles, developed a close relationship with Enfield during the recruiting process. Nichushkin stepped up when Kadri was out late in the postseason, and at 27, he's four years younger than Kadri. 1 Tennessee and No. Brash was stolen by Seattle from the Padres in an under-the-radar 2020 trade deadline deal for Taylor Williams (designated for assignment last summer, now a free agent). Who is the greatest baseball player ever? -- Gonzalez, Why he's here: He's a little undersized, but all this guy does is hit, hit for power and steal some bases. WebThe Big 12 will be happy to have one player picked in the first round. Result: Missed playoffs Type: Power righty who's above-average at everything Type: Incredibly gifted hitter with above-average tools and feel Rocchio looked set for a full-season breakout in 2020, which obviously didn't happen, but just kept humming along as though it did, skipping low-A completely and splitting 2021 at high-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old while also showing a new part of his game by hitting 15 homers. Type: Long-levered power-over-hit third baseman. Last year's top prospect Wander Franco was a 70 FV (the highest grade I've given out) and projects for multiple 5-6 WAR seasons, while the MVP winner is usually around 7-8 WAR. Web2023 NFL draft big questions: Top prospects, QB class, risers Who are the top signal-callers in next year's draft? Davis' arm behind the plate hasn't changed, and he's still a below-average runner, but the rest has changed. Result: Won Stanley Cup For some, Clark and/or Jenkins belong in the top group. It's more common for a righty starter to sparingly use a changeup, but normally it's a starter that goes three-to-five innings at best or has above-average command of breaking stuff in specific locations that I'm not sure Contreras has right now. Top NFL draft prospects, predictions, 2023 football recruiting rankings: New five-stars, rising prospects (10/12/22) His swing decisions are a notch behind Witt's and while Rodriguez has picked up some speed in recent years, he's just OK in center field -- he will settle in at right. There's a world where Harris has all five usable tools (hit, game power, speed, defense, arm) as 55 or better, which is incredibly rare, if this all clicks. WebLatest on USC Trojans wide receiver Jordan Addison including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN As an evaluator who's always wary of young catchers, I was caught by surprise that a teenaged backstop who had played 42 games in rookie ball in 2019, then missed all of 2020 because of the pandemic, could jump all the way to high-A and dominate the league in 2021. Jung was both an easy evaluation as a college hitter (he hit everywhere and had good tools) and tricky (he didn't lift the ball in games and it was hard to suss out how easily he could learn to do that). Will Florida be able to re-sign pending UFA Giroux? Result: Missed playoffs He uses a distinct above-average-to-plus slider and curveball that both are a little crisper now with the added arm speed. Age: 23 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right 1 goalie, whether that's Jack Campbell or someone else. Type: Solid average across the board everyday catcher. Maybe we haven't even seen the best of Laine yet. The Orioles cut a deal with the second overall pick and spread the savings around, giving Mayo $1.75 million in the fourth round. This happened with Wil Myers and also Bryce Harper, though Soderstrom is more at the Myers level of potential 60 hit/power rather than a potential all-timer like Harper. Laurent Brossoit was injured, too. Hit: 40/55, Game power: 45/60, Raw power: 65/65, Speed: 40/40, Fielding: 40/50, Throwing: 55/55 Watson made the most of it, coming out of nowhere on a midtier travel team to show a plus bat, emerging raw power that's at least above average, and a middle-infield fit along with solid average speed. Sign up (now featuring keepers by round) . Then start answering the big questions: Is this team capable of another Stanley Cup run? This was arguably the most shocking prospect turnaround in years. He hit immediately in pro ball but got attention from other clubs as turning the corner late in 2019, when he mashed in high-A, helped by significant added strength. -- Doolittle, Why he's here: Bellinger is a naturally gifted fielder with a plus arm, elite speed and majestic power. He also has strong production in the best league in amateur baseball. As is, he's an advanced hitter who plays the most in-demand position well and is good at everything. The first-ever MLB draft lottery took place at the winter meetings Tuesday night, so we now know the top order of the 2023 MLB draft, to be held in July at the All-Star festivities in Seattle. He threw his heater less than 40% of the time as another measure of trying to be too cute. https://t.co/P6D9YeTHcz. That's a great place to start and Perez really built on it in 2021. WebGet the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. Reminds me of: Kyle Tucker. Offensively, Lewis' pitch selection is below average, his mechanics have changed and he has missed tons of reps -- so ideally 2022 can be a year to solve all of these relatively minor issues to springboard into the big league career envisioned years ago. At that point he was a strong hitter with below-average power (that played down due to a line-drive approach) and fit best in right field, so he seemed like a second- to third-round prospect. Jones' range and arm are good enough for shortstop, but his hands are just OK, so center field is a natural landing spot if things don't work in the infield. We're debuting our top-100 prospects tool, which includes detailed scouting observations on most players dating back to 2018. Cruz has already played in the big leagues and is No. 2023 Cup odds: +2000. Free agency? 55), we come to Pepiot, who probably has the best changeup in the whole minor leagues, an at least 70-grade Bugs Bunny-type offering. (You'll be able to watch almost all of the top college players all spring on ESPN+ since they're concentrated in the SEC!). Age: 21 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Age: 22 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) for the 201617 season.He is also a nine-time All Think aggressive delivery that gets you down the mound to get extension and flat angle to the plate, "rising" power four-seam fastball at the top of the zone, high-spin curveball at the bottom of the zone, power slider to bridge the gap between the two, sparing use of a changeup and using above-average stuff for margin of error in throwing pitches to an advantageous area, leaning toward power rather than perfect precision. The sales pitch was a shortstop/third baseman fit, outlandish bat speed, big power projection and some feel for hitting. That's still on the table, but he's 25, and was drafted by a prior regime. 1 ranking, key risers (including Bronny) and more recruiting storylines. Lewis was the No. Free shipping. Result: Missed playoffs Cooper also visited Kansas, LSU and Gonzaga. That wasn't really around in 2021 for the first time, at Triple-A and the big leagues, when he was trying to get hitters to chase and started nibbling, soon finding that more advanced hitters would fall for that. Find out below. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. Web2023 NFL draft big questions: Top prospects, QB class, risers Who are the top signal-callers in next year's draft? He's also coming off a down year, but going from the SEC in 2019 to no competitive games in 2020 to Double-A in 2021 was a big ask for a number of players who largely struggled. Age: 21 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Given his tools and makeup, San Diego moved Arias aggressively through the minors, at least a level ahead of even most top prospects, so he spent 2021 in Triple-A at age 21, an age at which the next guy on this list was playing at Sam Houston State. Jones is another of my picks to click, long a scout favorite due to his ridiculous tools, premium physical skills and plus makeup, with signs he may be turning the corner in arguably the best system for middle infielders to actualize their talent. We'll start with the concerns on Rodriguez so you can calibrate your risk tolerance. Result: Missed playoffs He's already in Jupiter and pumping 97 mph, and he sat at 94.6 over last season. Hitters (unless they have Vlad Sr.-level bat control) can't get to all of their raw power in games if they're swinging at a bunch of pitches they can't drive; it only gets harder as you climb the ladder developmentally. Type: Well-rounded everyday shortstop with below-average pop. Compared to Witt, there's a little less upside (due to position) and a little more risk (due to approach). That means the Devils' defense and power play will be under new management. He performed well and will flash five above-average tools (his raw power is just a bit above average) at times, but I'd guess he settles as a 55 bat with fringe power, above-average speed and a solid-average glove, somewhere in the J.P. Crawford or Dansby Swanson area. 2021-22 record: 27-49-6, 60 points Martinez was in the top tier in the loaded 2018 international class, getting the top bonus of the 16-year-olds of the group at $3.5 million. He loves being in St. Louis, and vice versa. With deGrom's velocity up this spring and an improved lineup around him, Mets fans can expect more deGrom dominance -- and more than likely some better run support -- in 2021. Type: Toolsy catcher with advanced feel. What more can GM Pat Verbeek add to make the Ducks dangerous? Age: 21 | Bats: | Right Throws: Right We're debuting our top-100 prospects tool, which includes detailed scouting observations on most players dating back to 2018. A 50 PV (present value) is a 2.0 to 2.5 WAR player. Arjun Nimmala (23 FL) 100-EV that went 400-feet for a playoff NUKE! Soccer. In the game I saw, I graded him out with three 55-grade pitches, with the fastball/slider showing 60 grades at times, which I'm told was one of his weaker stuff showings of the year. Type: Compact, polished center fielder with above-average tools Davis because it is, but Vientos just turned 22, so there's still a little more time to break out above that. Collier chose USC over a final list that also included Cincinnati, Michigan and UCLA. Walker was below average at third last year, and the early spring look at his defense was a big reason he fell in the draft. The hit tool shined through in his pro debut, when he hit .323 over 92 games in low-A as a teenager and earned a late-season promotion to high-A. He joins his high school and AAU teammate Arrinten Page, an ESPN 100 center, and four-star guard Silas Demary. Realmuto in there. Age: 24 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right England exit another World Cup with same question: Who's the orchestrator? Gorman is now basically average defensively at both third base and second base, giving him a chance to break into the lineup while Nolan Arenado is healthy. The mechanical thing is obviously fixable (unclear how quickly; often, results will help the hitters fix it without a coach harping on it), and I think the approach part is fixable because we're still early in House's career, but some hitters never make that adjustment, and he'll probably always be aggressive. Thomas has the makings of a dynamic, modern top-of-the-order hitter for a decade, which should start in 2022. This skill set is very similar to Cristian Pache, who still hasn't turned the corner offensively (now 23); odds are one of them figures it out at the plate and I'm very slightly leaning to Rojas now. Wagner and the top 25 recruits regardless of class, National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com, 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level, Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State. Vancouver is on the clock. The concern at draft time and after his first summer in pro ball was that he swung too much to the point that it might undermine his plus tools and makeup, a common problem for superlatively tooled-up youngsters -- one that has sunk more than a few careers. 50-26: Which aces cracked the top half of our list? WebGet breaking MLB Baseball News, our in-depth expert analysis, latest rumors and follow your favorite sports, leagues and teams with our live updates. Buffalo is on the lookout for a new No. Moreno went to the Venezuelan Winter League in 2020 and he returned there this winter, along with playing in the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost reps, and he kept mashing there as well. 2021-22 record: 46-30-7, 98 points WebThe 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. Reminds me of: Kenny Lofton. Still, he kept humming along, skipping low-A altogether last year and hitting 31 homers in 120 games at high-A as a 20-year-old. Type: Above-average-tooled shortstop, except for power. Again, this is also very nitpicky, but these are the conversations scouts are having right now. 8 overall, relying mostly on his plus hit tool, solid approach and overall feel for the game. He's probably not a star, but he's a quick-moving, safe, above-average every-day player at a premium position. 9 overall pick. Over a full season with shorter rest, 100 mph and an 80 slider wasn't realistic, so there's a bit of question around exactly where Meyer's stuff will settle. 2023 Draft Scout Joshua Moore, Texas, WR, 2023 NFL. See All - Top Rated. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and his plus (maybe plus-plus) curveball is the calling card here. Enrique Bradfield, CF, Vanderbilt Age: 22 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Jenkins has a potential plus hit/power combination as his selling point in a classic right-field profile and tons of history. Type: Potential front-line power arm. Now he will need to keep his contract negotiations from being a distraction as he dons a Mets uniform and takes center stage in New York. Suffice it to say, by some accounts, House was the best number in this class, strongly suggesting that your eyes aren't lying to you about his shortstop ability. There were some subtle improvements in pitch selection and overall offensive approach, but his natural skill set is a 45-to-50-grade hit, solid approach and 25+ homers (the exact number he hit last year). Top-50 recruit Kaden Cooper announced his commitment to Oklahoma men's basketball on Saturday, picking the Sooners over Alabama. Age: 23 | Bats: Left | Throws: Right He can pick out his pitches, he can drive them, and he has the power to punish mistakes, just as he has proved over and over for scouts for years. Why he's here: It's going to be almost impossible for Freeman to match the .341/.462/.640 line that won him MVP honors in 2020, but maybe he can do it again. The Capitals are looking for reinforcements. Leiter is an extreme competitor who has successfully made adjustments and is a good enough athlete to project average command. Langford, on the other end of the spectrum, was anonymous his freshman year at Florida as a lightly regarded backup catcher with four at-bats all season. WebThe official National Hockey League website including news, rosters, stats, schedules, teams, and video. Oh, and one more: 2018's top pitching prospect was Shohei Ohtani. He got a little too strength-oriented in his swing in 2019 and evaluators thought he'd be more of a .240-type hitter who might have to rely on his defense. This is a monumental move that they have to get right. Type: Right-handed first-base masher Cincinnati wants him to incorporate it more and not try to strike everyone out, but focus on going deeper in games. WebWho's Mel Kiper Jr.'s No. Mauricio was one of the bigger names in his international signing class at age 16 and has impressed in a number of ways his entire pro career. I was so-so on Miller at Louisville, thinking he relied too much on power and couldn't pitch more than a couple innings at a time while still commanding the ball. NHL Power Rankings, way-too-early edition: The first look at 2022-23, 796 goals and counting: The Alex Ovechkin chase to 800 tracker, Ranking the best lines in the NHL right now, Preds forward McCarron in assistance program, Letang, 35, returns after 2nd stroke as Pens win, NHL suspends Kraken D Oleksiak for three games, Sabres' Skinner suspended 3 for cross-checking, Thompson's 5 goals tie Sabres' single-game high, Coyotes end their 19-game losing streak to Bruins, Leafs' Engvall suspended 1 game for high-sticking, NHL Power Rankings: One word to describe each team's 2022-23 season. He has hit 100 mph but sits 93-95 mph with both four- and two-seam fastballs, a true plus (or more) curveball, an above-average slider and an improving but still fringy changeup along with starter command. Those are both still questions, but more the details to his scouting report than big concerns. His changeup is a distant fourth, offering in quality and frequency. Defensively, he's excellent on the ball. NBA. He gets into the 115 mph area in games, with even better bat control (i.e. WebGet the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. This year, though, there isn't a team in the top 10 of the lottery odds that leans heavily on its draft model (Pirates and Detroit Tigers probably do the most) and there are a number of teams more inclined to a traditional approach (Nationals, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies), so signing the top pick for below-slot value is a little less likely this year than in previous years. Not bad for the guy who gets the third-most buzz in his own system, behind Anthony Volpe and the Martian (see No. The majority of the women's college basketball recruits in the 2023 espnW 100 had been committed prior to the early signing period. Those questions melted away as Thomas started 2021 hot, torching Double-A as a 21-year-old, then getting promoted to Triple-A and performing even better, hitting 18 homers and slashing .313/.394/,559 while young for the league and playing a premium position. We've got you covered. But the Yankees' $324 million right-hander does have to clean up his propensity to serve up home runs, as his 14 homers allowed was the second most in the majors. Since a plus offensive performer plays anywhere, the position alone isn't super important, but if it turns out he's corner outfield/first base only, it speaks to overall longevity and the amount of pressure evaluators put on the bat to perform. As Bregman eases into his prime seasons, he'll look to return to hitting rockets, and if he does, he'll remind everyone why he was second in AL MVP voting during our last full season. Age: 23 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right After sharing the same uniform for one season, they came away amazed by how sharp he was defensively, how well he worked counts, how forcefully the ball jumped off his bat and how perfectly he ran the bases. San Jose is turning its keys over for the first time in almost 20 years. 4 last year), because of some shocking breakout years from up-the-middle prospects who will start the year in Double-A or Triple-A. If Laine was sincere this spring in saying he wants to stay in Columbus, the Blue Jackets should get a long-term deal done ASAP. Witt was a slam-dunk DUDE on the national stage as early as his sophomore year in high school, when he was playing with rising seniors at summer events, standing out to the eye on offense and defense and regularly posting the top exit velos in the games. There are 74 players who'll become trade eligible next week, which could mark the unofficial start of trade season in the NBA. He has been a plus hitter since his freshman year at Vanderbilt and until his 2020 draft spring. 1 Houston, NMSU coach told cop fears of shooting retaliation, Pitt guard pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges, Brown steps down at Memphis due to health, Grinnell attempts NCAA record 111 3-point shots, Why is North Carolina struggling? The Tigers have some distinct types they prefer in the draft -- power-armed pitchers, SEC performers -- so when rumors circulated around April that they were very heavily in on Jobe for the No. WebGet the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. If you can judge a player's greatness by his worst seasons, with Trout, you can see at a glance why he's as much in a race with the likes of Babe Ruth and Willie Mays for historical supremacy as he is with Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the best-right-now throne that remains his, and his alone. He torched big league spring training and opened at Double-A, then torched that league, went to Triple-A and torched that league even more. I still don't think about Abrams any differently now than I did then, as he performed well in Double-A as expected, but Rodriguez and Witt got the full season to show progress and Abrams did not. Type: Power-and-patience outfield tweener. The majority of the women's college basketball recruits in the 2023 espnW 100 had been committed prior to the early signing period. Trying to keep him on the schedule that other top international signings have been on doesn't make any sense when a pandemic wiped out what would've been the first year before sending him to low-A. Age: 22 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right In high school, he looked nothing like Bo Bichette did in high school -- they had almost opposite swings -- but now Volpe kind of looks like the current version of Bichette. Will Berhalter be USA manager at 2026 World Cup? 8 at his position. 6 overall in 2024, No. Age: 23 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right With some injuries, short-season assignments and the lost 2020 minor league season, Valera has played only 144 career games, but he has performed everywhere. Lowe has been a bit of a slow burn developmentally, chosen 13th overall in 2016 out of an Atlanta-area high school with one of the best two-way tool sets in a long time: at least 60 grades on power, speed and arm while offering mid-90s on the mound with an above-average breaking ball and a 6-foot-4 frame. I think second base is Martin's best long-term fit, but he also will likely always play multiple positions. WebGet the latest NCAA college football news, scores, stats, standings, and more from ESPN. They'll need big springs to jump over all of the SEC types in the first group, but both are strong bets to land somewhere in the top 10 picks either way. -- Lee. The biggest change is his power development -- in raw power, loft in his swing, and the in-game utility of it. There was some risk given his position, but he had all the tools, so it just seemed like a matter of time before he brought everything together. He has moved quickly since being traded from the Rays and should make his MLB debut in 2022. Top-50 recruit Kaden Cooper announced his commitment to Oklahoma men's basketball on Saturday, picking the Sooners over Alabama. Guerin has spent (limited) Wild cap space, but not on Fiala. Age: 22 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right 2021-22 record: 56-19-7, 119 points Where did your team's future stars land on the list? Those are two top-six contributors who could be unavailable until halfway through next season. How does that happen? If you're looking for real holes, it's nitpicking on Rutschman lacking a 70-grade tool or the age-versus-level math he could never make up for as a later-blooming, multisport athlete from a cold-weather state. Reminds me of: Somewhere on the Austin Riley to Pete Alonso spectrum. Listen. There's some risk that his offense settles below average in the big leagues, but his defense would still make him a decent regular (the 50 that he's graded as right now), but he's on the 40-man and should get a big league look in 2022, so the risk of bust (less than a 45) is getting very unlikely. I'd look for a .275 batting average, an okay walk rate and 12-20 homers depending on how hard he's trying to hit the ball and what the league is giving him, along with at least average defensive contributions. There are fewer of those questions now, with some scouts projecting slightly above-average defense in center. 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Velo: 96-99, Fastball: 70/70, Slider: 55/60, Curveball: 50/55, Changeup: 55/60, Command: 50/55 He has top-of-the-scale 80-grade raw power that could produce 40+ homers; he has a 70- or 80-grade arm depending on whom you ask; he's somehow still a plus runner; and he is still, let me emphasize this, still exclusively playing shortstop, even in his two-game big league debut. 2-3 starter if it all clicks, but most evaluators think he'll just always be a power-over-feel type who will frustrate you at times, falling a bit short of his upside. Granted, Soto did it in just 47 games and Williams then hit .406 as a 22-year-old, but the point is Soto has the same superstar ability and plate discipline as Williams. 1. Type: Advanced hitter who's good at everything. 5 on my draft board, and there were rumors he'd be an underslot option at a top-five pick moments before the draft, but he ended up sliding all the way to the No. Is Andersen's health an issue? 1 ranking, key risers (including Bronny) and more recruiting storylines. That is Oneil Cruz. If you pick any current MLB star who wasn't the most hyped player in their age group as a teenager (so, not Bryce Harper, but basically everyone else), Dominguez was more advanced than them at the same stage, since he has amazing tools and none of those players had played real pro games at that point, so performance is barely a component of the comparison. harder to get around to hard stuff on his hands while also covering the whole plate) and has always had good-not-great bat control (i.e. He went 21st overall in the 2020 draft and probably would've gone higher with a full spring to let his hitting ability hold up to more scrutiny. If you're reading this, there's a good shot you've read Jeff Passan's feature and you know the deal with Dominguez. For years, the Kings were fearsome on the ice. Age: 20 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Age: 18 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right And he was playing mostly shortstop the whole time, and the underlying stats like exit velo also back this up. WebComplete list of ESPN sports blogs. If Ryan Pepiot (No. GM Ron Francis stated his commitment to "building a team through the draft." There just aren't many massive starting pitchers in baseball because of these heavy headwinds. Brujan is a superior athlete with plus-plus speed and an above-average glove at second and he spent 2021 hitting well at Triple-A. The most likely outcome here is a super-utility player every good team needs -- not the no-hit shortstop -- the multiposition guy who can hit, like Ben Zobrist, Enrique Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez, Chris Taylor et al -- with some chance Lewis can land higher than that. WebThe 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. 2022 will be a big year for Mauricio to show an ability to keep making adjustments and see if he gets a big league look late in the season en route to being a long-term infield answer and potential star. There's also a lot of uncertainty with prospects, so it's by default looking at the rosier potential outcomes compared to some current MLB players. Ortiz in, Bonds and Clemens miss out He also had all the tools to hit and hit for power, but his approach could be too aggressive (and his swing a little too uphill), so he slid to the top of the second round on draft day. He was hurt by missing the 2020 season that was supposed to be his breakout in the upper level of the minors. If you'd like to argue against the way some teams use age against players (Brett Baty is a notable miss for that group), check out Miller crushing a long home run at age 15. Davis was a draftable high school player out of upstate New York but gave uneven looks offensively and was most notable for his 80-grade arm behind the plate -- eventually pushing him to Louisville. Type: Toolshed with a problematic approach. Age: 21 | Bats: Left | Throws: Left His contact ability ran hot and cold, but it seemed like he'd be at least solid offensively, not enough for me to think he'd separate from the competition. Last year, the in-game power showed up and he hit 24 homers across Triple-A and the big leagues, helped greatly by his ground ball rate dropping over 20%; his raw power is still just average-ish. 2021-22 record: 22-49-11, 55 points WebGet the latest MLB baseball news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ESPN. Here is a quick overview on the 20-80 scale used extensively throughout the list and standard across the baseball industry. Who will be the best player of the 2021 MLB season? Carroll hit well in 2019 after signing and showed better exit velos than expected, then in 2020, largely behind closed doors, showed improved bat and foot speed that took him to another level. Now, ideally, teams want that elite SEC hitter with pedigree and performance who can play up the middle, and Gonzalez has the best chance of this group to do all three. Last year, Abrams broke his tibia and sprained his MCL in a collision on a ball up the middle on June 30, so after the missed 2020 season, he has played only 42 games in two years. Bradfield really knows how to use his speed in all phases, he has great feel for the game and he's adding more power to his game, but he's always going to be a speed/defense/contact-type first and foremost. However, there are plenty of teams in the market for goaltenders. Result: Missed playoffs The pending unrestricted free agent deserves a significant raise from the two-year, $5 million deal about to expire. Age: 24 | Bats: Left | Throws: Left Type: Left-handed athlete who is (normally) above average at everything. Type: Borderline-flawless future star Soto hit .351/.490/.695. Trading Wheeler sends a message. 27 on last year's top 100 anticipating his 2021 breakout year. There's enough short-term offensive upside here that having a DH spot in the lineup would be a good reason to carry him as a third catcher, to see if he can get on track at the plate and give him time with the big league pitching staff. A prep third baseman sliding to the back half of the first round for the Cardinals will sound familiar in the next blurb. Strictly at the plate, he's in that Kyle Tucker/Riley Greene area as an advanced, elite, teenaged lefty stick. He didn't have much buzz leading up to the draft when the Giants dropped $2.5 million in the third round to keep him from going to UCLA. Cron was hitting .250 with 25-30 homers and getting non-tendered or settling for one-year deals. We're debuting our top-100 prospects tool, which includes detailed scouting observations on most players dating back to 2018. The first-ever MLB draft lottery took place at the winter meetings Tuesday night, so we now know the top order of the 2023 MLB draft, to be held in July at the All-Star festivities in Seattle. I chose Greene as my hitter pick to click on last year's list -- player who wasn't in last year's top 20 most likely to jump into the top 10 (he was 25th) -- and even I didn't think Greene would torch Double-A and Triple-A like he did, playing the whole season at age 20. This is so easy. Gore has gone on a journey from projectable athlete as a prep underclassman to top-five pick as a prep senior (2017), to arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball two-and-a-half years later (before the 2020 season), to a wild last two seasons of command problems and delivery adjustments. Gonzales is an average defensive second baseman with 55 raw power, but the pre-draft selling point was an advanced, 60-grade bat. 1 overall. He has already made improvements to this end and 2022 will be a big year to prove if he'll stay on the fast track to the big league lineup or be more of a slower burn defensive specialist that tantalizes with his upside. On Monday, we revealed Nos. See All - Top Rated. Wilson is the son of longtime big leaguer Jack Wilson and has the kind of lanky frame where you can imagine power coming eventually, but it isn't there yet, whereas the bat and glove are. Things started turning around in 2020 largely behind closed doors and his 2021 was his breakout year. There aren't a ton of different flavors of this kind of player, but Posey is the closest version, even if I think Posey was a better natural hitter. Age: 23 | Bats: Left | Throws: Left Christian Yelich is a little more the body type -- but that outcome as a hitter is still very unlikely, while possible. Age: 18 | Bats: Left | Throws: Right Type: Potential No. It was televised nationally on ESPN. Here is a quick overview on the 20-80 scale used extensively throughout the list and standard across the baseball industry. Informacin, videos y fotos sobre los hechos ms relevantes y sus protagonistas. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. Ashby was a draft sleeper, known for his breaking ball out of a Missouri junior college, taken in the fourth round in 2018. He's No. Reminds me of: Carlos Correa or Trevor Story. I think there's about a 1-in-3 shot that Marte figures out how to stick at shortstop and he'll be a good third baseman if he doesn't. It's still early after 19 pro games, but this type (showcase performer with plus offensive traits and defensive value) has been a fruitful one to bet on, so he could move into the middle of this list by midseason with a hot spring. Type: Well-rounded solid everyday right fielder. Someone out there needs him. The Pirates pounced on that perception, signing Davis as the No. The risk that he loses a tick of arm speed or that the torque created leads to an injury are elevated, and then a bunch of guys who don't throw as hard move ahead of him. In part, the perception that he'd want full slot value at the top pick in a year where a half-dozen players were very similar in talent meant that he was less likely to go first with a fixed amount of bonus money available to each team. He was a relatively anonymous college player until his draft spring at Wright State when the Marlins took him in the third round. Class of 2022 Hall of Fame coverage . So, the adjustments are pretty simple to just trust your raw stuff a bit more, which he has proved he can do. He's smart and I think he understands the game at a very high level. . GM Brian MacLellan should be scouring the trade and free-agent markets for help. Reminds me of: A mix of Salvador Perez and Will Smith. Type: Power-and-patience corner bat. Reminds me of: There isn't a great one, but there's some mid-20s version of J.T. Type: Teenage potential ace, but it's early. Age: 23 | Bats: Left | Throws: Left Which leads us to Age: 21 | Bats: Left | Throws: Right "I had other good options. Age: 19 | Bats: Both | Throws: Right Ole Miss SS Jacob Gonzalez has added another element this spring. Collier is the fourth five-star recruit to commit to USC since 2019, following Isaiah Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu and Evan Mobley. Baty reached Double-A at age 21 last year with solid power, patience and contact against his prospect-age peers, though he needs to lift the ball more to lean into his skill set. Winners and losers of 2022 voting Reminds me of: Luis Castillo, but bigger and with a four-seam fastball instead of a sinker. 6 overall in 2024, No. I think everyone should have to put modifiers in front of the word unique when they talk about Oneil Cruz. As if that Archer trade could look any worse (Baz in addition to Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows! 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