Every year, I struggle through the Giants system.  I like Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt, but after that, there’s a lot of “meh.”  Kyle Harrison looks like he will be at least a number three starter, so that worked out. As did Heliot Ramos.  Who else has?

Marco Luciano finally graduated, and he was hard to rank because of his swing-and-miss, which played out in his MLB debut. In his debut, Grant McCray has shown speed and power, but he’s striking out at 40% of the time.  Hyden Birdsong?  Not really.   Then there’s Vaun Brown, Luis Matos, and Mason Black.  All were owned heavily by Dynasty League managers, and none will become stars.

The Giants have done a lousy job at drafting and developing players and haven’t taken advantage of the Latin market.  It’s a shame.  The Championship years of the early 2010s are long gone.  What are they going to do now?

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Bryce Eldridge
• Biggest Mover: Jhonny Level
• Biggest Disappointment: Mason Black – I thought there would be more.
• Emerging Prospect: Jesus Alexander

The list can be found here.

The Padres system is thin.  I will not use any negative terms like stinks or sucks because every time I think that, several players emerge.  No team in Major League Baseball has used their minor league rosters as trade assets more than the Padres.  Has it worked? Maybe a little bit.  But wouldn’t CJ Abrams, James Woods, and MacKenzie Gore look good on their Major League roster now?  What about Trea Turner, Max Fried, Josh Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Ty France, and Brent Rooker?  All of these players were traded by AJ Preller.  I’m unsure what to say, so I’ll leave it as written.

There are a few players left who I think have the potential to make it to the Major Leagues. Leo De Vries looks like the real deal, and while Ethan Salas really struggled in 2024, the talent is there.  I also like Henry Baez.  He performed very well this season.  Tirso Ornelas is underrated.  I liked their draft, but many of the players they selected are high school kids.

In the end, the job of the GM is to get to the playoffs with a chance to win a Championship.  Preller has had a decade and plenty of money to make that happen.  He’s made it to three post-seasons, including 2024.  The furthest he made was the NLCS in 2022.  He spent 1.376 billion dollars in the process.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Leo De Vries
• Biggest Mover: Henry Baez
• Biggest Disappointment: Ethan Salas – This might not be fair given his age and assignment, but he hit .206 with a .311 SLG.
• Emerging Prospect: Kale Fountain

 The list can be found here.

While the Dodgers used much of their prospect capital to trade for players at the deadline, the system is still deep and good. Most of the talent is a few years away from Los Angeles, but the potential is sky-high.

It’s just a matter of time.  Dalton Rushing is the closest player available to help the Dodgers next season.  He took a big step forward and hit better in the Texas and PCL League than in the Midwest League.  The Dodgers have played him in left field, and that is likely how he’ll break into the Major Leagues.

Josue De Paula is one of the best young prospects in the game, but he has yet to hit his stride. There’s going to be big-boy power with a feel to hit.  Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Joendry Vargas are three teenagers who have significant upsides but are a few years away from making their Major League debut.

Their pitching continues to be extremely strong but with many significant injuries.  River Ryan and Kyle Hurt had TJS, Nick Frasso was out all season with a shoulder issue, and Maddux Bruns missed half the season with a back injury.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Josue De Paula
• Biggest Mover: Zyhir Hope
• Biggest Disappointment: Maddux Bruns – can’t throw strikes and spent a lot of time on the IL
• Emerging Prospect: Emil Morales

The list can be found here.

I’ve been critical of the Rockies for years; some of it is justified, and others are not.  However, you must credit them for developing Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle.  Tovar is extremely aggressive at the plate but has evolved into a power-hitting shortstop, and Doyle went 20-20 in 2024 and cut his strikeout rate by nearly 30%.  They are arguably their two best positional players.

The pitching continues to be a disaster, and ultimately, there might not be any answer.  However, the next great hope is Chase Dollander.  He was one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues this season and should see Colorado in 2025.  I’ve seen him pitch, and it’s nasty stuff.  Will he be successful in Colorado?  I honestly don’t know, but I’m hopeful.

Charlie Condon had a terrific Draft year at Georgia, and when the Rockies took him with their first pick last July, I was excited. However, his professional debut was concerning, as he struck out nearly a third of the time. Yes, it was a small sample size, but still not good.  I will be a little leery with him in FYPDs and would not blame fantasy managers for taking a safer pick (Bazzana or Wetherholt).

As always, the system is deep, with many opportunities for fantasy managers.  I love Zac Veen, and despite his injury history, there is fantasy goodness there.  Adael Amador can flat-out hit, and Cole Carrigg could be the best fantasy player on the list.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Charlie Condon
• Biggest Mover: Cole Carrigg
• Biggest Disappointment: Yanquiel Fernandez
• Emerging Prospect: Ashly Andujar

The list can be found here.

The Diamondbacks had an uneven minor league season.  Several of their high-end prospects underperformed, and some of their underrated players exceeded expectations.  Jordan Lawlar disappointed the team as he spent most of the season on the IL.  I thought he would have spent at least half the year in Arizona.  While Jackson Holliday struggled to establish himself in the Major Leagues, his draft mate, Druw Jones, is struggling in Low-A.  Tommy Troy had a solid season but spent a lot of time on the IL.

Yilber Diaz blew up this season and got a chance to pitch in the Major Leagues, and he did not look lost. Gino Groover also spent a lot of time on the IL but looked great when he returned. Finally, Adrian Del Castillo was a hot pickup for a couple of weeks, hitting .300 with four home runs.

I’m a fan of the Diamondbacks’ continued efforts to create an excellent talent funnel for their Major League team. According to the GM handbook, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Jordan Lawlar
• Biggest Mover: Gavin Conticello
• Biggest Disappointment: Druw Jones
• Emerging Prospect: Belfi Rivera

The list can be found here.

When your top prospect is also your biggest disappointment, that doesn’t say a lot for an organization’s minor league system.  But that is where we are with the Toronto Blue Jays.

I will say that the system is deeper after the moves they made at the trade deadline, but it’s still a very weak system.  Orelvis Martinez was suspended for 80 games for a PED violation, Ricky Tiedemann had TJS in July, and Arjun Nimmala struck out 31% of the time in Low-A.  That’s how it starts.  Well, Trey Yesavage is wedged in the Top 3, but he didn’t pitch because of his long college season.

Charlie McAdoo, Alan Roden, and Kendry Rojas are interesting as top 200-ish players, and I still hold out hope that Manuel Beltre will develop into something, but there’s just not much here.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Orelvis Martinez
• Biggest Mover: Alan Roden
• Biggest Disappointment: Orelvis Martinez
• Emerging Prospect: Johnny King

The list can be found here.

The Rays have the deepest minor league system, and I’m not sure it’s close.  The top of the system takes a hit with Junior Caminero’s promotion, but Carson Williams is no slouch.  I worry about how much he’ll hit, but he has fantasy-friendly tools and can pick it at shortstop.  I loved the Rays’ selection of Brayden Taylor in the 2023 Draft, but his 37% strikeout rate in High-A is ugly.

Speaking of strikeout rates, that’s one of the things I find interesting about the Rays system.  There is a lot of swing-and-miss with players in their system.  More so than I can ever remember. Xavier Isaac is another player who struck out a lot last season.  I wonder if this is a direction change for the team – worry less about contact and care more about OBP.

There’s a lot to build from here, and that is the Rays’ way. However, they can’t possibly keep all of these players, as the 40-man limitation will become a significant problem in a couple of years.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Carson Williams
• Biggest Mover: Gary Gill Hill and Dylan Lasko
• Biggest Disappointment: Cole Wilcox and Mason Montgomery
• Emerging Prospect: Leonardo Pineda 

I live in New Jersey in the summer and see a lot of New York Yankees minor league games. Perhaps I’m suffering from recency bias, but the development of the Yankees minor league players did not go well.

I know the Yankees, fans, and fantasy managers love Spencer Jones. I saw him play a lot (at least 100 at-bats), and he strikes out A LOT. He can’t hit an inside fastball, and his swing is exceptionally long. He has power and speed, but unless he gets shorter to the ball, I worry that he’ll hit enough to make it. Roderick Arias didn’t hit, and while I didn’t see him play, I’ve gotten reports that he can’t pick up spin and expand the strike zone.  Henry Lalane was hurt and never got it going.  Those were three Top 100 prospects entering the season, and while Jones is still on that list, Arias and Lalane are not.

On the positive side, George Lombard had an excellent season.  He needs to get stronger, but he can hit with more speed than I initially thought. Several of the Yankees’ Complex players also had great seasons, but I said that last year and those hot players in 2023 did not translate well in Low-A this season.

Finally, there is Jasson Dominguez.  I maintain that he has star potential, but injuries caused him to miss considerable time, and the Yankees had to play Alex Verdugo more than I’m assuming they wanted down the stretch.  I think that will change in 2024.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Jasson Dominguez
• Biggest Mover: George Lombard Jr.
• Biggest Disappointment: Spencer Jones, Henry Lalane, and Roderick Arias
• Emerging Prospect: Juan Matheus

The list can be found here.

The Red Sox are set up.  They have hit on several young players and now have four Top 50 prospects in the game – Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Kyle Teel.  All four are in Triple-A and can see Boston in 2025.

The situation is reminiscent of the 2022 Orioles when Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg were all in Triple-A, and then they weren’t.  As with the Orioles, the pitching is behind the hitting, but the Red Sox have the financial resources to resolve and a history of making deals when needed.

While the big four are all great players, the system has much more.  Enjoy the read. It’s a great system.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Roman Anthony
• Biggest Mover: Kristian Campbell, Franklin Arias, and Isaac Coffey
• Biggest Disappointment: Nazzan Zanetello
• Emerging Prospect: Justin Gonzalez

The list can be found here.

It was bound to happen.  The Orioles’ outstanding minor league system has taken a hit.  Granted, much of the depth is now playing in the Major Leagues.  As the team has improved, they are picking in the back of the first round of late instead of the top.  Plus, they haven’t developed the pipeline from Latin America that the Dodgers, Brewers, and Padres have.

Of course, one of the best prospects in the game is Sam Basallo, a catcher that the Orioles signed out of the DR in 2021 for a $1.3 million bonus.  So, that one worked out quite well.  He turned 20 in August, and like many of the young Orioles before him, he will be pushing for an MLB assignment before he’s legally able to drink.  Coby Mayo still has minor-league eligibility, and while he didn’t hit in his MLB debut, there is big-boy power in the bat.  Enrique Bradfield and Dylan Beavers are underrated from my viewpoint and could provide some help in Baltimore next season or in 2026.

As it has been in the Mike Elias regime, the pitching is not as strong as their hitters. Their goal will be to trade some of their positional depth when they need pitching at the MLB Level. Hopefully, they will do a better job than they did at the 2024 season deadline.

While the system is down from recent norms, nobody should sing the blues for the Orioles, as there is plenty of talent.

Prospect Snapshot

• Top Prospect: Sam Basallo
• Biggest Mover: Frederick Bencosme
• Biggest Disappointment: Jackson Holliday (I couldn’t resist)
• Emerging Prospect: Felix Amparo

The list can be found here.