8 former Top 100 prospects who are excelling in 2024

Making the jump from Triple-A to the Majors is one of the toughest transitions for any player in professional baseball.

While stars like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Julio Rodríguez seamlessly transitioned to the Majors, that's not often the case for young players. By gaining experience at the highest level and making necessary adjustments -- or even going back to the Minors -- it can take players years before they hit their groove.

So far in 2024, we've seen several players make that transition and transform themselves into legitimate MLB-caliber players or ascend to a higher level.

Here are eight former Top 100 MLB Pipeline prospects who have taken flight this season. All of these players graduated from rookie status before the season, so players like Colton Cowser and Michael Busch didn't qualify for this list. Included with each player is their highest preseason prospect ranking according to Pipeline.

The following stats are entering Tuesday's games.

Riley Greene, Tigers
No. 5 prospect prior to 2022

Greene already began his breakout last season when he posted a 117 OPS+ and 2.3 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs) but his year ended after 99 games due to season-ending Tommy John surgery. Now fully healthy, the 23-year-old Greene is taking an even bigger step forward.

Through 35 games, Greene is hitting .266/.391/.548 and ranks in the top 10 in both home runs (nine) and walks (25). Greene's elite power and plate discipline blend puts him in rare territory this year: He's just one of five players with a 15-plus percent walk rate and a slugging percentage of at least .500 (min. 100 plate appearances). The others? Betts, Soto, Kyle Tucker and Rafael Devers. Greene's underlying metrics back up his production too, meaning this could be the start of his ascension to one of the best players in baseball.

Alec Bohm, Phillies
No. 30 prospect prior to 2020

Bohm had already established himself as a solid everyday player before this year but he never quite reached the level of other stars on the Phillies. So far in 2024, the 27-year-old has taken his game up a notch and reached the heights many thought he could when the Phillies selected him third overall in the 2018 Draft.

Bohm is hitting .349/.418/.558 with a 179 OPS+ that trails only Shohei Ohtani (220), Mookie Betts (195) and Tyler O'Neill (189) among hitters with 100 plate appearances. After running a .706 OPS through April 15, Bohm has taken off with a .438/.475/.712 line since then. Bohm's massive improvements have stemmed from positive changes in his plate discipline, shown in a career-best walk rate (10.3 percent), chase rate (22.8 percent) and whiff rate (13.1 percent.)

CJ Abrams, Nationals
No. 8 prospect prior to 2021

The sixth overall pick in the 2019 Draft and one of the headliners in the trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego, Abrams debuted as a 21-year-old for the Padres in 2022. After settling in his first few seasons, he has fully erupted with a breakout 2024 season and has been one of baseball’s best players.

The 23-year-old shortstop is hitting .283/.348/.567 with seven home runs, eight stolen bases and an MLB-leading four triples. Ryan O'Hearn, Gavin Sheets and Josh Rojas are the only qualified hitters that have improved their expected wOBA -- which is based on a hitter’s quality and quantity of contact -- more than Abrams (94 points) this season. Abrams looks like a legitimate 30-30 threat (maybe 40-40?) as a true building block for a rebuilding Nationals team.

Jordan Westburg, Orioles
No. 74 prospect prior to 2023

It’s not just Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson in Baltimore -- Westburg is breaking out amidst a wave of other young Orioles taking steps forward. After a solid debut last season (100 OPS+ in 68 games), Westburg has taken his game to another level this season with a .286/.336/.513 line.

The 25-year-old is producing elite contact quality with an xwOBA, average exit velocity and hard-hit rate that rank in the 91st percentile or better. It’s not just his ability to mash, though -- Westburg also ranks in the 87th percentile in sprint speed and rates as an above-average defender at third and second base. Westburg's all-around excellence has resulted in 1.3 fWAR, making him a top-25 position player this year.

Garrett Crochet, White Sox
No. 56 prospect prior to 2021

It’s been a tough season for the White Sox but Crochet’s emergence as a viable starter is a positive development. After starting his career as a reliever and missing most of two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, the left-hander has transitioned quite well to the rotation.

Crochet’s 5.31 ERA is one of the bigger anomalies in baseball right now. His expected ERA (2.42) is nearly three runs lower and his home run rate (18.2 percent home run/fly ball rate) is bound to come down. Crochet is striking out hitters at a whopping 32.2 percent clip -- a top-five mark among qualified starters -- and is only walking 5.5 percent of batters, giving him the blueprint to be a frontline starting pitcher.

Ryan Pepiot, Rays
No. 70 prospect prior to 2023

As the main headliner in the Tyler Glasnow trade, Pepiot had big shoes to fill. While Glasnow has been one of baseball's best pitchers this year for the Dodgers, Pepiot has proven that he's a quality MLB starter and should be for the foreseeable future with the Rays.

Pepiot has a 3.68 ERA and 41 strikeouts in his first seven starts -- the last of which ended early after taking a comebacker off his left leg. The 26-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday, but he anticipates serving the minimum stint and should be able to soon continue building off his strong start to the season. There could be even more in the tank, too, as Pepiot's 2.95 xERA suggests. Among many other impressive numbers for Pepiot, his staggering 40.7 percent whiff rate on his four-seamer stands out (the league average on four-seamers is 21.9 percent this year).

Jo Adell, Angels
No. 6 prospect prior to 2020

Adell is your classic post-hype prospect who starts to figure it out. Adell struggled mightily across his first four seasons in what essentially amounted to a full season (619 plate appearances), hitting .214/.259/.366 with a 35.4 percent strikeout rate.

Adell has shaved his strikeout rate to 23.5 percent this year, allowing him to tap into his natural raw power and produce a solid .250/.309/.486 line. The underlying numbers are even better -- Adell’s .406 xwOBA trails only 11 qualified hitters and he has an 85th-plus percentile barrel rate and hard-hit rate. With Mike Trout on the injured list, the 25-year-old Adell has ample opportunities to prove this is legitimate.

Brice Turang, Brewers
No. 96 prospect prior to 2021

What a difference a year makes. In 2023, Turang had the second-lowest OPS (.585) among hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. This season, the 24-year-old is rocking a .771 OPS and is a big reason why the Brewers are off to a strong start.

Turang might be playing a bit over his head -- his xwOBA is 38 points higher than his actual wOBA -- but there have been meaningful changes to his game. He’s chasing less (down 4.3 percentage points), whiffing less (down 8.5 points) and has been one of baseball's best baserunners (14-for-14 in stolen base attempts). He might never hit for much power, but Turang’s growth in other areas has been undeniable.