Who will lead each MiLB level in homers in 2019?
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Wednesday was national signing day for college football programs, and two of MLB Pipeline's Top 50 Draft Prospects were part of the news. Five-star running back Jerrion Ealy, who's also a Mississippi high school outfielder who ranks No. 18 on our list, officially signed with Mississippi after previously decommitting from the Rebels and appearing to be headed to Clemson. Four-star cornerback Maurice Hampton, a Tennessee prep outfielder who ranks No. 27 on the Top 50, officially sealed his longtime commitment to Louisiana State.
Ealy and Hampton, who plan to play both sports if they make it to college, are two of four players ever to earn Under Armour All-America honors in both baseball and football. Kyler Murray, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft who might go even higher in the upcoming NFL Draft after winning the Heisman Trophy as an Oklahoma quarterback, first accomplished the feat in 2014. A.J. Brown, who focused on football at Mississippi and could be one of the first wide receivers selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, followed him in 2015.
Great question! Here are my best guesses for each of the full-season levels:
Class A: Nolan Gorman, 3B, Cardinals. He offered the best power in the 2018 Draft and led all players selected last June with 17 homers in his pro debut.
Class A Advanced: Casey Golden, OF, Rockies. He topped Rookie leaguers with 20 homers in his 2017 debut and led Class A hitters with 34 bombs last year.
Double-A: Alex Kirilloff, OF, Twins. He returned from a one-year layoff following Tommy John surgery to pace the Minors with 44 doubles and 71 extra-base hits in 2018, and more of those two-baggers should turn into homers (he hit 20 last year) in 2019.
Triple-A: D.J. Peters, OF, Dodgers. In three years as a pro, he has placed fourth in Rookie ball (16 homers in 2016), third in Class A Advanced (27 in 2017) and first in Double-A (29 in 2018).
In case you were wondering, the other full-season leaders last year were Reds first baseman Ibandel Isabel with 36 in Class A Advanced and Angels outfielder Jabari Blash with 28 in Triple-A. For more on this question, check out the video at the top of this Inbox.
The Rays are loaded with infield talent. There are five Tampa Bay prospects on our Top 10 Position lists: Nate Lowe and Brendan McKay at first base, Vidal Brujan and Brandon Lowe at second base and Wander "Vladimir Guerrero III" Franco at shortstop. Willy Adames has already graduated to the big leagues, and they have more attractive middle-infield prospects in Lucius Fox, Nick Solak, Taylor Walls and Tyler Frank.
I believe McKay is going to develop much faster as a pitcher and that will become his primary role in Tampa Bay. It's easy to make room by putting Brujan in center field, but the Rays' best defensive alignment would keep two-time Gold Glover Kevin Kiermaier in center with Adames at short, Brujan at second, Franco at third and Nate Lowe at first. That would leave Brandon Lowe playing a Ben Zobrist role and bouncing between second base and the outfield.
Sticking with the theme of American League East infields, the Blue Jays are a little more difficult to project because of defensive uncertainty. Third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the best prospect in baseball and Bo Bichette isn't far behind, but are they good enough with the glove to stick at their current positions?
If I'm trying to get the best bats in the lineup while not ignoring defense, I'd play Guerrero at first base, Bichette at second, Kevin Smith at shortstop and Jordan Groshans at third. I'd move big leaguer Lourdes Gurriel Jr. around different positions to make use of his offensive ability, while Cavan Biggio might have to seek playing time in the outfield.
A Bahamian outfielder whom the D-backs signed for $2.5 million in 2017, Robinson has an exciting package of tools. He has massive raw power, plus speed, arm strength to match and a chance to stick in center field. He batted .279/.363/.428 with seven homers and 12 steals between two Rookie leagues as a 17-year-old making his pro debut last summer.
Robinson intrigues me so much that I took him No. 1 overall when Jonathan Mayo and I drafted players who couldn't crack MLB Pipeline's new Top 100 Prospects list in the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast. He didn't miss by much and if he adds some polish this year in Class A, he could jump into the top half of next year's Top 100. I suspect he'll join the 2019 list at some point during the season.