Inbox: Settling prospect vs. prospect debates

Here's hoping everyone has had a terrific holiday season and will have a wonderful 2023.

For the final Pipeline Inbox of 2022, I thought it would be fun to focus on comparisons. You pick two players and I tell you which one I prefer and why. It always has been a popular topic -- and I should do it more often -- but I wasn't expecting nearly 200 responses!

Jackson Chourio vs. Elly De La Cruz -- @DelayedLegacy

Let's start with the breakout prospect of 2022 versus the breakout prospect of 2021, Brewers outfielder versus Reds infielder. De La Cruz (No. 14) is more physical and may have the most freakish combination of size and athleticism in the Minors. Yet, I'll take Chourio (No. 10) because I feel better about his ability to make consistent contact. The rest of their tools are similar with the exception of De La Cruz's superior arm strength.

Julio Rodríguez vs. Ronald Acuña Jr. -- @flyers9372

Again, another pair of similarly talented players, and they both raced through the Minors before winning Rookie of the Year awards with a tantalizing combination of power and speed. It's more of a gut feel than anything specific, but I'll bet on Rodríguez's offensive game over Acuña's. J-Rod also offers more defensive value as a center fielder versus a right fielder.

Gunnar Henderson vs. Wander Franco -- @bhau42

In my mind, Henderson (No. 2) is currently the best prospect in the game and he immediately performed well for the Orioles when they called him up last August. That said, Franco has elite hitting ability that comes along only once or twice per generation so it's an easy decision to go with him. A fracture hamate hampered him this year, but it wouldn't shock me at all if he won the American League MVP award in 2023 if he stays healthy.

Anthony Volpe vs. Marcelo Mayer vs. Jordan Lawlar -- @SamLindauer

After Henderson, Anthony Volpe (No. 5, Yankees), Marcelo Mayer (No. 7, Red Sox) and Jordan Lawlar (No. 12, D-backs) are the three highest-rated shortstops on our end-of-season Top 100 Prospects list. Volpe is coming off the first 20-homer, 50-steal season in the Minors since Andruw Jones in 1995; Mayer is the best defender and likely the best pure hitter of the trio; and Lawlar has the best combination of power and speed and also has advanced faster. I'll stick with the order on the Top 100 -- though I might take Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 Draft, over all three of them.

Andrew Painter vs. Eury Pérez -- @ANTfuuuz

Any discussion of the best pitching prospects in baseball right now begins and ends with Grayson Rodriguez (No. 4, Orioles), Pérez (No. 9, Marlins), Painter (No. 24, Phillies) and, when healthy, Daniel Espino (No. 15, Guardians). I have been driving the Pérez bandwagon since instructional league in 2020, while Painter had the more spectacular 2022 season and was MLB Pipeline's Pitching Prospect of the Year. Their stuff is quite similar, with Pérez owning a better changeup and Painter displaying better control and command this year. This is the toughest call yet … I'll opt for Painter.

Dylan Lesko vs. Brock Porter -- @ANTfuuuz

Credit to @ANTfuuuz for asking some thought-provoking pitching questions, so I let him have two. These were the two best pitchers in the 2022 Draft, with Lesko signing for $3.9 million as the 15th overall pick by the Padres and Porter getting $4 million from the Rangers after they pushed him to the fourth round. Though Lesko had Tommy John surgery in April, I'd choose him over the fully healthy Porter. Lesko has less fastball velocity but still works at 92-97 mph, owns one of the best high school changeups you'll ever see, and his control and command are extremely advanced for a prepster as well.

Druw Jones vs. Dylan Crews long-term outlook -- @ShaunHeyel

Georgia high school outfielder Jones (No. 12, D-backs) was our top-rated prospect in the 2022 Draft, while Louisiana State outfielder Crews claims that spot for the 2023 Draft entering the new year. The son of Andruw Jones, Druw is very reminiscent of his father and offers more athleticism and a higher ceiling than Crews, so the No. 2 overall pick in July by Arizona wins this one. Crews has proven more against a higher level of competition as an amateur and comes with a little more certainty about his hitting ability, but the power is similar and Jones is a plus-plus center fielder with speed to match and well above-average arm strength.

Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. Zac Veen -- @CubsInTexas

In the battle of outfielders of the near future for rebuilding clubs, I'll side with Veen (No. 23, Rockies) over Crow-Armstrong (No. 30, Cubs). There's more impact in Veen's bat, especially after he grows into projected plus power, and his speed and baserunning ability are real assets. It's also easy to make a case for Crow-Armstrong, however, because he's doing more damage than expected and is the best defensive center fielder in the Minors.