Get to know 16 of MLB's top prospects
With a new MLB season comes a new Minor League season. That means some of the brightest stars of tomorrow are renewing their quest to reach the big leagues. While the Triple-A season has already started, levels below Triple-A will be opening up this week, including many of the best prospects in the game.
Here's a look at 16 of the Top 100 prospects in baseball per MLB Pipeline, many of whom either have or will soon make their Major League debuts:
Francisco Álvarez, C, Mets
The Mets' No. 1 prospect, and No. 3 overall, has already caught and homered off Jacob deGrom, smashed a 103.7 mph home run in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field and consistently hits the ball harder than many on the big league club's roster. In Double-A and Triple-A last season, he smashed 27 homers with an .885 OPS. The Venezuela native is looking to follow in the footsteps of many great catchers who hail from there, including Salvador Perez and brothers Willson and William Contreras. More >
Corbin Carroll, OF, D-backs
Carroll is the No. 2 overall prospect in the game and he's widely regarded as a 2023 NL Rookie of the Year favorite. He hit at every level in the Minors, and then impressed with a strong MLB debut season last year, posting an .830 OPS with four homers in 104 at-bats. He also has great speed, as evidenced by his 52 steals out of 59 attempts in the Minors, and he is a tremendous defensive outfielder. His future is so bright that Arizona has already locked him up with an eight-year contract extension. More >
Diego Cartaya, C, Dodgers
Cartaya is the Dodgers' top prospect and is ranked 14th overall. The 21-year-old backstop from Venezuela signed with the organization at age 16 in 2018, and he hasn't disappointed. Over time, his power has developed and in 95 games split between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes last year, he posted an .892 OPS with 22 homers. While his defense behind the plate remains a work in progress, Cartaya looks to follow the trail of such successfully developed Dodgers catchers as Will Smith. More >
Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers
Signed out of Venezuela at age 16, Chourio reached Double-A in Milwaukee's farm system in just two years. He's the No. 8 prospect in baseball -- the youngest in the top 25 -- not to mention the Brewers' top prospect. In 99 games across three levels in 2022 -- Single-A, High-A and Double-A -- he hit .288/.342/.538 with 20 homers and 16 steals, and he was named MVP of the Single-A Carolina League. He's already been compared to Ronald Acuña Jr. More >
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds
The 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is ranked the 10th-best prospect in baseball, as well as Cincinnati's No. 1 prospect. De La Cruz stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 200 pounds, combining great speed with power at the plate, as he demonstrated last year when he posted a .945 OPS with 28 homers and 47 steals between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. His overall numbers during Spring Training weren't great, but he did have some big moments that raised eyebrows, including when he tripled off Aroldis Chapman and homered later in the same game against the Royals on March 4. More >
Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees
Domínguez is one of the most hyped international prospects of our time. The Yankees' No. 2 prospect and No. 47 overall, Domínguez is a five-tool power/speed threat who hits from both sides of the plate. He's seen as a potential 30-homer/30-steal player in the Majors, and he's also a very good defensive center fielder with a strong arm. With comparisons to Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout and Bo Jackson in terms of his physique, all eyes will be on Domínguez's continued rise through the Minors. More >
Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, Orioles
He's the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, and for good reason. Henderson is not only a powerful left-handed hitter with speed -- he smashed 19 homers and stole 22 bases to go along with a .947 OPS across 112 games between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk before making his MLB debut with Baltimore last year -- he's also considered the best defensive infield prospect the organization has had since Manny Machado. He held his own in his first taste of the Majors in 2022, hitting .259/.348/.440 in his first 34 big league games. More >
Jackson Holliday, SS, Orioles
The son of former All-Star slugger Matt Holliday, who hit 316 home runs over a 15-year MLB career, Jackson has it in his genes. He set the national prep single-season record with 89 hits during his senior season at Stillwater High School (Okla.) before being selected No. 1 overall by the Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft. At just 19 years old, the organization's No. 3 prospect joined the Orioles for Spring Training in 2023, and hit .429. In '22, his first professional season, he hit .297/.489/.422 in 90 plate appearances between Rookie ball and Single-A Delmarva. More >
Druw Jones, CF, D-backs
Ranked as the D-backs' No. 3 prospect (No. 15 overall), Jones is the son of former All-Star center fielder Andruw Jones, who belted 434 homers and won 10 Gold Glove Awards during a 17-year Major League career. Druw was selected No. 2 overall by Arizona in the 2022 MLB Draft, and his slender but powerful build has him poised to move through the organization's farm system quickly despite a shoulder injury that delayed the start to his pro career. He's healthy again and expected to open the '23 campaign with Single-A Visalia for his first taste of professional baseball. More >
Jordan Lawlar, SS, D-backs
Lawlar is Arizona's No. 2 prospect behind only Carroll, and No. 11 overall. He had to have season-ending shoulder surgery to address a labrum tear in 2021, but in '22, he was sensational, hitting .303/.401/.509 with 16 home runs and 39 steals over 100 games across four Minor League levels. As quickly as he's moving through the D-backs' farm system, he could be manning shortstop at Chase Field sooner rather than later. More >
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox
Selected fourth overall by the Red Sox in 2021, Mayer is the heir apparent at short for Boston, especially now that Xander Bogaerts is in San Diego. Mayer, still only 20 years old, is the No. 9 overall prospect and has drawn comparisons to Corey Seager for his bat and Brandon Crawford for his glove. In 2022, his first full Minor League season, Mayer hit .280/.399/.489 with 13 homers in 91 games between Single-A Salem and High-A Greenville. Though speed isn't his strong suit, he even stole 17 bases in 17 attempts in '22. More >
Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
The No. 6 overall prospect and top pitcher in the rankings, Painter is currently sidelined with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. But the 19-year-old entered Spring Training in 2023 with a legitimate chance to be the Phillies' fifth starter. He has electric stuff, posting a 1.56 ERA with an incredible 38.7 percent strikeout rate across three levels of the Minors in '22. Standing 6-foot-7 and featuring a fastball that averages 96 mph to go along with a slider, curveball and changeup, it's only a matter of time before he's taking the mound for Philly. More >
Eury Pérez, RHP, Marlins
With Sandy Alcantara emerging as one of the best starting pitchers in the Majors for Miami, budding ace Pérez has been making his way toward The Show could join the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner soon. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is ranked the Marlins' No. 1 prospect and No. 13 overall. He features a fastball that can touch triple digits along with a changeup, curveball and slider. The 19-year-old was the youngest player to appear in the 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout. More >
Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Orioles
Another Baltimore prospect on this list is more evidence of the Orioles boasting the game's best farm system heading into the 2023 season. Rodriguez is ranked the No. 7 prospect in baseball, and the 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander posted a 2.20 ERA over 14 starts for Triple-A Norfolk in 2022. He's knocking on the door to the big leagues and could soon be reunited with his batterymate from the Minors, Adley Rutschman, who has referred to Rodriguez's stuff as "elite." More >
Anthony Volpe, SS, Yankees
Volpe lived a lifelong dream when he was in the starting lineup as the Opening Day shortstop for the Yankees. And the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball quickly impressed, picking up a pair of hits in his second MLB game and stealing a base in each of his first three, becoming only the fifth player since at least 1901 to accomplish that feat. Volpe's power-speed combo made history in 2022, when he became the first Minor Leaguer to hit at least 20 homers and steal at least 50 bases in the same season since 1995 (Andruw Jones). More >
Jordan Walker, OF, Cardinals
Walker, the No. 4 overall prospect, parlayed an impressive Spring Training performance into an Opening Day roster spot with the Cardinals. The 20-year-old posted a .791 OPS with five doubles and three home runs, including a mammoth 430-foot, three-run shot in his second Cactus League game. He picked up his first MLB hit in his big league debut on Opening Day, a single to center field. He has a cannon of an arm, once being clocked at 99.5 mph on a throw. Following a 2022 campaign in which he posted an .898 OPS with 19 homers and 22 steals at Double-A Springfield, Walker might just be in the Majors to stay. More >