Here are all 30 teams' Prospects of the Year

September 19th, 2019

Here's a team-by-team look at each organization's Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year, as chosen by the MLB Pipeline staff, based on Minor League performance.

To receive consideration, players must have spent at least half the year in the Minors and appeared on the team's Top 30 Prospects list.

AL EAST

Blue Jays

Alejandro Kirk, C: Kirk followed up a great pro debut in 2018 with strong showing in 2019, hitting .290 with more walks (56) than strikeouts (39) between Class A Lansing and Class A Advanced Dunedin.

Nate Pearson, RHP: A year after throwing only 1 2/3 innings in an injury plagued 2018, Pearson emerged as one of the sport's best young arms and became the team's top prospect -- and No. 10 overall -- with a 2.30 ERA across three levels in 2019, ending in Triple-A Buffalo. The 23-year-old flamethrower is on the verge of making it to Toronto. More »

Orioles

Ryan Mountcastle, 1B: The 22-year-old earned International League MVP honors by tearing through his first taste of Triple-A with a .312/.344/.527 line, 25 dingers and 83 RBIs, while also pacing the circuit in hits (162) and total bases (274).

Grayson Rodriguez, RHP: The organization’s top pick in 2018 and No. 2 prospect showed his front-of-rotation potential in his first full pro season, as the 19-year-old went 10-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 94 innings for Class A Delmarva. More »

Rays

Wander Franco, SS: Just 18, Franco ascended to the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball after a stellar season in which he slashed .327/.398/.487 -- and more impressively, struck out just 35 times against 56 walks in 495 plate appearances -- between Class A Bowling Green and Class A Advanced Charlotte. Could he reach The Show in 2020?

Joe Ryan, RHP: The 23-year-old enjoyed a true breakout campaign with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and 183 Ks across 123 2/3 innings after starting out at Class A Bowling Green and advancing to Double-A Montgomery. More »

Red Sox

Triston Casas, 1B: Boston's top-ranked prospect, the 19-year-old Casas spent most of his first full pro season at Class A Greenville and hit .256/.350/.480 with 20 homers and 81 RBIs in 429 at-bats after being taken in the first round of the 2018 Draft.

Thad Ward, RHP: The 22-year-old Ward recorded an 8-5 record and a 2.14 ERA with 157 strikeouts over 126 1/3 innings across Greenville and Class A Advanced Salem. More »

Yankees

Canaan Smith, OF: A fourth-round selection in the 2017 Draft, the 20-year-old Smith shined while making his full-season debut this year at Class A Charleston, slashing .307/.405/.465 with 11 homers, 16 steals and a South Atlantic League-leading 74 walks.

Miguel Yajure, RHP: Signed out of Venezuela, the 21-year-old Yajure compiled 122 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP -- both marks ranked second in the Florida State League -- for Class A Advanced Tampa. More »

AL CENTRAL

Indians

Bobby Bradley, 1B: Bradley spent his 2019 season entirely at the Triple-A level before a September callup to the bigs. In 107 games with Columbus, he had a .567 slugging percentage with 33 homers and 74 RBIs.

Aaron Civale, RHP: Civale compiled a 2.35 ERA in 13 starts across Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, before making an impact at the big league level, too. He's the first Indians pitcher to begin his career with nine straight starts allowing two earned runs or fewer, since earned runs became official in 1913. More »

Royals

Khalil Lee, OF: In spending the entire season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, the 21-year-old Lee continued to get on base (.363 OBP) and wreak havoc once there (career-high 53 SB).

Kris Bubic, LHP: A 22-year-old left-hander who was selected 40th overall in the 2018 Draft, Bubic went 11-5 with a 2.23 ERA in stops at Class A Lexington and Class A Advanced Wilmington. Oh, and the southpaw led all Minor Leaguers with 185 strikeouts. More »

Tigers

Isaac Paredes, INF: One of the younger players in the Eastern League, the 20-year-old Paredes more than held his own at Double-A, batting .282 with 23 doubles, 13 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .784 OPS.

Tarik Skubal, LHP: In a system featuring former first-round Draft picks Casey Mize and Matt Manning, it was the 22-year-old who had the best season with a 2.42 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 13.1 K/9 over 122 2/3 frames in reaching Double-A Erie. More »

Twins

Trevor Larnach, OF: Taken 20th overall in the 2018 Draft out of Oregon State, Larnach had a strong first full year in professional baseball. In 127 games across Class A Advanced and Double-A, he hit .309 with an .842 OPS. He knocked 13 homers and had 66 RBIs.

Jordan Balazovic, RHP: At just 20 years old during this year's Minor League season, Balazovic posted impressive numbers, including a 2.69 ERA in Class A and Class A Advanced, with 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.98 WHIP. He added a whole batter per nine innings to his strikeout rate, after posting 11.4 strikeouts per nine in 2018 in Class A. More »

White Sox

Luis Robert, OF: The MLB Pipeline Hitter of the Year, Robert stayed healthy and jumped all the way to the No. 3 overall prospect by posting a 1.001 OPS amid a 32-homer, 36-steal campaign on his way to Triple-A Charlotte in his age-21 season. He's likely to make his way to the Majors early in 2020.

Jonathan Stiever, RHP: The 22-year-old pitched to a 3.48 ERA to go with 154 strikeouts in a career-high 145 innings over 26 starts between Class A Kannapolis and Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. More »

AL WEST

Angels

Jared Walsh, 1B/LHP: Walsh didn't just get to show off his two-way player prowess in the Minors this year, he got to do so at the Major League level as well. He hit .325 with a .686 slugging percentage for Triple-A Salt Lake in 98 games, all while also posting a 4.15 ERA in 13 innings at the level.

Hector Yan, LHP: After posting ERAs above 4.50 at the Rookie level in 2017 and 2018, Yan had a breakout year in 2019, with a 3.39 ERA in 109 innings -- 20 starts and six relief appearances -- for Class A Burlington. He struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings. More »

Astros

Abraham Toro, 3B: Toro's strong campaign earned him a late-August callup. Before reaching the Majors, he hit .324/.411/.527 in 114 games for Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock combined. Toro hit 17 homers and drove in 80 runs.

Cristian Javier, RHP: The 22-year-old spent time at three levels of the Minors in 2019, pitching at Class A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A. Overall, he had a 1.74 ERA in 113 2/3 innings, including a 1.64 mark in Triple-A specifically. He struck out 13.5 batters per nine innings and maintained a 0.97 WHIP. More »

Athletics

Jorge Mateo, SS: Mateo spent his entire year with Triple-A Las Vegas, slugging .507 with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs. He also had 14 triples and 29 doubles.

Daulton Jefferies, RHP: Jefferies, who was taken 37th overall by the A's in 2016 out of Cal, pitched for Class A Advanced and Double-A in 2019, posting a 3.42 ERA and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 79 innings. More »

Mariners

Jarred Kelenic, OF: Acquired from the Mets in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz deal, the 20-year-old immediately became the club's top prospect and then went out and hit .291/.364/.540 with 23 taters and 20 thefts in reaching Double-A Arkansas in his first full pro season after going sixth overall in 2018.

Logan Gilbert, RHP: Selected 14th in the 2018 Draft, Gilbert didn't make his pro debut until this season -- and then he dominated, with a 2.13 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 165 Ks over 135 frames on his way to Double-A. He's now Seattle's No. 2 prospect and No. 49 overall. More »

Rangers

Sam Huff, C: The 21-year-old, who earned SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game MVP honors for his clutch two-run tater, batted .278 with a .335 OBP and a .509 SLG (including 28 homers) while making it to Class A Advanced Down East.

Joe Palumbo, LHP: His first full season after Tommy John surgery went well with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 12.0 K/9 between Double- and Triple-A, earning the southpaw his first big league callup -- and leading Rangers skipper Chris Woodward to say, "Palumbo's got really good stuff." More »

NL EAST

Braves

Drew Waters, OF: Waters has increased his yearly batting average in each of his three seasons playing professional baseball, from .278 in 2017 to .293 in 2018 to .309 in 2019. This year, he played 134 games across Double-A and Triple-A, hitting 40 doubles.

Ian Anderson, RHP: Anderson, the third overall pick in the 2016 Draft, had a strong season at Double-A Mississippi before making five starts at the Triple-A level and struggling a bit. In Double-A, Anderson threw 111 innings in 21 starts, posting a 2.68 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. More »

Marlins

Isan Diaz, 2B: Diaz's strong year earned him an early-August callup to the Marlins. For Triple-A New Orleans this year, he hit .305 with a .578 slugging percentage. He hit 26 homers and drove in 70 runs, in 102 games.

Edward Cabrera, RHP: Cabrera posted a 2.23 ERA in 19 starts combined for Class A Advanced and Double-A in 2019. He struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings and had a 0.99 WHIP. More »

Mets

Mark Vientos, 3B: Vientos hit .255/.300/.411 with 12 home runs and 27 doubles in 111 games for Class A Columbia. Vientos was the youngest player taken on Day 1 of the 2017 Draft and played the entire season at 19 years old, meaning he's still got plenty of room to grow.

David Peterson, LHP: Peterson, who was taken 20th overall in the 2017 Draft out of Oregon, struck out 122 batters in 116 innings with a 4.19 ERA for Double-A in 2019. He's known for his standout sinker and is not a high velocity pitcher. He's allowed just 11 home runs in his first two professional seasons combined. More »

Nationals

Carter Kieboom, INF: Kieboom made his Major League debut in April for the Nationals but did not spend much time up with the big league club early in the season overall. In 109 games for Triple-A Fresno, he hit .303/.409/.493 with 16 homers and 79 RBIs.

Tim Cate, LHP: In 26 starts across Class A and Class A Advanced in 2019, Cate had a 3.07 ERA and allowed just six home runs. The 2018 second rounder took a big step forward after a 5.71 ERA in Class A Short Season and Class A in 2018. More »

Phillies

Alec Bohm, 3B: Bohm was the third overall pick in the 2018 Draft and played like it in 2019, when he spent time at Class A, Class A Advanced and Double-A. he hit .305 with a .518 slugging percentage, with 21 homers and 80 RBIs.

Damon Jones, LHP: An 18th-round pick from 2017, Jones put up an impressive season, making it up to Triple-A over the course of the year in 2019. Overall, he had a 2.91 ERA across Class A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A, making 23 starts. He struck out 12.0 batters per nine innings and allowed just seven home runs. More »

NL CENTRAL

Brewers

Trent Grisham, OF: Grisham's season earned him an early-August Major League callup. In 97 games for Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .300/.407/.603 with 26 homers and 71 RBIs. He also managed just five fewer walks than strikeouts.

Trey Supak, RHP: The 2014 second-rounder found his groove at Double-A this season before struggling a bit in Triple-A. With Biloxi, he made 20 starts and posted a 2.20 ERA, with an 0.87 WHIP and just six home runs allowed. More »

Cardinals

Dylan Carlson, OF: The 2016 first-rounder hit .292 in 126 games across Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, posting a .542 slugging percentage. He hit 26 homers and drove in 68 runs, adding some speed to his game with 20 SB, too.

Junior Fernandez, RHP: Fernandez's performance in 2019 earned him an August callup to the bigs. He ascended from Class A Advanced to Double-A to Triple-A in 2019 before making it to the Cardinals, with a 1.52 ERA in 65 innings in the Minors. He did not allow a home run and struck out 11.1 batters per nine innings. More »

Cubs

Robel Garcia, 2B: One of the more surprising prospect stories of 2019, Garcia was out of affiliated baseball for five years before joining the Cubs organization, hitting 27 homers with a .954 OPS across Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa and finding his way to the big leagues at the age of 26.

Cory Abbott, RHP: A second-round pick in the 2017 Draft, the righty posted a 3.01 ERA with 166 strikeouts, 52 walks and a 1.12 WHIP in 146 2/3 innings at Tennessee. More »

Pirates

Mason Martin, 1B: The 2017 17th-rounder displayed some pretty hefty power in 2019, hitting 35 homers and driving in 129 runs in Class A and Class A Advanced combined, in 131 games. He had a .558 slugging percentage.

Cody Bolton, RHP: Bolton had an outstanding 12 starts at Class A Advanced Bradenton before moving up to Double-A Altoona and having slightly different results. In Class A Advanced, he had a 1.61 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP, 69 strikeouts and just one home run allowed. More »

Reds

Brian O'Grady, OF: O'Grady's 2019 performance earned him an early-August Major League debut. The 27-year-old played 112 games for Triple-A Louisville, slugging .550 with a .280 batting average. He hit 28 homers and drove in 77 runs, tallying 20 SBs, too.

Packy Naughton, LHP: Naughton made 28 starts in 2019, nine in Class A Advanced and 19 in Double-A. Overall, he had a 3.32 ERA in 157 innings. More »

NL WEST

D-backs

Kevin Cron, 1B: C.J. Cron's brother is making a name for himself on his own, and debuted in May for the Diamondbacks but spent 84 games in the Minors, too. In those Minor League games, he hit .329 with a .777 slugging percentage. He hit 39 homers and drove in 107 runs.

Levi Kelly, RHP: Kelly, a 2018 8th-rounder, made 22 starts for Class A Kane County in 2019, posting a 2.15 ERA. He struck out 126 batters in 100 1/3 innings, allowing just four home runs. More »

Dodgers

Gavin Lux, INF: Lux is now making his impact on a pennant race with the Dodgers, but before that, he had a strong Minor League season to get him to this point. In 113 games for Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .347/.421/.607 with 26 homers and 76 RBIs.

Josiah Gray, RHP: The Dodgers acquired Gray last offseason in the deal that sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Reds. A 2018 second-round pick by the Reds, Gray had a 2.28 ERA in 26 games -- 25 starts -- for Class A, Class A Advanced and Double-A in 2019. He struck out 147 batters in 130 innings and only allowed three home runs. More »

Giants

Marco Luciano, SS: Luciano just turned 18 years old on September 10, making it even more impressive that he hit .302/.417/.564 in 47 games at the Rookie and Class A Short Season level in 2019, doing it all as a 17-year-old.

Seth Corry, LHP: The 2017 third-rounder had a breakout year in 2019, posting a 1.76 ERA in 27 games -- 26 of them starts -- for Class A Augusta. He struck out a whopping 172 batters in 122 2/3 innings, allowed just four homers, and had a 1.07 WHIP. More »

Padres

Luis Campusano, C: The 20-year-old hit .325 in 2019 with a .509 slugging percentage at the Class A Advanced level for Lake Elsinore. He hit 15 homers and drove in 81 runs, striking out just five more times than he walked.

MacKenzie Gore, LHP: The 20-year-old overcame blister problems that plagued him in 2018 to become the No. 4 overall prospect and earn MLB Pipeline Pitcher of the Year, thanks to remarkable 1.69 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP and 135 strikeouts over 101 innings between Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A Amarillo. More »

Rockies

Sam Hilliard, OF: Hilliard's year earned him a callup in late August with the Rockies. On September 18, he became the first player to homer twice off Noah Syndergaard in a Major League game. In 126 games for Triple-A Albuquerque he slugged .558 with 35 homers and 101 RBIs. In 2018 for the Double-A Yard Goats, he slugged just .389 with nine homers.

Ryan Rolison, LHP: The 2018 first rounder out of Ole Miss started the year off with three starts for Class A Asheville, where he allowed just one earned run and three runs overall. Then he moved up to Class A Advanced Lancaster, which was a bit of a different story. He succeeded initially -- with a 1.52 ERA through his first five starts there, then struggled at times with a 7.27 ERA through his next 12 starts, before rebounding for a 3.12 ERA in his final five starts at the level for the year. More »