10 resolutions for prospects and orgs.

January 1st, 2022

New Year’s resolutions come in all forms. Nearly everyone makes at least one, while seemingly most people make a few. Now, as we all know, making a resolution and keeping one and two very different things. Anyone else trying to eat healthier for the 10th year in a row?

Anyway, just as resolutions take various shapes in our own lives, they also do so on this list. While some of these are realistic and attainable, others may be a bit tougher to accomplish. Either way, this should serve as a fun look at what some prospects and organizations could hope to accomplish in 2022.

Bobby Witt Jr.: Put together a 30-30 season
One steal away. That’s how close Witt was to becoming the Minors' only 30-30 player in 2021. In fact, Witt actually swiped his 30th base late in the year, but a mid-game cancellation wiped the contest from the record books. A 30-30 year is a lofty goal at any point in time, and although Witt came very close in 2021, it may be even tougher for him to accomplish the feat in 2022 as the bulk of his season may take place in the Majors. The No. 3 overall prospect slashed .290/.361/.575 with 33 homers over 123 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season and has proven that he’s a true five-tool player, regardless of if he posts a 30-30 season.

Orioles: Nail the Draft
Teams often talk about building through the Draft, and while that’s always important, it’s even more vital for teams picking at the top. The Orioles, for the third time in their history, have the No. 1 pick in this year’s Draft and making the right selection could help expedite the club’s rebuild. Baltimore first had the top pick in 1989 and selected Ben McDonald. Most recently, the organization grabbed Adley Rutschman No. 1 overall in 2019. The Rutschman pick looks really good two years later, and the goal for the 2022 pick would be to spend several years with Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez as faces of the franchise in Baltimore. As for whom the Orioles will select, well, it’s a ways away right now, but there are several good options to choose from, most notably a few elite high school hitters. And speaking of Rodriguez …

Grayson Rodriguez: Debut with Rutschman behind the plate
It will be an exciting day in Baltimore whenever baseball’s top pitching prospect (No. 8 overall) makes his Major League debut. However, if Rodriguez is able to make his debut while Rutschman is behind the plate, that will amplify the excitement and give fans a glimpse of things to come. If they both debut on the same day, that’d certainly be a spectacle, but it seems likely Rutschman will debut first (more on that below) since the catcher already has experience at the Triple-A level. That being said, Rodriguez flew through the Minors in 2021 and likely isn’t far behind. The hard-throwing right-hander went 9-1 with a 2.36 ERA and 161 strikeouts over 103 innings last season, split between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie.

Jack Leiter: Finish the season as a top five prospect
One of the most hyped pitching prospects of the 2021 Draft, Leiter went second overall to the Rangers and signed for $7,922,000, the fourth-highest Draft bonus in history. The No. 12 overall prospect is coming off an outstanding season for Vanderbilt, during which he went 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 110 innings (18 starts). He also no-hit South Carolina in his first SEC start and helped lead the Commodores to the College World Series finals. Leiter’s stuff leaves little doubt and he repeats his delivery well, but he’s never had to pitch for the entirety of a professional season. The 110 innings he threw in 2021 were a career high and he struggled at points later in the year. If Leiter is able to manage his workload in 2022 and perform consistently, we could see him work his way up the Top 100 Prospects list.

Astros/White Sox: Land at least one Top 100 Prospect
The Astros and White Sox are the only two organizations without a prospect on the Top 100 Prospects list. Houston and Chicago ranked 29th and 30th on Pipeline’s farm system rankings in late August, though they are there for different reasons. A focus on Major League success -- in addition to the forfeiture of top Draft picks in 2020 and 2021 as punishment for sign stealing -- has taken a toll on the Astros’ farm, though the organization has reached the postseason in five straight seasons, including a trio of American League crowns and one World Series title, so that’s certainly a worthwhile tradeoff. Meanwhile, the White Sox graduated multiple Top 100 Prospects in 2021 and appear to be on the verge of an exciting era of baseball with several young, talented players to build around. Colson Montgomery is No. 1 on the White Sox Top 30 and Korey Lee leads the Astros list. It remains to be seen if either will land on the 2022 preseason Top 100 -- or if they’ll work their way onto the list at some point during the season. One Top 100 Prospect doesn’t remake an entire farm system, but it would be a step in the right direction for both clubs. It’s never a bad thing to have top-tier talent waiting in the wings.

Adley Rutschman: Win the AL Rookie of the Year Award
What’s left for Adley Rutschman to do in the Minors? The 2019 No. 1 overall pick and baseball’s top prospect has slashed .278/.386/.485 in his career and hit .312/.405/.490 over 43 games at the Triple-A level last season. A 2021 MiLB Gold Glove Award Winner and Futures Game selection, Rutschman seems sure to make his Major League debut in 2022, and if he’s as good as many expect, he may want to make some room on an already crowded trophy case. Winner of the 2019 Pac-12 Baseball Player of the Year, Golden Spikes, Dick Howser and Buster Posey Awards, Rutschman is no stranger to taking home trophies. Of course, just being the No. 1 prospect doesn’t automatically translate to being baseball’s top rookie, and a catcher hasn’t won the AL Rookie of the Year Award since Sandy Alomar Jr. did so in 1990, but New Year's resolutions are all about setting big goals.

Angels: Draft at least one position player
This is somewhat in jest after the Angels made history drafting nothing but pitchers in 2021. The Angels have lacked pitching over the past few seasons, and the organization has made it a point to target more arms. While drafting only pitchers in 2021 grabbed the headlines, the Angels have gone pitching-heavy in Drafts for a few years now, hoping to turn a previous weakness into a future strength. The current Angels Top 30 list features 17 pitchers, including four from last year’s Draft class. Pitching is always a commodity, and it’d be a surprise to see the Angels stop selecting pitching, but a little more balance in the 2022 Draft seems like a reasonable goal.

Giants: Find catcher of the future
Buster Posey’s retirement leaves a huge hole in the Giants lineup. Posey meant a lot to the entire organization and fanbase, and his overall presence is irreplaceable. However, the Giants do need a catcher moving forward, and there are a couple of ways they can go about getting one. It appears as if they’ll enter the season with Curt Casali and Joey Bart behind the plate. Bart has big league experience, and perhaps a more defined role will help him take a step forward and claim the job for years to come. If not, maybe the club will look toward the future and start biding time until No. 8 prospect Patrick Bailey is ready to take over. Bailey has had an atypical start to his career, but he finished the 2021 regular season strong and then continued to impress in the Arizona Fall League. The North Carolina State product is still a year or so away from making his Major League debut but could show enough this year to prove worth waiting on.

Kumar Rocker: Be the first '22 Draft pick to debut in the Majors
Rocker is likely to be one of the most intriguing names headed into the 2022 Draft as everyone waits to see where he pitches this season. The No. 31 prospect on the new Top 100 Draft Prospects list, Rocker went 10th overall to the Mets in last year’s Draft, but a deal fell through after a post-Draft physical. Prior to that, Rocker had a storied career at Vanderbilt -- he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the NCAA Super Regionals as a freshman and won Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series. As a junior, he led NCAA Division I in wins (14) and tied for the lead in strikeouts (179, tied with Jack Leiter). Rocker’s health and where exactly he pitches in 2022 will go a long way toward determining his Draft stock, but either way he’ll be a major name to keep an eye on.

Rookie: No interruptions
Rookie, Trenton’s “bat dog,” got a little overzealous last season and interrupted play with a trip to the mound in late September. While Rookie resolves to not interrupt any games this season, he does want it to be known that he still hopes to make his pitching debut someday. And -- just as many of us fail to keep up with our resolutions of eating better, working out or reading more -- if Rookie accidentally interrupts another game, well, I’m sure we’ll all enjoy the video and he, of course, will promptly be forgiven.

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William Boor is a reporter for MLB Pipeline. Follow him on Twitter at @wboor.