Pipeline Inbox readers apparently dig offense, because all the best questions this week centered around hitters ...

We ranked systems in terms of pitching prospects -- the Pirates came in at No. 1 -- right after we received this question. In the previous two weeks, we had lined up organizations based on infielders (led by the Rays) and outfielders (headlined by the Rockies), but we haven't done a combination evaluation of position players. So let's do that here and list the Top 100 hitters for each system:

1. Red Sox
SS Marcelo Mayer (No. 3), OF Roman Anthony (No. 12), C Kyle Teel (No. 24), OF Braden Montgomery (No. 55), 2B/SS/OF Kristian Campbell (No. 74)

2. Cubs
INF Matt Shaw (No. 22), OF Owen Caissie (No. 33), C/1B Moises Ballesteros (No. 41), 2B/OF James Triantos (No. 56), OF Kevin Alcántara (No. 69), 3B Cam Smith (No. 100)

3. Mariners
SS/2B Colton Emerson (No. 27), SS/2B Cole Young (No. 34), OF Lazaro Montes (No. 45), C Harry Ford (No. 49), SS Felnin Celesten (No. 68), 1B Tyler Locklear (No. 86)

4. Guardians
2B Travis Bazzana (No. 11), OF Chase DeLauter (No. 39), OF Jaison Chourio (No. 66), 1B Ralphy Velazquez (No. 72), INF Angel Genao (No. 87)

5. Rays
SS Carson Williams (No. 4), 1B Xavier Isaac (No. 18), INF Brayden Taylor (No. 47)

6. Tigers
OF Max Clark (No. 5), SS/2B Kevin McGonigle (No. 30), SS Bryce Rainer (No. 57), 3B/2B Jace Jung (No. 60)

7. Twins
OF Walker Jenkins (No. 2), OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 19), 2B/OF Luke Keaschall (No. 63)

8. Dodgers
C/OF Dalton Rushing (No. 36), OF Josue De Paula (No. 46), SS Alex Freeland (No. 73)

9. Brewers
C Jeferson Quero (No. 40), SS Cooper Pratt (No. 58), 1B Tyler Black (No. 64)

10. Phillies
SS/3B Aidan Miller (No. 26), OF Justin Crawford (No. 54), SS Starlyn Caba (No. 83)

Though the Cubs and the Mariners have the most Top 100 hitters with six each, the Red Sox were a fairly easy choice for the top spot. Mayer, Anthony and Teel all rank among the 25 best prospects in baseball and if we were to overhaul the list today, Campbell might as well. Teenage shortstops Franklin Arias and Yoeilin Cespedes also have star potential, while outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and middle infielder Mikey Romero made encouraging progress this summer.

Interestingly, only one system landed on both our position and pitching prospect Top 10s. That would be the Dodgers, who ranked eighth in bats and 10th in arms. Los Angeles has the game's best collection of teenage hitters with De Paula; shortstops Joendry Vargas, Emil Morales and Kellon Lindsey; and outfielders Eduardo Quintero, Zyhir Hope, Kendall George and Ching-Hsien Ko.

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You're right, we should have included Eldridge when we discussed notable September promotions on this week's Pipeline Podcast. The Giants promoted their 2023 first-round pick to Double-A on Sept. 3, making him the youngest player (age 19) in the Eastern League. The first baseman has gone 10-for-37 with a home run in nine games at Richmond and is hitting .294/.376/.535 with 23 homers in 108 games between three levels during his first full pro season.

Eldridge is tied with Mariners middle infielder Michael Arroyo for the most homers by a teenager in the Minors this year. He definitely is having the best season of any 2023 high school draftee, including top-five-overall selections Clark and Jenkins. He has hit more homers this summer than anyone from the 2023 Draft, and his .911 OPS in full-season ball ranks fourth behind Jacob Wilson (Athletics), Campbell and Brice Matthews (Astros).

Though Eldridge was the best two-way prospect in the 2023 Draft, San Francisco has had him concentrate on hitting -- and it's impossible to argue with that decision. He stands out most with his huge raw power but also is an advanced hitter who has had no difficulty handling more experienced pitchers in pro ball. He rivals Jac Caglianone (Royals), Xavier Isaac (Rays) and Nick Kurtz (Athletics) as baseball's best first-base prospect.

The Cubs have five Top 100 Prospect position players at Triple-A Iowa and few obvious openings in their big league lineup. All four of their starting infielders and three starting outfielders are under control for at least two more seasons, and Cody Bellinger (who has bounced between first base, the outfield and DH) can return on a player option if he chooses.

The greatest opportunity appears to be at catcher, where Chicago received little offensive production until Miguel Amaya came on in the second half. But Ballesteros is an extremely gifted hitter who's still a work in progress defensively, in part because he's 20 and has caught just 227 games as a pro. It would be an upset if he made the Cubs' Opening Day roster.

Caissie (who has played the entire season in Triple-A) and Shaw (who has raked since his August promotion) are the most logical candidates to open 2025 with Chicago, but they'll likely need trades or injuries to other players for that to happen. With Pete Crow-Armstrong and Caissie definite parts of the Cubs' outfield of the future, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki signed through 2026 and Bellinger potentially returning, Triantos and Alcantara could get dealt to shore up the catching or pitching. Triantos has played mostly second base the last two seasons but is better suited for the outfield.

Definitely. In our March 8 Inbox, I pegged Anthony and DeLauter as two players outside the top 20 on our preseason Top 100 Prospects list with the potential to claim the No. 1 spot by the end of the year. But DeLauter refractured his left foot in April, came down with turf toe in his right foot in May and strained his right hamstring in August, so he has played just 39 games this season.

Few prospects can match DeLauter's combination of physicality (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism, performance and plate discipline. A career .402/.520/.715 in three seasons at James Madison before the Guardians made him the 16th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, he has slashed .317/.387/.517 with 13 homers in 96 pro games. He's capable of playing all three outfield positions, fits best in right field and should have solid or better tools across the board.