2022 Prospect Rankings

The Bus Ride
81

Brown is #71 on the newly-updated MLB Pipeline Top 100 with his CB rated #1 overall.

82

And MLB Pipeline out with their post draft/post deadline Top 30 rankings. Numbers in parentheses are where BA has them ranked.

  1. RHP Hunter Brown (1)
  2. OF Drew Gilbert (3)
  3. C/1B Yainer Diaz (2)
  4. OF Pedro LeĂłn (5)
  5. OF Colin Barber (16)
  6. OF Jacob Melton (4)
  7. C Korey Lee (6)
  8. OF Ryan Clifford (13)
  9. INF Joe Perez (8)
  10. RHP Forrest Whitley (15)
  11. UTIL David Hensley (11)
  12. OF Justin Dirden (9)
  13. RHP Jayden Murray (18)
  14. RHP Jaime Melendez (10)
  15. RHP Alex Santos (14)
  16. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7)
  17. RHP Andrew Taylor (25)
  18. SS Cristian Gonzalez (26)
  19. RHP Misael Tamarez (17)
  20. RHP Miguel Ullola (NR)
  21. RHP Shawn Dubin (NR)
  22. OF Logan Cerny (NR)
  23. OF Luis Baez (NR)
  24. OF Kenni Gomez (NR)
  25. OF Tyler Whitaker (12)
  26. RHP Alimber Santa (23)
  27. RHP Michael Knorr (24)
  28. RHP Peter Solomon (19)
  29. OF Quincy Hamilton (NR)
  30. OF Zach Daniels (NR)
83

Interesting that Corey Lee is listed as a 1B. Or is that a typo Walt?

84

Typo – fixed.

85

Korey Lee; Corey Julks.

86

Rehab status on a pair of players…

87

From a couple of days ago, BA’s weekly prospect hot sheet included Miguel Ullola, Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz. In addition to Ullola’s stats for the week (8 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 19 K) they noted his 60 whiffs in 33.2 innings over the last 2 months.

88

Baseball America is rolling out its end of season lists. These are all based on polls of league managers…

PCL

  • Best strikezone judgement: David Hensley
  • Best pitching prospect: Hunter Brown
  • Best FB: Hunter Brown
  • Best breaking ball: Hunter Brown
  • Best reliever: Enoli Paredes
  • Best defensive catcher: Korey Lee
  • Best outfield arm: Pedro Leon
2 Likes
89

Continuing with the end of season best tools lists from Baseball America based on polls of league managers…

Texas League

  • No Hooks made the list

South Atlantic League

  • No Tourists made the list

Carolina League

  • Best pitching prospect: Miguel Ullola
1 Like
90

Listmania continues at Baseball America. The latest is “10 Upper Level Breakout Prospects to Watch”. BA compiles this list because they say non-heralded players who break out in the upper minors are often overlooked (by folks like BA haha at least until they started putting together this particular list last year) largely because they’ve already been around for a while. But they go on to say those breakouts in the upper minors go on to have vastly higher success rates than more highly-touted prospects. Examples they cite include Jeff McNeil, Ty France, Randy Arozarena, Jake Cronenworth, Jared Walsh, Steven Kwan and Jose Miranda.

Anyway, Justin Dirden is one of the ten guys on the list. Besides the lefty hitter’s gaudy numbers this year (.322 with 23 homers, 96 RBIs and a 1.003 OPS and 2nd in the minors with 66 extra-base hits and tied for 3rd with 253 total bases), they describe him as a “capable defender at all three outfield spots with impressive arm strength”.

2 Likes
91

The Astros have some exciting OF prospects. I hope Gilbert doesn’t have any complications from that injury because he could come pretty fast. And there is opportunity in CF.

92

Jacob Melton made the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week.

As did former Astros and now Red Sox Prospect Enmanuel Valdez.

93

Should we be worried that, after AAA, minor league managers just don’t seem to think the Astros have much coming? Or is this just more of the same “Astros prospects being underrated” we’ve seen in recent years?

94

I see plenty of outfield depth and pitching depth in the system. What’s readily apparent (just by scanning the prospect lists if nothing else) is the lack of infield depth. Is that an issue? Given the healthy state of the two other areas plus not being a huge area of need at the major league level I’d say not. Plus one or two more draft classes and that could be quickly remedied.

1 Like
95

And Kenny also with the rehab status on OF Jordan Brewer…

https://twitter.com/thevandalorian/status/1576272266148876288?s=20&t=r-lbn1aMxEIiA_GQVLwE1A

96

Jim Callis says based on their AFL performance both Will Wagner and Scott Schreiber will be added to the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Astros prospects list (Wagner is already on the BA list). Says one scout gave a Joey Wendle comp for Wagner.

97

Apparently no Astros prospects were picked in MLB phase of Rule 5.

98

Astros lost RH pitchers Layne Henderson and Ernesto Jaquez in the MiLB portion.

99

Great news

100

Lost a catcher in minor league phase as well. But Astros also poached 2-3 pitchers in the same phase. Stros poaching young pitchers from other teams gets me excited.