MLB Pipeline recently came out with its list of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. Pipeline is one of the top resources available when it comes to MLB prospects. For fans and organizations alike, the list helps determine how strong each team’s farm system really is.
Looking at the 2020 list, many facts have become available. The top three have remained the same. Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, Los Angeles Dodgers middle infielder Gavin Lux, and Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert have owned the top three spots the past two seasons. Furthermore, the Rays own the strongest farm system with six prospects inside the top 100.
The list also shows the same fans and organizations how some prospects have risen or fallen in just one year. That aspect of the list gives everyone an idea of just how valuable their prospects are when it comes to building their franchise or in trade discussions.
These prospects saw either the biggest jump or fall from 2019 to 2020.
Risers
Spencer Howard, Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies +54
By far the biggest jump out of any prospect was made by Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard. Howard was ranked as the 88th overall prospect in 2019. Fast forward to 2020, and he is up to 34, a 54-spot climb.
He spent time on four different teams during the 2019 season, making it all the way to Double-A. Overall, he started 15 games and pitched 71 innings, culminating in a 3-1 record with a 2.03 ERA and a 94/16 K/BB ratio.
Pipeline points out that Howard’s emergence is due to the improvement of his breaking pitches, especially his changeup. His changeup has become a dominant second pitch to go along with a slider, curveball, and fastball that at times has hit 99 MPH. His mechanics have improved, thus resulting in an improvement in stats and a jump up the rankings.
The Phillies recently invited Howard to Major League Spring Training. However, Philadelphia will probably keep him in the minors to start the season, as to get him more reps against seasoned competition as well as to delay his sevice time clock. That being said, it isn’t before long that Howard should be a force inside the Phillies’ rotation.
Jeter Downs, Middle Infielder, Los Angeles Dodgers +43
Jeter Downs was originally acquired by the Dodgers in a trade that saw Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, and Kyle Farmer go to the Cincinnati Reds. Now in Los Angeles’ farm system, the middle infielder rose from the 87th-best prospect in baseball in 2019 to 44th in 2020.
Downs, who is named after New York Yankees legend and now-Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter, saw his name rise partially due to an amazing 2019 season. In just his third year of professional baseball, Downs made it all the way to Double-A appeared in 119 games, hitting .276 with 24 home runs, 86 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.
The Dodgers’ prospect has enough power and speed to succeed at the highest level. He has made adjustments in all three levels of minor-league ball and Downs seems to be on the cusp of an MLB call-up.
The only problem is with who? The Dodgers already have Corey Seager at short and should have the aforementioned Gavin Lux at second for years to come. While he may not have a spot on the major-league roster for now, there is no doubting the potential that Downs possesses.
Francisco Alvarez, Catcher, New York Mets +37
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez wasn’t even listed in the top 100 prospects of 2019. Now, after debuting in New York’s system, he slots in as the 63rd-best prospect in baseball.
Alvarez is just 17 years old and has appeared in just 42 games of rookie-level ball. Over those 42 games, Alvarez hit .312 with seven home runs, 26 RBI and an impressive 10 doubles.
At such a young age, Alvarez was still able to make a difference with his bat. Pipeline points out that he has veteran instincts at the plate and has enough power and bat speed to be an above-average hitter at the MLB level.
There still isn’t much known about Alvarez as he isn’t expected to make the majors until 2023. But at 17, the young backstop seems to be the Mets’ potential catcher of the future.
Fallers
Keibert Ruiz, Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers -40
No prospect fell harder in the 2020 rankings than Dodgers catcher Keibert Ruiz. After being ranked 33rd in 2019, Ruiz is all the way down to 73 in 2020.
He played for both Double- and Triple-A in 2019, hitting .261 with six home runs and 34 RBI. He also held an impressive 30/22 K/BB ratio. Ruiz threw out 22 percent of base-stealers.
Ruiz’s numbers dipped a bit, as he is a career .299 hitter. He did impress in Triple-A, hitting .316 over nine games. His power certainly fell off a bit, though, as he hit 12 home runs during the 2018 season. Overall, it was more of a slight letdown rather than a full-blown disaster.
There is certainly room to improve, but despite his fall, Ruiz is still a solid prospect. If nothing else, this slide may make the Dodgers less reluctant than in the past of trading Ruiz.
Brusdar Graterol, Deivi Garcia, Ryan Mountcastle, Justin Dunn -30
Four different players saw their rankings drop by 30 points in the 2020 list.
Brusdar Graterol, Minnesota Twins, Pitcher
Graterol fell from 53 in 2019 to 83 in 2020. He made his MLB debut in 2019, appearing in 10 games and 9.2 innings while pitching to a 1-1 record with a 4.66 ERA and a 10/2 K/BB ratio. The Twins say they’re going to try and keep Graterol in a relief role in 2020, but a return to the rotation isn’t out of the equation. He still has nasty stuff despite his poor MLB numbers and his fall is more thanks to others rising rather than him devolving.
Deivi Garcia, Pitcher, New York Yankees
Garcia was ranked 62 in 2019 but has tumbled to 92 in the 2020 list. Garcia struggled in 2019, pitching to a 5-9 record with a 4.28 ERA and a 165/64 K/BB ratio. The strikeout numbers are impressive, but Garcia saw his BB/9 rise all the way to 4.4. Pipeline also points out that Garcia reached six innings in just four of his 21 starts in 2019. Garcia should see a promotion to the majors fairly quickly, but it may have to come at reliever.
Ryan Mountcastle, First Base/Outfield, Baltimore Orioles
Mountcastle went from ranked 64 in 2019 to 94 in 2020. Mountcastle spent all of 2019 in Triple-A, hitting .312 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI. He did strike out 130 times, the most of his professional career. Mountcastle’s fall is a lot like Ruiz’s, as he did nothing wrong but other prospects surpassed him. While he doesn’t necessarily have a spot on the current Orioles, he could be the replacement for Trey Mancini if the team decided to move him.
Justin Dunn, Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
Dunn ended 2019 ranked as the 70th-best prospect in baseball. Going into 2020, he isn’t even in the top 100. Dunn briefly reached the majors in 2019, appearing in four games and pitching to a 2.70 ERA. He did have more walks than strikeouts with a 5/9 K/BB ratio. Dunn has been overall a bit inconsistent since turning pro, but he has the potential to be a mid-rotation starter for the Mariners.
Jesus Sanchez, Oufielder, Miami Marlins -29
One below those four players was Miami Marlins outfielder, Jesus Sanchez. Ranked 51st in 2019, he has slipped to 80 in the 2020 list.
Acquired from the Rays last season, Sanchez went on to hit .260 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 113 games between both organizations. There’s no doubting Sanchez’s power potential as he has double-digit home runs the past three seasons. However, he has a propensity to strike out, whiffing 100 times in 2019. For his career, he has a 358/126 K/BB ratio.
If Sanchez could limit the strikeouts and get more consistent with the bat, he could be the everyday left fielder for the Marlins in the future. With fellow prospect J.J. Bledlay not far behind, Miami could have a dangerous outfield in a couple years.
Sanchez dipped because of his lack of consistency, but if he could fine-tune his game, he could find himself higher in the rankings. Seeing as the Marlins acquired him for Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards, they likely don’t regret that decision.
