MLB Pipeline Top Prospects

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

I am anxious to see Burgur play some 3b in the minors so the Sox can determine if he can advance in the system at that position.

 

hopefully he does

[southsider2k5]

Apparently, sons of former MLB players that are named after said player themselves become very good baseball players. At least that's what Guerrero Jr. and Tatis Jr. seem to be showing.

 

Kenny Williams Jr is on line 1.

[GenericUserName]

Top 10 OF

1. Ronald Acuna, Braves

2. Eloy Jimenez, White Sox

3. Victor Robles, Nationals

4. Shohei Ohtani, Angels

5. Kyle Tucker, Astros

6. Austin Hays, Orioles

7. Lewis Brinson, Brewers

8. Luis Robert, White Sox

9. Juan Soto, Nationals

10. Alex Verdugo, Dodgers

 

Top tools

 

Hit: 60 - Acuna, Jimenez, Robles, Hays, Soto, Verdugo

That half of the players on this list boast a plus hitting grade speaks to the overall offensive potential of the group. Among them, Robles, a career .304 hitter over four Minor League seasons, arguably has the most advanced bat. His hitting ability stems from a combination of bat speed, bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline, while Robles' top-of-the-scale speed enables him to create hits and turn singles into extra bases.

 

Power: 70 - Jimenez, Ohtani

Jimenez's robust power has been his calling card since he signed with the Cubs for $2.8 million in August 2013. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder's massive raw pop, generated with impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, produced 19 homers in 89 games in 2017 and earns him comparisons to Stanton. Ohtani, meanwhile, showcased his power potential in 2016, when he connected on 22 homers in 104 games for the Nippon Ham Fighters in his age-21 season.

[caulfield12]

Didn't realize that Jimenez missed almost 50 games with how many bombs he was hitting in the 2nd half...

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

I can't wait for the whole list to be out tomorrow! MLB is my favorite

[steveno89]

Top 10 OF

1. Ronald Acuna, Braves

2. Eloy Jimenez, White Sox

3. Victor Robles, Nationals

4. Shohei Ohtani, Angels

5. Kyle Tucker, Astros

6. Austin Hays, Orioles

7. Lewis Brinson, Brewers

8. Luis Robert, White Sox

9. Juan Soto, Nationals

10. Alex Verdugo, Dodgers

 

Eloy Jimenez

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 65

 

The top-rated international prospect during the 2013-14 signing period, Jimenez signed with the Cubs for $2.8 million out of the Dominican Republic. He emerged as one of baseball's best prospects in 2016, when he starred at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, topped the Midwest League in slugging (.532) and OPS (.901) and won the Class A circuit's MVP award at age 19. Despite missing the first six weeks of 2017 with a bone bruise on his right shoulder, he posted better numbers and kicked his game up a notch further (.348/.405/.635 in 47 games) after getting traded to the White Sox in July as part of a four-prospect package for Jose Quintana.

 

Jimenez has few peers among prospects when it comes to hitting for average and power. His massive raw pop, generated with impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, earns him comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton. He recognizes pitches well, makes savvy adjustments, doesn't try to do too much and is making progress with his plate discipline.

 

Though Jimenez may not offer much beyond his bat, he still can become a superstar. As he has gotten bigger and stronger, he has slowed and now has below-average speed. His arm strength also has regressed and he recorded just six assists in his first four pro seasons, so he now projects as a fringy left fielder.

 

I know defense is not his calling card, but I am not pleased to hear about the arm and defense looking shaky^. I was hoping he could be average with a solid arm.

[GenericUserName]

Eloy Jimenez

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 65

 

The top-rated international prospect during the 2013-14 signing period, Jimenez signed with the Cubs for $2.8 million out of the Dominican Republic. He emerged as one of baseball's best prospects in 2016, when he starred at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, topped the Midwest League in slugging (.532) and OPS (.901) and won the Class A circuit's MVP award at age 19. Despite missing the first six weeks of 2017 with a bone bruise on his right shoulder, he posted better numbers and kicked his game up a notch further (.348/.405/.635 in 47 games) after getting traded to the White Sox in July as part of a four-prospect package for Jose Quintana.

 

Jimenez has few peers among prospects when it comes to hitting for average and power. His massive raw pop, generated with impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, earns him comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton. He recognizes pitches well, makes savvy adjustments, doesn't try to do too much and is making progress with his plate discipline.

 

Though Jimenez may not offer much beyond his bat, he still can become a superstar. As he has gotten bigger and stronger, he has slowed and now has below-average speed. His arm strength also has regressed and he recorded just six assists in his first four pro seasons, so he now projects as a fringy left fielder.

 

I know defense is not his calling card, but I am not pleased to hear about the arm and defense looking shaky^. I was hoping he could be average with a solid arm.

It won't matter when we have Micker and his cannon of an arm in RF.

[GenericUserName]

I can't wait for the whole list to be out tomorrow! MLB is my favorite

The whole top 100 isn't coming out until Saturday night. They're doing a reveal show for it.

[southsider2k5]

Eloy Jimenez

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 65

 

The top-rated international prospect during the 2013-14 signing period, Jimenez signed with the Cubs for $2.8 million out of the Dominican Republic. He emerged as one of baseball's best prospects in 2016, when he starred at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, topped the Midwest League in slugging (.532) and OPS (.901) and won the Class A circuit's MVP award at age 19. Despite missing the first six weeks of 2017 with a bone bruise on his right shoulder, he posted better numbers and kicked his game up a notch further (.348/.405/.635 in 47 games) after getting traded to the White Sox in July as part of a four-prospect package for Jose Quintana.

 

Jimenez has few peers among prospects when it comes to hitting for average and power. His massive raw pop, generated with impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, earns him comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton. He recognizes pitches well, makes savvy adjustments, doesn't try to do too much and is making progress with his plate discipline.

 

Though Jimenez may not offer much beyond his bat, he still can become a superstar. As he has gotten bigger and stronger, he has slowed and now has below-average speed. His arm strength also has regressed and he recorded just six assists in his first four pro seasons, so he now projects as a fringy left fielder.

 

I know defense is not his calling card, but I am not pleased to hear about the arm and defense looking shaky^. I was hoping he could be average with a solid arm.

 

If he hits like he is projected to do, the name Carlos Lee came to mind. I know he was a steroid era guy so his numbers stand out more today than they did then, but if he turns out with a peak like that, the Sox have a cornerstone.

[steveno89]

If he hits like he is projected to do, the name Carlos Lee came to mind. I know he was a steroid era guy so his numbers stand out more today than they did then, but if he turns out with a peak like that, the Sox have a cornerstone.

 

I would take Carlos Lee out of Eloy for sure, but would really hope he could be a tad better than him

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

I too thought his defense was better.

[southsider2k5]

NBC Sports Chicago‏Verified account @NBCSChicago 4h4 hours ago Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert both among MLB Pipeline's top 10 outfield prospects: http://bit.ly/2nbOnYv

 

 

[35thstreetswarm]

I would take Carlos Lee out of Eloy for sure, but would really hope he could be a tad better than him

 

These kinds of thoughts are a little sobering to me, actually. If Eloy and Robert turned into, say, Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez I think we should all be thrilled. But we all know even that is no ticket to the promised land. It just takes so much to build a great team.

[southsider2k5]

I would take Carlos Lee out of Eloy for sure, but would really hope he could be a tad better than him

 

Peak Carlos Lee put up some impressive numbers. If Eloy is better than that, we are in pretty good shape.

[Chicago White Sox]

Sox with seven in the top 100. I’ll update with actual rankings shortly but here is how things roughly shaked out:

 

04. Jimenez

10. Kopech

28. Robert

54. Hansen

61. Cease

92. Dunning

99. Rutherford

 

Was shocked to see Cease ranked that high, although BP is also super high on him. Glad to see Rutherford crack the very end of the list.

 

Also, Burger & Collins both were ranked top ranked 10 prospects at 3B & C respectively. And Gavin Sheets was an honorable mention for 1B. The top 10 looks pretty damn strong.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Chicago White Sox

[Quin]

You have to imagine with a good year, Burger, Collins and Adolfo can all make that list.

[Dominikk85]

My only question is whether he's a catcher. If he is, he's an All Star in my opinion. He spent the offseason straightening out the hitch in his swing. The knocks were the strikeout rate and batting average.

 

This player is good though:

 

2017 Winston-Salem: .223/.365/.443 118K, 76BB, 17 homers 130 wRC+ and .367 wOBA

2017 Birmingham (small sample): .235/.422/.471 .414 wOBA and 166 wRC+.

 

2016: .885 OPS after his college season.

 

I don't really have a problem with a hitch. Many great hitters had a hitch, josh Donaldson and Barry bonds among them (If you mean a pre swing hands drop). Issue with the hitch is the timing, a hand drop and bat tip can be a great loading mechanism.

 

You just need to do it early enough to give the hands time to work back and up. Donaldson explains the hitch thing here at 6:45

he says the hands need to go down at the foot is lifted so the hands go back as the foot goes down. A hitch is bad when it is so late that you still move the hands back up when you should start.

 

 

Donaldson (who is a great hitting expert by the way) is a big opponent of quieting things down. Is is an easy fix done by many mlb orgs and it can improve some things but it can also kill athleticsm and power. So if I hear batting coaches want to simplify things , eliminate movement and such stuff I'm very scared.great hitters don't eliminate movement but control it. Most of the time those simplified swings kill the upside of players.

 

Sure a hitch is not for anyone and many are great without it and maybe no hitch is really better for Collins but I'm always wary if teams talk about quieting things down and simplify stuff. Some it can help but many are ruined.

 

Problem is that most pro hitting coaches suck. Donaldson literally said he told them to GTFO and did his own thing (he worked with my loose internet friend Bobby tewksbary), in fact many good players have now private coaches who intensively studied kinesiology and biomechanics while most team batting coaches are still ex players with little biomechanics understanding. The Astros have actually hired such an expert (Jeff Albert) and more teams will do so, but most still give away their hitting coach jobs based on merit as a player and clubhouse connections.

[Dam8610]

I don't really have a problem with a hitch. Many great hitters had a hitch, josh Donaldson and Barry bonds among them (If you mean a pre swing hands drop). Issue with the hitch is the timing, a hand drop and bat tip can be a great loading mechanism.

 

You just need to do it early enough to give the hands time to work back and up. Donaldson explains the hitch thing here at 6:45

he says the hands need to go down at the foot is lifted so the hands go back as the foot goes down. A hitch is bad when it is so late that you still move the hands back up when you should start.

 

 

Donaldson (who is a great hitting expert by the way) is a big opponent of quieting things down. Is is an easy fix done by many mlb orgs and it can improve some things but it can also kill athleticsm and power. So if I hear batting coaches want to simplify things , eliminate movement and such stuff I'm very scared.great hitters don't eliminate movement but control it. Most of the time those simplified swings kill the upside of players.

 

Sure a hitch is not for anyone and many are great without it and maybe no hitch is really better for Collins but I'm always wary if teams talk about quieting things down and simplify stuff. Some it can help but many are ruined.

 

Problem is that most pro hitting coaches suck. Donaldson literally said he told them to GTFO and did his own thing (he worked with my loose internet friend Bobby tewksbary), in fact many good players have now private coaches who intensively studied kinesiology and biomechanics while most team batting coaches are still ex players with little biomechanics understanding. The Astros have actually hired such an expert (Jeff Albert) and more teams will do so, but most still give away their hitting coach jobs based on merit as a player and clubhouse connections.

 

Why isn't everyone doing this, then?

[caulfield12]

Why isn't everyone doing this, then?

 

The same reason all pitchers aren't using Trevor Bauer's offseason training regimen of trying to throw 120-130 mph.

[Dam8610]

The same reason all pitchers aren't using Trevor Bauer's offseason training regimen of trying to throw 120-130 mph.

 

I didn't mean intentionally putting hitches into their swing, I meant working with kinesologists with backgrounds in biomechanics to build their swings, or for teams, hiring them as hitting coaches. I can believe the line of thinking that most hitting coaches are awful, but if some players and teams have found the right people that can help them work with their swing mechanics and make their swing effective, why aren't players and teams flocking to these people?

[caulfield12]

I didn't mean intentionally putting hitches into their swing, I meant working with kinesologists with backgrounds in biomechanics to build their swings, or for teams, hiring them as hitting coaches. I can believe the line of thinking that most hitting coaches are awful, but if some players and teams have found the right people that can help them work with their swing mechanics and make their swing effective, why aren't players and teams flocking to these people?

 

Same reason Tiger Woods went through so many swing coaches.

 

Inevitably, swing changes or mechanical fixes will eventually fail (since that's true 7 out of 10 times)...and players/parents will typically turn to another solution instead of taking responsibility for "fixing themselves."

[tray]

I cannot get over the Sox losing Tatis Jr. in the Shields trade.

I was mad about it when it happened and now it just irks the he11 out of me when I see it come up, like it did at Soxfest.

That will turn out to be the worst trade in White Sox history.

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I cannot get over the Sox losing Tatis Jr. in the Shields trade.

I was mad about it when it happened and now it just irks the he11 out of me when I see it come up, like it did at Soxfest.

That will turn out to be the worst trade in White Sox history.

 

Meh.

[Dominikk85]

I didn't mean intentionally putting hitches into their swing, I meant working with kinesologists with backgrounds in biomechanics to build their swings, or for teams, hiring them as hitting coaches. I can believe the line of thinking that most hitting coaches are awful, but if some players and teams have found the right people that can help them work with their swing mechanics and make their swing effective, why aren't players and teams flocking to these people?

 

 

It doesn't work for every guy of course but I think it is no coincidence that we see more late breakout players and almost all of them have gotten input from sources outside the game.

 

Here is s list of guys of that mold

 

-justin Turner

-daniel Murphy

-josh Donaldson

-chris Taylor

-aaron judge (he recently credited a guy I know from the internet for his success - the the dude is a giant asshole who insults anyone and got banned from about every forum but apparently he worked with judge, kingery and ian happ who all had great years)

 

Sure it is no guarantee that it works, but conventional hitting coaching basically has a play it save and don't ruin the top guys philosophy.

[bmags]

It doesn't work for every guy of course but I think it is no coincidence that we see more late breakout players and almost all of them have gotten input from sources outside the game.

 

Here is s list of guys of that mold

 

-justin Turner

-daniel Murphy

-josh Donaldson

-chris Taylor

-aaron judge (he recently credited a guy I know from the internet for his success - the the dude is a giant asshole who insults anyone and got banned from about every forum but apparently he worked with judge, kingery and ian happ who all had great years)

 

Sure it is no guarantee that it works, but conventional hitting coaching basically has a play it save and don't ruin the top guys philosophy.

 

Yonder Alonso too right?