Seven Prospect Forecasts for 2022

In the first Pipeline Podcast of 2022, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra gave a review of the season that is to come with several forecasts. It’s about minor league prospects and systems to watch closely this year, from Rookies of the Year in both leagues, the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft, which organization will finish with the best system at the end of the season, and much more. .

Here are the forecasts:

Jim Callis: Spencer Torkelson (American League); Bryson Stott (National League)

I think Torkelson is in position to get off to a good start. But there are at least five guys I could choose from. Right now, I see quite a few candidates in the American League.

For his part, Stott had an impressive year in the minor league. After starting in Class-A High, he finished in Triple-A and performed well at bat at every level. I think Stott is ready to step up and make an impact on the Phillies to help them take the next step and qualify for the playoffs.

Sam Dykstra: Bobby Witt Jr. (LA); Oneil Cruz (LN)

What will help Witt see playing time in the Royals would be how he can impact the game in different ways than a Torkelson or Adley Rutschman, because of his speed factor. Whether Witt will play shortstop or third baseman remains to be seen, but he has a lot going for him.

The question that always comes up with Cruz is where he will play – although he has continued to see action at shortstop. Larger shortstops have been seen in the past, but his 6-7 height would be a lot for the position. The way things are looking right now, he’s probably opening day shortstop for the Pirates. Thunder would definitely be a factor, as would the arm in that position. I’ve always said that he can go to right field. Even there, his bat is good enough to be on the big team right now. I think power will be his greatest tool at the Major League level.

Pipeline Hitter of the Year

It can be said that the Dominican’s great bat will take him to the majors, although it is not known how the service time will be taken into account. But we must emphasize that he turned just 21 years old at the end of December. He has played just 46 games above Class-A. Then he will see a good time in the Minors and shine as he has at every level. Last year, he played almost 60% of the season and still hit staggering numbers. He hit .347 with 13 homers and 21 rip-offs.

Dykstra: Francisco Álvarez

What most caught the attention of the Venezuelan this year was that he hit 22 homers in Class-A Alta in just 84 games. But his slugging was much better outside of the Brooklyn Stadium, which favors pitchers a lot. He slugged .607 on the road, compared to .463 at home, OPS over 1,000 on the road and .763 at home. You need to be in Binghamton (Double-A) or Syracuse (Triple-A), on circuits where there are more even stadiums. I think Álvarez, with another year of maturity, could explode. I easily see him hitting 25, 30 home runs and posting an OPS between .900 and 1,000.

Pipeline Pitcher of the Year

I picked a guy who hasn’t done a single pitch as a professional, which is a cheeky thing to do – but it’s worth adding that he was the best pitcher in college baseball last year. You should be more consistent throwing strikes. Although it will be his longest season, I think Leiter will rise quickly through the Rangers system.

As the No. 92 prospect, the Panamanian is not someone who would immediately signal Pitcher of the Year. But I think he has the repertoire. He has a high level straight, a good corner and a good slider. What specifically stood out for me was the way he improved over the course of the 2021 season. When someone has a high-level fastball at their age, the first question would be their control, and that was the case earlier in the year. But this aspect improved after it was upgraded to A-Class High. He only walked 16 in 49 innings and fanned 88. He pitched 91.2 innings in 2021. Now he could be in the 110-120 innings and could rack up the strikeouts that are essential for Pitcher of the Year.

Best prospect at the end of the year

I don’t think there is any way that Anthony Volpe will make it to the big leagues this year. At least not long enough to leave his rookie status. It is about a boy who comes from having an incredible season. He led the minor league hitters in nearly every category: Twenty-seven home runs, 33 steals. I think he can repeat that kind of acting this year, very similar to what Bobby Witt Jr. just had … and he could also be a candidate for the Pipeline Hitter of the Year award.

If you’ve followed his season closely, you know that he suffered multiple leg injuries that limited his 2021 season to just 42 games. Even after the Padres aggressively promoted him to Double-A, that was interesting. He began to pick up the pace on his return, but that effort was cut short. He was supposed to play in the Arizona Fall League, but ultimately did not participate due to concerns with his shoulder. He’s a great left-handed hitter. His best attribute, by far, is his speed. He has a good glove at shortstop. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him start again in Double-A this year. In his 21-year-old season, the boy will still be young for that level. He could move to Triple-A in the middle of the year and then be called up by the Padres in September, but he wouldn’t officially graduate.

The best farm at the end of the year

I took a look at our mid-season rankings and watched the players, where they were, and just like that, I watched the graduates. And I think the Pirates – beyond Cruz, who Sam picked as the NL Rookie of the Year – is a very deep system. And most of your best prospects will still be there. Cruz could be the only player to lose. And I think they are going to keep developing their players and keep improving and adding more prospects through the amateur draft. Therefore, I think the Pirates were an easy choice.

I started with the order of the MLB Amateur Draft in 2022 and realized who will be the teams that add the best talent in the first draft picks. It seems that the first three, four and five will be potential crown jewels of the estates in the future. And I saw the Pirates selecting quarters, and I thought, ‘Who do the Pirates have?’ Adding the fourth overall pick will be very important. I just think that even if they lose someone, this system will still be very deep – it’s one of the deepest in all of baseball – and that depth will be further enhanced by the draft.

First overall draft pick

“Elijah Green takes me back to a time when I was in Cary, North Carolina, last year when I was looking at some of these guys. I got to interview Termarr Johnson and had a good time talking to him. But Elijah Green, I remember doing it. looked at and seen his power potential, his physical condition and how he stood out on the pitch when I saw him. This is based on my personal experience and I know there are questions about his hitting tools here. We have to consider who will be making the first overall pick and those will be the Orioles. So is Elijah Green liked enough by the Orioles to take him first in the draft? I don’t know, but I think the tools are good enough to turn him into candidate.

While on the one hand I think Elijah Green has the highest ceiling in the draft, if they go for a high school hitter, I think they will go for a more polished hitter. And Termarr Johnson is the best high school hitter I can remember. I saw a listener compare Termarr Johnson with Vladimir Guerrero Sr.’s ball contact skills to Wade Boggs’s mastery of the strike zone, which looks like a crazy combination and a very important comparison for a high school boy. . I just see Termarr Johnson as a stronger candidate. “

Top 100 Rising Prospect

I was undecided here. I almost went with Nick Yorke… but in the end, I settled on a guy who I think will make the Top 10 this year. Maybe it’s because Nick Gonzales looked so good in the Fall League and was fired down the stretch for the Pirates in Class-A high. And because he was in high A-Class, I don’t think he’s going to lose his prospect status this year. I just think Nick Gonzales can hit .350 with 25 home runs this year and even though he’s ranked No. 62 on our list right now, I think Nick Gonzales can get into the Top 10 of the best prospects in all of baseball by the end of this year. His bat looks pretty good, it matches the scout reports and I think we’ll be talking about him as a Top 10 prospect at the end of this season.

He’s currently ranked No. 77. I’m a big believer in his bat. We have him with a 60 rating on hitting tool and 50 on power. I think its power can increase over time. It’s about a guy who hit 15 home runs and 35 doubles in 109 games last year. He looks like a classic candidate for turning these doubles into home runs as he matures. And he doesn’t strike out that much either. He only struck out 61 times in 451 at-bats. He also stole 21 bases and has above-average leg speed. The package is there for this guy to rise significantly in the rankings if he can repeat this in another full season. He has a .332 lifetime average in the minors. He could easily make the Top 20, Top 30 of the list of the best prospects by the end of the year.

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Seven Prospect Forecasts for 2022