Top 400 MLB Prospect Rankings Update

Top 400 MLB Prospect Rankings Update

This article is part of our Farm Futures series.

The top 400 prospect rankings were updated Tuesday, March 28 in advance of Opening Day! The next update will be right before Memorial Day weekend, and I'll be working on a dynasty rankings update that should come out in April.

As is tradition, I did a mailbag podcast Wednesday dedicated to the updated rankings.

You can listen to the RotoWire Prospect Podcast or subscribe on your podcast app by searching "RotoWire Prospect Podcast".

Here is the written version of the podcast. Feel free to add your own question in the comments, on Twitter or on Discord.

John McKechnie: Did the O's get it right or wrong by starting Grayson Rodriguez at Triple-A and what does he need to show in the minors?

Including rehab starts and spring training appearances, Rodriguez has a 13.6 BB% ever since returning from the shoulder injury last season. That's probably not a good representation of where his command/control will be in Triple-A games this April, but Baltimore obviously wants Rodriguez to have some success in the big leagues, so letting him get into a groove for a few weeks at Triple-A makes sense to me. I also think Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells deserved a shot in the rotation, so it works out on all fronts. 

Mike Sheets: Any interest in Hunter Gaddis in deeper formats now that he's joining the Guardians' rotation?

BrothersJudd: Is Hunter Gaddis a prospect or filler?

I would add him in deeper formats strictly for next week's projected start in

The top 400 prospect rankings were updated Tuesday, March 28 in advance of Opening Day! The next update will be right before Memorial Day weekend, and I'll be working on a dynasty rankings update that should come out in April.

As is tradition, I did a mailbag podcast Wednesday dedicated to the updated rankings.

You can listen to the RotoWire Prospect Podcast or subscribe on your podcast app by searching "RotoWire Prospect Podcast".

Here is the written version of the podcast. Feel free to add your own question in the comments, on Twitter or on Discord.

John McKechnie: Did the O's get it right or wrong by starting Grayson Rodriguez at Triple-A and what does he need to show in the minors?

Including rehab starts and spring training appearances, Rodriguez has a 13.6 BB% ever since returning from the shoulder injury last season. That's probably not a good representation of where his command/control will be in Triple-A games this April, but Baltimore obviously wants Rodriguez to have some success in the big leagues, so letting him get into a groove for a few weeks at Triple-A makes sense to me. I also think Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells deserved a shot in the rotation, so it works out on all fronts. 

Mike Sheets: Any interest in Hunter Gaddis in deeper formats now that he's joining the Guardians' rotation?

BrothersJudd: Is Hunter Gaddis a prospect or filler?

I would add him in deeper formats strictly for next week's projected start in Oakland. He's rotation filler, solid low-to-mid-90s fastball and plus changeup, so lack of quality third pitch will prevent him from going much more than five innings per start. His command was seemingly better this spring, so I'd be fine with him as a spot starter, but I probably wouldn't use him this week in Seattle.

Sonny: You have Junior Caminero at 40 already. Which other high-upside teenager do you see joining Caminero in the top 50 and how high can they rise this season?

Jett Williams, Josue De Paula, Miguel Bleis, Samuel Zavala and Xavier Isaac are all in the top 100 and all talented enough to have a monster year and get into the top 30 or so. Maybe one of those, including Caminero, can climb as high as top 15.

Ted Morgan: Any news on Kahlil Watson? I saw Skip Schumaker was impressed and he's going to High-A, but anything else?

It's a good sign that he's been a positive story in camp. From the video I've seen this spring, the elite bat speed is still there. Obviously the talent is off the charts and the makeup is a massive question. How his hit tool looks at High-A could lead to him climbing back into the top 100 or sliding back down towards the middle of the top 400.

Jason Erb: Ryan Noda is an unknown to me. Was there ever hype around him in the past? What are the chances of catching lightning in a bottle with him?

He was on the top 400 for all of 2018 and some of 2019, getting as high as 140 in the summer of 2018 (you can see that graph on the RotoWire player page). This was all based on his command of the strike zone and plus raw power. Since then, it's become more evident that he could possibly chip in 8-10 steals over a full season. As a 26-year-old Rule 5 pick who will be given limited action early in the season, the chances are low that he catches lightning in a bottle, but he's intriguing enough that if he ever got regular work for the A's, he could become mixed-league worthy. 

Eric Gailing: When should we realistically expect Gavin Williams and Connor Norby up?

Williams once he essentially looks like he has mastered Triple-A, which could be June. It's much more complicated with Norby, as he will be competing with Ramon Urias, Jordan Westburg, Joey Ortiz and maybe even Jorge Mateo indirectly for starts at second base. Norby could be raking at Triple-A, but if the Orioles are getting good production from Urias/Mateo and/or Ortiz or Westburg also look ready, Norby might not actually get a lengthy opportunity at all this season. It's just a lot of pieces in play for two spots, which makes ranking all these Orioles infield prospects tough.

Danny J: Jordan Westburg got a big bump. What are expectations for his call-up and production?

He got his big bump on the Jan. 15 update, but I bumped him another dozen or so spots here. Westburg's going to be ready for a call-up around the same time as Norby and Ortiz, so figuring out how that shakes out is tough, but I think he can be a 4-4.5 category producer. Jack of all trades, master of none, but a good enough athlete and defender to get in wherever he fits in.

Patrick: Do we see Tanner Bibee or Gavin Williams earlier than expected with the Triston McKenzie injury?

Tom Braun: Who comes up first for Cleveland, Gavin Williams or Tanner Bibee?

Williams has better stuff and more upside. I unfortunately cited a bogus report on the podcast that Bibee was heading to Double-A, but they'll both be at Triple-A, so it's probably going to come down to who masters Triple-A first. I'm betting on Williams -- if I thought it would be Bibee, they'd be closer in my rankings -- but it's close enough now that in-season performance will determine it.

Ross Redcay: What has you significantly lower on Christian Vaquero than other top DSL guys? Wasn't a great first year in terms of the stat line, but the plate discipline numbers appear to be solid and it sounds like the tools are very much still in place…

I don't see any evidence that he's currently got notable game power. His worst tool is his game power and his second-worst tool is his hit tool, so that's not ideal and those types of players usually aren't the ones who rocket through a system. Was he commanding the zone in the Dominican Summer League or was it more a case of him being passive and the pitching in the DSL being terrible? Tough to say. I also wasn't that high on him relative to others (highest he got was 197, basically right after signing), so he didn't have far to fall to where he is now. 

Ross Redcay: Seeing some positive reports on Yeison Morrobel recently. Looks like a fun upside play, but is there a carrying tool there?

The power should be a carrying tool. He hits the ball really hard and added more muscle over the winter, so if he can maintain the strong swing decisions he showed last year, he could really break out and start to look like a future everyday corner outfielder,

Peter Taylor: Who are a few names to watch this year who could be a Jordan Walker type of player a year from now?

Emmanuel Rodriguez, Junior Caminero, Elijah Green, Cam Collier, Josue De Paula, Xavier Isaac, Anthony Gutierrez, Lazaro Montes all have some similarities to Walker from a year ago. Only Green and maybe De Paula/Gutierrez could realistically steal double-digit bases, but we're mainly looking for younger, physical players who hit the ball really hard and project for a 50-grade or better hit tool.

The Fantasy Shrink: What do you think Anthony Volpe's BABIP will be like? Obviously it's a range, but considering his 55.9 FB% and 22.6 IFFB% last year I have his BABIP between .240-.280. You can't outrun caught outs.

Herbcules: For a rebuilding dynasty team, is Anthony Volpe a definite keeper or should I be treating his debut as peak value for a trade?

Yeah, I noticed the same stuff, Fantasy Shrink, and that's partly why I was lower than probably anyone on Volpe heading into spring training, which doesn't look good for me now. Granted, I believe I was the first person to ever rank Volpe as a top-15 prospect back in August 2021, so it's not like I want to be a hater. This is a classic which means more to you situation – a player's track record in the upper levels from the year before, or a player's spring breakout that exceeds all expectations? A .270-.285 BABIP seems reasonable, but it could be worse or better, we'll see. 

To Herbcules' question, Volpe is probably the No. 1 prospect I'd be looking to cash out right now in dynasty leagues. I don't think Jordan Walker will be as good as those highest on him expect, but that's even more true for me with Volpe. Granted, as a rebuilding team, you need to make sure you're getting a massive haul and not taking just a few high-upside A-ball teenagers for him. You need upside and proximity back in the deal along with a lower-level lottery ticket. It should be painful for the acquiring team.

Franquito Jones: Is Kyle Manzardo's slight drop due to liking other players more? The Rays depth and history of platooning players or both?

I'm just less confident now than I was a few months ago that he'll reach the majors this summer. I've changed his ETA to 2024, just because I think the Rays have enough bodies to cycle through this year before adding Manzardo to the 40-man roster. Miguel Vargas, Anthony Volpe, Curtis Mead, Josh Jung, Royce Lewis and Jasson Dominguez are the guys I moved above him. We'll see all of them in 2023 besides Dominguez, and Dominguez had a very impressive spring.

Dynasty Junkie: I'd like to hear your thoughts on the top SPs in general, specifically how Brandon Pfaadt has surpassed and how Gavin Stone has closed the gap on Grayson Rodriguez. Seems premature in both cases, but I know the looks have been good. Eno Sarris has crazy stuff+ numbers for Rodriguez.

Well, I was on the fence about putting Pfaadt over Rodriguez and then the Orioles sending Rodriguez to Triple-A was the nudge I needed to go with my gut there. Pfaadt threw more than double the innings Rodriguez did last year and has shown much better command/control since Rodriguez's shoulder injury last year. These aren't Stuff+ rankings, and there's more that goes into valuing a pitching prospect to me than pure stuff. What's the likelihood of the pitcher providing bulk innings and commanding his pitches? Pfaadt wins decisively there for me and he's got three plus pitches. Stone just feels so much closer to helping fantasy teams in a major way than the Eury Perez, Ricky Tiedemann types, and with Pfaadt and Stone, I think some people see a "high floor" but that "high floor" actually makes their ceilings super high to me because they do all the most important things at a high level and don't come with injury/durability concerns.

O's Flows: I love Miguel Vargas, but 4 seems a bit high for a guy with a relatively low ceiling. Do you see growth in power coming, or more SB than he showed in the minors?

John: What about Miguel Vargas's spring made you bump him to #4 overall and above so many other guys?

Why is Vargas's ceiling relatively low? There's nothing peak Ozzie Albies did for fantasy that Vargas couldn't do, and Albies was a top-20 redraft pick a year ago. If I'm a rebuilding team, I'd probably take Jackson Chourio or Jordan Lawlar over Vargas, but Vargas has a better hit tool than Jordan Walker and Anthony Volpe and is a plus runner who continues to develop power and should hit in a great lineup for the next six years.

Charleys: Thoughts on Andy Pages? Is Josue De Paula the next big thing? The comps some people are saying are ridiculous (Juan Soto, Yordan Alvarez)...

Gabriel: Is Josue De Paula THE obvious candidate for a Jackson Chourio/Ronald Acuna type rise in the rankings this season? Is it too early to imagine Dalton Rushing being the best hitting catching prospect the Dodgers have acquired in recent times (vs. Will Smith, Diego Cartaya)?

Pages is a plus slugger who I expect to hit around .230 if he plays every day. He's behind the James Outman, Jonny DeLuca types in that org, so I'd guess they'll trade him if the opportunity presents itself.

Rushing could be a good enough hitter that he ends up playing primarily first base or designated hitter, but it's definitely too early to imagine him being a better hitting catcher than Will Smith. That's a slight on how good Smith is. 

As for De Paula, I've said several times this offseason that if I were forced to choose a player to have a Chourio-esque 2023, it would be De Paula, but that doesn't mean it's likely. We probably won't have a player do what Chourio did last year at the same age.

Andrew Price: How would you rank the priority of traits when assessing a prospect? For example, with a hitter is it their contact rate, swing decisions, plate discipline, position, frame, athleticism, age-to-level, etc?

It's a combination of all those things and how they relate to the other traits. If a player is at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, all the skill-related stuff like swing decisions, plate discipline and game power matter much more than they do for a super athletic shortstop. Production really matters as well. Christian Encarnacion-Strand rates terribly on some of the metrics/biographical stuff you listed like plate discipline and position, but he's been ridiculously productive everywhere, and sometimes those guys can just make it work with an ugly K-rate. Hit tool combined with at least projectable power and ideally proven power mixed with athleticism and age/level are the key factors for a lot of these guys, but it's not a one-size-fits all thing. Justin Dirden rates terribly on age-level but super well on many of these other traits, while Deyvison De Los Santos is the exact opposite. 

Bounce Back Athletics: How do you feel about Jesus Aguilar as a potential Rhys Hoskins replacement?

Love it. As Melissa Lockard said on last week's podcast, Aguilar should play more than the other likely waiver wire replacement candidates. He might not be productive, but it's worth rolling the dice just for the opportunity/plate appearances. I'd definitely take Isaac Paredes and I'd probably take Garrett Cooper over Aguilar, but I'm guessing at least Paredes is gone.

Joey DeClercq: The Mariners seem to be a pitching factory. Do you think there's a top-100 ranking in Bryan Woo's future? He seems close to the bigs...

I wouldn't say he's super close to the big leagues, but this could be a breakout year for him if he can build up his workload. Lots of reliever risk if he stays in the 60-80 inning range for a second straight year. I also think Seattle is a little overrated as a pitching factory. George Kirby was the right pick, but I give him more credit than I give the team -- I think he would have been great with most orgs. Logan Gilbert is a developmental win, and they botched the Emerson Hancock pick and couldn't develop Matt Brash as a starter. If Bryce Miller and/or Prelander Berroa/Bryan Woo turn into quality rotation arms, then we can start talking about them like we do the Dodgers, Guardians and Brewers.

Simon P: Eguy Rosario finished on a high note last year and was picking up steam until he got injured. Is he a good stash and how do you see him fitting into the Padres plans? Any other non-pitcher NL names that may be getting dinged due to injury or unimpressive years? Robert Hassell? Any others?

Rosario will probably have to break in as a utility player, and from there he could exceed expectations and take more playing time, but things are pretty crowded. Matt Mervis, Jonny DeLuca and Travis Swaggerty might be some undervalued NL hitters. 

Chonk Man: I see there was a big downgrade for Harry Ford. Would love your insight on those two moves in your rankings!

Chris Johnson: I'm interested in why Harry Ford has double down arrows given his spring training and World Baseball Classic performance.

O's Flows: Can you elaborate on why Harry Ford and Dalton Rushing have double down arrows?

Beerbot: Just curious about the Austin Wells red arrow drop… Any issue here or is it just a case of guys earning spots ahead of him?

Robert Eastin: It doesn't look like much is blocking Bo Naylor once he's ready? What do you think Cleveland is looking for from him to make that determination? Why the double down arrows?

Jock Thompson: Why do you hate Yainer Diaz?

A bunch of catchers had down arrows on this update and none of them did anything wrong. I wanted to move other players up, and it was just easier to move the catchers down than players at more in-demand positions. Endy Rodriguez, Francisco Alvarez and Logan O'Hoppe should provide value in the majors for a good chunk of the season, and they are excellent prospects, so I kept them around where they were.

The Christian Vazquez Rule: If you are currently starting a catcher as mediocre as Vazquez in a dynasty league, then feel free to bump all the catching prospects up who I lowered. If you've got a better starting catcher(s) than that, you shouldn't be placing much value on catching prospects unless you are a volume trader and are confident you can get strong value back from catching prospects in trades. I like to have maybe one extra catcher (it's so easy to get good catching prospects that you shouldn't have to pay up for your extra catcher), but rostering more than one catcher who you don't have room for in your lineup is usually a waste.

I love Ford, but he's a catcher who is a couple years away from the majors. That's just not very appealing to me in most cases. Ford could certainly be a top-five fantasy catcher in his prime, but will your dynasty league even exist by the time he's in his prime?

Naylor is going to get way more time at Triple-A this year than I initially expected. They love catcher defense, and he's got a chance to be good there, but he needs more work and needs to improve the hit tool. Mike Zunino will play a lot this year and Guardians' pitchers will benefit. 

I am probably too low on Diaz, but I'm worried about the playing time ever being more than 40-50%.

John Hollingshead: How do the profiles of Jackson Merrill and Termarr Johnson compare?

Merrill is more about the swing decisions/OBP, and Johnson is more about the hit tool/batting average. I'd maybe give Merrill the slightest edge in long-term power projection and Johnson the slightest edge in stolen-base upside, but they're pretty similar fantasy prospects in terms of expected total value.

Tom Braun: Will James Outman be able to maintain his production at the major-league level even with a high K-rate?

He doesn't have to be much better than a 26-28% K% guy to be pretty useful for fantasy and to stay in the lineup, given his defense. I think the projection systems are a little too bearish on his K-rate, and think he's a fine deep mixed league outfielder heading into the year. He made decent swing decisions in the upper minors.

M_Festtt: What's your take on Gordon Graceffo? Also, any thoughts on Xavier Isaac would be appreciated.

Potentially a solid No . 4 starter. Didn't strike out as many guys as the stuff suggests he should, partly because his fastball plays below its velocity. Isaac looks like such a dude. Ryan Howard vibes for me, but we need to see him mash at every stop due to his defensive shortcomings.

Kyle Shivers: You had Trey Lipscomb ranked after the draft and he has been impressive in both the minors and spring training. Why isn't he back on the top 400?

Age/level and lack of game power. An ISO under .100 as a 22 year-old at Single-A is pretty concerning.

Ross Redcay: Is anything preventing River Ryan from having a Gavin Stone type of breakout this year?

Cody Martin: Who is River Ryan and at 24 years old, is age/level a concern? What do you like about him?

The Dodgers got Ryan from the Padres for Matt Beaty shortly after he converted from position player to pitcher a year ago and then he really broke out last year in his first full season as a pitcher and as a Dodger. Usually converted position players are fast-tracked as relievers, but Ryan's got enough pitches to start, he just needs to throw enough strikes and keep holding up as he builds up his innings. His stuff was really good this spring and generated a lot of buzz. I haven't discussed Ryan this offseason as much as I discussed Stone last offseason, but they're ranked in a similar place. If Ryan throws strikes at a solid clip and doesn't get injured, he'll likely end the year as a top-100 prospect.

Yukon Jack: What is your gut feeling about Luisangel Acuna?

Could be a fantasy-over-reality player if he gets the playing time, but might be pigeonholed as a utility man in Texas. Could steal 30 bases with 15 homers and a mediocre AVG in the right role on a rebuilding team.

Tom Braun: It doesn't seem like the Twins like to run much. Does that hinder Emmanuel Rodriguez's dynasty value?

I'm not factoring in speed at all to Rodriguez's ranking. All about the bat/power with him.

Steven Hemke: Which two players currently in your top 30 were the hardest to rank based on the organization they are with and their inability to develop players?

Nobody really. The guys who are hard to rank are the guys who are injured like Royce Lewis and Andrew Painter or currently blocked like Oswald Peraza. Maybe James Wood is hurt by his team context since they'll be absolutely terrible for the next 5-plus years.

Joel Wesseling: Did James Wood do something to cause him to move down?

Not really. I just moved up a half dozen or so players who are much closer to the majors. It became clear to me in this process that I prefer Druw Jones and Jackson Holliday to Wood, but they're still very close in the rankings.

Matt Angelo: You are a lot lower on Warming Bernabel than the rest of the industry. 400 prospects are rostered in my league but Maikel Garcia is not. Can you explain why you don't like Bernabel and you love Garcia?

Bernabel swings at everything and isn't a good defender. I don't think he'll be a big-league regular. Garcia is a great defender and has steadily tapped into more power while maintaining an excellent hit tool. Garcia is also going to steal double-digit bases and Bernabel won't.

Craig Schumann: Is the swing and miss for Carson Williams why he is so low for you?

Yup. He'll get to the majors via his defense, but he really needs to improve as a hitter to not be a .225-.235 type.

Corey: Who would you pick up if available out of Addison Barger, Maikel Garcia and Mason Miller?

Barger, then Miller then Garcia, but they're close enough that you could let team need factor in.

Ulysses: Your assessment of the top three prospect starting pitchers to make an impact this year?

Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski, Brandon Pfaadt, Grayson Rodriguez is how I'd now rank the Big Four for 2023 value only. 

O's Flows: Ricky Tiedemann falling due to health concerns or proximity or both?

Both. There was maybe a 5-10 percent chance Tiedemann would have a monster spring training (like Andrew Painter seemed on track to do and like Alek Manoah had a couple years ago) and force his way into the mix early that season. We can now rule that out plus we have to add in some risk that wasn't there before due to the shoulder issue. 

Bob Osgood: Two of your biggest fallers were Pete Crow-Armstrong and Pedro Leon. Was there something in the spring performance from PCA that was concerning? With Leon, he was at one time top 25, what changed for you there?

With Leon, I found out form a scout this spring that his defense is quite a bit worse than I realized, and Justin Dirden emerged as the Astros' proximity outfield prospect to roster. PCA, it was just a profile I felt comfortable moving down as I was moving other guys up, but my thoughts about him haven't changed really.

Ryan Windschitl: Thoughts on Mason Miller?

Just needs to stay healthy. Fastball/slider/cutter trio is going to be a problem. The only knocks on Miller are the changeup needs to get a little better, he needs to handle a real workload and he'll be pitching for a terrible team.

Netgolfer24: What timeline can we expect for Jordan Lawlar and Curtis Mead?

Dimitri: Thoughts on Curtis Mead in regards to ETA, long-term position and/or comps?

Peak Anthony Rendon/Robinson Cano for Mead as a ceiling comp. He's probably got the fourth best hit tool among prospects behind Corbin Carroll, Gunnar Henderson and Miguel Vargas

I expect Mead to be up in June at the latest (assuming health and production). Lawlar is tricky. Arizona obviously doesn't have any good shortstops, but they might not be done giving Geraldo Perdomo developmental at-bats and they might give Blaze Alexander a look before Lawlar. I expect Lawlar's bat to be ready this summer, but he's got some fine-tuning to do defensively. We could see him middle of the summer, in September or in 2024.

Matt Humphrey: Wanted to hear thoughts on Cam Collier and what led to the double down arrow.

Just a bad rank on the last one. After doing a handful of first-year player drafts, it became clear to me that I prefer Zach Neto to Collier (probably three years closer to the big leagues and Neto has a sneaky high ceiling) and I value Collier similarly to Jett Williams, so I needed to correct that.

Stinky Mclinkerson: When do you think Endy Rodriguez gets the call and where do you think he'll play defensively?

June, catcher, DH and maybe some second base.

O's Flows: This season's buzz monsters seem to be Miguel Bleis, Josue De Paula, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Junior Caminero and Spencer Jones, but you're lower on these guys than many other rankers. Why is that?

I'm not intentionally lower on any of those guys except Jones, who I think got a little too much hype this offseason. I didn't know I was lower on the other four. They are awesome prospects, and if I were just ranking for card collectors, they'd be higher, but I'm constantly trying to improve as a ranker and a mistake I've made in the past is to just assume prospects of this ilk will be awesome all the way up the ladder. High-A is really hard compared to Single-A and rookie ball, and Double-A is another massive jump in competition. I'll always let you know which guys I think could be the next big thing, and guess what, another half dozen of these guys will emerge off waiver wires in season. That's the time to jump on uber-risky teenagers, not when people are already treating them like eventual top-10 prospects. It's frustrating to be labeled as "low" on guys I really like, but it is what it is. 

Curtis Jones: In a 15-team 48-player plus IL slots, should we generally not roster prospects outside your top 400? The top 100 is generally fully owned and the top 200 is maybe half owned…

150-200 prospects rostered feels right for a league this size. I'd be focused on hitters with proximity and/or upside and pitchers with proximity.

Bill Castro: Is it worth holding onto Christian Encarnacion-Strand or cycling the bench on guys like James Outman or Will Benson?

If guys like Outman are out there, you should cycle. Encarnacion-Strand is incredibly risky from a hit tool perspective and Outman/Benson have high ceilings in their own right.

Cy: It's five weeks from now. Who are you predicting could have the best chance at some double up arrows or double down arrows?

This is too hard of a question! If I thought someone was likely to have double-up or double-down arrows in five weeks, I would have already factored that into their ranking (Everson Pereira and Mason Montgomery, for instance). It will be eight weeks until my next update, and I'm sure there will be all kinds of surprises at that time.

DrOctagon Cards: Looks like Brady House and Matt McLain both fell despite showing some good things this spring. Curious to hear your thoughts.

House is tough. There's only room for 100 guys in the top 100, so when guys enter, someone has to leave. He's potentially a special power bat, but three-plus years away. With McLain, I put way more stock into how his hit tool deteriorated last year than small-sample success in hitter-friendly spring training environments. If McLain shows significant improvements this year, he'll move back up, and I would expect House to steadily climb the rankings.

DrOctagon Cards: Sebastian Walcott made a pretty big jump, curious to hear more.

He generated a lot of buzz on the backfields this spring and has a super high five-category ceiling. If he skips the Dominican Summer League, which seems quite possible at this point, he could be the buzz of the Arizona Complex League.

Toolsy: I saw Wilmer Flores move up. He seems to be overlooked/undervalued given his proximity and results. Am I missing something?

He's solid. Probably more of a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, but that's got value. It's possible he shows even better stuff this year, since he's gotten better each year, so there's upward mobility.

Toolsy: Who are the best redraft stashes beyond Grayson Rodriguez and Vaughn Grissom?

Brandon Pfaadt and Gavin Stone are the big two. I'd scoop Drey Jameson in deeper leagues if he gets dropped. Curtis Mead, Sal Frelick, Oswald Peraza, Taj Bradley, DL Hall, Endy Rodriguez, Francisco Alvarez are some others.

Danny J: Is Forrest Whitley the future again?? I see you raised him above Ken Waldichuk!

He's back! There are so many durability and mechanical concerns with Whitley from his past, but he looked like beast this spring.

JLD: What's your best guess on when we see Brandon Pfaadt, Ricky Tiedemann and Gavin Stone getting called up? What are their ceilings?

Pfaadt in April or May. Tiedemann in July. Stone in May or June. They've all got the upside to be top-20 redraft starting pitchers, but Pfaadt and Stone are the ones where I'm really buying their upside for 2023.

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Anderson
James Anderson is RotoWire's Lead Prospect Analyst, Assistant Baseball Editor, and co-host of Farm Fridays on Sirius/XM radio and the RotoWire Prospect Podcast.
Farm Futures: Rookie Outfielder Targets
Farm Futures: Rookie Outfielder Targets
Offseason Deep Dives: Reynaldo Lopez
Offseason Deep Dives: Reynaldo Lopez
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene
Farm Futures: November Dynasty Mailbag!
Farm Futures: November Dynasty Mailbag!