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Recently at RotoBaller, we began rolling out our Top 10 fantasy baseball prospects lists for every organization in baseball. We began with the National League West clubs and today we take a look at the American League West teams.
Ranking prospects over the past year hasn’t been easy. However, with a good portion of the minor league season now behind us, we’re starting to get a good handle on what prospects thrived during the unusual 2020 season and what prospects were hindered by it. From early observations, there is a bigger gap than ever between the top prospects and the average or borderline prospects — likely because the top prospects had opportunities to spend time at the alternate training sites and likely had access to better equipment, etc. The less-fortunate prospects were nowhere near as lucky and were left to their own devices.
To be eligible for the list, prospects must have fewer than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the MLB level. I have also removed a few players that are closing in on those totals. Players selected in the 2021 amateur draft have not been included. They will be added in during our offseason update.
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Texas Rangers
1. Josh Jung, 3B
2. Cole Winn, SP
3. Maximo Acosta, SS
4. Sam Huff, C
5. Luisangel Acuna, OF
6. Justin Foscue, 2B
7. Ezequiel Duran, 2B
8. Josh Smith, SS
9. Evan Carter, OF
10. Ricky Vanasco, SP
Notes: I’ve always loved Jung’s bat and he’s looked good since coming back from an injury that cost him a big chunk of the season. Winn has been incredibly hard to hit so far this year with just 27 hits allowed in 55 2/3 innings (.144 batting average against). Acosta and Acuna are both high-risk, high-reward prospects with Acosta having a little more power and Acuna having a little more athleticism. Foscue was a bit of a questionable first-round selection back in 2020 but he’s been outstanding as a pro. So far this year after returning from injury, he has 10 home runs in 20 games at High-A. Foscue could become what we’d hoped Nick Solak would be. Duran has the highest upside of the prospects acquired in the Joey Gallo deal but I worry about his swing-and-miss tendencies — especially when entering an organization that seems to have a lot of issues with prospects developing sky-high strikeout rates while chasing homers. Smith is a sneaky-good player that could be a solid, average regular at the MLB level. Sleeper: Yeison Morrobel
Oakland Athletics
1. Tyler Soderstrom, C
2. Robert Puason, SS
3. Daulton Jefferies, SP
4. Pedro Pineda, OF
5. Logan Davidson, SS
6. A.J. Puk, P
7. Brayan Buelvas, OF
8. Nick Allen, SS
9. Jordan Diaz, 3B/1B
10. Jeff Criswell, SP
Notes: It’s been an ugly year for the A’s system — with the exception of Soderstrom. In his first pro season, the young catcher and former first-round pick has a 145 wRC+ while playing in Low-A ball. He also has 12 homers in just 57 games. One word of caution, though. He’s currently sporting a .373 BABIP and he’s not going to be able to rely on high BABIPs very long if he sticks behind the plate. Puason is in danger of taking a big dive down the list at the end of the year. The A’s made a hugely curious decision to push the 18-year-old top international signee up to Low-A ball for his first taste of pro-action. He’s hitting just .216 (and that’s required a .414 BABIP) with a cringe-worthy 44% strikeout rate. Talk about confidence crushing. Keep an eye on Brayan Buelvas and Jordan Diaz — two high-ceiling Latin signings that have potential although I have serious concerns about the A’s development system and its ability to get the best out of players.
Houston Astros
1. Korey Lee, C
2. Pedro Leon, SS/OF
3. Jeremy Pena, SS
4. Hunter Brown, SP
5. Joe Perez, 3B
6. Alex Santos, SP
7. Matthew Barefoot, OF
8. Colin Barber, OF
9. Jaime Melendez, SP
10. Jake Meyers, OF
Notes: The Astros don’t have a deep system but there always seems to be pop-up prospects that get really good really quickly. Lee has recently moved up to the top slot in the Astros system and it’s well-deserved. He opened the year in High-A where he produced a 137 wRC+ (but with a .402 BABIP). Lee then slid up to Double-A where he’s been even better. His contact rate is way up and he’s striking out at less than 10% of the time -- which is insane -- and he’s hitting for more power with eight homers in just 32 games. Leon hasn’t hit for much of an average but he’s shown an intriguing power/speed mix and some defensive versatility (SS and OF). Barefoot is a little old (23) for High-A ball but the missed season in 2020 has thrown everything out of whack. He has shown some real power but he needs to make more contact as he moves into the upper levels of the minors.
Los Angeles Angels
1. Brandon Marsh, OF
2. Jo Adell, OF
3. Reid Detmers, SP
4. Kyren Paris, SS
5. Jeremiah Jackson, 2B
6. Jordyn Adams, OF
7. D’Shawn Knowles, OF
8. Alexander Ramirez, OF
9. Jack Kochanowicz, SP
10. Arol Vera, SS
Notes: Marsh, who missed a good chunk of the year with an injury, is holding his own at the MLB level right now. He comes with far less volatility than Adell — who arguably has a higher ceiling because of the plus-plus raw power. Detmers was known in college for having plus command and a deep repertoire but now he’s added velocity to his heater. There could be No. 2 starter upside now. Paris continues to be a favorite of mine. I had him ranked as an easy first-round talent in the 2019 amateur draft and he went to the Angels in the second round (55th overall). He’s appeared in just 16 games due to injury but had a 147 wRC+ before getting hurt. Jackson has intriguing power but he sells out for power too much and needs to mature more as a hitter before he moves up too high in the system. Ramirez is an intriguing prospect and could zoom up this ranking if he continues to perform as he has early on in the short-season league. Sleeper: Denzer Guzman
Seattle Mariners
1. Jarred Kelenic, OF
2. Julio Rodriguez, OF
3. Noelvi Marte, SS
4. George Kirby, SP
5. Emerson Hancock, SP
6. Taylor Trammell, OF
7. Cal Raleigh, C
8. Starlin Aguilar, 2B
9. Zach DeLoach, OF
10. Brandon Williamson, SP
Notes: Kelenic, Rodriguez, and Marte have massive ceilings and could all develop into star players for the Mariners. Trammell has the athleticism and raw talent to be right up there, too, but he lacks a natural feel for hitting and may never hit for much of an average. Kirby and Hancock each have a chance to be mid-rotation arms for Seattle. I’ve always been higher on Kirby and lower on Hancock than the consensus and the former has seen a velocity spike, which is never a bad thing. Raleigh looks like a promising offensive catcher even though he’s off to a slow start in the majors — like Kelenic and Trammell. Sleepers: Milkar Perez
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