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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 a look at the NL West/AL West clubs, which were followed by rankings for the NL Central/AL Central teams. Today, we roll out the NL East clubs.
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 which prospects thrived during the unusual 2020 season and which 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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Atlanta Braves
1. Kyle Muller, SP
2. Michael Harris II, OF
3. Tucker Davidson, SP
4. Drew Waters, OF
5. Shea Langeliers, C
6. Cristian Pache, OF
7. Spencer Strider,
8. Jared Shuster, SP
9. Bryce Elder, SP
10. Vaughn Grissom, IF
Notes: A healthy Davidson would have graduated from the list by now. Muller is another pitcher that’s taken a big step forward this year. Both pitchers have mid-rotation potential with the latter hurler having a little more upside. Harris has overtaken both Pache and Waters (both of whom were pushed too aggressively) in terms of future fantasy potential. However, he needs to cut down on his aggressive nature at the plate to avoid the same pitfalls that have limited Waters’ ceiling. Langeliers has shown a little more feel for hitting than expected although he’ll likely never hit for a high average; the power is intriguing nonetheless. Keep an eye on Strider, who has a chance to take a big step forward over the next year like Muller and Davidson did between 2020 and 2021. Just Missed: Freddy Tarnock
New York Mets
1. Francisco Alvarez, C
2. Ronny Mauricio, SS
3. Brett Baty, 3B
4. Mark Vientos, 3B/1B
5. JT Ginn, SP
6. Junior Santos, SP
7. Khalil Lee, OF
8. Matthew Allan, SP
9. Alex Ramirez, OF
10. Carlos Cortes, OF/IF
Notes: Just 19, Alvarez is already holding his own at High-A ball, although he’s gotten a little too focused on trying to destroy the ball and needs to get back to his strong overall approach at the plate. Baty is another top prospect that earned a fairly quick promotion in 2021 after showing very well in High-A ball. Mauricio is still just 20 and holding his own at High-A ball. He’s one of those players that could take a massive step forward when (if) everything clicks — but he’s still a bit of a project. I’ve been watching Vientos since he entered pro ball as a 17-year-old and this is the first year that he’s consistently tapped into his massive raw power. Incredibly, 35 of his 65 hits have gone for extra bases. Lee has fallen into a trap of being too passive at the plate and needs to get back to being aggressive when he gets a good pitch to drive. His walk rate is over 20% and his strikeout rate is more than 30%. The Mets have a lot of intriguing arms but they all come with question marks: Ginn (health), Allan (health), and Santos (reliever risk).
Miami Marlins
1. Edward Cabrera, SP
2. Max Meyer, SP
3. Jake Eder, SP
4. JJ Bleday, OF
5. Eury Perez, SP
6. Sixto Sanchez, SP
7. Lewin Diaz, 1B
8. Braxton Garrett, SP
9. Dax Fulton, SP
10. Griffin Conine, OF
Notes: The name of the game in Miami is pitching. The organization is overflowing with arms that have the potential to develop into mid-rotation arms or better. Cabrera has battled injury issues but he has shown less rust than expected since getting healthy and has a massive ceiling. Meyer has held opposing hitters to a .214 batting average through 15 career starts — all at the Double-A level, which is impressive. However, he doesn’t have a huge frame so he has to prove that he can hold up to a starter’s workload over a full season. Drafted three rounds after Meyer, Eder has proven to be one of the steals of the 2020 amateur draft. He’s also been pitching at Double-A and has held batters to a .177 average and has a 35% strikeout rate (Meyer is just above 26%). Perez and Fulton are two lesser-known arms with high ceilings. Bleday has some tools but things have yet to click for him in pro ball. In fairness, the Marlins organization has needlessly pushed him too aggressively. If Conine can tone down his massive swings a little bit, he could provide game-changing power at the MLB level. Sleeper: Jose Salas
Philadelphia Phillies
1. Mick Abel, SP
2. Bryson Stott, SS
3. Hans Crouse, SP
4. Francisco Morales, SP
5. Yhoswar Garcia, OF
6. Johan Rojas, OF
7. Erik Miller, SP
8. Simon Muzziotti, OF
9. Logan O’Hoppe, C
10. Matt Vierling, OF
Notes: Historically, the Phillies have not had an overly deep system and that remains the case in 2021 season. But even after trading Spencer Howard — who may never be able to handle a starter’s workload — the club still has an intriguing arm with massive upside in Abel. The young right-hander was my favorite prep arm in the 2020 amateur draft and he looked good with 66 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings before getting hurt. Crouse was a nice pitcher to get back in the Howard trade but previously suffered through an elbow issue and also had personal issues that limited him in 2020. Stott was selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft but he was more of a second-round talent for me. I just don’t see a huge ceiling on him. He performed really well in the lower levels of the minors but he’s hit a bit of a wall against Double-A pitching. I see a solid-but-unspectacular future second baseman. Sleeper: Cristian Hernandez
Washington Nationals
1. Cade Cavalli, SP
2. Keibert Ruiz, C
3. Josiah Gray, SP
4. Jackson Rutledge, SP
5. Armando Cruz, SS
6. Gerardo Carrillo, SP
7. Cole Henry, SP
8. Andry Lara, SP
9. Yasel Antuna, IF
10. Riley Adams, C
Notes: The Nationals’ system got significantly better at the trade deadline but the organization doesn’t have a great track record for developing prospects so it will be interesting to see how some of these players do in their new surroundings. Luckily, both Ruiz and Gray arrived as nearly finished prospects. Ruiz has the makings of a plus hitter. His focus and effort can lag at times but playing next to a talent like Juan Soto could help drive him to be more consistent. Gray doesn’t have the highest ceiling but he could settle in nicely as a mid-rotation starter on the pitching-needy Nationals. Cavalli has No. 1/2 starter upside with his ability to miss bats. He’s one of the rare prospects that has really thrived in the Nationals system so far. Sleeper: Roismar Quintana
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