2021 Top 100 Prospects, Brought To You By Rapsodo
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Our Midseason Top 100 Prospects update is always a significant alteration to the order of the ranking. The midpoint of the season means enough has happened to feel confident in reassessing the status of each and every prospect in the Top 100. But this year, coming off a cancelled 2020 minor league season, the re-rank is more dramatic and comprehensive than normal.
8/31 update: Angels OF Brandon Marsh and Blue Jays C Alejandro Kirk graduated from prospect eligibility and were replaced by prospects in the Red Sox and Dodgers systems.
Some prospects returned from the one-year hiatus having taken a step back. As the third month of the MiLB season wraps up, it's too late in the season to write that off as just rust after a long layoff.
And even more significantly, a number of prospects made clear steps forward during the lost 2020 season. In some cases, we tried to reflect those improvements at alternate training sites and instructional league in our preseason rankings, but the challenge of a MiLB season has done an excellent job of filtering out which steps forward were real and which were fleeting hot streaks.
For our Midseason Top 100 Prospects list, we are ranking all 2021 MLB draftees with the expectation that as happens most years now, all of the first rounders will sign. We will update if any of the few remaining unsigned draftees fail to sign by the Aug. 1 deadline.
The Top 100 is brought to you by Rapsodo. Rapsodo develops data-driven sports technologies designed to empower athletes and coaches to cost-effectively analyze and improve their game. All 30 MLB teams and over 1,200 colleges and facilities use Rapsodo data as a measuring stick for player development and evaluation.
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1Last: 2
Adley Rutschman
Orioles CNotes:Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 70
Skinny: The face of the Orioles rebuild is primed to be the rare catcher who is an offensive force while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense.
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2Last: 3
Julio Rodriguez
Mariners OFNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 70
Skinny: The “man-child” has the physical traits of a middle-of-the-order masher and the effervescent personality to be the face of the Mariners franchise.Less -
3Last: 4
Bobby Witt Jr.
Royals SSNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: The athletic, well-rounded shortstop drew raves for his work at the alternate training site. If he shows he can make consistent contact in actual games, he’ll be a star.Less -
4Last: 5Notes:
Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 80 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The No. 1 overall pick in 2020 draws comparisons to Paul Konerko and Paul Goldschmidt as a potential franchise icon who anchors the middle of the lineup.Less -
5Last: 6
Riley Greene
Tigers OFNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Greene doesn’t get the same hype as draft classmates Bobby Witt Jr. and CJ Abrams, but he may end up the best hitter of the three.Less -
6Last: 7
Marco Luciano
Giants SSNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Whether Luciano sticks at shortstop or moves to third base is up for debate, but his bat should make him a standout regardless of his position.Less -
7Last: 8
CJ Abrams
Padres SSNotes:Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 50 | Run: 80 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 50
Skinny: A dynamic athlete, Abrams has the makings of a future star on both sides of the ball, with elite speed and impressive bat-to-ball skills.Less -
8Last: 9
Noelvi Marte
Mariners SSNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: An exciting athlete and hitter, Marte fast bat speed that comes through in a well-sequenced swing, showing the ability to barrel balls consistently and drive the ball for power in games.Less -
9Last: 10
Grayson Rodriguez
Orioles RHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60
Skinny: With premium size, stuff and advanced command, Rodriguez is one of the few pitching prospects with true No. 1 starter potential.Less -
10Last: 11
Gabriel Moreno
Blue Jays CNotes:Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
Skinny: On a team littered with Top 100 prospects, Moreno’s start to the season has been loud. Moreno has always been a good athlete with the hand-eye coordination to make a lot of contact, but swing adjustments and more strength have helped his power show up more in games.Less -
11Last: 13
George Kirby
Mariners RHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 70
Skinny: Kirby has far and away the best control in the Seattle system, which is all the more exciting considering the jump his stuff took in 2020. His fastball now touches triple digits and his slider is a crisp breaker that projects as plus.Less -
12Last: 14
Shane Baz
Rays RHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 70 | Changeup: 45 | Slider: 70 | Curveball: 40 | Control: 40
Skinny: As if Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow weren’t a great enough haul, the Rays also added Shane Baz as the third piece in the deal that sent Chris Archer to Pittsburgh in 2018. The big righthander has the stuff to dominate out of the bullpen nearly immediately, but the Rays are still going to give him a chance to start. If either of his changeup or curveball take steps forward, he might find his way into a starter’s role, where he would immensely increase his value. He’s starting the season at Double-A Montgomery.Less -
13Last: 15
Keibert Ruiz
Nationals CNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Fielding: 50
Skinny: The centerpiece prospect in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, Ruiz has developed into one of the game's elite, most well-rounded catchers in the game.Less -
14Last: 15
Francisco Alvarez
Mets CNotes:Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Alvarez has a very advanced bat for a teenaged catcher. He's shown the aptitude to be a solid defensive catcher as well. Now he just needs plenty of work behind the plate.Less -
15Last: 16
Jose Barrero
Reds SSNotes:Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Barrero's excellent glove and offensive upside help him top the Reds' system and earned him a big league cameo.Less -
16Last: 17
Nick Lodolo
Reds LHPNotes:Tools: FB: 55 | CB: 60 | CHG: 50 | CTRL: 60
Skinny: Lodolo made a name for himself as a premier control artist, and he’s re-established that reputation again in 2021. After walking exactly nobody in his pro debut, he’s used a strong three-pitch mix to vex hitters in the Double-A South League, where he and Hunter Greene have formed a fearsome one-two punch.Less -
17Last: 18
Austin Martin
Twins SS/OFNotes:Tools: Hit: 70 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The fifth overall pick in 2020 is an impressive young hitter, although his future position is up in the air.Less -
18Last: 19
Joey Bart
Giants CNotes:Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Bart's MLB debut was a pretty rocky one. He needs to show more selectivity at the plate, but his power and glove are solid.Less -
19Last: 20
Triston Casas
Red Sox 1BNotes:Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: Boston is still in the early stages of rebuilding its farm system. Casas is one of the team's cornerstones for the future as he has preternatural hitting ability to go with his impressive power.Less -
20Last: 21
Reid Detmers
Angels LHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Slider: 45 | Control: 55
Skinny: Detmers has long been known as one of the more polished pitching prospects in the game, with a four-pitch mix and command to all quadrants of the strike zone. Now, his fastball has ticked up a few notches, which makes him even more tantalizing. Sent to Double-A to begin his pro career, the Louisville product whiffed 60 hitters against 13 walks through his first eight starts, good for a strikeout-to-walk rate of better than 4-to-1.Less -
21Last: 22
Jarren Duran
Red Sox OFNotes:Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 45
Skinny: The questions with Duran have mostly revolved around whether he will develop much in the way of power. The Red Sox made some alterations to his swing last summer at the alternate site and he responded by showing more juice over the winter in Puerto Rico and again at big league spring training. Extra power, paired with the possibility of sticking in center field, could add up to a very enticing player.Less -
22Last: 23
Cade Cavalli
Nationals RHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 70 | Changeup: 55 | Slider: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Control: 50
Skinny: The Nationals' first-round pick from 2020 boasts a double-plus fastball and three off speed pitches that each rate as above-average or better. The best of the bunch is a potentially plus slider.Less -
23Last: 24
Vidal Brujan
Rays 2BNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 40 | Run: 80 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The best athlete in a Rays system loaded with athletes, Brujan does almost everything well. An elite runner with excellent contact skills, Brujan has added more power to his game this year.Less -
24Last: 25
Jasson Dominguez
Yankees OFNotes:Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 60 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Dominguez is a mystery having barely played in years. His raw tools at last sight made him one of the game’s most promising young talents.Less -
25Last: 26
Daniel Lynch
Royals LHPNotes:Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
Skinny: Lynch has loud stuff with a mid-90s fastball and two swing-and-miss secondaries from the left side. He’s potentially the best of the Royals bevy of young pitchers.Less