If you’ve played in dynasty leagues, you either possess the one farm team everyone envies or you continually wonder how someone can continue to replenish their stock with excellent young players. The trick is to target those players before they breakout and become top 50 prospects. Today, I’ll give you 30 of them. It doesn’t matter how deep your league is, I’ve got several players for each type of league.
As we all know, the biggest rankings risers tend to be those selected in the MLB draft (see Royce Lewis and Mackenzie Gore from last year) or future stars who sign from international leagues (think Shohei Ohtani and Luis Robert). If you’ll remember from my 2017 Worldwide Prospects list, each of them was already regarded as a top 100 prospect, but because the general consensus doesn’t consider them to be prospects until they are on an MLB team, we will leave those players out of today’s discussion. If you are looking for that info, I wrote an article for you here: Top 20 Amateur and International Prospects
The players who make an appearance in this breakout piece today are already higher on my personal top 500 list than the general consensus. What I am predicting here are how high they will leap according to the general consensus in 2019. Let’s jump into it starting at the top.
Check out Bobby’s Top 500 Worldwide Prospects
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If you’ve played in dynasty leagues, you either possess the one farm team everyone envies or you continually wonder how someone can continue to replenish their stock with excellent young players. The trick is to target those players before they breakout and become top 50 prospects. Today, I’ll give you 30 of them. It doesn’t matter how deep your league is, I’ve got several players for each type of league.
As we all know, the biggest rankings risers tend to be those selected in the MLB draft (see Royce Lewis and Mackenzie Gore from last year) or future stars who sign from international leagues (think Shohei Ohtani and Luis Robert). If you’ll remember from my 2017 Worldwide Prospects list, each of them was already regarded as a top 100 prospect, but because the general consensus doesn’t consider them to be prospects until they are on an MLB team, we will leave those players out of today’s discussion. If you are looking for that info, I wrote an article for you here: Top 20 Amateur and International Prospects
The players who make an appearance in this breakout piece today are already higher on my personal top 500 list than the general consensus. What I am predicting here are how high they will leap according to the general consensus in 2019. Let’s jump into it starting at the top.
Check out Bobby’s Top 500 Worldwide Prospects>
Players who could be top 10 prospects by this time next year
A.J. Puk (SP – OAK)
The A’s were fortunate to have Puk drop to #6 in the 2016 MLB Draft. He was considered by some to be the top prospect in the draft class and has done plenty to confirm that stance through his first two seasons. Puk is a 6’7″ lefty who struck out 184 hitters in just 125 innings last year. The fireballer will need to improve his command and consistency while staying healthy. If he does, we may be looking at the top overall prospect in baseball next year.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Fernando Tatis (SS – SD)
- Triston McKenzie (SP – CLE)
- Luis Robert (OF – CWS)
- Adrian Morejon (SP – SD)
Players who could be top 25 prospects by this time next year
Joey Wentz (SP – ATL)
If it doesn’t work out for Wentz on the mound, he’s got incredible power to fall back on at the plate. Most likely, however, he will continue his surge up the rankings and end up toward the top of Atlanta’s rotation before long. The 6’5″ lefty had a masterful sophomore campaign with 152 Ks and just 99 hits allowed in 131 innings. As with most young power throwers, he will need to sharpen his control to reach his ceiling. Assuming both of his potential plus off-speed pitches come along, don’t be surprised to see him soon join Kolby Allard, Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson and Luiz Gohara as yet another great pitching prospect for the Braves.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Juan Soto (OF – WSH)
- Jesus Sanchez (OF – TB)
- Alec Hansen (SP – CWS)
- Isan Diaz (2B – MIA)
Players who could be top 50 prospects by this time next year
Jeren Kendall (OF – LAD)
There is no doubt about it, Kendall has major bust potential. There are plenty of holes in his swing, as evidenced by his 45 Ks in 40 MILB games last season. With that said, there are only a handful of young hitters in his neighborhood in regards to raw tools. Just a year ago, he was considered the consensus favorite to be drafted 1st overall in the MLB draft. His contact struggles dropped him to 23rd overall where the Dodgers gladly scooped him up. We may laugh about that someday if he realizes his potential and turns into a 25 HR, 40 SB fantasy freak that he is capable of becoming.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Jesus Luzardo (SP – WSH)
- Wander Franco (SS – TB)
- Jo Adell (OF – LAA)
- Andres Gimenez (SS – NYM)
Players who could be top 75 prospects by this time next year
Starling Heredia (OF – LAD)
When you see Heredia on the field, he looks like a man among boys. Not only is he huge, but he’s got some wheels on him and his bat is seriously loud. The Dodgers were aggressive to promote this 18-year-old international bonus baby up to Single-A late last season, but how could you blame them after he tore up Rookie Ball with a .427/.489/.732 line? Now that he will be getting more than 200 at-bats under his belt this season, everyone will quickly realize that the Dodgers have another special middle-of-the-order hitter on the way in the next few years.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Kyle Muller (SP – ATL)
- Jorge Ona (OF – SD)
- Nate Pearson (SP – TOR)
- Cole Ragans (SP – TEX)
Players who could be top 100 prospects by this time next year
Jordan Hicks (SP – STL)
Depending on what game you saw, you might think of Hicks as a long-shot project or a future ace in the making. While the results weren’t consistent, there is no denying that he has a rare gift that most pitching prospects can only dream of. Hicks can pump out 98 MPH with sink and tosses a filthy curveball. At times, his change-up is deadly as well, and when he has all three clicking, the hitters might as well be swinging with a blindfold on. If Hicks can find some consistency, he may end up replacing the MLB-bound trio of Alex Reyes, Luke Weaver and Jack Flaherty as the Cardinals’ new top pitching prospect.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Bubba Thompson (OF – TEX)
- Will Benson (OF – CLE)
- Dermis Garcia (3B – NYY)
- Jeisson Rosario (OF – SD)
Players who could be fringe top 100 prospects by this time next year
Micker Adolfo (OF – CWS)
If you are looking for this year’s version of Michael Chavis, you’ve stumbled onto the right prospect. Adolfo has a monster frame and prodigious power that finally surfaced in 2017 after battling injuries for a few disappointing years. He’s got plenty of swing and miss to his game that the White Sox hope will get ironed out, but if he hits 35 bombs this season in the minors, few will care.
Other Breakout Prospects in this Tier
- Brandon Marsh (OF – LAA)
- Ryan Vilade (SS – COL)
- Brusdar Graterol (SP – MIN)
- Danny Diaz (SS – BOS)
Thanks for reading and good luck this season!
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