Just two short years ago, no one in your dynasty leagues owned now superstar prospects, Jarred Kelenic, Casey Mize, or Joey Bart. Believe it or not, many of your leagues would allow for this type of pick up so think of it this way: Sure, you have to wait a few extra years, but the benefit is that you can grab future top prospects in the last rounds of your farm drafts if you just know what you are looking for. Unfortunately, many prospects lists leave this information out so it is not much more than a shot in the dark for you. Today, I’ll tell you all about 10 amateur players who have a great shot at becoming top 25 prospects within the next few years just like some of the players I named above.
Check out our early consensus rankings for 2020 fantasy baseball drafts 
2020 Class of College Prospects
Emerson Hancock (SP, Georgia)
We haven’t seen a pitcher of this quality in the draft since perhaps 2011 when Gerrit Cole was taken first overall by the Pirates. That isn’t to say Hancock will live up to that hype but that he does offer both the same type of floor and ceiling as Cole had at that stage in his career. Hancock is a fireballer with two plus breaking balls and command over a fourth solid pitch. While injuries are, of course, always in the equation for young pitchers, Hancock is near-certain to find his way into a big-league rotation by September 2021 and has the upside to blossom into a perennial Cy Young contender.
Just two short years ago, no one in your dynasty leagues owned now superstar prospects, Jarred Kelenic, Casey Mize, or Joey Bart. Believe it or not, many of your leagues would allow for this type of pick up so think of it this way: Sure, you have to wait a few extra years, but the benefit is that you can grab future top prospects in the last rounds of your farm drafts if you just know what you are looking for. Unfortunately, many prospects lists leave this information out so it is not much more than a shot in the dark for you. Today, I’ll tell you all about 10 amateur players who have a great shot at becoming top 25 prospects within the next few years just like some of the players I named above.
Check out our early consensus rankings for 2020 fantasy baseball drafts
2020 Class of College Prospects
Emerson Hancock (SP, Georgia)
We haven’t seen a pitcher of this quality in the draft since perhaps 2011 when Gerrit Cole was taken first overall by the Pirates. That isn’t to say Hancock will live up to that hype but that he does offer both the same type of floor and ceiling as Cole had at that stage in his career. Hancock is a fireballer with two plus breaking balls and command over a fourth solid pitch. While injuries are, of course, always in the equation for young pitchers, Hancock is near-certain to find his way into a big-league rotation by September 2021 and has the upside to blossom into a perennial Cy Young contender.
Austin Martin (SS, Vanderbilt)
Although many imagine Martin will move to second base or even third, his bat is the primary calling card. In fact, it is so safe that you could say the 1.1 pick is a true toss-up between Martin and Hancock. The power has not quite developed yet, but he figures to eventually be a 20-25 home run bat who commonly competes for the batting average crown. Think Anthony Rendon and you’ll have a clear picture of the expectation for Martin. If he were already an MILB prospect, he would be well within the top 50 overall.
Nick Gonzalez (2B, New Mexico)
If you look up the definition of a hitter in the dictionary, you might see a picture of J.D. Martinez. Now imagine Martinez playing second base competently and you suddenly see Nick Gonzalez. That is most certainly a lofty comparison, and as is true of any prospect, he has a long way to go before he could become a legitimate Triple-Crown threat, but that’s the type of upside we are looking at. With that said, there is some risk in the sense that he is playing the majority of his games at the college version of Coors Field. He looked great in the Cape Cod League too and we will see how his bat translates to the minors with a larger sample size this summer.
Spencer Torkelson (1B, Arizona State)
The common comp for Torkelson is last year’s third overall pick, Andrew Vaughn. But many of you likely don’t know him, so let me offer a different name: Ryan Howard, but the right-handed version. After all, Vaughn should hit for more average, and if you can believe it, Torkelson has even more power. Now, he doesn’t have the 6’4″, 240 frame like Howard, but the bat is just as loud to the point that if he were to someday swat 50 homers with a .270 batting average, no one would bat an eye.
Other near-locks to be first round picks: Garrett Mitchell (OF), Garrett Crochet (LHP), Cole Wilcox (RHP), JT Ginn (RHP), Asa Lacy (LHP), Heston Kjerstad (OF)
2020 Class of High Schoolers
Austin Hendrick (OF, West Allegheny, PA)
After the four big college names listed above, there is a steep drop off to the next tier of 2020 draft prospects. That isn’t to say someone (likely Lacy or one of these high school kids) could leap into the top tier, but that there just isn’t as much safety in their profile quite yet. With that said, Hendrick offers as much ceiling, if not more, than anyone listed above. He is a spectacular athlete with power galore. Now, he is raw, much like Royce Lewis when he was drafted first overall, but this is legitimately a player with #1 overall prospect upside if he can put it all together someday.
Mick Abel (RHP, Jesuit HS, OR)
Hendrick has long been the top player in this high school class, but primarily because 15 and 16-year-old pitchers are so difficult to predict. Now that showcases are putting these arms into clearer light, Abel is jumping off the page as a potential ace in the making. Among the high schoolers listed in this group, no one has a better ceiling or chance to jump into the top four picks. At this point, though, we are relying on projection and the fact that he will accept millions of dollars rather than his commitment to hometeam, Oregon State this summer.
Blaze Jordan (1B, DeSoto Central HS, MS)
We’ve already talked about some players with ridiculous power potential, but frankly, Jordan puts them all to shame. Should anyone in this draft class, or even the minor leagues, ever reach 60 homers, the first name on the list would surely be Jordan. His plus plus raw power has often been put in the conversation with a prep Bryce Harper. They are very different players, though, as Jordan’s lack of range should limit him to first base and unlike Harper, his batting eye is not in the same ballpark. If he can clean up his hit tool a bit this spring, we may see him in the top 10 or even 5 picks, but don’t be surprised if he falls to the second round.
Jordan Walker (3B, Decatur HS, GA)
Walker is one of the youngest players in the draft and just so happens to be quite raw as well. Now, there is a chance his senior season on the mound draws enough attention that an MLB team will draft him to be a power pitcher, but more likely, we are talking about a third baseman in the mold of Edwin Encarnacion down the line. With that comes plenty of swing and miss and some bust potential, but this is not a bat that should ever fall out of the first round. He could morph into a 40+ home run threat each and every year.
Other near-locks to be first round picks: Jarred Kelley (RHP), Nick Bitsko (RHP), Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF), Ed Howard (SS)
A Look Ahead to 2021 and 2022
Brady House (SS/RHP, Winder-Barrow HS, GA)
This may seem like a long time away, but if you can grab the next phenom, it will pay off in time. Most are suggesting that Rocker is the favorite to go 1.1, as he may be an even stronger pitching prospect than Hancock. I won’t deny that Rocker is phenomenal, so let that tell you just how highly I think of House. Frankly, he could potentially go 1.1 as a hitter or a pitcher. To be quite clear, if he were in the 2020 draft as a 16-year-old, he’d likely be the first high schooler off the board. The kid has a rare polish to his game at this age plus the best imaginable body for a future third base superstar.
Kumar Rocker (RHP, Vanderbilt)
I don’t throw around these types of names lightly, but truthfully, if we are going to be talking about Rocker, you almost have to mention Justin Verlander and Roger Clemens in the same breath. Again, this is not the most likely scenario, as any number of things can go wrong for a pitching prospect. But in terms of pure stuff and projection, he belongs in the conversation as few ever have before him. Rocker is 6’5″ and 250 pounds of pure athlete. He’ll pump his fastball by anyone and has the breaking stuff to form a deadly combination that could someday bring him to lead all of baseball in strikeouts.
Others with 1.1 upside: Luke Leto (SS), Jack Leiter (RHP), Braylon Bishop (OF), Christian Little (RHP), Mike Vasil (RHP)
2022 Top Prospects: Spencer Jones (1B/ ), Hunter Barco (LHP), Elijah Green (OF), Dylan Lesko (RHP), Jarrion Ealy (OF)
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