Welcome to the landing page for my top 2020 Top 400 MLB Prospects. If you are looking for the methodology for the rankings and/or the organizational rankings and top prospects, you can check them out here. Now, before we get to the full list, I’ll tell you about my top 8 prospects. And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter @BobbyFantasyPro with more specific questions on MLB prospects.
#1 Wander Franco (SS – TBR)
Whenever you are reading a profile on the top prospects it can seem really easy to think it is just hyperbole. After all, sometimes top prospects turn into Byron Buxton, Alex Gordon or Jeff Francis, but let’s also keep in mind that they also become Mike Trout, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera. Yes, there is risk with Franco, of course, but we are almost certainly looking at a .300 hitter with moderate power and if he ever reaches his ceiling, we could be talking about a perirenal batting crown contender with 35+ homers per season. A better way to think of him would be J.D. Martinez but at shortstop. You can expect Franco to get the call to Tampa Bay by season’s end.
Welcome to the landing page for my top 2020 Top 400 MLB Prospects. If you are looking for the methodology for the rankings and/or the organizational rankings and top prospects, you can check them out here. Now, before we get to the full list, I’ll tell you about my top 8 prospects. And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter @BobbyFantasyPro with more specific questions on MLB prospects.
#1 Wander Franco (SS – TBR)
Whenever you are reading a profile on the top prospects it can seem really easy to think it is just hyperbole. After all, sometimes top prospects turn into Byron Buxton, Alex Gordon or Jeff Francis, but let’s also keep in mind that they also become Mike Trout, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera. Yes, there is risk with Franco, of course, but we are almost certainly looking at a .300 hitter with moderate power and if he ever reaches his ceiling, we could be talking about a perirenal batting crown contender with 35+ homers per season. A better way to think of him would be J.D. Martinez but at shortstop. You can expect Franco to get the call to Tampa Bay by season’s end.
#2 Luis Robert (OF – CWS)
While Robert doesn’t have the upside to bat .350 like Franco, he does have much more in the way of speed which should come in handy quite a bit for fantasy teams. There is a chance we are looking at a 40/40 player as soon as 2021, as he profiles similarly to a Ronald Acuna, minus some pop and hit tool. Although there are holes in his swing and concerns about the strikeout rate, the same was said, but to a higher degree, about Fernando Tatis Jr. last year. In fact, Robert has more power than Tatis, fewer strikeout concerns and have offered a batting average 30 points higher than Tatis in their minor league careers. From day one, we should be looking at plenty of power and speed with a sufficient batting average. Think Javier Baez with extra speed and in the outfield.
#3 MacKenzie Gore (SP – SDP)
Gore might not be up right away like Jesus Luzardo, Brendan McKay, and A.J. Puk, but from the time he comes up, he should be the best of the bunch. The big leftie’s stuff is phenomenal, as evidenced by his ridiculous 1.69 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 last season in the minors. Not only that, but he’ll pitch in an extreme pitcher’s park for half of his starts. Gore should rack up the Ks right away with quality ratios, and I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he took the baseball world by storm like Walker Buehler did on day one. This may very well be a top-50 overall pick by this time next year.
#4 Jo Adell (OF – LAA)
There are many in the industry who are convinced Adell is the top prospect, and although I’d argue he has more upside than Robert and even Franco, the polish and floor aren’t quite at the same level. In fact, in an injury-slowed season, Adell batted .289/.359/.475/ .834 with just 10 homers and 7 steals last. To be fair, it was against much older pitchers, but that didn’t slow down Franco or Robert, now, did it? If it all comes together, we are talking about a legitimate five-tool player who should contribute in all five categories much like Bryce Harper or Juan Soto. In order to reach that level, however, he’ll need to trim down on the swings and misses, but his batting eye and elite exit velocities will go a long way.
#5 Jarred Kelenic (OF – SEA)
When the Mets traded Kelenic for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, everyone though the Mariners were stupid but they’ll be the ones laughing in the long run. He may not ever be an MVP winner but outside of Franco, Kelenic seems like the best bet to be a consistent all-star at the MLB level. His athletic profile is spectacular and his intangibles are apparently off the charts. That kind of combination is rare and should enable him to reach his sizeable potential before long. When he does, we are looking at a 30/20 type of ballplayer with plenty of batting average to spare. If you want to dream on what that may look like, imagine if Grady Sizemore would have been able to stay healthy.
#6 Bobby Witt Jr. (SS – KCR)
On most of these lists, Witt finds himself near the back-end of the top 10 or even outside of it, and from a real-life standpoint, that may be a fair grade, but in fantasy, speed has twice as much importance. We’ve only seen 37 MILB games from Witt but you’d better believe he is an absolute blazer. Multiple 50+ stolen base seasons are not out of the question much like Jacoby Ellsbury in his healthy seasons with the Red Sox. Unlike Ellsbury though, the tools don’t end with elite speed and a .300 batting average. Witt already has 110+ max exit velocities and could grow into 30 homer power over the coming years. Should that .300/30/50 line ever happen, we’d be looking at a candidate for the #1 overall fantasy pick some day.
#7 Gavin Lux (2B – LAD)
So I’ve mentioned a few prospects already that I’m higher on than most of the other analysts. Lux is the opposite case. Don’t hear me wrong, like any other clear-cut top-10 prospect, his most likely outcome is a great MLB player with multiple all-star nods in his future. His bat is more ready than any prospect on this list besides maybe Robert but the ceiling is the lowest. It is easy to get caught up on Dodgers’ hitting prospect’s numbers because of the extreme hitting environments they call home in the minors. That won’t be the case in pitcher-friendly Dodger stadium. While he should soon bat .285 with 25 homers and a dozen steals, that profiles out more as an Austin Meadows or Yoan Moncada than a bonafide star.
#8 Casey Mize (SP – DET)
You may look at the raw strikeout rate and think that Mize might not be worth all the hype. After all, Tyler Glasnow was striking out 13 batters per 9 innings while he was in the minors so why should we be so excited about someone like Mize if they are right around 9 K/9? Well, because minor league stats don’t mean everything. Noah Syndergaard carried a 4.60 ERA in Triple-A the year before he was called up to the Mets and tossed out a 3.24 over 150 innings. Gerrit Cole struck out 8.2 hitters per 9 in the minors and we know where he is now. For pitchers, it doesn’t quite translate the same way. Instead, we look at the stuff, a pitcher’s poise and build and with Mize, which makes it easy to see a future workhorse ace. He should be up for Detroit this summer.
