The 2021 MLB Draft is over and done with, the signing deadline is this Sunday, and numerous top prospects continue to graduate to the big leagues. There’s a lot to cover, as always, so we’ll be getting right into it this week.
In case you missed it, last Wednesday I published a full, midseason update of my Top 100 Prospects. Today we’ll be expanding on some of the bigger names, as well as highlighting a couple of players who have seen their value grow in the past week.
Reminder to reach out with questions on Twitter anytime – @toomuchtuma.
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| RANK (LW) | NAME | POS | TEAM | NOTES |
| 1 (1) | Wander Franco | SS | TB | The overall numbers haven’t been good, but Franco is slowly but surely improving over the past two weeks. He’s continuing to hit high in Tampa’s lineup. |
| 2 (2) | Jarred Kelenic | OF | SEA | Kelenic simply looks overmatched in the big leagues right now, but the Mariners seem committed to letting him work through things. |
| 3 (3) | Julio Rodriguez | OF | SEA | Has hit .280 with three homers and a .910 OPS in 14 games since being promoted to Double-A. Favorite to be the No. 1 prospect once Franco/Kelenic graduate. |
| 4 (4) | Spencer Torkelson | 1B | DET | Hitting .289 with 14 homers, 15 doubles, and a 1.024 OPS since May 22nd. |
| 5 (5) | Bobby Witt | SS | KC | A candidate for an August promotion, Witt is batting .382 with three homers in seven games since moving to Triple-A. |
| 6 (7) | Marco Luciano | SS | SF | Giants are taking it slow with their 19-year-old phenom. Luciano possesses thunderous power and has crushed High-A pitching this season. |
| 7 (6) | C.J. Abrams | SS | SD | Moves behind Luciano due to missing the rest of the season with a fractured tibia and a sprained MCL. Hope to see him in Arizona Fall League. |
| 8 (8) | Adley Rutschman | C | BAL | I love a hitter with strong plate discipline, and Rutschman has a 52:49 BB:K rate at Double-A this season. Adds great defense and he’s a team leader. |
| 9 (10) | Triston Casas | 1B | BOS | The 21-year-old “Joey Votto-lite” isn’t having the strongest season statistically, but the plate discpline/power combo is so appealing. |
| 10 (9) | Vidal Brujan | 2B/OF | TB | 5-for-14 with two steals in four games since being sent back down to Triple-A, a screaming buy-low in dynasty formats. |
| 11 (15) | Noelvi Marte | SS | SEA | Finally starting to show up on traditional rankings sites |
| 12 (11) | Alek Manoah | SP | TOR | In four of his eight big league starts he has totaled six innings while allowing one run or fewer. |
| 13 (12) | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | BAL | 102 strikeouts in 64 2/3 minor league innings this year. Widely considered the top pitching prospect in baseball. |
| 14 (16) | Jarren Duran | OF | BOS | Currently sitting against lefties, still figuring things out at the big league level (.154/.214/.308). |
| 15 (17) | Jasson Dominguez | OF | NYY | Hitting .300 with an .853 OPS in 10 games since advancing to Low-A. Could blossom into a top-five overall prospect if he goes on a tear. |
| 16 (20) | Riley Greene | OF | DET | Some slight concerns regarding a strikeout rate hovering around 30% in Double-A this season, but traditional scouts love him. |
| 17 (13) | Austin Martin | SS/OF | TOR | Growing worried that his swing doesn’t translate to power. Just a .374 SLG in 54 games at Double-A this year. |
| 18 (NR) | Francisco Alvarez | C | NYM | Feels strange to rank another catcher this high, but the offensive upside is tremendous. 19-year-old is still adjusting to High-A. |
| 19 (NR) | Cade Cavalli | SP | WAS | One of the stars of this year’s Futures Game, Cavalli has ace-upside but needs to work on his control. |
| 20 (18) | Shane Baz | SP | TB | A late-season promotion to the Rays to pitch out of the bullpen still feels likely. |
Honorable Mentions
OF Jo Adell, LAA: Up to 20 homers and eight stolen bases on the year, strikeouts are creeping back up after things were headed in the right direction for a while. Have to figure the Angels call him up soon.
SP Max Meyer, MIA: 1.80 ERA in 13 starts at Double-A. Marlins have so much young pitching on the way.
SP George Kirby, SEA: Mariners were limiting his starts early on, but recently had a seven-inning, 11 strikeout performance in High-A.
OF Robert Hassell, SD: Hitting .304 with four homers and 23 steals in Low-A this year. Need to project some power for him to reach full potential.
OF Garrett Mitchell, MIL: Has struggled badly in 17 games since being promoted to Double-A, but not giving up on the skill set just yet.
On the Rise
OF Brennen Davis, CHC: Could very well be in the top-20 by this time next week. 21-year-old phenom was the MVP of the Futures Game (two homers) and has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the rankings this season. Batting .272 with 11 homers, six steals, and a .918 OPS between High-A and Double-A.
On the Way Down
2B/SS Jeter Downs, BOS: Part of Boston’s return for Mookie Betts, Downs was recently removed from Baseball America’s Top 100 list. 23-year-old is batting just .203 with a .601 OPS in Triple-A and might not be worth rostering in most dynasty leagues anymore.
Stat of the Week
19-year-old Blue Jays shortstop Orelvis Martinez homered 12 times in a 19 game span from July 2nd through July 23rd. He hit .408/.494/1.042 (!!) during this stretch, good for a laughable 244 wRC+. He could quickly become the top prospect in Toronto’s system, which is saying something considering they also have Martin, Jordan Groshans, Gabriel Moreno and Nate Pearson. Martinez needs to be scooped in any dynasty leagues where he’s available.
19-year-old Blue Jays SS Orelvis Martinez has been ON FIRE in the month of July 🔥
21 games
.372 BA
.468 OBP
1.417 OPS (!!)
12 HRExpect a promotion to Double-A soon#WeAreBlueJays
— Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma) July 26, 2021
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Brendan Tuma is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brendan, check out his archive and follow him @toomuchtuma.
