St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Archie Bryant are among the top 10 prospects by Baseball America fans are likely to become acquainted with during the 2014 season.
Whether on the brink of the major leagues or a building block for the future, The Sports Xchange polled its team correspondents to highlight the top prospect in each of the 30 Major League Baseball organizations entering the season.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: RHP Archie Bradley has a top-of-the-rotation arsenal — a fastball that touches 99 mph with a big-breaking curveball. The 21-year-old used spring training to work on his changeup and refine his curve, and command is all that stands in the way of a long, strong major league career. Last year, he went a combined 14-5 with a 1.84 ERA over 26 starts in high Class A and Double-A.
COLORADO ROCKIES: CF David Dahl, who turns 20 on April 1, played one game at low Class A Asheville last year before being sent back to extended spring training, a disciplinary measure for missing a team flight out of spring training. When he returned to Asheville, Dahl played just nine more games before suffering a season-ending torn right hamstring. Since then, he appears to have matured as well as gained overall strength. Dahl is primed for a comeback season that should see him play at the high Class A level, maybe even Double-A. Dahl projects as the Rockies’ center fielder of the future, most likely in 2016.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: The Dodgers have a well-stocked outfield with four front-liners — Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig — jockeying for position when healthy. Behind them, though, Joc Pederson is coming on fast. Pederson, 21, was impressive at times during his first major league spring training camp. He figures to spend 2014 in Triple-A, gaining experience. Last season, he hit 22 homers and stolen 31 bases in high Class A.
SAN DIEGO PADRES: C Austin Hedges is only 21 but already has the defensive skills, presence behind the plate and arm to catch in the major leagues. The second-round pick in the 2011 draft was 5-for-18 this spring and impressed the Padres with his bat. He will open the year at Double-A San Antonio but could be on the move by midseason.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: LHP Edwin Escobar, 21, throws in the mid- to high 90s mph range but is effective because he changes speeds of his fastballs. He sports a super strikeout-to-walk ratio — 432 K’s to 140 walks in five minor league seasons, including 146 and 30 in Double-A and Class A last season. He could get a chance at some point this season but is a decent bet to replace RHP Ryan Vogelsong in the 2015 rotation.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
CHICAGO CUBS: 3B Kris Bryant was a polished player when the Cubs took him out of the University of San Diego with the second overall pick in the draft last year. He will begin this year at Double-A Tennessee, but a fast start may force the Cubs’ hand early. Bryant, 22, is athletic enough to move to the outfield, giving the organization potential options for his future.
CINCINNATI REDS: RHP Robert Stephenson, 21, probably will start in Double-A, but he could move fast. He went a combined 7-7 with a 2.99 ERA last year, starting in low Class A and ending up in the Double-A. His fastball touches 100 mph. Stephenson was a first-round draft pick in 2011.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: RHP Jimmy Nelson got his feet wet in the big leagues as a September call-up in 2013 but is back in Triple-A Nashville to continue his develop as a starting pitcher. Nelson, 24, might get a chance this year if somebody goes down in the rotation, but a more likely ETA is 2015. He is a bulldog type who is aggressive with power pitches.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: RHP Tyler Glasnow, 20, will begin the season on the disabled list at high Class A Bradenton due to lower back stiffness, but he is expected to be activated by the end of April. Glasnow has a plus fastball and curveball and was overpowering at low Class A West Virginia last season, going 9-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 24 starts. He also had 164 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings and allowed just 54 hits.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: OF Oscar Taveras, who had ankle surgery last year when he was at Triple-A Memphis, was gimpy most of the spring. He still figures greatly in the Cardinals’ future, but his future might not be until 2015 unless he shows he can stay healthy for most of this season. Taveras, 21, batted .306 with a .341 on-base percentage in 46 Triple-A games last year.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
ATLANTA BRAVES: C Christian Bethancourt, 22, is being groomed to take over regular duty in 2015. He will continue to work on his hitting this year as he moves up to Triple-A. Defensively, he is already major league ready. Last year, he hit .277 with a .305 on-base percentage, a .436 slugging percentage, 12 homers and 45 RBIs in 90 games for Double-A Mississippi.
MIAMI MARLINS: Colin Moran is considered the Marlins’ future at third base. A first-round draft pick in 2013, he went 0-for-6 with three walks and three runs in six Grapefruit League games this spring. Moran, 21, hit .299 with four homers and 23 RBI in 2013 for low Class A Greensboro. He likely will start the season at high Class A Jupiter, so a major league promotion wouldn’t happen until next year at the earliest.
NEW YORK METS: RHP Noah Syndergaard, 21, is the organization’s latest top pitching prospect, and he should follow in the footsteps of RHPs Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. That means a midseason call-up to the big leagues, assuming he handles his first taste of Triple-A Las Vegas without any real issues. Last year, Syndergaard went a combined 9-4 with a 3.06 ERA in high Class A and Double-A.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 3B Maikel Franco will start the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after posting a .320 average with 31 homers and 103 RBIs at high Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading last year. While Franco, 21, is not likely to see major league time in 2014 unless there is a major injury at either third or first base, it is expected that he will fit in the major league plans in the not-so-distant future.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Scouts rave about RHP Lucas Giolito, and he ranked among the top three in the organization’s strength tests pound-for-pound during the offseason conditioning camp. His fastball can hit the mid-90 mph range, and he has an advanced breaking ball for a 19-year-old. Giolito, in his second season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, is expected to log a lot of innings at low Class A Hagerstown this year.