By Jordan Gluck (Featured Writer): Follow @jgluck777
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1. Chicago Cubs- They are still one of the top systems even with Javier Baez graduating from the list. I love the bats headed by what maybe the top prospect in baseball in Kris Bryant and high end talent in Addisson Russell, Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber and Dan Vogelbach.
They also have upside in Albert Almora, Eloy Jimenez and Jeimer Candelario. The pitching on the farm remains the main concern with a wiry C.J .Edwards, a mid ceiling Paul Blackburn and Pierce Johnson and a very far away Carson Sands.
The best farm system in the league that will see some graduates very soon.
2. Minnesota Twins- Last season was unfortunate for the twins and all of major league baseball as Byron Buxton got injured in spring training and Miguel Sano got TJ surgery.
I believe both of them will bounce back with ease and could be close to the major league level. Pitchers J.O Berrios, Alex Meyer and Kohl Stweart have frontline potential with Meyer possibly a candidate to make the rotation out of spring training.
They took Dee Gordons brother Nick in the first round last year and he can be a complete player. There is upside all over in Lewis Thorpe, Felix Jorge, and 50th overall pick Travis Harrison. A very solid farm that can hopefully bear some fruit this season.
The Rockies are hoping Jon Gray and Eddie Butler can finally show them the kind of success they have been searching for at the Major League Level for pitching since they entered the MLB in 1993. Other than Jorge De La Rosa, (plus Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez having pockets of success,) a lot of high priced and coveted pitchers have failed in the thin air in Denver.
3. Colorado Rockies- Surprise? This is a very very strong system with talented ballplayers at almost all levels. They have 2 near ready frontline pitchers in Jon Gray and Eddie Butler. I love Kyle Freeland whose a Colorado native and shoved in his first season.
As for bats they got those as well in David Dahl, Trevor Story, a personal favorite in Raimel Tapia, Ryan McMahon and talented CBA pick Forrest Wall.
They also have depth in Tyler Anderson and Kyle Parker among others. Very strong farm system for a team who is perennially desperate for pitching.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates- This is one of my favorite farms as they have strength in all areas of the farm both bats and pitching and at the higher levels like Glasnow, Josh Bell, Taillon, and Kingham among others.
They also have high end talent at lower levels in Reese McGuire, Cole Tucker, Harold Ramirez, Cody Dickson, Luis Heredia and personal favorite Austin Meadows. A very strong farm system all around.
5. Texas Rangers- It seems like their always near the top of the list year in and year out. Joey Gallo will hit 50 Home Runs one day but will probably lead the league in strikeouts at some point as well.
Jorge Alfaro “The Legend” is the Rangers catcher of the future and should be a quality catcher. Their top 3 arms are Jake Thompson (future 2), Alex “Chi Chi’ Gonzalez (future 3), and Luke Jackson (Low 3 high 4).
They have a trio of high ceiling outfielders in Lewis Brinson, Nomar Mazara and Nick Williams. They also nabbed Delino DeShields in the rule 5 draft and his 80 speed. There is additional young talent abundant in Ti’Quan Forbes, Luis Ortiz, Ronald Guzman and Jairo Beras. As usual plenty of talent on the farm in Texas.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers- This is a very difficult system to rank as they have arguably 3 of the top 10 prospects in baseball in Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and Julio Urias but I am not a fan of anything besides Alex Verdugo beyond that.
I am not a fan of Grant Holmes who fell big time in the draft or Chris Anderson who I see a low ceiling. Zach Lee is older but I could in a perfect world see a 4th SP and Chris Reed a nice innings eating with bout the same ceiling.
I like their acquisition in Austin Barnes from the Marlins but he’s a high end backup catcher. If you are a Grant Holmes or Chris Anderson fan then this would probably be the number 2 system but I don’t.
7. Toronto Blue Jays- The fruit are about ready to be plucked from the tree. Daniel Norris made outstanding strides last season and Aaron Sanchez remains a top arm. Dalton Pompey will be counted on this year and if his bat plays he could have 4 tools next year with power potentially on its way.
Devon Travis is seen by some as a twiner type but i think he can be a good 2B. In the 1st round last year they picked Jeff Hoffman and Max Pentecost both solid picks with Hoffman a potential steal since he was injured last season.
Some young players such as Matt Smoral and DJ Davis could take a big next step this season. Lets remember they gave up a nice amount including Franklin Barretto to acquire Josh Donaldson.
8. St. Louis Cardinals- This is an annually strong system boasting some top talent and possible future all-stars. For arms I am very high on Rob Kaminsky, Marco Gonzalez, and Luke Weaver.
The one big bat is Stephen Piscotty and beyond that they have some mid ceiling talent in Carson Kelly, Charlie Tilson, and Patrick Wisdom. This is still a strong system but not as strong as recent years due to some graduations. RIP Oscar Taveras.
9. New York Mets- The Mets are an interesting case as they have taken their time rebuilding but seem to make a run this year and have chips to upgrade as needed. Noah Syndergaard is their number 1 prospect who had a disappointing year last year.
Behind him they have some nice hitters in Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Dilson Herrera, Dominic Smith, Amed Rosario, and Kevin Plawecki. They also have an interesting case in Steven Matz who is finally healthy but going to turn 24 in AA.
This is a solid system but will not get reinforcement in this years first round due to signing Michael Cuddyer.
10. Boston Red Sox- This system is perennially over ranked but I see a nice wave of very young talent coming through. Yes Henry Owens will be a mid 3 to a potentially low 2 and Swihart will be a very productive catcher. After that Sean Coyle and Eduardo Rodriguez can be productive at the next level but their ceilings are murky.
The real future of this system are Rafael Devers and Manuel Margot who are potentially high end all star type players but have a huge risk since they are both so young and raw.
11. Houston Astros- I would say this spot is a little disappointing to a Houston team that has spent the last several seasons rebuilding. Carlos Correa was playing great in lancaster (hitter friendly) until he broke his leg.
I am a big fan of Vincent Velasquez but lancaster tore Mark Appel apart until his promotion to CC where he performed below expectations. Will Colin Moran ever develop another tool besides his bat? Domingo Santana is near MLB ready and could be a average player.
They have upside in Josh Hader, Lance McCullers, and Brett Phillips. They will have the 2nd and 3rd picks in this years draft due to failure to sign Brady Aiken and picked Derek Fisher and Golden Spikes winner AJ Reed this season. They should be way higher in the rankings next season.
12. Seattle Mariners- Fresh off the graduations of Taijuan Walker and James Paxton there is still plenty of talent left down here. I am a huge DJ Peterson fan and think of him as an all star level 3B. Gabriel Guerrero is the nephew of Vlad and a future stud. Alex Jackson was the highest ceiling of the draft for a bat and will be a promising corner outfielder.
There is not as much when it comes to pitching as Luiz Gohara and Edwin Diaz are very far away but have a 3rd SP ceiling. Danny Hulzen will look to rebound his form after injury and Tyler Pike will need to get on track after his dismal 2nd half. Ketel Marte is young for his level but I don’t think his bat will play in the big leagues. Austin Wilson is another possible MLB corner outfielder. A pretty good system.
13. Kansas City Royals- Definitely some ups and downs last season on the Royals farm. Kyle Zimmer was injured for most the season, Adalberto Mondesi did not have a good season, and Bubba Starling looks like a disappointment.
On the other hand Brandon Finnegan looks like a future stud, Hunter Dozier made strides and Sean Manaea rebounded from injury. I am still a huge Christian Binford fan. This system has graduated a ton of homegrown players for the Royals which played in the World Series.
14. Tampa Bay Rays- This system has more than meets the eye but is scattered all around with gambles. They have 2 quality young SS in Daniel Robertson and the little bit overrated Willy Adames.
I am a huge Casey Gillaspie fan and I think he was a steal at the 20th pick of the draft. Steven Souza and Mikie Mahtook should have an impact this season with the latter being my preferred choice. The pitching here is very questionable with Taylor Guerrieri presenting the only possible top 3 ceiling to me and Alex Colomo and Ryan Stanek being lower end options.
Much has been said about Justin O’Connor but I’m not a believer yet. Other than that they have some possible breakouts in Jake Bauers, The duo they got from the DBacks (Velasquez and Williams), and Nick Ciuffo.
15. New York Yankees- This system will only continue to move up in the rankings and get better especially after the most expensive international signing class in history (until Moncada signs).
I LOVE Aaron Judge and think he can be a tremendous player. I am also very high on Luis Severino. I think Ian Clarkin will be a solid starting pitcher although not a stud and Gary Sanchez is talented but had a down year last year by his standards
Some unspoken talent with Domingo German, Jose Ramirez and Robert Refsnyder.
16. Atlanta Braves- New GM John Hart has done a pretty good job in retooling that farm system which was near dire straits when he took over. While Max Fried has recently had TJ I think he will rebound well as is still a top prospect.
I do love Peraza and am lukewarm on Lucas Sims but am not that hot on Christian Betancourt. I really like Rio Ruiz and think that Folty could be a closer.
Hart has really rebuilt the depth of this system with the Upton, Gattis and Heyward trades but a lot of the talent on this farm is in the lower levels with upside.
17. Cleveland Indians- Before I get to the quality bats, WHERE IS THE PITCHING???? I was not a fan of Justus Sheffield when he was drafted and Cody Anderson had a down year.
On the bright side there is Francisco Lindor – who is a top 20 prospect in baseball and will develop shortstop power. He has the speed and ability to get on base and fear he is being rushed to the majors. I am a fan of the bats of Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer and Tyler Naquin.
They have potential in Bobby Bradley, Francisco Mejia, and Dorsys Paulino. They have the bats but the lack of pitching both of high and mid end will bite them in the future.
18. Oakland Athletics- They had a lot more in this farm than I thought at first glance. I am a huge Franklin Barreto fan and I think he will be an all star SS. Matt Olson will hit for big power at first base.
You have some mid level pitching in Dillon Overton, Kendall Graveman and Raul Alcantara.
You also have additional bats in Chad Pinder, Renato Nunez, Joe Wendle and Matt Chapman. Billy Beane will be in the HOF some day… hopefully he will have a ring to go along with it.
19. Milwaukee Brewers- This is an odd system as they may not have a top 100 prospect in all of baseball but have some tremendous depth including some high upside players. They had 3 top 50 picks last year all big risks and one of them (Medeiros) I am very bearish on.
Young bats like Orlando Arcia, Jake Gatewood, Clint Coulter, and Nick Delmonico I am high on. Others like Victor Roache and Monte Harrison have some intriguing tools. A lot of other evaluators talk up Tyrone Taylor but I am much lower on him.
I am fans of Devin Williams and Taylor Williams and I think Taylor Jungmann can eat some major league innings. The Depth is the real star here.
20. Arizona Diamondbacks- This is a system which is a little odd but will have the first overall pick come this june. Dave Stewart has some work to due a lack of top 100 prospects with the exception of Yasmani Tomas and Archie Bradley. I do think that they have some depth on this farm but plenty of question marks.
Will Peter O’Brien ever hit for average? Will Touki Toussaint (who went to a rival high school from me) ever throw strikes? Can Yoan Lopez make it as a starting pitcher? There are some safer bets such as Robbie Ray, Mitch Haniger, Aaron Blair, and Jake Lamb but how high are their ceilings? I am not a Braden Shipley fan.
21. Miami Marlins- Outside of beast Tyler Kolek I fail to recognize any current high end talent. I do like Avery Romero and have for some time but this system is quite thin right now of above average talent. I don’t see high ceilings for Nicolino, Trevor Williams, Adam Conley or J.T. Realmuto.
If their talent on the low levels of the farm don’t breakout they could be one prospect (Kolek) from being the worst system in baseball.
22. Washington Nationals- Interesting system as most of the talent besides Michael Taylor and A.J. Cole resides in the lower levels of the system.
I love Giolito and have since before he was drafted 16th by the hats in 2012 and now healthy is dominating but he is far away along with Fedde, Drew Ward & Jakson Reetz.
I do have worries about Taylor and Cole and how they will play at the major league level.
23. San Diego Padres- *Trea Turner is the PTBNL going to the Nationals in the Wil Myers trade and not included in the Padres system* New GM AJ Preller has been the most active gm this offseason and has diminished their farm to make the team ALOT better.
On top of that I am absolutely not an Austin Hedges fan as HE CANT HIT and I value him as a late inning/backup catcher.
They have some nice bats in Hunter Renfroe, Corey Spangenberg, Rymer Liriano, and Jose Rondon although I would like to see another above average tool out of him. T
hey have some young bats in Michael Gettys and Franchy Cordero who could develop into something. After giving up Max Fried in the Justin Upton trade their best and only top pitching prospect is Matt Wisler who could be a 2 or a 3.
24. Baltimore Orioles- A system that does lack depth and I am sure would have much rather had that first round pick than Ubaldo Jimenez. Dylan Bundy is still rehabbing from TJ but will be a beast. I am a HUGE fan of Chance Sisco and think he will be a stud.
Christian Walker could play a big role with the team this year. Hunter Harvey is talented but is very young and they have Tim Berry and Zach Davies as lower end options. They do need depth though.
25. San Fransisco Giants- This is a stronger system than meets the eyes at the surface. The strength of this system is the arms with Kyle Crick, Tyler Beede, Chris Stratton, Adalberto Mejia, and Clayton Blackburn.
As far as bats the only major league ready one is Andrew Susac who has nowhere to play with Buster Posey behind the plate. Ryder Jones and Christian Arroyo are their best bets for bats. Not a strong system but this is a dynasty that has been built under Brian Sabean.
26. Chicago White Sox- This is a perennial bottom tier system but the drafting of Carlos Rodon moves them up a little bit. Rodon will be very effective and could potentially be special.
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