With the Top 30 prospect list and the scouting reports for all 30 players now out, we take a snapshot of what the list could look like a year from now. For this exercise, we'll take only players who are currently in the system. With three picks in the top 35 and four on the first night overall, we could likely see anywhere from two to four new names that are different from this list.
Troy is a potential five-tool shortstop with high makeup who already has shown the ability to hit major-league velocity. He projects as a top-of-the-order hitter due to that hit tool and the variety of offensive weapons at his disposal. He has the upside of a 20 home run/20 stolen base shortstop, but is likely to settle in as a third baseman long-term should Jordan Lawlar establish himself as the team's starting shortstop next season. I would not be surprised if he winds up being a Top 25 prospect at the time of his debut, which will be at some point in the 2025 season. A strong 2024 season could result in that debut being as early as Opening Day of the next season.
Perhaps the best defensive player in the organization right now, which is saying something with two Gold Glove winners on last season's team, Jones has a five-tool upside in center field. He missed out on a critical development year, limited to just 131 plate appearances with Visalia due to injuries. At the same time, if you look at the organization as a whole, Jones is probably the only other player besides Corbin Carroll who could be a legitimate MVP candidate should he reach his ceiling. For Arizona to have any sort of sustained success in the Carroll era, hitting on Jones' sky-high ceiling is a must.
Groover has a high floor due to his bat, although his long-term defensive position is still a question mark. If his defense makes strides at third base, to the point where he can stick at the position, he's the clear-cut No. 3 prospect in the organization. His bat is still enough to play at first base or even as a designated hitter, although how much home run power in that bat will determine his ceiling. Groover could be a bat that goes anywhere from 20 home runs and 40 doubles to 30 and 30 respectively. He projects to be a middle-of-the-order bat, ideally either in the fourth or fifth spot in the D-backs lineup.
Ray is the D-backs' safest long-term projection for the starting rotation due to his full arsenal of pitches and sturdy 6'3" frame, although he'll be tested in the tough environments of Amarillo and Reno come 2024. If he can survive those environments and continue to improve, he has a shot for a possible late-season call-up in 2025. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and three average or better secondary pitches, Ray projects as a No. 3/4 starter in the D-backs rotation.
Of the 10 players on this list, Lin has the best chance of being on the 2025 Opening Day roster. He has already shown an ability to handle Amarillo fairly well in 11 starts to close out the 2023 season. At a slender 5'11" build, there isn't much projection left on a fastball that sits around 90 MPH but has an advanced feel for above-average secondary stuff. With that profile, he's more of a No. 5 starter or swingman who should never see a lineup more than two times through in any capacity.
Santana has all the requisite tools to be an everyday third baseman, but the development of his bat will be what puts it all together. The D-backs will have some solid options to choose from at the position while they wait for that, with Tommy Troy and Gino Groover likely to get opportunities to hold the position. Santana has solid range and a plus arm to go with burgeoning power from his right-handed bat, so his ability to consistently impact the baseball will be the judge of how quickly he ascends the system. Like Luis, he will likely have his first full-season look in 2024 with Visalia.
Luis is another five-tool player and the highest-ranked of three prospects from their 2022 international class due to a five-tool upside. He has a higher chance to stick as a middle infielder due to a more well-rounded skill set than Cristofer Torin, although equally as likely to move off the position due to Lawlar and Troy being ahead of him. Luis will get his first taste of playing a full minor league season's worth of games in 2024 after quality showings in the DSL in 2022 and the Complex League in 2023.
Hurley is another potential five-tool player in the outfield, although he'll need to improve his strikeout rate from 28% in High-A to make use of them long-term. His swing is very noisy, starting with a big leg kick and an aggressive approach at the plate. With a likely low walk rate in his profile, Hurley will need to be able to reduce his strikeout rate to below the major league average of 22% and/or add more in-game power to bump Alek Thomas or Jake McCarthy off the roster in 2026. Hurley projects to be more of a fourth outfielder who could handle any of the three positions defensively.
Melendez is the type of prospect who could very easily make or break the sustained success the D-backs are looking to build. Of all the prospects in the system, he's still the safest bet to produce 30+ home runs in the lineup although it's very likely he develops into a low average, low OBP slugger due to an astronomical strikeout rate. While he was able to reduce his strikeout rate from 34% in the regular season to 28% in the Arizona Fall League, the latter was not known for its great pitching. With the D-backs being a mid-market team and long-term uncertainty at both corner infield spots, it's better that they gamble on Melendez making the adjustments necessary for his bat to improve and that he'll make enough contact to stick in a major league lineup.
After getting selected on the first night of last season's draft, Grice should be on the mound for the first time in 2024. Armed with a low 90s fastball, a slider, and a changeup, Grice has the upside of a No. 3/4 starter should his control improve. There is a bit more volatility in his profile, hence the lower ranking compared to Ray and Lin. With the organization putting pitching as the priority for his development, it will be interesting to see what type of strides he makes in that facet of his game. A good season in 2024 could easily make him one of the top pitching prospects in the organization entering 2025.
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The New York Mets, despite plenty of ups and downs, have been one of the best teams in all of Major League Baseball so far this season, but they know they will need to stay healthy in order to stay at the top of the NL East and make a push for a World Series. On Tuesday night, the Mets suffered a significant injury. During the fourth inning of a critical series against the San Diego Padres, star outfielder Juan Soto fouled a ball off of his foot and was pulled from the game with a foot contusion. After the game, Soto gave an optimistic update on the status of his foot, via SNY. “I think it’s gonna be good,” Soto said. “I think it’s gonna be good. We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re gonna be fine. X-rays are negative, so it’s a good sign. We’ve just got to wait for the swelling to come down and go back to where I’m at.” Soto also addressed his pain level after the game, after appearing to be in a world of hurt when he went down on the field originally. “It’s actually numb,” he said. “I don’t feel anything right now. It’s getting a little stiff but we’re gonna see in the morning how it goes.” Soto has been finding his stride of late for the Mets after some rocky moments earlier in the season, so New York will want to have him back in the lineup as soon as he can possibly get out there. For the season coming into Tuesday, Soto had racked up 25 home runs and 62 RBI. He was hitting just .249, but was still an on-base machine with an MLB-leading 84 walks. The Padres went on to beat the Mets very comfortably in a 7-1 blowout on Tuesday night, but New York still sits in the top spot in the NL East by a half-game over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets and Phillies are two of the best teams in baseball, so the health of a player like Soto can go a long way toward deciding who comes out on top.
As Trey Hendrickson prepares to end his holdout, it's time for the Cincinnati Bengals to meet their star edge-rusher halfway. On Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Hendrickson plans to end his holdout amid a prolonged contract dispute by reporting to Bengals camp on Wednesday despite still seeking an extension. "Reporting to camp stops the $50,000 per day fines and also serves as a good-faith gesture to try to jumpstart negotiations," Schefter wrote. Hendrickson is owed $18.7M in 2025. Last season, Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks (17.5). He originally signed a four-year, $60M contract with the Bengals during 2021 free agency and later signed a one-year extension in July 2023 to keep him Cincinnati through 2025. With no guarantees beyond this upcoming season and the edge-rusher market exploding recently, Hendrickson certainly has a valid argument to demand an extension. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has few (if any) good reasons not to reward their best defensive player. Hendrickson, 30, has been one of the league's most prolific pass-rushers since joining the Bengals. Former agent Joel Corry, writing for CBS Sports, brushed aside concerns about a potential drop-off in production while pointing to Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt's recent contract extension. As Corry noted, Watt, who became the league's highest-paid non-quarterback when he agreed to a three-year, $123M extension earlier this offseason, is roughly two months older than Hendrickson. "Hendrickson also accounted for 48.6% of Cincinnati's sacks last season while Watt was responsible for 28.8% of Pittburgh's," Corry wrote. On Monday, Schefter shared that the main sticking point in Hendrickson's contract dispute is guaranteed money, with the Bengals hesitant to provide any guarantees beyond 2025 on a potential three-year deal. As productive as Hendrickson has been for the Bengals — his 57 sacks since 2021 only trail Watt and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett — the front office should be doing everything in its power to ensure he finishes his career in Cincy. Hendrickson ending his holdout is the first step to the sides reaching a resolution. The next is the Bengals giving him an extension commensurate to his production.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
Second-year Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd can’t seem to catch a break. Chosen by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Lloyd dealt with hamstring injuries throughout training camp last summer before suffering a season-ending ankle injury just one week into his rookie season. Marshawn Lloyd Knocked from Packers Practice As the intensity ratchets up at Packers training camp, Lloyd’s second season may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, during Green Bay’s first practice in full pads this summer. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Lloyd stayed out on the field but didn’t continue to practice, instead watching from behind the huddle without a helmet. Demovsky points out that Lloyd was slow to get up but then did not return to practice the rest of the day. The Packers are likely hoping for big things from Lloyd, who is likely to compete with Emmanuel Wilson for the lion’s share of carries behind Wilson. It remains to be seen how serious Lloyd’s injury is, but if the 24-year-old is forced to miss any significant time, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers may be wise to go shopping for some quality running back help in the days and weeks ahead.