The top prospect of the decade for each MLB team

The Diamondbacks took Bradley seventh overall out of Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma, and he immediately became the most anticipated arm in the short history of the organization. Bradley lived up the billing, going 26-11 throughout the Single- and Double-A levels while becoming a Baseball America consensus top 25 prospect for four years. However, Bradley’s success as a starter did not carry over to the majors, where he posted a 5.18 ERA over 34 starts before moving to the bullpen. The peak year for the 26-year-old so far was 2017 when he produced a 1.73 ERA over 63 appearances.

After making his pro debut as a 17-year-old, Acuna Jr. made a beeline for the majors, becoming the top prospect in the game two years later. That season, he hit .325 with 21 home runs and 31 doubles, scored 88 runs and stole 44 bases across three levels. A year later, he hit 26 home runs and produced a .917 OPS over 111 games as a 20-year-old rookie, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors. Before the 2019 season, Acuna became the youngest player in history to sign a $100 million contract.

The Orioles selected Bundy with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft, on the heels of a being named National Player of the Year by Baseball America, USA Today and Gatorade as a prep hurler. In his first professional season, Bundy dominated minor league competition to an extent where he reached the majors as a teenager. However, Tommy John surgery the following season slowed his ascent, although he returned to Baltimore again by 2016. Bundy has yet to post an ERA below 4.00 over his first four full seasons.

Moncada was one of the most hallowed international prospects of all time, landing a $31.5 million signing bonus out of Cuba as a 20-year-old. He did not disappoint, stealing 94 bases with 50 doubles and 23 home runs over his first two years in the U.S., becoming the top prospect in the game. In the winter of 2016, he was the main part of the trade between the Red Sox and White Sox that sent Chris Sale to Boston. He has continued to hone his plethora of tools as a second baseman in Chicago.

Bryant made a massive impact on arrival as pro, both at the plate and beyond. The second overall pick in the 2013 draft stroked 43 home runs and drove in 110 runs in his only full minor league season, being named minor league Player of the Year by multiple outlets. He continued his onslaught the following spring training, hitting .440 with nine home runs with the MLB team. However, he was still demoted back to the minors despite clearly being the best player in camp. The subsequent outcry over his service time, control-based demotion played a major part in the ongoing examination of the fairness of labor practices in the current collective bargaining agreement.

The White Sox have hosted a treasure trove of top prospects over the past few years, but perhaps none has been more dominant than Jimenez. Acquired as a part of a rare crosstown trade between the White Sox and Cubs in 2017, in exchange for Jose Quintana, Jimenez immediately locked in as the game’s premier power hitting prospect, with 41 home runs over the next two years. Jimenez made his MLB debut early in 2019, starting in left field for the rebuilding White Sox.

Since being selected with the seventh overall pick in 2016 out of the University of Tennessee, Senzel has been the absolute top prospect for the Reds not only of the past three years but also of the decade. His arrival in Cincinnati this season has come on the heels of hitting .298 over the past four years of rising through the Red system. Although his natural position of third base is blocked by All-Star Eugenio Suarez, Senzel’s bat has forced its way through, and as a rookie he has become a center fielder for the first time in his pro career.

Lindor has transformed himself from a speed-and-glove-first player as a minor leaguer into one of the finest all-around performers at the position in recent MLB history. He started that journey as the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft, hitting a peak as a consensus top 10 prospect in the game by 2015. He would arrive in the majors in 2015, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting despite not making his debut until June. Since then he has finished in the top 10 of AL MVP voting in each year of his career, winning a Gold Glove in 2016 and being an All-Star in each year of his career thus far.

Jon Gray, Brendan Rodgers and Tyler Matzek were all higher-profile prospects upon reaching the Rockies systems, but none picked up the momentum that Arenado did during his rise to the majors. Arenado was a second-round selection in 2009 but quickly proved to be one of the gems of that deep draft class, hitting .300 while driving in 298 runs over parts of six minor league seasons. This also included early flashes of his superior defensive potential, which forecasted a career where he has become the only infielder in history win Gold Glove honors in each of his first six seasons.

Turner was chosen ninth overall by the Tigers in the 2009 draft out of the University of Missouri, quickly affirming himself as one of the top performers in his draft class. He reached the majors by his second professional season as a 20-year-old. Overall, he ranked among Baseball America’s top 30 prospects and top 10 pitching prospects in each of his first three pro seasons in the Detroit system. Turner was dealt to the Miami Marlins in 2012 as a part of a deal that sent Anibal Sanchez to Detroit.

When Correa’s name was called as the top pick in the 2012 draft, he became the highest-selected high schooler out of Puerto Rico ever selected. He immediately made good on the decision, hitting over .320 in each of his first two full professional seasons as a teenager. Correa spent both seasons as a consensus top 10 prospect, a status he more than justified upon reaching the majors at age 20. Correa would hit 22 home runs as a rookie in 99 games, helping the Astros to a postseason berth and receiving AL Rookie of the Year honors.

While Hosmer was one of the many prized prospects for the Royals during the early part of the decade, none carried more buzz upon arrival than he did. The third overall pick in the 2008 draft, Hosmer received a $6 million signing bonus, the largest such sum in Royals history. Ultimately his minor league tenure was a short one, as he reached Kansas City as a 21-year-old after hitting .354 over his final two MiLB seasons. Hosmer would go on to play an essential part in the Royals rebuild and eventual 2015 World Series title.

Trout enjoyed a prodigious rise from being the second Angels first round selection in 2009 to being one of the most dominant prospects in the game the following year. Trout put the entire sport on notice upon arrival, hitting .352 as a 17-year-old. The following season he put on the type of tour de force performance that has become routine, hitting .341 with 10 home runs in addition to 56 stolen bases and 106 runs scored a year later. By that time, Trout had affirmed himself as a consensus top three prospect across the sport and reached the majors after hitting .406 at Triple-A in 2012. And the rest, as they say, is history (in the making).

Following a 2014 season of hitting .349 with 50 doubles and 20 home runs, Seager ascended to elite prospect status, becoming the consensus top prospect in the game by 2015. Upon making his MLB debut later in the year, he hit .337 over his first month and made the Dodgers as Opening Day shortstop in 2016. He would win NL Rookie of the Year that season, hitting .308 with 26 home runs over 157 games. He joined Mike Piazza, Dusty Baker and Albert Pujols as the fourth rookie in the divisional era to finish in his league’s top 10 in OPS and batting average.

Fernandez jumped from the Single-A level to the majors in 2013, after going 14-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 134 innings as a 19-year-old. Opening the year as the fifth overall prospect in the game, according to Baseball America, Fernandez’s stuff made a seamless transition to the highest level, as he went 12-6 with a 2.18 ERA while holding opponents to a .182 average against. Overall, Fernandez averaged 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings and won .691 percent of his starts before his tragic death in September of 2016.

The organization’s longest-tenured top prospect was Peralta, who once profiled to follow in the high-strikeout total footsteps of Yovani Gallardo. Despite the high-octane fastball that made him a top 100 prospect in 2012 and 2013, he never learned to harness it, struggling with his control throughout his tenure in Milwaukee. Peralta produced a 47-52 record over six seasons with the club before hitting free agency in 2017.

Buxton joined the Twins as the second pick in the 2012 draft and subsequently spent three years counted among Baseball America's and Baseball Prospectus’ top two prospects in 2014-16. Following a 2013 season where he stole 55 bases, scored 109 runs and hit .334 with 49 extra base hits, Buxton was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. His MLB career has been up and down so far, but he did win a Gold Glove Award in 2017 and completed 33 straight stolen bases between 2018 and 2019.

Syndergaard arrived in New York as a part of a rich prospect package from the Toronto Blue Jays, in exchange for defending Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. Upon arrival, Syndergaard immediately became the standout portion of the deal, unleashing his signature fastball to devastating results. The man who would come to be known as "Thor" rang up 317 strikeouts in 282.2 innings as a Mets farmhand and became a top 10 prospect in the game. His MLB debut season in 2015 was just as impressive, winning nine games and averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings over 24 starts.

During his rise through the Yankees system, Montero was heralded as the next elite offensive catching presence. After receiving a $1.6 million signing bonus as a 17-year-old amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2017, he became a consensus top 10 prospect over by 2010. He hit 39 home runs over two Triple-A seasons as a 19 and 20-year-old, then followed it up by hitting .328 during a call up to the Majors. The Yankees ultimately traded Montero to the Seattle Mariners before the 2012 season, where he only topped 100 games played once.

Russell proved to be a fast riser through the A’s system after being selected with the 11^th pick in the 2012 draft out of Pace High School in Florida. Just two years later he was a consensus top five prospect in the game, showcasing a rare blend of speed and power for shortstop. Surprisingly, in a rare "win-now" move, Russell was traded to the Chicago Cubs as a part of a deal that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland in July 2014. Russell would go on to become an All-Star two years later and a major contributor to the Cubs' World Series win in 2016.

Crawford was long heralded in Philadelphia as the one who would carry on the shortstop torch after Jimmy Rollins, spending nearly his entire minor league career as the organization’s top prospect. A fantastic blend of defensive skill, speed and contact, Crawford was annually mentioned among the top prospects in the game during his first four years in the Phillies system. His bat, however, never adapted well to the upper levels of the minors, nor did it carry over the majors. Crawford hit .214 over parts of two years with the Phillies before being traded away to Seattle before the 2019 season.

Of the many promising pitching talents the Pirates have developed over the past decade, none carried the weight upon arrival — and delivered on that promise — to the extent that Cole did. After being taken with the top overall pick in the 2011 draft, he proved to be the exact type of quick study the club needed. By the following year, Cole had reached Triple-A Indianapolis, where he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning over the next two seasons. His quick ascent peaked when he joined the Pirates in June of 2013, where he would win 59 games over five years in Pittsburgh and become an All-Star in 2015.

After signing with the Padres as a 17-year-old in 2016, Tatis immediately showed a dazzling skill set that was enhanced with an approach that was beyond his years. Despite being, on average, four years younger than his competition, Tatis hit 22 home runs between the Single- and Double-A levels as an 18-year-old. This performance stamped him as a no-doubt top five prospect, a status he confirmed yet again with 16 home runs, 16 stolen bases and 77 runs scored in 88 games as a 19-year-old. The Padres could no longer deny the talent of Tatis by this spring, making him the youngest Opening Day starter in the last 20 years.

It seems as if Posey has been the backbone of the Giants forever, but in the early days of the decade he was just cutting his teeth as a major leaguer. After winning the Golden Spikes Award as top collegiate player in 2008, Posey was selected fifth overall by the Giants and made a fast rise through the system. In his final minor league season, in 2010, Posey hit .349 over 47 games. He would be promoted to the Giants in late May and never looked back, hitting .305, winning NL Rookie of the Year and winning the first of his three World Series titles.

Walker was selected with the 48^th pick in the first round of the 2010 draft and quickly became one of the preeminent strikeout pitchers in all of the minor leagues. Walker averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings during his rise through the Seattle system, reaching the majors by 2013 as a 20-year-old. Walker became a full-time major leaguer by 2015, going 11-8 with a 4.56 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of a deal that sent Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger to the Mariners.

Taveras signed with the Cardinals as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, drawing comparisons to Vladimir Guerrero along the way. He hit .386 as a 19-year-old at the Single-A level, catapulting himself into an elite prospect. Following an encore season at Double-A Springfield, where Taveras hit .321 with 23 home runs, 94 RBI and 37 doubles, the buzz for his arrival in St. Louis was electric. He joined the Cardinals in 2014, homering in his second at-bat. Tragically, Taveras' career never had a chance to get off the ground, as he was killed in an auto accident in the winter following his rookie year.

As a farmhand in the Tampa Bay system, Moore rose from being an eighth-round pick in 2007 to the top prospect in the game by 2012. He owned a 2.55 ERA over five minor league seasons, including a pair of sub-2.00 seasons and two 200 strikeout seasons. Moore reached the majors by September of 2011 and was an All-Star by 2013, going 17-4 with 143 strikeouts. Unfortunately he was derailed by Tommy John surgery in 2014, an injury he has struggled to fully bounce back from, producing a 5.13 ERA since 2015.

Few prospects have boasted the naturally ability that Profar did during his rise through the Rangers system. Always playing well above his age group as a pro, Profar reached the Double-A level by 19 and was simultaneously named the top prospect in the game. He was the youngest player in the majors when he reached Texas in September 2013 and was in position to be the team’s full-time second baseman the following year. However, a spring shoulder injury cost him all of 2014, the first in a string of injuries that cost him nearly two full seasons. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics ahead of 2019.

Blessed with abilities that rival — and perhaps supersede — those of his Hall of Fame namesake, the Vlad Jr. has created an unparalleled hype with his awe-inspiring ability at the plate. Guerrero hit .323 as an 18-year-old, including some highlight-reel-worthy blasts. The following year he cemented his place as the consensus top prospect in the game, hitting over .400 for much of the summer while rising through four levels of the minors. Guerrero finally made his well-overdue arrival in Toronto in May, notching his first multihomer game two weeks later.

Since the age of 16 — two years before he was drafted — Harper has been under as bright of a spotlight as any player. The most-hyped prospect in the history of the game, Harper was the consensus choice for top pick in the 2011 draft, a selection that he more than justified with his skills. Harper hit .343 in the Arizona Fall League as a 17-year-old and .399 in his first spring training at 18, then hit 24 home runs in his only full minor league season. Ultimately Harper’s minor league days expired before his teenage years did, as he reached the majors at 19 and became the second-youngest Rookie of the Year winner in MLB history.