His injuries reduced the sample size, but Merrills contact metrics from the regular season are incredible. There was a stretch as an amateur when Frelick was viewed as a potential second baseman, an experiment that didnt really go anywhere. He was a known bat-first prospect from California but time off recovering from a shoulder surgery and the pandemic made him tough to properly evaluate before the draft, tough enough that he was not generally seen as a first round prospect. Any discussion of Walker begins with his exit velocities, which are nearly unheard of for a player this young. In 2023, Dugas is off to a good start, slugging two last week along with a .700 average. This is an attempt to graphically represent how likely each FV outcome is for each prospect. Even though both Davis and Rodriguez are near-ready catching prospects, they arent redundant, and in fact they complement each other well. Mauricios measurable power is already plus (45% hard-hit rate, 114 mph max exit velo), and at a strapping 6-foot-4 or so, he might still grow into more. Flores velocity tapered off some in 2022 but he threw more strikes than expected, enough to now project as a starter. Except Ortiz hit 19 homers and had 60 total extra-base hits in the upper-minors last year, and while he doesnt project to produce that kind of power against big league stuff, its enough damage to project Ortizs offense above the median bar at shortstop. The extreme shift in his strikeout and walk rates from 2021 to 2022 has as much to do with the change in Chourios style of swinging as it does the quality of opposing pitchers stuff. M.J. Melendezs 2019 and Bo Naylors 2020 are recent examples of otherwise good-hitting catchers who had a terrible offensive season in the mid-minors followed by an immediate and significant rebound the following year. Over the course of two years worth of showcase play tracked by Synergy Sports, amounting to roughly 250 swings on tape, Jones never pulled a ball to the left of the left-center field gap, and all but about a dozen of his airborne balls in play were to right field. He has a mid-80s cutter/slider that doesnt often have vertical depth, but it does have great length for how hard it is. If he can throw strikes in Allentown, hell likely crack the Phillies bullpen in 2023, and he has closer ceiling if he can throw strikes consistently. Miller has always held his velo deep into games despite a violent delivery, and his slider and changeup are both above-average, rounding out a starters mix in a weird mechanical package. Still, the quality of Martes contact, as much as he might make, is not consistent or authoritative, and this was true in the regular season when he looked twitchier and looser than he did in the fall. He debuted with Boston late in the season and flashed the titanic power that promises to make him a valuable big league regular, while also running the high walk and strikeout rates that readers should expect from him going forward. While hes been uniformly dominant in the minors, Prezs stuff hit a different gear in 2022 and he rose to being our no. Endy had an incredible 2022 statline .323/.407/.590 most of which was generated at hitter-friendly Greensboro. Old Dominion; 50. LHP Nicolas Lopez Lopez was dominant out of the bullpen, picking up the slack for some lackluster outings from Cardinal starters. Jung had a rough 2022 that were chalking up to injury-related rust rather than severe skill regression. Lesko looked like he had two plus pitches on board as a high schooler. Miller has huge stuff and has been hurt a lot. He still hits the ball really hard for a player his age and looks the part in the uniform, but theres growing risk here, enough to reposition Lucianos FV into this tier. The SEC also occupies each of the top four spots in the rankings for the second time in a row, although the order of that top four has shuffled a bit since our 2019 update. Jones had surgery, missed the back half of the summer and instructs, and only began hitting again in January. While Flores didnt throw quite that hard throughout 2022, he did a lot to prove that despite a relatively violent delivery, he can throw strikes and work efficiently enough to be a starter. He has been a hot knife slicing butter all the way through Double-A and shows little signs of stopping. Vanderbilt heads North this weekend to take on a trio of Big Ten opponents in the Cambria College Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. Heres the full conference-by-conference breakdown: ACC (12 of 14 teams landed in the Top 100), Pac-12 (8 of 11), Big Ten (8 of 13), Big 12 (7 of 9), Sun Belt (7 of 14), American (5 of 8), Big West (4 of 9), Conference USA (4 of 8). His speed makes him a defensive fit in center field but a lack of arm strength and the presence of young Alek Thomas in Arizona will likely push Carroll to left, where he might be the games best defender at that position. The Diamond Dogs (5-3) claimed their first win against a top-5 ranked opponent since 2004, sending the defending national champions home with their second loss of the season. The junior righty went 5.2 innings, struck out four, and allowed two hits. He then spent all of 2022 at Double-A and punched out 33.1%, while trimming his walk rate down to just 7.5%. He spent most of the rest of the year rehabbing in Arizona, often attending Diamondbacks games in his sling. His swing, however, works in such a way that his contact quality tends to be highly variable, his bat path really only enables him to work middle-away with any authority, he gets jammed a bunch, and he doesnt seem to be able to go down to scoop or spoil pitches that finish down-and-in. Ideally, hell have a four- and two-seam variant at peak and be able to work both north/south and east/west with his fastball, but as of 2022, his fastball command was still quite crude. Copyright 2023 Baseball America Enterprises. Fifteen teams entered the Top 100 after being unranked in 2019. He did show some swing-and-miss vulnerability at the top of the strike zone throughout 2022, but seemed to be remedying that toward the end of the season. 1 Ole Miss, outscoring the Rebels 26-7. Its no surprise, then, that his introduction to pro ball came with a reduced workload, which Graceffo combined with a clear commitment to hitting the gym, resulting in an immediate velocity increase across his repertoire. Diaz has plus, all-fields power and covers the outer third of the plate especially well. Auburns biggest concern coming out of the weekend is the status of righthander Joseph Gonzalez, who was held out due to shoulder tightness. His fastball has done a ton of damage at the top of the zone and is a legit plus-plus pitch. Vargas doesnt have the sort of projectable, statuesque frame typical of a hitter in his early 20s, and despite the relevant changes to his swing, he still isnt an especially electric athlete and the cement appears quite dry on his physique, so theres not much reason to project on his raw power going forward. These two pitches are Bradleys most-used weapons by a wide margin, as his splitter and curveball are both used 6-7% of the time. Yes, hes reached Triple-A, but this is a 21-year-old were talking about here. When you bounce his skill set off of those of recent top high school prospects, Bleis compares favorably. Amador is one of those short-levered switch hitters who is so short to the ball that he gets an extra beat to diagnose pitches before he has to commit to swinging, and he takes advantage of this. Look under the hood and there is cause for concern. Teams 1-5Teams 6-10Teams 11-20Teams 21-30Teams 31-40Teams 41-50Teams 51-60Teams 61-70Teams 71-80Teams 81-90Teams 91-100, D1Baseball Top 100 Programs: 2022 The bat is Steers carrying tool and has been since his days at Oregon. A skilled but impatient hitter who can really pick it, Tovar is poised to be the Rockies everyday shortstop and probably will be for a while. The components of Hernandezs swing push and pull against one another, as his cut is pretty long but he also has very advanced barrel control. While his ball/strike recognition isnt good, Tovar is otherwise an advanced hitter. It looked like he would continue his dominant performance at the higher level. Increasingly, Amadors choppers and grounders are peppered with feel for pull-side loft, when appropriate. He was coming off a putrid 2021 in which he hit just .188, the first severe offensive struggles of a career that, to that point, had been all about offensive performance. Theres definitely relief risk here for that reason and because it may take two seasons to put Eder in a position to work an entire load of starters innings at the big league level. Cross was fairly unknown going into the 2021 season, but that changed quickly once he established himself as one of the best hitters in the country on the way to putting up a .345/.415/.621 slash line. 100SEMO StateOVC1MO2N/ANRNRNR, FILED UNDER Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Cal State Fullerton, California, Campbell, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Columbia, Connecticut, Creighton, Dallas Baptist, Duke, East Carolina, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Indiana State, Iowa, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Long Beach State, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, McNeese, Mercer, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Missouri State, NC State, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Oral Roberts, Oregon, Oregon State, Rice, Sacramento State, Sam Houston State, Samford, San Diego, San Diego State, South Alabama, South Carolina, South Florida, Southeast Missouri State, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern California, Southern Miss, St. John's, Stanford, Stetson, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UCF, UCLA, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Vanderbilt, VCU, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Wright State, This category can only be viewed by members. 2022 was the first season where Soderstroms time at first base surpassed his time behind the dish. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He started the season at High-A, advancing to Double-A in late May, where his strikeout rate increased slightly, but not at all to a concerning degree. Thats a decrease of four teams for California since 2019, and an increase of one team for Texas. Arizona State; 44. Kurtz was unstoppable, hitting four homers and driving in 11, along with a video-game-like 1.267 slugging percentage. Teams 11-20 Only 37 of the 112 ranked players here are pitchers. Originally a high-profile Yankees amateur signee, the pandemic and a hamstring injury limited Alcantara to just nine stateside minor league games before he was traded to the Cubs for Anthony Rizzo in 2021. RHP Ryan Hawks Hawks returns to Louisville for his senior season and figures to be a big part of the starting rotation. Caminero is much bigger than his team-listed height and weight, and is very likely a third base-only fit, though the Rays continue to give him some middle infield reps. 14North CarolinaACC3NC1-1131210 RHP Seth Keener Keener got the nod on opening day, lasting five innings and striking out eight without allowing a run. As Jackson worked out on one field and minor leaguers played and took BP on the quads other three diamonds, he stood apart from the rest in virtually every way. The Commodores rotation of lefthanders Carter Holton, Hunter Owens and Devin Futtrell did not allow a run in 15.1 innings against the Bruins. His fastball has sufficient action that it still plays at 92-93, and it pairs nicely with his curveball, which is a traditional power pitchers yakker in the upper 70s. One of the best high school prospects to make it to a college campus last season, Parada didnt disappoint in year one for Georgia Tech. He actually looks more comfortable and accurate making max-effort throws from deep in the hole than he does when moving toward the first base line. RHP Karson Ligon Ligon put up a solid freshman year for Miami, and while he doesnt strike many out, he doesnt want a ton either. The Tigers did their homework and signed him for an over-slot bonus in the fifth round, where many teams had written him off as unsignable. 2022 Top 100 College Baseball Programs: Top Five Analysis D1 Baseball Staff - October 3, 2022 In the fall of 2015, we presented our inaugural Top 100 Programs rankings, which we described as an attempt to asses the overall health of each program in the current era. Though he doesnt throw the pitch a ton, his changeup feel is also very good and currently more consistent than his feel for his new slider, though we expect that will come. Hes now a bounce back prospect. He can shorten up and punish inner-third velocity from the left side like few other hitters in the 2022 draft could, and he rarely expands the zone. He has very little experience at second and looked okay making routine plays there during the few reps he got in 2022, but its tough to project him there full-time based on how his range, hands, and actions look at third. Hes coming off another terrific offensive year, slashing .257/.336/.420 as a 21-year-old at Akron with about a month of Columbus thrown in, and setting a career-high in homers (18) for the second straight season. Sophomore righthander Jackson Baumeister on Friday set the tone for the Seminoles, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, while allowing just one hit. 1, Florida State surges into D1Baseball's top 25 after Week 2, 2023 Round Rock Baseball Classic: Schedule, how to watch LSU, Iowa, K-State, Sam Houston, First No. Scouts like Priester, pitch data does not. Having made noticeable adjustments to his swing, including a lower load and a more compact back elbow, the center fielder has proven capable of tapping into in-game power previously missing from his offensive profile. Even as he has become more and more muscular entering his 20s, he has maintained a freaky level of flexibility, which he attained by stretching four times per day. His propensity to chase and lunge at pitches nowhere close to the zone led to a 38% K% during his September call-up. Hes still likely to get to enough power and play good enough defense to be an impact regular for Arizona. Even with the back issue, the Giants put Luciano on their 40-man roster during the winter. Teams 6-10 Increased changeup emphasis, which was already evident during Williams first instructs, has occurred in pro ball, and while Williams meal ticket is still his mid-90s fastball, which he rips past hitters at the letters, he has three viable weapons right now and might have a fourth as his changeup develops. Hence was picked up in the shortened 2020 draft, one of the youngest players taken that year, and in 2021 threw just eight innings on the complex, virtually all in relief. His hands work with natural lift, but Busch keeps their path short and on time, and he can move the barrel all over the zone. He does show an ability to move the barrel around and sizzle the baseball somewhere, often with tremendous force behind it. The swing changes that helped enable his breakout created a bat path built to lift the ball to the extreme, and Volpes average launch angle was a whopping 24 degrees last year. Hes an okay receiver and framer, catching on one knee with the bases empty, utilizing a traditional crouch with two strikes and with runners on base. Bleis has all-world bat speed and rare rotational athleticism. His desert lethargy was understandable, but its still the most recent thing the industry has seen. Whitaker went for both length and quality against Wagner, lasting seven innings and not allowing a run, striking out three. Miller will occasionally show you good secondary stuff. Previous ranking: No. After operating below the radar going into 2021, Beavers now has to be considered among the best bats on the West Coast after he hit .303/.401/.630 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs last season. Top NAIA Baseball Schools. But the meal ticket here is still Ramos hit and power combination. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. The closest contemporary statistical predecessors and tool-based comps to make for De La Cruz are Willy Adames (a 29% K% hitter who has performed like a 60 because he gets to his power and plays great defense) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (27.6% K%). But his stuff, body projection and age (even after a year of JUCO ball, he was still just 18 when he was drafted in 2021), were enough for Toronto to pick him up in the third round. Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 8:37 AM ET, Park Factors
His aggressive approach resulted in his walk rate dipping at High-A, while his strikeout rate inflated a bit typical advancement-related growing pains but he still managed to slug .498 and swipe 19 bags at the higher level. He boasted one of the lowest walk rates (5.1%) among minor leaguers who notched at least 130 innings in 2022 and looks poised for a starter role in the near future. Hes a good hitter who will stabilize an infield spot in Cincinnati for the next half decade or so. Texas Tech faces stiffer competition this week, starting with a midweek series against Air Force and then a trip to Houston for the Shriners College Classic, highlighted by a Sunday showdown with Texas A&M. Messick was quietly dominant in 2021, going 8-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 90 innings, and hell go into 2022 with a chance to end the season as the best starting pitcher in the country. It has been tough to truly find out even though Jung is now 25 and has set foot in the big leagues. During that stretch, he was also swinging and missing within the strike zone a ton. Rodriguezs changeup, which falls through a trap door just as it approaches the plate, is among the best secondary pitches in the minors, garnering a 42% chase and whiff rate in 2022. Redshirt junior shortstop Owen Cobb went 8-for-13 in the series and is now hitting .500/.531/.767 in his first season as a starter. Perazas true carrying tool is his shortstop defense. Subscribe to get the best baseball coverage. The Marlins made him the sixth overall pick. Wiemer is a power/speed freak who might bust or be a power-hitting anomaly. Perhaps of real concern was Nelsons velocity, which has fluctuated a few times during his career and was down for most of 2022. His changeup is only fair right now, and his command still comes and goes, and even though he didnt walk nearly as many hitters in 2021 as he did in college, there was still relief risk here even before his elbow blew out. Make no mistake, Brown does not suddenly have Verlanders command. 18 Last Week: 2-2 Overall: 5-2, 0-0 in Sun Belt (0-0 vs. Top 25) Weekend Record: 1-1 Results Feb. 21: New Orleans: W 12-0 Feb. 24-26: Illinois: L 13-5, W 14-13 (11), L 9-4 Upcoming Feb. 28: vs. Mississippi State (Pearl, Miss.) CFN 2023 Rankings: After Week 17 51-68 | 26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10 - AP | Coaches | NCAA Tournament Bracket Projections Contact @ColFootballNews. He threw his heavy, low-spin curveball with greater frequency and relied on it more as an out pitch. But his geographic and two-sport background Montgomery was a high-level hooper in high school were arguably late-bloomer traits. Quero is a switch-hitting catcher who only had 39 professional games under his belt coming into 2022, the majority of which were played on the complex the previous year. His mid-80s slider was his go-to secondary, but his command was spotty throughout the season, to the tune of a 5.44 BB/9 over the course of his 92.2 innings. The Big East, MAC, SoCon and Southland placed three teams apiece on the list. This is a little odd, but it might be remedied with an unobtrusive mechanical tweak. His open batting stance and deep pre-stride crouch are much more extreme than they were last year, and this change might have enabled him to see the ball better (similar to the way opening his stance helped unlock peak D-backs Luis Gonzalez) and improve his bat-to-ball ability enough for all of his modest power to play, especially in the Cal League. A draft-eligible sophomore in 2022 and a career .360/.450/.655 hitter, his numbers improved in his sophomore year even though he faced SEC pitching, and he was considered one of the more bankable prospects in the 2023 draft despite lacking a true defensive home.
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