There has never been a time in MLB history where there are more young, up-and-coming players throughout almost every farm system that project to someday make it to the majors than now. You could argue that the last few seasons have offered that to an extent, but with more teams focused on building up their farm systems and giving young players the opportunity to play on an everyday basis, prospects have never been more exciting to watch.
With that being said, as with anything in the game of baseball, sometimes a team ends up drafting a prospect, who projects to be an MLB star someday, and that prospect ends up not panning out and turns into a dud. On the other hand, usually when a top prospect is drafted and signed, they come with a ton of potential and end up panning out to be exactly what scouts saw early on in the process. That is why it is critical for every MLB team to have sound drafting and scouting measures in place in an effort to not only make their organization strong, but to also set their organization up for sustainable, long-term success.
Since the game is so loaded with exciting prospects right now and with teams concentrating more on building up their farm systems, there is a plethora of different prospects that you could discuss, but here are a few that are ranked in the Top 10, according to MLB Pipeline, and their estimated time of arrival based on certain projections.
1. Ronald Acuna (Braves) - ETA: July 2018 - Acuna is easily the best prospect in baseball right now, besides Sohei Ohtani, who signed with the Angels from Japan earlier this offseason. Since Ohtani didn't come up with an MLB team, Acuna is next up on the list and someone who is not only highly touted, but a player that every Braves fan is excited to watch flourish at the big league level. Acuna finished last season in Triple A with the Gwinnett Braves hitting: .344/.393/.548 in 243 plate appearances. Not only is Acuna an excellent hitter, who has seen his strikeout rate decrease with each minor league promotion, he also presents a threat on the base paths. Mix together speed and the range that he can cover in the outfield and you have one of the games up-and-coming elite outfielders. To illustrate the point about how much speed Acuna has, one must look no further than the 74 stolen bases that he's raked up over three seasons in the minors.
Look for Acuna to make his presence known during the first half of the season down in Triple A before receiving a major league callup right around the middle-to-latter part of July. Depending on if the Braves end up signing a free agent, such as Eduardo Nunez to act a bridge at third base, Atlanta could always look to move that player at the deadline to a contender to clear a roster spot for Acuna. Either way, it would be a shock to see him on the Opening Day roster right out of camp since he likely needs more grooming down in Triple A, but he will no doubt make some sort of impact on the big league club before the end of the season.
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) - ETA: April 2019 - After Acuna, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is yet another exciting young prospect that will be fun to watch flourish. Considering that Guerrero Jr., finished last season in A-Ball, Blue Jays fans will need to wait a little longer before they see him with the big league club, but that is absolutely no knock to the power or level of potential that he possesses. Over the past two seasons in the minor leagues through 803 plate appearances, Guerrero Jr. hit: .305/.402/.473 with 205 hits, 21 home runs, 122 RBI, 23 stolen bases, 109 walks, and 97 strikeouts. For a prospect to only have 97 strikeouts in that span is quite impressive in and of itself. Many scouts note that Guerrero Jr. thrives when it comes to having a tremendous amount of raw power and emphasize how superb his plate discipline is. After all, last season in A-Ball, Guerrero Jr. recorded 76 walks and 62 strikeouts and should only develop more discipline as he matures.
Taking into consideration the fact that Guerrero Jr. is only 18 years of age, it would seem that it would be another full season before he is able to take over as the Blue Jays full-time third baseman. Furthermore, another situation complicating the matter is the current Blue Jays third baseman, Josh Donaldson, who could either end up being a significant trade chip come the July 31st trade deadline or end up receiving an extension before hitting free agency after this season. Depending on what happens with Donaldson, could determine Guerrero Jr.'s ultimate fate, but Toronto doesn't seem inclined to include him in a trade package and disappoint their fans from seeing the next wave of young talent play at the Rogers Centre.
3. Eloy Jimenez (White Sox) - ETA: September 2018 - Jimenez, who is currently 21 years of age, was a significant part of the trade package that the White Sox received from their neighbors to the north, the Chicago Cubs, for Jose Quintana last July. Jimenez is the 4th best prospect in the league, according to MLB Pipeline, and really started to emerge during the 2016 season which was capped off with an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game in San Diego. One of the most exciting things about Jimenez is the fact that he draws comparisons from scouts to former Marlin turned Yankee outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton. The reason being is that Jimenez has an excellent ability to make adjustments to his hitting approach on a regular basis, is able to recognize a wide array of pitches, and is very strong for his age, according to scouting reports.
Ultimately, a September 2018 call-up looks like the best opportunity that Jimenez will have to make his official MLB debut and play with the White Sox big league club. That isn't to say he's not great or that he lacks the potential to turn into one of the game's biggest superstars, it's just the fact that Jimenez only recorded 73 plate appearances in Double A with the Birmingham Barons last season and still is in need of some grooming. When Spring Training rolls around next year, Jimenez could potentially have the chance to break camp with a 25-man roster spot, but that depends on the progress he makes this year and how healthy stays over that time.
4. Victor Robles (Nationals) - ETA: June 2018 - Robles, who is currently only 20 years of age, appeared in 13 games with the Nationals big league club at the end of last season. In that span, he hit: .250/.308/.458 over 27 plate appearances with 6 hits, 0 home runs, 4 RBI, 0 stolen bases, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Robles was later rewarded with a postseason roster spot after having tremendous success in Double A and being named an All-Star in the Carolina League last season. The best thing about Robles and his future is the fact that he is a true five tool player and one that any team in baseball would want on their roster. In addition, scouts note, that Robles has a tremendous amount of range in the outfield, possesses great instincts on the base paths, and has top of the line arm strength when he throws the ball from the outfield. In fact, that is one of the things that stood out about him down in the minors and earned him the recognition that he has earned.
While Robles did appear in 13 games last season, it still seems likely that he will spend some time at the beginning of this season down in Triple A before earning a full-time promotion to the big league club. The Nationals project to have an Opening Day outfield made up of Adam Eaton in left, Michael Taylor in center, and Bryce Harper over in right with Brian Goodwin serving as the team's fourth outfielder. Depending on how Goodwin does to start the season, could mean that Robles ends up getting a call-up sooner, but June would allow Robles to get two full months of work in down in Triple A and continue to work on being the superstar that all of baseball knows he can be.
5. Nick Senzel (Cincinnati Reds) - ETA: July 2018 - Senzel, who is the 8th best prospect in the game right now based on rankings from MLB Pipeline, is an integral part of the Cincinnati Red's future and should play a significant part in the success of the team moving towards the future. Senzel originally made a name for himself when he was recognized as the best pure hitter featured in the 2016 Draft Class and had a tremendous level of success last season in High-A Ball and Double A. He finished last season with a .514 slugging percentage over 507 plate appearances and recorded 14 stolen bases along with 14 home runs and 65 RBI over that span as well. Scouts note that Senzel is a tremendous right-handed power bat and continually compliment him on his ability to draw a walk when its needed the most. Defensively, he has the ability to make critical plays at the hot corner, but could see playing time at other positions moving forward ultimately turning him into a utility player that can play all over the infield.
It might be hard for Reds fans to hear that Senzel might not get called up to the big league club until around the midway point of this coming season, but that seems to be the reality. Right now, Cincinnati has Scooter Gennett pegged as their Opening Day second baseman with Jose Peraza at shortstop and Eugenio Suarez over at third. Both Peraza and Suarez look to be an important part of the future Reds core meaning that Gennett could end up being the odd man come the July 31st trade deadline or even sooner than that. If the Reds elect to move Gennett come July, that would ultimately move Jose Peraza to second base on a full-time basis with Eugenio Suarez and Nick Senzel either at shortstop or third base. Either way, Senzel has a tremendous bat and will be called up sooner than later, its just a matter of clearing a roster spot for him.
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