Cooper Pratt Pratt has moved into the #1 spot for me. He's succeeding at AA (and looked good in MLB ST) and has all the defensive tools to stick at a premium position (SS). While the slash line at Biloxi doesn't exactly scream 'superstar' the sub-10% K-rate combined with his .440 SLG and .173 ISO tell me that he's managed to tap into more power against better pitching while actually improving his plate discipline. That's incredibly meaningful for a player at his age. Reminds me a lot of JJ Hardy right now. Braylon Payne Payne is more raw than L. Pena and J. Made, but I'm more confident in his tools as 70-speed guys aren't supposed to be hitting the ball 110 mph at Payne's age. He's still a work in progress defensively, but should be fine eventually in CF. I just see such a high ceiling on Payne right now and think that moves him ahead of several other talented players. Jesus Made This #3 ranking on Made might seem a bit harsh, given his age, national helium and success so far in Carolina. But I just like Pratt and Payne a little bit more at this point. I actually think all of these guys have top-15 overall type ceilings, so this is not a knock. I question Made's ability to stick at SS long-term more than Pratt and Payne. But a switch-hitting player with Made's offensive ceiling at 2B/3B is still a really, really good prospect.Jacob Misiorowski There's still a lot of reliever risk with Miz, but he's far and away the best arm talent in the organization. There's just a lot of variable outcomes for him depending on what role he fills. If the command he's shown in early 2025 is legit, he might end up being the most impactful player on this list. But if he ends up as a high leverage reliever, he can still be good. Just not in as valuable of a role. Jeferson Quero Quero is hard to rank because we haven't seen him play much since spring training of 2024. Is he going to be the player we saw prior to the shoulder injury? Or has the combination of the injury and the missed time diminished his overall ability? Really tough to tell at this point. I'll leave him at #5 since he's a catcher and still pretty young. But he's a big question mark. Luis Pena After Pena, I think this list drops off a bit in terms of high ceiling players. But it's worth noting how talented this group is that a guy like Pena comes in at #6. He honestly could be #1 in the system by year's end and has already had a very nice showing at Carolina. But, I'm even less confident Pena will play SS in the majors and I think he doesn't have as loud of tools as Payne and Made. But the plate discipline and overall package is still very good here. Marco Dinges This ranking is 100% contingent on Dinges being able to play catcher down the road, but his bat already looks advanced for A ball and his athleticism makes him a really intriguing piece if he can stick behind the plate. There might be a bit of recency bias in picking him this high, but I love the offensive upside here and at Catcher, you can live with more of a 3TO approach - although he hasn't whiffed much as a professional yet. Eric Bitonti I like Bitonti a lot, but he's sliding down this list a little bit. Mostly due to the quality of players who have come into the organization recently, but also because he now looks like a 1B prospect instead of 3B or even corner OF. He probably has the best power ceiling in the org. But he's very susceptible to breaking pitches in the zone and the swing and miss concerns he's showing in Carolina after ~200 PAs at the level is a red flag. Craig Yoho Yoho, to me looks like an immediate impact high leverage reliever for a team that relies on their bullpen to overperform. That gives him enough projected value to slot into this team's top-10. The change-up and slider/sweeper are devastating pitches and the sinker is good enough to set up both of those offerings. Won't be shocked to see Yoho make an All Star game or two in his career. Brock Wilken A bit of a forgotten man in the Brewers farm system, but I still see enough there to give him a #10 ranking. After a brutal season that was a real struggle after getting HBP'd in the face and having vision problems, Wilken is back at AA and looking... okay. He's got an extremely passive approach that is delivering a high OBP, but he's also taking a lot of pitches a player like him should be trying to drive somewhere. Not writing him off, but he needs to start hitting the ball again. Carlos F Rodriguez I'm guessing I'm higher on CRod than most, but I think he's got a usable pitch mix and he got thrust into MLB action way before he was ready last year. So far looks really good at AAA and whiff and K rates are up. I think he'll contribute as a back end SP as early as next year. Logan Henderson Despite his awesome MLB debut, I'm still wary of the significant RP risk of Henderson who really only has two pitches at this point. He was able to make that work against an A's lineup that was pretty aggressive, but more veteran teams will make him pay for not having a viable third pitch. Caleb Durbin I like Durbin a lot, but his ceiling seems pretty limited. There's a lot to like in his swing decisions and baserunning ability. But I don't see him ever being a great hitter or an elite defender at 3B. He can be a grinder, which is a great utility IF profile. Brailyn Antunez Going straight upside with Antunez here. He could move up a lot by the end of this season, too. He's a big strong kid for his age and I think the power will translate. Just going to have to avoid the Ks. Tyler Black This is a precipitous slide for Black, but he's injured again and still doesn't have a defensive home. He's running out of time to make an impact with this organization and the fact he couldn't beat out Jake Bauers as the LHH 1B option for a second year in a row is very concerning. Mike Boeve Another injured player who is tough to evaluate. But I like Boeve's defensive chops and bat to ball skills a bit better than Black at this point. Unfortunately, I think he's a 1B only type guy in a system that suddenly has a lot of them (Black, EMJ, Burke). Bryce Meccage Has looked really good in Carolina so far and I think he'll move through the system quickly. Probably the second best arm talent in the org after Miz. Robert Gasser Considered not ranking Gasser because of his age and injury status, but he's probably deserving of a mention. He's really not a prospect anymore, but qualifies technically due to getting hurt after graduating last year. A bit nervous about any loss of velocity from his TJ surgery as he really couldn't afford to lose anymore. But still think he's a pitchable lefty in MLB as a #4 or #5 SP. Josh Adamczewski Love what he's doing in Carolina with the bat, but his defensive limitations (2B-only) make me nervous about his eventual path to MLB with Milwaukee. With the likes of Turang, Pratt, Made, Pena, etc in the mix for middle IF spots, I just don't know how Adamczewski is going to make it unless his power takes a big jump and he's suddenly an elite offensive profile at 2B. Kenny Fenelon
