March, 2019

2019 BDBL Farm Report

Welcome to the 20th annual BDBL Farm Report! (Note: we didn't have a Farm Report in our first season because we barely had farm clubs.) Most of you know the drill by now. For the newbies, here's how this works. I have collected the top-100 prospect lists from a "panel of experts." This year, that panel includes Baseball America, Fangraphs, and MLB.com. I assign 100 points to the top prospect on each list, 99 to the second, and so on, down to 1 point for #100. I then add all the points together, assign all prospects to their BDBL franchises, and arrive at this nifty chart below:

#1 Myrtle Beach Hitmen
Ranked prospects: Forrest Whitley (4), Jo Adell (11), MacKenzie Gore (19), Carter Kieboom (25), Joey Bart (28), Alec Bohm (62)
Unranked prospects: Kevin Alcantara, J.J. Bleday, Rece Hinds, Grant Lavigne, Mickey Moniak, Kristian Robinson, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn, Chance Adams

This is the first time the Hitmen franchise has ever ranked #1 in this survey. It's also the third year in a row they have ranked among the top ten. What is most impressive about this feat is that Whitley and Kieboom are the only two ranked players that were inherited by the Gill brothers two seasons ago. All of the others have been added since December of 2016. Whitley has pitched only 137 innings in three pro seasons thanks to a variety of injuries and a drug suspension. When he has pitched, he has looked like a future Cy Young winner. He has averaged 13.3 K's per nine in his career, and has allowed only 112 hits (a little more than seven per nine.) Gore is basically a left-handed version of Whitley. He, too, was selected early in the first round of the MLB draft. He, too, has suffered a slew of injuries. He, too, carries a lofty (11.9) K's per nine rate. The difference is that Gore works with four "plus" pitches and has better command of them. Myrtle Beach could very well have a devastating left-right combo at the top of their rotation in the coming years.

Adell was ranked as high as #2 by Baseball Prospectus...but they weren't included in our panel of experts. He is a well-rounded athlete who grades above-average in nearly every scouting category. He owns a career .302/362/539 triple-slash line and played part of last season at the Double-A level at the tender age of 19. He could someday be joined in the Hitmen lineup by Kieboom, who projects as a bat-first shortstop. Bart ranks as the best catcher in baseball by MLB.com. Bohm's professional career got off to a slow start, but his college performance suggests he will become a powerful middle-of-the-lineup threat.

Myrtle Beach's farm club is littered with first-round MLB draft picks. Every single one of their ranked prospects was a first-round pick. Moniak was a #1 overall pick. Turang was a first-rounder a year ago. Vaughn will more than likely be selected early in the first round this year.

#2 Niagara Locks
Ranked prospects: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (1), Wander F'ing Franco (5), Victor Robles (6), Christian Pache (43), Jesus Sanchez (48), Ronaldo Hernandez (68), Luiz Gohara (91)
Unranked prospects: Wander Javier, Khalil Lee, Seuly Matias, Freudis Nova, Tirso Ornelas, Everson Pereira, Jeisson Rosario, Esteury Ruiz, Raimfer Salinas, Bobby Witt

The Locks have owned many top-five prospects through the years. In fact, they have owned a top-five prospect in each of the last seven! This is the first time, however, that Niagara has owned the #1 prospect in baseball. Guerrero was the consensus #1 prospect named by each of our panel of experts -- and with good reason. He is an absolute beast at the plate, hitting .330/.414/.529 in his career, and batting over .400 in his brief 60-game visit with my hometown Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He is joined in the top five by Wander F'ing Franco. And that's all I have to say about that. Robles gives Niagara three top-ten prospects, which is the first time that has happened since the St. Louis Apostles farm featured Lucas Giolito (#3), Alex Reyes (#8), and Joey Gallo (#9) in 2016. Let's hope Niagara's top three has better luck than those three!

Pache is a wheels-and-glove prospect who is still very raw. He has shown little power so far, and has a lot of work to do on his plate discipline, yet one of our experts (Fangraphs) thought so highly of him that he ranked among their top-20. Other than Witt, I honestly have no idea who any of those other unranked guys are. Ranney loves to play the International field, so I assume these are all 14-year-old Latin American kids. Some of them sound as though they could be extras in the Star Wars cantina scene. Tirso Ornelas? Freudis Nova? C'mon, man!

#3 Kansas Law Dogs
Ranked prospects: Royce Lewis (6), Jesus Luzardo (13), Taylor Trammell (17), Casey Mize (18), Sean Murphy (46), Jon Duplantier (83), Jose Suarez (103), Elehuris Montero (107), Mark Vientos (120)
Unranked prospects: Gabriel Arias, Michael Busch, Xavier Edwards, Edwin Rios, Jose Siri, Yoan Lopez, Cal Quantrill

This is the highest ranking ever for the Kansas franchise in the BDBL Farm Report. They have one person to thank for it. Maybe Scot Zook is trying to encroach on my official league-recognized Johnny Appleseed title. I can't think of any other reason why he would have traded five ranked prospects -- four of them in the top-20 -- to the Law Dogs, all in the same year. Yet, that is how Kansas ended up with Lewis, Luzardo, Trammell, Mize, and Duplaintier.

Lewis is a consensus top-10 prospect according to all three members of our panel. He looks like the complete package: plus bat, power, speed, and defense. Trammell ranked as high as #12 (FanGraphs) and as low as #33 (Baseball America.) He is a plus athlete who is still a little raw, but has enormous potential. Both Lewis and Trammell -- along with Quantrill -- were acquired in exchange for Dallas Keuchel last year. Duplantier and Luzardo (ranked #7 by BA) were added last year in exchange for Christian Yelich and Wilson Ramos. Mize came at the expense of J.A. Happ, Wei-Yin Chen, and Tyler Beede. The Kansas City Boulevards won 95 games last year, and earned a spot in the postseason, but boy did Zook pay a hefty price to get there!

The biggest surprise here is that Xavier Edwards wasn't ranked by any member of our panel. He ranked as the #4 prospect in both the Arizona and Northwest Leagues last year, and hit a combined .346/.453/.409 in 45 games at two levels in his first look at professional pitching. Expect him to leap up this ranking over the next year.

#4 Los Altos Undertakers
Ranked prospects: Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2), Bo Bichette (9), Kyle Tucker (10), Touki Toussaint (51), Dustin May (54), Josh James (79), Franklin Perez (102), Evan White (116)
Unranked prospects: Jake Burger, Tucupita Marcano, Seong-Beom Na, Shervyen Newton, D.J. Peters, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Tetsudo Yamada, Albert Abreu, Takahiro Norimoto

Only Jeff Paulson could win back-to-back BDBL championships, completely deplete his farm club, and completely rebuild that farm and restore it to the top-five in only one year. Unbelievable. Just two years ago, the Los Altos farm ranked #23 in this survey. They have now ranked #4 two years in a row. The club's two most prized possessions are sons of former Major League all-stars, Tatis and Bichette. Tatis was ranked among the top three by each member of our panel, and with good reason. He had no trouble whatsoever dominating the Double-A level last year as a 19-year-old. He is the total package: bat, glove, wheels, and bloodline. Bichette is a bat-first shortstop who will hit in the middle of the lineup wherever he ends up defensively. He was Los Altos' first-round pick in the 2017 farm draft. How does a team with the 24th pick in every round end up with a top-ten prospect like Bichette? Well, here are some of the picks made ahead of him in that draft: Kumar Rocker, Anthony Banda, Dillon Peters, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Chris Shaw.

Paulson pulled a page out of Steve Osbourne's old playbook by loading up on Japanese dudes in this year's draft. Norimoto is arguably the best pitcher in Japan -- at least, among those with any chance of hopping to the US before age 30. Yamada has been dubbed the "Mike Trout of Japan." 'Nuff said?

#5 St. Louis Apostles
Ranked prospects: Alex Reyes (31), A.J. Puk (32), Andres Gimenez (42), Jazz Chisholm (45), Luis Patino (49), Triston McKenzie (52)
Unranked prospects: Blaze Jordan, Kyle Lewis, Kyler Murray, Malcolm Nunez, Robert Puasson, Anderson Espinoza, Alec Hanson, Riley Pint

Believe it or not, this is the lowest ranking for the St. Louis franchise since the 2012 season. Reyes (#11 last year), Puk (#24), and McKenzie (#30) all fell in the ranking over the past year, and yet this team still ranks among the top five. They tie for the league lead with five players ranked among the top 50, led by Reyes, whose only issue seems to be staying on the field. Over the past three seasons, he has missed a significant amount of time with a drug suspension, Tommy John surgery, and a torn lat tendon. If he can ever stay healthy, he could be a star. Puk has had similiar difficulties, as he missed all of last season after undergoing his own TJ surgery.

Of the Apostles prospects who were actually healthy last season, Patino is the most impressive. He pitched the entire 2018 season at age 18 at the Low-A level, where he was ranked as the #10 prospect in the Midwest League. In 139+ career minor league innings, he owns a 2.20 ERA, 2.7 walks per nine, 10.0 K/9, and has only allowed three home runs. Expect him to quickly advance up this ranking over the next year. Another possible surger is Nunez, a Cuban native who posted some insane Nintendo numbers (.415/.497/.774, 13 HR in 44 G, 26/29 BB/K ratio) as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League.

#6 Akron Ryche
Ranked prospects: Keston Hiura (14), Mitch Keller (24), Austin Riley (29), Francisco Mejia (35), Bryse Wilson (77), Corbin Burnes (84), Colton Welker (125), Tristen Lutz (127)
Unranked prospects: Luis Gonzalez, Miguel Hiraldo, D'Shawn Knowles, Richie Martin, Deivi Garcia, Tyler Ivey, Dean Kremer, Tyler Phillips, Nick Sandlin, Jordan Yamamoto

Akron ranked #1 in this survey the past two years in a row, but dropped all the way to #6 after the graduation of Ronald "Not Meh" Acuna. Hiura rose from #34 to #14 over the past year, but Mejia (#10 last year) and Keller (#16) both fell. Shockingly, Hiura, Burnes, and Lutz are the only ranked prospects from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Hiura ranks as the top second base prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. He profiles as a middle-of-the-lineup hitter who can hit for both average and power. He should move quickly up the ladder, but probably not quickly enough to replace the departing Kolten Wong at second base for the Ryche. Mejia was the topic of trade rumors all winter, as the Padres were looking to add J.T. Realmuto in trade. He ended up staying in San Diego, where he'll compete with Austin Hedges for a job out of spring training. MLB.com ranks him as the #2 catching prospect in baseball.

#7 Chicago Black Sox
Ranked prospects: Eloy Jimenez (3), Ian Anderson (30), Gavin Lux (39), D.L Hall (69), Nolan Gorman (72), Nolan Jones (76), Travis Swaggerty (82), Jordan Groshams (116), Tyler Stephenson (125)
Unranked prospects: C.J. Abrams, Austin Allen, Shea Langeliers, Jorge Mateo, Nick Pratto, Connor Scott

Jimenez is now the highest-ranked prospect in franchise history since Jesus Montero was ranked #3 back in 2010. Let's hope Jimenez has a brighter future than Montero ended up having. Jimenez set career highs in batting average (.337), OBP (.384), slugging (.577) and home runs (22) last year despite missing some time with nagging injuries. He has been compared to Giancarlo Stanton as a hitter, which is not a bad thing. If Jimenez is the next Stanton, perhaps Anderson is the next John Smoltz. They're both right-handed, pitch for the Braves organization, and feature a heavy fastball with two complementary plus pitches.

The Black Sox are the only organization in the BDBL that includes two ranked prospects named "Nolan." Gorman was arguably the best power hitter available in the 2018 MLB draft. That power translated to the pros, as he hit 17 homers in just 63 games. Like Gorman, Jones is also a third baseman. With his smooth lefty stroke, he's more of a pure hitter than the power-hitting Gorman. Abrams (#3) and Langeliers (#6) are both ranked among the top ten prospects (by Baseball America) in the 2019 MLB draft.

#8 Southern Cal Slyme
Ranked prospects: Brendan Rodgers (15), Luis Urias (23), Luis Robert (50), Alex Verdugo (53), Jarred Kelenic (65), Estevan Florial (86), Victor Victor Victor Victor Mesa (89), Cole Tucker (110), Julio Pablo Martinez (114)
Unranked prospects: Seth Beer, Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison, George Valera, Alex Faedo, Colin Poche

Every one of the Slyme's ranked prospects was acquired during their current three-year rebuilding period. Rodgers was acquired in a 2016 trade with Los Altos. Kelenic was picked up in the third round of the 2017 farm draft. Urias, Florial, Martinez, and Mesa were all added in 2018. Tucker was selected in the second round of this year's farm draft. Verdugo, Florial, and Robert were added in trade this winter.

Rodgers is the heir apparent to Troy Tulowitzki in Colorado. While he has Tulo's bat, he doesn't have his glove. Urias is a high-OBP second baseman with an above-average glove. He won't be included in next year's Farm Report because he's a virtual lock to win the MLB job out of spring training this year. The stats didn't match the scouting reports for the Cuban refugee Robert. After signing for a whopping $26 million, Robert slashed .269/.333/.360 at three minor league levels, with a grand total of zero home runs.

The reviews are mixed on Verdugo. He is ranked #35 by both Baseball America and MLB.com, but didn't make FanGraphs' top-100. They question his ability to remain in center field given his lack of range. If he moves to a corner, the thinking is that he doesn't have enough power to justify a top ranking. One name that seems to be on everyone's watch list for 2019 is Valera. He only played six games in 2018 before an injury ended his season, but scouts saw enough in that small sample to start throwing around Juan Soto comps.

#9 Cleveland Rocks
Ranked prospects: Nick Senzel (8), Mike Soroka (26), Brendan McKay (27), Logan Allen (86), Michel Baez (98), Brandon Marsh (118), Leody Taveras (123)
Unranked prospects: Micker Adolfo, Blaze Alexander, Ha-Seong Kim, Heath Quinn, Brent Rooker, Alek Thomas, Bubba Thompson, Clarke Schmidt, Owen Sharts

Once upon a time, Mike Stein took great pride in his shitty farm system. He would openly brag about ranking among the bottom five for seven years in a row, which he accomplished from 2000-2006. The Rocks briefly escaped the bottom five in 2007, but then returned for the next two seasons. Last year, they ranked #3 in this survey. Now, for the second year in a row, they've busted through the top ten. It's the dawn of a new era in Cleveland.

Senzel and Troy Tulowitzki are the only two Rocks prospects to have ever ranked among the top ten. Senzel dropped from #5 to #8 this past year despite hitting .310/.378/.509 in his first taste of Triple-A last year. He will most likely disappear from the Farm Report, as he should earn a spot on the big league roster at some point this year. I cannot read Mike Soroka's name without hearing The Knack in my head for the next hour. As far as my limited research can determine, Brandon Webb and Jacob deGrom are the only pitchers developed through the Cleveland farm system that ever became a worthwhile big league contributor. Soroka could be the third.

McKay has had much better success on the mound (98+ IP, 2.29 ERA, 19/124 BB/K) than he has at the plate (.221/.361/.366, 10 HR in 317 AB). He's no Shohei Ohtani. Baez's career was progressing swimmingly until he reached the Double-A level (18+ IP, 22 H, 4 HR, 12 BB, 7.36 ERA). He earned a top-100 ranking from only MLB.com (#72).

#10 Charlotte Mustangs
Ranked prospects: Alex Kirilloff (12), Sixto Sanchez (16), Ke'Bryan Hayes (34)
Unranked prospects: Antoni Flores, Tyler Freeman, Kyle Isbel, M.J. Melendez, Julio Rodriguez, Blake Rutherford, Mike Siani, Durbin Feltman, Peter Lambert, Bryan Mata, Nick Neidert

Charlotte only owns three ranked prospects, but squeezes into our top ten for the third year in a row. Much of that is due to Kirilloff, who may arguably be the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues not named Vladimir. After missing the entire 2017 season, he hit .348/.392/.578 at two A-ball levels combined, with 20 homers, 44 doubles, and a decent 38/86 BB/K ratio. If you put Sanchez's career numbers together, you get a full season: 221+ IP, 177 H, 3 HR, 43 BB, 191 K, 2.48 ERA. The problem is that he's never thrown more than 94 innings in a season thanks to a rash of injuries. The Marlins apparently aren't deterred by those injuries, as they picked him up in the big J.T. Realmuto trade.

Hayes was ranked as high as #20 (FanGraphs) by our panel. The son of Charlie, he has a plus bat and a plus-plus glove. He was ranked as the #4 prospect in the Eastern League last year by BA. The only thing missing in his game is power. Of the non-ranked group, Rodriguez stands out as a strong possibility to climb up the rankings over the course of the year. Considered to be among the elite of the 2017 International "July 2" class, Rodriguez hit .315/.404/.525 in the Dominican Summer League, displaying power (5 HR in 59 G) and speed (10 SB, 0 CS).

#11 Ravenswood Infidels
Ranked prospects: Brent Honeywell (22), Chris Paddack (40), Vidal Brujan (63), Tyler O'Neill (79), Miguel Amaya (93), Isaac Paredes (123)
Unranked prospects: Lucas Erceg, Will Holland, Josh Jung, Ryan McKenna, Daniel Espino, Hunter Harvey, Nick Lodolo, Brennan Malone, Alek Manoah

Despite missing the entire 2018 season after Tommy John surgery, Honeywell is still ranked among the top 30 prospects in baseball by all three members of the panel. Paddack (ranked as high as #34 by MLB and FanGraphs and as low as #66 by BA) is the only other Ravenswood prospect ranked by all three experts. Both Honeywell and Paddack are right-handers with a plus fastball and changeup. Honeywell also features a plus screwball (which probably contributed to his TJ surgery), while Paddack relies on his plus control. Paddack also underwent TJ surgery, and missed all of 2017. He bounced back in a big way last season, posting a 2.10 ERA over 90 innings at two different levels.

Brujan was ranked at #26 by FanGraphs, but failed to make the MLB.com top-100. Thanks to his diminutive stature and the fact that he plays second base, FanGraphs compares him to Jose Altuve, Dustin Pedroia, and Ozzie Albies. They also state that if he were in college right now, he'd be in the conversation for the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. O'Neill was ranked among the top-40 (#36) by Baseball America, but failed to make the other two lists. BA gives him a power grade of 70, which concurs with FanGraphs' grade. The issue with O'Neill is his swing-from-the-heels approach that led to a whopping 40% K-rate in his MLB debut last year. Look for Jung (ranked as the #8 prospect in the 2019 MLB draft) and Lodolo (#16) to possibly joined the list of the ranked a year from now.

#12 Saskatoon Sasquatch
Ranked prospects: Kyle Wright (33), Justus Sheffield (38), Yusniel Diaz (57), Nate Pearson (66), Andrew Knizer (109)
Unranked prospects: Cavan Biggio, Lucius Fox, Nick Gordon, Jahmai Jones, Drew Mendoza, Brayan Rocchio, Shane McClanahan, Carter Stewart

Wright is one of three Braves pitchers ranked among the top-40 pitchers in baseball. The #1 pick of the Squatch back in 2017, Wright has steadily climbed up the ladder over the past two years, culminating with a four-game trial in MLB at the end of last season. Expect not to see him in this Farm Report next year. After his trade to Seattle, we may not see Sheffield a year from now, either. He received a very brief cup of coffee last year, and figures to compete for a rotation spot in spring training. After posting a 2.48 ERA in 116 innings in Double-and-Triple-A last year, it seems like he doesn't have much left to prove.

Diaz was ranked as high as #37 (Baseball America) and as low as #81 (FanGraphs) by our panel of experts. He projects to be a league-average outfielder across the board, with average tools at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. Biggio clubbed 26 homers, posted an .882 OPS at the Double-A level, and drew 98 walks, but didn't make the top-100 ranking for any of our three experts. Gordon (ranked #71 a year ago and #45 in 2017) has fallen so far as a prospect that he is no longer ranked by anyone.

#13 Flagstaff Outlaws
Ranked prospects: Michael Kopech (20), Keibert Ruiz (21), Adonis Medina (73), Dane Dunning (106), Trevor Larnatch (129)
Unranked prospects: Triston Casas, Dylan Cozens, Calvin Mitchell, Corey Ray, Bryson Stott, Myles Straw, Spencer Torkelson, Rogelio Armenteros, Hunter Barco, Aaron Civale, Trevor Clifton, Ryan Nelson, Brady Rodgers

Kopech's BDBL trade value seems to have diminished, yet he remains a top-20 prospect. A year ago, he was traded (along with Dinelson Lamet) for Justin Verlander. This winter, he was acquired (along with Larnatch and Brad Miller) for Khris Davis and Kirby Yates. His calling card is his "80" fastball, which easily reaches triple digits. That fastball (and a plus slider) led to 170 strikeouts in 126+ innings (12.1 per nine) in Triple-A last year. Unfortunately for Flagstaff fans, we won't be seeing Kopech at all in 2019, as he became yet another victim of Tommy John surgery last summer.

Ruiz is ranked as the third-best catching prospect in the game by MLB.com, but is the top-ranked catcher in our Farm Report. The switch-hitter was the second-youngest regular in the Double-A Texas League last year, but had no problem competing against much older players. In 377 at-bats, he hit .268/.328/.401 with a dozen homers. Medina was ranked as high as #44 by FanGraphs, who wrote that he has "mid-rotation upside." Look for top 2018 draft pick (and former Cowtippers prospect) Casas to make a big move up this ranking over the next year. Stott (ranked as the #27 draft prospect by BA) could join the ranked list a year from now. Torkelson is generally regarded as one of the top draft prospects for 2020.

#14 Kansas City Boulevards
Ranked prospects: Hunter Greene (41), Brusdar Graterol (59), Brady Singer (74), Griffin Canning (75), Dakota Hudson (99), Daulton Varsho (101), Eric Pardinho (107), Taylor Widener (110)
Unranked prospects: Aristedes Aquino, Logan Davidson, Lane Thomas, Nick Burdi, Tyler Dyson, Blayne Enlow, Daniel Lynch, Luis Oviedo

I once believed that no one with a name that sounds like it belongs in a Harry Potter book could ever be a legitimate baseball prospect, and yet Brusdar Graterol is now a top-60 prospect. Boy is my face red! Rubeus Hagrid's second cousin from the Forbidden Forest was ranked as the #13 prospect in the Florida State League. He features a fastball/slider combo, and is rumored to be dating a centaur. Greene sports an "80" fastball and heaps of potential, but was shut down with an elbow injury last year. Singer didn't pitch at all in 2018, but mostly because of workload concerns. He will likely begin the year at High-A. I wouldn't be surprised if the year ends with a cup of coffee with the Royals.

Pardinho is interesting because he's one of the few prospects to come out of Brazil. He was very impressive in his pro debut, striking out 64 batters in 50 innings while pitching the entire season at age 17. He ranked as the #4 prospect in the Appalachian League.

#15 Salem Cowtippers
Ranked prospects: Nick Madrigal (37), Danny Jansen (47), Spencer Howard (96), Will Smith (99), Luis Garcia (114)
Unranked prospects: Daniel Cabrera, Daz Cameron, Corbin Carroll, Jeter Downs, Jhailyn Ortiz, Adley Rutschman, Jhon Torres, Matt Wallner, Jackson Kowar, Lenny Torres

A top-ten ranking for the Salem farm used to be a given, and yet it has now been four years since the last time that happened. In fact, Salem has only owned a top-ten farm twice in the last nine years. Of course, if only we had held onto Wander F'ing Franco, he alone would have vaulted this team up to #11. Add Yordan Alvarez and Yusei Kikuchi, and we'd rank a solid #9. But enough about what could have been.

I was hoping Madrigal would be "The Next Pedroia", but there are legitimate concerns that he will never display enough power to warrant that comparison. At just 5'7" and 160 pounds, the power was always going to be a question. A wrist injury that sidelined him for three months last year also likely added to his power outage. If the power never comes, he still has value as an extreme contact hitter (just a 3% strikeout rate last year) with excellent defensive range and speed on the basepaths. With Gary Sanchez gone, Jansen is now Salem's latest "catcher of the future" -- at least until Rutschman arrives.

Look for Howard to move up this list over the course of the year. Garcia, the #1 prospect in the Gulf Coast League last year, could join him in the top half of the top-100 as well. Rutschman (ranked #1 in the 2019 MLB draft class) and Carroll (#7) would likely be top-50 prospects today if they were eligible for these rankings. Also, keep an eye on the Torres brothers, Jhon and Lenny. Both of them had huge seasons last year in a small sample and at a low level of competition. If they carry their performances through to full-season ball, look out.

#16 Darien Blue Wave
Ranked prospects: Yordan Alvarez (56), Adrian Morejon (59), Oneil Cruz (78), Cole Winn (93), Michael Chavis (103), Ryan Weathers (122)
Unranked prospects: Patrick Bailey, Riley Greene, Adam Haseley, Austin Hays, Noelvi Marte, Pavin Smith, Brock Burke, Jason Groome, Freicer Perez

This team's top prospect, Alvarez, was acquired last year along with Weathers in the Sonny Gray deal. Alvarez was ranked #34 by Baseball America and #44 by MLB.com, but did not make FanGraphs' top-100. Their knock on him is that his lack of defense and speed may limit him to DH or, at best, first base. Morejon, a Cuban defector, got his first taste of the pitcher-unfriendly California League last year, where he was ranked as its #2 prospect. He managed to post a 3.30 ERA in a little over 62 innings, which is an amazing feat for that league.

Cruz is an unusual prospect standing at 6'6" as a shortstop, but he may actually stick there thanks to an arm that grades 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Offensively, he showed surprising power with 14 home runs in just 402 at-bats. There is a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, but scouts are optimistic that there is a lot of upside there. There is also a great deal of upside to Winn, who made two of the three top-100 lists. A first-round draft pick out of high school, Winn didn't pitch professionally last year, so we'll have to wait and see if his performance matches his scouting reports.

#17 Bear Country Jamboree
Ranked prospects: Dylan Cease (35), William Contreras (85), Ryan Mountcastle (90), Garrett Hampson (113)
Unranked prospects: Kevin Kramer, Shed Long, Tyler Nevin, Jordan Patterson, Hudson Potts, Luis Rengifo, Travis Bergen, Tony Gonsolin, Zack Littell, JoJo Romero, Dennis Santana, T.J. Zeuch

Top prospect Cease has certainly made the rounds in the BDBL. He was first drafted by Flagstaff in the third round of the 2016 draft. He was then traded to Los Altos in 2018 as part of the YUGE Chris Sale trade. This past winter, he packed his bags yet again and headed to Chicago in exchange for Seth Lugo and Evan White. Finally, he landed in Bear Country as part of the big Aroldis Chapman/Willson Contreras deal. He rose from #64 to #35 on this list after an impressive Double-A debut in which he posted a 1.72 ERA in 52+ innings. He owns a 2.67 ERA and 11.9 K rate in his pro career, which spans 286 innings. So why doesn't he rank higher? He barely made FanGraphs' top-60. Their knock on him is control and command issues. They believe he bests fits as a multi-inning reliever or "opener" who won't face the same hitters three times.

Contreras was only ranked by one of our experts, FanGraphs, who ranked him #55. Coming off back-to-back seasons in which he posted an 800+ OPS, FanGraphs sees him as a breakout candidate in 2019. I don't really follow baseball, so I'm not all that familiar with most of the names on that unranked list. Just for kicks, I looked up a few of them. Potts is a third baseman who ranked #9 in the California League last year. He hit .154 in a 22-game trial at the Double-A level. Rengifo is a second baseman in the Angels organization who hit .274/.358/.421 at Triple-A last year. He looks like a high-OBP/speed type of player. Zeuch pitches right up the road from here in Manchester, New Hampshire. Who knew! I predict all three will be released by this time next year.

#18 South Loop Furies
Ranked prospects: Matt Manning (64), Corbin Martin (66), Drew Waters (70), Cionel Perez (131)
Unranked prospects: Lazaro Armenteros, Mauricio Dubon, Andy Ibanez, Joshua Lowe, Adbert Alzolay, Zack Brown, Darwinzon Hernandez, Jonathan Hernandez, David Peterson, Zack Thompson, Joey Wentz

We're already beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel and we still have six teams to go! Manning (ranked between #50 and #96), Martin (#50 - #81), and Water (#49 - #86) were all ranked by all three members of the experts panel, but all three showed a wide disparity of opinion. According to Baseball America, Manning shows "high-end stuff" that gives him a "ceiling toward the top of a rotation." According to FanGraphs, he shows "inconsistent command" and projects as a "no. 2 or 3 starter", but only if he can "dial down the aggression in his delivery."

FanGraphs is highest on Martin, who they project as a number three or four starter. They're also highest on Waters, to whom they give 55-60 grades across the board. Perez only made one list, as he was ranked #100 by FanGraphs. He made it all the way to The Show last year after a seemingly inconsistent minor league career in which he racked up only 167+ innings in two years. Remember the stink Armenteros caused in the BDBL? Three years later, the former #1 overall pick in the BDBL farm draft has yet to earn a ranking in the BDBL Farm Report. He did perform fairly well (.277/.375/.416) in his full-season debut last year, and ranked as the #14 prospect in the Midwest League.

#19 South Carolina Sea Cats
Ranked prospects: Luis Garcia (61), Brandon Lowe (81), Ronny Mauricio (92), Justin Dunn (103), Kevin Smith (118), Nate Lowe (127), Josh Naylor (129), Nico Hoerner (131)
Unranked prospects: Aki Baddoo, A.J. Reed, Braden Shewmake, Domingo Acevedo, Shane Baz, Wil Crowe, Alex Lange

The Sea Cats farm system has fallen into a state of disrepair since its height of 2009-2010 when it ranked #2 in this survey. There are two ranked prospects, both shortstops, named Luis Garcia. South Carolina owns the higher-ranked one from the Washington Nationals organization. He is a "bat-first" shortstop, although he hasn't shown much power as of yet, and he will more than likely be moved around the diamond. Brandon Lowe was ranked as high as #46 by FanGraphs, but didn't make MLB.com's top-100. He had a breakout year at Triple-A last year and carried that through to a 148-PA big league performance. FanGraphs sees that breakout as legit.

FanGraphs also had some high praise for Mauricio (who they ranked #68), writing: "This is what Fernando Tatis, Jr. looked like at age 17." They compared his body type not only to Tatis, but also to Manny Machado, Hanley Ramirez, and Carlos Correa. All of which is high praise for someone they grade as a present-day 20 hitter with 20 game power. None of the other ranked prospects were ranked above #89 by any of the three experts.

#20 North Carolina Iron Spider Pigs
Ranked prospects: Jonathan India (55), Yusei Kikuchi (71), J.B. Bukauskas (112)
Unranked prospects: Diego Cartaya, Jeremy Eierman, Anthony Siegler, Matt Thaiss, Zack Burdi, Ethan Hankins, Grant Holmes, Tanner Houck, James Kaprelian, Merrill Kelly

The North Carolina ISP's farm roster is littered with former first-round draft picks that haven't yet panned out. Eierman, Siegler, Burdi, Hankins, Holmes, Houck, and Kaprelian were all first-round selections, and none are ranked by any of our three experts. Of the ranked group, two (Kikuchi and Bukauskas) came from the Salem Cowtippers organization. Kikuchi wasn't ranked by MLB.com -- most likely because he doesn't qualify as a "prospect" according to their guidelines. His comps suggest that his numbers this year will resemble Kenta Maeda and Miles Mikolas last year, which would be a great bargain for North Carolina, considering Mikolas went for $6.5 million in our auction this winter. North Carolina also hopes that their #1 pick this year, Kelly, does his best impersonation of Mikolas this year.

Kikuchi earned the highest ranking (#45 by Baseball America) of the three ranked prospects. The next-highest was the #51 ranking earned by India, who projects to hit for both average and power while playing multiple infield positions. Bukauskas sports four above-average pitches, including a biting slider, but has faced durability issues throughout his career, and may end up in the bullpen as a result.

#21 Las Vegas Flamingos
Ranked prospects: Peter Alonso (44), Hans Crouse (86), Heliot Ramos (120)
Unranked prospects: Jordyn Adams, Austin Beck, Joe Dunand, Noah Naylor, Cole Roederer, Beau Burrows, Braxton Garrett, Anthony Kay, Cole Ragans, Grayson Rodriguez, Graeme Stinson

The new official "Team Meh" also sports a meh farm system. The Vegas farm club has now ranked among the bottom five four years in a row. The last time they cracked the top ten, George W. Bush was still president. This year's farm looks no more exciting than last year's or the year before or the year before. The highest ranking achieved by any player was #48, which Alonso earned from both Baseball America and FanGraphs. Weirdly enough, that puts him at #44 overall. He has big-time power, as demonstrated by the 36 home runs he hit at the Double-A and Triple-A levels combined last year. The problem is his lack of speed and agility limit him to first base, where his glove is a liability. Crouse was Johnny Bo's #1 farm pick this year, and one of the few picks from that draft that earned a ranking in this Farm Report. Crouse is known not only for his mid-90's fastball, but for his wacky mound antics reminiscent of Mark Fidrych. I can't wait to read the play-by-play in DMB if he should make it to The Show.

#22 Joplin Miners
Ranked prospects: Matthew Liberatore (58)
Unranked prospects: Mason Denaburg, Greyson Jenista, Ryan Kreidler, Marco Luciano, Orelvis Martinez, Kameron Misner, Tristan Pompey, Misael Urbina, Jose Albertos, Richard Gallardo, Logan Gilbert, Ryan Rolison, Mike Vasil, Cole Wilcox

This is the second year in a row the Joplin Miners have ranked #22 in this Farm Report. It's also the second year in a row Jim Doyle has been at the helm of this franchise. Coincidence? Their only ranked prospect is Liberatore, who was the 16th overall pick in last year's MLB draft. To date, he's thrown 32+ innings as a professional, with 13 walks and 37 strikeouts.

The rest of the Joplin farm falls into three categories. Gilbert (pick #14 overall), Rolison (#22), Denaburg (#27), Jenista (#49), and Pompey (#89) were all 2018 MLB draft picks (as was Liberatore).

Misner (ranked #33 by BA) and Kreidler (#190) are eligible for the 2019 MLB draft.

Luciano (ranked #2 by FanGraphs), Gallardo (#6), Urbina (#13), and Martinez (#14) were all top international prospects in 2018.

The only outliers are Vasil and Wilcox, who were top 2018 prospects out of high school that didn't sign and chose to go to college instead. Oh, and Albertos, who posted a 14.83 ERA at two different low-minors levels last year. (Something tells me Jim got the name wrong on that one.)

#23 Buckingham Sovereigns
Ranked prospects: Jonathan Loaisiga (93), Tony Santillan (97)
Unranked prospects: Antonio Cabello, Anthony Garcia, Dermis Garcia, Nick Solak, Anderson Tejeda, Luis Torrens, Meibrys Viloria, Nick Bitsko, Roansy Contreras, Kyle Fuckhouser, Luis Gil, Mike King, Luis Medina, Erik Swanson, Garrett Whitlock

Out of the seventeen prospects listed above, nine are with the New York Yankees organization. Three others were recently Yankees prospects, but are now with a different team. The Yankees have had a great farm system in recent years, but...come on, man. Both of this team's ranked prospects were ranked in the 60's by only one member of our panel. Johnny Lasagna ranked #66 on MLB.com's list, and Santillan (one of the few non-Yankees on the Buckingham farm) was ranked #69 by Baseball America. The one name that really had me scratching my head was Bitsko. I couldn't figure out how he fit the pattern. He's a 16-year-old high school sophomore. He doesn't graduate until 2021. How on earth does he fit into the Buckingham farm strategy? Does he play for the Yankees in Little League? Then I noticed his hometown: Doylestown, PA. It's about a six mile drive from Buckingham.

#24 Great Lakes Sphinx
Ranked prospects: None. Nada. Zilch.
Unranked prospects: Aramis Ademan, Bobby Dalbec, Brennen Davis, Donnie Dewees, Reivaj Garcia, Domingo Leyba, Eddy Julio Martinez, Zack Short, D.J. Wilson, Chesny Young, Brendon Little, Brailyn Marquez, Justin Steele

This is the third year in a row the Sphinx haven't owned a single ranked prospect. Folks, that should be impossible. Even if you were trying to build the shittiest farm club in league history, you would occasionally mess up and accidentally stumble upon a prospect who becomes worthy of someone's top-100 list. Yet, this is actually the FOURTH time Scott Romonosky has managed to achieve this feat!

How does this keep happening? Just take a look at this team's #1 draft picks over the last decade: Starlin Castro, Trey McNutt, Junior Lake, Bryce Brentz, Rio Ruiz, Gleyber Torres, Jose M. Fernandez, Bobby Dalbec, Aramis Ademan, and Brailyn Marquez. With the exceptions of Castro and Torres, it's been a parade of one stinker after another. The Sphinx continue to defy conventional wisdom year after year. Successful teams generally need a decent farm system, either to benefit from those prospects directly or through trade. Yet, the Sphinx have won 295 games in the past three years despite not owning a single rated prospect. HOW is that even possible??