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Commish

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March, 2021

2021 BDBL Farm Report

After an entire year without amateur and minor league baseball (for the most part), not much has changed in the prospects world since last March. There are no breakout seasons to report. No career-threatening injuries. No new pitches developed or major swing adjustments made -- at least, none with any in-game impact.

Despite the fact that trades are still being made, players were still promoted to the big leagues, and players were drafted and moved from the unranked to the ranked, there has been very little movement in our team rankings from last year. Nine out of the top-ten-ranked teams from 2020 are also among the top-ten this year. And eight of the bottom-ten from a year ago are still ranked among the bottom-ten today.

For the newbies, here is how our farm report works. I gather the top-100 prospect lists from what we call our "panel of experts." In past years, we have used up to five different sources on our panel, but thanks to budget cuts, we're down to three: Baseball America, MLB.com, and FanGraphs. I assign 100 points to the top-ranked player in each list, 99 points to #2, 98 points to #3, etc.. I then sum all of the points to create a nifty little table like this one:

Team Total Pts 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00
MBH 2,079 1 1 1 6 9 24 24 7 18 12 21 21 7 13 8 2 3 7 8 12 16 22
DBW 1,905 2 3 16 18 11 21 23 18 15 9 15 13 16 21 20 17 20 18 6 14 17 11
SAL 1,110 3 9 15 16 13 2 13 9 23 23 20 6 10 3 5 8 7 8 1 10 7 1
NIA 1,043 4 4 2 5 2 3 3 2 4 2 14 17 18 17 17 18 11 23 24 6 9 23
KAN 1,031 5 2 3 12 6 19 18 10 7 4 4 22 23 9 4 4 5 4 11 16 11 4
HLF 921 6 5 8 8 4 5 17 5 2 5 11 15 17 14 16 11 15 11 9 7 14 15
SPG 880 7 7 12 9 8 12 4 13 8 13 10 12 15 15 7 6 1 1 10 18 18 8
CLT 830 8 10 10 10 5 11 7 14 5 3 6 7 4 4 10 21 10 14 17 11 20 24
CHI 786 9 6 7 13 15 7 8 8 13 15 9 1 6 12 2 10 14 2 5 1 8 12
ALN 648 10 11 13 17 7 17 14 22 9 17 5 4 20 22 18 22 8 3 18 15 5 13
CAR 547 11 16 5 2 3 1 1 1 3 10 1 24 8 5 11 9 19 10 23 17 12 19
LKN 518 12 8 14 14 19 9 5 17 22 21 23 23 14 18 19 20 13 20 4 22 19 14
LVF 483 13 18 21 19 21 20 15 16 20 18 22 20 11 10 14 15 21 17 13 23 22 16
LAU 458 14 12 4 4 23 6 2 3 1 1 19 11 5 2 1 1 2 6 19 2 3 7
ISP 456 15 17 20 11 12 10 20 21 23 22 24 18 22 11 24 7 6 5 3 4 6 2
JOP 361 16 13 22 22 16 16 22 20 16 14 12 14 3 7 15 23 22 15 14 5 1 3
SCS 313 17 14 19 21 14 8 6 4 12 8 3 2 2 6 12 5 9 13 2 3 10 17
SLF 294 18 19 18 20 10 18 9 23 10 20 8 9 1 1 3 16 17 19 7 8 15 10
AKR 179 19 22 6 1 1 4 16 11 14 11 7 5 12 8 23 12 18 21 15 13 2 9
BKS 125 20 24 23 15 20 22 11 12 21 7 2 3 13 16 6 13 4 16 12 9 4 18
CLE 74 21 15 9 3 18 15 10 15 19 19 16 10 21 20 13 19 24 24 21 24 24 20
GLS 48 22 21 24 24 24 23 21 6 17 24 18 16 24 24 21 14 16 9 16 19 21 6
RAV 39 23 20 11 7 17 13 12 19 11 16 17 19 19 19 22 24 23 12 22 20 13 5
BCJ 19 24 23 17 23 22 14 19 24 6 6 13 8 9 23 9 3 12 22 20 21 23 21

#1 Myrtle Beach Hitmen
Ranked prospects: MacKenzie Gore (5), Dylan Carlson (11), Andrew Vaughn (15), Tarik Skubal (20), Corbin Carroll (35), Joey Bart (39), Nolan Jones (44), Kristian Robinson (58), Zac Veen (62), Jo Adell (66), Forrest Whitley (72), Geraldo Perdomo (72), Ivan Herrera (88)
Unranked prospects: Ji-Hwan Bae, Jose de la Cruz, Elijah Green, Cristian Hernandez, Jordan Lawler, James Wood, Braden Olthoff

For the third year in a row, the Hitmen rank #1 in this annual report. The Carolina Saints are the only other franchise in league history that has achieved this feat. What happened after that franchise ranked #1 three years in a row from 2014-16? Well, they went on to win the BDBL championship in 2018. The long-suffering fans in Myrtle Beach would love to see history repeat itself in that same fashion.

Not much has changed on the Hitmen farm since a year ago. Last year's #1 prospect, Adell, fell from #4 to #66 only because he graduated to the big leagues. Apparently, Baseball America missed that memo, because they ranked him #13 in their top-100 this year. Gore, who was also ranked #5 a year ago, becomes the team's new top prospect. The hard-tossing lefty is currently ranked as the best pitching prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, with San Diego's stacked starting rotation, it could be at least another two years before we see him in the Hitmen rotation.

Carlson and Vaughn both made the leap from the twenties to the teens over the past year. Carlson made the top-ten on BA's list after an impressive MLB debut last year in which he started very slow, but ended on a high note in October. Both he and Vaughn are likely to see full-time (or near-full-time) play for the Hitmen in 2022. Last year's #1 pick, Skubal, pitched better in his MLB debut last year than his numbers would suggest. He and Gore will soon become an imposing duo at the top of the Myrtle Beach rotation.

Carroll (ranked #100 a year ago) made the biggest leap up the chart after an impressive showing at Arizona's alternate training site last summer. He is developing into a true five-tool talent. (Yet another one the Cowtippers let get away.) Bart and Jones give the Hitmen seven top-50 prospects, which is surpassed only by the Blue Wave below. The same is true of Myrtle Beach's thirteen top-100 prospects. Although several of those players will graduate their way off this list over the next year, they will soon be replaced by Green, Lawler, and Hernandez.

#2 Darien Blue Wave
Ranked prospects: Marco Luciano (12), Matt Manning (23), Riley Greene (26), Michael Kopech (28), J.J. Bleday (29), Logan Gilbert (32), Emerson Hancock (46), Trevor Larnach (48), Ryan Jeffers (70), Heston Kjerstad (78), Noelvi Marte (80), Matthew Allan (92), Adrian Morejon (104), Dane Dunning (121)
Unranked prospects: Hunter Barco, Jaden Hill, Tanner Houck, Kumar Rocker, Noah Song

The Blue Wave spent a BDBL-record $26.5 million on one player in the auction on the gamble that their farm system will produce enough minimum-wage talent to offset that ginormous salary. They had better hope that gamble pays off!

Luciano has stepped to the plate just 206 times in his professional career, and never above the short-season rookie level, and yet he ranks as the 12th-best prospect in baseball overall, and was ranked among the top-20 by all three of our panel of experts. His scouting reports suggest that he could be a Francisco Lindor type of impact player up the middle if he continues to develop according to plan.

If it seems like Kopech has been a prospect forever, it's only because he has. He made his debut in this report way back in 2015! Since then, he's hopped around from the New Milford Blazers to the Ravenswood Infidels to the Flagstaff Outlaws to the Allentown Ridgebacks to the Blue Wave. He rose all the way to #12 in 2018 and has hovered around in the twenties ever since. Despite missing the entire 2019 and 2020 seasons, he is still ranked #28 overall thanks to that 105-mph fastball.

This Darien team needs pitching so desperately, they would like to see Kopech move quickly into the "ace" role that so many have envisioned for him. Hancock, the 6th-overall pick of last year's MLB draft, could move quickly through the system as well. If he can stay healthy, Manning has the potential to be a front-end starter. Hill and Rocker are likely to join the top-50 a year from now after they are drafted this year. Look for Kjerstad and Marte to rise into the top-50 as well.

#3 Salem Cowtippers
Ranked prospects: Adley Rutschman (2), Austin Martin (25), Asa Lacy (27), Spencer Howard (31), Nick Madrigal (39)
Unranked prospects: Felnin Celesten, Brooks Lee, Casey Martin, Jason Vosler, J.T. Ginn, Antoine Kelly, Carmen Mlodzinski, Connor Prielipp

Somehow, the Cowtippers have avoided trading away every decent prospect they own, leaving them with a top-three farm system! In a year where nothing happened outside of Major League Baseball, the Cowtippers farm leapt six spots in this survey thanks to the graduations of the unranked (Austin Martin and Lacy) to the top-30, thanks to the MLB draft.  Rutschman is the highest-ranking Salem farmhand since Andrew Benintendi. He joins Benny, Kris Bryant, Stephen Strasburg, Jay Bruce, Delmon Young, B.J. Upton, and Mark Teixeira as top-two Salem prospects. Not bad company! If all goes as planned, Rutschman will be firmly-entrenched in the heart of the Salem lineup for many years to come -- hopefully beginning in 2022.

Martin (ranked as high as #19 by BA) should join him in the heart of that lineup within the next two years. Madrigal, who hit .340 in his 103-AB MLB debut last year, is already helping the big club. With Strasburg and Sonny Gray both set to depart via free agency after this season, and Max Scherzer and Jon Gray trailing close behind, the Cowtippers really need Lacy and Howard to step up and replace their spots in the rotation quickly.

Howard and Madrigal are all-but-certain to graduate their way off of this list within the next year, while the other three ranked players have an outside chance of seeing significant-enough MLB playing time to earn their way off the list as well. This means someone will need to step up and fill those voids on the farm. As it stands, it doesn't look like any of the unranked prospects are quite ready to do so.

#4 Niagara Locks
Ranked prospects: Wander F'ing Franco (1), Christian Pache (7), Bobby Witt (14), Jasson Dominguez (37), Austin Hendrick (108)
Unranked prospects: Cam Collier, Ezequiel Duran, Andruw Jones, Ronaldo Hernandez, Khalil Lee, Hedbert Perez, Rayner Santana, Jordan Walker, Chris Rodriguez, Blake Walston

The top four prospects on this farm are the same as last year, and in the same order, but mostly ranked higher than a year ago. What is left to say about Wander F'ing Franco? He's the next Mike Trout, but in shortstop form. He's the only 80-grade prospect in baseball, and one of the only few that I've ever seen. And I traded him for three chapters of Max Fucking Kepler. Three years later, I still lose sleep over that trade. I figure by the time Franco is unanimously elected into the Hall of Fame in 2051, I might finally be over it. Of course, by then, I'll be happy just to be alive.

Pache jumped several spots in this ranking, and will likely graduate off of this list a year from now after excelling late in the MLB season last year. Witt was ranked as high as #7 (by MLB.com) following an impressive showing at the alternate training site last summer and in the fall. He will likely move quickly.

The most exciting player on this roster whose middle name isn't "F'ing" hasn't even played a single professional game, and yet he's ranked in the top-40 overall, and as high as #32 (MLB.com). Dominguez is the most hyped prospect since Franco, and could very well become the next Franco. It would be shocking if he weren't ranked among the top-ten (at least) a year from now.

The former owner of this franchise, Steve Osborne, was famous (infamous?) for crafting his entire farm-building strategy around stockpiling Japanese players. It seems that Mike Ranney's strategy relies almost entirely on drafting 15- and 16-year-old Latin American players. The unranked list is filled with players who could become the next Wander F'ing Franco, but could also become the next Angel Villalona. That's the beauty of 15-year-old lottery tickets.

#5 Kansas Law Dogs
Ranked prospects: C.J. Abrams (6), Randy Arozarena (18), Casey Mize (22), Daniel Lynch (37), Robert Hassell (69), Taylor Trammell (132)
Unranked prospects: Gabriel Arias, Peyton Burdick, Adrian Del Castillo, Wilman Diaz, Hudson Head, Termarr Johnson, Chris Newell, Andy Pages, Mark Vientos, Brady Singer, Kyle Isbel

Thanks to his record-setting postseason performance, Arozarena was arguably the highest-profile breakout rookie to take part in the abbreviated 2020 MLB season. After hitting .281/.382/.641 in just 23 games (76 PA's) during the regular season, Arozarena caught fire in October. He ended up with more PA's during the postseason (91) than he had during the regular season, and hit .358/.429/.790 in that span, with 10 homers in 18 games. FanGraphs is so high on him that they ranked him #4 overall. Baseball America (#17) and MLB (#34) were a little less exuberant. There are reasons to pump the brakes a little. He's 26 years old. He's never been ranked by anyone on our panel of experts in the long history of this Farm Report. His minor league numbers (.292/.377/.477 career) suggest that he's good, but not quite as good as he was last October. Still, if October's performance is his new level, then that #4 ranking will look prescient.

Abrams rose from the mid-20's a year ago to the top-10 this year on the strength of the defensive improvements he showed at the alternate training site last summer. Unfortunately, that improvement is pointless unless the Padres move Fernando Tatis to another position. Given the fact that Tatis also showed vast defensive improvement last year, and was just signed to a fourteen-year contract, that seems unlikely. That means Abrams will either need to be traded or will see a position switch in his future.

Mize was on the cusp of the top-ten a year ago, but has fallen to the twenties after a somewhat disappointing MLB debut in which he posted a 6.99 ERA over seven starts. Granted, it was only seven starts, and there is no reason to believe he won't bounce back in 2021. He could be joined in the 2022 Kansas rotation by the newly-acquired Lynch, who is earning praise from his coaches in spring training already.

#6 Highland Freedom
Ranked prospects: Jarred Kelenic (3), Brandon Marsh (33), Nick Gonzales (55), Edward Cabrera (60), Oneil Cruz (66), Brendan Rodgers (86), Mick Abel (96), Brendan McKay (100), Alexander Vargas (121), Brett Baty (126)
Unranked prospects: Seth Beer, Blaze Jordan, Luke Leto, Jared Walsh, Jay Groome, Kodai Senga, Cole Wilcox

The Freedom franchise's farm system has ranked among the top ten six years in a row now. With new GM Bobby Sylvester in charge, that streak will likely continue into the foreseeable future. Under his watch, the (much) younger Sylvester's franchise ranked among the top ten thirteen times in the past fifteen seasons!

This is now the second year in a row the Freedom has owned the #3 overall prospect in baseball. Last year, it was Luis Robert. This year, the torch has been passed to Kelenic, who rose to that spot from #9 a year ago. Not much has changed in the past year for the five-tool future all-star. A cup of coffee seems more than likely in 2021. He should be batting in the heart of the Freedom lineup every day by Opening Day, 2023.

Highland's new GM made a huge splash with his first trade, adding Marsh, McKay, Abel, and the NL's Rookie of the Year, Devin Williams, from the Cleveland Rocks in exchange for Zack Greinke and Ketel Marte. Marsh was mostly known as a glove-first shortstop until recently. He was ranked as high as #15 (FanGraphs) and as low as #53 (MLB.com). McKay's immediate future depends on how he recovers from torn labrum surgery last August. Abel is pure, raw, tools and projection at this point. Missing the entire 2020 season due to the Rona may have hurt players like him more than most.

The rest of the Highland farm is filled with interesting prospects, but none more so than Senga, who has been stuck in Japanese Limbo for the past four years as he has practically begged his team to be posted. Unfortunately for him, the SoftBank Hawks is the only team in the NPB that has never posted a player -- and they don't intend to start now. He has one year remaining before he hits free agency as a 30-year-old. Assuming he stays healthy, he should make an immediate impact in the major leagues.

#7 South Philly Gritty
Ranked prospects: Nate Pearson (10), Alex Kirilloff (19), Josiah Gray (48), Matthew Liberatore (56), Jeremy Pena (89), Reid Detmers (103), Brayan Rocchio (107), Shane McClanahan (111)
Unranked prospects: Gilberto Jimenez, Bayron Lora, Matt McLain, Erick Pena, Ethan Wilson, Jackson Rutledge

Let's give Pearson a mulligan for his performance during his long-awaited MLB debut last year. Yes, he walked 13 batters in 18 innings -- but it was only 18 innings, and he was dealing with some injury issues. Fully-healthy, he is a big league front-line starting pitcher. Kirilloff continued to display an elite contact rate and burgeoning power throughout the summer camp and during his pro debut in October. Gray and Liberatore could have really used another full year to hone their craft and perfect their secondary pitches against top-level competition in game situations. Unfortunately, like almost every other prospect in this report, their 2020 season consisted of nothing but exhibition games and side sessions.

Keep an eye on Detmers, who could move quickly up the ladder, both in the Angels organization and in this top-100 list. That unranked list above is filled with lottery tickets that could either fizzle out or burst into flames at any moment.

#8 Charlotte Mustangs
Ranked prospects: Julio Rodriguez (8), Ke'Bryan Hayes (9), Francisco Alvarez (41), George Valera (87), Tyler Freeman (89), Daulton Varsho (92)
Unranked prospects: Maximo Acosta, Colin Barber, Colton Cowser, Shed Long, Marcelo Mayer, Kyren Paris, Miguel Vargas, Kolby Allard, Jonathan Cannon, J.J. Goss, Gunnar Hogland, Chase Petty

This is the first time this franchise has ever owned two top-ten prospects in the Farm Report; however, it isn't the first time that Tony Chamra has accomplished this feat. Way back in 2006, when Chamra owned the Villanova Mustangs franchise (now the South Philly Gritty), the 'Stangs farm included both Chad Billingsley (#7) and Andy Marte (#9). For the sake of present-day 'Stangs fans, let's hope history doesn't repeat itself. Rodriguez was ranked among the top-five by both BA and MLB, but fell to #20 on the FanGraphs list for some reason. Hayes jumped all the way into the top-ten from #39 a year ago, following his impressive 95-PA MLB debut (.376/.442/.682) last year.

At 18 and 19 years old, respectively, Alvarez and Valera are a long way from the big leagues, but have very high ceilings. Both will likely begin this season at the Low-A level. The unranked group is filled with players I've never heard of, but I'm sure they're all great. I especially hope that Gunnar Hogland makes it, because his name is so much fun to say, and there is so much potential for nicknames and puns.

#9 Chicago Black Sox
Ranked prospects: Ian Anderson (12), Jordan Groshans (51), Brennan Davis (53), D.L. Hall (63), Brailyn Marquez (64), Tyler Stephenson (100), Shea Langeliers (102), Tyler Soderstrom (123)
Unranked prospects: Owen Caissie, Ed Howard, Spencer Jones, Reggie Preciado, Chase Strumpf, Travis Swaggerty, Elijah Tatis, Jared Kelley, Bobby Miller, Nate Savino

The BDBL's most notorious flag-wavers added Anderson to the mix just prior to Opening Day, at the mere expense of Clayton Kershaw. On the plus side, Anderson finished with a miniscule 1.95 ERA in his big league debut last year, and then carried that performance over to the postseason. On the minus side, it was only six starts. Believe it or not, Anderson becomes the first pitcher to be ranked as this franchise's top prospect since Yovani Gallardo, way back in 2007. In fact, the similarity between the minor league records of those two pitchers is eerie:

  IP ERA RA9 H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9
Anderson 378 2.91 3.19 7.0 0.4 4.0 10.7
Gallardo 459 2.78 3.27 7.1 0.4 3.2 10.0

The two Cubs prospects, Davis and Marquez, came over this winter from Phase One of the Great Flag-Waving Project of '21, in exchange for Freddie Freeman. Davis has 30/30 upside, but is a long way from reaching that upside. Marquez may end up in the bullpen, but would be dominant in that role. Groshans is a bat-first shortstop, which means he will likely end up at third base eventually.

The unranked group is filled with several players who could/should make the leap into the ranked a year from now, including Preciado, Savino, Miller, and Kelley.

#10 Allentown Ridgebacks
Ranked prospects: Spencer Torkelson (4), Triston Casas (47), Jeter Downs (52), Jose Garcia (77)
Unranked prospects: Franklin Labour, Kendall Simmons, Michael Toglia, Ryan Vilade, Adbert Alzolay, Luke Little

The top two prospects on the Allentown farm are all holdovers from the Newgard Era. Torkelson was acquired by Newgard from the Myrtle Beach Hitmen in 2019 (along with Keibert Ruiz!) in exchange for...checking my notes...Travis Shaw?? What happened there?? Casas came over from the Salem Cowtippers in 2019 in exchange for none-other-than Kike Hernandez. (Worth. Every. Penny!)

Downs was foolishly cut by Salem in 2019, drafted by Darien in the first round of the 2020 farm draft, and was then traded to Allentown in that monster 13-player trade this past winter that involved Matt Olson and Michael Kopech (among many others.)

Torkelson is one of the safest bets in this entire report to become an all-star-caliber player in the near-future. He will hit for average and massive power, draw plenty of walks, and won't be a liability in the field. If he is promoted to The Show in 2021, we will see an Allentown lineup next year that features Torkelson, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, George Springer, and Matt Olson. Won't that be fun!?

#11 Carolina Saints
Ranked prospects: Luis Patino (17), Triston McKenzie (45), Jazz Chisholm (58), Brice Turang (111)
Unranked prospects: Oscar Colas, Carlos Colmenarez, Estevan Florial, Brady House, Jung-hoo Lee, Robert Puason, Cristian Santana, Khalil Watson, Ty Madden, Yerry Rodriguez, Tomoyuki Sugano

Bobby Sylvester practically owned this Farm Report for nearly a decade, between 2011 and 2019. This farm system is now under new management, however, and it is now Don Swearingen's job to keep this torch lit for a while longer. With the exception of Turang (acquired via trade from the franchise that Sylvester now helms), every ranked prospect on this farm is a holdover from the Sylvester Era. Of the unranked group, Swearingen added Madden, Watson, Lee, and Santana in this winter's draft.

Patino seems to get better and better every year. There are still some concerns that he'll end up in the bullpen, but you know that his new team in Tampa Bay will do everything they can to make him a frontline starter. (And they have the track record to do just that.) It's easy to imagine Patino joining McKenzie in the '22 Saints rotation. After missing the entire 2019 season, McKenzie made his big league debut last year and didn't seem to skip a beat. He looks as though he's ready for prime time.

The unranked group seems to include several cautionary tales for risk-averse investors. It wasn't that long ago that Puason was considered to be the Jasson Dominguez of the international class. House was the consensus best high school player in the nation. Colas was the latest/greatest can't-miss Cuban superstar. Sugano was a shoo-in to become the next great Japanese pitching import. Things change very quickly when it comes to these long-shot lottery tickets! That said, the Saints could dominate the first round of the MLB draft with several of those unranked players.

#12 Lake Norman Monsters
Ranked prospects: Sixto Sanchez (15), Royce Lewis (21), Hunter Greene (98)
Unranked prospects: Keoni Cavaco, Yoelqui Cespedes, Armando Cruz, Levi Kelly, Eric Pardinho, Norge Vera

Lake Norman's recent trade with the Kansas Law Dogs netted Lewis, who single-handedly bumped this team's ranking up a notch, from #13 to #12. The #1 overall pick of the 2017 MLB draft stumbled badly (.661 OPS) in 2019, but rebounded in the fall, and showed well at the alternate camp last summer. At his best, he is a five-tool shortstop. At worst, he will be a versatile utility infielder with a good bat and a good glove.

The team's top prospect, Sanchez, ranked as high as #6 (by Baseball America) and as low as #28 (FanGraphs.) He got a boost from his #28 ranking a year ago thanks to an impressive 39-inning MLB debut in 2020 that culminated with five shutout innings in the postseason. He and the hard-throwing Greene could be a formidable one-two punch in the Monsters rotation at some point down the road.

#13 Las Vegas Flamingos
Ranked prospects: Grayson Rodriguez (24), Nolan Gorman (43), Heliot Ramos (74), Jordyn Adams (119)
Unranked prospects: Yasel Antuna, Kody Hoese, Bo Naylor, Ronnier Quintero, Cole Roederer, Anthony Volpe, Hans Crouse, Jack Leiter, Jared Shuster

Rodriguez must the quietest top-25 prospect in recent history. You never hear much of anything about him. Maybe it's because he's with such a boring MLB organization? If he comes anywhere near replicating his minor league performance in the big leagues, that could change in a hurry. To me, he looks like the AL's version of Spencer Howard, who is ranked seven spots lower on this list!

Gorman seems more well-known than Rodriguez thanks to his high-profile high school career. He has the potential to be a power-hitting, middle-of-the-order, run-producer in his prime, but he'll have to cut way down on his strikeouts to get there. Like Gorman, Ramos was also a highly-touted first-round draft pick out of high school. He also hits for power, and also has his issues with whiffs. Adams was yet another first-rounder, who is known more for his 80-grade speed than his bat.

The unranked list is filled with guys who make my forehead wrinkle. I have no idea who they are except for one. Leiter is either the #1- or #2-ranked prospect in the Class of '21, depending on who you ask. He was flashing triple-digits (according to a juiced-up radar gun) in his first start of the season for Vandy. He could be the franchise pitcher the Flamingos have been searching for since 1999.

#14 Los Altos Undertakers
Ranked prospects: Luis Campusano (34), Vidal Brujan (42), Josh Jung (64)
Unranked prospects: Luisangel Acuna, Sherten Apostel, Rodrick Arias, Brayan Buelvas, Jeremiah Jackson, Alexander Mojica, Seiya Suzuki, Cristian Vaquero, Kohei Arihana, Slade Cecconi, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Thompson

Well, this is jarring to see, isn't it? The legendary Los Altos Undertakers farm system is ranked among the bottom half of the BDBL? As if we needed more signs of the coming Apocalypse, surely this is the most obvious of them all! This is only the fourth time in the 22-year history of the BDBL Farm Report that Los Altos has ranked in the bottom half. The last time this happened was in 2017...which was followed by a top-five ranking in the following two years. In other words, don't expect this to last much longer.

Brujan (#24 by FanGraphs) and Campusano (#27 by FG) were the only two Los Altos prospects who earned a top-30 ranking by any of our panel of experts. Campusano went from A-ball to the big leagues last year, thanks to the Rona, and hit an opposite-field homer in his very first game. Unfortunately for him, that was his last game in the big leagues, as he suffered a season-ending injury after that. Brujan grades out as a top-of-the-lineup speedster who will get on base and carry an above-average glove.

GM Jeff Paulson rolled the dice on two types of players in that unranked group: Japanese veterans and 15-year-old lottery tickets. Arihara will make his MLB debut with the Rangers this year. At this point, he looks more like a back-of-the-rotation inning-eater than an ace, but that remains to be seen. Suzuki is a power/speed outfielder who won a ton of gold glove awards (or their equivalent) in Japan. He will likely come to the US at the end of this season. Arias and Vaquero are both 15 years old, and both are considered to be among the top Latin prospects on the market this year.

#15 North Carolina Iron Spider Pigs
Ranked prospects: Max Meyer (29), Alek Thomas (70), Ryan Mountcastle (79), Andres Gimenez (89), Xavier Edwards (96), Sam Huff (106), Jackson Kowar (127), A.J. Puk (130)
Unranked prospects: Diego Cartaya, Jud Fabian, Jesus Galiz, Jonathan India, Cal Raleigh, Luis Rodriguez, Ethan Hankins, Ethan Lindow, Jonathan Steiver

Meyer was the third overall pick in the MLB draft last year, and was the second (I believe) overall pick in last summer's BDBL midseason farm draft. He is one of the few players acquired in 2020 who made this list, and the highest-ranked of that group, by far. With his triple-digit fastball and 80-grade slider, he has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation ace. Puk was ranked #32 on this list a year ago, but earned only one ranking (#99 by FanGraphs) this year. Like almost all of the players on this list, he didn't play a single game in 2020. Unlike most others, it was because he was injured the entire year. The early reports from spring training are promising, however.

The unranked group is a lot more interesting than the ranked group, as far as I'm concerned. Cartaya has one of the strongest arms behind the plate in all of baseball. Fabian could be a top-ten draft pick this summer. Rodriguez has yet to play a single professional game, but could surprise a lot of people this year, and could easily appear on this top-100 list a year from now.

#16 Joplin Miners
Ranked prospects: Quinn Priester (50), Clarke Schmidt (75), Simeon Woods Richardson (76), George Kirby (92), Orelvis Martinez (114), Miguel Amaya (117)
Unranked prospects: Patrick Bailey, Yiddi Cappe, Kameron Misner, Misael Urbina, Ryan Cusick, Ryan Rolison, Jordan Wicks

It's hardly a secret that Jim Doyle went all-in on the 2021 season. Toward that effort, he sacrificed Ian Anderson (#12), Randy Arozarena (#18), and Royce Lewis (#21). If he had held on to all three, the Miners would rank fourth in this report, just three points below the Salem Cowtippers. Sacrifices must be made in order to get that shot at the OL wildcard.

The four best prospects on this farm now are pitchers -- and you know what they say about pitching prospects. Priester was a late first-round pick in 2019, and tossed fewer than 40 innings in his pro debut prior to 2020's lost season. He's big, he throws hard and he's working on his breaking stuff. That gives him something in common with probably 90-percent of all pitching prospects. Schmidt is a little less big, throws a little less hard, and has a better breaking ball than most. Like Priester and Schmidt, Kirby was also selected in the first round of the MLB draft. He is known more for his control and command than his size, fastball velocity, and spin rates.

#17 South Carolina Sea Cats
Ranked prospects: Ronny Mauricio (53), Garrett Crochet (61), Garrett Mitchell (83), Jordan Balazovic (105), Shane Baz (119), Cade Cavalli (130), Tahnaj Thomas (132)
Unranked prospects: Alexander Canario, Luis Garcia, Heriberto Hernandez, Nico Hoerner, Mason Martin, Lolo Sanchez, Braden Schewmake, Nick Yorke, Tanner Burns

Once upon a time, the Sea Cats farm system ruled this annual report. However, it has now been six years since this farm ranked among the top ten in the BDBL. This is only the third time in franchise history that South Carolina hasn't owned a top-50 prospect. Mauricio (#42 by FanGraphs) was the only Sea Cat to be ranked among the top-50 by any of our panel. He is all about projection at this point. His scouting report is filled with words like "may" and "could be" and "should."

Had it not been for the two Garretts South Carolina received from Salem last summer, the 'Cats would have ranked among the bottom five for only the second time in history. Crochet was the 11th overall pick in the MLB draft last summer, and was the first player in that draft to be promoted to the big leagues. He was a major weapon out of the Chicago bullpen late in the season, and he could fill that role again for them this year. Eventually, he will be a frontline starter. Mitchell is a five-tool stud who has made vast improvements each and every year. Balazovic, Baz, Cavalli, and Thomas are all pitching prospects ranked in the 90's by our panel. At this point, each one of them has a 50/50 chance of either bursting into flames or disappearing into obscurity.

#18 South Loop Furies
Ranked prospects: Drew Waters (36), Josh Lowe (84), Nick Lodolo (85), Hunter Bishop (111)
Unranked prospects: Bryan Acuna, Bryce Ball, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jarren Duran, Bryson Stott, Anderson Tejeda, Bryce Jarvis, Ethan Small

The South Loop farm system has ranked between #18 and #20 for four years in a row now, all during a rebuilding period. You have to wonder: if the Furies aren't rebuilding through the farm, then how, exactly, are they rebuilding? Or are they?

Not much has changed since a year ago. Waters and Lowe are still ranked #1 and #2. Lodolo and Bishop, two first-round picks from the 2019 draft, were picked up from the Myrtle Beach Hitmen and Allentown Ridgebacks, respectively, through a pair of trades since last year's report. That's it. That's all the movement on the farm during the past year.

Acuna, the youngest brother of Ronald, will be eligible to sign with a MLB team this summer. I haven't seen his name mentioned anywhere as a name to watch this coming year, but maybe I missed it.

#19 Akron Ryche
Ranked prospects: Keibert Ruiz (57), Alejandro Kirk (82), Gabriel Moreno (125)
Unranked prospects: Tristin English, Gunnar Henderson, Miguel Hiraldo, Gabriel Moreno, Terrin Vavra, Colton Welker, Adam Kloffenstein, Cole Sands

Three years ago, the Akron Ryche farm system ranked #1 in this Farm Report for the second year in a row. Last year, they earned their first trip to the BDBL World Series. Coincidence?

Since that 2018 Farm Report, Ronald Acuna (older brother of Bryan, above) graduated to The Show, as did Francisco Mejia, Keston Hiura, and Austin Riley (among others.) Unfortunately for Akron Ryche farm system fans, there was no "second wave" waiting to take their place. As a result, Akron ranked #22 a year ago, and bolted up to #19 this year after their recent addition of Ruiz. Also unfortunately for Akron farm system fans, Ruiz was drafted at a salary of $2 million, so he technically isn't even eligible for the farm club.

All three ranked prospects are catchers. Kirk and Moreno are both catchers in the Toronto Blue Jays system. Kirk made his MLB debut last year, and Moreno is many years away from doing so. Of the unranked list, I've only heard of one of them, and that is only because D.J. told me to draft him and trade him to the Ryche.

#20 Buckingham Sovereigns
Ranked prospects: Deivi Garcia (68), Oswald Peraza (92), Luis Medina (128)
Unranked prospects: Kevin Alcantara, Antonio Cabello, Gilberto Celestino, Maikol Escotto, Hudson Potts, Canaan Smith, Josh Stowers, Nick Bitsko, Roansy Contreras, Luis Gil, Yoendrys Gomez, Osiel Rodriguez, Alexander Vizcaino

Way back in 2016, when Tony Badger took over this storied franchise, he selected someone named Wilkerman Garcia (a Yankees shortstop) with his first pick of the farm draft. John Gill immediately followed that pick by selecting Eloy Jimenez. Thus began the weirdest farm draft strategy the BDBL has seen since the day when Tim Zigmund selected Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield back-to-back.

Badger has explained that he gets more enjoyment from watching his own prospects develop in-person than he does from watching them develop from a distance, which is why he selects Yankees farmhands almost exclusively. Fair enough. We all enjoy different aspects of this hobby.

Oddly enough, MLB.com did not think highly enough of any of Buckingham's prospects to give them a ranking. Garcia earned a #60 and #50 ranking from FanGraphs and Baseball America (respectively), Peraza earned a #67 ranking from FG, and Medina snuck in with a #97 ranking from the same outlet.

According to FanGraphs, Garcia, Peraza, and Medina rank #2, #3, and #6 in a deep and talented Yankees farm. Garcia has the stuff, but not the size (5'9"/163 lbs) to handle a starting pitcher's workload. FanGraphs defines Peraza as a "contact-oriented shortstop" and an "above-average defender." Medina showed big improvements in the Puerto Rican winter league, and could be a surprise impact player in '21.

#21 Cleveland Rocks
Ranked prospects: Ha-seong Kim (80), Luis Matos (116)
Unranked prospects: Blaze Alexander, Alex Binelas, Pedro Leon, Bubba Thompson, Clayton Beeter, Kris Bubic, Francisco Morales

This is the lowest ranking for the Cleveland farm system since the dark days of 2009. Back then, Cleveland owned the bottom-five of this report. In fact, they finished in the bottom-five eight out of the first ten years of the Farm Report's existence. Mike Stein traded for guys like Gleyber Torres and Nick Senzel, and the Cleveland farm suddenly gained some long-awaited prestige. But then those guys graduated to the big leagues and their void was filled by the likes of Ha-seong Kim and Luis Matos.

It is nearly impossible to know how Kim's Korean League stats will translate to MLB. Shin-Soo Choo is the only position player who has made that leap successfully so far. Recent MLB history is filled with plenty of players (Jung-ho Kang, Hee-seop Choi, etc.) who weren't able to transition as easily. At best, Kim will be an above-average offensive utility infielder. At worst, Kim will be a below-average offensive utility infielder.

Matos is in the same boat as Leon: high-risk/high-upside teenage lottery tickets.

#22 Great Lakes Sphinx
Ranked prospects: Bobby Dalbec (108), Ryan Weathers (114), Trevor Rogers (117)
Unranked prospects: Aramis Ademan, Jose Devers, Reivaj Garcia, Greg Jones, Tucupita Marcano, Eddy Julio Martinez, Seth Corry, Brendon Little

This is now the seventh year in a row the Sphinx own a bottom-four farm system. How is that even possible? Even if you weren't trying, you'd think you'd stumble across a top prospect by accident every now and then. Tony Badger barely tries to build a farm system, and he manages to rank higher than the Sphinx farm in most years! This is just pathetic.

Weathers wins the prize for earning the highest ranking (#84) from any of our panel of experts. Dalbec earns the prize for being the only Great Lakes prospect who made the top-100 (just barely) from two out of the three experts. There isn't much to say about any of these guys, nor is there much to say about the unranked group. As depressing as that is, it's even more depressing that we still have two more teams to go in this report!

#23 Ravenswood Infidels
Ranked prospects: Michael Busch (98), Daniel Espino (123)
Unranked prospects: Henry Davis, Brenton Boyle, Mario Feliciano, Justin Foscue, Christian Franklin, Sal Frelick, Liover Peguero, Luis Frias, Brennan Malone, Alek Manoah, Andrew Painter, Masyn Winn

Busch and Espino were both first-round draft picks in 2019. Busch would move quickly through the system if: a) he played for a different MLB team, and b) he had a defensive position. Espino throws very hard, but has yet to pitch a full season at any level.

Davis, Frelick, and Painter are all ranked among the top-twenty prospects in the 2021 MLB draft, although it's early, and those rankings tend to move a lot in the six months prior to Draft Day.

#24 Bear Country Jamboree
Ranked prospects: Jhoan Duran (108)
Unranked prospects: Micker Adolfo, Aaron Bracho, William Contreras, Dillon Dingler, Elehuris Montero, Alexfri Planez, Aaron Sabato, Austin Wells, Will Wilson, Logan Wyatt, Joey Cantillo, Jairo Solis

At this point, it is a well-established fact that I barely follow the game of baseball. It is no surprise, then, that I have never heard of almost every player on the Bear Country farm. It's to the point where I question where other people gather their scouting information.

Duran was ranked #82 by FanGraphs. He's tall (6'5") and throws hard (101 mph), but has a lot of work to do in terms of command. I recall watching Adolfo hit from behind home plate while seated next to Bob Sylvester at an Arizona spring training game. Adolfo looks like he could hit the ball a mile if he ever makes contact -- which is all too rare. He owns a career K% of nearly 40%!

Contreras is the younger brother of Willson. Wells was another awful first-round pick by the Yankees last year. And...that's about it. That's all I know. Sorry.