APEX BLOG

Top prospect is youngest player in camp, but he isn't playing that way

The MLB Pipeline crew likes to start each new year by projecting prospects poised to break out in the upcoming season.

These are our picks for Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year for each of the 30 Minor League organizations. In order to qualify for this list, a player must have spent at least half the season in the Minors and appeared on their team’s Top 30 Prospects ranking at some point, meaning Major League graduates are eligible.

From Indy Ball, to a job in a Milwaukee brewery, and now a core spot in the Blue Jays bullpen, Trevor Richards has come a long way in baseball.

Ask Ken Waldichuk about the pitching depth in the Yankees’ organization, and the left-handed prospect describes it as “kind of unreal,” recalling the experiences of his first week after being promoted to Double-A Somerset last June.

Rated as the Red Sox’s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Yorke is ready to build off a big first pro season.

But as McClure is working on development with prospective pitchers ranging in age from 10 to 18, he’ll also be reinforcing basic principles needed for his upcoming 2022 campaign.

Below, we identify 10 more previously unheralded prospects who boosted their stock in the Fall League

Hoerner has not been in the big leagues long enough to accrue the kind of resources required to build a foundation and fund major projects. But he has embraced the city and has sought ways to get involved beyond the diamond.

While Kreidler’s quiet approach had seemingly kept him off the prospect grid, his goal to advance on the offensive side of the ball in 2021 made his progression impossible to ignore.

And I’d say the one lesson I’ve learned from that grind, more than any other, is that progress in baseball…. it doesn’t always happen in a straight line. Success in this game is usually a road full of twists and turns.

With the minor league season nearly over (all that is left are the playoffs and the extra series tacked on to the end of both Triple-A leagues), it’s time to take a look at the prospects who made names for themselves in 2021.

But as someone who has written more words about the Derby than anyone else alive, I get the first vote. And I’m voting for a man who mile-highed more than 33,400 feet worth of gravity-defying home runs Monday night in one of the most fun Derbies ever staged.

New York Mets first baseman and defending Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso has teamed up with artist Gregory Siff to create custom-painted bats the slugger will use in the 2021 Derby in Denver.

Orioles first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle and Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom are June’s Rookie of the Month Award winners.

“When you put it all into perspective and you think about it on that scale, it’s really cool,” the Cubs’ Patrick Wisdom said. “There’s a lot of people who don’t get to do this. I feel really honored and special to put on that jersey.”

He's the backup to the backup, but Chicago Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom sure isn't playing like it. As the 29-year-old rookie preps for Sunday Night Baseball -- against the team that drafted him -- Wisdom has already accomplished more than most.

Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom and Orioles outfielder/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle have been named MLB’s Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet.

The 26-year-old slugger named his creation the Polar Burger, after his "Polar Bear" nickname

Baddoo had spent the better part of two years away from the game he loved. And so just as the Detroit Tigers were up to announce the No. 3 pick in the Rule 5 Draft, Baddoo’s laptop shut off.

In the eighth inning of the Cubs' 6-0 loss to the Brewers on Sunday afternoon, Hoerner showed off not only his defensive prowess, but his baseball IQ in starting a sly double play.

So up came Baddoo, one of baseball’s best stories of the spring, a player who has a chance to become one of the great Rule 5 stories ever.

The Red Sox wanted the 18-year-old in big-league camp, a rare opportunity for any first-year player, let alone one who’d just graduated high school and had yet to play in a minor-league game.

Smith is the Dodgers’ present and future at the position though, and the 25-year-old seems to be getting better and better every year.

Though Yorke, an infielder with a big right-handed bat, impressively defines tunnel vision in his approach, he took a few moments to reflect on how things have changed for him in a year.

If you want to know more about how Riley Greene became one of the best young hitting prospects in baseball, perhaps this is a perfect place to start.

The Phillies knew they needed to find more starting pitching before Spring Training opens next month. They believe they found someone who can help