MLB prospects to watch from each team's 60-man pool

ByESPN.com staff ESPN logo
Monday, June 29, 2020

With Major League Baseball scheduled to open camps for "spring training 2.0" in the coming days, teams had to submit their initial 60-man player pools Sunday. Players still can be added, as many teams listed fewer than 60 names, but this at least gives us a glimpse of what we'll see when the players finally hit the diamond.

Many of the game's top prospects, Rays phenom Wander Franco chief among them, will be in camp, although there's no guarantee they'll see any big league action this season. With the minor leagues shut down, these camps will provide the best opportunity for development for many players.

Players must be in their team's 60-man pool to be eligible to play for the major league club this season. The pool can change throughout the season through standard transactions, such as waiver claims, free-agent signings and trades. A 30-man roster for each team will be set for the start of the season, with the remaining players continuing to train at an alternate site. Roster size will be reduced to 28 two weeks into the season, then to 26 two weeks after that.

Borrowing liberally from the work of ESPN MLB prospect expert Kiley McDaniel, here's a look at some of the notable prospects on each team's initial 60-man pool, with teams grouped by division.

MORE: McDaniel's top 100| Farm system rankings | Draft recap

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Outfielder Austin Hays was solid in a call-up last season and has a chance to contribute if his injury issues are behind him. Catcher Adley Rutschman (No. 3 on McDaniel's top 100) isn't big league-ready and isn't on the Orioles' initial list, but they have room to add to it.

Boston Red Sox

Powerful Bobby Dalbec should have a shot at making at least the early roster. Also noteworthy: Connor Wong, who came over in the Mookie Betts deal, is on the initial list, but Jeter Downs, the bigger prospect in the Betts trade, is not.

New York Yankees

Righties Deivi Garcia (No. 45 on McDaniel's top 100) and Clarke Schmidt (No. 82) both could be useful arms for New York.

Tampa Bay Rays

Wander Franco, the consensus top prospect in the game, won't necessarily make his debut this season -- it would be a big leap from Class A -- but he'll get a good look and create a lot of buzz at camp.

Toronto Blue Jays

Fireballing righty Nate Pearson, No. 6 on McDaniel's list, is the biggest name and could make an impact this season, but infielder Jordan Groshans (No. 68) should be fun to watch in camp, too. Austin Martin, the fifth pick in the 2020 draft, remains unsigned.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

Beyond Rookie of the Year candidateLuis Robert, Michael Kopech and Nick Madrigal, there's Andrew Vaughn, who was drafted No. 3 overall in 2019, to keep an eye on.

Cleveland Indians

Nolan Jones (No. 22 on McDaniel's top 100) is Cleveland's top prospect, with intriguing Bo Naylor a potential everyday catcher.

Detroit Tigers

We knew Detroit's young pitchers -- with Casey Mize and Matt Manning leading the way -- would be here, as they're knocking on the big league door. Adding to the fun are catcher Dillon Dingler, part of the Tigers' 2020 draft class, plus Riley Greene, their first-round pick in 2019. Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, could be added once he signs.

Kansas City Royals

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft, will get a chance to develop here, though he's not ready for the bigs yet.

Minnesota Twins

Power-hitting Trevor Larnach seemed to potentially be on track for a late-season big league look with a 162-game schedule, but that could change now.

AL West

Houston Astros

Righty Forrest Whitley has been tantalizing with his talent, but he still hasn't pulled it together. His ceiling remains high.

Los Angeles Angels

Jo Adell (McDaniel's No. 10 prospect and just 21 years old) was expected to make his big league debut this season; time will tell if the 60-game format changes that.

Oakland Athletics

Keep an eye on Robert Puason, 17, a huge international talent who drew scouts' attention when he was 13 and would have made his pro debut this year. He flashed above-average-to-plus tools across the board, according to McDaniel. Also in camp: 2020 first-round pick Tyler Soderstrom, the top prep catcher in the draft.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are bringing all their top prospects to the party, including 19-year-old Julio Rodriguez (No. 9 on the top 100) and fellow outfielder Jarred Kelenic (No. 12), as well as four of their 2020 draft picks, first-rounder Emerson Hancock among them.

Texas Rangers

Second baseman Nick Solak and third baseman Josh Jung, both big hitters, are the players to watch.

National League East

Atlanta Braves

The Braves have a lot of young prospect talent on their initial list, with outfielder Cristian Pache (McDaniel's No. 17 prospect) as the headliner.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins, as one would expect, have all their top prospects heading to camp, including shortstop Jazz Chisholm (No. 37 on McDaniel's top 100), right-handers Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera, and outfielder JJ Bleday.

New York Mets

David Peterson, a 6-foot-6 lefty who works with a solid four-pitch mix and above-average command, has a good shot to see some big league action.

Philadelphia Phillies

Alec Bohm, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, has a ton of raw power and is worth keeping an eye on.

Washington Nationals

Jackson Rutledge will be fun to see -- the right-hander is 6-8 and can hit 100 mph with a very good slider -- if he can pull it all together.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

Catcher Miguel Amaya and outfielder Brennen Davis aren't ready for the bigs, but both have some pop and already are top-100 material.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds will have four players in McDaniel's top 100 in camp: catcher Tyler Stephenson, shortstop Jose Garcia, lefty Nick Lodolo and third baseman Jonathan India.

Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee didn't include its top prospects, but Drew Rasmussen could fill a role. He has had two Tommy John surgeries but is hitting 99 mph again, and he still has an above-average slider. The Brewers had only 45 players on their initial list, so there could be additions.

Pittsburgh Pirates

One scout told McDaniel that 6-7 Oneil Cruz looked like a "left-handed[-hitting] Aaron Judge playing shortstop." Cruz might not stay at short, but he's a talent. The worry is that his pitch selection and limb length will create big problems. As McDaniel wrote, "Cruz is fun and exciting and good for baseball, and he hasn't failed yet, so I'm betting he figures it out."

St. Louis Cardinals

Top prospect Dylan Carlson (McDaniel's No. 28 prospect) could be ready to contribute after a breakout 2019 in Double-A and Triple-A.

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-backs loaded their pool with youngsters, including right-hander Bryce Jarvis, their top pick (No. 18 overall) in this year's draft. Also in the mix are 19-year-old outfielder Corbin Carroll and 18-year-old Blake Walston.

Colorado Rockies

Brendan Rodgers, who played 25 games with Colorado last year before hurting his shoulder, is the Rockies' top prospect.

Los Angeles Dodgers

There has been buzz that Josiah Gray could be the best pitcher in the Dodgers' system -- and that's saying something.

San Diego Padres

The Padres have a bunch of talented prospects and are bringing many of them to camp, including pitchers MacKenzie Gore (No. 8 of McDaniel's list) and Luis Patino (No. 11).

San Francisco Giants

The big name here is Joey Bart, the second pick in the 2018 draft, McDaniel's No. 7 prospect and the Giants' presumed catcher of the future.

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