2023 Top 100 Prospects
After two months of the minor league season, much has changed in the prospect world. Plenty of players have graduated, including three of the top 10 prospects from the preseason: Orioles’ infielder Gunnar Henderson, D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Other prospects received their first taste of the big leagues and struggled, like Orioles righthander Grayson Rodriguez and Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker. Both players were eventually optioned back to Triple-A, though Walker has since returned.
Beyond prospects reaching the big leagues for the first time, others have made significant improvements to their prospect stock. Perhaps the most notable in this category is Padres catcher Ethan Salas, who skipped both the DSL and the Arizona Complex League before landing in Low-A two days before he turned 17 years old. Salas’ arrow has pointed straight up since signing in January, and the Padres showed their trust in him early by allowing him to catch bullpens for big leaguers and get his feet wet in a Cactus League game.
Among other notable risers is Braves righthander AJ Smith-Shawver. Unranked on the preseason list, Smith-Shawver used a smoothed-out delivery and a new curveball to bull-rush the minor leagues on the way to his big league debut. He made no more than three starts apiece at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A before landing in Atlanta.
On the other side of the coin, some prospects have seen their stock take a hit. Nationals outfielder Elijah Green has plenty of impact potential, but the rates of swing and miss he’s shown early in his career make most scouts believe he’ll have serious trouble getting to it at the highest levels.
Royals first-rounder Gavin Cross also dropped off from the preseason list for the same reason. Through June 7, the Virginia Tech product was striking out at a rate north of 30% in the High-A Midwest League.
These Top 100 updates are fueled by feedback from the industry and data gathered from sources. The list will be updated again later this summer, closer to the midseason trade deadline.
By then, players who’ve fallen might rebound and the spring’s biggest risers might come back to Earth. If that happens, we'll make our best effort to reflect the industry’s most up-to-date outlook.
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Updated on: 6/7/2023
1
Elly De La Cruz 2022
Elly De La Cruz
RedsSS
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2
Jackson Holliday
Jackson Holliday
OriolesSS
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3
Jackson Chourio 2022
Jackson Chourio
BrewersOF
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4
Eury Perez 2022
Eury Perez
MarlinsRHP
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5
James Wood 202
James Wood
NationalsOF
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6
Jordan Walker 2022
Jordan Walker
Cardinals3B/OF
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7
Francisco Alvarez 2022
Francisco Alvarez
MetsC
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8
Marcelo Mayer 2022
Marcelo Mayer
Red SoxSS
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9
Evan Carter
Evan Carter
RangersOF
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10
Bobby Miller
Bobby Miller
DodgersRHP
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11
Gavin Williams 2022
Gavin Williams
GuardiansRHP
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12
Painter Headshot
Andrew Painter
PhilliesRHP
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13
Tanner Bibee
Tanner Bibee
GuardiansRHP
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14
Taj Bradley 2022
Taj Bradley
RaysRHP
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15
Jordan Lawlar 2022
Jordan Lawlar
DiamondbacksSS
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16
Colton Cowser 2022
Colton Cowser
OriolesOF
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17
Grayson Rodriguez 2022
Grayson Rodriguez
OriolesRHP
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18
PCA
Pete Crow-Armstrong
CubsOF
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19
Junior Caminero
Junior Caminero
RaysSS/3B
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20
Jackson Merrill
Jackson Merrill
PadresSS
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21
Diego Cartaya 2022
Diego Cartaya
DodgersC
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22
Endy Rodriguez
Endy Rodriguez
PiratesC
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23
Frelick
Sal Frelick
BrewersOF
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24
Logan O'hoppe 2022
Logan O'Hoppe
AngelsC
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25
Kyle Harrison 2022
Kyle Harrison
GiantsLHP
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