SPECIAL: Michael Conforto

SPECIAL: Michael Conforto

Currently the Major League Baseball World Series is being played between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets. One player on the Mets has been a major league prospect, and has been playing in World Series' since he was just a kid. 

Michael Conforto

Micheal Conforto has played in the Little League World Series, the College World Series and is now lucky and talented enough to be playing for the Major League Baseball World Series. He is only the third player to do so, and is the first player ever to record an RBI (Run Batted In) in all three of his appearances in the various World Series performances. 

First Base Phenoms

FIRST BASE PHENOMS

A player who is just starting his professional career is already ranked third among prospects at first base. Dominic Smith is only in advanced-A ball, yet his work throughout his progression of growing older has impressed scouts across the board. Smith is said to have very mature eyes and hand eye coordination, along with an advanced recognition of the strike zone. He is playing in the New York Mets system, and they believe as he continues to move through the minor leagues that his power numbers will improve.

Dominic Smith

A more typical professional first-baseman is the second ranked prospect at the position. A.J. Reed is 6 feet 4 inches tall and a whopping 240 pounds. He is said to be too slow to play any other defensive position, but his defense is not what got him to be held in such high regard by scouts. His name became known because he not only started at first base at the University of Kentucky, he also was the teams ace pitcher. His power at the plate makes him too valuable to only be in the lineup once a week as a major league pitcher. He plays in the Houston Astros system. He has a strong arm at first base due to his pitching background.

AJ Reed 

It gives me great pleasure to know that the number one prospect at first base is a player in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. Josh Bell has worked his way to Triple-A and looks to make his mark in the majors very soon. He is a nearly a five tool player, but needs work on his ability to field batted balls. He has the power and speed to be a deadly extra-base hit threat and his .347 batting average with the Indianapolis Indians means that he can also hit for contact.

Josh Bell

A Glimpse of the Big Show...

A Glimpse of the Big Show

A minor league baseball player is used to being moved around from one team to the next. No call is more exciting than the one a minor leaguer can recieve that says they have been called up by the team in which their contract is ultimatelty signed. Some are lucky enough to play entire seasons as a rookie, and some only get to play and handful of games when they get that glorious call. 

These are those of the top 10 overall MLB prospects who made their MLB debuts in 2015.

BYRON BUXTON
Buxton played 46 games in the MLB for the Minnessota Twins during the 2015 season. His statistics during those games show that he could still use some improvement offensively if he wants to find a job as an outfielder in the Big Leagues.

COREY SEAGER
Seager played 27 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015. His impressive numbers of these games prove that he may soon be ready to be an every-day player in the MLB. He produced 17 RBI in his limited number of games and finished with a .337 batting average.

JOEY GALLO
Scouts view Gallo as the hitter with the most raw power amongst all minor leaguers, and some say all professional players including MLB players. He is young, like most of the prospects listed here, and in his 36 games he produces a BA in the low .200's with just 6 homeruns. He will continue to produce power when he does make contact with the ball, however he has some work to do in regards to overall productivity at the plate.

Second Basemen on the Rise

Second Basemen on the Rise

The third ranked second base prospect on the rise in baseball is Alen Hanson. Hanson is only 22 years old but has been signed to a major league contract since 2009. He is not a very large man, yet he has started to show extra-base power. Scouts say that he has the athletic ability and range to be a top-notch shortstop but he does not have the strongest arm across the infield. He plays in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, who have been showing a pattern of growing their talented players for a rather cheap price. Hanson could earn a big MLB contract one day, but still has some work to do.

Alen Hanson

Jose Peraza burst in the MLB in 2015. He was fortunate enough to play in seven big league games this year but did a majority of his work in the minor leagues. He is the second ranked second base prospect, and has incredible speed. This speed makes up for his lack of power at the plate, as he mostly hits the ball on the ground since most things hit in the air will not be going very far. He is anticipated to play more and more in the majors.

Jose Peraza

The number one prospect at the second base position is Yoan Moncada. He is only 20-years-old and should be entering the MLB in the next few years. He has already signed a 63-million dollar contract making him the highest paid amateur player in history. He has an arm athletic skill that will allow him to fill any position that a team needs, yet he is best fit in the middle infield. His numbers from the plate are much better than most second basemen or shortstops. The Boston Red Sox hope to get the production out of him for the money they have already spent.

Yoan Moncada

Captains of the Infield.

Captains of the Infield...

With the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, the Colorado Rockies system selected Brendan Rodgers. With his powerful swing and better than average glove work, some say he may be better fir to play third base. However, Rodgers is very athletic. Enough so that covering the range needed to be a Major League shortstop should not be a problem for him. He brings a great arm across the infield, and the 19 year old has become the top ranked prospect in the Rockies system. He is ranked third among all shortstop prospects according to Major League Baseball.

Brendan Rodgers

The 2013 winning of the Gulf Coast League batting title, is the second ranked shortstop by MLB. J.P. Crawford is 20 years old and the top prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. He has played in the futures all-star game two years in a row and has shown off his skills enough to reach double-a already. His smooth defense makes it a no-brainer that he is fit to play shortstop at the Major League level, and with no big names at the position ahead of him Crawford should look to move up into triple-a and MLB in the near future.

J.P. Crawford

A multi-position playing power hitter is the top ranked shortstop according to MLB. Corey Seager looks to make a move similar to recently emerging shortstop stars Addison Russel of the Cubs and Carlos Correa of the Astros. He is the number one ranked player in the Los Angeles Dodgers system and capable of playing shortstop or third base due to his excellent footwork and athletic ability. He is a good fit at third because of his size, as he has displayed great power and bat speed at the plate.

Corey Seager

The Hot Corner

The Hot Corner

Ryan McMahon is a 20 year old third baseman in the system of the Colorado Rockies. He is scouted as a player who has a very high ceiling in all five of baseball's most sought after skill sets. His defense is said to be already at a major league level. The Rockies hope that McMahon will continue to mature into the player they hoped he would be when they drafted him, and because he is so young there is much room to improve on this already phenomenal third baseman's game. His power swing is what is desired in a third baseman, and his ability to hit for average is a work in progress. McMahon is the third ranked third base prospect of Major League Baseball.

Ryan McMahon

 An 18 year old, is the second ranked third base prospect. Rafael Devers smashed pitching in Rookie-ball. He is a power hitter very highly regarded by the Boston Red Sox. He watches pitches well and has a good recognition of where an umpire will be calling balls and strikes. His display of talent in the international market lead him to make it to the United States by the age of 17. Scouts aren't sure if Devers will always play third base because of footwork issues, but as he matures physically he will find his way into a fitting position because of his threat at the plate. 

Rafael Devers

 The top ranked third base prospect in Major League Baseball is Joey Gallo. He made his major league debut in 2015 for the Texas Rangers after a legendary showing of skill and power going all the way back to his high school days. He hit a Nevada high school record 65 home runs. At only 21 years old he broke into the major leagues and quickly people took notice of Gallo's second greatest tool. He can bring a 98-mph fastball that looks like a laser moving across the infield from third base. He will likely have a great career in Major League Baseball for years to come.

Joey Gallo

Youth on the Hill... (Right-Handed Pitchers)

Youth on the hill... (right handed pitchers)

Alex Reyes in only 21 years old. However, he has been signed to a major league baseball contract since 2012. The St.Louis Cardinals have him listed as their most valued pitching prospect in their farm system and they will continue to allow his skills to progress. With a fastball in the mid-90's and a hard biting off-speed pitch, minor league hitters swing and miss often. He is the third ranked right-handed pitching prospect according to Major League Baseball.

Alex Reyes

From the batters box, a 6'8" pitcher can seem like he is standing on a mountain throwing down at you. That is why the Pittsburgh Pirates value their righty, Tyler Glasnow, very highly. He brings a fastball that can reach the upper-90's. Tyler throws a curveball and change-up that are scouted as needing work, but already both are noted to be average by Major League standards. Glasnow is ranked second among right-handed minor league pitchers and is expected to break into the MLB in the near future.

Tyler Glasnow

Throwing a baseball 100 miles per hour is an accomplishment that most only dream about. Lucas Giolito can touch the century mark with his fastball, and brings a devastating curveball that can make the best hitters off balance. As the number one right-handed prospect, the Washington Nationals believe that this 21-year-old can develop into an ace pitcher that will strengthen their already dominant pitching rotation.

Lucas Giolito