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Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel are back at it, concluding their team reports with their overall top-100 prospects for 2019, and this year it’s easier to get the information and level of detail you want than ever:
The @fangraphs Top 100 has some nifty new features this year. Are you Very Busy? Do you need to Get The Gist of the list, before you dive in later? Now you can select different reading detail levels, like TLDR or data only. Plus, you can filter by team or position. pic.twitter.com/xYq7jzMEyK
— Meg Rowley (@megrowler) February 13, 2019
Bravo, FanGraphs.
What follows is the TL;DR reports from the top-100, but please, check it out in full for yourself!
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65 FV Prospects
2. Wander Franco, SS
Franco is really close to a perfect prospect, as he’s plus at almost everything he tries, and has one of the best pro debuts we’ve ever seen.
Each of the Top-100 reports comes with an estimated probability of outcome, and Franco’s most likely path is marked as 70+ on the 20-80 scale. It doesn’t get better than this.
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60 FV Prospects
14. Brendan McKay, LHP/1B
McKay is the best two-way prospect anyone has seen in a long time (if you ignore Shohei Ohtani) and is on a path to being a mid-rotation starter and solid DH.
This projection has McKay as a No. 3 starter, with tons of upside to tap into, and they don’t take hitting out of the equation as other publications have.
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55 FV Prospects
25. Brent Honeywell, RHP
Honeywell is back from Tommy John surgery and his plus stuff, headlined by his wacky curveball and wackier personality, is ready for his big league debut.
The highest praise for Honeywell, who will go by Honeywell Jr. on his major league jersey, is for diversity in pitches and approach, and the best grades are actually given to his changeup.
26. Vidal Brujan, 2B
Brujan is next in line behind Jose Altuve, Dustin Pedroia, and Ozzie Albies to fit the description of tiny, standout big league second baseman with shockingly loud tools. Indeed, of the current crop of similar prospects (Luis Urias and Nick Madrigal), Brujan’s tools are the loudest.
In another timeline, if Brujan were a collegiate athlete, FG believes he’d be the No. 1 overall selection in 2019. After barnstorming High-A mid-season, it’s an exciting year ahead as he returns to that level.
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50 FV Prospects
46. Brandon Lowe, 2B
Lowe’s 2018 sample of big league at-bats was large enough to draw some real conclusions about his skillset. His power and feel for lift are both legit, and he’s due for some helpful BABIP regression.
Lowe exceeded all expectations in 2018, giving him what is now a low-risk major league projection.
54. Jesus Sanchez, RF
If bat speed is your thing, then you probably love Sanchez. If a well-manicured approach is your thing, you probably don’t.
Prospects will break your heart, and Sanchez is a heartbreaker. His swing will blow you away, but as FG notes, he needs some adjustments if he’s to continue climbing the ladder with success.
70. Ronaldo Hernandez, C
A plus-plus arm and big raw power drive Hernandez’s high-ceiling profile.
Late to the catching game, his biggest area for improvement remains receiving, but that doesn’t limit him from having a solid catcher’s projection.
71. Matthew Liberatore, LHP
Though he took an unexpected tumble on draft day, Libby’s velocity, curveball, and early-career pitching acumen give him front-end upside. He’s just several years from realizing it.
A high school pitcher worthy of a high draft selection, and has all the pieces you need to project a big league pitcher, including a plus curve. It’s just gonna be a while.
111. Nick Solak, 2B
An elite makeup 2B/LF with a career .390 OBP, we like Solak’s chances of becoming a strong offensive contributor who plays a few different positions.
FG sees Solak as an everyday player at any position, and believe his talent good enough to force a conversation about who should be at the major league level, and who needs to be traded.
115. Shane Baz, RHP
The PTBNL in the Chris Archer deal, Baz is a tightly-wound athlete with power stuff similar to Marcus Stroman, it’s just coming out of a 6-foot-3 frame.
Despite a deep repertoire of pitches, FG thinks the lack of a major league changeup limits his profile to date; developing a better one is their key to success.