The Midwest League’s Top 20 Prospects of 2019
The Midwest League has been a home to many of Major League Baseball’s biggest and brightest stars- players like Mike Trout, Alex Bregman, Noah Syndergaard, Yordan Alvarez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Francisco Lindor, and Bo Bichette Jr.,just to name a few.
We can’t know for sure who the next big name to come out of the league is, but we can take a look at the biggest Midwest League prospects and try to find out who the future big leaguers and All Stars might be.
Before we begin, one note on power grades. Obviously, much has been made about the massive increase in home runs in AAA and the MLB. It’s hard to grade prospects on their projected future power potential when we don’t know what the landscape of the leauge (or the ball) might be like. We’ll do our best.
#1 Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 18 Switch Hitter 5’10”, 189
Signed: July 2nd, 2017 out of the Dominican Republic
Hit: 70+ (.300+) Power: 60+ (30+) Run: 60 Field: 55 Arm: 60
Wander Franco is an obvious choice for #1 Midwest league prospect. He is also the Top Prospect in the Minors at the moment, and is only 18 years old. He won’t turn 19 until March 1st, 2020. He is an unbelievable talent that has produced a career .335/.404/.520 slash line while being years younger than the competition around him. Wander has leadership skills and is a great teammate.
He is a 5 tool talent where all his tools play loud. He hit for a .309 Average over 62 games at Bowling Green and hit 6 Home Runs in the Midwest League. On April 25th he had his best performance against Lansing in which he went 3 for 4 with 2 Home Runs while adding 3 Runs and 3 RBI’s. His last game in the Midwest League was on June 23rd, the next day he was promoted to High A.
#2 Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 19 Left Handed Pitcher 6’5”, 200
Drafted out of Mountain Ridge HS (Glendale, AZ) by TB in the 1st Round (16th Overall) in 2018
Fastball: 60+ (93 MPH+) Curveball: 60+ Slider: 55+ Changeup: 55+ Control: 50+
Matthew Liberatore started this season in extended spring training to work on a few things and didn’t make his Midwest League debut until May 15th against the South Bend Cubs. He impressed that night, tossing 5 shutout innings while striking out 4, and from that time on he made 8 starts with 7 of them being quality starts. In 4 of those starts he allowed zero runs.
Matt has an excellent fastball that sat 93-94 when I saw him pitch back in July, and it seemed like he primarily used his slider as he threw that more often than his curveball, which looks to be an excellent wipeout pitch. He also throws a changeup really well which helps him in inducing ground balls.
He moves well for his size and seems to be a solid fielder as a pitcher. It seems like he will be able to continue to improve his game over time and he has tons of upside and projection still. A scout gave him a Drew Pomeranz comp but I feel like Liberatore has the chance to be even better, definitely a Midwest league prospect. This season he went 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA with 78 strikeouts over 80.1 innings pitched. On June 28th against Great Lakes he threw 7 shutout innings and struck out 10 batters.
#3 Brailyn Marquez, LHP, Chicago Cubs
Age: 20 Left Handed Pitcher 6’4”, 185
Signed: August 23rd, 2015 out of the Dominican Republic
Fastball: 70+ (95+ MPH) Curveball: 55+ Changeup: 55 Cutter: 50 Control: 50
I got a chance to watch Brailyn Marquez pitch at the Midwest League All-Star Game this year and he was outstanding. He threw 98-99 mph and is still raw with tons of upside. He struggled with command early (35 BB’s in 50 IP from April through June) on in the year but got better as the season went on.
He has overpowering stuff but needs to continue to show that the progress he made from July on of commanding the strike zone is for real. He went 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 77.1 innings pitched in the Midwest League. In the month of July he went 2-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 13.5 K/9 over 27.1 innings pitched while walking only 8 batters. Over his last 3 starts in the Midwest League before being promoted he struck out 29 hitters over 17 innings allowing only 1 earned run. His best outing came against Lake County on July 25th in which he went 6 no-hit innings striking out 14 of 19 batters faced.
#4 Shane Baz, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 20 Right Handed Pitcher 6’2”, 190
Drafted out of Concordia Lutheran HS (Tomball, TX) by Pittsburgh in the 1st Round (9th Overall) in 2017
Fastball: 70 (95+ MPH) Slider: 60 Changeup: 50 Curveball: 45+ Control: 45+
Shane Baz, who I recently interviewed, made his full season debut this season at Low A Bowling Green and pitched well, posting a 2.96 ERA with a 9.5 K/9 over 82 innings pitched. Baz was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the trade that sent the Pirates Chris Archer and at the time Baz was a throw in player, not the Midwest Leauge prospect he is now.
This season he has started to look more like the high potential pitcher that was a top 10 overall pick in 2017. He will need to improve his control in order to avoid being moved to the bullpen, as he has power stuff that would profile well there as well and he could potentially touch triple digits out of the bullpen. He touched 98 mph when I saw him pitch in July.
He also throws a slider that could be a future plus pitch that touched 86-87 he also is working on throwing a curveball that shows promise, but he maybe threw it once or twice that game. He also mixes in a changeup.
Baz made his Midwest League debut on May 8th against Burlington and went 5 innings giving up an earned run while striking 7 batters. He made 13 quality starts out of 17 games started including 5 starts in which he allowed zero runs. He made his best start of the season on May 26th against Dayton tossing 5 shutout innings while striking out 9 batters. He has plenty of stuff to be able to dominate but will need to improve his command in order to fulfill his potential.
#5 Xavier Edwards, 2B, San Diego Padres
Age: 19 Switch Hitter 5’10”, 175
Drafted out of North Broward Prep HS (Coconut Creek, FL) by San Diego in the 1st Round (38th Overall) in 2018
Hit: 60+ (.280+) Power: 20+ (0-2+) Run: 70 Field: 60 Arm: 50
Xavier Edwards has skills that would make him a great leadoff hitter: plus speed, excellent on base skills, and good hand eye coordination, but he lacks power and it doesn’t seem like he will add very much as it’s currently not really a part of his game.
He is a solid fielder that could fill in at shortstop due to his range and solid fielding, but his arm is better suited for second base. He hit .332/.386/.411 with 19 stolen bases in 76 games in the Midwest League. He had multiple hits in 28 games.
On May 1st he went 5 for 5 against Kane County which was a sign of things to come for the month of May as he went on to hit .378 for the month. He also had a 14 game hit streak and was able to collect hits in 24 of the 27 games he played. His last game in the Midwest League came against Great Lakes on July 7th, the next day he was promoted to High A Lake Elsinore as a former Midwest league prospect.
#6 Alek Thomas, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 19 Left Handed Hitter 5’11”, 175
Drafted out of Mt. Carmel HS (Chicago, IL) by Arizona in the 2nd Round (63rd Overall) in 2018
Hit: 60+ (.280+) Power: 45+ (15-20+) Run: 60 Field: 60 Arm: 40
Alek Thomas was great all season- he won the Midwest League MVP.
Playing close to home while with Kane County, he put up a slash line of .315/.397/.480 with 8 home runs in 92 games. Although he might have to move out of centerfield at some point, he has the bat that would be able to play as a corner outfielder and he still seems to me like he could develop more power. He looks like a solid enough hitter who knows how to make adjustments and proved to be clutch in the California League Championship game where he had the game winning walk off hit to help Visalia win the championship.
He grew up as a kid in the White Sox clubhouse, so he knows how to be a pro and knows the work he has to put in to reach his potential.
During a 2 game span from July 2nd to July 3rd, the Midwest league prospect was hotter than a firecracker going a combined 9 for 10 with 5 extra base hits (1 Home Run, 2 Triples, 2 Doubles) while hitting for the cycle on July 3rd against Peoria. He also made it to the Futures Game in Cleveland this season. His last game in the Midwest League came against Peoria on August 2nd, the next day he was promoted to High A Visalia.
#7 Nolan Gorman, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 19 Left Handed Hitter 6’1”, 210
Drafted out of O’Connor HS (Phoenix, AZ) by St. Louis in the 1st Round (19th Overall) in 2018
Hit: 45+ (.250+) Power: 60+ (30+) Run: 40 Field: 50 Arm: 55
Nolan Gorman started off the season with high expectations and there was a ton of excitement for the young Midwest league prospect as he hit 17 home runs in his first 63 games in 2018.
This year he started off the season with lots of excitement when he hit 4 homeruns over a 5 game span from April 8th through the 13th. He got in a bit of a slump as the season went on, however, at times selling out for power and missing quite often (117 hits to 157 strikeouts in 2019) but he did show an ability to adjust as the season, even moreso while playing at High A.
He was still one of the younger players at this level and so the fact he was able to make adjustments as the season went on bodes well for him to have more success next season. He will have to work on his swing in order to make better contact consistently but he still has tons of upside due to his incredible power hitting capabilities and after all, he is only 19.
Some evaluators question his long term ability to stay at third base.
He hit .241 with 10 Home Runs over 67 games in the Midwest League. On April 5th against Cedar Rapids he went for 4 for 4 and fell a home run short of hitting for the cycle (1 hit, 2 doubles, and a triple), and on April 8th against Wisconsin he went 2 for 5 with 2 Home Runs. His last game in the Midwest League before being promoted was on June 18th when he played in the Midwest League All-Star Game.
#8 Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 22 Left Handed Pitcher 6’1”, 200
Drafted out of the South Florida by Tampa Bay in the 1st Round (31st Overall) in 2018.
Fastball: 65+ (94+ MPH) Slider: 55+ Changeup: 50 Control: 45+
Another Midwest league prospect, Shane McClanahan was an elite pitcher coming out of South Florida that fell not because of his stuff but because of his lack of command/control issues.
This season, he struggled with command early, posting a 5.3 BB/9 rate while in Low A, but showed he was dominant enough to earn a promotion to High A and later to AA while showing improved numbers at the higher levels. He has power stuff which might have been some of the best pure stuff in the Midwest League as his fastball is a mid 90’s pitch that tops out at 100 MPH to go along with a nice power slider and solid changeup, all of which look to be above average with even more upside.
This season while in the Midwest League he went 4-4, with a 3.40 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 53 innings pitched (12.6 K/9). In his 10 starts in the Midwest League he recorded 8 quality starts, 2 were shutout appearances. His best game came on opening night against Dayton on April 4th when he threw 5 shutout innings while striking out 9 batters (a high in strikeouts that he was able to meet 4 other times while at Low A). His final start in the Midwest League came against South Bend on June 5th, the next day he was promoted to High A.
#9 Brennen Davis, OF, Chicago Cubs
Age: 19 Right Handed Hitter 6’4”, 175
Drafted out of Basha HS (Chandler, AZ) by Chicago in the 2nd Round (62nd Overall) in 2018.
Hit: 55+ (.270+) Power: 55+ (25+) Run: 60 Field: 55 Arm: 55
Brennen Davis absolutely tore the cover off the ball when he wasn’t battling injuries this year. It was thought back early on in spring training that Davis wouldn’t start the season off in a full season league, after all he was thought to be more of a raw athlete (he was a a highly touted two sport athlete that also starred in basketball), but Davis was more than up for the challenge which helped him to earn a spot on South Bend’s roster.
As a member of South Bend he went on to hit .305/.381/.525 with 8 home runs in 50 games, 16 of which were multi hit games. He also helped South Bend to win the Midwest League Championship. Brennen looks like a five tool talent and definite Midwest league prospect, that is continuing to improve and might be better than some had expected him to be, especially this early on in his development.
There is a good case to be made that he might be too low on this list which is a testament to how much talent came through this level this year. His best game of the season came against Bowling Green on September 2nd, in the last game of the regular season he went 3 for 3 with a Home Run.
#10 Tyler Freeman, SS, Cleveland Indians
Age: 20 Right Handed Hitter 6’0”, 170
Drafted out of Etiwanda HS (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) by Cleveland in the 2nd Round (71st Overall) in 2017
Hit: 60+ (.280+) Power: 45+ (15-20+) Run: 50 Field: 50 Arm: 50
Tyler Freeman can flat out hit, and he makes loud contact.
Freeman might not show much power now and he is definitely more of a doubles hitter at this point, but he could develop more as he progresses as a hitter. He’s a solid fielder but some think he could move to second base in the future.
He hit .292/.382/.424 with 3 home runs in 61 games. He had 22 multi hit games. During a 7 game hitting streak that lasted from April 9th through April 16th he went 13 for 28 with 5 doubles and 9 runs scored while playing against Bowling Green (twice) and Dayton. His last game in the Midwest League before being promoted was on June 18th when he played in the Midwest League All-Star Game.
#11 Brice Turang, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
Age: 19 Left Handed Hitter 6’0”, 173
Drafted out of Santiago HS (Corona, CA) by Milwaukee in the 1st Round (21st Overall) in 2018.
Hit: 55+ (.270+) Power: 35+ (12+) Run: 60 Field: 55 Arm: 55
Brice Turang, who I sat down with this summer, is the #1 prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers and he has always shown the ability to be an above average hitter as he has excellent hand eye coordination which allows for him to let pitches get deep before flicking his wrists to make solid contact.
When he gets on base he is a solid base runner with plus speed which allows him to be a threat on the bases, he stole 23 bases in 83 games in the Midwest League this year.
As a fielder I saw him play second base which seems like a good fit for him, he’s also athletic enough to handle shortstop and it seems like Milwaukee wanted to allow him the chance to play both shortstop (43 starts) and second base (27 starts) allowing for more flexibility as he continues to develop. He hit .287/.384/.376 over 82 games at Low A, he also had 26 multi hit games and a hitting streak that lasted 14 games. His best performance came against Peoria on May 22nd when he had a perfect night going 4 for 4. His last game in the Midwest League came against Beloit on July 7th, the next day he was promoted to High A .
#12 Joey Cantillo, LHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 19 Left Handed Pitcher 6’4”, 220
Drafted out of Kailua HS (Hawaii) by San Diego in the 16th Round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
Fastball: 45+ (90+ MPH) Changeup: 50 ; Curveball: 45 Slider: 40 Control: 60+
Midwest leauge prospect Joey Cantillo was one of the best pitchers in the Midwest League despite not having anything that was overly dominant. He did a great job of commanding the strike zone and keeping hitters off balance by changing speeds. He went 9-2 with a 1.60 ERA and 124 strikeouts over 95.1 innings pitched in the Midwest League.
His stuff might be better than what the scouting reports have suggested due to his ability to command the zone, and he is still young and continuing to improve.
Out of his 18 starts, 15 were quality starts and 7 of those were shutout appearances. His best game came against Great Lakes on June 20th when he went 6 innings giving up zero runs while striking out 10 batters. His last start in the Midwest League came against West Michigan on August 4th, the next day he was promoted to High A.
#13 Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 19 Switch Hitter 6’3”, 184
Signed: July 2nd, 2016 out of the Dominican Republic
Hit: 55+ (.270+) Power: 25+ (5+) Run: 50 Field: 60 Arm: 60
Geraldo Perdomo is probably the best fielding shortstop I’ve seen play in the Midwest League this season and the slickest fielding Midwest leauge prospect on this list.
He has good range, smooth motions, good instincts, and an arm that will allow him to play short without question. His bat is solid although he hasn’t shown the ability to hit for power yet, and some might question how much power he would eventually be able to hit for as he is much more of a contact hitter.
Power isn’t really part of his game at this point, he is however 6’3” and lean, which means he could develop more power over time. He hit .268/.394/.457 over 90 games with 20 stolen bases at Low A, and hit even better when he got promoted to High A Visalia.
He has lots of intangible skills like an eagerness to work hard, a love for the game, a good approach at the plate, and good base running skills. His best game in the Midwest League came against Quad Cities on April 20th when he went 3 for 4 with a double and a home run. He had 23 multi hit games. From July 10th to July 22nd he hit safely in 9 of 10 games going 16 for 39 (.410) with 3 doubles and a triple with 3 stolen bases.
#14 Ryan Weathers, LHP, San Diego Padres
Age: 19 Left Handed Pitcher 6’1”, 230
Drafted out of Loretto HS (Tennessee) by San Diego in the 1st Round (7th Overall) in 2018.
Fastball: 60+ (93+ MPH) Curveball: 55 Changeup: 55 Slider: 50 Control: 65
Ryan Weathers is a Midwest league prospect with tons of potential and didn’t pitch badly in his first full season, although he might have been able to do more had he not missed time due to arm fatigue in early May which caused his velocity to be inconsistent.
He is the son of a former major leaguer and was the Gatorade national high school player of the year in 2018. He also was a top 10 overall pick, so he still offers tons of upside. This season he went 3-7 with a 3.84 ERA with 90 strikeouts over 96 innings. He made 10 quality starts, a majority of them coming before he dealt with the arm fatigue. In fact, his 4 starts were quality starts, with 2 being shutout appearances. His best game was his first start of the season against Lansing on April 4th when he threw 5 shutout innings and struck out 9 batters.
#15 Miguel Vargas, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 19Right Handed Hitter 6’3”, 205
Signed: September 7th, 2017 out of Cuba
Hit: 55+ (.270+) Power: 50+ (20+) Run: 40 Field: 45 Arm: 55
Miguel Vargas was one of the top names coming out of Cuba when he signed in 2017, and he did not disappoint in his first full season, turning into a bona fide Midwest league prospect.
He is an above average hitter with tons of potential. This season while in the Midwest League he put up a slash line of .325/.399/.464 with 5 homeruns in 70 Games, including 30 multi hit games. He has more of an opposite field approach which limits some of his power, but he definitely has the potential to hit for more as he continues to mature physically and develops the ability to pull more pitches.
Some evaluators question his ability to stick at third base long term and feel he might be a future first basemen.
His longest hitting streak of the season was a 10 game hitting streak. During that steak, from June 21st to July 2nd, he went an impressive 20 for 43 (.465), including his best series of the season against Fort Wayne (June 30th-July 1st). In that series, he went 4 for 5 with 2 home runs in the first game of the series and then had 4 hits with 2 more home runs the next day. On July 2nd, he was promoted to High A and In went 2 for 4 with a double in his debut.
#16 Gabriel Moreno, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Age: 19 Right Handed Hitter 5’11”, 160
Signed: August 3rd, 2016 out of Venezuela.
Hit: 50+ (.260+) Power: 45+ (15+) Run: 40 Field: 50 Arm: 55
Gabriel Moreno did a great job of holding his own as a teenage catcher in the Midwest League. He is more advanced as a hitter than a catcher but the Blue Jays feel he has a good chance to stick behind the plate as he is athletic. He has an average arm, a quick release, and nice catch and throw skills.
Batting, he shows an advanced knowledge of the strike zone and makes good contact leading to low strikeouts. His power is still developing and some evaluators feel he should be a lock for double digit home runs in the MLB. Hr hit 12 home runs in 83 games with Lansing. He also had 26 multi hit games. Moreno’s best game of the season came in his debut on May 15th against West Michigan as he went 3 for 5 with a triple, homerun, and 3 RBI’s.
#17 Levi Kelly, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 20 Right Handed Pitcher 6’4”, 205
Drafted out of IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) by the Diamondbacks in the 8th Round in 2018
Fastball: 55+ (92+ MPH) Slider: 55+ Changeup: 45+ Control: 45+
Levi Kelly had an incredible season for a pitcher, especially one that some thought would have started the year off at short season Hillsboro. Instead Levi impressed well enough in spring training to make it to the full season Midwest League where he put up an impressive 2.15 ERA while going 5-1 with 126 strikeouts over 100 innings pitched.
Levi was named the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league pitcher of the year for his impressive first season. His fastball generally sits 92-93 MPH with good movement and he throws a sinker-slider combo that helps to induce plenty of ground ball outs.
Like most young pitchers he is still working on developing a changeup that showed some promise. He will need to develop another pitch as he’s primarily a fastball-slider type pitcher at the moment.
Some evaluators question whether or not he has the ability to be a starting pitcher long term or if his future is in the bullpen, either way he has a bright future and a great work ethic that should help him as he continues to develop.
He recorded 12 quality starts in 22 starts, 5 of which were shutout appearances and he recorded his best performance of the season on June 30th at Cedar Rapids when he tossed 6 shutout innings while striking out 10 batters.
#18 Jordyn Adams, OF, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Age: 19 Right Handed Hitter 6’2”, 180
Drafted out of Green Hope HS (Cary, NC) by the Angels in the 1st Round (17th Overall) in 2018.
Hit: 45+ (.250+) Power: 45+ (15-20+) Run: 75 Field: 55 Arm: 45
Jordyn Adams, another Midwest league prospect that I sat down with this summer, is similar to Brennen Davis in a lot of ways as he was another two sport athlete except Jordyn’s sport was football and he was so good that he got a scholarship to play football at North Carolina but decided to pursue baseball instead. In June I got a chance to watch him play and in my opinion he’s a super athletic kid with great speed, looks to be a solid fielder, but his bat is a work in progress and it seems like the power is continuing to develop so it’s not certain yet how much power he will have long term but it seems like there is still more to come as he continues to improve as a hitter.
This season in 102 games he hit .257/.350/.360 with 7 home runs and 13 stolen bases. He had 26 multi hit games, over a 10 game span that lasted from May 20th through May 31st he hit safely in 9 of 10 games and went 17 for 38 (.447) with 2 home runs, a double, and a stolen base. His best game came on August 19th at Beloit where he went 3 for 3 with a triple and a home run. His last game in the Midwest League was on August 23rd against Wisconsin, the next day he was promoted to High A.
#19 Jeremy Pena, SS, Houston Astros
Age: 21 Right Handed Hitter 6’0”, 179
Drafted out of Maine University by the Astros in the 3rd Round in 2018
Hit: 55+ (.270+) Power: 30+ (10+) Run: 55 Field: 60 Arm: 60
Jeremy Pena has always been known for being a solid fielder but it was his bat that took a big leap forward this year and made him a top notch Midwest league prospect. He was able to hit .303 across 2 levels. in fact hitting even better at High A then he had while in the Midwest League.
A plus fielder across the board, there is little question as to that side of the ball and it seems that as long as Jeremy Pena continues to hit and improve his all around game, the closer he will be towards the majors. He might have been one of the more polished players in the league as he was an easily above average defender who has shown a knack for hitting as well as displaying good on base skills.
He recorded 22 multi hit games out of the 66 games played in the Midwest League. He recorded a 15 game hitting streak and hit safely in 20 out of 21 games going 35 for 82 (.427) from May 8th through June 2nd. His best offensive performance came on May 16 when he went 3 for 5 falling a single short of hitting for the cycle while also scoring 4 runs. His last game in the Midwest League came against Burlington on June 26th the next day he was promoted to High A
#20 Griffin Conine, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Age: 22 Left Handed Hitter; 6’1”, 200
Drafted out of Duke by the Blue Jays in the 2nd Round (52nd Overall) in 2018
Hit: 40+ (.240+) Power: 60+ (30+) Run: 40 Field: 50 Arm:60
Griffin Conine is the son of two time all-star Jeff Conine.
Griffin has helped to make a name for himself showcasing some of the best power in the 2018 draft class and he didn’t disappoint this season as he hit 22 home runs to help lead the Midwest League in homeruns despite playing only 80 games.
He is very much an all or nothing type of hitter while striking out at a high rate (41%) he makes plenty of loud contact as demonstrated by his .576 slugging percentage and the fact that half of his hits went for extra bases. He will definitely have to make an adjustment to lower his strikeout total as he advances throughout the minors but did manage to hit .283 despite his high propensity for strikeouts.
He has a strong right arm which profiles well in right field.
Conine had 23 multi hit games including 2 multi homer games. His best offensive performance came against Dayton on May 30th when he went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs. The upside is there but time will tell if his approach will change or if he can continue to put on his huge power display despite high strikeout totals
