It's draft season in my world, but it's also my traditional time to make a quick tangent back to the pro side to look at the top prospects still in the minors and rookie-eligible. This list largely resembles my preseason list, but it has a few big jumps and some reordering, thanks to some significant graduations.
A few notes before we begin:
• The rankings are limited to players who still have rookie eligibility. That means they have yet to exceed 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the majors and have not yet spent 45 days on the active roster of a major league club, excluding call-ups during the roster expansion period after Sept. 1.
• When ranking players, I consider scouting reports on players -- usually my own, supplemented with conversations with other scouts and front-office executives, as needed -- as well as performance, adjusted for age and context.
• Finally, to see my previous version of prospect rankings (from March), click here. That's what the previous rank refers to.
1. Lucas Giolito, RHP
Washington Nationals
Previous rank: 3
Current level: Double-A
The Nats' pitching coach at Harrisburg, Chris Michalak, decided to change Giolito's delivery this spring, which produced the subpar results Giolito had in April and early May. Fortunately, there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage to Giolito's stuff or arm -- just a delay in his arrival in the big leagues. He's still throwing hard with the plus curveball he has long had, but it might take a few more turns to get him back to where he should be at this time of the year.
2. J.P. Crawford, SS
Philadelphia Phillies
Previous rank: 4
Current level: Triple-A
Crawford has continued to control the strike zone at an unusual level for his age -- he'll play the entire season at 21 -- and earned a promotion to Triple-A last week, even though his average was just .265 for Reading. He's still an outstanding defensive shortstop with great instincts, though now that he's at a higher level, I'd like to see him get a little more aggressive when ahead in the count because he has good bat speed and a little more power than you'd expect from a middle infielder.
3. Julio Urias, LHP
Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous rank: 5
Current level: Triple-A
Urias won't turn 20 until August and is currently steamrolling the Triple-A level while working under a pretty tight pitch count -- his max in any one outing has been 82 pitches -- and showing the best control of his career. He has walked one batter or zero in six of his eight starts so far this season. If the Dodgers call him up as a long reliever, he could help them right away, and he would likely be better than their fifth starter options today, if it weren't for the cap on his workload.
4. Tyler Glasnow, RHP
Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous rank: 6
Current level: Triple-A
Glasnow's season line might be a little misleading. He has had two outings in which he was wild -- he walked 10 guys in 10 innings -- but he has otherwise been a strike-thrower while still working on his changeup and improving his fastball command. If he comes up next month, which seems likely, I think he'll miss a lot of bats, walk a few more guys than the Pirates would like and make some mistakes within the zone that he has gotten away with in the minors. He's still a future ace, but it's taking time.
5. Rafael Devers, 3B
Boston Red Sox
Previous rank: 7
Current level: High-A
Devers is mired in an 0-for-16 stretch as I write this, and that has pulled his season line down to .180/.268/.293. But bear in mind, he's in high-A and is still younger than the first high school player taken in last year's draft, Brendan Rodgers. Devers won't turn 20 until October.
6. Andrew Benintendi, OF
Boston Red Sox
Previous rank: 18
Current level: Double-A
Benintendi destroyed high-A pitching this spring, hitting .341/.413/.563 with 13 unintentional walks and only nine strikeouts, before a promotion to Double-A last week. He has gone 2-for-15 with 5 K's there and is officially a bust.
7. Alex Reyes, RHP
St. Louis Cardinals
Previous rank: 8
Current level: Triple-A
Reyes just made his 2016 debut Sunday, after serving a suspension for a positive marijuana test, and he punched out eight batters in four innings for Triple-A Memphis. Given St. Louis' current depth chart and the developmental time Reyes missed, he might make his debut later this year, but I think it would take a catastrophe to make him a big part of their rotation before September.
8. Orlando Arcia, SS
Milwaukee Brewers
Previous rank: 10
Current level: Triple-A
Jonathan Villar is having the season of his life as the Brewers' shortstop -- his next walk will set a career high -- but Arcia is still the team's shortstop of the future, and I imagine he'll take over in July or August, after the Brewers shop Villar to any of the teams looking for shortstop help (Rick Hahn on Line 1, Mr. Stearns). Arcia is a plus defender at short already, and he is unlikely to learn much at the plate while playing in hitter-friendly Colorado Springs and in many other great offensive parks in the PCL.
9. Brendan Rodgers, SS
Colorado Rockies
Previous rank: 11
Current level: Low-A
Rodgers is currently on the DL because of a hamstring injury, but before that, he had been off to the best start of any major high school prospect from last year's draft. He was hitting .346/.410/.600 for low-A Asheville and even performing well away from Asheville's hitter-friendly park.
10. Joey Gallo, 3B
Texas Rangers
Previous rank: 12
Current level: Triple-A
(Editor's note: Gallo was called up Monday, but because Keith offers updated expectations for the slugger, we decided to keep the profile here.)
Gallo should be the Rangers' DH right now. It's not a stretch to say he could outperform Prince Fielder, even with just minimal improvement to his enormous strikeout rate from the past season. Gallo is hitting .265/.415/.639 in Triple-A at age 22, with a 23 percent strikeout rate, and he has drawn at least one walk in 15 of his past 17 games. He might swing and miss too much when he returns to the majors, but his patience and power would make him an immediate upgrade over what's left of Fielder's bat.
11. Dansby Swanson, SS
Atlanta Braves
Previous rank: 13
Current level: Double-A
Swanson started the year in high-A and hasn't missed a beat since a quick promotion to Double-A, a tandem move with Ozhaino Albies (further down this list) that allowed both players to remain at shortstop. I still think Swanson is a bit more likely to be Atlanta's long-term answer at short, though even at second base, his bat would profile as a potential star.
12. Yoan Moncada, 2B
Boston Red Sox
Previous rank: 17
Current level: High-A
Moncada, who turns 22 later this week, has been hitting in high-A this year the way, I think, the Red Sox expected him to hit last year, after they gave him one of the highest bonuses ever for an international amateur free agent. But the big surprise this season has been his 30 steals in 40 games, a big uptick over his stolen base frequency last year. The same questions remain -- how much power will he develop? Can he improve his defense enough to stay on the dirt? -- but it looks like his bat will play at any position.
13. Blake Snell, LHP
Tampa Bay Rays
Previous rank: 14
Current level: Triple-A
Snell got one spot start for the Rays this year, and most importantly for him, he walked just one guy in five innings, though he didn't throw as many strikes as you'd like a guy with his stuff to throw. Although lots of teams are playing service-time games right now, I'm not sure the Rays are doing that with Snell because they have five solid starters in their rotation. When the need arises, Snell should be ready.
14. Gleyber Torres, SS
Chicago Cubs
Previous rank: 15
Current level: High-A
Torres will play this entire year at 19 and is already in high-A, where he had a slow April but has hit .320/.363/.533 so far in May, along with continued strong defense at shortstop. The Cubs are going to get a lot of calls about this guy in July.
15. Alex Bregman, SS/3B
Houston Astros
Previous rank: 19
Current level: Double-A
Bregman could always hit, even back in high school, but I think even his partisans would have said 10 to 15 home runs would be a good season total for him, as they figured he would hit for a high average with lots of doubles but not the kind of power he's showing (.658 slugging percentage, 10 homers in just 30 games). The Astros have had him play three games at third base, probably with an eye toward a midseason call-up, but I think the better alignment might be to leave Bregman at short and slide Carlos Correa, who has a much better arm, to third.
16. Trea Turner, SS
Washington Nationals
Previous rank: 28
Current level: Triple-A
With Danny Espinosa a zero at the plate -- all he has done well this year is draw walks, which is more a function of hitting right in front of the pitcher -- there's no good baseball reason for Turner to still be in Triple-A. He would be an upgrade over Espinosa on both offense and defense, and with the Nats in a race with the Mets that could easily come down to one or two wins at the end of the season, the decision to hold Turner in Triple-A just to retain his services for 2023 looks myopic.
17. Ozhaino Albies, SS
Atlanta Braves
Previous rank: 20
Current level: Triple-A
Albies is just 19 in Triple-A, so although he has struggled since his promotion, I'm somewhat inclined to ignore the numbers because he's only four months older than Blake Rutherford, one of the top high school players in this year's draft class. I think Albies will be fine in time, and if a mediocre stint in Triple-A this year means Atlanta doesn't rush him to the majors over the summer, that might be better for everyone involved.
18. Willson Contreras, C
Chicago Cubs
Previous rank: 27
Current level: Triple-A
Since the start of 2014, Contreras has hit .332/.415/.478 between Double- and Triple-A while throwing out 29 percent of opposing runners. He's a very athletic catcher but is considered a poor framer, though that seems to be a skill that can be improved, at least sometimes, with good coaching. I think teams would live with some below-average framing if they're getting a star-caliber bat behind the plate.
19. Kevin Newman, SS
Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous rank: 23
Current level: High-A
Newman was the No. 2 prospect on my draft board in June, and though I have him fifth among prospects from that class currently in the minors, he still looks like a heck of a pick at No. 19 overall. He is hitting .357/.421/.450 with just 10 strikeouts so far in high-A and should spend the second half at Double-A Altoona.
20. Jameson Taillon, RHP
Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous rank: NR
Current level: Triple-A
Welcome back: After missing two years following Tommy John surgery and a hernia injury, Taillon isn't just back and healthy. He's also showing outstanding control, having walked just five of 188 batters and thrown two-thirds of his pitches for strikes so far this season. As a true three-pitch guy, he could end up a top-of-the-rotation candidate if this precision holds when he reaches the majors next month.
21. Victor Robles, CF
Washington Nationals
Previous rank: 49
Current level: Low-A
The Nats' centerfielder of the future hit .352/.445/.507 in short-season ball last year, moved to the full-season Sally League this year and is hitting .336/.429/.504 at age 19. He hasn't come into much power yet, but if he does, he'll end up a top-10 prospect, as the other tools are all there.
22. Anderson Espinoza, RHP
Boston Red Sox
Previous rank: 38
Current level: Low-A
Espinoza hasn't dominated low-A this year, besides an 11-strikeout, five-inning outing, but that's OK because he's 18 years old and the youngest pitcher in the Sally League. (Second-youngest? His teammate, Nicaraguan right-hander Roniel Raudes.) Espinoza will flash three above-average pitches, and his delivery works well, but the Venezuelan prodigy is still somewhat raw, as you would expect of a kid the age of a typical high school senior.
23. Amed Rosario, SS
New York Mets
Previous rank: 42
Current level: High-A
Rosario is repeating high-A, so take his numbers with a small grain of salt, but the electric bat speed has produced more power this year, and he has improved his plate discipline. He should be in Double-A Binghamton before the month is out, at which point we'll get a better read on whether he's turning into the superstar the Mets thought he'd be when they gave him $1.75 million in 2012.
24. Cody Reed, LHP
Cincinnati Reds
Previous rank: 54
Current level: Triple-A
Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb are already in the majors, but Reed, a big, strike-throwing lefty with a great changeup, is going to be the best part of the package the Reds received for Johnny Cueto. With the Reds' rotation a bit of a mess right now, it seems Reed will get an opportunity soon, especially considering he has been dominant in Triple-A and has been crushing right-handed hitters.
25. Jorge Mateo, SS/2B
New York Yankees
Previous rank: 55
Current level: High-A
Mateo's line this year is a little fluky -- .388 BABIP and more home runs (5) than he had in all of 2015 (2) -- but he certainly can hit and run, which, as long as he's at shortstop, makes him a future above-average regular with a chance to develop into a star.
Honorable mentions
Manuel Margot, CF, San Diego Padres (25)
Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros (67)
Franklin Barreto, SS, Oakland Athletics (22)
Braden Shipley, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (24)
A.J. Reed, 1B, Houston Astros