As the 2019 regular season winds down, so does prospect season, for the most part. There will be a handful of names that will be called up for supporting roles, but for all intents and purposes, the best days are behind us. With that, I would like to systematically take a look at what is to come.
Over the next few weeks, I will be breaking down prospects by their impact relative to the standard five scoring categories. In separate breakdowns, I will look at hitters by home runs and run-creating potential and then by average and stolen bases. Moving to pitching, I plan to identify the impact starters you will want to know and the ones that may become late-inning weapons.
Let's start with a bang and talk about the sluggers.
1. Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox
Robert is comfortably within the top 10 of prospects overall and really is in a class by himself with regard to upper echelon prospects and pop. I have seen some grades of 60 tossed on his power and I think that sells him short. I would say it's easily a half grade higher, if not a full one. What was raw power coming into the year manifested into game action in a huge way.
Robert finished with 32 home runs in 503 at-bats across three levels and was able to maintain his slugging even as he advanced through the system. He also smacked 31 doubles and used his plus speed to tally 11 triples. The end result was a 30/30 season mostly as a 21-year-old just a few years after he arrived to the United States. He has that kind of potential at the next level and could do so while patrolling center field on the South Side of Chicago as soon as 2020.
2. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B/3B/OF, Baltimore Orioles
Mountcastle is not my favorite prospect, but he lands high here for a few reasons. He has power. He smashed 61 extra-base hits for Triple-A Norfolk this season, including a career-high 25 home runs. He is close to a major league job; in fact, he should have had one two months ago. Coinciding with that, the Orioles are bad and will likely be just as bad next year.
Mountcastle should be on the club come Opening Day 2020, and there is no reason to not give him 550 plate appearances to figure it out. I would assume the Orioles will play service time games -- although I'm not sure that is necessary here -- so he may not arrive until May. Even then, he has the chance to hit 20-25 home runs with the potential to carry eligibility at both corner infield positions and maybe even in the outfield.
3. Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels
The runner-up to Wander Franco on most prospect rankings as far as position players go, Adell is slightly more projection over production at this point as some nagging injuries have limited his on-field action over the last few seasons. He has yet to play in 100 games or amass 450 plate appearances in any of his three professional seasons. Yet few players possess higher power/speed potential than he does. In limited action, he collected 10 home runs and 27 doubles this season. He reached the 20 home run plateau in 2018 in 99 games.
Despite not coming close yet in terms of raw totals, there are multiple 30/30 seasons in his profile. Adell reached Triple-A this summer. He struggled initially but showed signs of growth even if he left his power in Mobile. I anticipate a return trip to Salt Lake to begin 2020 and a delay for business reasons. After that, Adell should join Mike Trout in covering 67 percent of the Angels outfield with tremendous upside as a 1-2 combination.
4. Alec Bohm, 1B/3B, Philadelphia Phillies
Bohm is another prospect that covered three levels of the system in 2019. He made quick work of the South Atlantic League before a strong showing in the humid air of the Florida State League. He ended the year close to home in Reading, Pennsylvania -- 80 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Along the way, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft collected 21 cumulative home runs, with the bulk -- 14 -- coming against the advanced pitching of the Eastern League.
Bohm has above-average bat speed and an advanced eye at the plate. He is probably better suited to play first base, but third base has been such a disappointment for the Phillies that I think he will get a chance in earnest at the hot corner. He will likely start 2020 at Triple-A. If the big club does not make any moves to improve the position, he could get his chance by Memorial Day.
5. Sam Huff, C/1B, Texas Rangers
This ranking is a little aggressive considering Huff has not yet reached Double-A yet and you all know that is my true test for most prospects. That said, few minor leaguers rival the pura potencia that Huff has. A seventh-round pick in 2016, he entered 2019 slightly behind the development curve after repeating rookie ball to start his career. He made up for lost time by ending the year at High-A and should start next season with the Double-A RoughRiders in Frisco. Huff put his power on display when he took home MVP honors in the Futures Game after his late game-tying home run. He smashed 28 long balls across two levels, and I believe he is just tapping into his power reservoir.
Defensively, Huff can play some catcher, but due to his size, I am not sure he is there full time. Luckily for us, he does not need to be to carry eligibility. A catcher with 30- (40?) home run potential is a tremendous commodity. 2020 may be a little soon, but it is not out of the realm of possibility.