Happy MLB prospects week! ESPN MLB draft and prospect expert Kiley McDaniel ranked his top 100 MLB prospects for 2024, and now, it's time to have some fun with his list.
We asked our MLB experts to give us one bold 2024 prediction for the prospect in Kiley's Top 100 they are most excited about going into the upcoming season.
From which players will put up eye-popping numbers in the majors to who will rocket up prospect lists, here's what our experts had to say about baseball's brightest stars.
More ESPN+ 2024 prospect coverage: Top 100 MLB prospects | Bold predictions
Team-by-team player rankings: American League | National League
Jackson Holliday (No. 1): Will finish the season with 200 hits
We have to think big here for the game's No. 1 prospect, and simply cracking the Orioles' Opening Day lineup at age 20 isn't big enough -- although that would be impressive enough given he's played just 54 games above Class A.
The last rookie to get 200 hits? Ichiro Suzuki in 2001, when he hit .350 with 242 hits (and won MVP honors). Before Ichiro: Nomar Garciaparra hit .306 with 209 hits in 1997. If Holliday, who hit .323 in the minors last season, wins the starting job at shortstop and hits leadoff in a potent Baltimore lineup (which makes sense since he also drew 100 walks in the minors), a 200-hit rookie season is a real possibility. -- David Schoenfield
Jackson Chourio (No. 2): Will become youngest to have a 25 HR/25 SB season
This is really a matter of tools colliding with opportunity. Chourio, who turns 20 in March, should be in the Brewers' Opening Day lineup barring a spring training face-plant. That much was all but assured when he signed his extension back in December. With a full season of MLB playing time, he'll race past the 25-steal mark easily (no pun intended). Getting to 25 homers will be tougher, but the raw ability is certainly there to do it. By the way: The youngest 25/25 player was Mike Trout, who turned 21 in August of his rookie season when he did it. -- Bradford Doolittle
Wyatt Langford (No. 4): Will make a serious push for Rookie of the Year
Langford, the fourth overall pick in last summer's draft, tore through three minor league levels (ultimately reaching Triple-A ball) in two months' time and now has a more-than-realistic chance at making the Rangers' Opening Day roster.
But even if the Rangers return him to Round Rock for more seasoning, he'll push for a May-June promotion into their crowded outfield (akin to Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain squeezing into the Reds' infield last summer), pushing Evan Carter or Adolis Garcia into center field. -- Tristan H. Cockcroft
Evan Carter (No. 6): Will draw 100 walks in his Rookie of the Year campaign
Carter, who made his MLB debut on Sept. 8, slashed .303/.415/.574 across 40 regular-season and postseason games. Among 463 hitters with 100 plate appearances last season, he ranked in the 98th percentile in walk rate (15%), 99th percentile in chase rate (16%), and 99th percentile in percentage of plate appearances that reached a three-ball count (32%). This season, Carter will become the fourth player since 1940 to walk 100-plus times at 21 or younger, joining Juan Soto (2019), Mike Trout (2013) and Rickey Henderson (1980). -- Paul Hembekides
Ethan Salas (No. 9): Will get a taste of the big leagues as an 18-year-old
Salas debuted at the Padres' Class A affiliate in Lake Elsinore, California, two days before his 17th birthday, produced an .837 OPS in 220 plate appearances and finished his season in Double-A. The prize of last year's international signing class, Salas is exceedingly advanced offensively, defensively and, many say, mentally. The Padres, meanwhile, are exceedingly aggressive with their top-tier prospects.
Salas will perform well enough to earn a September call-up as an 18-year-old this season -- not necessarily to contribute, but to learn. Before the year is over, he will have carved a path to being a big league regular at some point in 2025. -- Alden Gonzalez
Jackson Merrill (No. 12): Will play in the big leagues before the All-Star break
I'll continue the Padres flavor by predicting that the most aggressive club when it comes to prospect promotions will do it again this season. I strained a bit to come up with a comp for Merrill in this year's Top 100 but realized if you just look at the statline and tool grades, he's pretty similar to Ozzie Albies.
Albies is listed at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds; Merrill is 6-foot-3, about 205 pounds at this point. There's a big gap in stature, but both offer rare bat control that allows them to chase out of the zone a bit, 20-plus home run and double-digit stolen base upside with a good enough glove to play basically anywhere on the field. Merrill continues to improve, the club lauds his work ethic, and I think he'll be the first call-up if a key player goes out for more than a week. -- Kiley McDaniel
Coby Mayo (No. 19): Will be traded for pitching by midseason
At some point, the Orioles will trade from their stacked farm system, and Mayo might be the player to garner them a top pitcher in return. There's a good chance the O's could have Dylan Cease today if they were willing to part with the 22-year-old. But the urgency won't increase until midseason, when Baltimore realizes it needs some veteran help on the mound. Dangling Mayo will get the Orioles what they need. -- Jesse Rogers
Colt Keith (No. 40): Will lead all rookies with 30 home runs
You won't find Keith leading any prospect rankings, but his advantage over the big names is clear: He has a big league job set after the organization signed him to a six-year contract last week. Keith hit .303 and mashed 27 home runs across two minor-league levels last year. The Tigers have no incentive to send him back there. Keith hits baseballs hard and far, and while his defense is an issue, he will make up for it at the plate -- and he could see the plate more than any other rookie. -- Eric Karabell
Noah Schultz (No. 57): Will be a top-20 prospect by the end of the season
Perhaps this isn't so bold, though betting on someone with 27 pro innings is always tricky. Schultz is worthy. A 6-foot-9 left-hander whose size draws him comparisons to Randy Johnson, Schultz went to the White Sox with the 26th pick in the 2022 draft.
In his first season in Low-A, he mixed a mid- to high-90s fastball with one of the deadliest sliders in the minor leagues -- a high-spin, slower-than-average bender that darts away from left-handed hitters and is backfoot death to righties. The tools are abundant. All he needs is innings, and if he gets them, this is a lock. -- Jeff Passan