Top 250 MLB Dynasty Prospects - Final Preseason Update

July 18, 2020

Marc Hulet provides an update to his top 250 MLB dynasty prospects for fantasy baseball leagues. The biggest change to the list is the addition of the 2020 MLB draft picks.

The 2020 MLB season is going to look very different. But as long as the virus doesn’t rear its ugly head in an apocalyptic fashion, it’s still going to be fun. And to help fantasy managers prepare for this season and for those to come, we’ve updated our Top 250 dynasty fantasy baseball prospects list. The last update was made shortly before the season was paused back in March.

The biggest update to the list came with the addition of prospects from the 2020 amateur draft. We’ve added players regardless of their signing status - although almost all key, fantasy-relevant prospects have already signed on the dotted line with their respective clubs. We’ve infused a healthy dose of 38 players from the 2020 amateur draft onto the list. Two of those recent draftees are now among the Top 11 dynasty prospects in all of baseball.

The other changes to the list saw a smaller group of players lose value, while another group of players saw their fantasy relevance increase. We didn’t see any games played over the past four months but the delay allowed us time to complete additional research, which included watching hours and hours of additional video from the 2019 season and Arizona Fall League. And injuries have also played a small part in some of the adjustments.

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Top 250 MLB Prospect Rankings

2020 Amateur Draft Picks

Austin Martin, IF/OF, Blue Jays: You might be a little surprised to see Martin, who went fifth overall to the Blue Jays, ranked ahead of Spencer Torkelson, who went first overall to the Tigers, but you really shouldn’t be. He has an advanced bat that shouldn’t require much work in the minors which means he’ll arrive during the prime years of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette. That’s a potent list of young, high-ceiling players for Martin to play with, which can only help his personal results. Along with the ceiling of a .300+ hitter with the ability to steal 20+ bases, he has the power to eventually hit 15+ home runs as he physically matures and adds muscle. The Jays have yet to commit to a permanent position for Martin, which is good news for fantasy owners as he could end up eligible at a number of key positions including shortstop, outfield, and third base. But it's also somewhat telling that Martin's arrival in Jays camp coincides with the news that Guerrero Jr. is suddenly making the transition to first base.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B/3B, Tigers: Torkelson is loaded with plus power potential and he took a ton of walks during his college career, but there is some swing-and-miss to his game and we have yet to get a good read on how good his hit tool will be. Plus he has limited defensive value/versatility despite the Tigers’ desire to try him at third base. Torkelson is currently ranked just behind fellow first base prospect Andrew Vaughn of the White Sox. Vaughn has the benefit of playing pro ball plus he has a better swing which gives him a better shot at being a plus hitter even if he doesn’t possess the same raw power (although he’s no slouch in that area). Like Torkelson, Vaughn is also being pushed to see if he can handle other positions on the baseball diamond.

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies: The next draftee to appear on the list is prep outfielder Veen. If I were running the draft for the Tigers, I would have personally taken Austin Martin or Veen with the first overall selection. The 18-year-old outfielder already stands 6-foot-5 with lots of room to add muscle and good weight. Along with the developing frame and bat speed that combine to suggest a future potential for 30+ home runs, Veen has an exceptionally clean swing for such a young player and should hit for a high average, too. Add in the fact he ended up being drafted by Colorado and you have a player with a massive ceiling. I was a huge Jarred Kelenic fan from the beginning and I think Veen has a chance to be just as good — if not better.

Nick Gonzales, 2B, Pirates: Gonzales is another player I’m seriously considering investing in early. He may be the only college player with a bat more advanced than Austin Martin’s. Gonzales didn’t land in the best hitting environment in Pittsburgh but there should be a respectable supporting case around with the likes of Josh Bell, Gregory Polanco, and Bryan Reynolds. For me, Gonzales is a surefire threat to repeatedly hit .300. There is great debate among scouts when it comes to how much power he’ll possess given that he played for the college equivalent of Coors Field, but he also homered 12 times in 16 games during his junior seasons (prior to the cancellation of the season) and went deep 15 times as a sophomore. His feel for the barrel is outstanding and he quite possibly has plus-plus bat speed which is going to guarantee a certain number of home runs -- if he can produce even an average launch angle with his swing.

Asa Lacy, LHP, Royals: The Top 2 pitchers to come out of the draft are Lacy at 30 and Max Meyer at 40. The Royals are absolutely stacked in the pitching department with four or five pitchers that have a good chance at developing into No. 3 starters or better with Lacy carrying the highest ceiling. In two to three years, the club could have a rotation of Lacy, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Brady Singer, and possibly Kris Bubic. Lacy has the stuff to be a No. 1 starter. The left-hander has the size, velocity, and a four-pitch mix with multiple offerings that can induce strikeouts.

Max Meyer, RHP, Marlins: As for Meyer, he enters another organization that is starting to acquire an impressive group of young arms (although I still can’t believe they traded Zac Gallen). He’ll quite quickly join Sixto Sanchez at the top of the Marlins’ starting rotation. Meyer’s fastball-slider combination should generate a ton of whiffs but, like Sanchez, he’s on the smaller side for a pitcher so it remains to be seen if he can consistently provide 180+ innings at the MLB level.

Prep Outfielders: The 2020 amateur draft saw four high-ceiling prep outfielders selected within the first 19 picks. Pete Crow-Armstrong was the last to be selected at 19 by the Mets but I’m a fan of his strong overall offensive package. His plus center-field defense won’t help us in fantasy but he has a chance to hit for solid power, steal 20+ bases, and hit for a strong average. Robert Hassell joins a good, young team in San Diego that has a strong player development system. His swing hints at future .300 seasons and, although the power output is currently below average, he has the frame (once he adds some muscle) and the bat speed to eventually provide above-average power numbers. Reds’ first-rounder Austin Hendrick is the most physically mature out of the four players and has 30+ home run potential but his bat also comes with some concerning swing-and-miss tendencies.

Sleepers: As for sleepers from the draft to monitor, keep a close eye on third baseman Jordan Walker (Cardinals), starting pitcher Bobby Miller (Dodgers), two-way player Masyn Winn (Cardinals), third baseman Casey Schmitt (Giants), and outfielder Isaiah Greene (Mets). In particular, I had Walker ranked as a talent worthy of being drafted in the 15-20 range. Pre-draft, most publications had him ranked as more of a supplemental-first-round or second-round talent but the Cardinals snapped him up at 21. The prep third baseman is a huge kid with massive raw power but he has more feel for the bat than you'd expect. There may be some swing-and-miss to his game -- especially early on -- but if he can hit spin and has the drive to get consistently get better -- then there is star potential here.

The MLB Prospect Risers

Spencer Howard, RHP, Phillies: Howard has moved up a few slots to better position him among the best pitching prospects in the game. I remain somewhat concerned after he broke down the year after surpassing 100 innings for the first time as a pro but his stuff is outstanding. A half-season like this could really benefit a young pitcher like Howard. He won’t face the same constant competition that he would have in the minors but working alongside the veteran players in summer camp could really help him take the next step while keeping the innings down.

Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets: of the Mets has moved up as he belongs in the conversation when discussing the Top 5 catching prospects in baseball. There is a lot of risk with him given the failure rate with young catchers and the fact he has yet to play above Rookie ball. but Alvarez has also shown above-average raw power and a strong understanding of the strike zone.

Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers: Gonsolin also moves up. I’m a huge fan of this pitcher and he’s shown flashes of having four above-average pitches and excellent spin rates. His previous lower rating was over concerns that he would struggle to find an opportunity to start given the Dodgers’ depth. However, the shortened season and recent thinning out of potential starters could help Gonsolin’s cause. Ross Stripling will likely get the first shot at the starting rotation — and has shown that he’s a solid big league pitcher — but Gonsolin’s upside and outstanding stuff could move him up the pecking order quickly.

Bryson Stott, SS, Phillies: I’ve never been the biggest Stott fan and I’ve been perhaps a little hard on him in terms of fantasy value so I’ve moved him up a little bit. He’s probably not a big-league shortstop and I’m not convinced he’ll hit for a high average but there is some power potential here and he’s shown the willingness to take a walk which could give him additional value in on-base leagues.

Other Movers: Some of the other players to move up include Michael Busch (Dodgers), Kyren Paris (Angels), Jose Garcia (Reds), Pavin Smith (Diamondbacks), and Mark Vientos (Mets).

The MLB Prospect Fallers

Brusdar Graterol, RHP, Dodgers: The offseason saw Graterol involved in some controversy after the Twins were prepared to deal him to the Boston Red Sox. His new-club-to-be then rebuffed the swapped after concerns over his health. The Twins then ended up making a deal with the Dodgers.

The medical issues come as no major surprise given that Graterol missed significant time in 2019 with a shoulder issue. He also had Tommy John surgery shortly after turning pro. And with the Dodgers reportedly viewing the young hurler as a reliever, his fantasy value takes a hit. Now, make no mistake, Graterol has shown the ability to be downright dominant as a starter so the move to the pen suggests he could also be an outstanding high-leverage reliever. He could be in line for holds and the odd save starting in 2020 and is likely Kenley Jansen’s eventual replacement.

Adonis Medina, RHP, Phillies: Medina also gets knocked down after further research. The right-hander can get his heater into the mid-90s and back it up with a good changeup but he lacks a reliable breaking ball. Making matters worse, his fastball lacks movement and is fairly straight. That makes him far more hittable than he should be and we’ve seen that over the past two years as he’s become more hittable. On the plus side, he induces a healthy number of ground ball outs but his ceiling is slipping down and he currently looks like more of a No. 4/5 starter.

Nick Gordon, SS, Twins: Gordon takes a bit of a slide with both Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco looking fairly secure in their starting roles. The good news is that the infield prospect has increased his versatility so he could bounce around the diamond in an effort to find playing time and versatility on a fantasy roster is always a nice thing to have. But even if he plays every day, Gordon has shown limited power potential and, although he has solid speed, he doesn't run much — surpassing 20 steals just once in the last four seasons. He also doesn’t walk very often so he has little value in on-base leagues. There's a lot of pressure on his hit tool.

Injured Players: Rays’ starter Brent Honeywell and Rangers’ starter Brock Burke have both fallen completely off the list. Honeywell just can’t stay healthy and will miss the 2020 season after yet another surgery. Burke had pretty serious shoulder surgery and is also out for the 2020 season.

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