THE NEXT BIG THING
Last year at this time, Wander Franco was all the rage for MLB prospectors. The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop was the clearcut top-ranked prospect, and when he got called up to the big leagues in June, he didn’t disappoint.
Now that Franco has graduated from prospects lists, collectors have already shifted their attention to the next big thing.
The 2022 tops prospects list is filled with eye-popping talent. But it’s the top three guys that are stealing all the headlines, and for justifiable reason.
“You’ve got some big names, kind of similar to last year’s guys, with Adley Rutschman and Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr.,” said prospects guru and Onyx Authenticated, Inc. President Lance Fischer. “To me, those three really stand out and then you drop a little bit, I think, off from the talent level. I still like Spencer Torkelson. I think those top three, they’re definitely going to be difference makers when they get to the big leagues.”
MLB Pipeline/MLB.com senior writer Jim Callis really loves the top three prospects as well.
“I think it’s a really deep group at the top,” Callis said. “There aren’t too many years where you legitimately have three guys who would easily be the number one prospect in a lot of years. You could even stretch that a little bit past three maybe, if you wanted.”
Well, let’s stick with the top three right now, because they all seem to be primed for standout careers.
THE BIG THREE
In mid-March, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 prospects list, and Witt was ranked No. 1. The Kansas City Royals shortstop, son of former MLB pitcher Bobby Witt, was the seventh-rated player at the beginning of 2021. The 21-year-old jumped to the top after a solid campaign in Double-A and Triple-A last year, when he combined for 33 home runs, 97 RBIs and a .290
