Last year’s class of MLB prospects was special, let’s be honest.
Julio Rodriguez — aka The J-Rod Show — got called up and stole the show, earning American League Rookie of the Year honors. As a 21-year-old, the Seattle Mariners outfielder hit 28 home runs and drove in 75 runs while hitting .284.
In 2019, prospects guru and Onyx Authenticated, Inc. President Lance Fischer hyped up Rodriguez as a future star. Even as a teenager, the kid was humble and confident in his abilities.
“I knew he was going to be special,” Fischer said. “You never know how good someone’s going to be because there’s so many different factors that can throw them off.
“He has the opportunity — and he’s kind of jumping on it now — to be the face of baseball. With his personality, I think he can represent MLB better than anyone has in a really long time.”
Rodriguez, the No. 3 overall prospect entering the 2022 season, wasn’t alone in his success. No. 1-rated prospect Bobby Witt Jr. made the Kansas City Royals opening-day roster and hit 20 homers and collected 80 RBIs. Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles, the second-rated prospect, was called up in May and had a productive year with 13 home runs and a .445 slugging percentage.
Kyle Walter — who runs the Facebook group “Let’s Talk Wax: Baseball Card Prospecting Resource” — takes a deep dive multiple times each year to break down top
