1. JACKSON HOLLIDAY ORIOLES, SS
After tearing up the Class A levels, Holliday earned a mid-July promotion to Double-A Bowie. The No. 1 overall pick from 2022 is one of the purest hitters in the minors and shows strong on-base skills. He’s primed to be another Orioles gem.
2. JACKSON CHOURIO BREWERS, OF
After a slow start in the Southern League, Chourio started to show flashes of his tre-mendous talent in the second half. At his best, the 19-year-old can hit for average and impact and play a tremendous center field with speed that also plays on the bases.
3. DYLAN CREWS NATIONALS, OF 2023 DRAFT PICK
The Nationals snagged the top position prospect in the 2023 draft from the No. 2 slot. Debating whether Crews or James Wood is the best outfield prospect in Washington’s system should be a fun discussion for the next couple of years.
4. JAMES WOOD NATIONALS, OF
Wood was one of the gems acquired by the Nationals in last year’s Juan Soto trade and so far has lived up to the billing. The massive outfielder has ascended from High-A to Double-A and shown his signature light-tower power at both stops.
5. PAUL SKENES PIRATES, RHP 2023 DRAFT PICK
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft is coming off of one of the best college seasons of the 21st century—and arguably the best by a pitcher. Now the question becomes how quickly can he help the Pirates’ big league rotation.
6. JUNIOR CAMINERO RAYS, SS/3B
The Rays acquired Caminero from the Guardians in November 2021 in a reserve roster deadline deal for Tobias Myers. At the time he was 18 and had not appeared in a game in the domestic minor leagues.
Since then Caminero has blossomed into one of the top prospects in baseball, while Myers didn’t even make it through the 2022 season with the Cleveland organization.
The Dominican shortstop flashed loud plate skills and power in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 while still with the Guardians and followed that up with a strong U.S. debut in 2022.
This season, Caminero broke out early with High-A Bowling Green, pacing the South Atlantic League by hitting .356/.409/.685 with 11 home runs in 36 games. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Montgomery in late May.
His success continued in the Southern League, where only Jackson Chourio was the only younger player. Caminero hit .288/.348/.439 through 37 games.
Caminero, a power-oriented righthanded hitter with at least average plate skills and the ability to stick on the infield, even if he moves to third base or possibly second.
—Geoff Pontes
RISING
7. MARCELO MAYER RED SOX, SS
Mayer was one of the top prospects in the 2021 draft and has lived up to his billing so far as a professional. He’s got a well-rounded skill set that helped him crush the competition at High-A and earn a promotion to Double-A as a 20-year-old.
8. WYATT LANGFORD RANGERS, OF 2023 DRAFT PICK
The Rangers were delighted to see Langford fall to them with the fourth pick in the 2023 draft. Adding his pop and athleticism will one day give Texas an outfielder to bolster a deep lineup that leads the major leagues in runs scored.
9. EVAN CARTER RANGERS, OF
Carter faces questions about remaining physical projection and impact, but he plays excellent defense in center field and controls the strike zone with aplomb for someone his age. At 20 years old, he still has plenty of time to fill out, too.
10. JORDAN LAWLAR D-BACKS, SS
Lawlar reached Double-A in 2022 and returned to the level this year, when he’s had his ups and downs in the Texas League. Still, Lawlar offers plenty of potential to provide impact on both sides of the ball.
11. GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ ORIOLES, RHP
Rodriguez sputtered to a 7.35 ERA in his first 10 big league starts and was sent back to Triple-A for more seasoning. Armed with a power pitcher’s frame and stuff that is truly wicked at its best, the righthander still has time to reach his tremendous upside.
