TOP 5 PROSPECTS
Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2020 Minor League Baseball Analyst. To order: https://www.baseballhq.com/ mlba2020
Adley Rutschman, C: The first overall pick of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, Rutschman is an offensive juggernaut with double-plus plate skills, strong plate discipline, and 30-homer power at maturity. He’s a defensively sound catcher with good throwing mechanics. The 21-year-old made his pro debut in 2019 and should start in High A.
DL Hall, LHP: Hall posted a 3.46 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 802⁄3 innings at High A before a minor core injury shut down his season. He gets plus extension from a repeatable delivery with three potentially plus pitches: a mid-90s fastball, hard curveball and changeup with solid fade. At 21, he looks ready to jump to Class AA.
Grayson Rodriguez, RHP: Rodriguez, 20, dominated in his full-season debut with a 2.68 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 20 starts of low A. At 6-5, he has a mid-90s fastball with a downward plane, while his curve is his best secondary pitch. He misses bats with a tight slider.
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B: Mountcastle has quick wrists, strong hands and he changed the trajectory of his swing and reached 25 homers at Class AAA in 2019. Defensively, the 22-year-old will pass at first base or left field if the bat plays, which it should.
Austin Hays, OF: An aggressive hitter with plus speed, Hays regained some prospect luster with a solid 2019. Hays, 24, stopped selling out for power with patience, and while there’s plus power here, he should hit for a low average.