TOP 5 PROSPECTS
Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2020 Minor League Baseball Analyst. To order: https://www.baseballhq.com/mlba2020
Brice Turang, SS: A former firstround pick, Turang is a defensively advanced, strike-zone savvy prospect. He works counts, hits line drives to all fields and knows how to get on base. The 20year-old could grow toward average power and should return to high A, where he hit .200 with one homer in 170 at-bats.
Mario Feliciano, C: Feliciano hit 19 home runs at high A before making his Class AA debut at just 20 years old last summer. He shows plus bat speed with good barrel control but expands the zone too often. Feliciano will need more reps to stick at the position.
Ethan Small, LHP: Drafted 28th overall out of college in the June draft, Small, 22, posted an impressive 31-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 innings at Class A. He has three above-average pitches – a low-90s fastball, curveball and changeup – with a chance to be a No. 3-4 starter.
Tristen Lutz, OF: Lutz, 21, has intriguing power upside with a swing that packs a punch. His aggressive approach and fringy contact could limit his ability to hit for average, but he’s willing to take a walk. He has a plus arm and hit .255 with 13 home runs at high A last year.
Aaron Ashby, LHP: Ashby carved up Class A hitters (3.54 ERA, 80 strikeouts in 61 innings) before moving up to high A. His hammer curveball gets whiffs, and he’ll scrape 95 mph with a plus fastball. The 21-year-old will need to find the strike zone more often to realize his potential of a No. 3 starter.