There have been 4 High 100 prospects who required safety — Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie, White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, Cardinals right-hander Tink Therefore and Rockies outfielder Zac Veen — and unsurprisingly, all have been added to their groups’ 40-man rosters. Different choices weren’t really easy.
Previous to Tuesday’s deadline, we recognized a participant on the 40-man bubble for each group. Generally we selected a ranked prospect, although in some situations, we opted for gamers who carried out within the Arizona Fall League, which wrapped up its season on Saturday.
Blue Jays: Adrian Pinto, 2B/OFAcquired from the Rockies as a part of the Randal Grichuk commerce in March 2022, Pinto has performed in simply 102 video games the previous three years due to accidents and has but to achieve Double-A. However he confirmed among the greatest bat-to-ball expertise within the Fall League, sports activities a profession .296/.419/.444 line as a professional and likewise provides stable velocity and a few defensive versatility.
Verdict: Not protected
Orioles: Brandon Younger, RHP (No. 19)As an undrafted free agent within the COVID-shortened 2020 Draft, Younger might have been taken in final yr’s Rule 5 Draft, however an elbow challenge that required surgical procedure restricted him to a few begins in 2022 and he didn’t return till July 2023. He spent most of this previous yr at Triple-A and completed with stable total numbers (3.57 ERA, .243 BAA, 1.25 WHIP, 10.7 Ok/9 over 111 IP), so he’s knocking on the door. However he’s 26 for a lot of the 2025 season with a restricted ceiling as a back-end starter.
Verdict: Protected
Rays: Alexander Alberto, RHPSigned for $70,000 out of the Dominican Republic in November 2019, Alberto did not arrive in full-season ball till this June, 55 months later. Whereas he is inexperienced and battles the strike zone, he is additionally 6-foot-8 and has an influence arsenal that features a mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider and upper-90s cutter.
Verdict: Not protected
Purple Sox: Allan Castro, OF (No. 19)A switch-hitter greatest suited to an outfield nook, Castro has the prospect for common instruments throughout the board however would not stand out in any facet. Signed for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, he slashed .229/.343/.400 with 15 homers and 17 steals in 123 video games between Excessive-A and Double-A.
Verdict: Not protected
Yankees: Zach Messinger, RHP (No. 17)Messinger misses loads of bats with a mid-80s sweeper and creates angle and extension along with his 6-foot-6 body, although his fastball sits at a pedestrian 92-94 mph, and he is beginning to look extra like a future reliever than starter. A Thirteenth-rounder in 2021 out of Virginia, he led the Double-A Japanese League in average-against (.207) and WHIP (1.11) whereas rating second in ERA (3.06) and placing out 136 in 150 innings.
Verdict: Not protected
Guardians: Allan Hernandez, RHPHernandez has gone from Twelfth-round choose as a Miami excessive schooler in 2019 to one of many more durable throwers within the system, parking at 96 mph and peaking at 99 along with his fastball whereas additionally dealing mid-80s sliders. Strictly a reliever, he posted a 2.79 ERA, .182 average-against and 51 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings at Excessive-A earlier than performing effectively within the Fall League.
Verdict: Not protected
Royals: Chandler Champlain, RHP (No. 16)A part of the Andrew Benintendi commerce with the Yankees in 2022, Champlain hit the wall after he superior to Triple-A this Might, logging a 5.61 ERA with 46 walks vs. 72 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. He has good really feel for spinning the ball, producing pure reducing motion on his 92-95 mph fastball and fashioning each a mid-80s slider and upper-70s curve.
Verdict: Not protected
Tigers: Roberto Campos, OF (No. 25)Campos defected from Cuba at age 13 in 2016 and signed three years later for $2.85 million based mostly largely on his energy potential, although he has homered simply 28 instances in 357 professional video games so far. He repeated Excessive-A this season and batted .272/.342/.425 with 10 homers and 11 steals in 118 contests.
Verdict: Not protected
Twins: Kala’i Rosario, OF (No. 19)A fifth-rounder out of the Hawaii highschool ranks in 2020, Rosario seemed like he was beginning to determine some issues out, successful Excessive-A Midwest League MVP honors in 2023 and displaying his energy would play within the Arizona Fall League. However an elbow damage brought about him to overlook two months of the 2024 season, and he wasn’t practically as productive with the transfer to Double-A. His current stable return to the Fall League may assist his trigger.
Verdict: Not protected
White Sox: Wilfred Veras, OF (No. 25)Veras has in depth large league bloodlines with father Wilson, uncle Fernando Tatis Sr. and cousin Fernando Tatis Jr. all reaching the Majors. He options among the greatest uncooked energy in Chicago’s system however mitigates it with an especially aggressive method, slashing .267/.319/.424 with 16 homers and 25 steals in 128 Double-A video games.
Verdict: Not protected
Angels: Jack Dashwood, LHPHealth has been a difficulty for the 6-foot-6 lefty drafted in 2019 as he’s thrown simply 40 innings over the previous two seasons mixed (10 in 2024). He has a low-90s fastball and an honest mid-80s slider that he used to submit a 17/2 Ok/BB ratio over 10 AFL innings this fall. He’s 27, however might be a possible Rule 5 goal as a helpful lefty reliever.
Verdict: Protected
Astros: Alex Santos, RHPOne of the most effective highschool arms to come back out of New York Metropolis within the final decade, Santos was the Astros’ prime choose (supplemental second spherical) in 2020, however his profession hasn’t gone as hoped. His stuff and management backed up and he missed most of 2024 with elbow issues, although he did rebound to guide the Fall League in strikeouts (26 in 17 2/3 innings) whereas displaying a mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter and low-80s slider.
Verdict: Not protected
A’s: Gunnar Hoglund, RHP (No. 12)A 2021 first-round choose of the Blue Jays, Hoglund got here to the A’s through the Matt Chapman commerce in 2022 whereas he was recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure. This season was his first full, wholesome one and he pitched effectively at Double-A, although he wasn’t fairly as efficient with a transfer to Triple-A for 5 begins. His velocity hasn’t come all the way in which again (averaged round 92 mph along with his fastball in 2024) and his ceiling is proscribed, however he does throw strikes and has the prospect to start out.
Verdict: Protected
Mariners: Jason Ruffcorn, RHPOriginally an eighth-round choose of the Phillies in 2021 out of Oklahoma, Ruffcorn joined the Mariners in a commerce for money concerns in March. Scott Ruffcorn’s child reached the higher ranges of the Minors for the primary time this yr, utilizing his four-seam fastball, cutter and sweeper to complete the season with a 3.44 ERA, 10.0 Ok/9 charge and .225 BAA. The 26-year-old missed quantity of bats (13.8 Ok/9) in 13 2/3 innings of Fall League work.
Rangers: Aidan Curry, RHP (No. 19)Signed as a nondrafted free agent out of a New York highschool in 2020, Curry received Single-A Carolina League pitcher of the yr honors in 2023 earlier than slumping to a 6.44 ERA at Excessive-A this season. It was extra a matter of shedding command and deception, as a result of he nonetheless retained his mid-90s fastball with carry and a low-80s slider with depth.
Braves: Luis De Avila, LHP (No. 15)The Braves first bought De Avila within the Rule 5 Draft — the Minor League part — in December 2021. On the decrease ranges of Atlanta’s system, he missed bats and bought loads of ground-ball outs in 2022 and 2023. He was efficient at Double-A in 2024, with a 3.74 ERA that will have positioned him fifth in that class within the Southern League had he thrown sufficient innings, to go together with a 1.68 GO/AO. He missed rather a lot fewer bats (79 Ok’s in 101 IP), however he’s a lefty with a observe file.
Verdict: Not protected
Marlins: Dax Fulton, LHP (No. 26)Fulton signed for $2.4 million as a second-rounder in 2020, and the Oklahoma prep product turned the most effective left-handed pitching prospects by pairing a 93-97 mph four-seamer with a plus curveball and slider. However he has had two Tommy John surgical procedures in 4 years and missed all of this season following his second elbow reconstruction in June 2023, so his future is unsure.
Verdict: Protected
Mets: Dom Hamel, RHP (No. 15)A 2021 third-rounder from Dallas Baptist, Hamel has spectacular metrics along with his 92-95 mph four-seamer and high-spin slider within the low 80s. After thriving at decrease ranges he struggled at Triple-A, recording a 6.79 ERA with 124 strikeouts but in addition 77 walks in 124 2/3 innings.
Verdict: Not protected
Nationals: Kevin Made, SS (No. 25)In July 2019, Made signed with the Cubs for $1.5 million and was moved to full-season ball in 2021. He was despatched to the Nationals on the 2022 Commerce Deadline within the Jeimer Candelario deal, and he was left unprotected final yr and wasn’t taken within the Rule 5. That’s as a result of questions stay about his influence on the plate, even when he has the potential to be a plus defender at shortstop.
Verdict: Not protected
Phillies: Christian McGowan, RHP (No. 22)A junior school product taken in Spherical 7 of the 2021 Draft, McGowan had Tommy John surgical procedure shortly after the beginning of his first full season after which a again challenge pressured him out for practically two months this yr, so he’s thrown simply 78 1/3 innings since signing with the Phillies. He had uneven ends in the Fall League this yr however confirmed off stable stuff with a fastball that averaged within the 94-95 mph vary and an honest mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup.
Verdict: Not protected
Brewers: Coleman Crow, RHP (No. 30)Earlier than his Arizona stint this fall, Crow final pitched in a sport in April 2023, when he was with the Angels. He went to the Mets in June of that yr, had Tommy John surgical procedure later that summer season, then was dealt to the Brewers. He has fringy stuff exterior of his curve, which may be plus, and he’ll be simply 24 for all the 2025 season, with a historical past of strike-throwing albeit and not using a ton of observe file.
Verdict: Not protected
Cardinals: Darlin Saladin, RHP (No. 21)Saladin signed for $200,000 in 2019, so he might have been chosen a yr in the past however had simply two innings of full-season pitching on his résumé. He had a terrific 2024 marketing campaign, ending with a 2.71 ERA and a 9.8 Ok/9 charge due to a plus four-seamer he throws with a flat vertical method angle. However he’s but to pitch above A-ball, so the Playing cards might roll the cube once more and hope he isn’t taken within the Rule 5 or doesn’t have the stuff to stay if he’s.
Verdict: Not protected
Cubs: Ben Cowles, INF (No. 29)The Cubs recognize Cowles and bought him in a July commerce that despatched Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees, however additionally they have an abundance of massive league-ready place gamers. He lacks a standout instrument however is in any other case near common throughout the board, and his instruments play up due to his instincts, resulting in a .286/.372/.457 line with 9 homers and 14 steals in 92 Double-A video games.
Verdict: Protected
Pirates: Sammy Siani, OFA swing change in 2024 when Siani flattened his bat path led to great outcomes with Excessive-A Greensboro and enabled him to achieve Double-A for the primary time. He went on to hit .375/.457/.550 within the Fall League displaying his new method simply may work. Siani runs effectively and might play all three outfield positions, so Michael’s youthful brother might have a backup outfielder profile that may be of curiosity within the Rule 5.
Reds: Jose Acuna, RHPThe Reds bought Acuna, together with Hector Rodriguez, within the Tyler Naquin/Phillip Diehl deal on the 2022 Commerce Deadline. He’s made loads of progress since coming to the group, although he missed a bunch of time with a flexor pressure this yr. He bought extra work within the Fall League, and whereas he struggled along with his command, he missed bats (11.1 Ok/9) and held hitters to a .170 BAA.
Verdict: Not protected
D-backs: Kristian Robinson, OFRobinson was as soon as an elite-level prospect on our High 100, and he was on the 40-man roster beforehand. He missed practically 4 years because of a mixture of psychological well being, authorized and visa points, however he got here again in 2023, performed final yr at Double-A and confirmed off a few of his instruments within the Fall League, which might result in a return to the D-backs’ roster.
Verdict: Not protected
Dodgers: Jerming Rosario, RHPSigned for the Tenth-highest ($650,000) of any pitcher within the 2018 worldwide class, the Dominican-born Rosario works with a 92-97 mph fastball and a low-80s slider. He posted a 4.47 ERA, .199 average-against and 120 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings whereas rising from Excessive-A to Triple-A, then fanned 24 in 16 Fall League frames.
Verdict: Not protected
Giants: Aeverson Arteaga, SS (No. 11)Whereas Arteaga is a plus defender at shortstop with arm power to match, he has but to achieve Double-A and performed simply 24 video games this yr whereas recovering from surgical procedure to appropriate thoracic outlet syndrome. Signed for $1 million out of Venezuela in 2019, he additionally has some sneaky pop that would translate into 15 or extra homers per season.
Verdict: Not protected
Padres: Jagger Haynes, LHP (No. 20)The Padres rolled the cube on drafting Haynes as a uncooked prep lefty within the remaining spherical of the shortened 2020 Draft, and he’s proven glimpses of promise with out a lot manufacturing. He had Tommy John surgical procedure and didn’t make his official professional debut till 2023, solely throwing 25 1/3 innings that yr. He was wholesome in 2024 with blended outcomes at Excessive-A, which in all probability means he’s too distant for actual Rule 5 consideration, however his fastball-curve mixture from the left facet is intriguing.
Verdict: Not protected
Rockies: Yujanyer Herrera, RHP (No. 29)Signed by the Brewers for simply $10,000 in 2019, he headed to the Rockies as a part of the Nick Mears commerce in 2024, ending with over 100 IP for the primary time with stable all-around numbers (3.04 ERA, .231 BAA, 1.18 WHIP), principally at Excessive-A. There’s a stable three-pitch combine right here and he might have the prospect to start out, however he’s solely 21 and hasn’t gotten out of A-ball but, so the Rockies might determine to danger leaving him uncovered.
Verdict: Not protected
