MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2024 High 100 Prospects listing at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 26, with a one-hour present on MLB Community and MLB.com. Main as much as the discharge of the High 100, we’ll look at baseball’s prime 10 prospects at every place.
You’ll be able to by no means have an excessive amount of left-handed pitching, and the Majors might be in line to see a gifted crop arriving this summer season.
Six of MLB Pipeline’s newly launched High 10 southpaws have estimated instances of arrival of 2024, headlined by prime two abilities Kyle Harrison (Giants) and Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays).
Harrison debuted with San Francisco final season, posting a 4.15 ERA with 35 strikeouts in seven begins (34 2/3 innings), and has the plus-plus fastball and spectacular slider and changeup to carve out a extra everlasting spot within the Giants rotation this spring. Tiedemann maybe might have taken his plus fastball-slider-changeup combine north of the border final season, if not for shoulder and biceps points that restricted his workload, however he ought to get an opportunity to crack Toronto’s workers quickly contemplating how aggressive the membership plans to be within the AL East.
Elsewhere, Anthony Solometo (Pirates), Carson Whisenhunt (Giants) and Robert Gasser (Brewers) might all bang down the door to the Majors at varied factors within the months to come back too, and don’t rule out the Padres pushing 2023 standout Robby Snelling (1.82 ERA, 118 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings throughout three ranges) as they keep aggressive with prospects. With all these potential graduations, the High 10 LHP listing might look very, very completely different in 2025.
1. Kyle Harrison, Giants (2024)2. Ricky Tiedemann, Blue Jays (2024)3. Robby Snelling, Padres (2025)4. Noah Schultz, White Sox (2026)5. Anthony Solometo, Pirates (2024)6. Carson Whisenhunt, Giants (2024)7. Jackson Ferris, Dodgers (2026)8. Thomas White, Marlins (2027)9. Robert Gasser, Brewers (2024)10. Jordan Wicks, Cubs (2024)Full listing »
High 10 prospects by place:1/16: RHP1/17: LHP1/18: C1/19: 1B1/22: 2B1/23: 3B1/24: SS1/25: OF1/26: High 100
Fastball: Harrison (70)The Giants southpaw threw his heater 60.7 p.c of the time within the Majors, and it isn’t arduous to see why. The 92-95 mph pitch, which touches as excessive as 97, performs above its velo due to his above-average extension and flat method angle, and people traits helped it earn a 24.8 p.c whiff price within the bigs and 39.7 p.c in Triple-A (per Synergy Sports activities).
Curveball: Snelling, Ferris, White (60)High quality curves aren’t all the time straightforward to seek out in right this moment’s slider-heavy recreation, however there are three good ones right here. Snelling rode his two-plane breaker to Double-A in a breakout 2023 marketing campaign, whereas Ferris used his 75-78 mph downer to fan 77 in 56 innings at Single-A in his first full season. White confirmed spin charges within the 2700-2900 rpm vary throughout his transient take a look at Single-A Jupiter after being taken thirty fifth general final July and will comply with the Okay-heavy path of the opposite two in 2024.
Slider: Schultz (65)The 2022 twenty sixth general choose is intimidating sufficient standing on the mound along with his 6-foot-9 body, and anybody attempting to sit down on his 93-95 mph fastball can look completely silly after they flail as a substitute at his low-80s, high-spin sweeper. Schultz punched out 36.5 p.c of his batters confronted with Single-A Kannapolis in 2023 earlier than being shut down with a shoulder impingement.
Changeup: Whisenhunt (70)Arguably the perfect pitch thrown by a left-hander on this class, Whisenhunt’s changeup is just among the finest in your entire Minors. He sells the pitch with the identical arm velocity as his 92-95 mph fastball, just for the low-80s change to plummet earlier than reaching the plate. In Double-A, Whisenhunt threw 102 changeups, bought 54 swings and elicited 29 misses for an insane whiff price of 53.7 p.c.
Different: Gasser (55)Acquired from the Padres within the Josh Hader commerce of 2022, Gasser has added an upper-80s cutter in recent times to enhance his plus slider. The providing is available in with round 0 inches of horizontal motion, making it a bullet-like pitch that the Brewers lefty can use to earn early strikes or get again in counts when wanted.
Management: Snelling, Solometo (55)Solometo attracts comparisons to Madison Bumgarner for his supply and arm slot, and the 6-foot-5 lefty has made some good changes to match the previous Giants star’s management work, dropping his stroll price from 10.1 p.c in 2022 to eight.6 final season. Snelling has a bulldog-like method that goes proper after hitters, and he walked solely 7 p.c of his batters confronted earlier than reaching Double-A in his first full season. Like Solometo, the Padres hurler ought to proceed to enhance that with added professional expertise.
Highest ceiling: HarrisonHarrison ranks second within the Minors with 452 strikeouts for the reason that begin of 2021 due to his spectacular three-pitch combine, and he’d doubtless rank first if not for the truth that he reached the Majors 10 days after turning 22 years outdated. His Okay-heavy methods might shoot him close to the highest of the San Francisco rotation quickly, ought to he preserve the walks in test.
Highest ground: SnellingHarrison and Tiedemann each carry some reduction threat due to management points/restricted workloads, whereas Snelling — albeit youthful than each with much less upper-level expertise — doesn’t include comparable considerations at this stage. Ought to his growth proceed apace, he ought to settle into a minimum of the again finish of a Main League rotation and might be larger given his combo and command.
Rookie of the 12 months candidate: HarrisonEven with some additions this offseason, San Francisco ought to nonetheless have a spot in its Opening Day rotation for the 6-foot-2 hurler. Assuming well being and continued work within the management division, Harrison has the Okay-heavy stuff to problem Yoshinobu Yamamoto because the NL’s first beginning pitcher to win Rookie of the 12 months since Jacob deGrom in 2014.
Highest riser: SolometoSolometo ranked tenth within the Pirates system presently final 12 months and ended 2023 as MLB Pipeline’s No. 88 general prospect. He’ll stay in our High 100 on this subsequent replace on the energy of his above-average fastball, slider and management, and he might be in line for a late-season debut in 2024 after posting a 3.26 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings between Excessive-A and Double-A.
Humblest starting: TiedemannEach of our High 10 southpaws was chosen within the High 100 picks of their particular person Drafts. Taken within the third spherical (91st general) in 2021, Tiedemann was drafted lowest of the group and signed for proper round slot at $644,800. The Golden West Faculty product is likely one of the Minors’ greatest JuCo success tales.
Most to show: TiedemannOn one hand, Tiedemann has one thing to show on the sturdiness entrance, having but to throw greater than 100 innings in a daily season as a professional. (He was most not too long ago restricted to 44 frames on account of shoulder and biceps points in 2023 however made up for a number of the misplaced time within the Arizona Fall League.) On one other, his fastball, slider and changeup are all a minimum of plus pitches and will work within the Majors right away. He could also be pitching for a spot on Toronto’s MLB roster – both as a starter or lengthy man out of the bullpen, the place his innings might be extra carefully managed – straight out of the gate this spring.
Keep watch over: Yu-Min LinThe D-backs left-hander stands simply 5-foot-11 and averaged solely near 90 mph on his fastball at Double-A final season. However he managed 140 strikeouts over 121 1/3 innings at Double-A and Excessive-A as a result of his secondaries saved midlevel Minor League batters continuously on edge. His 79-81 mph changeup will be particularly lethal whereas his low-80s slider and mid-70s curve also can appear like a minimum of above-average pitches. Arizona evaluators have challenged Lin so as to add muscle within the offseason and have been happy with the early returns getting into 2024. Be careful for a breakout from the 20-year-old.
