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Who’s No. 1?
Twins five-tool outfielder Byron Buxton has been the popular choice as baseball’s top prospect for the past two seasons. However, 2014 was not kind to Buxton. Injuries to his left and right wrists, fingers, and head combined to limit him to 124 at-bats in the regular season and 57 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. When healthy, he looked out of sync, posting a .240 average in High-A and a .263 mark in the Fall League.
Astros shortstop prospect Carlos Correa entered ‘14 in great shape and by midseason was on his way to a spectacular campaign, posting a .325/.416/.510 line and stealing 20 bags while playing good defense at shortstop. A legitimate candidate to unseat Buxton as the most electric all-round prospect in baseball, Correa then suffered his own season-ending injury, breaking his fibula in late June.
While Buxton and Correa were sidelined, Cubs slugger Kris Bryant had a jaw-dropping breakout season. The big third baseman led the minors in home runs with 43 (nearly one every 10 at-bats) while batting .325 in a season split between Double-A and Triple-A. Bryant also improved defensively, increasing his chances of remaining at third base in the majors.
So, why did I leap-frog Bryant over Correa and Buxton in my ‘15 rankings? In Buxton’s case, his rash of injuries begin to raise questions about whether he can stay on the field. and hand/wrist ailments are always cause for concern for players whose offensive game is built on quality bat speed.
As for Correa, although I don’t think that his injury will be more than a blip on his development, he hasn’t played above High-A, and the California League is a hitter’s paradise. He has the tools to be an elite shortstop at the big league level, but he’ll need to prove himself against more advanced pitching in order to reach that ceiling.
Bryant, on the other hand, has shown that he can handle everything that the minors have to offer, and his power is as good as anyone’s in baseball. He’ll never hit .300 as a big-leaguer – and he’ll need to continue to shorten his swing to fully tap into his power potential – but his combination of 40-HR pop, big league ready skills, and 3B-eligibility make Bryant the game’s top prospect heading into this season.
MORE MLB FANTASY: 2015 FantasyAlarm.com Draft Guide
SPORTING NEWS’ TOP 50 FANTASY BASEBALL PROSPECTS
Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
Carlos Correa, SS, Houston
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Washington
Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Addison Russell, SS, Chicago Cubs
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Joey Gallo, 3B, Texas
Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland
Miguel Sano, 3B, Minnesota
Carlos Rodon, LHP, Chicago White Sox
Jonathan Gray, RHP, Colorado
Julio Urias, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Blake Swihart, C, Boston
Dylan Bundy, RHP, Baltimore
Noah Syndergaard, RHP, New York Mets
Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
Daniel Norris, LHP, Toronto
Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh
Rusney Castillo, OF, Boston
Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Toronto
Archie Bradley, RHP, Arizona
Yoan Moncada, 2B/SS, Red Sox
Hunter Harvey, RHP, Baltimore
Kyle Schwarber, C, Chicago Cubs
Alex Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
Henry Owens, LHP, Boston
Jose Peraza, 2B, Atlanta
Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pittsburgh
Luis Severino, RHP, New York Yankees
Josh Bell, 1B/OF, Pittsburgh
CJ Edwards, RHP, Chicago Cubs
Seth Manaea, LHP, Kansas City
Jose Berrios, RHP, Minnesota
Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati
Mark Appel, RHP, Houston
Andrew Heaney, LHP, Los Angeles Angels
Robert Stephenson, RHP, Cincinnati
Eddie Butler, RHP, Colorado
J.P. Crawford, SS, Philadelphia
Aaron Nola, RHP, Philadelphia
Kevin Plawecki, C, New York Mets
Braden Shipley, RHP, Arizona
D.J. Peterson, 3B, Seattle
Jorge Alfaro, C, Texas
Brandon Finnegan, LHP, Kansas City
Tyler Kolek, RHP, Miami
Yasmany Tomas, OF, Arizona
Dalton Pompey, OF, Toronto
Daniel Robertson, SS, Tampa Bay
MORE MLB FANTASY: Get FantasyAlarm.com’s 2015 Draft Guide!
