By Jeffrey Paternostro, Ben Carsley and the BP Fantasy Staff
The State of the System: I could just C&P the Nats lines here. Incredible top five, falls off quickly after that, and past the top ten, even fewer intriguing names than the Nats.
The Top Ten
- OF Andrew Benintendi
- IF Yoan Moncada
- 3B Rafael Devers
- LHP Jason Groome
- RHP Michael Kopech
- OF Luis Alexander Basabe
- SS Mauricio Dubon
- 1B Sam Travis
- LHP Brian Johnson
- 1B Josh Ockimey
The Big Question: Why don’t we give out 80 hit tools?
Andrew Benintendi is about as sure a bet to hit for a good batting average as a prospect can be. He was a top-ten overall draft pick as a small, late-blooming, moderately bat-first player. The bat has to be really good for that to happen. His minor-league performance record is absolutely flawless, outside of a rough first couple weeks in Double-A that got drowned out in the season line quickly when he started crushing the ball. He is essentially already established as a major-league regular, only eligible for this list because a minor injury kept him just a touch under the rookie-eligibility requirements. He hit .295 for a month-and-a-half in the majors in a pennant race. He’s got one of those picture-perfect beautiful lefty swings. He makes a short, aggressive move on the ball. His wrists are great, his bat speed is excellent, and he has a really good idea of what he wants to do. The ball jumps off his bat in a way it does for the truly special ones. There’s basically nothing to nitpick here. This is the total hit package.
Read the rest ($) at Baseball Prospectus
Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports Images