2018 Bowman Baseball - Complete Analysis of Every Prospect

2018 Bowman Baseball releases this week and while everyone is hunting for Otani autographs I will be looking at other opportunities. Overall the checklist is pretty solid. I would give it an overall grade of a B-. If you would like me to comment on any retail only or rookie prospects, please leave comments below or email me at prospectsforprofit@gmail.com. Retail only usually has sticker autographs and I am not a fan of them. Thanks again for visiting Prospects For Cash!

 

Adbert Alzolay - Chicago Cubs RHP - Decent pitching prospect in a depleted system. I have decided to pass on buying his autograph. The he seems like a 4/5 starter at best. 

Andres Gimenez - New York Mets SS - Nice prospect. Just not enough pop for me. Prices will be inflated due to him being a Met. 

Brendan McKay - Tampa Bay Rays P/DH - I love that Brendan is sticking with playing both ways. So far he has exceeded at both this season. He is a high end prospect but his draft autograph would be the best one to purchase. 

Jose Adolis Garcia - St. Louis Cardinals OF - Older prospect but has amazing tools. I would not invest too heavy. If he was 5 years younger I would say different. 

Corbin Burnes - Milwaukee Brewers P - Nice arm but Brewer prospects only move the needle if they have international or superstar potential. 

Cedric Mullins - Baltimore Orioles OF - Nice prospect. He hit for some power in AA last year but the Orioles are headed towards a rebuild. I think no one will care if he puts up good numbers on a bad team.

Cristian Pache - Atlanta Braves OF- STRONG BUY! I would not say he is the next Acuna but Pache is an elite defender. The only thing missing is more power. The Braves have been working with him to improve the power numbers. Pache will be a breakout star this year. 

Chris Rodriguez - Los Angeles Angels - Pass. The K/9 rate needs to be higher for me to buy right now.

Colton Welker - Colorado Rockies 3B - This kid can flat out hit. The issue is that he is a Rockies prospect. No one cares about Rockies prospects and the inflated numbers at Coors Field. If you disagree I would love to debate the readers on this one. 

Darick Hall - Philadelphia Phillies 1B - Pass. The K rate is a little too high for me. 

Daniel Johnson - Washington Nationals OF - Prospectors are all in on Robles and Soto but Johnson is impressive. I rate him as a STRONG BUY. He will rise up the charts if he keeps it up.

DJ Peters - Los Angeles Dodgers OF - The Dodgers have another potential stud. The issue I have with Peters is his K rate. It has to come down for me to really feel comfortable investing. Buying one or two may be the best approach. 

Dennis Santana - Los Angeles Dodgers P - Former hitter turned pitcher but is a pass for me. Not enough production to make a fair judgement. 

Edward Olivares - Toronto Blue Jays OF - A buy for me. Nice power numbers and a respectable strikeout rate. 

Eric Pardinho - Toronto Blue Jays P - 17 year old from Brazil. He has not played in pro ball as of this write up. Keep an eye on him. Pass for now.

Greg Deichmann - Oakland Athletics 1B - Classic Athletic's prospect. Big time power but needs to cut down on strikeouts. Worth a small investment. 

Hunter Greene - Cincinnati Reds P - The number one pick will be in high demand. I like him as a prospect but high school arms are always risky and high end prospects are expensive. Pass

Ibandel Isabel - Los Angeles Dodgers - Pass. Strikeout rate is over 30%.

J.B. Bukauskas - Houston Astros P - Another top pick that will be high end. The sample size is small so I am staying away.

Jordan Humphreys - New York Mets P - Would be a buy if he did not blow his elbow out. 

Jordan Hicks - St. Louis Cardinals P - Nice prospect but I will pass.

JoJo Romero - Philadelphia Phillies P - Like him but I will pass. Seems to be a 3/4 starter.

Jeren Kendall - Los Angeles Dodgers OF - Pass. See Ibandel Isabel.

Jose Siri - Cincinnati Reds - Siri is known for an impressive hitting streak last season but his contact needs to improve. Sounds crazy but the K rate needs to be under 20% for me to buy.

Joey Wentz - Atlanta Braves P - Nice arm. Keep an eye on him. Would not have an issue buying a few. His K/9 rate was over 10 and he pitched over 130 innings.

Keibert Ruiz - Los Angeles Dodgers C - If you are patient Ruiz is a buy. Impressive hitting statistics but catchers take time to develop. 

Logan Allen - San Diego Padres P - Pass - Not enough data to make a fair assessment. 

Luis Escobar - Pittsburgh Pirates P - Keep an eye on him. The walks need to come down. 

Luis Robert - Chicago White Sox OF - Will most likely be a high end prospect. The rookie ball stats are deceiving. I would buy if the price was low due to the injury. 

MacKenzie Gore - San Diego Padres P - Another high end pitching prospect. Pass. Good talent though.

Michael Mercado - Tampa Bay Rays P - Young arm but I will pass. The K/9 rate was very low. Still time to improve at age 19.

McKenzie Mills - Philadelphia Phillies P - Pass. Mills is most likely a 3/4 starter. Nice tools.

Mike Shawaryn - Boston Red Sox P - Pass. Not enough for me to invest.

Matt Sauer - New York Yankees P - Keep an eye on Sauer. Only 19 and the sample size is limited.

Pedro Avila - San Diego Padres P - The K/9 rates for Avila are impressive. I am buying one or two.

Royce Lewis - Minnesota Twins - Pass. His second autograph.

Sandro Fabian - San Francisco Giants OF - Buy. A little high risk but the tools are there. Would like to see him walk a little more. Keeping an eye on him. Could of easily have been a strong buy. I am being conservative with my rating.

Spencer Howard - Philadelphia Phillies P - I like his tools but the walks need to come down. Pass for now.

Sam Hilliard - Colorado Rockies OF - Another Rockies prospect that I like but will pass on. 

Shed Long - Cincinnati Reds 2B- Shed is a buy. A little older but I like the talent. I worry about people not caring as the Reds are in rebuild mode. 

Sean Murphy - Oakland Athletics C - Pass. Not enough pop for me. 

Thomas Hatch - Chicago Cubs P - Pass. Nice talent but not a top starter. 

Zack Littell - Minnesota Twins - Pass. Not a top starter.

MLB Prospects Off To Hot Starts

The first week of the MILB season is almost complete and so far there have been some notable performances. While there is still a lot of baseball to be played, fast starts are always a positive. For prospects that are struggling there is no reason to panic. Below are a few names that are catching my attention.

Baltimore Orioles P Zac Lowther - I recommended prospectors to buy Lowther a few weeks ago. He was very impressive in his debut and showed some impressive arm talent.

Kansas City Royals OF Khalil Lee - Another breakout prospect candidate that has been mentioned on the site before. He still has work to do but his ability to walk makes me a believer.

Oakland Athletics OF Austin Beck - Beck has all the superstar tools you want but has struggled to make contact so far in his young career. So far this season he seems to have improved his plate discipline. The sample size is small though. Beck is a long term project.

Minnesota Twins OF Alex Kiriloff - In his return from Tommy John surgery, Alex has already hit two home runs and is back on track to the majors. The window is small to still buy him. I think he will be the Twins top prospect by the end of the season.

Los Angeles Angels OF Brandon Marsh - 2018 Breakout Prospect

One of my favorite breakout prospect candidates in 2018 is Brandon Marsh. A former two sport athlete, Brandon has the power/speed combination that could have him in the top 100 by the end of the year. He has battled injuries the first few seasons in his pro career but now he is finally healthy and ready to play full time. Above average power is definitely a future possibility and flashes of five tool ability are hard to ignore. Unfortunately, Brandon does not have a Bowman Chrome auto. Hopefully on April 25th that changes when 2018 Bowman is released.

Atlanta Braves OF Cristian Pache - 2018 Bowman Alert

2018 Bowman comes out later this month and while collectors are on the hunt for Otani autographs I am looking for players with the potential to be in the top 100 next year. When I saw Cristian Pache officially sign for Bowman, I immediately got excited. Pache is already one of the top outfield defenders in the minors and has improved all of his tools since signing with the Braves as a 16 year old. He did not hit any Home Runs in 2017 but all the reports I have read state that he has power potential. The Braves are working on his swing constantly and I think he will break out in 2018.

Link to Stats via Fangraphs

One New Rule for Investing in Pitching Prospects

Every year it seems pro baseball has major pitching injuries before the season starts. Multiple talented arms have went down already and we have not even started the season yet. From Jharel Cotton, Brent Honeywell and Rafael Montero, investing in pitching is risky business. A.J. Puk was just shut down due to biceps tightness this week and he was one of my favorite pitching prospects. I can honestly say at the moment that if I invest in a pitcher it will be a small investment. How would I define small investment? For me it would be no more than 5 base auto's for a player and I would spend no more than $15 each. I think these players are throwing way too much these days and it starts at the youth level. Buyer beware.

Spring Training and Prospect Performance - Does It Matter?

Spring Training is wrapping up and prospects are headed to Minor League camp. I noticed a number of prospects had really good camps this year and showed off a number of tools and abilities. Should prospectors take these performances seriously? In my opinion good performances should be noted but not taken too seriously. Spring Training for a majority of the players attending is an extended Major League tryout. The pitching quality is not the most elite and the hitters are not facing the best competition on a daily basis.

2 MLB Prospects Who Will Move Quickly In The Minors

Pavin Smith and Keston Hirua are two members of the 2017 Draft class who posses above average hitting skills. Most reports expect Keston to have above average power and Pavin Smith to eventually come into his power last. Prices are a little on the high end for both but the hitting skills are so good the potential for prices to explode this season are likely. I have provided a few additional thoughts below for each player.

Milwaukee Brewers 2B - Keston Hirua - Reports have stated that Keston's elbow is fully healed. Scouts worry about his defense but the bat is so good it will become a non factor. You may see him in the Majors this year and I expect him to move quickly. Milwaukee Brewers prospects usually do not sell but I think Keston is a special player. For a Brewer prospect, his cards are in high demand. The best time to buy is now.

Arizona Diamondbacks 1B - Pavin Smith - Similar to Keston, Smith has above average hitting ability and walked more than he struck out during the 2017 season. He is a lock to be the replacement for Paul Goldschimdt in 2019 and should move quickly. The main issue scouts have is the power potential. I am taking the gamble that he will develop power last 

A.J. Puk Shining In Spring Training

One of my favorite pitching prospects, A.J. Puk is having an impressive spring. He has added a few pitches to his arsenal and arrived to camp in great shape. He is clearly the best pitcher the A's have and his Bowman auto can still be bought for around $15. It is not too late to invest in a future stud.

Justin Williams - Tampa Bay Rays OF - Breakout Prospect Canidate

It's a good feeling when you find an under the radar prospect with a track record of making adjustments each season. Justin Williams has played 5 minor league seasons and is only 22 years of age. In 2017, Williams made multiple adjustments at AA Montgomery and raised his walk rate to an impressive 9% while cutting down on strikeouts. Not to mention he mashed 21 doubles, 3 triples and 14 homers. After doing some research online it seems that prices are still very affordable. EBay does not have much on sale which is a sign of people buying and holding until the season starts. I would suggest digging around at local card shows and set up alerts for any new sales of his Bowman Chrome auto. I think Williams will continue to improve. Scouts love his overall makeup and hitting ability.

Stats Don't Lie - 2017 Final Report Highlights

Stats are big part of my prospect analysis and this season I would like to share more numbers with my readers. All of the hitters listed below finished the season with a walk rate above 8%, a K rate below 20% and an .ISO above .140. The basis of the report shows hitters who have a great chance of success as they move up the ladder. Keep in mind this is only for the 2017 season and some players may have played across multiple levels. More names could of been added but I only wanted to focus on players with Bowman Chrome Auto's.

Houston Astros - Ronnie Dawson - STRONG bargain bin recommendation. He has to cut down on the K rate to make it to the Majors.

New York Yankees - Nick Solak  - A Yankee prospect that has been overshadowed. Decent pop and a good eye at the plate. Worth a buy.

Cincinnati Reds - Jeter Downs - Breakout prospect candidate. Very impressive first season in the Minors.

Toronto Blue Jays - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - Stud

Tortonto Blue Jays - Bo Bichette - Stud

Cincinnati Reds - Nick Senzel - I think he will grow into power and hit 20-25 home runs annually.

Miami Marlins - Lewis Brinson - Will finally get his shot but can he stay healthy.

Boston Red Sox - Rafael Devers - Stud

Toronto Blue Jays - Reese McGuire - On the 40 man roster.

Baltimore Orioles - D.J. Stewart - Scouts are skeptical but his auto is nowhere to be found on EBay. Interesting.

Tampa Bay Rays - Jake Bauers - Nice prospect but not sure if I would buy. Prices are a little out of range for me.

Philadelphia Phillies - J.P. Crawford - Nice prospect with good defense but the time to buy was when he was struggling in AAA.