Geoff Pontes’ Breakout MLB Prospects Team For 2024
Image credit: Tigers RHP Jaden Hamm (Photo/Tom DiPace)
In what has become an annual tradition at Baseball America, we’re picking breakout MLB prospects teams ahead of the start of the full minor league slate.
Dylan White, Matt Eddy and myself drafted teams with a focus on non-Top 100 Prospects. Wherever feasible, we placed an emphasis on players without much pro experience. You can see Matt’s team here and Dylan’s team here.
Players are listed with their projected Opening Day assignments and will be updated as minor league rosters are finalized.
C Josue Briceño, Tigers
Low-A Lakeland | Age 19
The Tigers’ physical teenage catcher made noise in the Florida Complex League in 2023 hitting .325/.404/.550 with 7 home runs over 44 games. He saw a late-season promotion to Low-A Lakeland and heads back to the level to begin 2024. Briceño has legitimate plus power with the ability to elevate on his best contact. Briceño’s 103.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is well above the average for age and level. While his power is his carrying tool, he showed strong plate skills in 2023 with a 12.9% in-zone whiff rate and a 24.9% chase rate. Briceño should be one of the more exciting players to follow in the Florida State League as the publicly available Hawkeye data is likely to showcase Briceño’s eye-popping power.
Other catchers: Eduardo Tait, Phillies; Thayron Liranzo, Dodgers; Johanfran Garcia, Red Sox
1B William Sullivan, Cardinals
High-A Peoria | Age 23
Reports about Sullivan’s standout offseason workouts started filtering in late in our reporting process for the Prospect Handbook. A 13th-round pick in 2023 out of Troy, Sullivan hit .310/.416/.625 with 17 home runs in his final collegiate season. He showed his advanced plate skills in his professional debut hitting .308/.395/.433 over 32 games with Palm Beach. This offseason, Sullivan showed outlier exit velocities in workouts hitting balls regularly above 115 mph. Sullivan’s underlying power from his pro debut was good but he struggles to consistently elevate on his best contact. If Sullivan can make his best contact at more positive angles he has a chance to blow up in 2024.
Other first basemen: Ryan Clifford, Mets; Ivan Melendez, D-backs
2B Luke Keaschall, Twins
High-A Cedar Rapids | Age 21
After starring for two years with the University of San Francisco, Keaschall transferred to Arizona State prior to his draft year. Keaschall hit .353/.443/.725 with 18 home runs and 18 stolen bases over 55 games with the Sun Devils. The Twins selected him in the second round last July and Keaschall showed well in his professional debut, hitting .288/.414/.478 over 31 games while reaching High-A Cedar Rapids by season’s end. While Keaschall’s raw power is fringe-average he shows advanced plate skills, with the ability to elevate on his best contact. Keaschall is no superstar in the makingm but he’s an instinctive player with skills.
Other second basemen: Devin Saltiban, Phillies; Sterlin Thompson, Rockies
3B Yohandy Morales, Nationals
Double-A Harrisburg | Age 22
Morales enjoyed a standout college career at Miami, hitting 49 homers over three seasons. The Nationals selected Morales in the second round and out of the draft and he impressed, hitting .349/.423/.494 over 42 games. He reached Double-A Harrisburg by the end of 2023. While Morales has yet to hit his first official professional home run, he shows strong underlying power data. His 90th percentile exit velocity in his pro debut was 103.6 mph while his average exit velocity was 90.9 mph. Morales will need to learn to elevate the ball to his pull side to optimize his power output. There’s some swing and miss in Morales game, but he has a good balance of power and skills.
Other third basemen: Sal Stewart, Reds; Brock Wilken, Brewers; Nacho Alvarez, Braves
SS George Lombard Jr., Yankees
Low-A Tampa | Age 19
The son of a big leaguer, Lombard was one of the more impressive players in Yankees backfield action this spring. The shortstop is a strong defender. He’s likely to stick on the left side of the infield and he shows the plate discipline, contact and projectable power to rank as a Top 100 Prospect by next season. In my looks during spring training backfield games, Lombard hit leadoff for the Double-A team. While you should take most of this with a grain of salt, it showed the Yankees have supreme belief in the young pivot.
Other shortstops: Joendry Vargas, Dodgers; Arjun Nimmala, Blue Jays; Starlyn Caba, Phillies; Walker Martin, Giants
OF Jonny Farmelo, Mariners
Low-A Modesto | Age 19
Farmelo received some of the loudest feedback this spring. The Mariners drafted Farmelo No. 29 overall as a part of a cache of three prospects they landed in the first round. A speedster, Farmelo is a standout defender in center field and his speed has impact on both sides of the ball. Farmelo has solid size and some projection, but his power presently relies on his bat speed. He could develop average power in time and he shows feel for the barrel. A high upside lefthanded hitter with feel for the barrel and an up-the-middle defensive profile. Farmelo will make his regular season professional debut this spring with Modesto (Farmelo joined Modesto during their 2023 playoff run.)
OF Nelson Rada, Angels
Double-A Rocket City | Age 18
Rada began 2023 in exclusive company, debuting with Low-A Inland Empire at just 17 years old. He didn’t turn 18 until Aug. 24. Rada held his own hitting .276/.395/.346 over 115 games, good enough for a 113 wRC+, meaning he was 13% better than the average California League hitter. The buzz this spring around Rada was loud. He generated positive feedback for his growth both physically and at the plate. The Angels believed enough to assign Rada to Double-A Rocket City at just 18. While Rada lacks significant power or power projection, he has speed, feel to hit and defensive chops. Rada could take a significant jump up prospect lists with any development in impact.
OF Yophery Rodriguez, Brewers
Low-A Carolina | Age 18
The Brewers continued their annual tradition of assigning a prestigious outfield prospect to Low-A to begin the season. In 2024 Yophery Rodriguez will follow in the footsteps of his outfield forefathers Jackson Chourio and Luis Lara by skipping the Arizona Complex League in favor of a full-season assignment. Rodriguez, like Chourio, has an impressive set of tools, showing feel to hit, power and speed. The lefthanded-hitting Rodriguez showcased strong underlying exit velocity data in 2023 and hit .253/.393/.449 with six home runs and more walks than strikeouts over 52 games in the Dominican Summer League. Rodriguez looks poised to breakout this season and jump onto the Top 100 list.
Other outfielders: Jaison Chourio, Guardians; Robert Calaz, Rockies; Rayner Arias, Giants
RHP Jaden Hamm, Tigers
High-A West Michigan | Age 21
Hamm was one of the names with the most helium during minor league spring training. The Tigers’ fifth-round pick in 2023 from Middle Tennessee State, Hamm dominated on the backfields. He struck out nine of 10 batters in one notable performance. Hamm mixes four pitches in a cut-ride fastball at 92-94 mph that averages around 20 inches of induced vertical break, a changeup at 83-86 with tumble and fade, a low-80s curveball with depth and a newly developed baby sweeper. It’s an interesting pitch mix and Hamm shows the ability to command his arsenal. He debuted last season following the draft and didn’t allow an earned run over 12 innings of work.
RHP Landen Maroudis, Blue Jays
Low-A Dunedin | Age 19
A standout from my backfield looks during spring training, Maroudis had a forgettable showing in the Spring Breakout game but found his footing in a late spring backfield game against the Phillies’ Low-A squad. Maroudis showed four pitches with his fastball sitting 93-95 mph with late life, a mid-80s slider, a low-80s power curveball and a changeup. Maroudis will make his professional debut with Low-A Dunedin, pointing to the confidence the Blue Jays organization has in the Florida native.
RHP Logan Evans, Mariners
Double-A Arkansas | Age 23
The Mariners seem to be on a roll when it comes to pitching development with several notable wins in recent years. They might have identified another potential standout in Evans. The pitch data has grown by leaps and bounds in a short period of time, as detailed by J.J. Cooper this spring. Evans went from sitting low 90s in his draft year to touching 99 mph this spring on his sinker. He shows two different fastballs shapes, with a sweeper, curveball and changeup. Evans has a chance to pop this season if he can hold and command his improved stuff throughout the season.
LHP Kyle Carr, Yankees
High-A Hudson Valley | Age 22
The Yankees plucked Carr out of Palomar (Calif.) JC in the third round last year. Despite zero professional innings, they assigned him directly to High-A Hudson Valley. Carr was impressive in my look on the backfields this spring mixing a cut-ride four-seam fastball at 91-94 mph with a filthy low-80s sweeper with ride and a changeup. Carr has a preternatural feel for spin and his breaking ball already grades out as above-average despite never stepping on a mound in an affiliated game. If Carr throws enough strikes in his debut, he could be the next Yankees draftee pitcher to make a jump into the Top 100 Prospects.
LHP Henry Lalane, Yankees
Rookie-level Florida Complex League | Age 20
A 6-foot-7 lefthander with premium stuff is an easy pick for a breakout. Late last season, Lalane was one of the buzziest names among a loaded Yankees Florida Complex League team. He will return to the Florida Complex League to begin his season but should see Low-A Tampa at some point this summer. Lalane features three pitches in his four-seam fastball that sits 94-95 mph touching 97 mph with a slider and a changeup. Lalane showed the ability to repeat his delivery and land all of his pitches for strikes. We may not see Lalane in full season until July but he’s one of the most intriguing prospects in the game entering 2024.
Other pitchers: Payton Martin, Dodgers; George Klassen, Phillies; Jake Bloss, Astros
