Baltimore is built for the long run. The Orioles are coming off a 101-win season, have the No. 1 overall prospect in Jackson Holliday and five Top 100 Prospects.
Plenty of talent has settled in the American League East. The Orioles, Rays and Yankees rank inside the top 10 of our Organization Talent Rankings, and the Red Sox aren’t far behind.
Elsewhere, the defending World Series-champion Rangers enter 2024 with two of the five best prospects in baseball.
The Cubs rank among the top five farm systems for the first time since 2015, and the Tigers tie for their highest ranking in the 40-year history of this exercise.
A green light beside the team name indicates an organization that has moved up in the ranking compared with last year.
A red light means a move down in the ranking, while yellow indicates minimal year-over-year change.
Teams moving up or down more than 10 places receive two lights.
1. BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Top 100 Prospects: SS Jackson Holliday (#1), C Samuel Basallo (#10), 3B Coby Mayo (#25), OF Colton Cowser (#34), OF Heston Kjerstad (#41)
Until 2023, the Orioles had never topped our Organization Talent Rankings. Now, they’ve ranked No. 1 in back-to-back years. And in our estimation, there’s still a solid gap between the Orioles and the other 29 organizations. Jackson Holliday leads the way, but the Orioles are also deep in close-to-themajors prospects.
2. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
SUMMER STANDOUTS
The top prospects in summer college leagues are poised to impact the 2025 draft
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Last year’s Florida Complex League prospect crop has been beset by lengthy injuries to many of its top players, including Yankees pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange, Mets infielder Marco Vargas and Red Sox catcher Johanfran Garcia.
IN WITH THE NEW
The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
Four key takeaways from the 2024 draft
K.C.MASTERPIECE
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.
