As of April 21, 2024, 10 of the MLB’s top 100 prospects are already playing at the major league level, and that number seems to only be rising. With some of the highest-graded and most anticipated prospects the game has ever seen, the future looks promising for baseball.
Entering the 2024 season, numerous young players are making waves, emphasizing the league’s evolving talent landscape. Some of the newest additions are just starting their rookie seasons. While established stars like Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts continue to excel, a new generation of talent is emerging rapidly, threatening to take the league by storm.
The 10 top prospects who have already reached the majors are: No. 1 SS/2B Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), No. 2 OF Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers), No. 5 OF Wyatt Langford (Rangers), No. 11 SS/OF Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres), No. 19 3B/SS Noelvi Marte (Cincinnati Reds), No. 20 3B/2B Colt Keith (Detroit Tigers), No. 38 OF Jasson Dominguez (New York Yankees), No. 56 RHP Jared Jones (Pittsburgh Pirates), No. 90 OF Victor Scott II (St. Louis Cardinals), and No. 93 OF Andy Pages (Los Angeles Dodgers).
Photo Cred: X.com
No teams display this talented youth quite like the Orioles, Reds, or Rangers. Each of these teams is graced with a wealth of young players, all contributing to the construction of long-lasting dynasties set to compete for years to come. The Rangers, champions of the 2023 World Series, boast 12 players under the age of 27. Built on a foundation of homegrown talent mixed with strategic signings, they’ve crafted a team equipped for both present and future success.
Baltimore was among the pioneers in assembling these youthful rosters. Their journey began in 2022 with the promotion of then-24-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman. Despite enduring three seasons with over 100 losses in their last six campaigns, the team capitalized on numerous high draft picks. In baseball, we seldom witness teams consistently hitting on prospects year after year, but the O’s have defied the odds to achieve just that.
They called the catcher up after 20 games in the 2022 minor league season, and he instantly altered the course of the team. He only played one full minor league season, in 2021, while appearing in the aforementioned 20 games in 2022 and 37 in 2019. The 2020 minor league season was canceled. Rutschman played 113 games in the majors in his debut season, and the O’s finished four games above .500, a significant improvement from the previous season.
Photo Cred: AP Photos/Charles Krupa (Holliday)
Since then, the Orioles have swiftly risen by drafting and promoting some of baseball’s premier prospects over the past three years, including 2024’s top prospect Holliday. Their trajectory has been impressive, going on to make a playoff appearance in 2023 for the first time since 2016 and achieving their first 100-win season since 1980.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds transformed from cellar-dwellers to contenders in 2023. After a dismal 2022 season, where they tied for the second-worst record in the National League with 100 losses, the Reds promoted key prospects to spark a turnaround. That is exactly what’s happened due to the three bats that were brought up, all of whom ended up playing over 60 games that season.
Notably, power/speed threat Elly De La Cruz, batting average leader Matt McLain, and standout fielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand propelled their offense to new heights. They vaulted from 26th in the league in OPS in 2022 (.676) to 10th in 2023 (.747). On the pitching front, top prospect Andrew Abbott shone with a sub-4.00 ERA and over 120 strikeouts in just over 100 innings pitched.
Photo Cred: Getty Images/Dylan Buell (De La Cruz)
All three teams are poised for even stronger performances in 2024, but this youth movement isn’t limited to these teams. It’s a league-wide phenomenon.
In 2023, 43 of the 80 MLB All-Stars were under 30, signifying the emergence of a new generation of stars. Young players are making significant impacts both on the mound and at the plate, shaping the future of the game.
2023 AL MVP Ohtani (formerly of the Los Angeles Angels) and NL MVP Ronald Acuna of the Atlanta Braves both received their awards before turning 30, highlighting the trend. Some of the previous young MVPs include Ohtani (26) in 2021, Bryce Harper (28) in 2021, Mike Trout (27) in 2019, Cody Bellinger (23) in 2019, Mookie Betts (25) in 2018, and Christian Yelich (26) in 2018. Bleacher Report’s 2024 list of top 25 players under 25 featured a remarkable 55 individuals, including 18 position players and seven pitchers in the top 25. 22 position players and 10 pitchers were in the honorable mentions.
Photo Cred: CNN (L- Acuna, R- Ohtani)
Of the top 10 largest active contracts in the MLB, seven are signed by guys who, by the start of the season, were under the age of 30. The future of the MLB looks bright with prospects continually impressing, ensuring a promising trajectory for the game. Additional prospects to watch include: No. 13 OF James Wood (Washington Nationals), No. 17 SS Brooks Lee (Minnesota Twins), No. 48 OF Drew Gilbert (New York Mets), No. 63 RHP Connor Phillips (Cincinnati Reds), No. 75 LHP Carson Whisenhunt (San Francisco Giants), and OF/2B/1B Joey Loperfido (Houston Astros’ sixth-best prospect).
Here are each of the other teams’ top prospects for 2024:
- No. 3 Paul Skenes (Pirates) – RHP
- No. 4 Junior Caminero (Rays) – 3B
- No. 6 Dylan Crews (Nationals) – OF
- No. 7 Ethan Salas (Padres) – C
- No. 8 Colson Montgomery (White Sox) – SS
- No. 9 Walker Jenkins (Twins) – OF
- No. 10 Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks) – SS
- No. 12 Max Clark (Tigers) – OF
- No. 14 Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox) – SS
- No. 15 Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) – OF
- No. 24 Andrew Painter (Phillies) – RHP
- No. 25 Adael Amador (Rockies) – SS/2B
- No. 26 Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays) – LHP
- No. 28 Chase DeLauter (Guardians) – OF
- No. 34 Cole Young (Mariners) – SS/2B
- No. 36 Marco Luciano (Giants) – SS
- No. 41 Jett Williams (Mets) – SS/OF
- No. 51 Noble Meyer (Marlins) – RHP
- No. 57 Tink Hence (Cardinals) – RHP
- No. 61 Jacob Wilson (Athletics) – SS
- No. 62 AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves) – RHP
- No. 68 Dalton Rushing (Dodgers) – C/1B
- No. 85 Blake Mitchell (Royals) – C
- No. 91 Jacob Melton (Astros) – OF
- Nelson Rada (Angels’ best prospect) – OF
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