Guardian Apprentices

[Guardians]

ESPN Midseason top 100: https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/ ... y-mcdaniel

58. Brayden Taylor, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays/AA, Age: 22.2
75. Emil Morales, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers/DSL, Age: 17.9
77. Luis Morales, RHP, Oakland Athletics/High-A, Age: 21.9

[Guardians]

Here are the 2024 Rookie-level All-Stars and award winners

Arizona Complex League
Pitcher of the Year: Jacob Bresnahan, ACL Guardians (CLE)
Acquired by San Francisco in the deal that sent Alex Cobb to Cleveland, Bresnahan was stellar in 11 starts for the Guardians affiliate, leading the ACL in strikeouts (63) and WHIP (1.04), to go along with a 2.54 ERA. The 6-foot-4 lefty’s best pitch is his 55-grade fastball, which has gained 2 mph since he has turned pro and sits between 91-93 mph. Before he was dealt to San Francisco, the club's No. 18 prospect was promoted to Single-A Lynchburg on July 22 and is now with the Giants’ Single-A affiliate.

All-Star Team
SP: Jacob Bresnahan, ACL Guardians (SF No. 18)

Florida Complex League
Most Valuable Player: Franklin Arias, FCL Red Sox (BOS)
The No. 6 prospect in a Boston system that is loaded with middle infield talent, Arias ranked tops in the FCL in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging, slashing .355/.471/.584. The Venezuela native projects to stay at shortstop long term with quick feet, dependable hands and a strong arm. Arias also swiped 30 bases, the fifth most in the league.

All-Star Team
SS: Franklin Arias, FCL Red Sox (BOS No. 6)

Top MLB Prospect: Franklin Arias, FCL Red Sox (BOS)
Arias didn’t crack MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 International Prospects list in 2023, but he has proven his prospect potential repeatedly over the past two seasons. After a successful campaign in the hitter-friendly Dominican Summer League, he proved it wasn’t a fluke with his performance in the FCL. With 60-grade fielding and arm tools, Arias has the defensive capability to be a plus defender at shortstop, while also providing intriguing speed and bat-to-ball skills at the dish. Arias was promoted to Single-A Salem on July 23.

All-Star Team

Dominican Summer League
Most Valuable Player: Emil Morales, DSL LAD Mega (LAD)
The No. 14 ranked prospect on the Top 50 International Prospects list in 2024, Morales caught scouts’ eyes with his makeup, high baseball IQ and leadership abilities. The 6-foot-3 shortstop – the Dodgers’ No. 8 prospect -- has the potential to develop into a plus power bat, while also having the athleticism to stick at shortstop. In 46 games, Morales slugged 14 homers and posted a 1.168 OPS – marks that led all Rookie-level leagues in 2024.

Top MLB Prospect: Emil Morales, DSL LAD Mega (LAD)
At just 17 years old, Morales sports 55-grade hit and power tools, which will most likely increase as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. He has a refined approach at the dish and makes smart swing decisions. The shortstop’s season highlight came in late June when he tallied back-to-back two-homer games. He finished the season with 105 total bases, tied for first in the DSL.

All-Star Team

SS: Emil Morales, DSL LAD Mega (LAD No. 8 )
OF: Arnaldo Lantigua, DSL LAD Mega (LAD)

[Guardians]

Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox: Arias went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored on Monday for Low-A Salem, as he continued a hot streak to finish the season. Arias struggled early on after his promotion to the Carolina League. He was hitting .154/.241/.288 on Aug. 10, but he’s now hit safely in seven straight games and has raised his Low-A slash line to .252/.324/.366. Arias is hitting .310/.410/.488 overall this year.

[Guardians]

September BA Top 100:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

58. Brayden Taylor
67. Alex Freeland
94 Franklin Arias

[Guardians]

ESPN Updated Top 100

58. Brayden Taylor, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays/AA, Age: 22.2
75. Emil Morales, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers/DSL, Age: 17.9
77. Luis Morales, RHP, Oakland Athletics/High-A, Age: 21.9

Notable risers
Franklin Arias, SS, Boston Red Sox/Low-A, Age: 18.7

[Guardians]

Top 31 Dominican Summer League Prospects In 2024

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 7cdf81a489

3. Emil Morales, SS, Dodgers
Morales’ was the biggest prize in the Dodgers’ most recent international signing class, and he opened his career with one of the loudest seasons in the DSL. His slugging percentage (.691) and OPS (1.169) each led the league, as did his 14 home runs. Morales’ bat speed is already elite, and his approach is sound enough to lead evaluators to envision a player who can be an average hitter with power that is at least plus. There are holes to close, especially on pitches middle-away, before he can reach that ceiling, however. Defensively, it is hard to find anyone who believes he will stick at shortstop. His body is already large for the position, and he’s not done growing. No matter where he lands on the diamond, the ceiling of his bat gives him the ability to fit any profile.

16. Robert Arias, OF, Guardians
Cleveland’s DSL groups had plenty of interesting players, but Arias was the first name on scouts’ minds. The Dominican-born outfielder showed double-plus speed, which benefited him both in the outfield and on the base paths. He is an easy, athletic mover on defense, and evaluators believe he could one day be a plus defender in center field. Arias’ offensive numbers might not show it yet, but he has the skills to be a table-setter with a few tweaks to his game. All of his miss rates were less than 20%, but he’ll need to get the ball in the air a little bit more often to help him become the type of turn-and-burn player his tools suggest. Though Arias is not the biggest guy in the game, scouts pointed to the whippiness of his swing to project 45- or 50-grade power once he begins packing on extra strength.

21. Juneiker Caceres, OF, Guardians
Caceres was one of the youngest players in the league, not turning 17 until just three days before his season concluded. Nonetheless, he was one of just 21 qualified hitters to produce an OPS of better than .920. Despite his youth, scouts throughout the league pointed to a body without much in the way of remaining projection as a reason that Caceres might have more of a high floor than a high ceiling. He shows strong bat-to-ball skills with an aggressive, middle-away approach that could stand to add a little bit more pull-side contact into the mix. The lack of projection left in his body might limit his long-term power output, which might also lower his ceiling if he winds up in a corner outfield spot.

[Guardians]

Diego Cartaya, C, Dodgers: Cartaya hasn’t had the smoothest ride over the last couple of seasons. The 23-year-old backstop has dealt with injuries and inconsistent performance on both sides of the ball and has seen his prospect stock fall as a result. On Monday, playing in the Dominican Winter League, he gave fans a reminder of what he can do. Catching and batting cleanup for La Guiara, Cartaya crushed his first home run of the season. The blast came in the eighth inning off of A’s farmhand Gabriel Yanez and helped his team pad its margin of victory.

[Guardians]

Minor League Hit+ Leaderboards By Age In 2024
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... e-in-2024/


Age 16 (min 100 PAs):
POS org Contact% xwOBAcon Barrel% Chase% HIT+
#1: Juneiker Caceres OF CLE 120 96 106 100 117

Age 18 (min 100 PAs):

#6: Arnaldo Lantigua OF LAD 111 113 101 112 117

Age 22 (min 100 PAs):

#4 Alex Freeland SS LAD 113 114 126 123 128

[Guardians]

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/

9.
Ty Johnson
Pos: RHP
Born: 2001-09-25
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 6″
W: 205 lbs.
History: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round of the 2023 draft, Ball State University; signed for $125,000. Acquired from the Cubs for Isaac Paredes.
Previous Rank
: NR
Major League ETA
: 2026
Year Team Level Age W L SV G GS IP H HR BB% K% K GB% BABIP WHIP ERA DRA
2024 MB Lo-A 22 1 1 1 10 4 33.7 23 1 7.5% 36.1% 48 57.1% .319 0.98 3.48 2.76
2024 BG Hi-A 22 2 1 1 6 3 23.0 10 0 4.8% 46.4% 39 25.6% .270 0.61 0.78 3.02
2024 SB Hi-A 22 0 3 0 8 6 27.3 25 1 10.3% 28.4% 33 33.3% .353 1.35 3.62 3.76
The Report: The Cubs and the Rays don’t really have similar interests when it comes to pitcher acquisition, but it’s not hard to see why the Rays targeted Johnson in the Isaac Paredes deal. He might have been the third piece at the time of the trade, but he’s a Top-101 quality arm after adding a tick or two and improving his strike-throwing after changing orgs. Johnson is a tall, lanky righty with broad shoulders and a short, deceptive arm stroke that pops out from his ear from a low slot and tough angle. The fastball is a flat runner and given his preference for working up in the zone, righties better bring a full supply of lumber to his starts—and watch their hands and wrists. Johnson is command-over-control with the fastball, but like most of Tampa Bay’s top pitching prospects, pairs it with a potential devastating slider. His sits mid-80s and drops off a clip at the glove-side edge of the plate. There’s impressive swing-and-miss depth given the lower arm slot, but he can tend to twist it off or spike it a bit too often for the full present plus. Johnson’s change is also mid-80s and flashes above-average sink, but here both the consistency of release point and arm speed are lacking. Like Hopkins, Johnson had an inconsistent college career in a smaller conference and has a relatively short track record of this kind of stuff or strike throwing. But it’s pretty good stuff and pretty good strike throwing at the moment.

OFP: 55 / Classic Rays five-and-dive bulk guy
Variance: High. Johnson has more pure reliever risk than some of the other arms in the top 10, and similarly raw secondaries to the prep and IFA pitchers.

[Guardians]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason

8. Chase Meidroth
SS

Ht: 5'9" | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R

Age: null

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Low.

Track Record: The Red Sox made Meidroth a surprise fourth-round selection in 2022 out of the University of San Diego based on his advanced plate approach, solid infield defense and willingness to take an under-slot bonus of $272,500. His discerning eye has made him an on-base machine in three pro seasons, capped by a 2024 campaign at Triple-A Worcester in which he led the minor leagues with 105 walks while posting the fourth-highest on-base percentage. An elbow injury limited Meidroth to DH duty over the last month and a half of the season.

Scouting Report: Untrue to his name, Meidroth frustrated pitchers with his refusal to swing at pitches outside the zone, with a 17% chase rate that was among the lowest in Triple-A. He was also selective within the zone, as his overall 30% swing rate was the lowest among 489 Triple-A hitters who saw at least 500 pitches. Still, Meidroth’s combination of selectivity, short stroke and all-fields approach creates good bat-to-ball skills against all pitch types to give him a big league offensive floor, with the potential to tap into more given his reasonable bat speed, which was 71 mph on competitive swings. Power won’t be a big part of Meidroth’s game—he hit seven home runs in 122 games in 2024—and is more focused on all-fields contact than lifting the ball to his pull side. While he’s not a flashy defender, Meidroth grades well at second base and third base and looked at least capable of handling shortstop in a pinch. He’s a below-average runner.

The Future: Meidroth will enter 2025 as a big league depth option, though he may return to Triple-A to start the year depending on Boston’s depth outlook. He’s a safe bet to have a long career as an infield reserve and could become an everyday player if he adds strength and bat speed.

Scouting Grades Hit: 60 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 45.

Best Tools
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Chase Meidroth
Fastest Baserunner: Miguel Bleis
Best Athlete: Miguel Bleis

[Guardians]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... prospects/


2. Brayden Taylor
3B

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 180 | B-T: L-R

Age: null

BA Grade/Risk:50/Medium.

Track Record: The Rays drafted Taylor 19th overall out of Texas Christian in 2023. He quietly had one of the best seasons in the Rays’ system in 2024, which he spent primarily at High-A Bowling Green. He finished third in the organization in home runs (20), fourth in slugging percentage (.493) and first in both walks (76) and extra-base hits (55). That tracks with what he did at TCU, where he was one of the Horned Frogs’ best hitters for three seasons.

Scouting Report: The best way to describe Taylor is he’s boringly impressive. He has no plus grade on his scouting report, but there’s also no glaring deficiency. He strings together quality at-bats, makes good swing decisions and gets the most from his average power because he knows how to get pitches he can drive to his pull side. The lefthanded hitter has shown he’s not helpless against lefties and projects to be a .250-.260 hitter with 18-20 home runs. Taylor is an average defender at second base and a fringe-average one at third base, though he’s played more third than any other position as a pro. He’s better at second because he isn’t particularly twitchy, so he does better when he has a little more time to react. His average arm is accurate. Taylor makes the routine play, but he doesn’t create many highlights. He’s an average runner, but he knows how to pick his spots. He has stolen 40 bases at an 85% success rate as a pro.

The Future: Taylor should be ready to join the Rays’ picture at second and third base by the end of 2025, and he makes sense as Brandon Lowe’s eventual replacement at the keystone. He’s not likely to be a star, but he has a pretty clear path to being a solid long-term regular. He should spend most of 2025 at Triple-A Durham.

Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50.

[Guardians]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason

2. Brice Matthews
SS

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 175 | B-T: R-R

Age: null

BA Grade/Risk: 55/High.

Track Record: The Astros drafted Matthews 28th overall in 2023 following a season in which he became the first 20-20 hitter in Nebraska program history. Houston assigned him to High-A Asheville in 2024 before he missed most of May with lower back discomfort. In 21 games, Matthews hit a robust .321/.423/.580 and earned promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi just 11 games after his return from the injured list. He hit .252./.376/.497 over 42 Double-A games while spending time on the injured list with a back injury. He was promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sept. 10. Following the season, Matthews played in the Puerto Rican League.

Scouting Report: Matthews is an athletic infielder with a Three True Outcomes profile and plus speed. He has little to no remaining physical projection. Matthews bat-to-ball skills are well below-average, and he swung and missed at a high rate. This is somewhat offset by excellent swing decisions. He rarely expands the zone and shows above-average on-base skills. Matthews has a tendency to get passive, but superior contact quality boosts his results. He shows above-average power and a knack for making hard contact in the form of line drives and fly balls. Matthews’ elite contact quality is arguably the defining characteristic of his game. He’s a plus runner and a constant threat to steal. His speed translates to range in the field, and he saw time at three infield positions in 2024. Matthews has a good first step and is capable of making athletic throws on the run, though his hands and actions let him down at times. His near-average arm is accurate, but some throws at shortstop or third base are a stretch.

The Future: Matthews could be an inconsistent—but exciting—above-average regular capable of filling in at three infield positions.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 45.

[Guardians]

BA prospect breakouts:

Dameury Pena, 2B
Preseason Rank: 23
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: He does it differently, but it’s hard not to think about former Twins second baseman Luis Arraez when watching Pena. Like Arraez, he wasn’t a top-tier signing, and he faces defensive questions, but if you watch him hit, you can’t help but be extremely impressed.

Scouting Report: Pena’s bat-to-ball skills are truly elite. He is a brutal at-bat for pitchers because he’s nearly impossible to finish off. He’s struck out in just 6.5% of his plate appearances, and he has more extra-base hits (19) than strikeouts (18). There’s some eventual power potential as well, even if he doesn’t have home run power yet. He hasn’t found a defensive home because he’s a bit stiff. He’s primarily played second base, but he’s below-average defensively there with limited range and adequate hands. He’s also played a bit of third base and left field, but he’s below-average at all three spots for now.

The Future: Pena’s bat is exceptionally impressive, and that will earn him plenty of chances to develop defensively. So far, his glove has lagged well behind his bat, but that will determine his long-term potential. If he has to eventually slide to first base, he won’t have the same impact as he will if he can become a plausible second baseman. He’s set to head to full-season ball at Low-A Fort Myers.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 60. POW: 40. RUN: 45. FLD: 40. ARM: 45.

Rainiel Rodriguez, C
Preseason Rank: 11
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Signed in April of 2024 for $300,000, Rodriguez was born in the Dominican Republic but spent time at a Pennsylvania high school before moving back to the D.R. prior to signing. Rodriguez debuted in the Dominican Summer League and was one of its the top hitting prospects as he produced a .345/.462/.683 slash line with 10 home runs over 184 plate appearances. Rodriguez was selected to represent the National League in the DSL all-star game. He should debut stateside in the Florida Complex League to begin 2025.

Scouting Report: A physically mature, bat-first catching prospect with major defensive questions but huge upside at the plate, Rodriguez dominated Dominican Summer League pitching only months after signing. He used a powerful righthanded swing to barrel balls consistently. Rodriguez has average bat-to-ball skills with a balanced approach and rarely misses a chance to attack a fastball in the zone. Rodriguez has plus power projection, and his 103.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was plus for a 17-year-old. He shows the ability to consistently hit the ball in the air and has already developed power to his pull side. He’s a well below-average runner who will likely be limited defensively. Rodriguez is a major question to stick behind the plate due to a below-average arm. There’s a strong chance he ends up at first base.

The Future: Rodriguez is a prodigious hitter with defensive questions. He will face the challenge of the Florida Complex League in 2025.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55. POW: 60. RUN: 30. FLD: 40. ARM: 40.

Juneiker Caceres, OF
Preseason Rank: 21
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Caceres signed for $300,000 out of Venezuela in Cleveland’s 2024 international class and played most of the 2024 season as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. Despite his youth, Caceres was one of the most impressive hitters in the DSL and slashed .340/.425/.504 with more walks than strikeouts.

Scouting Report: Caceres is a 5-foot-10, 168-pound lefthanded hitter and outfielder who lacks much in the way of physical projection, but stands out for his barrel skills and batting eye. Caceres has an uppercut path but an advanced ability to use the entire field with an approach that some scouts view as overly opposite-field oriented. He’ll need to pull the ball more frequently to tap into his power as he ages, and while he might not add massive amounts of strength or power in the future, his 90th percentile exit velocity of 108 mph is already an exceptional figure for a 16-year-old. He’s an aggressive hitter who likes to swing and so far that approach has worked just fine. Caceres played all three outfield positions but is a fringy runner who should fit best in a corner outfield spot. He will need to work to become a fringe-average defender.

The Future: Caceres should be ready to take his exciting hit/power combo stateside in 2025. His offensive tools give him everyday upside but he’s got plenty of development time ahead.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55. POW: 50. RUN: 45. FLD: 45. ARM: 50.

Robert Arias, OF
Preseason Rank: 29
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Arias was the centerpiece of Cleveland’s 2024 international class when he signed for $1.9 million out of the Dominican Republic. He boasted excellent hand-eye coordination and contact skills with a high-energy play style as an amateur and hit .247/.367/.347 with 29 stolen bases in 41 games in the Dominican Summer League.

Scouting Report: Arias is a 6-foot-1, 168-pound lefthanded hitter with a top-of-the-order toolset. He makes tons of contact and has a chance to be an above-average hitter, though at the moment he tends to get overly pull-oriented and his bat path leads to plenty of ground ball contact. Scouts believe he has the sort of athleticism to make the necessary adjustments mechanically, along with the frame and bat speed that could unlock above-average raw power and near-average game power. He’s a great runner who turns in 70-grade run times and covers plenty of ground in center field. He should easily stick there moving forward with a chance for plus defensive ability. Even if he needs to move off the position, his plus arm should allow him to play either corner at a high level.

The Future: Arias will continue working to optimize his swing, but has the sort of tools to develop into an everyday regular. He should make his stateside debut in 2025 in his age-18 season.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 45. RUN: 70. FLD: 55. ARM: 60.

[Guardians]

BP 101:

68 Brice Matthews
70 Brayden Taylor
82 Alex Freeland
94 Ty Johnson

[Guardians]

ESPN top 100

37. Alex Freeland, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 23 | Bats: Switch | Throws: Right

Type: Middling utility prospect who had enormous breakthrough and now looks like an every-day player

Freeland was a midtier prep prospect who got some pro attention before ending up at UCF and eventually going in the third round of the 2022 draft. Entering the draft, he was an infielder, but not a very good shortstop. He had some power and patience, but nothing was plus and he projected more as a utility guy than an impact player. That was the expectation entering 2024 before he went off, hitting 18 homers, stealing 31 bases, and drawing 91 walks while rising from High-A to Triple-A.

Freeland looks looser and more athletic with more separation at the plate than he did before his huge leap. He has improved at every swing-based metric I can find and as a runner, showing fringe-to-average speed. He also got better in the field and now looks like a decent big league shortstop.

He had a number of surgeries as a child to correct a clubfoot, so working around some remaining foot/ankle limitations to become a later-blooming athlete could make some sense in trying to understand how this breakout season occurred. Freeland still probably fits best at second base long-term and has 20-homer upside, but he may post plus on-base percentages as a switch-hitter.

63. Brayden Taylor, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 22 | Bats: Left | Throws: Right

Type: Polished defender and hitter who has a good shot to be a solid everyday player

Taylor stood out almost immediately when he got to TCU in 2021, putting up loud numbers (.315 average, 103 extra base hits, 158 walks) and eventually going No. 19 overall in the 2023 draft.

He has an incredible ability to lift and pull the ball to get to his potential average raw power, giving him 20 homer upside, but there is a concern that he's so reliant on that one way to create value that there may not be a good backup option if it doesn't work at the big league level. This concern still dogs former Rays 3B Isaac Paredes, but he also hit 70 home runs in three years once the Rays let him play everyday, so maybe they know what they're doing.

Taylor is likely a .240ish hitter with a strong walk rate but adds to his value with a strong glove at third base (he can fill in at either middle infield spot, if needed), and he also stole 29 bases last season despite average speed.

80. Emil Morales, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 18 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Type: 6-foot-3 teenaged shortstop with 25-plus homer potential but contact and position questions

Morales signed for $1.9 million in last year's international signing class with scouting buzz that he may have been worth at least double that bonus by the time he signed. Like many top international signees, Morales is a longer-levered hitter with big raw power and a physical projection, but those qualities also make contact and sticking at shortstop long-term a challenge, balancing strength and quickness. He had a fantastic pro debut, hitting 14 homers and posting a 1.168 OPS in 46 games with almost as many walks as strikeouts in the Dominican Summer League, but his whiff rate at the lowest level of the minors is a yellow flag for most evaluators. In 2025 or 2026, when Morales gets an extended look at Low-A, we'll see if he makes the necessary adjustments to stay on this list; there's a really high variance to where he lands on next year's list.

[Guardians]

Alex Freeland, SS, Dodgers: Dodgers shortstop Alex Freeland went through a breakout season in 2024. A year later, he’s showing early signs of an encore. He collected three hits in Oklahoma City’s bullying of Round Rock, including a pair of knocks against pitchers with big league experience. His single came against Matt Festa and his ninth-inning home run came against JT Chargois. His lone hit off a pitcher who has yet to join the MLB club was a double off of fireballer Emiliano Teodo. The home run was Freeland’s first of the year.

[Guardians]

Slade Caldwell, OF, D-backs: Caldwell accomplished two impressive feats just six games into his professional career. Arizona’s 2024 No. 29 overall draft pick slugged his first professional homer, which went the opposite way, for Low-A Visalia on Thursday night. The 18-year-old also had a pair of doubles to accompany his big fly, marking his first multi-hit game in his short career. Caldwell was a two-time Gatorade player of the year in Arkansas and was also the first prep player from the state taken in the first round of the draft since 1995.

[Guardians]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/los-angeles ... prospects/

5. Alex Freeland, SS
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2022 from Central Florida (LAD)
Age 23.7 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 200 Bat / Thr S / R FV 50
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/35 55/55 45/55 50/50 55/60 60
Last year, Freeland climbed three levels to Triple-A while slashing .260/.387/.442. He showed a shocking improvement in his contact rate, from a fringy 67% in 2023 to an above-average 78% in 2024. This delta was most pronounced from the left side, as Freeland’s contact rate as a lefty was 70% in 2023 and a miraculous 80% in 2024. His left-handed swing appeared toned down (he went from a leg kick to a toe tap), so there was something visual to reinforce the statistical evidence of improvement, but in the early going of 2025, Freeland’s strikeouts have returned to career norms. His offensive output is going to be power-oriented; he swings quite hard and is capable of leaving the yard to all fields as a left-handed hitter. His righty swing is much less dynamic and only geared for low-ball contact, and there’s a big enough gap between his two swings that it wouldn’t be surprising if Freeland eventually hits solely left-handed. While he’s back to whiffing a lot, Freeland’s hard-hit rate has exploded and he’s already hit a ball harder than he did all of last year, rounding to a 110 mph max exit velo.

It’s good power for not only a viable shortstop, but a damn good one. Freeland’s excellent arm strength helps him make some spectacular defensive plays in spite of average range. He can be a little slow to approach the baseball, but the quality of his hands, actions, and arm tend to enable him to make all the plays one expects a shortstop to make, along with the occasional Web Gem. He’s arguably the best shortstop defender in the org and is a pretty good bet to debut a some point in 2025, as the Dodgers have older (and semi-miscast) shortstops ahead of him on the big league roster. Danny Espinosa is a good proxy for what to expect from Freeland’s career.

9. Emil Morales, SS
Signed: International Signing Period, 2024 from Dominican Republic (LAD)
Age 18.6 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/35 50/70 25/60 50/50 40/50 60
Morales has some of the most exciting raw power projection of any shortstop in the minor leagues. In his 2024 pro debut, he won DSL MVP and led the league in homers (14), as well as several other statistical categories. At an angular, broad-shouldered 6-foot-3 (and growing), Morales has the look of an early-career Fernando Tatis Jr. in his uniform. While many position player prospects his size tend to be outfielders, Morales bends well and has a better than 50/50 shot to remain at shortstop. Morales also has explosive power to all fields and was putting balls out to dead center at age 17. He has a shot to grow into plus-plus raw juice at peak, which is rare for a shortstop. But Morales’ profile is threatened by a scary hit tool. His hands load late and he’s often long into the zone, which might become more and more of a problem against pro velocity. Even as he paved over the DSL, Morales’ contact rate (68%) was not good for a hitter at that level, and it’s important that it doesn’t worsen as he climbs. If it can hold in that 68% area while Morales remains at shortstop and develops huge power, he can still be an impact big leaguer despite elevated strikeouts. If it slips into the low 60s as he’s promoted, then Morales will be in a tough spot; there’s not a lot of precedent for sustained success when a guy is whiffing that much. Here Morales is FV’d like a volatile top 10-15 high school draftee. He has huge upside for a potential shortstop, but there are definitely hit tool red flags lurking.