https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/
5.
Emil Morales
Pos: SS
Born: 2006-09-22
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 3″
W: 191 lbs.
History: Signed January 15, 2024 out of the Dominican Republic for $1,897,500.
Previous Rank: #6 (org)
Major League ETA: 2028
The Report: For a change of pace, here’s an infielder who hits the ball hard in the air, with strong swing decisions underpinning his approach. Morales has more or less held serve from his 2024 ranking, which is a very good thing, considering the jump from the foreign complex to Arizona isn’t small. He got a fair bit of time in the Cal League as an 18-year-old as well, showing off a leveraged swing generating plus power to all fields. Of the bevvy of teenaged IFA prospects in this system, Morales is the most fully formed power bat, looking to pull the ball in the air, and making his hardest contact in an optimal vertical spray. The approach and swing—grip it and rip it with a high back elbow—means there will be swing-and-miss in the zone, but Morales did make the jump to full-season ball with his underlying—if fringy—hit tool traits intact. That he did this all as an 18-year-old with plenty of physical projection left is quite heartening. If you want to nitpick, he does have trouble slowing down his operation and staying back against offspeed, and shows more a ‘C’ swing than ‘B’ swing against Low-A same-side spin. All that said, 2025 was a mostly unqualified success for Morales.
Like his cohorts above, Morales is in the “maybe” bucket for a premium defensive spot. He may just fill out too much to stick at shortstop—it’s not a long list of players over 6-foot-3 at the six—but he’s good on the move, rangy and with good body control for his size. Morales has enough arm for the left side, but his throwing mechanics can be inconsistent and he can misread the game speed even in the low minors. Some of that should come out with more infield reps, but he might be better suited for the hot corner in time.
OFP: 60 / First-division infielder
Variance: High. Morales has mashed at a very young age, but he’s also done it in high offensive environments and with a swing and approach that will be tested by better offspeed in the Midwest League. You can also squint and see the highest upside in the Dodgers system here.
Guardian Apprentices
Moderator: Guardians
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Guardians
- Posts: 5269
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Re: Guardian Apprentices
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/
2.
Ethan Salas
Pos: C/DH
Born: 2006-06-01
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 1″
W: 185 lbs.
History: Signed January 2023 out of Venezuela.
Previous Ranking(s): #2 (org), #40 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: Still 2027, I guess
The Report: The short-form version: Salas played 10 games in the Texas League before being shut down with a back injury. He was supposed to play in the AFL, but was held back.
The longer-form version: Salas’s single full season in pro baseball was in 2024, when he posted a .599 OPS as an 18-year-old in the Midwest League. He has never seen an age-appropriate level, but he’s also never hit for any extended period or stayed healthy. Scouts have lauded his defense behind the plate, but he’s caught 109 games in three seasons, and the low-minors framing data is not nearly as bullish. It’s fair to say that holding the line too much year-over-year on Salas would be a legacy ranking—something we have been trying to move away from for a while now. But what legacy are we even protecting?
Prospect writers went a bit goo-goo eyed over a 17-year-old catching prospect who played in Double-A (it’s me, I’m one of the prospect writers), and to Salas’s credit, his underlying performance data in Lake Elsinore back then was pretty darn good for his age. You could see the outline of both above-average hit and power tools. But he’s never actually sat behind the plate for a year, and dominated at age-appropriate levels the way Alfredo Duno or Rainiel Rodriguez have. Salas is about the same age as Duno and Euardo Tait now, and it’s hard to believe he’s the better prospect. He should be back in 2026. He’ll likely return to the Texas League as a still-young-for-hit-level 20-year-old. But Salas is now a 20-year-old catching prospect with a back injury who hasn’t hit above Low-A.
OFP: 55 / Above-average catcher
Variance: Very High. Ignoring all the other background noise of the Ethan Salas prospect evaluation experience, he’s now missed an entire year with a stress fracture in his back.
2.
Ethan Salas
Pos: C/DH
Born: 2006-06-01
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 1″
W: 185 lbs.
History: Signed January 2023 out of Venezuela.
Previous Ranking(s): #2 (org), #40 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: Still 2027, I guess
The Report: The short-form version: Salas played 10 games in the Texas League before being shut down with a back injury. He was supposed to play in the AFL, but was held back.
The longer-form version: Salas’s single full season in pro baseball was in 2024, when he posted a .599 OPS as an 18-year-old in the Midwest League. He has never seen an age-appropriate level, but he’s also never hit for any extended period or stayed healthy. Scouts have lauded his defense behind the plate, but he’s caught 109 games in three seasons, and the low-minors framing data is not nearly as bullish. It’s fair to say that holding the line too much year-over-year on Salas would be a legacy ranking—something we have been trying to move away from for a while now. But what legacy are we even protecting?
Prospect writers went a bit goo-goo eyed over a 17-year-old catching prospect who played in Double-A (it’s me, I’m one of the prospect writers), and to Salas’s credit, his underlying performance data in Lake Elsinore back then was pretty darn good for his age. You could see the outline of both above-average hit and power tools. But he’s never actually sat behind the plate for a year, and dominated at age-appropriate levels the way Alfredo Duno or Rainiel Rodriguez have. Salas is about the same age as Duno and Euardo Tait now, and it’s hard to believe he’s the better prospect. He should be back in 2026. He’ll likely return to the Texas League as a still-young-for-hit-level 20-year-old. But Salas is now a 20-year-old catching prospect with a back injury who hasn’t hit above Low-A.
OFP: 55 / Above-average catcher
Variance: Very High. Ignoring all the other background noise of the Ethan Salas prospect evaluation experience, he’s now missed an entire year with a stress fracture in his back.
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Guardians
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Re: Guardian Apprentices
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/seattle-mar ... prospects/
7. Jurrangelo Cijntje, SP
Drafted: 1st Round, 2024 from Mississippi State (SEA)
Age 22.6 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 200 Bat / Thr S / S FV 50
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
55/60 50/60 50/60 30/40 94-97 / 99
Cijntje is a switch-pitcher with a gorgeous delivery from both sides of the rubber. Naturally left-handed, the Curaçao native has been switch-pitching since he was a kid, and is now far better as a righty. He was also a solid prospect as a hitter, and was drafted by Milwaukee as a shortstop out of high school. It’s a stunning collection of abilities, and Cijntje is in the running for the best athlete, with the best body control, in all of the minor leagues.
Right-handed Cijntje is a Dude. He’s touched 99 mph and sits in the mid-to-high 90s with bat-missing carry. The slider and change both flash plus, and when he’s in a groove, he can pump strikes and move the ball around the plate. Catch him on the right day and you might put a no. 2 grade on him. But he’s inconsistent, perhaps not unexpectedly given how many reps he’s lost. His velo can dip mid-outing, and (and this is true from both sides of the rubber) he’ll lose his release point and start spraying the ball everywhere but the target. The movement on his slider and change can also vary wildly within outings. He can sometimes get frustrated to the point of exacerbating both problems. By and large, he’s outstuffing guys so far — some of the homers on his ledger were puny Everett specials, where the wall in right center is 315 feet from the plate — but there’s work ahead.
Were he a lefty only, Cijntje would be a prospect, if not an especially interesting one. He’s touched 95 from that side, but tends to work either side of 90, without bat-missing shape or sharp command. He hasn’t had nearly the same number of reps to polish his secondaries, so while there’s a slider that flashes average, it’s inconsistent. His control is also subpar presently. It’s up-down stuff now and projects a little better than that given the athleticism at play and lack of reps from that side, but there’d be a long road ahead.
The Mariners are still trying to figure out how to best develop and deploy Cijntje. They’ve had him start a game as a righty and then work out of the bullpen as a lefty a few days later. They’ve also had him start games (or innings) left-handed before switching it up for the remainder of the day (or inning). In my looks, those were scripted appearances, but he’s also switched arms to play matchups in the past.
The ideal path forward is a fascinating dilemma. How do you best develop the two arms without putting too many miles on Cijntje’s legs? Do you try to build two starters here? Do you maximize flexibility with him in a relief role? Could you feasibly use him as a starting pitcher once a week and let him eat innings with the other arm and add precious depth to the bullpen without needing a roster spot to do so? There are so many ways this can go, and this may prove to be a case where “optimal” and “most fun” are at odds. For better or (for non-Mariners fans) worse, the smart answer is probably to prioritize the dominant side, and if that slows Cijntje’s progress with the left hand to the point of it not being viable, so be it. Cijntje projects as a no. 3 starter with wiggle room on both sides, and may need more seasoning to reach it than most college pitchers in his draft orbit. It’s closer stuff if the control continues to lag and he winds up in relief.
7. Jurrangelo Cijntje, SP
Drafted: 1st Round, 2024 from Mississippi State (SEA)
Age 22.6 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 200 Bat / Thr S / S FV 50
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
55/60 50/60 50/60 30/40 94-97 / 99
Cijntje is a switch-pitcher with a gorgeous delivery from both sides of the rubber. Naturally left-handed, the Curaçao native has been switch-pitching since he was a kid, and is now far better as a righty. He was also a solid prospect as a hitter, and was drafted by Milwaukee as a shortstop out of high school. It’s a stunning collection of abilities, and Cijntje is in the running for the best athlete, with the best body control, in all of the minor leagues.
Right-handed Cijntje is a Dude. He’s touched 99 mph and sits in the mid-to-high 90s with bat-missing carry. The slider and change both flash plus, and when he’s in a groove, he can pump strikes and move the ball around the plate. Catch him on the right day and you might put a no. 2 grade on him. But he’s inconsistent, perhaps not unexpectedly given how many reps he’s lost. His velo can dip mid-outing, and (and this is true from both sides of the rubber) he’ll lose his release point and start spraying the ball everywhere but the target. The movement on his slider and change can also vary wildly within outings. He can sometimes get frustrated to the point of exacerbating both problems. By and large, he’s outstuffing guys so far — some of the homers on his ledger were puny Everett specials, where the wall in right center is 315 feet from the plate — but there’s work ahead.
Were he a lefty only, Cijntje would be a prospect, if not an especially interesting one. He’s touched 95 from that side, but tends to work either side of 90, without bat-missing shape or sharp command. He hasn’t had nearly the same number of reps to polish his secondaries, so while there’s a slider that flashes average, it’s inconsistent. His control is also subpar presently. It’s up-down stuff now and projects a little better than that given the athleticism at play and lack of reps from that side, but there’d be a long road ahead.
The Mariners are still trying to figure out how to best develop and deploy Cijntje. They’ve had him start a game as a righty and then work out of the bullpen as a lefty a few days later. They’ve also had him start games (or innings) left-handed before switching it up for the remainder of the day (or inning). In my looks, those were scripted appearances, but he’s also switched arms to play matchups in the past.
The ideal path forward is a fascinating dilemma. How do you best develop the two arms without putting too many miles on Cijntje’s legs? Do you try to build two starters here? Do you maximize flexibility with him in a relief role? Could you feasibly use him as a starting pitcher once a week and let him eat innings with the other arm and add precious depth to the bullpen without needing a roster spot to do so? There are so many ways this can go, and this may prove to be a case where “optimal” and “most fun” are at odds. For better or (for non-Mariners fans) worse, the smart answer is probably to prioritize the dominant side, and if that slows Cijntje’s progress with the left hand to the point of it not being viable, so be it. Cijntje projects as a no. 3 starter with wiggle room on both sides, and may need more seasoning to reach it than most college pitchers in his draft orbit. It’s closer stuff if the control continues to lag and he winds up in relief.
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Guardians
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3.
Bryce Rainer
Pos: SS
Born: 2005-07-03
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 3″
W: 195 lbs.
History: Drafted 11th overall in the 2024 draft, Harvard-Westlake HS (Los Angeles, CA); signed for $5,797,500.
Previous Rank: #4 (org), #56 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: 2028
The Report: Rainer was a two-way prospect as a prep, but a strong spring with the bat—and added power gains—made him an early first-round pick as a shortstop. Moving his sole focus to hitting seemed to be paying quick dividends in his pro career, as Rainer was tearing the cover off the ball in Lakeland before his season came to an abrupt end when he dislocated his shoulder. This shouldn’t be a long-term concern, as we’ve seen plenty of top prospects come back from shoulder injuries fit as a fiddle, but it’s also not not a short term concern as it’s a pretty violent arm injury. There’s a lot more going on with Rainer’s swing than the two hitting prospects listed ahead of him. He works out of a very wide base, with a large leg kick and a bit of a hand hitch. The ball also just jumps off his bat in a way it doesn’t for McGonigle or Clark. Rainer swings hard, but in a way where it doesn’t look like he’s swinging hard at all. He’s more presently physical than either, and also more projectable, as he has exactly the kind of lean 6-foot-3 frame you’d expect in a well-known, Southern Cal prep pitching prospect.
That means he looks a bit gangly at shortstop at present. He moves fine, but the actions can be a bit tentative and robotic. I wonder if he doesn’t end up in the outfield at some point. He’s agile for his size, and might just end up at third as he fills out, but he eats up ground on the basepaths with his long strides, and his arm would be just as much of a weapon on the grass. A lot of this is still open-ended, because Rainer has very little experience as a full-time position player (we had him as the second best prep pitching prospect before his performance at the plate at NHSI meant he was never taking the mound in the pros. Everything is pretty raw at present, Rainer is coming off a fairly serious injury, and even in his time on the field, showed a bit of a propensity to swing and miss, so the risk profile has a lot more red ink than the dynamic duo at the top. But his upside is right there with them.
OFP: 60 / Plus hitter, position TBD (but should have defensive value)
Variance: Very High. Rainer has 35 pro games under his belt and is coming off a shoulder injury.
Reckless Fantasy Comp: Why not Gunnar Henderson?
3.
Bryce Rainer
Pos: SS
Born: 2005-07-03
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 3″
W: 195 lbs.
History: Drafted 11th overall in the 2024 draft, Harvard-Westlake HS (Los Angeles, CA); signed for $5,797,500.
Previous Rank: #4 (org), #56 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: 2028
The Report: Rainer was a two-way prospect as a prep, but a strong spring with the bat—and added power gains—made him an early first-round pick as a shortstop. Moving his sole focus to hitting seemed to be paying quick dividends in his pro career, as Rainer was tearing the cover off the ball in Lakeland before his season came to an abrupt end when he dislocated his shoulder. This shouldn’t be a long-term concern, as we’ve seen plenty of top prospects come back from shoulder injuries fit as a fiddle, but it’s also not not a short term concern as it’s a pretty violent arm injury. There’s a lot more going on with Rainer’s swing than the two hitting prospects listed ahead of him. He works out of a very wide base, with a large leg kick and a bit of a hand hitch. The ball also just jumps off his bat in a way it doesn’t for McGonigle or Clark. Rainer swings hard, but in a way where it doesn’t look like he’s swinging hard at all. He’s more presently physical than either, and also more projectable, as he has exactly the kind of lean 6-foot-3 frame you’d expect in a well-known, Southern Cal prep pitching prospect.
That means he looks a bit gangly at shortstop at present. He moves fine, but the actions can be a bit tentative and robotic. I wonder if he doesn’t end up in the outfield at some point. He’s agile for his size, and might just end up at third as he fills out, but he eats up ground on the basepaths with his long strides, and his arm would be just as much of a weapon on the grass. A lot of this is still open-ended, because Rainer has very little experience as a full-time position player (we had him as the second best prep pitching prospect before his performance at the plate at NHSI meant he was never taking the mound in the pros. Everything is pretty raw at present, Rainer is coming off a fairly serious injury, and even in his time on the field, showed a bit of a propensity to swing and miss, so the risk profile has a lot more red ink than the dynamic duo at the top. But his upside is right there with them.
OFP: 60 / Plus hitter, position TBD (but should have defensive value)
Variance: Very High. Rainer has 35 pro games under his belt and is coming off a shoulder injury.
Reckless Fantasy Comp: Why not Gunnar Henderson?
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Guardians
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Re: Guardian Apprentices
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1.
Trey Yesavage
Pos: RHP
Born: 2003-07-28
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 4″
W: 225 lbs.
History: Drafted 20th overall in the 2024 draft, East Carolina University; Signed for $4.175 million.
Previous Ranking(s): #2 (org), #88 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: Debuted in 2025
The Report: Well, what do you do for an encore? Yesavage was the first pitcher—and I’m guessing he’ll be the only for a good long while—to start Game 1 of the World Series and make a prospect list that offseason. This is mostly an accounting trick, as we have to draw the line somewhere, and that ‘where’ does not include playoff innings. But even with his 27 playoff innings rolled in, he’d still be under the cutoff, even if Yesavage sure doesn’t feel like a prospect nowadays. His major-league time was also just a rather fabulous coda to a yearlong breakout. Honestly, he would have been up with Chase Burns and Hagen Smith as a 2024 draft prospect if not for the medical red flags and lack of a clear monster secondary like Smith and Burns’s sliders. Yesavage tossed almost 140 innings last season, and his splitter blossomed into one of the best offspeed pitches in all of baseball. Not minor-league baseball, all of baseball. His slider isn’t far behind as a swing-and-miss offering, and his mid-90s cut-ride fastball gives him a third plus-or-better pitch.
Yesavage’s arsenal is unique among major-league arms (although the incoming Tatsuya Imai has some similarities). He throws over-the-top from an over seven-foot release height, and he doesn’t have a single pitch that moves to his gloveside. His slider moves armside almost as much as his fastball. I have no idea if hitters will get used to this and be able to eliminate certain pitch locations out of the hand, leading to less chase and better contact. It’s a truly outlier release and it’s not a mere party trick, the stuff is very very good. But there isn’t much more to criticize than that, or much more to say about Yesavage. If you are reading this website, there’s a good chance you’ve seen him make multiple starts right on your own personal TV. The text is the text.
OFP: 70 / no. 2 starter
Variance: Low. Sure, Yesavage is a pitcher, he could get hurt. And yeah, eventually second time through the league they might chase a little less and he’ll have the odd blow up command/control outing. But that’s why he’s more of a present number two starter than a present ace.
1.
Trey Yesavage
Pos: RHP
Born: 2003-07-28
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 4″
W: 225 lbs.
History: Drafted 20th overall in the 2024 draft, East Carolina University; Signed for $4.175 million.
Previous Ranking(s): #2 (org), #88 (Top 101)
Major-league ETA: Debuted in 2025
The Report: Well, what do you do for an encore? Yesavage was the first pitcher—and I’m guessing he’ll be the only for a good long while—to start Game 1 of the World Series and make a prospect list that offseason. This is mostly an accounting trick, as we have to draw the line somewhere, and that ‘where’ does not include playoff innings. But even with his 27 playoff innings rolled in, he’d still be under the cutoff, even if Yesavage sure doesn’t feel like a prospect nowadays. His major-league time was also just a rather fabulous coda to a yearlong breakout. Honestly, he would have been up with Chase Burns and Hagen Smith as a 2024 draft prospect if not for the medical red flags and lack of a clear monster secondary like Smith and Burns’s sliders. Yesavage tossed almost 140 innings last season, and his splitter blossomed into one of the best offspeed pitches in all of baseball. Not minor-league baseball, all of baseball. His slider isn’t far behind as a swing-and-miss offering, and his mid-90s cut-ride fastball gives him a third plus-or-better pitch.
Yesavage’s arsenal is unique among major-league arms (although the incoming Tatsuya Imai has some similarities). He throws over-the-top from an over seven-foot release height, and he doesn’t have a single pitch that moves to his gloveside. His slider moves armside almost as much as his fastball. I have no idea if hitters will get used to this and be able to eliminate certain pitch locations out of the hand, leading to less chase and better contact. It’s a truly outlier release and it’s not a mere party trick, the stuff is very very good. But there isn’t much more to criticize than that, or much more to say about Yesavage. If you are reading this website, there’s a good chance you’ve seen him make multiple starts right on your own personal TV. The text is the text.
OFP: 70 / no. 2 starter
Variance: Low. Sure, Yesavage is a pitcher, he could get hurt. And yeah, eventually second time through the league they might chase a little less and he’ll have the odd blow up command/control outing. But that’s why he’s more of a present number two starter than a present ace.
