Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen earn some recognition.
It’s prospect ranking season and this week we have two more top 100 lists. MLB Pipeline released their top 100 prospect list on Friday evening, with three Royals listed – Jac Caglianone at #22, Blake Mitchell at #48, and Carter Jensen at #86.
Caglianone and Mitchell were also on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list released last week, ranked #63 and #75 respectively. Jensen received votes for that list, but was not among the top 100. The former third-round pick out of Park Hill HS in the Kansas City area hit .259/.359/.450 with 18 home runs and 17 steals split between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Just 21 years old, the left-handed hitting catcher destroyed the Arizona Fall League, batting .425 with four home runs and 14 walks in just 55 plate appearances.
Royals prospect rankings on MLB Pipeline top 100 list
- January 2022 – Bobby Witt Jr. #1, MJ Melendez #51, Nick Pratto #62, Asa Lacy #72
- August 2022 – Gavin Cross #75, Nick Pratto #84
- January 2023 – Gavin Cross #62
- October 2023 – None
- January 2024 – Blake Mitchell #94
- October 2024 – Jac Caglianone #17, Blake Mitchell #51
- January 2025 – Jac Caglianone #22, Blake Mitchell #48, Carter Jensen #86
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki was ranked the top prospect in baseball, followed by Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins, Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews, and Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe. The Cubs and Mariners had the most prospects on the list with seven apiece. The Astros, Giants, Diamondbacks, and Yankees had just one prospect each on the list.
Keith Law of The Athletic also released his prospect list earlier this week, with Jac Caglianone coming in at #60, and Blake Mitchell at #75. Mitchell was unranked in Law’s list a year ago, but the evaluator praised the catcher’s adjustments to reduce his wide stance and display excellent strike/ball recognition skills.
Mitchell has already made some big adjustments since he signed, which is the best harbinger of a player’s ability to make further adjustments. I’m encouraged by the progress in his swing decisions; if he continues that trend, he’s going to end up an above-average regular, even if it takes him another three or so years to get to the majors.
Law excludes Sasaki from his rankings, listing Anthony #1, followed by Rangers infielder Sebastian Walcott, Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo, Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins, and Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson.
Finally, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN has his prospect rankings out today with Caglianone at #29 and Mitchell at #42. He praised Mitchell’s defensive abilities, but mentioned scouts “are somewhat split on his overall offensive upside” due to his swing-and-miss. On Caglianone, he wrote this will be an important year for his development.
He has plus bat-to-ball ability, well-below-average pitch selection and 40 homer type raw power. He will likely be forced to improve his pitch selection when facing better pitchers (he ranked in college and didn’t need to adjust) and he will also have more time to focus on hitting now that he is putting pitching on hold (he was a second-round prospect as a pitcher). This season will tell us a lot about how to interpret Cags’ trajectory for the next few years. If he doesn’t improve his pitch selection, pitchers in the upper minors, and eventually the majors, won’t give him much to drive and his in-game power won’t match his potential.
McDaniel has Sasaki atop his list, followed by Anthony and Jenkins, then Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer and Rays shortstop Carrson Williams.