2024 Preseason CBA Top 80 Prospects

Over the past two years, DC has claimed the top spot. Will the streak continue?

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Players who have some major league experience have been put on the list – which is the expected playing time for half a season. Hitters must have played less than 60 games in the majors, relievers with 20 or fewer appearances, and starters with 15 or fewer starts. With that being said, here is the ranking:

Ranking	Player	Team	Last Rank	History or Acquired
80	SP Chris Colombo	BAP	—	2022: 78 – 2023: NR
79	SP Chris Mickles	MIA	—	Drafted 2023
78	OF Mike Parks	DC	—	2022: 44 – 2023: NR
77	SP Tony Borrero	SAC	-31	2022: 12 – 2023: 46
76	SP Carlos Rodriguez	SLC	-7	2023: 69
75	SP Agustin Olivas	AUS	—	INT Scout Discovery
74	SP Jose Camargo	DEN	—	INT Scout Discovery
73	CL Jose Perez	NY	—	2023: 19
72	OF Jeremy Munroe	CHI	-5	2023: 67
71	SP Edgar Trejo	MID	—	IAFA Signing
70	RP Daniel Marston	OKL	-14	2023: 56
69	OF Alex Rodriguez	HOU	—	FA Signing
68	SP Sam Melkonian	FLA	—	Drafted 2023
67	1B Lorenzo Morales	IOW	-40	2022: 40 – 2023: 27
66	SP Sean Schaeffer	POR	+9	2022: 32 – 2023: 75
65	OF Ricardo Garcia	BOS	-20	2023: 45
64	OF Noah Hicks	LA	-5	2023: 59
63	OF Bobby Davila	SLC	—	INT Scout Discovery
62	CL Gary Borg	OKL	—	2021 Rd. 2 Pick 5
61	C Bobby Stutz	BAP	+7	2023: 68
60	SP Willie Cadena	CHI	—	Inaugural Draft
59	SP Jon Quiroga	DEN	—	2022 Rd. 2 Pick 2
58	C Dave Torres	DC	-23	2022: 35 – 2023: 35
57	1B Teo Nederlof	SAC	-22	2023: 25
56	SP Devin Wood	MID	—	—
55	CL Leo Ramirez	IOW	-14	2023: 41
54	SP Lance Lambeth	BAP	—	2021 Rd. 2 Pick 7
53	OF Kevin Simmons	LA	—	2021 Rd. 1 Pick 22 (PHI)
52	3B John Weatherford	MIA	-1	2022: 46 – 2023: 51
51	SP Alejandro Ramirez	IND	—	INT Scout Discovery
50	2B Josh Martin	DAL	0	2023: 50
49	SP Song-I Kim	CHI	+29	2023: 78
48	3B Josh Green	PHI	+13	2023: 61
47	OF Juliano Castelo	DAL	—	INT Scout Discovery
46	SP John Lawson	BAP	—	2022: 52 – 2023: NR
45	RP Dave Conklin	LA	-17	2022: 26 – 2023: 28
44	3B Chad Collins	BAP	+30	2022: 55 – 2023: 74
43	RP David Williams	LA	-14	2023: 29
42	OF Bill Santos	SAC	+29	2023: 71
41	OF Niccolo Sapia	DET	—	INT Scout Discovery
40	SP Dane Goldfarb	LA	+17	2022: 16 – 2023: 57
39	OF Mike Torrance	CHI	—	2021 Rd. 2 Pick 3 (SD)
38	SP Massimo Battisti	DC	—	IAFA Signing
37	3B Ricky Cardenas	DC	—	FA Signing
36	SP Sergio Cerna	IND	—	2022 Rd. 1 Pick 11
35	SP Brian Latimer	IND	+45	2023: 80
34	3B Mike Frantz	MEX	+6	2023: 40
33	3B Eduardo Hernandez	OKL	—	Inaugural Draft (DET)
32	2B Andy Rodriguez	BAP	-8	2023: 24
31	1B Guan-Pei Yao	BAP	-13	2023: 18
30	OF Alexander Martin	AUS	—	2021 Rd. 1 Pick 29
29	3B Jeremy MacKinnon	DET	—	2022: 13 – 2023: NR
28	SP Jeff Dunham	DC	+34	2022: 28 – 2023: 62
27	SP Kenny DeWitt	LA	+43	2022: 10 – 2023: 70
26	SP Toshihiro Yamauchi	DAL	—	FA Signing
25	1B Dermott Main	DC	-12	2023: 13
24	SP William Stannard	FLA	+39	2022: 42 – 2023: 63
23	OF Ezequiel Ortiz	BOS	-6	2022: 8 – 2023: 17
22	SP Jesse Buchert	AUS	-15	2022: 5 – 2023: 7
21	OF Juan Salazar	IND	+11	2023: 32
20	SP Matt Eldred	DC	+10	2022: 43 – 2023: 30
19	SP Alberto Cruz	CAR	+3	2023: 22
18	OF Marco Rondon	DC	—	2023 Rd. 2 Pick 5
17	RP Esteban Sanchez	OKL	-7	2023: 10
16	SP Scott Bradford	IND	+57	2023: 73
15	SP Sergio Avena	WCH	+23	2022: 27 – 2023: 38
14	SS Ernie Horton	DC	+17	2022: 54 – 2023: 31
13	RP Billy Kearns	DC	-2	2022: 25 – 2023: 11
12	OF Soong-yong Kim	POR	+8	2022: 9 – 2023: 20
11	RP Chris Allen	BAP	+5	2022: 15 – 2023: 16
10	OF Tom Bridges	BRK	+2	2023: 12
9	OF Francisco Ramirez	DC	+12	2022: 11 – 2023: 21
8	SP Matt Peterson	LA	—	2021 Rd. 5 Pick 8 (MIA)
7	OF Efrain Rodriguez	DET	+2	2023: 9
6	OF Ken Karbach	DC	+8	2022: 7 – 2023: 14
5	SP Omar Luna	DC	+10	2022: 6 – 2023: 15
4	OF Justin Jordan	DC	-1	2023: 3
3	SP Tony Varela	CIN	+3	2023: 6
2	OF Orlando Burgueno	DC	0	2022: 21 – 2023: 2
1	OF Chris Cochran	DET	0	2022: 2 – 2023: 1

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Team	Points	Prospects
DC	860	2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 18, 20, 25, 28, 37, 38, 58, 78
BAP	289	11, 31, 32, 44, 46, 54, 61, 80
LA	287	8, 27, 40, 43, 45, 53, 64
DET	246	1, 7, 29, 41
IND	246	16, 21, 35, 36, 51
OKL	142	17, 33, 62, 70
DAL	120	26, 47, 50
AUS	116	22, 30, 75
CHI	104	39, 49, 60, 72
POR	84	12, 66
CIN	78	3
BOS	74	23, 65
BRK	71	10
FLA	70	24, 68
SAC	67	42, 57, 77
WCH	66	15
CAR	62	19
MEX	47	34
IOW	40	55, 67
MID	35	56, 71
PHI	33	48
MIA	31	52, 79
DEN	29	59, 74
SLC	23	63, 76
HOU	12	69
NY	8	73

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Analysis:

1. DC Eagles

Once again, DC takes the top farm system. What makes their system unique compared to the others is the amount of players who still qualified for this list due to their number of games played – plenty of other teams have players who went over the game limit, but DC sent up their top prospects later in the season rather than starting the season – and it doesn’t hurt when you sign two players who automatically take a top 40 spot in the list. They’ve got a unique situation – their outfield is (and I know this is hard to believe) too packed. Look at who they’ve got now:

• Orlando Burgueno (#2)
• Justin Jordan (#4)
• Ken Karbach (#6)
• Francisco Ramirez (#9)
• Marco Rondon (#18)
• Mike Parks (#78)

That makes Six outfielders who crack the top 80. Six! Not to mention they already have Jose Sanchez, who is one of the premier outfield bats in the league. That makes seven players who project to be future stars in the league, with only three outfield spots (four if you count the DH) to fill. Definitely will make for interesting spring trainings down the road.

Their future rotation isn’t looking to bad either. Take Omar Luna (#5), Matt Eldred (#20), and Jeff Dunham (#28), add in Aaron Hannah, and their rotation looks like a big 4 in the making.

2. Bay Area Pandas

Once again Bay Area remains in the top three farm systems. They are in the exact opposite situation from DC – their future infield, aside from shortstop, is in the system, along with their rotation. They have no outfielders – perhaps DC and Bay Area hook up for a deal sometime soon?

Chris Allen projects to be a future relief ace in the league, and at only 19 years of age, he will definitely be worth a watch this season in the BL (assuming your local TV station gets those games).

3. Los Angeles Chilis

With a future rotation of Peterson/DeWitt/Goldfarb, LA appears to be headed for a great future with a big three that will be able to carry them through the PL. The slight issue with this strategy is that, well, LA isn’t known for being pitcher friendly. In fact, their stadium is known for scoring runs – the team finished near .500 last year, and their best starter had an ERA near 5.00. The next two prospects are both relievers. It will be interesting to see how exactly those three react to seeing balls flying out of the ballpark – along with their ERAs – when they get called up.

4. Detroit Motors

Considering that the top four hasn’t changed for quite some time (major changes), Detroit’s slip to number four should be expected, as their buying pieces to win depletes their system. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that their top pieces aren’t based on the draft, even though they’ve been known to make blockbusters to acquire picks on draft day. First overall pick Kyle Shepherd couldn’t crack the list the list this year only one year after his biggest day. How have they managed to stay on top? Through their strong international scouting. Outfielders Efrain Rodriguez (#7) and Niccolo Sapia (#40) will join with future stud Chris Cochran (#1) to create an outfield that will challenge DC’s. Outside of that… there’s nothing in the system. Jeremy MacKinnon barely qualified for this list, too, so his inclusion bumps up the Motors’ points.

5. Indianapolis Hawks

After a failed win now approach in the inaugural season, Indy now has embraced the rebuild and is fully going on to creating a great farm system. Look at their future rotation – Scott Bradford (#16), Brian Latimer (#35), and Sergio Avena (#36) should make for a great top three, and Alejandro Ramirez (#51)  is still a bit away but will eventually be able to join the group and contribute.

The future of the lineup for the Hawks is a different story. Sure, they’ve got Juan Salazar (#21) to head the lineup, but who else is there? They’ve still got some pieces to move, and it should be interesting to see if they stick with their pitching theme or go hitters.

6. Oklahoma Mammoths

I’ll be honest with you, this one surprised me. So much that I had to look back at prior year’s rankings (the link can be found at the bottom of this), and see just how far they’ve come.

• 2022 – Ranked 26th with one prospect ranking #72 (C Willie Meza – he was later traded to DC)
• 2023 – Ranked 7th with three prospects ranking #10 (Estaban Sanchez), #37 (Curt Benjamin), and #56 (Daniel Marston).

Then another thought hit me – let’s look back at this list for Oklahoma and look at their bullpen:

Estaban Sanchez, Daniel Marston, Gary Borg, Curt Benjamin

Let’s take a look at rest of the roster:

 

 

 

Empty. Eduardo Hernandez was a nice pickup from Detroit, but he’s their only real piece for a future lineup. They’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re doing this the right way – smart trades and smart drafting. Let’s see if they can keep it up.

7. Dallas Devils

Dallas appears to focus on the *distant* future with their prospects – sure, their first round pick last year (Brian Ayre) was 22, but the other’s ages: 22 (Yamauchi – their Free Agent signing), 16 and 16. This seems like a smart idea on the surface – building their team in cycles, but will it pay off taking a player of lesser value? The blessing that is Juliano Castelo shouldn’t be counted on as a reliable source for prospects, but for now they’ve got a nice balance of pitchers and pitchers and hitters to build off of.

8. Austin Outlaws

Austin has started the rebuild road, and they’ve made some, shall we say, controversial trades to get the rebuild off and running. The knuckleballer – Jesse Buchert (#22) – should provide a reliable arm in the rotation for years. Alexander Martin (#30) should provide a stable force in center field for the Outlaws as well. The other pieces aren’t quite there yet, and after dealing away Chris Greenwell and a bevy of their young pitchers for the upcoming #3 pick, they don’t have many other pieces to deal with. We hope they pick well this draft – if not, Austin could be in big trouble for a long time.

9. Chicago Gale

Two starters – Song-i Kim (#49) and Willie Cadena (#60) should help the future rotation of the Gale, while outfielders Mike Torrance (#39) and Jeremy Munroe (#72) should help the defense in the Windy City to become even better. Their infield needs work, and with no first round picks these next two years, Chicago needs to be very frugal with how they use their picks if they want to keep building a support system for this team.

10. Portland Axemen

Every year Portland has Sean Schaeffer and Soong-yong Kim on this list, and time is ticking for them to develop. It doesn’t seem as if they will last much longer in the minors, as Portland has been riddled with injuries and may need these guys to show up big if they want to be promoted right back to the PL. Kim’s got the potential to be a 30/30 guy once he fully develops, and Schaeffer should provide a good #2 starter for Portland later on. Look for them to build their rotation, though the #8 overall pick in the inaugural draft, Brett Mandell, hasn’t appeared to be doing so well, so nothing is off the table at this point for Portland.

Other Teams

Cincinnati is hanging on to Tony Varela, as they should – he should be one of the best pitchers in the CBA in the upcoming years. With the team being promoted the the PL, though, the farm system doesn’t seem like it will get a boost any time soon.

Boston’s outfield, with Ezequiel Ortiz and Ricardo Garcia, provide the best of both worlds for Boston – a great glove and great speed with Ortiz, while Garcia provides the thunder in the lineup. Look for them to work on their aging staff or infield in the upcoming drafts.

Brooklyn still has Pat Kenny, and with Tom Bridges patrolling Brooklyn’s field, the basic pieces are there – a strong #1 and a great defensive option in center. Their infield could use some work, but looking ahead they’ve got a few international scouting discoveries that could fill in.

Florida has two great pitchers in the system with William Bradford and Sam Melkonian, but no hitters coming up. Their lineup is young, so they could wind up going either way in the draft.

Sacramento still has their two international players – Teo Nederlof and Tony Borrero – to fill in future roster spots, and a center fielder in Bill Santos for patrolling the outfield. Look for them to draft a  middle infielder to shore up the gap.

Wichita is still hurting from the Tony Varela deal, but Avena is developing into an ace of his own.

Carolina is in deep financial issues, partially due to a spending spree that netted them Cruz. Out of the three signed, the only player left on this list is Cruz, and he looks like he could become a big deal in the league. He still is very young and has a long ways to go, but he hasn’t regressed like some might have thought.

Mexico City is starting Mike Frantz, whom they received in the trade for Orlando Burgueno. Frantz should serve immediately, with a good glove and great speed, and perhaps was the overlooked piece in that blockbuster deal.

Every other team had 40 or fewer points, and while those teams may have good players in their system, nobody sticks out that is worth talking about.

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Link to Prospect Hub