The 2024 Preseason Top 30 lists are built around the idea of certainty and future Role. Similar to industry projection systems such as Future Value (FV), Overall Future Potential (OFP), and Grade, Role is a way to describe to what degree a player will add value to his organization at peak.
Our scale is a bit more conservative than other grading systems. We take into account recent seasonal performance, proximity to impact, metric/data analysis, and industry conversations to build a case for the most likely outcome for any given player.
It is important to note these Role labels are fluid and can change as a player moves up the developmental ladder. It is not uncommon for a player to change his role projection over even one month. Players jump from a Role 35 to a Role 40 quite quickly.
Things like mechanical adjustments and physical maturation can alter a player’s projection seemingly overnight. Players change. Keep that in mind.
Below is our Role chart used to place future projection on players.
| ROLE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 20 | No organizational value. Non-prospect. |
| 30 | Organizational value, filler. Likely peaks at Triple-A or below. |
| 35 | Potential up-and-down, Quad-A prospect. Has some tools. Development necessary to secure prolonged MLB role. |
| 40 | Back-up at MLB level. No. 5 starter on non-competitive team. Depth. |
| 45 | Potential starter on contender. Bench player for championship-level team. |
| 50 | Starter on a championship-level team. Lacks star ceiling. Steady. Potential No. 4 starting pitcher. |
| 55 | Potential all-star. Some impact. Above average big-league regular. Mid-rotation starter on a contender. |
| 60 | All-star level player. Impact. Middle-of-the-order bat. No. 2 starter on good team. |
| 70 | Perennial all-star. Will contend for seasonal awards. Potential MVP/Cy Young upside. No. 1 starting pitcher. Ace. |
| 80 | Hall of Fame upside. Generational. MVP/Cy Young Favorite some years. Organizational pillar who can carry an entire franchise at times. |
You will not find players with a sub-50 Role on our Top 100 Prospect List. You are also unlikely to find any sub-35 Role players on a Top 30 board. Generally, organizations will have at least 30 players with big-league projection.
All rankings and roles by Joe Doyle
Player notes by Jason A. Churchill
The Brewers boast one of the game’s best prospect in Jackson Chourio, who signed an extension worth at least $82 million over the next eight seasons.
But Milwaukee’s system goes much deeper than Chourio, which solid balance of arms and hitters, corner bats and middle defenders. Down the org a bit are handful of upsides plays, including infielders Cooper Pratt, Eric Bitonti, and Jorque Quintana.
The club’s last two drafts look like keys to the long-term for the Brewers, but they’re still shy on impact pitching in the short-term, so expect more trades before Milwaukee’s staff looks formiddable again.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | ROLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Chourio | OF | 70 |
| 2 | Jacob Misiorowski | RHP | 55 |
| 3 | Jeferson Quero | C | 50 |
| 4 | Tyler Black | 2B | 50 |
| 5 | Brock Wilken | 3B | 50 |
| 6 | DL Hall | LHP | 50 |
| 7 | Robert Gasser | LHP | 45 |
| 8 | Joey Ortiz | SS | 45 |
| 9 | Josh Knoth | RHP | 45 |
| 10 | Luis Lara | OF | 45 |
Chourio has four plus tools and chance at a fifth, profiling in center with outstanding lateral range and increasing depth. His plus-plus speed shows up in the form on tons of extra bags and stolen bases, and he’s blasted 42 homers the last two seasons playing at levels 2-4 years his senior.
He’ll start the season ont he 26-man among the top candidates to win Rookie of the Year, and carries superstar upside to the ballpark from Day 1.
Misiorowski, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound right-hander who has hit triple digits and pitched comfortably in the mid-90s with a four-seam fastball showing big carry.
He’s flashed a plus slider with two-plane break, one of the better breaking balls in the minors, and his curveball and cutter figure to be big-league pitches.
Misiorowski has not found the zone quite enough yet, but he’ll start his second full season in pro ball in Double-A Biloxi, and if he develops average control and command there’s a No. 2 profile here.
Quero, 21, is coming off a strong year in Double-A where he batted .262/.339/.440 with 16 homers in 90 games, posting high contact rates and a 10% walk rate to boot.
He’s turned his agility, footwork, and arm into defensive production and now projects to above-average.
There’s an everyday backstop in here in time.
Knoth, part of that ’23 draft class, brings a 95 mph fastball, potentially-plus curveball and athleticism to pro ball. His changeup has a ways to go.
He projects to throw strikes, but will need to locate well without better shape from his fastball. It’s a No. 4 profile.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | ROLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Carlos Rodriguez | RHP | 45 |
| 12 | Eric Bitonti | 3B | 40 |
| 13 | Cooper Pratt | 3B | 40 |
| 14 | Yophery Rodriguez | OF | 40 |
| 15 | Mike Boeve | 3B | 40 |
| 16 | Jorge Quintana | SS | 40 |
| 17 | Dylan O'Rae | SS | 40 |
| 18 | Eric Brown | SS | 40 |
| 19 | Bradley Blalock | RHP | 40 |
| 20 | Luke Adams | 3B | 40 |
| 21 | Jadher Areinamo | 2B | 35 |
| 22 | Logan Henderson | RHP | 35 |
| 23 | Matthew Wood | C | 35 |
| 24 | Oliver Dunn | 2B | 35 |
| 25 | Bishop Letson | RHP | 35 |
| 26 | Daniel Guilarte | SS | 35 |
| 27 | Zavier Warren | 3B | 35 |
| 28 | Juan Baez | SS | 35 |
| 29 | Hedbert Perez | OF | 35 |
| 30 | Wes Clarke | 1B | 35 |
Bitonti is a filled-out left0side infielder with enough arm for third and a chance at plus power as he develops pitch recognition and learns to get to his pull side more efficiently.
Pratt, a high school shortstop who projects to third base long-term, has shown a projectable hit tool and power for years as a prep, and lashed the kind of swing leverage that can push his power to plus levels.
Boeve, the club’s second-round pick last July, already has flashed average power and plate skills, but probably doesn’t have the bat speed to profile at third base, where his arm is a bit of a stretch. He’s fringe-average at second and could en up in left field. He’ll have to post elite average-OBP combos to warrant regular time.
Blalock mid-90s heat and a chance at three average or better offspeed pitches, including two distinct breakers with a chance to miss some bats.
Adams, 20 in April, has plus raw power and solid-average zone judgment, leading to a strange but intriguing .233/.400/.401 slash in Single-A at age 19 a year ago. Third base may be a stretch, however, putting a lot of pressure on the bat.
Warren is a switch-hitting corner infielder with a chance to be good at both spots and hit with enough pop to warrant a full-time role. He’s likely to start 2024 in Triple-A with a real shot to break through to the bigs.
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