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.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | ROLE | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Holliday | SS | 70 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 2 | Junior Caminero | 3B | 70 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 3 | Jackson Chourio | OF | 70 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 4 | Wyatt Langford | OF | 60 | Texas Rangers |
| 5 | Evan Carter | OF | 60 | Texas Rangers |
| 6 | Dylan Crews | OF | 60 | Washington Nationals |
| 7 | Paul Skenes | RHP | 60 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 8 | Samuel Basallo | C | 60 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 9 | Walker Jenkins | OF | 60 | Minnesota Twins |
| 10 | Ethan Salas | C | 60 | San Diego Padres |
| 11 | James Wood | OF | 60 | Washington Nationals |
| 12 | Colson Montgomery | SS | 60 | Chicago White Sox |
| 13 | Jackson Merrill | SS | 60 | San Diego Padres |
| 14 | Marcelo Mayer | SS | 60 | Boston Red Sox |
| 15 | Jasson Dominguez | OF | 60 | New York Yankees |
| 16 | Max Clark | OF | 60 | Detroit Tigers |
| 17 | Andrew Painter | RHP | 60 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 18 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | 60 | Chicago Cubs |
| 19 | Adael Amador | SS | 60 | Colorado Rockies |
| 20 | Kyle Harrison | LHP | 60 | San Francisco Giants |
| 21 | Noble Meyer | RHP | 60 | Miami Marlins |
| 22 | Jordan Lawlar | SS | 55 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 23 | Colt Keith | 2B/3B | 55 | Detroit Tigers |
| 24 | Ricky Tiedemann | LHP | 55 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 25 | Cade Horton | RHP | 55 | Chicago Cubs |
| 26 | Noelvi Marte | 3B | 55 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 27 | Colton Cowser | OF | 55 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 28 | Jackson Jobe | RHP | 55 | Detroit Tigers |
| 29 | Heston Kjerstad | OF | 55 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 30 | Carson Williams | SS | 55 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 31 | Jett Williams | SS | 55 | New York Mets |
| 32 | Brooks Lee | SS | 55 | Minnesota Twins |
| 33 | Coby Mayo | 3B | 55 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 34 | Matt Shaw | 3B | 55 | Chicago Cubs |
| 35 | Chase DeLauter | OF | 55 | Cleveland Guardians |
| 36 | Colt Emerson | SS | 55 | Seattle Mariners |
| 37 | Jacob Misiorowski | RHP | 55 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 38 | Roman Anthony | OF | 55 | Boston Red Sox |
| 39 | Spencer Jones | OF | 55 | New York Yankees |
| 40 | Max Meyer | RHP | 55 | Miami Marlins |
| 41 | Chase Dollander | RHP | 55 | Colorado Rockies |
| 42 | Bubba Chandler | RHP | 55 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 43 | Mick Abel | RHP | 55 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 44 | Termarr Johnson | 2B | 55 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 45 | Bryce Eldridge | OF | 55 | San Francisco Giants |
| 46 | Hurston Waldrep | RHP | 55 | Atlanta Braves |
| 47 | Yanquiel Fernandez | OF | 55 | Colorado Rockies |
| 48 | Cole Young | SS | 55 | Seattle Mariners |
| 49 | Robby Snelling | LHP | 55 | San Diego Padres |
| 50 | Noah Schultz | LHP | 55 | Chicago White Sox |
| 51 | Dalton Rushing | C | 55 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 52 | Kyle Teel | C | 55 | Boston Red Sox |
| 53 | Justin Crawford | OF | 55 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 54 | Aidan Miller | 3B | 55 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 55 | Tekoah Roby | RHP | 55 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 56 | Harry Ford | C | 55 | Seattle Mariners |
| 57 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | OF | 55 | Minnesota Twins |
| 58 | Sebastian Walcott | SS/3B | 55 | Texas Rangers |
| 59 | Enrique Bradfield Jr. | OF | 55 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 60 | Luis Morales | RHP | 55 | Oakland Athletics |
| 61 | Chase Hampton | RHP | 55 | New York Yankees |
| 62 | Brayan Rocchio | SS | 55 | Cleveland Guardians |
| 63 | Ronny Mauricio | 2B | 55 | New York Mets |
| 64 | Dylan Lesko | RHP | 50 | San Diego Padres |
| 65 | Jeferson Quero | C | 50 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 66 | Brady House | 3B | 50 | Washington Nationals |
| 67 | Xavier Isaac | 1B | 50 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 68 | Mason Miller | RHP | 50 | Oakland Athletics |
| 69 | Marco Luciano | SS | 50 | San Francisco Giants |
| 70 | Owen Caissie | OF | 50 | Chicago Cubs |
| 71 | Jacob Wilson | SS | 50 | Oakland Athletics |
| 72 | Nolan Schanuel | 1B | 50 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 73 | Masyn Winn | SS | 50 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 74 | Tyler Soderstrom | C | 50 | Oakland Athletics |
| 75 | Ceddanne Rafaela | OF | 50 | Boston Red Sox |
| 76 | Austin Wells | C | 50 | New York Yankees |
| 77 | Shane Baz | RHP | 50 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 78 | Drew Gilbert | OF | 50 | New York Mets |
| 79 | Curtis Mead | 3B | 50 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 80 | Brayden Taylor | 3B | 50 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 81 | Jordan Beck | OF | 50 | Colorado Rockies |
| 82 | Connor Phillips | RHP | 50 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 83 | Drew Thorpe | RHP | 50 | San Diego Padres |
| 84 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | 50 | Cleveland Guardians |
| 85 | Rhett Lowder | RHP | 50 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 86 | Gavin Stone | RHP | 50 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 87 | Everson Pereira | OF | 50 | New York Yankees |
| 88 | Josue De Paula | OF | 50 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 89 | Sterlin Thompson | OF | 50 | Colorado Rockies |
| 90 | Tyler Black | 2B | 50 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 91 | Victor Scott II | OF | 50 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 92 | Zac Veen | OF | 50 | Colorado Rockies |
| 93 | Tommy Troy | 2B | 50 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 94 | Leodalis DeVries | SS | 50 | San Diego Padres |
| 95 | Jacob Melton | OF | 50 | Houston Astros |
| 96 | Felnin Celesten | SS | 50 | Seattle Mariners |
| 97 | Henry Lalane | LHP | 50 | New York Yankees |
| 98 | Brock Wilken | 3B | 50 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 99 | Justin Foscue | 2B | 50 | Texas Rangers |
| 100 | Blake Mitchell | C | 50 | Kansas City Royals |
Wyatt Langford Dylan Crews Paul Skenes Ethan Salas Chase Dollander Jackson Merrill Pete Crow-Armstrong Jordan Lawlar Colt Keith Ricky Tiedemann Brooks Lee
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