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 Yankees have depth, and that may be the strength of their top-10ish system right now unless one believes Spencer Jones or Chase Hampton, Everson Pereira, and/or Roderick Arias have multiple All-Star seasons in them.
The club traded some pitching — Drew Thorpe, Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez — to get Juan Soto and are thin there with anything above back-end starters and relievers.
Jasson Dominguez has a chance to be a star, however.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | ROLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasson Dominguez | OF | 60 |
| 2 | Spencer Jones | OF | 55 |
| 3 | Chase Hampton | RHP | 50 |
| 4 | Roderick Arias | SS | 50 |
| 5 | Austin Wells | C | 50 |
| 6 | Everson Pereira | OF | 50 |
| 7 | Henry Lalane | LHP | 50 |
| 8 | George Lombard | SS | 50 |
| 9 | Will Warren | RHP | 50 |
| 10 | Kyle Carr | LHP | 45 |
Dominguez stands out with absurd bat speed and a shot to hang around in center with above-average defense. He’s done enough as a right-handed batter to keep switch-hitting, but may be a superstar from the left side, particularly in that ballpark.
His big-league debut was going well when he was diagnosed with a torn UCL that killed his season September 9. He’s set to return sometime in the middle of the season.
It’s 65 power, 65 speed, 55 defense, and, well, pinstripes.
Buckle up.
Jones hits the ball hard and is an absolute beast at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, suggesting massive power upside. He’ll need to find a way to make more contact to reach his ceiling though (29% strikeout rate a age 22 in High-A), and figure into more hits in general. His raw swinging-strike rate isn’t alarming, but the in-zone whiffs are.
It’s a pretty left-handed swing, though, and the power is huge to all fields. He can play right field to at least average levels too, suggesting even some improvement in getting the barrel to velocity offers a low-average, high-OBP result with 35-40 homers.
Hampton is the Yankees’ best pitching prospect, offering three average or better pitches and a shot at a fourth. He should throw enough strikes, too.
He’s up to 95 mph with some life and both breaking balls gets some whiffs.
His fringe command and changeup were exposed a bit in Double-A where he allowed 21 extra-base hits (eight homers) in under 60 innings, and there are signs lefties see him well.
Triple-A will be a nice test for him in 2024.
Pereira remains an above-average runner and athlete (despite maturing physically over the past six years) with some power upside who simply needs to figure out how to deal with right-handed breaking balls.
There’s still plenty of belief he can handle center, too, perhaps offering the Yankees a chance at three above-average outfielder defenders if Dominguez and Pereira join Judge.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | ROLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Francisco Vilorio | RHP | 45 |
| 12 | Brock Selvidge | LHP | 45 |
| 13 | Clayton Beeter | RHP | 40 |
| 14 | Yoendrys Gomez | RHP | 40 |
| 15 | Brando Mayea | OF | 40 |
| 16 | Ben Rice | C | 40 |
| 17 | Jared Serna | 2B | 35 |
| 18 | Agustin Ramirez | C | 35 |
| 19 | Roc Riggio | 2B | 35 |
| 20 | Carlos Lagrange | RHP | 35 |
| 21 | Jordarlin Mendoza | RHP | 35 |
| 22 | Justin Lange | RHP | 35 |
| 23 | Brendan Beck | RHP | 35 |
| 24 | T.J. Rumfield | 1B | 35 |
| 25 | Trystan Vrieling | RHP | 40 |
| 26 | Keiner Delgado | 2B/SS | 35 |
| 27 | Anthony Hall | OF | 35 |
| 28 | John Cruz | OF | 35 |
| 29 | Osiel Rodriguez | RHP | 35 |
| 30 | Engelth Urena | C | 35 |
Selvidge has moved a level per season in the minors after the Yankees took him in Round 3 back in 2021. The lefty has missed bats with his slider and cutter, and even induced some late swings on his well-located low-90s fastball. If the changeup plays he’s a solid No. 4 starter.
Beeter has reliever written all over him after another season in the upper minors with high walk rates and long ball problems.
But it’s three plus pitches, including a fastball with big-time run and life, and his high arm slot and funky release offer deception, helping all his pitches to play up.
Serna brings plus speed and a chance to hit .260 with 15 homers and solid OBPs, despite his 5-foot-6, 170-pound frame.
It’s quick wrists and plus bat-to-ball that make it all happen, and he’s on track to threaten the majors in 2025.
Vrieling has a chance at some rotation innings thanks to command and two above-average secondaries, but he’s yet to pitch in pro ball after an elbow injury ended his season prior to the draft last spring.
Rodriguez, a pure reliever has two projectable plus pitches and two more that have a real shot to be average or better. He’s consistently found the zone in pro ball, other than his 13-game stint in Low-A last season.
- 2024 MLB Draft: Mock Draft 4.0 - April 17, 2024
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- Is the first round college pitching prospect dying? - April 2, 2024
