Prospects with the best power-speed combo

Shohei Ohtani continues to boldly go where no one has gone before. After succeeding better and longer as a two-way player than anyone in baseball history, he has become the first player ever to reach 50 homers and 50 steals in the same year.

Ohtani’s unprecedented production with his power and speed got us to wondering about which prospects offer the best combination of those two tools. We’re not saying these guys will match Ohtani, but they should make an impact with their pop and quickness in the big leagues. The No. 1 guy on our list, Dylan Crews, already is doing just that with the Nationals.

1. Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals (No. 1)
Washington fans have already gotten a taste of Crews’ power-speed combo as the 2023 second overall pick has clubbed three homers and stolen nine bags in his first 22 MLB games. The data backs up the numbers. His 29.4 ft/sec Sprint Speed ranks in the 94th percentile for the Majors, and his barrel percentage would be plus if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Crews stood out more for his pop in college, with 58 homers in three seasons at LSU, but he’s been more aggressive on the basepaths in the pros too. Should that trend continue to align with his impressive tools, he has at least 30-30 upside as a key member of the Nationals’ core.

2. Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees (No. 14)
No player ever received more hype as an international amateur than Domínguez, who signed for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 amid comparisons to Bo Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. That might be a bit much, but he still has legitimate 30-30 upside and homered four times in his first eight big league games last September at age 20 before blowing out his elbow and requiring Tommy John surgery. He has totaled 47 homers and 102 steals in 352 Minor League games.

3. Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates (No. 51)
The No. 9 overall pick in this year’s Draft, Griffin had the best all-around set of tools in the entire class, with a 60 power grade and 65 for his speed. We won’t get to see the tools in action until 2025, but the raw pop and wheels are legit. The only thing in question at all for Griffin is his hit tool, otherwise he might top this list.

4. Kristian Campbell, 2B/SS/OF, Red Sox (No. 74)
Campbell displayed average raw power and plus speed in his lone season at Georgia Tech in 2023, but he didn’t maximize either tool in games and lasted 132 picks until the Red Sox drafted him in the supplemental fourth round. After Boston helped him improve his strength, bat speed and swing path, he has enjoyed perhaps the biggest breakout season in the Minors. He has slashed .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals in 115 games while rising from High-A to Triple-A.

5. Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres (No. 44)
Normally with 17-year-olds, it’s all about projection, but De Vries already has some production to back up this placement too. This year’s top international prospect hit 11 homers and stole 13 bags in 75 games with Single-A Lake Elsinore in his debut Minor League season and would have added to that total if his campaign hadn’t been cut short by a shoulder injury. The switch-hitting shortstop has the athleticism of a point guard and budding power (he slugged .557 in his final 24 games of 2024), giving him the chance to be San Diego’s next superstar prospect in the mold of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill.

6. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins (No. 19)
Injuries have forced Rodriguez to the sidelines too much over the last couple of years, as he’s yet to play 100 games in a season. He did hit 16 homers and steal 20 bags in 99 games in 2023, and despite the missed time, he made it to Triple-A at age 21. Rodriguez once again ended up on the IL this season after spraining his thumb. But if you take a 140-game average of his career numbers, it gives an idea of what he’s capable of: nearly 27 homers and 30 steals.

7. Vance Honeycutt, OF, Orioles (O’s No. 3)
Like Griffin, Honeycutt is a 2024 first-round pick with ridiculous tools (60 power, 65 run). But the North Carolina product has even more questions about his hit tool, something he’ll have to answer after striking out in nearly 43 percent of his plate appearances during his pro debut. Despite the swing-and-miss concerns, Honeycutt had 20-20 seasons with the Tar Heels as a freshman in 2022 (25 HR, 29 SB) and this past spring (28-28).

8. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers (No. 35)
Walcott had some of the best all-around tools (plus power and straight-line speed, well-above-average arm strength) in the 2023 international class, which is why he landed a $3.2 million bonus, and some scouts believe he could become the best player ever produced by the Bahamas. The Rangers have challenged him and he has responded, topping the High-A South Atlantic League in extra-base hits (50) and total bases (192) as its youngest regular (age 18) while batting .261/.342/.443 with 10 homers and 26 steals in 116 games. After Texas pushed him to Double-A in September, he went 8-for-23 with a homer in five games at that level.

9. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (No. 11)
En route to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Bazzana set Oregon State single-season records for homers (28 in 60 games this spring) and stolen bases (36 in 61 contests last year). Though he possesses at least solid power and plus speed, he stands out most with double-plus hitting ability. He slashed .407/.568/.911 as a junior, finishing second in NCAA Division I in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS (1.479) before homering three times and stealing five bases in his 27-game pro debut in High-A.

10. Jordan Lawlar, SS, D-backs (No. 7)
Thumb and hamstring injuries have made this mostly a lost season for the 2021 sixth overall pick, but don’t let anyone forget that he hit a combined 36 homers and stole 75 bases over his last two Minor League seasons entering 2024. His plus-plus speed has the potential to be game-changing – it’s a big reason why Arizona carried him on its postseason roster last year – and while hitter-friendly parks in Amarillo and Reno might have played a role in his homer totals so far, there’s enough pop in there for 25-plus homers at Major League peak. Lawlar only turned 22 in July.

11. Carson Williams, SS, Rays (No. 4)
There’s only one Minor Leaguer aged 21 or younger with at least 19 homers and 20 steals this season. That’s, of course, Williams with 20 and 33 through 115 games for Double-A Montgomery. This is Williams’ third straight year in which he’s challenged 20-20 status, coming just one homer shy in 2022, and his above-average speed and plus raw power (along with proclivity to lift the ball) should keep him pushing for those marks even in the Majors. The only mark against him might be his typically high K rate, but even that is down to a more manageable 28.5 percent in 2024.

12. Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins (No. 2)
It’s power over speed (60 versus 55) for the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 Draft and the 19-year-old outfielder is still learning to use both. A hamstring injury that kept him out of action certainly didn’t help during his first full season, though he has swiped 17 bags and hit six homers (with 22 doubles) in 82 total games in a year that saw him rise to Double-A despite the time on the injured list.