Top 100 prospects updated 2024 in-season rankings

There’s a new Top 100 Prospects list at MLB Pipeline . . . but not a new No. 1 overall prospect.

Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday remains atop our biannual rankings. Not only is he No. 1 for the third straight list, but Baltimore has claimed the top spot for the fifth time in last seven Top 100s. Adley Rutschman (midseason 2021) and Gunnar Henderson (preseason 2023) are Holliday’s Orioles predecessors at No. 1, sandwiching Bobby Witt Jr. (pre-2022) and Francisco Álvarez (mid-2002).

Let’s take a look at the new list:

The Orioles, Rays and Tigers each have a pair of the Top 10 prospects, the first time since mid-2012 that three teams could claim that distinction at the same time. Tampa Bay boasts two of the six best prospects, matching a feat that only four other organizations have achieved in our past 15 rankings, most recently when the Rangers had Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford at Nos. 5 and 6 on this year’s preseason Top 100.

1. Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS, Orioles
2. Junior Caminero, 3B/2B, Rays
3. Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals
4. Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins
5. Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox
6. Carson Williams, SS, Rays
7. Max Clark, OF, Tigers
8. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers
9. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks
10. Coby Mayo, 3B/1B, Orioles
Complete Top 100 »

Not including 2024 Draftees — more on them in a moment — 31 players crashed the midseason Top 100 party after missing the preseason list. Tigers middle infielder Kevin McGonigle has the loftiest ranking among them at No. 33, after batting .309/.401/.452 as a 19-year-old at two Class A stops in his first full pro season before breaking the hamate in his right hand.

The 10 highest-ranked non-Draft newcomers:

33. Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B, Tigers
40. Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets
44. Moises Ballesteros, C/1B, Cubs
46. Thomas White, LHP, Marlins
47. Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres
48. Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners
49. Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers
50. Brayden Taylor, SS/3B, Rays
62. Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers
63. Edgar Quero, C, White Sox

The 2024 Draft was more top-heavy than deep in terms of talent, and 12 first-round picks immediately joined the Top 100, up from 11 each in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The consensus top two prospects in the Class of ’24, Rockies outfielder/third baseman and Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana, headline that contingent:

12. Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Rockies (No. 3 overall pick)
13. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (No. 1)
18. Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Royals (No. 6)
19. J.J. Wetherholt, SS/2B, Cardinals (No. 7)
24. Chase Burns, RHP, Reds (No. 2)
32. Hagen Smith, LHP, White Sox (No. 5)
45. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics (No. 4)
55. Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates (No. 9)
59. Braden Montgomery, OF, Red Sox (No. 12)
61. Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers (No. 11)
81. Christian Moore, 2B, Angels (No. 8)
99. James Tibbs, OF, Giants (No. 13)

Only 57 of our preseason Top 100 Prospects remain on our current list. Of the other 43, 22 graduated to the big leagues while 21 didn’t make the cut this time.

Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson made the biggest jump of anyone on the preseason list, moving from No. 87 to No. 30 after hitting his way to High-A at age 18 before breaking his left foot in mid-May. Here are the 10 highest risers:

+57: Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners (No. 87 to No. 30)
+52: Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates (No. 93 to No. 41)
+42: Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (No. 68 to No. 26)
+42: Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants (No. 96 to No. 54)
+38: Blake Mitchell, C, Royals (No. 94 to No. 56)
+37: Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays (No. 58 to No. 21)
+36: Dalton Rushing, C/OF, Dodgers (No. 75 to No. 39)
+35: Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox (No. 50 to No. 15)
+33: Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B, Rangers (No. 71 to No. 38)
+32: Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (No. 61 to No. 39)

This is our hitter-heaviest Top 100 yet, with a record-low 24 pitchers. Breaking it down by primary position, there are 23 shortstops, 22 outfielders, 19 right-handed pitchers, nine catchers and second basemen, eight first basemen and five third basemen and left-handed pitchers.

Eighty-one of the Top 100 Prospects entered pro ball through the Draft, including 50 first-round picks and two of the last three No. 1 overall choice, Holliday (2022) and Bazzana (2024). Twins righty David Festa was the lowest selection, a 13th-rounder out of Seton Hall in 2021. Nineteen players signed out of the international market, with Ethan Salas (No. 20) landing the largest bonus at $5.6 million in 2023.

Ten members of the Top 100 have been traded, highlighted by Caminero, whom the Rays grabbed from the Guardians in exchange for Tobias Myers while looking to clear space on their 40-man roster in November 2021.

The Top 100 Prospects hail from eight different countries or territories, including 80 born in the United States. The others come from the Dominican Republic (10), Cuba (three), Venezuela (three), Australia (one), Canada (one), Italy (one) and Puerto Rico (one).

We’ll unveil our updated farm system rankings this week. As a preview of coming attractions, we can tell you that five different organizations tied for the most Top 100 Prospects with six each: the Cubs, Guardians, Mariners, Rockies and Twins. Twenty-seven different clubs were represented, with only the Astros, Blue Jays and Braves getting shut out.

One quick if imprecise way to measure the strength of star talent in an organization is to calculate what we call Prospect Points (100 for the No. 1 prospect, 99 for No. 2 and so on). The Cubs have the most Prospect Points with 336, narrowly edging the Tigers (332), Rays (325), Twins (321) and Red Sox (320).

The top 10 organizations in terms of prospect points, with their best prospect in parentheses:

1. Cubs, 336 (Matt Shaw, INF, No. 25)
2. Tigers, 332 (Max Clark, OF, No. 7)
3. Rays, 325 (Junior Caminero, 3B/2B, No. 2)
4. Twins, 321 (Walker Jenkins, OF, No. 4)
5. Red Sox, 320 (Marcelo Mayer, SS, No. 5)
6. Orioles, 281 (Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS, No. 1)
7. Mariners, 271 (Colt Emerson, SS, No. 30)
8. White Sox, 266 (Noah Schultz, LHP, No. 15)
9. Guardians, 257 (Travis Bazzana, 2B, No. 13)
10. Rockies, 205 (Charlie Condon, OF/3B, No. 12)