MLB prospects who will be household names by 2019

In the last handful of seasons, baseball has been blessed with an especially talented group of precocious youngsters. Aaron Judge, Corey Seager, Gary Sanchez and Cody Bellinger made massive impacts upon graduating from prospect status over the past two years. Meanwhile Ronald Acuna, Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres adapted to the majors in record time.

It has been a prodigious pace that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Another impressive crop of youngsters is set to make a mark on the game as soon as next spring, with further immediate impressions to follow.

But what will the minor league ranks look like after the graduation of many of the most well-known names who have either already reached the majors or will follow on their heels?

For the sake of this piece, we will look past a handful of clear-cut top prospects entering next spring who will be either entering their rookie season or be joining the MLB roster as soon as their clubs are in a "contractually comfortable" position to promote them. In anticipation of this, among others, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Brendan Rodgers, Eloy Jimenez, Victor Robles, Alex Verdugo, Kyle Tucker, Francisco Mejia, Nick Senzel and Fernando Tatis Jr. will be left off this list.

Let’s have a look at candidates who could be baseball’s next big thing a year from now.

Catcher — Keibert Ruiz (Dodgers) After a year of developing further behind the plate, Ruiz is getting close to topping out as a minor leaguer. Since breaking in as a 16-year-old, Ruiz owns a .309 average, and he hit 12 home runs as a 19-year-old. Yasmani Grandal is a free agent following this season, and the Dodgers could opt to move on from the All-Star backstop in favor of getting Ruiz into the mix alongside Austin Barnes.

Another to watch: Joey Bart (Giants)

First Base — Peter Alonso (Mets) Of all the players listed here, Alonso has the most potential to move his timetable ahead next spring. He owns one of the most complete, MLB-ready bats in all of the minors, coming out of a dominant 36 home run, 119 RBI season with a .975 OPS split evenly between the Double and Triple A levels.

Another to watch: Evan White (Mariners)

Second Base — Keston Hiura (Brewers) Hiura began his pro career with a reputation for being an advanced hitter, something that has carried over into his first full professional season. The 22-year-old has quickly moved through the Milwaukee system, hitting .320 over 50 games at the High-A level, before making a successful transition to Double A, where a dip in his power was replaced by an increased impact on the base paths (11 stolen bases). Bottom line: Hiura finds a way to make an impact every day.

Another to watch: Nick Madrigal (White Sox)

Third Base — Austin Riley (Braves) The prospect parade for the Braves is far from finished, and Riley is next in line to keep it moving into next spring. Although he had an injury-interrupted season, the 21-year-old continued his promising push through the minors, with his 19 home runs bringing his four-year total to 71. A natural on the hot corner with a strong arm and athleticism to potentially shift to the outfield if needed, such is Riley's talent that the Braves could opt against spending big in the free agent market to keep their ascension trending upward.

Another to watch: Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles)

Shortstop — Royce Lewis (Twins) Much as is the case in the majors, shortstop is currently a gold mine of talent throughout the minors. With Willy Adames already gone to the majors and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brendan Rodgers not far behind, the crown next moves to Lewis, who could prove to be the best of the group long term, regardless. 

The top pick in the 2017 draft proved why he was easily worthy of the pick, showcasing a rare level of athleticism and baseball savvy for a 19-year-old. In addition to his easy-to-see speed (28 stolen bases), his power continued to mature, producing a .451 slugging percentage built off 29 doubles and 14 home runs. Lewis quickly has moved through the lower rungs of the minors and can be the game’s top prospect by the end of 2019.

Others to watch: Wander Franco (Rays), Bo Bichette (Blue Jays)

Outfielders: Alex Kirilloff (Twins), Luis Robert (White Sox), Jo Adell (Angels) After missing all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, Kirilloff got back to the business of establishing himself as the best pure hitting prospect in the game. Over 130 games split evenly between the Single-A and High-A levels, Kirilloff hit an astonishing .348, highlighted by 44 doubles and only 86 strikeouts in 512 at-bats.

The much-hyped Cuban, who signed for $26 million as a 19-year-old in 2016, is a tantalizing combination of baseball tools. Despite injuries that limited him to only 50 games, Robert profiles as an ultra-athletic right fielder who could easily be an everyday center fielder as well. Although possessing more potential than his returns so far, 2019 should be the breakout year for the exciting 21-year-old.

Not since the rise of Mike Trout have the Angels produced a player with anywhere near the same galaxy of talent that Adell possesses. He projects as a top-shelf center fielder, who could develop into a Reggie Sanders/Eric Davis type due to the big arm, speed and power potential he easily wields. He reached Double A as a 19-year-old and looks equipped to continue his quick push toward an Angels roster that needs him sooner than later.

Others to watch: Taylor Trammell (Reds), Jesus Sanchez (Rays)

Starting Pitchers: Forrest Whitley (Astros), Dylan Cease (White Sox), Sixto Sanchez (Phillies) Armed with as dominant of an overall arsenal as any prospect in the game, Whitley's remaining time outside of the Houston rotation will have more to do with contractual control than a lack of readiness. With his upper-90s fastball and wipeout curveball alone, Whitley could contribute to A.J. Hinch’s bullpen this postseason. Add in his power slider and improving change-up, and at the very least he will make the potential departures of Dallas Keuchel and/or Charlie Morton a much more manageable process.

While much of the spotlight landed on Michael Kopech, it was Cease who put together arguably the strongest year of all White Sox pitching prospects. He posted a 12-2 record a year after going 1-10 while keeping his strikeout rates elite. His step forward this year came during the development of a change-up that provides an often unfair third trick in a bag that already features one of the best fastball/curveball combos in the game.

The Phillies have been cautious with Sanchez so far, as he is yet to pitch 100 innings in a season. But the reins may be about to come off, as the undeniable talent of Sanchez stands to be a critical part of the continued rise of the Phillies. He possesses a dazzling all-around arsenal in the vein of a Carlos Martinez or Luis Severino and has the trajectory to go head-to-head with Aaron Nola in the Philadelphia rotation by 2020.

Others to watch: Casey Mize (Tigers), Mike Sirotka (Braves), MacKenzie Gore (Padres), Hunter Greene (Reds)

Wild cards — Brendan McKay (Rays), Victor Victor Mesa (free agent) Although his efforts have not received the same spotlight as that of Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim, McKay is finishing a dual-threat season of his own. The Rays first round pick showed enough promise at the plate (six home runs, .368 OPS) and on the mound (2.53 ERA, 130 Ks in 78.1 innings) this year that the club will continue the discovery process of where his long-term career will carry on.

While he is yet to pick an MLB team, Mesa is the top international prospect set to hit America this winter. The 22-year-old Cuban outfielder will be the apple of the eye of teams with international bonus money to spend and projects to be an immediate top-50 prospect who could begin at the Double A level.