Some of the top tools and pitches in the minor leagues will be on display this spring, as many of the game’s top prospects have been invited to participate in big league spring training. Whether it’s Billy Hamilton’s speed, Wil Myers’ power or Gerrit Cole’s fastball, the future of baseball will undoubtedly be on display over the next month.
A true above-average-to-plus tool causes a prospect to stand out on the baseball field, primarily because they make the execution seem so effortless and fluid. At the same time, loud tools can also be misleading; they all-to-often obscure present value and inflate future projections.
As part of my ongoing spring training coverage, I thought that I’d begin the week with a look at each team’s “toolsiest” prospect in big league camp. Unfortunately, there are several organizations without a tools-rich position player. Therefore, I instead decided to highlight the team’s top pitching prospect when applicable.
Some of the overall scouting reports contained in this article are derived from Prospect Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, which was unveiled last week. For this piece, however, I’ve also included scouting grades—based on the 20-80 scouting scale where 50 represents major league average—for each prospect’s notable tools. Additionally, I've offered my prediction about each player's chances of making the Opening Day roster, as well as their estimated time of arrival in the majors.
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