On Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. ET, MLB Pipeline will unveil their 2024 Top 100 Prospects list. MLB Network and MLB.com will air the one-hour programme. We’ll look at baseball’s top 10 prospects at each position in the run-up to the Top 100.
Teams would love to have a true thumper at first base—someone who can play anywhere in the lineup and really drive in runs. The teams who have players on our top 10 list of prospects are hoping that these individuals can fit the mould of an infield corner.
There has been a significant degree of churn from the 2023 preseason version of this ranking. The top two, Tyler Soderstrom of the A and Triston Casas of the Red Sox, have graduated off prospect lists, as has Jordan Diaz of the A and Michael Toglia of the Rockies. While Kyle Manzardo, though with a different team, moves up one rank, from three to two, Xavier Isaac of the Rays rises from nine to the top spot.
In the future, the Cubs may find themselves in an intriguing impasse. They will then have two on the top 10 below at the upper levels of the organisation waiting for an opportunity if the recently acquired Michael Busch settles in first in Chicago.
The Ten Best (ETA)
1. Rays, Xavier Isaac (2026)
2. The Guardians (2024)’s Kyle Manzardo
3. Angels, Nolan Schanuel (2024)
4. Rangers’ Abimelec Ortiz (2025)
5. Mariners’ Tyler Locklear (2024)
6. Cubs’ Matt Mervis (2024)
7. Red Sox, Blaze Jordan (2025)
8. Padres’ Nathan Martorella (2025)
9. The Blue Jays’ Spencer Horwitz (2024)
10. Cubs’ Haydn McGeary (2025)
Top 10 prospects according to position:
1/16: R.H.
1/17: LHP
1/18: C
1/19: 1B
1/22: Two B
1/33: 3B
1/24: SS
1/25: O
1/26: The top 100
Schanuel (60) was hit.
Schanuel led all Division I hitters in 2023 as a junior at Florida Atlantic in terms of batting average (.447), on-base percentage (.615), and walks (71). After the Angels selected him in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, he quickly made his way to the major leagues, leaving FAU with a career.386/.516/.698 line. In his 29 Major League appearances, he reached base in every one of those games.
Strength: Isaac (65).
Although Isaac was somewhat of a surprise pick in the first round in 2022, during his first full season of professional ball, he began to demonstrate why the Rays liked him enough to select him No. 29 overall. While playing two levels of A ball, he began to effectively utilise his huge raw pop, slugging.521 and smashing 19 home runs. With a 1.389 OPS and six home runs in his twelve games in High-A ball, he left a lasting impression.
