Now that Major League Baseball’s summer has begun, thoughts are turning to the future for everyone. That indicates the upcoming season in most cities; for others, however, it refers to the longer term, the next three to five years. As they say, you’re either selling victories or you’re selling hope. This time of year, we at CBS Sports try to give as much hope as we can by analysing the farm systems of each team.
Naturally, not every team has a farm system that is equally effective; as you will discover throughout this process, some teams fall short in that regard. That does, however, indicate that CBS Sports will be analysing the top three prospects in each organisation over the course of the next few months. Since we define “prospects” as those who will still be eligible to play as rookies in 2024, it is likely the case that a young player is absent.
These evaluations and lists come from discussions with scouts, analysts, and player development specialists. In addition, bias and direct assessment are present. Remember that ranking players is a difficult undertaking, and it’s acceptable to disagree with the rankings. These are only opinions, and they won’t actually affect anything in the future. Click this link to view our list of the top 25 winter items.
One of the best young defensive outfielders in the game, Crow-Armstrong was acquired from the Mets during the 2021 deadline in exchange for Javier Báez. He has good movement and throwing ability, and starting in 2024, he ought to be a strong candidate for a Gold Glove Award. That much is for sure. The attacking capabilities of Crow-Armstrong are less certain. As a pro, he’s learned to elevate the ball more frequently, but the price he’s paid for that knowledge is a growing strikeout rate. It’s definitely fair to compare Crow-Armstrong’s mindset to that of Harrison Bader during his Cardinals days. There are worse outcomes.
