Ranking the best prospects who were traded

The Astros' acquisition of Scott Kazmir last Thursday kicked off a trading frenzy that didn't abate until the Deadline for deals without waivers came at 4 p.m. ET Friday. By our count, there were 32 different transactions involving a total of 57 prospects.

Plenty of words have been written about how the big leaguers will improve their new teams' postseason chances, but not nearly as many about how the prospects will help their new clubs rebuild. Who were the best phenoms who changed addresses in the past eight days? We'll rank the top 20:

1. Daniel Norris, LHP, Tigers (from Blue Jays in David Price trade)
Detroit parted with an ace left-hander in the present to get one for the future (not to mention two more intriguing southpaws in polished Matt Boyd and live-armed Jairo Labourt). Norris just needs to fine-tune his control, because his fastball and slider can be well above-average pitches and his changeup shows flashes of becoming a plus offering.

2. Brett Phillips, OF, Brewers (from Astros in Carlos Gomez /Mike Fiers trade)
Houston parted with its best trade-eligible prospect -- shortstop Alex Bregman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, can't go anywhere until after the World Series -- to upgrade center field and the back of its rotation. Phillips could have 55 or better tools across the board on the 20-80 scouting scale, profiling as a center fielder who could hit .280 with 20 homers and as many steals annually while erasing baserunners with his cannon arm.

3. Jose Peraza, 2B, Dodgers (from Braves in three-team Mat Latos trade)
Los Angeles came out the best in the 13-player deal with Atlanta and Miami, getting big league help in Latos, Alex Wood, Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson plus the best prospect involved in Peraza. He's a speedster who excels at making contact at the plate, and he's capable of playing second base, center field and possibly even shortstop.

4. Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Rockies (from Blue Jays in Troy Tulowitzki trade)
A candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2014 Draft before he required Tommy John surgery, Hoffman has come back quickly and strong since having his elbow reconstructed 15 months ago. He has run his fastball up to 98 mph, his curveball can be just as overpowering, his changeup is a solid third offering and his control hasn't suffered either.

5. Jake Thompson, RHP, Phillies (from Rangers in Cole Hamels trade)
The best of three MLBPipeline.com Top 100 Prospects Philadelphia got for Hamels, he also was part of a Deadline-week deal that sent Joakim Soria to Detroit 12 months earlier. With one of the better sliders in the Minors and a hard 90-95 mph sinker, Thompson has the upside of a No. 2 starter.

Video: Phils acquire five exceptional prospects for Hamels

6. Nick Williams, OF, Phillies (from Rangers in Hamels trade)
Coming into 2015, he was known for his lightning-fast bat and his penchant for swinging at just about any pitch, regardless of type or location. Williams still has as much bat speed as anyone in the Minors and has made impressive strides with his plate discipline, so he could wind up providing solid-or-better hitting ability, power, speed and corner-outfield defense.

7. Jorge Alfaro, C, Phillies (from Rangers in Hamels trade)
More superlatives for prospects going from Texas to Philadelphia: Alfaro is the best catching prospect currently in the Minors, and few backstops -- even those in the Majors -- can match his combination of raw power and arm strength. He still has a lot of refinements to make to his hitting and receiving, and he won't play again this season following ankle surgery in June, but his ceiling is huge.

8. Domingo Santana, OF, Brewers (from Astros in Gomez/Fiers trade) A veteran of Deadline deals after getting included in the Hunter Pence trade with the Phillies four years ago, Santana could be a solid big league regular if he makes enough contact at the plate. His plus power and arm strength fit the right-field profile.

9. Rob Kaminsky, LHP, Indians (from Cardinals in Brandon Moss trade)
How Cleveland stole a potential No. 3 starter for a one-tool player having the worst season of his big league career remains a mystery. Kaminsky has an out pitch in his sharp downer curveball, can reach 95 mph with his fastball, owns a promising changeup and fills the strike zone.

Video: Indians land prospect Kaminsky in exchange for Moss

10. Keury Mella, RHP, Reds (from Giants in Mike Leake trade)
He may be the lone non-Top 100 guy on this list, but he just missed the cut and was San Francisco's top prospect. Mella has a lively 93-97 mph fastball, a power curveball and a promising changeup and he throws a lot of strikes, giving him the ceiling of a frontline starter.

Best of the rest
11. Sean Manaea, LHP, Athletics (from Royals in Ben Zobrist trade)
12. Jacob Nottingham, C, Athletics (from Astros in Scott Kazmir trade)
13. Miguel Castro, RHP, Rockies (from Blue Jays in Tulowitzki trade)
14. Michael Fulmer, RHP, Tigers (from Mets in Yoenis Cespedes trade)
15. Cody Reed, LHP, Reds (from Royals in Johnny Cueto trade)
16. Zach Bird, RHP, Braves (from Dodgers in three-team Latos trade)
17. Matt Boyd, LHP, Tigers (from Blue Jays in Price trade)
18. Casey Meisner, RHP, Athletics (from Mets in Tyler Clippard trade)
19. Zach Davies, RHP, Brewers (from Orioles in Gerardo Parra trade)
20. Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers (from Astros in Gomez/Fiers trade)