Gallo leads five Rangers prospects on Top 100 list

ARLINGTON -- Led by power-hitting third baseman Joey Gallo, the Rangers have five players listed in MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects as revealed on MLB Network on Friday night.

Gallo is ranked the highest of the Rangers' prospects at No. 9. Texas is tied for the fourth-most prospects on the list, with catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Nomar Mazara and pitchers Jake Thompson and Alex Gonzalez also making the list.

The annual ranking of baseball's Top 100 Prospects is assembled by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Watch, only includes players with rookie status in 2015. Team-by-team Top 30 Prospects lists for 2015 will be unveiled in March.

Mayo: Breaking down the Top 100 | Callis: Best tools in the Top 100

Gallo is coming off another big season in the Minor Leagues. He split time with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach and Double-A Frisco, hitting .271 with 42 home runs, 106 RBIs and a .615 slugging percentage. In 2013, Gallo hit .251 with 40 home runs, 88 RBIs and a .623 slugging percentage.

Gallo, who will be in his first Major League camp this spring, was taken with the 39th overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. The Rangers gained the pick as compensation for losing pitcher C.J. Wilson to free agency.

Video: Top Prospects: Jorge Alfaro, C, Rangers

Alfaro, who is also coming to big league camp, is the No. 45 prospect on the list. He is a standout defensive catcher who also split time between Myrtle Beach and Frisco. Alfaro, 21, hit .261 with 17 home runs, 87 RBIs and a .440 slugging percentage.

Video: Top Prospects: Nomar Mazara, OF, Rangers

Mazara is No. 54 on the list. Just 19 years old, the left-handed-hitting outfielder split his time between Class A Hickory and Frisco, batting .271 with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs and a .478 slugging percentage.

Video: Top Prospects: Jake Thompson, RHP, Rangers

Thompson, who turns 21 on Saturday and is ranked No. 83 on the list, is a right-hander acquired from the Tigers along with reliever Corey Knebel for closer Joakim Soria last July. Texas assigned him to Double-A Frisco, where he was 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA in seven games. A second-round pick out of Rockwall (Texas) Heath High School in 2012, Thompson has averaged 7.7 hits, 3.3 walks and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Video: Top Prospects: Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Rangers

Gonzalez, No. 97 on the list, was the Rangers' first-round pick in 2013 and was their Minor League Pitcher of the Year this past season. He split time between Myrtle Beach and Frisco, going 12-6 with a 2.67 ERA in 25 starts and one relief appearance.