Top farm systems: Corner infielders

June 25th, 2020

We kicked off our series of a deeper dive into all 30 farm systems by ranking the top organizations at catcher. Now it’s time to move to the corner-infield positions.

Below are our top 10 rankings of the systems with the best corner infielders, with the top such prospect for each organization in parentheses. We're operating under the assumption that all players selected in the 2020 Draft will sign pro contracts.

1. Tigers (Spencer Torkelson)
Getting the No. 1 pick in the Draft, who happens to be one of the best amateur hitters scouts have seen in nearly two decades, certainly helps the Tigers vault close to the top. The fact they already had Isaac Paredes (No. 5) along with Nick Quintana (No. 21) and Andre Lipcius (24) in their Top 30 and added Torkelson’s Arizona State teammate Gage Workman and high schooler Colt Keith in the Draft pushes them up to the No. 1 spot.

2. White Sox (Andrew Vaughn)
Vaughn was the No. 3 pick in the 2019 Draft and is currently No. 16 on our Top 100 and has similar hit and power tools to Torkelson at first base. Chicago also has Gavin Sheets, who started tapping into his power in 2019, at No. 11 and Jake Burger, who hasn’t played since 2017, at No. 15, but it’s really Vaughn’s offensive profile that lands them here.

3. Cardinals (Nolan Gorman)
The Cardinals had success in taking a high school third baseman in the first round of the 2018 Draft when they took Gorman, who is now No. 47 on the Top 100 list and hit 32 homers across 1 1/2 seasons. They’re hoping they strike gold again with their 2020 first-rounder Jordan Walker (No. 21 overall). They also have Elehuris Montero and Malcom Nunez in their Top 30.

4. D-backs (Seth Beer)
Arizona comes in at No. 4 more because of depth than elite-level talent, though Beer is No. 5 on our Top 10 first basemen list. The D-backs have two other 1B on their Top 30 in Pavin Smith and Kevin Cron, along with third baseman Tristin English. Another power bat will be added when 2020 fourth-round pick A.J. Vukovich joins the organization.

5. Rangers (Josh Jung)
The Rangers’ crop is led by Jung, their first-round pick in 2019, who is currently No. 55 on our Top 100. There’s some interesting depth behind him with Sherten Apostel, acquired from the Pirates in August 2018 in the Keone Kela deal, at No. 10 on their Top 30 and another 2019 draftee, Davis Wendzel, coming in at No. 11.

6. Dodgers (Kody Hoese)
Hoese, the Dodgers’ first first-round pick in 2019, currently sits at No. 10 on our Top 10 3B Prospects list with the chance to have an excellent power profile for the hot corner. Miguel Vargas (No. 15) and Edwin Rios (No. 18) give this deep system some options at the corners for the future.

7. Pirates (Ke’Bryan Hayes)
Hayes, the Pirates’ second first-round pick in 2015 and the son of former big league third baseman Charlie, is No. 41 on the Top 100 and No. 2 on the Top 10 3B list. The Pirates’ No. 2 prospect has Gold Glove potential, should hit for average and is just about ready for the Majors. There’s multiple corner infielders behind Hayes on the Pirates’ Top 30 as well (Mason Martin, Will Craig, Alexander Mojica and Jared Triolo).

8. Indians (Nolan Jones)
Not only do the Indians have Jones, currently No. 42 on the Top 100 and No. 1 on the Indians list (not to mention No. 3 on the Top 10 3B list), they also have the power bat of Bobby Bradley, the No. 7 1B prospect who is No. 12 on the team’s Top 30.

9. Red Sox (Triston Casas)
Casas and his power were taken in the first round of the 2018 Draft (No. 26 overall) and is currently No. 77 on the Top 100, No. 2 on the Red Sox Top 30 and No. 3 on the Top 10 1B list. Bobby Dalbec narrowly missed our Top 100 and is No. 3 on the team’s Top 30 and ranks as our No. 7 3B prospect. Boston added a lot more power by taking Blaze Jordan, he of the many high school home run derby victories, in the third round.

10. Mets (Brett Baty)
The Mets nabbed Baty, currently ranked No. 93 on the Top 100, No. 4 on the Mets’ Top 30 and No. 6 on the Top 10 3B list, in the first round of the 2019 Draft. They also have Mark Vientos at No. 6 on their Top 30 and Jaylen Palmer’s power potential at No. 21.