One could make the case that Yoan Moncada, Gleyber Torres or Andrew Benintendi should be ranked as baseball's No. 1 overall prospect when MLBPipeline.com's 2017 Top 100 Prospects list is unveiled tonight (8 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com).
And that's exactly what we've done.
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We asked Pipeline's Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum to choose one of the aforementioned candidates -- the only three players on our Top 10 Prospects by Position lists with overall grades of 65 -- and explain why he deserves to be crowned MLB's best prospect.
Moncada, 2B, White Sox: The No. 1 second-base prospect made his big league debut last season but struggled in a small sample size. Still, Moncada's ceiling is high, which is why he was a key piece in the trade that sent Chris Sale from Chicago to Boston. Although he hit just .211 in eight games with the Red Sox, the 21-year-old infielder hit .294 with 52 extra-base hits in 106 games between Class A Advanced Salem and Double-A Portland.
"Moncada's tools have translated into production even though he has consistently been one of the younger regulars in his various leagues. Prorate his Minor League numbers to a 162-game season and they're pretty spectacular: .287/.395/.480 with 134 runs, 43 doubles, 20 homers, 87 RBIs, 99 walks and 81 steals," writes Callis. "He gave a national TV audience a glimpse of what he could do at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in July, when he made a nice defensive play, stole a base and hit a game-winning homer into the upper deck at Petco Park." More >
Torres, SS, Yankees: The key piece New York received from the Cubs in exchange for Albertin Chapman is just 20 years old but has already established himself as the best shortstop prospect in the game. Torres hit .270 in 125 games last season and then really improved his stock with a stellar performance in the Arizona Fall League.
"Torres may have been among the most impressive prospects ever to perform in the league. He was still only 19 and won the batting title with his .403 average, as well as MVP honors," writes Mayo. "He is the youngest player to win either in the quarter century the AFL has been in existence." More >
Benintendi, OF, Red Sox: Baseball's top outfield prospect flew through the Minors and made his Major League debut with the Red Sox last year, a little more than a year after he was selected No. 7 overall in the 2015 Draft. The 22-year-old outfielder hit .312 in 97 Minor League games last season and then hit .295 with 14 RBIs in 34 games with the Red Sox.
"Beyond his production, Benintendi stands out for his exceptional all-around tools -- which many scouts considered to be the best among college players in the 2015 Draft -- and he has no glaring weakness in his game," writes Rosenbaum. "At the plate, Benintendi has a smooth left-handed swing, an advanced feel for the strike zone and surprising pop for a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder. He batted either eighth or ninth in all but two of his games with Boston last season, though his deep offensive skillset could have him hitting toward the top or in the heart of the team's order in the coming years." More >