Sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends.
When I put out the call for MLB Pipeline Inbox questions this week, a couple of my MLB.com colleagues answered the call. We answered both of them on this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast as well, but I'm including both here as well.
But this Inbox shouldn't be all "inside baseball," so I mixed in some others from folks I don't actually work with.
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Obviously, the further you go back, the more challenging it is to find a top prospect. Someone drafted five years ago has been toiling away in the Minors for quite some time, so that one took a little more digging (especially when you add in that 2020 was the pandemic-shortened five-round Draft). But here's what I came up with:
2024: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates. This is the slam dunk, given that the No. 1 prospect in baseball hails from the first round of this Draft. Griffin, taken No. 9 overall, has answered any and all questions about his hit tool while getting to all of his others consistently while reaching Double-A at age 19 in his first full season. Next up: JJ Wetherholt.
2023: Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers. While I'll go with chalk on this one and take our No. 2 overall prospect, I did pause a little bit on this one. The No. 37 overall pick in this Draft, who received an over-slot bonus, has had a terrific all-around year (.972 OPS), even if he's faded down the stretch some. Next up would be his teammate Max Clark, our No. 9 prospect whom the Tigers took in the first round that year, and to me, there isn't that much separating the two of them.
2022: Jett Williams, SS/OF, Mets. The best players from this class have graduated, with Zach Neto currently leading it in bWAR and Roman Anthony taking off in the big leagues this year. Williams was the No. 14 overall pick in the Draft and is now No. 29 on our Top 100. A wrist injury slowed him, as he only played in 33 games in 2024, but he's in Triple-A, knocking on the door. Next up: His Mets teammate Nolan McLean, a third-round pick.
2021: Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates. He's getting his feet wet in the big leagues now for the first time, but while it might seem like Chandler, the Pirates' over-slot signing in the third round, took a while to get there, he's still only 22. Our No. 7 overall prospect began as a two-way guy and then really took off when he focused on pitching only. Next up: Andrew Painter, whose journey was halted by Tommy John surgery in 2023.
2020: Tekoah Roby, RHP, Cardinals. The higher-drafted guys who are still prospect-eligible (first-rounders like Asa Lacy and Austin Hendrick, for example) have not panned out at all. The Rangers took Roby in the third round and sent him to the Cardinals at the 2023 Trade Deadline. He was throwing well this year after shoulder issues hampered him in 2024, but he needed Tommy John surgery in July. Next up would probably be his organization-mate Tink Hence, a former Top 100 guy who has had his own issues staying on the mound.
There is no debate about Conforto's struggles in the big leagues. The veteran is hitting just .192 with a .621 OPS, resulting in -0.9 bWAR and a wRC+ of just 79. And it does raise the question my colleague asks here: Why haven't they tried someone else, as the Dodgers have never been afraid of eating some salary if it betters the team? Whether Ward is the one who should get the shot is open for debate, though.
Ward, who isn't on the Dodgers' Top 30 list, does have a serious power-hitting résumé, with 30-plus homers in each of his last two seasons. This is his third season with Triple-A Oklahoma City and, by contrast, he's produced a 132 wRC+. That's the good stuff -- he has hit enough to warrant a shot, it seems. But he is 27 years old, and you want to look under the hood a bit more. What you'll see is some startling left/right splits. Even with his big numbers this year, he's hit .209/.328/.324 against lefties. Per Synergy over his three years with OKC, he's managed just a .660 OPS vs. southpaws (vs. .909 when facing right-handers).
All that said, he still has played well enough to get a shot, especially when given the non-obstacle of Conforto, who also can't hit lefties.
Mr. Clair does amazing work looking at international baseball for us, so of course he has a question about an Australian reliever. Bidois also isn’t on his team (Pirates) Top 30, but he could be next up should the need arise. He’s now faced 64 batters without allowing a hit. The last time he allowed a knock was back on July 29, when he was still in Double-A. The promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis has done nothing to slow him down, as he’s tossed 9 2/3 hitless innings as of Friday.
Bidois, 24, goes right after hitters with a two-pitch mix: A fastball that sits 95-96 and touches more and a wipeout slider. The biggest difference for him this year has been his ability to throw strikes. He walked six per nine in 2023, five per nine last year after dealing with injuries in the early stages of his career. He doesn’t have pinpoint command, but he’s whittled that walk rate down to 4.1 per nine and has been finding the zone 64 percent of the time this season, an improved rate compared to the past. He has the chance to impact the big league bullpen next year and has the kind of confidence you want from a high-leverage reliever type.
This question was sent in before the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced, but now that they have, this becomes a little easier. I can't wait to get out there, as the AFL is typically my favorite assignment. Just getting to see that much talent at once over the course of two weeks (the time I'll be out there), in a relaxed atmosphere, is so great. We say it often, and it bears repeating, but if you are looking for a fun baseball-themed trip to take, come to the Fall League.
Now that we have rosters, I can cherry-pick who I most want to see. There are 13 Top 100 prospects heading to the desert, and you can't go wrong. But from that list, I think I want to see Alfredo Duno and Jonny Farmelo the most. Part of the reason is that I oversee both of those organizations (Reds and Mariners) in terms of Top 30 lists. But neither has played above A ball, with Duno a catcher who is only 19 and Farmelo, 21, having put a serious knee injury in his rearview but then dealing with a rib stress reaction this year. His raw tools are off the chart.