Corey Seager is the best prospect still playing in the minor leagues, according to a new report. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Staff photographer)
All of the best prospects in baseball — Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Francisco Lindor, Noah Syndergaard, Joc Pederson, et. al. — have been recalled to the major leagues. That can only mean one thing: prospect watching is dead and gone forever. There are no more prospects. We can all just enjoy Major League Baseball games now and not bother ourselves with the future, when certain kids will be called up, etc.
Wait, that’s not what what means.
The Dodgers’ Corey Seager and Julio Urias are the two best prospects playing in the minor leagues today, according to SportsIllustrated.com. From Cliff Corcoran’s report:
1. Corey Seager, SS, Dodgers
Seager is the easiest choice here, and he’s also one of the few elite prospects remaining in the minors who may yet make his major league debut this season before the expansion of rosters in September. Ranked No. 5 prior to the season by BA and No. 7 by BP and MLB.com, Seager hit .375/.407/.675 in 20 games at Double A before being promoted to Triple A in May. He got off to a bit of a slow start at his new level, but since cracking two home runs on May 25, he has hit .375/.446/.688 in 16 games.
The little brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle, Corey is just 21, but with the Super Two deadline likely passed and Jimmy Rollins hitting a brutal .199/.260/.336, including 4-for-his-last 35 (.114), the only thing keeping him in the minors at this point is the 3 1/2-game lead the Dodgers have in the NL West.
2. Julio Urias, LHP, Dodgers
Seager, Urias and Nationals righty Lucas Giolito are the only three players left in the minors to have made the top 10 on all of three of the preseason lists mentioned above. Urias, a lefthander, was ranked No. 8 by MLB.com and No. 10 by BA and BP. That was lower than Giolito on all three lists, but Urias ranks higher here because, at 18, he is two full years younger than Giolito, he has reached a higher level (Double A), and he has excelled at that higher level, posting career bests in strikeouts per nine (11.5), walks per nine (2.2), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.11) and WHIP (0.94).
Urias had elective surgery at the end of May to remove a benign mass that caused his left eyelid to droop and is expected to miss the entire month of June as a result, but that shouldn’t impact his ranking. If anything, having the eye fixed will remove the one concern that existed about him, while the time off will serve to limit his innings and temper the temptation to expedite him to the majors.
