Evaluating The Best Prospects In 2021 Bowman Chrome Prospect rankings are based on scouting grades and narrative reports for each player. Above average to plus hit tool with a strong plate approach is brought down by the rest of his average-ish tools. The main concern is command and control along with an inconsistent feel for his secondaries. Adrian Del Castillo - C (Diamondbacks, 1st Base and Auto, 67/52) - Was widely considered a top 10 pick prior to the season, Del Castillo had a tough 2021 with the University of Miami and continued that trend in Low A ball for the Diamondbacks after they made him a 2nd round pick. Not much power to speak of at the moment and an above-average hit tool with decent feel at the plate where he will take a walk and wont chase. Was a shortstop (and a decent pitcher as well) in the prep ranks, but likely ends up at 2B in the pros given his height (5'9"). Hit tool is his best asset with the bat but will have some unexpected power - at the moment it's mostly doubles gap power. His fastball sits mid-90s but will lose velocity pretty quickly during his outings. My concern is that House could easily end up a sub-.250 hitter even if he does end up with 30+ bombs regularly, and that isn't in the elite category in today's game, let alone perennial all-star. Prices are updated daily based upon 2021 Bowman listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Fastball is mid-90's topping out at 98 with some noticeable run on occasion. Solid player, but no carrying tools. 2021 Bowman - Chrome Prospects. Without it, he has significant reliever risk. Combine all of this with his high draft stock and it's an easy Tier 2 call making him my top pitcher in the product. If he can figure that out, he gets a lot more interesting as his plus power now becomes dangerous, something we like to see in the hobby. Has shown a bit of hit tool regression in the spring and at the Complex as he was once considered the top prep catcher in the class and a 1st rounder. He also has a developing changeup that has been tagged as above average at the moment but with potential for more. Max Ferguson - 2B (Padres, 1st Auto only, 160/171) - The Padres 5th round selection out of the University of Tennessee had a tough final season in Knoxville that saw him sell out for pull-side power which ended up significantly impacting his strong batting average of past seasons. What I did see was a huge amount of swing and miss and any contact made was all weak. He spent the 2015 season back with Las Vegas, where he pitched to a 7-16 record and 5.53 ERA. Development project that could land either in the rotation or the bullpen. Decent approach, decent hit tool, could show some power, but nothing really to get excited about. A lot of the strikeouts I saw were of the called strike variety rather than the more desirable swing and miss variety. With just two pitches and some injury history, the relief risk is real. Lots of raw stuff with big spin to get excited about lead by a mid-90's fastball and a swing and miss slider when he has it working. For now, a backend rotation role is the most likely outcome, but physically their is potential for a solid mid-rotation arm. Tier 2 without a doubt and someone I look forward to watching develop. Features a mid 90s fastball and a 12-6 knuckle curve. His curveball is plus and his best pitch. He didn't get a hit, but he actually had the best contact of all of the A's facing Bachman with a sharply hit ground ball to the pull side that he was thrown out on. Seemed like the biggest challenge with Panzini is the command of his secondaries, and even his fastball in some of the Circuit tape I watched. If Brown had landed in a strong pitching development organization like Cleveland or the Dodgers, I would feel like he should be slotted towards the top of Tier 3 with some thoughts about Tier 2. An athletic and muscular frame that shines in the exit velocity and xwOBA metrics along with expected Hobby interest gives him consideration for Tier One. His third pitch is a hard 12-6 slider without a ton of break that he will keep low but won't throw that often. No current bullpen risk as the expectation is that he'll be able to stick as a starting pitcher. Strong plate approach but average hit tool and maybe a chip in steal here or there sums up the rest of the offensive package. Hopefully, Painter doesn't snatch the ball away from me at the last moment and make me regret putting him up this high. Nice contact skills where he is comfortable putting the ball in play all over the field with his power tending towards the pull side. Click on a Card detail page to see historic prices and values for all different grades. Saw quite a few Florida preps swinging and missing at both his fastball as well as the slider. 2021 Bowman Draft Marcelo Mayer 1st Prospect #BD-174 Red Sox PSA 10 GEM (19) $12.50 + $4.75 shipping. There is likely above average pop when he gets to the big leagues while hitting for a decent average, but has the classic left-hander approach where they prefer the ball down and struggle with pitches up in the zone. Frank Mozzicato - LHP (Royals, 1st Base and Auto, 7/49) - The biggest surprise in the top ten overall picks and perhaps the entire first round was the Royals taking Mozzicato at 7th overall. Tier 2 - Bats that may lack in a certain area such as top-end power, three true outcomes players, maybe great real life/fantasy players, but not hobby-elite, or tantalizing raw talents. Had some command issues and got touched up a bit on the circuit, but righted the ship in the spring and got a ton of strikeouts. I expect this to continue this year with no retail formats. Jackson Wolf - LHP (Padres, 1st Base only, 129/475) - The 4th year Senior left-hander out of West Virginia was a starter in college but projects more as a bullpen arm. Carson Williams - SS (Rays, 1st Base and Auto, 28/47) - A helium prep shortstop out of the San Diego area that was more seen as a pitching prospect until his bat started to come around in his Senior season. There will likely be some in the hobby taking a shot just for that most unlikeliest of outcomes. Has a very patient approach and the willingness to take the base on balls. Second base is his likely home, but the Rays are known to be creative and I wouldn't be surprised to see Kinney end up playing a multitude of positions to be able to get his bat regularly into games. A tough Tier 4 choice as I don't see any standout tools but he absolutely raked in 2021 at Texas Tech. Tier 3 - May have some hobby interest due to a single factor such as prospect pedigree, team interest, general hobby hype, an interesting carrying tool, etc. He is mostly viewed as a reliever and that limits his hobby interest to Tier None until further notice. Set Links - Overview - Checklist - Teams - Errors / Variations - Hall of Famers . Benny Montgomery - OF (Rockies, 1st Base and Auto, 8/20) - Montgomery is that rare player where the sky is the limit, and the only thing limiting that will be his hit tool. Configuration: 10 cards per pack. Collect the entire 200-card Base Card set, featuring some of the top new names you need to know from the 2021 MLB Draft! Top prospect Mayer draws parallels to former Red Sox star. Hit tool may only be above average at peak depending on how much he focuses on power over hit. Fills up the zone and gets a lot of strikeouts. He'll also throw an average slider and changeup, but I rarely saw it in the starts I watched. In other words, there is a lot of work to be done with his secondaries. An uptick in velocity topping out at 98 for his fastball and significantly improved command that lead the nation in K/9 were the primary drivers of this. What we know is that the Braves still intend to develop him as a starting pitcher and has the potential to be a back end rotation piece with a mid-90s fastball, a low 80s slider, and an effective changeup. Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Baseball Sports Trading Cards, 20 Size MLB Posters, 20 Size MLB Banners, 20 Size MLB Signs, 20 Size . The new Lite configurations in 2021 for previous products have had exclusive Black & White Mini Diamond refractors, so this will be the first time we see a RayWave refractor. Ricky Tiedemann - LHP (Blue Jays, 1st Base and Auto, 91/91) - Left-handed pitching prospect that we didn't get to see much of before the draft but apparently took an uptick in dev during instructs. He was a more than competent shortstop in college, but for now, that isn't in the cards. Slider with decent bite is the third pitch in the arsenal that I saw get a fair amount of swing and misses on the 2020 circuit. Taking a look at video from the Circuit was a bit of a concern, especially hitting from the left-hand side. A bottom of Tier 2 guy for me, but it's a bit like Lucy putting the football down again and asking me to kick the ball. With the inherent risk of prep righty profiles, he goes into the bucket of similar profiles in Tier None with a firm "watch list" designation. Watching a start of his in Low A and it was swing and miss after swing and miss on his fastball. 2023 Top 200 Draft Prospects 2023 Top 100 College Prospects . A utility infielder, strong side platoon floor with an outside shot as an everyday regular. Throws high 90s heat with two plus breaking balls in a slider and a changeup. It is the gold standard and what I am going to focus on as the main attraction. I've seen him smoke balls, but the power is a lesser part of his game and is more gap-oriented than over the fence. Ja'Marr Chase - WR, LSU (2021) Justin Fields - QB, Ohio State (2021) Trevor Lawrence - QB, Clemson (2021) A common misconception about the NFL Draft is that the college and pro games are very similar. 4 for being the 4th overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft and 1 for his ranking in our Top 600. 96 on Baseball America's Top 500 draft prospects list entering the 2020 draft, so it looked like a reach when the Red Sox took him 17th overall. I've liked the video of him when I put it on of his Low A games, often taking what the pitcher gives him and hitting to all fields, but I have also seen a bit more swing and miss than I would like. While he spins the fastball, it's not as effective as one would think, and his tall, lanky frame (6'5") has mechanical/delivery concerns. He'll be a Tier None player for me until we see which way his development path trends towards. Some people think so given his exit velocity numbers, but a more lofted swing path is likely needed and that may not be worth a potential ding to his high-end hit tool. Double plus with some elite characteristics hitting 98 and averaging 96. That potentially becomes a problem with his biggest negative is his lack of power at the moment with bottom tier max velo numbers - not great when power is one of the bigger pre-requisites for first base. Dominic Hamel - RHP (Mets, 1st Base and Auto, 81/193) - Mets 3rd round right-hander out of Dallas Baptist has the analytical data on his pitches to backup being a potential mid-rotation starter. I'll drop him into the top of Tier None for now. 24 packs per box. Jordan Viars - OF (Phillies, 1st Base and Auto, 84/600) - The Texas prep lefty bat has a man's body at a young age and a pretty swing to go with it. Slider is the out pitch. If he does that, he easily jumps into Tier 2. When he did get it put where the catcher wanted it, he did seem to get a fair amount of swing and misses. The left-hander is a fit in either role as his pitches tunnel well, he fills up the zones and he gets strikeouts while limiting walks. The second new parallel is exclusive to the Lite boxes and is the Black & White RayWave refractor. Chase Petty - RHP (Twins, 1st Base and Auto, 26/22) - While Jobe is the best prep pitcher in the draft, Chase Petty may be the most electric. Micah Ottenbreit - RHP (Phillies, 1st Base and Auto, 114/155) - Lanky prep right-hander standing 6'4" that looks like a back-end starter that will need a lot of development work to get there. Draft. I caught a few glimpses of a 12-6 curveball that mostly he didn't finish leaving it up high. Update June 2021: Wander has arrived. I seriously went back and forth here on which side of the fence to put Zavala because I like the offensive profile quite a bit. Has a plus fastball in the mid-90s and a double plus slider with elite spin rates that was the best slider in the draft and in contention for best pitch period in all of the draft. under Zaidi. His curve is probably his best pitch, but all of them are in the average realm. A top half of Tier None guy but with the Dodger development magic, I wouldn't be surprised if he belongs in Tier 3 as soon as next year. Total Cards: 150. Anthony Solometo - LHP (Pirates, 1st Auto only, 37/34) - Player comps are hard and often wrong which is why I try to stay away from them as much as possible. Hobby lottery tickets where the odds are stacked against you. He does relatively well in our RoboScout rankings (Patreon $10 exclusive) with a plus power tool and a swing geared for loft. I've seen some higher on Kudrna than Mozzicato and I wouldn't argue too much against it, but I'd rather bet on the lefty over the righty. At his best, he is probably more of a hit-over-power second baseman or center fielder with plus speed and a strong on-base approach. The big draw here is the fact that this represents some of the. As an example, imagine if you were a big believer in Mike Trout before he took his first professional at-bat. I am taking the upside play here with Allen and placing him in my Tier 2 group. Mostly average tools on the offensive side of the equation. This will include autos from the Black and White RayWave subset, a 1/1 offering. The opening Bowman checklist of the season is a fairly strong one. This is a classic Tier None profile with very little to interest the hobby. McCade Brown - RHP (Rockies, 1st Base and Auto, 79/94) - The Rockies third-round pick is the epitome of one of the major archetypes of the Tier 3 pitcher - upside with physical projection and potential plus pitches that should equal a mid-rotation starter or better but lacking command and control to harness those talents. Another watchlist guy to see if that patience and power materialize to push him out of Tier None. A right-handed prep pitcher out of Pennsylvania had a tough guy in the All-Star circuit in 2020, but came back strong in the spring. Mostly wants to get the ball in play and run which can find some success, but isn't going to drive much hobby interest. Lacking any further info, I am going to stick him in Tier None and make a point to get more looks at him in 2022 to see if there is a reason he didn't make it into the Prospects Live top 600 draft prospects pre-draft but was taken in the 4th round by the Diamondbacks besides getting a savings of almost $200K. Low 90s velocity on his fastball currently that will need to see an uptick. Instead, he lands in a place where the deck is stacked against him and I am having thoughts of pushing him down into Tier None. Low to mid 90s fastball with velocity with a variety of secondaries that he throws with confidence and tunnels well. The slider is best when it is more of a 12-6 with glove side bite as it seems to tunnel better, but it can get sweepy as well. 6'3" and 190 pounds indicates that there is room to add good muscle to his frame and tick his velocity up from low 90s to mid 90s. Ben Casparius - RHP (Dodgers, 1st Auto only, 162/187) - Solid back-end rotation guy. Bubba Chandler - RHP/SS (Pirates, 1st Base and Auto, 72/182) - The prep two-sport star was signed to a huge overslot deal to take him away from his Clemson football commitment as a star prep quarterback. Fastball velocity is only low 90s but he pairs that well with the curveball and commands it much better than other higher velocity arms. The only question is if Cowser will ever work 20+ home runs into his game. Robert Gasser - LHP (Padres, 1st Base and Auto, 71/108) - The left-hander out of the University of Houston was the Padres Comp B round pick which was evidence of his hard work he has put in to build up from an uninteresting relief arm that's bounced through a couple of stops to a potential back end of the rotation starter. Tier None with a watch label to see if he can tick up the velocity in-game and get more swing and miss when he starts getting pro innings under his belt. Like Rutschman, Torkelson was also a number 1 draft pick. Most of your favorite team's first round picks are also in here - Colton Cowser, Frank Mozzicato, Sal Frelick, Gunnar Hoglund, etc. It looked decent and he threw a lot of strikes, but I didn't see anything special that would push him out of the Tier None conversation for now. He starts with an open-face stance and seemed to really sell out for power with a very unbalanced finish. Colton Cowser - OF (Orioles, 1st Base and Auto, 5/12) - The 5th overall pick has a double plus hit tool and plate approach that constantly delivers the barrel to the ball. International. January 15, 2023. Top 20 Prospects on the 2021 Bowman Draft Checklist! Free shipping for many products! His splits at the complex appear to back up what I am seeing, hitting both of his home runs from the left-hand side while hitting for better average from the right-hand side. Love his approach and plate skills as he works counts, fouls balls off, and takes the walk. Tyler McDonough - 2B/OF (Red Sox, 1st Base and Auto, 75/207) - No real standout tools but no real deficiencies either. Has plus power with a really pretty right handed swing when he gets a hold of one. Matt Mikulski - LHP (Giants, 1st Base and Auto, 50/51) - The lefty arm from Fordham took a huge leap from undrafted in 2020 to be the Giants second rounder in 2021. But back in reality land, Hill had UCL issues as a college freshman and after 29 innings in his 2021 Junior season, had to call it a season and go under the knife for Tommy John surgery. He's got an inverted front leg batting stance that just looks uncomfortable and I wonder over time if that has to be adjusted simply due to the wear and tear on catcher's knees and ankles. A real steady Eddie type that will eat innings for the Angels in the future. More than likely a table setting second division regular outcome. Anyways, mostly a back-end starter looks with some bullpen risk if he can't get the slider to be more consistent. Watching some video and he was regularly missing location. These include autographed cards for guys like Julio Rodriguez, Spencer Torkelson, Marco Luciano, Jasson Dominguez, Luis Rodriguez, Blaze Jordan, and Yoelqui Cespedes. Tier None slotting with an outside chance of ticking up to Tier 3. Cooper Bowman - 2B (Yankees, 1st Base only, 122/186) - If you haven't heard them already, get ready to hear them regularly as every breaker and collector who hits a Cooper Bowman card will squeeze whatever jokes are possible out of him being in a Bowman product. Low floor given all of the x-factors, but super high ceiling of an SP2 will have me push him into Tier 3. Wander Franco - Tampa Bay Rays, SS. 2021 Bowman Draft Baseball Set comes in Paper and Chrome versions with multiple parallels for each and features the top picks and prospects all collectors will be hunting! Didn't see him throw the changeup much, but that is what will determine if he is just an up and down starter or simply org depth as a backend starter. 32 cards per pack. I can squint and see it as well, but I am taking the easy way out and putting him in Tier None as a high-risk prep right-hander that needs to get an effective third pitch before climbing up the Tier rankings. Would like to see if that is a consistent thing and perhaps an adjustment can be made or if that was just the short video I saw. Additional fastball velocity and/or increased development of his other secondaries will cement his big league status and I am betting on the Brewers dev org to do just that. Super Jumbo Hobby box - guarantees 5 autos and is roughly $600 pre-sale per box. Edwin Arroyo - SS (Mariners, 1st Base only, 48/78) - The Mariners 2nd round pick was one of the youngest players in the draft which translates to a lot of raw potential yet to come. Matheu Nelson - C (Reds, 1st Base and Auto, 35/57) - Nelson shot up draft boards in 2021 after a huge season at Florida State which led to his selection by the Reds in the Comp A round at 35th overall. 2021 Bowman - Prospects. Mid-rotation starter ceiling, but definite bullpen risk with his older prep arm that was command challenged. Jay Allen - OF (Reds, 1st Base and Auto, 30/38) - Super athletic three-sport star from the Florida prep ranks who passed up a scholarship offer to play baseball and football at the University of Florida has all the potential. A top 50 guy at the Complex level in our RoboScout, I am putting him into the bottom of Tier 3 because of the strong floor and the upside to develop offensively as he grows into his body. His main secondary go to was a hard and tight breaker that looked like a slider although I've also seen it referred to as a curve. Plenty of pitchers, catchers, role players, hit tool only bats, defense-first players, etc. Catchers do make it difficult to push into Tier 1 though, and Adley is the only one in recent memory that probably deserved that Tier ranking. 2019 Bowman Chrome PSA 10 x3. Outside of the 1st Bowman prospects above, you will also get plenty of base and autos from non-1st Bowman prospects. He's a switch hitter and the video from the Complex is already promising with what the Mariners are doing. The third-rounder out of NC State has a good floor but not really a high ceiling with the most likely outcome of a utility player that can play a majority of the positions on the diamond. Michael Morales - RHP (Mariners, 1st Base and Auto, 83/130) - The Vanderbilt commit took an overslot deal to break that commitment as it is one of the harder colleges to get guys away from. The Invicta insert is another new one that tries to portray a high-end, classy feel, but looks boring and is a miss for me. At this point it seems all but certain 2022 will be his rookie season. Athletic and prototypical starting pitcher size at 6'4" and 245 pounds, he was a 3-star quarterback recruit coming out of high school. Has a low 90s fastball that can get up to 95 in-game, but mostly lives in the 90 to 93 range. 2021 Baseball America's Top Prospects features the future phenoms of baseball. Never going to steal bases is probably the biggest negative. Ryan Spikes - SS/2B (Rays, 1st Base and Auto, 100/104) - No elite tools but also no real skill deficiencies for the Georgia prep infielder. The prep righty out of Baltimore was an overslot sign with a low 90s fastball, 12-6 curveball, and a developing changeup. Chase Field to host 2023 MLB Draft Combine in June. He's more of a control guy that looks to induce weak contact rather than a swing and miss guy you saw getting off the bus. At present, he is average to above average across the board, but he is by no means a finished product. A top 50 player in our Data Driven Top 500, he should be able hit, run, and put the ball over the fence. Will have to see more velocity and his secondaries get to the next level before he gets considered for Tier 3. Hill is truly a low-floor high ceiling player here - injury concerns and one of the worst orgs to develop in and big league parks to call home but with serious front-line stuff potential. Most of the big names are in here - Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, Brady House, Henry Davis. He did improve on his strikeouts in 2021, but I see that more as plus control taking advantage of college bats. Was lacking a lot of command and control in some looks, at others he was a zone pounder. Super athletic with plus speed - love seeing him motor around the bases as it just looks like he is moving fast.