The Toolsiest MLB Prospects In The 2020 Top 100 — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Image credit: Luis Robert (Photo by Brian Westerholt/Four Seam)

By now, you know that we’ve crowned Rays shortstop Wander Franco as the No.1 talent on our preseason Top 100 Prospect list. The route to that decision wasn’t particularly difficult—he had a fantastic season as an 18-year-old at both Class A levels and was in the top spot on each of the six ballots submitted in the initial stages of compiling the list.

There’s a difference between the best prospect and the prospect with the loudest tools. Franco isn’t the most tooled-up player in the minor leagues, but you don’t have to go far down the list to find the player who fills that role.

The toolsiest player in the minor leagues is . . . White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, the No. 2 prospect on the list and the recent recipient of a major league contract that will get him to Chicago on Opening Day and pay him up to $88 million through the 2027 season.

The 22-year-old Cuban sensation boasts five above-average or better tools, including a 55-grade hit tool, 60-grade defense and 70-grade speed, throwing arm and power. Added together, Robert has an average tool grade of 65.

Here are the 10 “toolsiest” pitchers in the Top 100 Prospects, as determined by an average of their pitch and control grades.
Player	Organization	Pos	Fastball	Curveball	Slider	Changeup	Control	Average
Jesus Luzardo	Athletics	LHP	60	55		70	60	61.25
Sixto Sanchez	Marlins	RHP	70		55	60	60	61.25
Luis Medina	Yankees	RHP	80	70		55	40	61.25
Casey Mize	Tigers	RHP	60	55	60	70	55	60
A.J. Puk	Athletics	LHP	70		70	50	50	60
Grayson Rodriguez	Orioles	RHP	70	60	55	55	60	60
Brailyn Marquez	Cubs	LHP	80		60	50	50	60
Hunter Greene	Reds	RHP	80		60	50	50	60
MacKenzie Gore	Padres	LHP	60	55	60	60	60	59
Nate Pearson	Blue Jays	RHP	80	45	60	55	55	59
And here are the 10 “toolsiest” hitters in the Top 100 Prospects, as determined by an average of their five tools.
Player	Organization	Pos	Hitting	Power	Run	Field	Arm	Average
Luis Robert	White Sox	OF	55	70	70	60	70	65
Jasson Dominguez	Yankees	OF	60	70	70	60	60	64
Cristian Pache	Braves	OF	45	60	70	70	70	63
CJ Abrams	Padres	SS	70	55	70	60	55	62
Julio Rodriguez	Mariners	OF	70	70	45	50	70	61
Jo Adell	Angels	OF	60	70	60	55	60	61
Bobby Witt Jr.	Royals	SS	55	60	60	70	60	61
Adley Rutschman	Orioles	C	70	60	40	60	70	60
Wander Franco	Rays	SS	80	60	50	55	50	59
Jarred Kelenic	Mariners	OF	70	60	55	50	60	59

That formula gives Robert the top spot by a slight margin over outfielder Jasson Dominguez, whom the Yankees gave $5.1 million—the largest bonus in franchise history for an international free agent—in the most recent international signing period.

Tools-wise, the only difference between Robert and Dominguez is that Dominguez has a tick better hit tool (60 to 55) and Robert’s throwing arm is a full grade stronger than Dominguez’s (70 to 60).

Robert is also one of just three prospects with three tools on the card that grade as 70 or better. He is joined in that club by Braves outfielder Cristian Pache (70-grade speed, defense and throwing arm), Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez (70-grade hitting, power and throwing arm)

Franco is the only player among in the minors whose hit tool projects as a true 80, which stems from his combination of sublime bat-to-ball skills (swinging-strike rate of just 4.3 percent) and plate discipline (Franco was the only player in full-season ball with more than 50 walks and 35 or fewer strikeouts).

Overall, there were just eight positions whose tools grades averaged to 60 or better: Robert, Dominguez, Pache, Rodriguez, Angels outfielder Jo Adell, Padres shortstop C.J. Abrams, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman.

Seven of those players can be found among the top 25 spots in the most recent Top 100. The only exception is Dominguez, who checked in at No. 38 before playing in an official game.

On the mound, three pitchers are tied for the toolsiest repertoire: Athletics lefthander Jesus Luzardo, Marlins righty Sixto Sanchez and Yankees righty Luis Medina. Each pitcher’s repertoire and projected control average to 61.25. Medina is the only pitcher among that trio with two 70-grade or better pitches (80 fastball, 70 curveball) but his scattershot control has muted his mix for most of his career.

Luzardo, who was traded from the Nationals to the Athletics in 2017, made his big league debut in 2019 and proved so potent that the A’s carried him on their postseaon roster for the Wild Card Game. He struck out four in three shutout innings against the Rays, giving Oakland’s fans a glimpse of the future as their 2019 season was extinguished.

Besides Luzardo, Sanchez and Medina, seven more pitchers produced an average tools grade (pitches plus control) of 60 or better: Casey Mize (Tigers), Matthew Allan (Mets), A.J. Puk (Athletics), Luis Frias (D-backs), Brailyn Marquez (Cubs), Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles) and Hunter Greene (Reds).

Puk, who should team with Luzardo in Oakland to form one of the most potentially dominant one-two punches in the big leagues, is one of just three pitchers with two or more pitches that grade as 70 or better. He joins Rays fireballer Shane Baz (70 fastball and slider) the Phillies’ Francisco Morales (70 fastball and slider) in that select group. Of that trio, only Puk—who made his big league debut in 2019—has pitched above Class A.

The title of the most tooled-up system goes to the Mariners, whose system is led by two of the game’s best prospects: outfielders Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic. Of the 49 tools among their top 10 prospects, only one—Justin Dunn’s curveball—projects as lower than a 40-grade.

For an organization with the worst farm system in baseball two years ago, that represents extraordinarily rapid improvement and should give hope to the fan base of the team with the longest playoff drought in the big leagues.