6 club-related prospect resolutions for 2023 season

Parent big league organizations, much like the fan bases that make them up, have their New Year’s resolutions. While front offices may not actualize them with pen and paper, that’s what we’re here for. (Albeit with fonts and keyboards.)

On the inaugural edition of the 2023 The Show Before the Show, the official podcast of MiLB.com, our Sam Dykstra and Tyler Maun sat down to discuss club-related prospect resolutions for one team in each of the six Major League divisions.

Featured below is some of the analysis that you can find this week:

Nationals resolution: To have a Top 5 system at end of year

Washington hit the reset button last summer when it moved Juan Soto in a blockbuster deal to San Diego that simultaneously ushered in a wave of young talent. While former top prospects CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore have moved on from the Minors ranks, current phenoms Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana join an impressive crop.

Aside from the trade market, the Nationals have landed top-tier players in the Draft over the past three seasons with Cade Cavalli, Brady House and Elijah Green all earning Top 100 prospects discussion.

Dykstra was succinct in his 2023 hopes for Washington:

“Get a Top 5 system. Win the Draft. Win in development. See where things stand at the end of the year.”

Cardinals resolution: Jordan Walker is too good to be held down

At this time last year, Walker had yet to play a position other than third base or take an at-bat above High-A. Fast forward 365 days and he has emerged as a veritable “can’t miss” talent, even as he continues to learn the outfield.

“He very well could be this year’s Julio Rodríguez,” Dykstra said. “Jordan Walker, at his ceiling, is currently better than anybody [the Cardinals] have playing the grass. If you’re the Cardinals and you want to take that division, let Jordan Walker cook. Put him in that lineup, the power is going to play.”

Graded as having plus-plus power, Walker is coming off a year in which he posted a .510 slugging percentage across 119 games at Double-A and then continued to mash his way through the Arizona Fall League. But he’s far from a one-tool talent.

“If the spring goes as expected for Jordan Walker, put him on the Opening Day roster,” Dykstra said. “The reason they sent him to the AFL … was to experience the outfield more. And guess what? He had one of the best -- if not the best -- arms in the AFL this year. The arm plays. There’s a rivalry between him and [Cardinals No. 2 prospect] Masyn Winn for who has the strongest arm and Masyn Winn has arguably the strongest arm in all of baseball outside of pitching.”

D-backs resolution: Have Druw Jones be healthy

The son of 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones, Druw hit an immediate speed bump before he ever took the field for his first pro action. A freak accident during batting practice necessitated shoulder surgery, wiping out a potential affiliate debut before it could get off the ground.

Arizona remains entirely confident that Jones will make a full recovery, leaving the 19-year-old open to what many believe is near limitless potential. Taken with the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Jones is already ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline. But if all goes well, that’s merely just beginning to scratch the surface.

“If all of his tools play, there’s a decent chance that at the end of the year, he is a candidate at least to be the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball,” Dykstra said. “It’s plus-plus speed, plus-plus fielding tools -- he might be the second he steps onto the outfield grass one of the best defenders in all of Minor League Baseball.”

Orioles resolution: Don’t be afraid to let top prospects lead the way

After years of high Draft selections, Baltimore appears ready to reap the fruits of its labor. With Adley Rutschman immediately entering the conversation as best catcher in the game after just one season, and Gunnar Henderson impressing in spades during his debut while winning MLB Pipeline Hitter of the Year honors, there remains one key cog still yet to step between the white lines at Oriole Park:

Grayson Rodriguez.

“If Grayson Rodriguez looks like Grayson Rodriguez in Spring Training, let him be on your Opening Day roster,” Maun said.

The highest-ranked pitching prospect in baseball seemed destined for a big league call before he sustained a Grade 2 right lat strain that put him on the injured list last summer. A late return to action remained on the table, but the organization erred on the side of caution with a hurler who has combined for 270 strikeouts over 178 2/3 innings over the past two seasons.

“There are so many bright pieces in Baltimore in that system, some of the frustration over this offseason was: ‘Why aren’t the Orioles doing more to try to bring in something?’ Well, you’ve got some really exciting pieces that you’ll be bringing up,” Maun said. “There’s a lot of really exciting stuff going on in Baltimore.”

Guardians resolution: Health for Daniel Espino

Heralded as the most electric pitching prospect in the game when healthy, Espino was limited to just four starts and 18 1/3 innings last year due to multiple injuries. His fastball touches triple digits and his slider has sat in the low-90s at times, making him something of a pitching unicorn.

The consensus to begin last year was that Espino wasn’t far away from a big league callup. While it remains unclear how Cleveland will proceed with their prized Panamanian righty in 2023, getting him back on track toward his full potential is paramount.

“I would love to see him get 120 innings,” Dykstra said. “I would also love to see some of those innings come in the Major Leagues, which I think is definitely possible for him in the second half."

Athletics resolution: See growth from prospects

Oakland undoubtedly ushered in a new future during 2022, moving on from multiple franchise stalwarts from the past decade. With those departures came both opportunity for younger players and an influx of talent that could serve as the watershed moment for the A’s next nucleus.

“There’s a lot in that system that you can really like,” Maun said. “Even the mid-range prospects in the A’s system carry a lot of promise,” as he went on to cite J.T. Ginn, the club’s No. 12 prospect, as a potential impact piece that would be ranked even higher on another organization’s list.

While catching depth set the tone among the club’s 2022 Organization All-Stars, there are a plethora of young players who could provide hope that ‘24 and beyond could be brighter days for the A’s.