10 Most Talented Minor League Baseball Teams For 2024
Image credit: (Photo by Eddie Kelly)
Now that every full-season affiliated minor league is in action, here’s a look at the 10 most talented teams in the minors at the start of the 2024 season. Teams are evaluated purely on prospect status for active players–players on the injured list are not considered for these rankings.
Top 100 Prospects
We updated our Top 100 Prospects list in early April. See the new list today.
1. Norfolk Tides (International)
Level: Triple-A
Notable Players: 3B Coby Mayo, OF Heston Kjerstad, 2B/OF Connor Norby, RHP Chayce McDermott, LHP Cade Povich.
Until last night, the Tides boasted the No. 1 prospect in baseball. But even with Jackson Holliday jumping to the majors, this is still a loaded team.
We ranked the Tides as the most talented team in the minors to start the season last year, and they more than lived up to that billing. The Tides finished with the best record in the International League, won the league title and then won the Triple-A national championship. At the end of the year, we named them the 2023 Minor League Team of the Year.
Much of that team is back (at least for now) to defend their title. Holliday’s brief stint gave the Tides’ three Top 100 Prospects. Top 100 Prospects Mayo and Kjerstad are back from last year’s team. Norby, McDermott and Povich are all solid prospects in their own right. At some point, graduations may gut this team beyond losing Holliday, but for now, this is a truly loaded team.
2. Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern)
Level: Double-A
Notable Players: OF Roman Anthony, SS Marcelo Mayer, C Kyle Teel, RHP Wikelman Gonzalez, 2B Nick Yorke, 1B Blaze Jordan.
The Sea Dogs are the only team other than Norfolk to have three Top 100 Prospects, and there’s a nice well-rounded group of prospects beyond the Anthony-Mayer-Teel trio.
3. Tennessee Smokies (Southern)
Level: Double-A
Notable Players: RHP Cade Horton, 3B Matt Shaw, C Moises Ballesteros, OF Kevin Alcantara.
If not for the Tides, the Southern League champion Smokies had a strong argument to be Baseball America’s Team of the Year in 2023. Several of these prospects will likely only spend the early part of the season in Tennessee, but the Smokies have some of the highest-ceiling talent in the minors.
4. Modesto Nuts (California)
Level: Low-A
Notable Players: SS Colt Emerson, OF Lazaro Montes, OF Jonny Farmelo, INF Tai Peete,
It’s hard for a Low-A team to crack this Top 10, as many of the top prospects of 2025-2026 are just getting established in pro ball. But this Cal League team is one to watch early and often with an extremely potent lineup led by Top 100 talents in Emerson and Montes and a likely soon-to-be Top 100 Prospect in Farmelo.
5. Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)
Level: Double-A
Notable Players: OF Dylan Crews, 3B Yohandry Morales, 3B Brady House, OF Robert Hassell.
The Senators have on of the best prospects in baseball in Crews, but he’ll get plenty of help from a lineup that has some depth thanks to Morales, House and Hassell.
6. Dayton Dragons (Midwest)
Level: High-A
Notable Players: RHP Rhett Lowder, 3B Sal Stewart, 3B Cam Collier, SS Leonardo Balcazar, 2B Carlos Jorge, OF Hector Rodriguez, 2B/SS Victor Acosta
There were times last year when Daytona was one of the most fun teams to watch in Low-A. Most of those players have moved up to Dayton this year, and they’ve added 2023 first rounder Rhett Lowder as well.
7. Hickory Crawdads (South Atlantic)
Level: High-A
Notable Players: SS Sebastian Walcott, RHP Brock Porter, SS/2B Cam Cauley, OF Anthony Gutierrez, RHP Aidan Curry.
Walcott and Cauley make this a must-watch team, especially on days where Brock Porter is on the mound.
8. Buffalo Bisons (International)
Level: Double-A
Notable Players: LHP Ricky Tiedemann, SS/3B Orelvis Martinez, INF Leo Jimenez, RHP Connor Cooke, RHP Chad Dallas, 1B Spencer Horwitz.
Tiedemann and Martinez are the Blue Jays top two prospects, and Jimenez is an excellent table-setter.
9. Iowa Cubs (International)
Level: Triple-A
Notable Players: CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF Owen Caissie, OF Alexander Canario, 1B Matt Mervis.
The Cubs are the only team with two clubs in the Top 10. The team is loaded with close-to-the majors prospects, which is why both its Double-A and Triple-A teams boast two Top 100 prospects.
10. Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest)
Level: High-A
Notable Players: C Ethan Salas, RHP Dylan Lesko, OF Homer Bush Jr., LHP Jagger Haynes
Salas is the youngest player at any full-season level and he’s playing in High-A. Bush is a fun prospect to dream on, and Lesko looks to return to pre-injury form now that he’s further away from his Tommy John surgery.
