Ask BA: Which Teams Have The Most Top 20 League Prospects?

Image credit: Royce Lewis (Photo by Tom DiPace)

(To see all the Top 20 prospect lists, click here.)

Q: Which team has the most players on League Top 20 prospect lists? 
– Bryan Ramsey, Chicago, Ill. 

J.J. Cooper: The Padres and the Rays ranked at the top of our most recent organizational talent rankings, and they also lead the way on the number of players on the League Top 20 Prospect Lists. San Diego had 22 prospects that cracked Top 20s while the Rays had 19. No other team had more than 15 players named to our Top 20s. 

Total count of prospects on Top 20s is not a perfect metric by any means. Players who were promoted in season can qualify for multiple lists (Twins SS Royce Lewis and White Sox OF Eloy Jimenez were No. 1 prospects in a pair of leagues). Also, it’s easier to crack a Top 20 in a smaller league than it is in the bigger leagues, and some organizations have more teams in the minors than others, which leads to more opportunities to crack Top 20s. 

Here’s the complete list of Top 20 prospects by team. 

22: Padres
19: Rays
15: Blue Jays, D-backs
14: Reds
13: Angels, Mets
12: Astros, Braves, White Sox, Dodgers
11: Cardinals, Indians, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Yankees
10: Athletics, Royals, Tigers, Twins
9: Phillies
8: Brewers
7: Orioles
6: Giants, Nationals
5: Cubs, Marlins, Red Sox
4: Mariners