Here are all of our No. 1 overall prospects, ranked
We compared phenoms based on pre-MLB hype, and it might surprise you
Jonathan Mayo
Since 2004, MLB.com has been ranking prospects. Between our preseason rankings, and, more recently, midseason updates, we’ve had 21 different players rank as the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
How would the best prospects rank amongst themselves? What would this tournament of champions, so to speak, look like? Measuring them based on the hype surrounding them, the expectations on their shoulders when they were prospects, rather than how they’ve performed since, proves to be an interesting exercise.
There are some rankings that will surprise you, but many top prospects fall short of (or even exceed) the promise that comes with being baseball’s top-ranked prospect. It’s very subjective and there were some serious challenges in terms of comparing prospects from different time periods.
There were definite issues around recency bias and big league success that had to be pushed aside. And there’s no question that the hype machine these days is so much louder than it used to be thanks to the proliferation of prospect coverage, and of course, social media platforms.
Trying to keep that in mind while answering the simple question of “Who was the best prospect at the time?,” here is the ranking of all of MLB.com’s No. 1 overall prospects (with the years they were No. 1 in parentheses).
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Blue Jays (2018 midseason, 2019 preseason)
The hype for Vlad Jr. certainly was deafening, but it was for good reason. He’s the first prospect we ever gave an 80 hit grade tool, and he graduated from the Minors with a .331/.414/.531 slash line to back up the lofty score.
2. Shohei Ohtani, RHP/OF, Angels (2018 preseason)
We’d never seen anything like him before and while his time as a prospect was short-lived, his abilities on both sides of the ball puts him near the very top of this list. He would’ve been the No. 1 prospect just as a pitcher and likely would’ve been top 10 as an outfielder.
3. Wander Franco, SS, Rays (midseason 2019, preseason 2020, midseason 2020, preseason 2021)
He was just 20 years old when he hit the ground running in Tampa as our second prospect to get an 80 hit grade. After playing across two levels of A-ball in 2019, Franco nimbly made the leap to Triple-A in 2021 and brought an impressive .332/.398/.536 career Minor League line with him to the big leagues.
4. Byron Buxton, OF, Twins (preseason 2014-15; midseason 2013-15)
While he is just now living up to expectations when healthy, there is no question everyone was enthralled with Buxton’s five-tool package as a prospect. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 Draft was our No. 1 prospect for five straight rankings, from the midseason 2013 list through the midseason list in 2015, dropping to No. 2 at the start of 2016.
5. Jackson Holliday, SS/2B, Orioles (midseason 2023; preseason 2024; midseason 2024)
It’s rare when someone comes in with the hype Holliday had as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Draft and then exceeds those lofty expectations. But that’s exactly what Holliday did, starting his first full season in Single-A Delmarva and finishing it all the way up in Triple-A, all at age 19. His first trip to the big leagues in 2024 was bumpy, so he won’t follow in the footsteps of Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson as Rookie of the Year, but after going back down, he returned swinging a much more potent bat.
6. Delmon Young, OF, Rays (preseason 2005-07)
Young was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 Draft and had all the hype that goes along with being selected there. He was our No. 1 prospect three years in a row and was a two-time Futures Game participant before arriving in the big leagues at age 20 in 2006. He had some moments in the big leagues, including finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007, 10th in MVP voting with the Twins in 2010 and taking home an ALCS MVP Award in 2012 with the Tigers.
7. Mike Trout, OF, Angels (preseason 2011)
This was a tough one not to use some revisionist history on. Because of who he’s become in the big leagues, the temptation was to run him up higher on the list. But while he was obviously well-regarded, he was only ranked No. 1 once and was ranked No. 3 behind Matt Moore (see below) and Bryce Harper in 2012.
8. Bobby Witt Jr., SS/3B, Royals (preseason 2022)
An argument could be made that Witt and Rutschman (one below) should share a ranking as the two are linked since being the top two picks in the 2019 Draft. Witt could’ve been a 1-1 in just about any other year and the hype just got louder when he nearly pulled off a 30-30 season and reached Triple-A in his first full season while turning just 21 years old.
9. Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles (midseason 2021)
The hype machine starts right away when you’re the best player in college baseball and the clear choice to be the No. 1 pick in your Draft. Rutschman put up monster numbers at Oregon State and debuted on our midseason 2019 list all the way up at No. 6, the highest a draftee has ever landed since we started our midseason updates in 2012. If it weren’t for Wander Franco, he would’ve spent more time in the top spot.
10. Joe Mauer, C, Twins (preseason 2004)
Our very first No. 1 prospect (insert nostalgic sigh here). Mauer, of course, was the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, taken by his hometown Twins and was considered to be among the top prospects in the game throughout his climb to Minnesota before turning in a Hall of Fame caliber career that included six All-Star Games, an AL MVP, five Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Gloves.
11. Yoán Moncada, 2B, White Sox (midseason 2017)
Moncada became a top prospect the second the Red Sox signed him for $31.5 million in March 2016, and he debuted at No. 7 on the 2016 preseason list. He then sat at No. 2 for two straight lists, even while getting traded to the White Sox, before sliding into the top spot for the midseason Top 100 in 2017, shortly before graduating off the list.
12. David Price, LHP, Rays (preseason 2009)
Price made it up to the big leagues so quickly, he almost didn’t get his due as a prospect. He was the slam-dunk choice to be the No. 1 pick in the 2007 Draft and he debuted at No. 11 on the Top 50 in 2008, the year he ended with his eye-opening turn out of the Rays’ bullpen in the playoffs. He catapulted to the top spot before the next season, but graduated off that year.
13. Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Orioles (preseason 2023)
Henderson jumped on the Top 100 map with a solid 2021 season and was No. 64 on the 2022 preseason list. Then he went off in 2022, going from Double-A to the big leagues while earning MLB Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Year honors. The combination of his five-tool talents, the fact that he showed he’s an All-Star already and that he’s part of the exciting Orioles youth movement (coming up right after Rutschman doesn’t hurt, either) has only added to the buzz around him.
14. Matt Moore, LHP, Rays (preseason 2012)
In retrospect, it might seem ridiculous to have ranked Moore ahead of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper before the 2012 season. But at the time, he was clearly the top pitching prospect in the game, one who had shown 100-mph heat in the 2011 Futures Game a year after leading the Minors with over 200 strikeouts. He did make the 2013 All-Star Team, but injuries kept him from living up to his promise.
15. Alex Bregman, SS/3B, Astros (midseason 2016)
Another prospect who moved too quickly through the Minors to get his prospect ranking due, Bregman was the No. 2 pick in the 2015 Draft and was in the big leagues just over a year later. He had debuted at No. 27 on the midseason 2015 list, moved up to 22 to start 2016, then briefly ascended to the top spot because of his huge first full season in the Minors.
16. Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets (midseason 2022)
There was some hype attached because Alvarez was headed to New York, of course, but much of it is warranted. He deserves credit for being so good at such a young age, reaching Triple-A as a 20-year-old. Another positive in his column is position scarcity: His catching needs work, but he can stick there, and there aren’t many guys who can mash like him behind the plate. The other side of the coin is the fact that his defense is just so-so and he’s not perceived to be a slam-dunk No. 1 guy.
17. Andrew Benintendi, OF, Red Sox (preseason 2017)
The Red Sox’s first-round pick in 2015, Benintendi made his first Top 100 appearance at No. 74 the summer after he was drafted. He was in the top 10 by the midseason 2016 list and became the No. 1 prospect prior to the start of 2017 after his strong MLB debut in 2016 and before going on to finish second in 2017 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting.
18. Jason Heyward, OF, Braves (preseason 2010)
Heyward might get more attention for his defensive prowess (five Gold Gloves) and yes, his contract, but back before the start of the 2010 season, he was considered by many to be the top prospect in the game. Atlanta had drafted him in the first round of the 2007 Draft in their own backyard and the homegrown kid put up impressive numbers in the Minors before debuting in Atlanta in 2010 and finishing second in ROY voting.
19. Corey Seager, SS, Dodgers (preseason 2016)
The Dodgers nabbed Seager in the first round of the 2012 Draft and he put up monster numbers in the Minors in 2014 and ’15, which led to his huge big league debut in ’15 (.337/.425/.561). That led to him landing in the top spot before the 2016 season began after ranking behind Byron Buxton the year prior.
20. Jurickson Profar, SS, Rangers (midseason 2012, preseason 2013)
While Profar didn’t really establish himself in the big leagues until he was playing second base every day for the Rangers and A’s in 2018-19 and was mostly an outfielder with the Padres before becoming a free agent, he was a shortstop phenom coming up through the Rangers’ system and was universally thought to be the top prospect in baseball heading into the 2013 season, with an intriguing power-speed combination for an up-the-middle player.
21. Jay Bruce, OF, Reds (preseason 2008)
Part of a huge 2005 Draft that included high schoolers like Justin Upton (No. 1 pick), Cameron Maybin (10) and Andrew McCutchen (11), Bruce ranked ahead of Maybin and McCutchen on the 2008 Top 50 after a huge 2007 season that saw him hit .319 with 26 homers across three levels of the Minors.
