Ranking the Top Hitting Prospect from Each AL Central Organization

[Matthew Lenz]

The American League Central has an impressive crop of top hitting prospects, with each organization boasting at least one consensus top-50 prospect. I took each team’s top position-player prospect and ranked them.

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh

The AL Central saw three teams make the playoffs and four teams finish above .500 in 2024, making it the most competitive division in all of baseball. After reviewing some of the top hitting prospects for each organization, this may not be a one-year wonder for the division, as each of the organizations has multiple hitting prospects in the top 100. In my review, I used a combination of MLB, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and FanGraphs. Let’s see how each team's top prospect stacks up against the others within the division.

1. Walker Jenkins - Minnesota Twins
Topping the list is our very own Walker Jenkins and, at least based on the prospect lists I referenced, it isn’t particularly close. The fifth pick in the 2023 Draft, Jenkins has had an impressive start to his career, reaching Double-A Wichita at just 19 years old. In 410 professional at-bats, he’s carried an .873 OPS, with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases. The 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter is projected to have plus hit and power tools by various scouting outlets, and was even compared to Twins (and National Baseball) Hall of Famer Joe Mauer, by Baseball America ($). Like Mauer, he has the ability to hit to all fields and demonstrates excellent contact skills. However, his power output is still a work in progress but is expected to develop over time as he’s produced very high-quality contact. Defensively, he can play anywhere in the outfield and could be the long-term heir apparent to Byron Buxton in center field.

2. Travis Bazzana - Cleveland Guardians
Bazzana was the top pick in the most recent MLB Draft out of Oregon State. He was just 15 years old when he started playing in the Australian Baseball League. After three excellent seasons in college baseball, he slashed .238/.369/.396 at Hi-A Lake County, with three home runs and five stolen bases across 101 at-bats. He earned All-American honors as a freshman and, in the same summer, was named the MVP of the Cape Cod League. Bazzana’s left-handed swing generates consistent and dangerous contact, while his above-average power plays to all fields. His plus speed will play well on the base paths and, although he’s primarily a second baseman, his speed and arm strength give him the ability to also play center field.

3. Max Clark - Detroit Tigers
Clark, drafted third overall by the Tigers in 2023, had the most variance in terms of rankings from the various sites. MLB currently has him as the sixth-ranked prospect in baseball from their August 2024 update, while Baseball Prospectus placed him 31st this week in their Top 101 list. After a brief stint in the Florida Complex League, he reached Single-A Lakeland by the end of 2023 and Hi-A West Michigan by the end of 2024. In his first two professional seasons, he has a .788 OPS, with 11 home runs, 5 stolen bases, and a very impressive 13.7% walk rate. He has a plus plate approach and the ability to hit to all fields, but his quality of contact to this point suggests he has some work to do in the power department. Clark has exclusively played center field, showing off excellent speed with a plus arm, and is fully expected to remain the captain of the outfield when he reaches the major leagues.

4. Colson Montgomery - Chicago White Sox
Montgomery, who could have played Division 1 basketball, chose to enter the 2021 MLB draft and was selected 22nd overall by the Chicago White Sox. Despite battling injuries, Montgomery has climbed the White Sox system, reaching Triple-A Charlotte at just 22 years old and boasting a .710 OPS with 18 home runs and eight stolen bases. Overall, he’s shown a good approach at the plate with solid walk rates at each level but, if there is one concern, it’s the 28.6% strikeout rate he carried last season. MLB compared the big, left-handed hitting shortstop to Corey Seager, stating he “has plus power and is tapping into more often by launching balls in the air more consistently in 2023 and 2024.” Given his size, scouts wonder if he’ll be able to stay at shortstop long-term but think that his athleticism will make for an easy transition to the hot corner.

5. Jac Caglianone - Kansas City Royals
Might Caglianone be the next Shohei Ohtani? Okay, probably not, but the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft did earn the 2024 John Olerud Award as college baseball’s best two-way player at the University of Florida. That said, the Royals are developing the 6’5” power hitter as a first baseman, rather than a pitcher. Like Clark, there is quite a bit of variance in Caglianone’s rankings, largely because of an aggressive approach at the plate that resulted in 75 collegiate home runs—but also a high chase rate. While strikeouts weren’t an issue in college or his first taste of professional baseball, a 5.6% walk rate at Hi-A Quad Cities suggests some regression in that area if his approach doesn’t change. It’s the volatility in that type of profile that creates a wide range of outcomes for Caglianone.

It’s going to be fun to watch these players develop over the next few seasons, as they slowly trickle into the major leagues. Given the state of the team and what he’s shown through his first three professional seasons, I fully expect to see Montgomery playing shortstop at some point for the White Sox in 2025 (maybe even Opening Day). After that, I’d expect Jenkins, Clark, and even Bazzana to debut sometime in 2026, with Caglianone to more realistically debut in 2027. Regardless of when they debut, though, the American League Central will boast some of the best young position players in all of baseball in the very near future.

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What are your thoughts on the top prospects in the division? Were any players snubbed from the list? Join the conversation in the comments!

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[Cory Engelhardt]

These are always fun to read. It'd be nice to compare where some of the other prospects from other teams would rank if they were in the Twins organization.

For example, would Colson Montgomery rank ahead of Rodriguez? Ahead of Keaschall? Behind both?

[NYCTK]

I saw the White Sox and Tigers both had 7 players in the Baseball Prospectus Top 101 prospects. The Royals only have 1. And the Guardians have 4. But I haven't seen the Twins number. I saw 3 in the top 50. Was it just the 3 total as well? 

[Matthew Lenz]

2 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I saw the White Sox and Tigers both had 7 players in the Baseball Prospectus Top 101 prospects. The Royals only have 1. And the Guardians have 4. But I haven't seen the Twins number. I saw 3 in the top 50. Was it just the 3 total as well? 

Yep, just the three. Walker at 5, E Rod at 17, and Keaschall at 44.

[Fezig]

Are there any right handed hitting prospects?